My view. When a country depends on another, it cannot have an independent course of action. Though Taiwan is not a country (according to the UN and most countries), Over 60% of her GDP depends on trade with China. It is moot at this point, whether she wants independence or not, she is already a part of China by anyone’s pragmatic definition. South Korea is also stuck. Maybe not as much, but stuck. South Korea’s major trading partner is China and her security partner is the US. As the US and China get more and more distant from one another, South Korea has to tread water very carefully, not wanting to aggravate either side. Unfortunately, what is evolving is like the ‘cold war’. The US and US allies pitted against Russia/China allies. Most countries are caught in the middle. Their economic fate might be decided by which side they choose. Most want to be neutral but independent in action.
