And though Reagan was a staunch supporter of Taiwan, he famously drew a distinction between the Chinese and the Soviets - stating that the former were not an expansionist empire.

• 要看到这一点你无须是个先知。你只需要是个历史学生。就在两年前，一位高级中国军事官员表示如果美国人在大陆入侵台湾的行动中保卫台湾，北京会用核武器对付美国。