Taiwan is most certainly relevant because it is free. I’ve spent a lot of time in Taiwan. The people I’ve encountered there don’t seem to have any desire to reunite with the mainland. Additionally Taiwan now has a functioning democracy and I am impressed with what they’ve accomplished. I also think Taiwan is well on its way to becoming culturally distinct from mainland China. I can’t put my finger on it exactly but it’s a strong feeling I have from visiting both places a lot. Any push by China to force Taiwan to reunite with China I feel will lead to war with the US. As an American, I feel we have an obligation to protect Taiwan and would strongly support defending Taiwan.