Commentary Can Taiwan deter China? It’s not a rhetorical question, nor is it an idle inquiry. In fact, whether or not Taiwan can successfully dissuade China from attacking it could be the focal point for war and peace in Asia for the next 20 years. Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have persisted for decades. Twenty-five years ago, the Chinese threat to Taiwan was perhaps the paramount security concern in East Asia. A war between China and Taiwan was considered to be the most likely military clash during the time, as evidenced by the 1995-96 missile crisis. Interestingly, cross-strait tensions soon lessened. In fact, relations between Beijing and Taipei improved dramatically in the late 1990s and 2000s, with a host of new political, economic, and cultural cooperation. Twenty-five years ago, one couldn’t mail a letter directly from Taiwan to China; today, there are nonstop flights between Taiwan and the mainland. The …