I don't know that we can ever return to the rather effective policy of strategic ambiguity, but this seems to be a well-played decision on president Cai Yingwen's part to meet house speaker Kevin McCarthy in California instead of Taiwan.
It avoids some of the bluster and the Chinese government's need to maintain face, while likely still achieving objectives of the meeting (whatever they might be beyond the ceremonial trappings). Hopefully, they enjoy some really nice oolong or green tea from the region.
I'd also like to think that this might help ameliorate the hawkish ideations of both the CCP and the US in regards to China's "inevitable invasion" of Taiwan, a brute force approach that I think most true China watchers are very skeptical of, regardless of Chinese claims to and expansion in the South China Sea. It's a very reductionist heuristic to believe that because Putin invaded Ukraine, Xi will invade Taiwan.
Instead, I believe the CCP will stick to the long game with Taiwan which will ensure that we need to walk a diplomatic tightrope throughout this era of generative AI and tech tools that bad actors and will use to distort leader's true intentions.
Well said sir!
Great insight, Joel, on the 20th anniversary of mass hysteria about WMDs in Iraq