If you think that the deterioration in relations between the US and China is just a temporary situation that will reverse in the near future, think again. Just because Chinese leaders don’t imitate demented Joe Biden and shout insults doesn’t mean the Chinese are apathetic. Just the opposite. He is angry.
When the United States chose to shoot down a Chinese balloon (Beijing says it’s a weather balloon, the US says it’s a spy platform) without consulting the Chinese government, the Chinese initially expressed their outrage by refusing to take a phone call from the US. Secretary of Defense Austin. Austin continued to ask for a telephone conversation between the defense ministers of the two countries to discuss the situation surrounding the weather balloon, but Beijing refused to do so.
The Chinese then vowed revenge. But what those countermeasures would entail was not initially explained. Then, last Thursday, Beijing announced sanctions and penalties against two major American defense companies for their involvement in arms sales to Taiwan: a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corp. and Raytheon Technologies Corp.
The Biden administration had a choice — take steps to try to mend relations with China or double down on opposing Beijing. Joe Biden and his unscrupulous team, with a knack for doing wrong, decided to poke the Chinese in the eye. This week, the US Department of Defense and the Department of State claimed they had intelligence that China was preparing to provide military aid to Russia and warned China in the strongest possible terms against doing so.
Talk about hypocrisy. The United States is open to supplying Ukraine with billions in weapons and equipment but declares that China will be the sole arbiter of who it can support with military aid. Beijing was not fun:
“The so-called US intelligence [about Russian arms supplies] Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said this is speculation and slander against China.
Wang Wenbin did not stop there. He accused the United States of being the greatest threat to peace on earth:
The United States grossly violates the sovereignty of other countries and interferes in the internal affairs of other countries;
America is the largest producer of war;
The US has not gone to war in only 16 years of its 240-year history;
The United States has initiated about 80% of the world’s armed conflicts since the end of World War II;
After the end of World War II, the US attempted to overthrow more than 50 foreign governments;
violently interfered in elections in at least 30 countries and attempted to assassinate more than 50 foreign leaders;
NATO’s wars against Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria under the US have resulted in more than 900,000 deaths and 37 million refugees.
As long as America’s hegemonic policies and warlike tendencies continue, there will be no peace in the world.
You may be shocked by what I’m about to tell you – the Chinese monitor the US media and pay attention to what the various think tanks that populate Washington, DC write and do. The Center for Strategic and International Studies aka CSIS recently war-gamed a scenario that would provoke China and invade Taiwan. CSIS players concluded that:
- Chinese military capabilities comparable to US but ultimately defeat US amphibious landing attempt in Taiwan;
- Taiwan’s infrastructure and industry will be destroyed but it will maintain its political autonomy, trading its physical existence to maintain its political existence;
Here Brian Berletic provides a detailed breakdown of the war game:
China, for its part, is playing some war games with its new partner. China, Russia and South Africa participated in a joint naval exercise last week. China’s participation was not sparked by recent tensions with Washington. Planning for this exercise started 18 months ago. Nevertheless, the US shows that China is serious about relations outside the orbit
Joint naval exercises by China, Russia and the Republic of South Africa will improve BRICS countries’ skills in ensuring maritime security. Tan Kefei, an official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the People’s Republic of China, said this on Thursday.
The era of the United States dictating to China is over. As the Chinese seek to avoid a shooting war with Washington, America should not make the mistake of confusing Chinese restraint and patience with vulnerability. The dragon is awake.
