Coexistence or Cold War with China?

Townhall.com ^ | January 26, 2021 | Pat Buchanan

[Kaslin]

"The United States acknowledges that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China. The United States... does not challenge that position."

Thus did President Nixon, in the Shanghai Communique of 1972, accept China's territorial claim to the island of Taiwan.

In 1979, Jimmy Carter severed relations with Taiwan, recognized Beijing as the legitimate government and dissolved the U.S. mutual security treaty with the Republic of China on Taiwan.

We ceased to be obligated to go to war to defend Taiwan.

Fast-forward four decades to the first weekend of President Joe Biden's administration. Saturday, China sent eight nuclear-capable bombers and four fighter planes into the air defense identification zone of Taiwan.

Sunday, Beijing sent 16 military aircraft into the same region.

Observing U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and visits by U.S. officials, China is issuing us a reminder: "You Americans are encouraging those on the island who seek independence. Not going to happen. Rather than let Taiwan go, we will fight. Taiwan is a part of China and is a red line for us."

Beijing is said to be seeking a face-to-face meeting with Biden.

Why? Perhaps because incoming Secretary of State Antony Blinken in his confirmation hearings said that President Donald Trump "was right" to take a "tougher approach to China."

Blinken also agreed with outgoing Secretary Mike Pompeo, who had called China's treatment of its Uighur minority "genocide," and added that our commitment to Taiwan is "something that we hold to very strongly."

Under Xi Jinping, said Blinken, China seeks to "become the leading country in the world -- the country that sets the norms, that sets the standards." In short, China's geostrategic goal is to replace the U.S.-created world order with a new world order of its own.

Before we proceed further down this road to collision, questions need to be answered.

To whom does Taiwan belong? If the answer is what it has been since 1972 -- "Taiwan is a part of China" -- then is not encouraging the 25 million Taiwanese to seek independence an "incitement to insurrection" from Beijing's standpoint?And if China uses force to compel Taiwan to repudiate any right to independence, are we prepared to fight a war with a nuclear-armed China over the island's political status and orientation?

When Chinese Communists in 1950 conquered Tibet and began its ethnic and cultural cleansing of the region, what did we do?

Basically, nothing.

When China occupied and fortified rocks and reefs across the South China Sea what did we do?

Basically, nothing.

When China crushed the Hong Kong democracy protests we encouraged, and imposed a new national security law on the island's 7 million people, what did we do?

Basically, nothing.

Now, Xi Jinping has bluntly told America that how China treats Tibetans, Uighurs, Christians and Falun Gong, all citizens of China, is no more the business of the United States than was our treatment of the indigenous peoples of North America the business of Imperial China.

China's model of political and economic development has enjoyed success in this century as an alternative to the Western model of liberal democracy.

Beijing does not believe in untrammeled freedom of religion, or of speech, or of the press. She does not believe in choosing leaders by the ballot box.

China is not an egalitarian society. She does not believe in the equality of all races, religions and ethnic groups. She does not celebrate diversity but fears it, seeing what ethnic diversity did to the Soviet Union, tearing it apart into 15 nations.

She does not believe in racial quotas for advancement, but in a meritocracy that rewards loyalty and performance. And Chinese student test scores are among the highest in the world.

While China steals intellectual property from U.S. factories in China, who moved the factories there to take advantage of cheap labor where a worker could be hired for $2 an hour?

Beijing says any attempt to impose our "universal values" on China would amount to interference in her internal affairs. And any attempt to sever from Beijing her jurisdiction over Taiwan or the Spratly or Paracel Islands in the South China Sea will be resisted by force.

Moreover, as none of the disputed rocks and reefs in the South and East China Seas involves any territory claimed by the U.S., and we have conceded for 50 years that Taiwan is "part of China," why are we sending carrier battle groups into these seas and through the Taiwan Strait?

What are we threatening?

On Sunday, a U.S. aircraft carrier battle group, led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt sailed into the South China Sea on a "freedom of navigation" exercise, the first such operation under President Biden.

This was the same day that those Chinese bombers and fighters flew into Taiwan's air identification zone. We need to talk.

[Texas Eagle]

Why would China go to war with itself?

[SmokingJoe]

Do we want a war with China?
Of course not.
Total war with China will destroy both countries and kill hundreds of millions. Nobody wants that.
We never even actually fought a war with the Soviet Union even at their worst. We only fought proxy wars, against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, Angola, Somalia etc. Why would we want to fight a war with China?

