Numerous polls of the Taiwanese show that they would want to join the US if given the choice between independent statehood, joining the mainland, and joining the US.
Plus, the US gets a nice permanent military base and gets to monitor all future Chinese submarine activity.
If China attacks a US state, it would be like Yamamoto's "sleeping giant" moment. The US is trying to force China's hand while there is power asymmetry, and I can't think of a better checkmate move.
And anyway, the vast majority of Americans wouldn't see and attack of a Taiwanese US state as a Pearl Harbor because its non sensical. Taiwan has 100 million people. Theres no way that population transfers to create the bonds necessary to make Taiwan “American” could occur. Hawaii had been a US colony for 50 years and mainland Americans had moved in displacing the natives. What is nationhood for you? How is Taiwan in any way American? They have little in common with us, yet you would make them the largest US state?
Taiwan is Chinese. Their family bonds are deep, and they share a common language and culture. The ancestor shrines for most Taiwanese (being refugees from the mainland) are in China.
Itd be much better to recognize Taipei as China and Beijing as a de-facto, yet criminal, ruler like we did before Nixon.
Either way, Taipei is perfectly capable of defending itself. Allied with Korea and a re-militarized Japan, they’d be the most fearsome military power in the world.
So there is loads of bad blood and pergaps easiest thing to happen is gor generations to change under status quo and for memory of these atrocities to fade into the background.
Taiwan and Taiwanese people don’t feel this way at all.