Much of China may convert to Christianity by 2050. What are the implications of such a projection, and how might it affect US foreign policy toward issues like the South China Sea?

After years of wishful thinking, America and its allies in the Indo-Pacific are returning, finally, to what President Franklin Roosevelt called “armed defense of democratic existence.” Given Beijing’s actions both at home and abroad, one wonders what took them so long.

Some in the West may hope that COVID-19 exposes the Chinese Communist Party’s lies and human rights violations while sparking mass protests. Meanwhile, the pandemic spreads in the West and complicates the geopolitical rivalry between the US and China.

The real 2020 questions about the US-China contest lie in how they influence the context for global trade, technology standards, military tools, and power projection.

The reelection of President Tsai Ing-wen matters because the people’s voices were heard, and they signaled to mainland China and the rest of the world that they deeply value and cherish their freedom, democracy, human rights, and religious freedom.

The United States must make it abundantly clear that the Chinese Communist Party can no longer enjoy the benefits of American policy without fulfilling its obligations.

It is tempting for presidents, who are the final arbiters of exercising state power in foreign affairs, to view the material realm as destiny. But ideas and principles have power too, often above and beyond the visible.

America believes “in the dignity of each man, woman, and child. Our entire system is founded on an appreciation of the special genius of each individual.”

“The Hong Kong thing is a very tough situation. Very tough,” Donald Trump said on Tuesday. “We’ll see what happens….