Taiwanese increasingly reluctant to give their lives to defend island, opinion poll finds

The commentary written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia programme at the Washington-based think tank Defence Priorities, described Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party as a “brash new leader” who has “lurched toward formal independence”.

Goldstein warned that “Taiwan is the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” and that the U.S. should “act with utmost prudence”, arguing that defending the island could risk “a potentially catastrophic great-power war”.