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Recently watched the episode were Barclay is terrified of the transporter while Geordie and O’Brien try to tell him it is the safest form of transportation ever and accidents never occur.
Like dude, every ither week something goes catastrophicly wrong with the transporters and either maims, kills, phase shifts, or de-ages someone. Or it sends you to a parallel universe. Or in Barclay’s case it gives you an infection or traps you in the transporter.
China is currently boxed in by American aligned entities. Every island off the Chinese coast large enough to throw an airfield on is controled by an American ally with American military forces on it. Taiwan is of massive strategic value because it would allow Chinese vessels to access the Pacific Ocean unimpeded.