[mountainlion]

If we sell out Taiwan we might as well sell out the USA to china as they already own significant property and legislatures in the USA.

[central_va]

Why would we want to fight a war with China?

War will come to us. China will take Taiwan , ROK, Japan , PI, and Australasia over he next 50 years. By war and other means...

[RoosterRedux]

That's right.

China has bought an significant position in the U.S. ruling elite.

War?

Only if the ruling elite go back on their deal or, perhaps, if some segment of the U.S. (like the Deplorables) declares war on the ruling elite.

[central_va]

War would end all trade and economic ties with the CCP which would be A GOOD THING....

[allendale]

Actually very much doubt that China would ever mount an actual invasion of Taiwan. They will of course continually try to intimidate Taiwan and try to get a pro reunification party elected in Taiwan. But as long as they discern that the people on Taiwan are willing to fight for their freedom, an invasion would be too costly and detrimental to the Chinese. China is misjudged in the West as an economic and military juggernaut. The reality is that their economy is hampered by food, electricity, and capital shortages. There is political and social unrest not always seen or as evident as what is happening in Hong Kong. Their military is saddled with top heavy, politically accomadating incompetent senior officers, outmoded equipment, untested equipment and ordinary soldiers who don’t want to die.

[Don Corleone]

Coexistence or Cold War with China?

To coexist with evil is evil in itself.

[Paine in the Neck]

We are now basically a province of the Chinese empire. Our government has been hollowed out to its skin and filled with bought and paid for American politicians managed by Chinese infiltrators. What now happens in Washington is what Beijing wants to happen.

[Grampa Dave]

Why would China go to war with itself?

Thank you for posting the above reality!

"Biden is wholly owned by the CCP. They will be allowed to do whatever the hell they want to do."

They own and control Joe and Hoe!

The good news is they need us as a prime customer, trainer of new engineers, a pipeline for new technology, as a trading partner and as an ally.

If we are not a military threat to them and can help fund their aggression around the world, they will just control us not bomb us.

The bad news is they will control more of our lives during and post Biden and Hoe.

[RoosterRedux]

BTW, Antony Blinken is blowing smoke...providing cover for the Chinese funding of the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement that Joe Biden established in 2018 with the University of Pennsylvania, where Blinken was Managing Director.

[NWFree]

Carter never met a communist he didn’t like.

[SmokingJoe]

War will come to us. China will take Taiwan , ROK, Japan , PI, and Australasia over he next 50 years.

And what will China do with all these colonies of very hostile countries?
They had a hard enough time controlling Tibet, and those guys didn't even really fight that much.
Outside of Tibet, how many countries has China actually invaded? Last time they had some border skirmishes with the Soviet Union, Vietnam and India, they got badly bloodied.

[Little Ray]

Don’t be silly.
Submission.
The PRC paid good money for Biden and they intend to make the most out of him.

[SmokingJoe]

War would end all trade and economic ties with the CCP which would be A GOOD THING....

At the cost of how many millions dead?
Say, how many wars have ever ended trade?
We still trade with Vietnam, Afghanistan, etc don't we?

[BenLurkin]

"They're not bad folks" says the fraud regarding Red China.

[PIF]

When Chinese Communists in 1950 conquered Tibet and began its ethnic and cultural cleansing of the region, what did we do?

Basically, nothing.

When China occupied and fortified rocks and reefs across the South China Sea what did we do?

Basically, nothing.

When China crushed the Hong Kong democracy protests we encouraged, and imposed a new national security law on the island’s 7 million people, what did we do?

Basically, nothing.

When China subverted the 2020 Presidential election and installed its puppets, what did we do?

Basically, nothing.

[The Truth Will Make You Free]

We are now basically a province of the Chinese empire.

This conclusion came to me on January 20. There was a war and China won. Bio weapon. Medical establishment influence. Political buyouts. Business alliances. Media control. Chinese economic subversion of universities. Controlling influence of sports (at least NBA). Etc.

Our hope is in the God that much of the nation has trashed.

[2aProtectsTheRest]

China has long term strategic plans for world domination through economic expansion and control of precious resources like rare earth minerals. They’re seizing control via contract. China marches all in one direction with their entire national might.

Cold war? We’re ill prepared for it. They’ll do things we aren’t prepared to do. The best thing we can do for ourselves is to become self-sufficient. Kill the debt, bring back manufacturing, secure or replace any resources we don’t directly control, and weather the coming storm. The rest of the world is in for a rough ride as China works to dominate.