Those who consider Taiwan to be the watchdog of democracy in China need to look at some indisputable facts. As Taiwan gains support from the U.S. by scrubbing off its Chinese identity, it's the dollar that's calling the shots, not democracy. Taiwan's current leadership pays a fortune to fund multiple U.S. think tanks that clamor for more U.S. "security guarantees" for the island, and the funding is extensive and opaque. Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit goes far off the track. Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen's party had been lobbying her for years through PR companies, splurging nearly $50,000. The strategy is to exploit the distance with the Chinese mainland created by the past civil war. The U.S. doesn't want Taiwan's reunification with the mainland since in the island it has a running dog.