A War Is Coming In East Asia And We Are Nowhere Near Ready

Jake Sullivan, Biden’s National Security Advisor, just traveled to China. The focus of his meetings was on national security matters. He was treated with contempt and lectured by the Chinese on American “adventurism” in the Pacific. This is the way the Chinese have historically spoken to the leaders of tributary vassal states. That was intentional, because the Chinese Communist Party increasingly views us as a fading second-rate power soon to be brushed aside.

Gen. Zhang Youxia, one of two vice chairs of the Central Military Commission, told White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan that promoting what China calls the reunification of Taiwan with the mainland is “the mission and responsibility” of the military, according to a statement from China’s Defense Ministry.

"The Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests, bedrock of the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations," Zhang told Sullivan. In case you do not speak either Mandarin or Marxist, that translates to, “We will go to war over this issue. Back off and walk away.”

Zhang went on saying, China’s territorial sovereignty “brooks no infringement and its core interests cannot be challenged. We do not provoke trouble, but we will never flinch in face of provocation. The Chinese military will resolutely defend the reunification and interest of the motherland.”

Zhang’s tone should not have been surprising. He has been equally blunt in the past making clear on numerous occasions that Beijing intends to take control of Taiwan and force its “reunification” with mainland China. Lest you be inclined to think the Chinese have in mind some peaceful meeting of the minds, Zhang has also said this. "No matter who wants to separate Taiwan from China in any form, the Chinese military will never agree and will show no mercy."

Following Sullivan’s browbeating by Zhang, the Chinese Defense Ministry issued this statement. “China demands that the United States stop military collusion between the US and Taiwan, stop arming Taiwan, and stop spreading false narratives about Taiwan.” The false narrative would be that the Taiwanese get to decide whether or not they really want to be absorbed into the gulag that is the People’s Republic of China

Just to make sure that everyone understood that China meant what it said, while Sullivan was in Taiwan the People’s Liberation Army flooded the Taiwanese air defense zone with aircraft. At least thirty such incursions happened on just one day during Sullivan’s capitulation tour.

China’s Foreign Minister also chimed in on Taiwan. While Sullivan was still in Beijing, Foreign Minister Wang Xi said that Taiwan's independence poses the greatest threat to stability in the immediate region. Wang also called on the United States to comply with Chinese interpretations regarding China and “support China’s peaceful reunification,” the official Xinhua News Agency quoted Wang as saying.

The White House, predictably enough, responded to the markedly bellicose tone of the meetings in China, by issuing a statement completely and utterly divorced from reality.

“The two sides held candid, substantive, and constructive discussions on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues.  They discussed progress and next steps on implementation of the Woodside Summit commitments, including counternarcotics, military-to-military communications, and AI safety and risk.  Both sides welcomed ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication, including planning for a leader-level call in the coming weeks. “

Meanwhile, in the South China Sea, the Chinese continue their increasingly aggressive actions to seize control of portions of the territorial waters of the Philippines, a formal ally of the United States. Yet another collision between Filipino and Chinese vessels just occurred, and the Chinese have made it crystal clear they continue to ramp up the amount of force they are prepared to use.

“China once again urges the Philippines to face reality, abandon illusions, and immediately withdraw their illegal ship, as this is the only correct path forward. The Philippines should not misinterpret the situation, provoke conflicts, or escalate tensions, otherwise, the consequences will be solely borne by the Philippine side.”

Official Chinese statement following the most recent collision.

The Chinese also increased the pressure on Taiwan yet again. As of August 30^th, 55 Chinese warplanes and 14 Chinese ships had been noted operating around Taiwan in the past 48 hours.

The Department of Defense has long considered 2027 as the date by which the Chinese will be ready to move militarily against Taiwan. That timeline may need to be moved forward considerably. This administration is “run” by a mental incompetent who has taken tens of millions of dollars from individuals directly tied to Chinese intelligence. His entire national security team is composed of individuals who climbed in bed with Chinese interests long ago and have demonstrated time and time again they lack utterly the backbone necessary to stand up to the world’s thugs and pirates.

The President’s National Security Advisor was just kicked around and told to get out of the way of Chinese expansionism. He limped away and the White House characterized the mugging as “productive.” A war is coming in East Asia, and we are nowhere near ready.