Mr Chen may even be allowed to meet his supporters in Congress, such as the House Republican whip Tom DeLay, a militant friend of Taiwan. That would make China apoplectic. Materially, giving Mr Chen a visa would not be the kind of threat to China that submarines, planes or destroyers present. But the diplomatic snub would be very great. Even without the Aegis destroyers, Taiwan is on the verge of taking bigger strides to end its isolation now than anything it has achieved in the past 20 years.
Families welcome home spy plane crew.