LOS ANGELES — We in the West are always grateful and utterly relieved when East Asians manage to take significant steps away from the risk of serious conflict.
The fact is that we in the United States are more than capable of blundering into our own unnecessary wars without wishing to see others do the same. Instead of adding to our burdens, the relative prudence of East Asia — when its nation-states are at their diplomatic best — allows us to concentrate on the pursuit of our current follies without having to subsidize or defend anyone else's.
And so we proffer our immense gratitude and congratulations to the savvy folks in Beijing and Taipei who are mending cross-strait ways with some old-fashioned straight talk about their relationship.