Posted on 01/13/2023 2:38:00 PM PST by MarMema
The United States is now publicly discussing the "containment" of China with its Asia-Pacific vassals. On January 8, the Financial Times reported that the supreme US Marine Corps commander for Japan gave very direct statements regarding Pentagon's China strategy. Lieutenant General James Bierman thinks there are "numerous parallels" between Ukraine and Taiwan and admits the US is preparing what he dubbed "a counter-China theater" by strengthening coordination with its regional satellite states.
"The US and Japanese armed forces are rapidly integrating their command structure and scaling up combined operations as Washington DC and its Asian allies prepare for a possible conflict with China such as a war over Taiwan, according to the top Marine Corps general in Japan," the FT report states.
Japan has indeed become more active, as its new government decided to abandon the economy-focused policies Tokyo practiced since WWII ended. The historic shift doesn't only include (re)militarization, but also an increasing rivalry with three regional powers - China, North Korea and Russia. Apart from a break with its military neutrality, as Tokyo is massively increasing its defense budget, USMC Lieutenant General Bierman confirmed that Japan is exponentially expanding its role in joint military operations with America.
In what can only be described as a complete break with even a semblance of diplomatic etiquette, the US general spoke in a very direct and rough manner, particularly in regards to the ongoing arming of Taiwan, claiming this serves "to prepare" the island similarly to how the Kiev regime has been since 2014. His exact statement was as follows:
"Why have we achieved the level of success we’ve achieved in Ukraine? A big part of that has been because after Russian aggression in 2014 and 2015, we earnestly got after preparing for future conflict: training for the Ukrainians, pre-positioning of supplies, identification of sites from which we could operate support, sustain operations. We call that setting the theatre. And we are setting the theatre in Japan, in the Philippines, in other locations."
The interview is scandalous, to say the least, as it can hardly be considered anything else but an attempt to provoke China. This is further reinforced by the US general's explicit comparison of Taiwan and Ukraine, which is a textbook example of how the political West generates conflicts that then turn into open warfare. Bierman's position as the commander of the Third Marine Expeditionary Force and USMC Forces Japan makes these statements all the more disturbing and alarming, especially to Beijing, which has been making strides to improve relations with the US.
As the general casually admitted the political West spent years preparing the Kiev regime for war with Russia (while feigning "efforts for a peaceful resolution"), his comments about Taiwan are quite revealing and will surely be taken very seriously in China. Even the FT, one of the flagships of Western mainstream media, admits that Bierman's statements are an "unusually frank" comparison with Ukraine. To make matters worse, he didn't stop there, but made several more controversial "frank comments". The FT claims the general's further statements were as follows:
"When you talk about the complexity, the size of some of the operations they would have to conduct, let’s say [in] an invasion of Taiwan, there will be indications and warnings, and there are specific aspects to that in terms of geography and time, which allow us to posture and be most prepared... ...You gain a leverage point, a base of operations, which allows you to have a tremendous head start in different operational plans. As we square off with the Chinese adversary, who is going to own the starting pistol and is going to have the ability potentially to initiate hostilities... ...we can identify decisive key terrain that must be held, secured, defended, leveraged."
The aforementioned preparations also include the Philippines. Manila reportedly plans to allow US forces to double their prepositioned weapons and logistics in the island country. In addition to five Filipino bases, the Pentagon will gain access to five more, all of which will be part of the "China containment effort". Bierman also "cautioned" the US regional vassals "not to overestimate the Chinese military", claiming that "the PLA should not be fearfully seen as being 10 feet tall".
It's quite clear the general couldn't have possibly acted on his own when giving such statements, indicating that the Pentagon refuses to deescalate the ever-growing tensions in the increasingly contested Asia-Pacific region. If Washington DC continues with these aggressive Sinophobic policies, Beijing is extremely unlikely to stand idle. China's aim is a peaceful settlement with Taipei and this isn't just its official position, but a clearly defined goal. Beijing has consistently been working to achieve this through diplomatic and economic means. For decades, it invested heavily in improving ties with the island, offering unparalleled autonomy.
On the other hand, America has been "discouraging" Taipei from signing any deals with China. This has prompted Beijing to further invest in its military might. Although China's primary focus is economic development, it also had to make plans for strategically important contingencies such as further arming of Taiwan, to say nothing of the US-backed independence movement which has gained traction in recent decades. Although it hasn't given up on a diplomatic solution, as it's still investing in a "soft power" approach towards its breakaway island province, China still needs to mitigate the disastrous effects of the significant US regional influence.
The US is “preparing for War” with everyone, including Patagonia and the Dutch of Grand Fenwick.
As the Boy Scouts say, “Be Prepared”
And the percentage of our defense budget lost to waste, fraud, abuse, grift, graft and greasing palms, is probably higher than any of the next 30 countries combined.
Alright...
Who’s willing to join the draft for this engagement?
“Support the Commander in Chief!”
> China is dead set on war with us. No use kidding ourselves. <
I would slightly modify that to say: China is dead set on destroying us.
But I can’t see how a hot war would benefit them. All of their trade with the United States would cease. No more Chinese junk on the shelves of Walmart. Plus our government would presumably seize all the US land China has been buying up.
Better that the ChiComs stay the course. Continue to bribe US politicians, as you noted. Siphon away our wealth with cheap imports. And use the Spratley Islands to intimidate nearby countries.
Just my two cents. And two cents isn’t worth much, given Biden’s inflation.
Thank-you for writing what I was thinking
One Trident sub……the most dangerous
weapon on the plant……
What’re they gonna use for ammo? I hope they don’t expect any of us right-wing, MAGA-loving, heavily armed, assault weapon-owning, ammo-hoarding, gun registry-occupying, white supremacist citizens to break out our own personal ammo caches.
Was this written in Beijing?
There will be no war with China so long as their puppet is President of the United States.
Now that China has everyone looking at Taiwan is the best time for them to invade Siberia.
Just look at Africa and the Belt and Road Initiative.
The way to preserve peace is to prepare for war. But right now China needs us much more than we need them, so I think there is a small chance of war. After Russia’s Ukraine disaster, Xi Jinping has reevaluated his options and figured it out. And do you think Warren Buffett would be making a big investment in Taiwan Semiconductor if war was likely?
Bierman’s position as the commander of the Third Marine Expeditionary Force and USMC Forces Japan makes these statements all the more disturbing and alarming, especially to Beijing, which has been making strides to improve relations with the US.
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....”making strides to improve relations with the US.????”
Yeah right, there is not a day goes by that China’s provocateur’s don’t do everything they can to harm America. This writer is full of horse manure.
If this is a serious consideration why is this USMC Lieutenant General Bierman discussing it in public?
Are they considering using nuclear weapons?
Something about this whole article doesn't pass the smell test to me.
Our little warmongering WEF overlords can’t get enough of wars. They don’t bother finishing one until they are off to the next.
At the moment, China doesn’t need to war with us. Our own government is in league with them.
Careful! They have the Q Bomb!
Bad news chief. If you think the azhos joining the military these days are going to go to war against China, you’ve got another think coming. War breaks out and those freeloading, border jumpers and homosexuals will be trampling each other trying to get back on the other side of the border. And you can take that to the bank.
OFGS. The BRICS Information Network? Talk about sensationalism.
EVERY nation on earth has contingency plans, and they are regularly reviewed and updated as appropriate. Your beloved Russia has contingency plans; it would be derelict if it didn’t.
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