If China “Crimea’s” Taiwan: What Japan and the Philippines Would Do A China move on Taiwan modeled on Crimea would hinge on speed, ambiguity, and forcing a new reality before diplomacy can react, and that is why the region is so tense. Such a scenario would immediately pull in Japan and the Philippines not by ideology, but by geography: Japan’s southwest islands sit within minutes of Taiwan, making neutrality impractical, while Manila would face urgent evacuation challenges for over 100,000 Fili