Colin Kahl, the Pentagon’s undersecretary of defense for policy, said Tuesday that a Chinese “act of aggression” against Taiwan would likely see a global response similar to what the US and its allies have done in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Potential adversaries and aggressors everywhere else in the world are looking at the global response in Ukraine,” Kahl said at an event hosted by the hawkish Center for a New American Security (CNAS) think tank.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the US has led a Western sanctions campaign aimed at isolating the Russian economy. The Biden administration likes to portray this campaign as a global one, but a significant number of countries have not followed, including China, India, Brazil, and many African nations.
As things stand today, the US would not be able to put China under heavy sanctions as the American and Chinese economies are so intertwined. While there are efforts to reduce dependence on China, a real decoupling, which some hawks are calling for, could take decades.
But Kahl’s comments suggest that the US would be willing to fund a proxy war against China in Taiwan as it has in Ukraine by shipping billions of dollars worth of weapons into the war zone. Washington has sold weapons to Taipei since severing diplomatic relations in 1979, but the military support is nowhere near what the US is providing Ukraine today.
Tensions have been rising between Beijing and Washington over Taiwan as the US has been increasing support for Taiwan in recent years. China has no interest in invading Taiwan as it maintains a robust trade relationship with the island, but Chinese officials have made clear US that Taiwanese “independence” encouraged by the US is a red line.
If true, I’ll get back to you when inflation hits 30%…. !!!!!!
Errr, except that this “war” would not last more than a week or two. So who would the US be arming?
However, it IS reassuring to know that some members of the administration have a sense of self preservation.
Who? When it comes down to it both parties go along with the party they are a part of. Even Rand Paul votes along party lines in the end.
Russia and China have been easing out of dollar dependency for years and now they have finally done it.
Apparently the spirit of Chiang and the Koumintang, the counterfeit army for soaking the Yankee suckers, is alive and well in Taiwan. Little wonder what the Formosan on the street would think of becoming the next Ukraine.
China and Russia do not make fake statements in fake news media outlets.
China has said if America becomes involved or intervenes in any Taiwan operations they will decimate America. What does that mean?
Guam, Hawaii, or Mainland US hostilities are al on the table. The unthinkable can be thinkable to strategic chess players.
Chinese Checkers?….
AND HOW, EXACTLY, would the US “ship billions of dollars into the war zone”???? Taiwan being an ISLAND, would the US fly cargo jets into Taipei and threaten China with war if China intercepted them??? Or try and enter Taiwanese ports by ship, in the face of a Chinese blockade??? Those are recipes for WAR; not “proxy war”, but REAL war, something 99% of americans know nothing about. Colin Kahl should be stripped of his desk, and his microphone, and given a broom, if his supervisors even deem him competent to sweep up offices for his livelihood. What a moron.
“Interception” and “blockade” are also “recipes for war.”
If Beijing decides to go that way, then we see whether the cargo jets are accompanied by fighters that take down attempts to “intercept,” or sink ships that attempt to enforce a “blockade.” And if that happens, each side will blame the other and claim “they started it.” That’s just how it goes.
what you are proposing IS war. NO nation, and that includes the US, would sit idly by while another power enters the war zone to provide weapons to their adversary while shooting is going on. And while China will have started a war with Taiwan, IF the US attempts to break their blockade and enter the war zone, and shooting starts, THEN the US will have started THAT war. If Kahl doesn’t realize that, then he is an imbecile. Just as Russia would attack a NATO convoy entering Ukraine, China will attack US supply planes/ships accessing Taiwan.
Now, if the US wants to do that, fine; but say it; don’t tiptoe around saying “we won’t fight but we’ll do things that make our fighting inevitable”. Because that’s idiotic.
Because we, the Pentagon idiots do not know any better…!
Let’s not kid ourselves. We are already grooming Taiwan to facilitate a Ukraine scenario. Taiwan has orders for at least $19 billion already in the pipeline, and there are voices in Congress that want to give them more.
https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2022/04/14/pandemic-delays-spark-14-billion-backlog-of-us-defense-transfers-to-taiwan/
The MIC and Wash. licks its chops as they hope China and Taiwan go to war. But, Americans must continue to sacrifice all their retirement savings just to survive the current inflation which Biden keeps calling ‘Putin’s Price Hike.’ And, the sad part is so many Americans continue to believe the whoppers coming out of Wash. Both parties benefit from MIC campaign funding, so don’t look for either one to make any changes in policy except further escalation and more wars abroad. And, don’t ever think Wash. is stupid. Just ask who benefits from the current wars and it only looks stupid when it’s all about campaign financing at the expense of the taxpayer and American blood!
Ha! The “global response” has been to support Russia and refuse to sanction Russia and continue trade with Russia. The same will happen with China over Taiwan.
As for shipping weapons, a Taiwan war will last much less time than Ukraine has. The US won’t have time to ship weapons. They might not even have enough time to get involved. Taiwan is a small island with half the population of Ukraine – not a large country like Ukraine.
The US continues to be delusional.
Only the America people are delusional, Wash. and the MIC and related industries benefit at the expense of the apathetic, lazy Americans who pay for everything.
True. The American people are the problem – except me, of course. 🙂 However, the government is also delusional since they think they can prevent China from taking Taiwan or Russia from taking Ukraine. There are some in the Pentagon who know the truth, but the senior officers and the civilian heads simply don’t know their limits. They are in for a rude awakening in both Ukraine and Taiwan.
Follow the money and you’ll notice the war will be fought by Americans on 3 fronts, Eurasia (and Europe?), Asia and the middle east. Always follow the money and ask who benefits to find the real answers.
The people of Taiwan don’t want war or to declare independence. Decades of public opinion polling have shown massive and absolute leads for keeping the status quo over independence. Only American politicians in the pockets of the MIC want Taiwan independence and to turn Taiwan into another Ukraine, while destroying our economy and people’s savings through massive inflation in the process.
Taiwan will not declare independence. That’s just an open invitation to self-destruction. China will maintain the status quo for the forseeable future. What’s most useful for Xi is the sound bytes of a unification of China with Taiwan for domestic consumption. The rank and file eat it up.
So, we’ll send Taiwan the Chicom’s annual defense budget over a four week period like we sent Ukraine, Russia’s annual defense budget over a four week period? Does Taiwan also get to be completely unaccountable for the billions we send them? Will we enforce sanctions on the Chicoms that make the yuan stronger than the US dollar as well just like our sanctions on Russia has made the ruble the strongest currency now? Will we secretly encourage US companies to do business with the Chicoms and ignore our allies when they violate those sanctions like we’re doing with Russia now? If the answer to those questions is a resounding YES! then by all means, let’s get “tough” on China! (For you Rio Lindans, Taiwan’s flag colors are red white and blue, so get those #supporttaiwan face paints and avatars ready!)