Don’t rock the boat.
That was the subtext of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s testimony on Tuesday, where he tried to convince a skeptical Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Washington’s delicate tightrope act over Taiwan isn’t about to snap. The official line? Status quo. Rubio made it clear that the U.S. wants things kept exactly as they are, describing the situation as a highly sensitive balancing act that requires constant, careful management.
Taipei is nervous.
They have good reason to be, considering the recent high-stakes summit in Beijing between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. That meeting left the self-ruled democratic island wondering if its American security blanket was about to be pulled away. Rubio says relax. But in this town, promises are cheap.
