Taiwan’s foreign minister on Aug. 21 accused Beijing of wanting to follow the Taliban’s footsteps by seizing control of the democratic island, saying the island has no desire to to subjected to communist rule. The rapid fall of Afghanistan into the Taliban’s hands weeks before the scheduled withdrawal of American troops has spurred debate about whether Taiwan would meet the same fate in the event of a Chinese invasion. The Chinese state media, meanwhile, have also seized the opportunity to cast Washington as an unreliable ally, pushing narratives such as “Afghanistan today, Taiwan tomorrow.” The communist regime in China, which views the Taiwan as part of its territory despite the latter being governed as a distinct entity, has threatened to use force to bring the island into its fold. After the U.S. State Department reiterated calls for Beijing to cease pressuring Taiwan on Aug. 21, the democratic island’s foreign minister …