's shape and position- slightly askew, off the southeast coast of China-suggests noth-ing so much as a ship adrift, isolated, vulnerable to storm and tide. No one now takes seriously the old, persistent claims of Taiwan's government-in-exile to sovereignty over the mainland. The island's one-time allies and sometime friends dwindle in number, as rich and poor nations alike hasten to curry favor with the vast People's Republic across the Strait. Jimmy Car- ter's administration is only the latest...