If we had not, either the British or the Japanese would have.
Explanation:
(longer? answer)
If we had not, either the British or the Japanese would have. It would “continue to exist” as a special economic zone of the People's Republic of China.
Prior to being overthrown and Hawaii being annexed to the US, Queen Liliʻuokalani ruled the Kingdom of Hawaii. She had proposed a new constitution which would restore power to the monarch and eliminate the voting right of European and American residents in Hawaii. Because of those concerns, she was overthrown and Hawaii annexed to the US.
