The riches that the Taiwanese have made are only part of the reason China wants the land. It's a strategic position for China to take control of along the chain of islands that block their access to the Pacific, all of which are currently friendly to the US. It would allow them to further encircle Japan and South Korea, two countries that house large US military bases, and give them an upper hand in talks as they can easily blockade shipments going to the two countries, and both Japan and SK rely quite a bit on oil tankers coming from the South China Sea for their energy needs. This is why Japan has been super nervous about the recent developments related to Taiwan, not just because of a clear weakening in the will of the US to defend its allies.
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