alternatehistory.com

in 1854, during his travels to Asia, Matthew Perry landed in Furmosa [Modern Taiwan] for ten days, in which he investigated the potential of mining the coal deposits in that area. He attempted to convince congress to claim sovereignty over the island, but congress ignored the proposal.

Perry had argued that Taiwan would provide a convenient, mid-way trade location, that is would be easily defendable and could serve as a base for further exploration [Akin to Cuba for Spain]. Additonally, annexing the island could help the United States counter European monopolization of the major trade routes.

What if the US had annexed the Island? Would it eventually gain independence or would it's early acquisition encourage the US to keep it. How might this affect later US Territorial gain in Southeast Asia and the Pacific?
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