As Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is preparing to lead a Congressional delegation on a tour of Asia, which may include a stop in Taiwan, tensions between Washington and Beijing in the South China Sea are increasing.
After a port call in Singapore, the USS Ronald Reagan has returned to the South China Sea where earlier this month it was conducting war drills. South China Morning Post reported that satellite imagery showed the carrier, on Thursday, traveling 185 kilometers (115 miles) from the contested Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands chain. Two Chinese ships, a frigate and a destroyer, were identified between 23-27 kilometers away. The USS Ronald Reagan and its strike group is now heading northeast possibly towards the Taiwan Strait.
After drilling in Hainan province, the PLA Navy is carrying out routine exercises near Guangdong, along the Chinese southern coast. According to the Post, “An area in the South China Sea about 89km from Macau will be closed to ships on Saturday for military exercises, according to a notice issued by China’s Maritime Safety Administration. The Gulf of Tonkin off southwestern Guangdong will also be a no-go zone on Tuesday and Wednesday while gunnery exercises are carried out.”
Song Zhongping, a former PLA instructor, suggests the USS Ronald Reagan might escort Pelosi to Taiwan. The Associated Press reported this week, if Pelosi goes to Taiwan, ships, jets, and additional assets will be providing protection for the military plane flying her there. Song adds “At the same time, before the potential visit, the US will increase surveillance of People’s Liberation Army activities around Taiwan – meaning that the US would deploy a large number of reconnaissance aircraft.”
Song predicts the “region will be tense for a while,” and China will correspondingly reciprocate with more surveillance flights eyeing the carrier strike group. He said the PLA will likely warn off U.S. ships and aircraft in the area, and perhaps intercept Pelosi’s plane.
On Friday, despite the hype, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters there is no evidence China is planning to act militarily against Taiwan. “(We’ve) seen no physical, tangible indications of anything untoward with respect to Taiwan,” Kirby said.
Officials in President Joe Biden’s administration are concerned if Pelosi visits the island it will spark a major crisis in the Taiwan Strait. As House Speaker, she is number three in line to replace the president. This follows a series of hawkish former Donald Trump administration officials, Congressional delegations and other high level officials’ visits to Taiwan, which have deliberately goaded Beijing.
Earlier this week, Pelosi invited other lawmakers to join her in Taipei. Reportedly, House Foreign Affairs Chairman Gregory Meeks (D-NY) will join her small delegation.
Biden has said the military warned him Pelosi going to Taiwan is “not a good idea.” During a call on Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Biden that China will resist “interference by external forces” on the island, adding those “who play with fire will perish by it.” XI said he hopes “the US will be clear-eyed about this.” On Friday, when reporters asked Pelosi about XI’s comments she smiled, laughed, and declined to comment.
Pelosi told reporters on Friday “we want Congress to be a part of” the Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific policy. Since entering office, Biden has vastly ramped up military provocations with China. Last year, Biden sailed warships through the Taiwan Strait almost every month. He nearly doubled the number of air craft carrier strike groups deployed to the South China Sea, and flew more than 2,000 sorties of reconnaissance aircraft in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Yellow Sea.
Beyond Biden’s three “gaffes” which has committed Americans to Taiwan’s defense, seemingly doing away with the One-China policy which has kept the peace for decades, US troops are now openly deployed to the island, training local forces for war with the mainland.
Connor Freeman is the assistant editor and a writer at the Libertarian Institute, primarily covering foreign policy. He is a co-host on Conflicts of Interest. His writing has been featured in media outlets such as Antiwar.com and Counterpunch, as well as the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. He has also appeared on Liberty Weekly, Around the Empire, and Parallax Views. You can follow him on Twitter @FreemansMind96.
One must hope that these maniacal politicians on both sides of the isle are massively humbled and eventually removed for provoking a real war. China will not tolerate interference. Backed into a corner they will crush any US military escorts coming into their backyard.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have everyone in the Biden Administration and all of Congress in a plane headed for Taiwan? I can dream, right?
It’s a one way trip, right?…
Polish leaders went on a plane ride once.
I would be more concerned about military yes-men than the madmen. Madmen can be taken out but yes-men will turn the key which leads to all out nuclear war.
Nicely put Mardasee, nicely put.
I don’t understand why Congress always think so highly of themselves of veteran diplomats and world experts when American education system does such a poor job at teaching history. The ones who actually know world history well are NOT hawks. Alas instead we have bipartisan hawks pushing for war at every opportunity, dooming us to repeat the history of bloodshed over and over.
Because the oligarchs and the MIC pat them on the head and tell them what a great job they are doing. That’s all they care about.
As long as the money keeps rolling in and in order to justify the incredible spending the ‘Military Offense Industry’ needs continuous wars. As Smedley Butler has said, “war is the biggest racket”.
Why doesn’t this old woman just go away? Why do we continue to pretend these old bastards aren’t going to destroy the world? Pelosi is third in succession to the presidency. So, we have a senile old man in charge, a cackling idiot waiting in the wings at number two and then this senile old woman, Pelosi, would be third. But wait, we have a 76 year old narcissist who will be 78 on election day waiting to go on his revenge tour. But instead of talking of an age limit we will continue to be politically correct and deny those in Washington aren’t subject to the same natural decline as the rest of society while these old fucks hang on to power and destroy our lives.
You have the makings of a best selling novel!
You can call it: The Armageddon Henhouse!
Great title.
So, the old fucks get replaced by younger fucks who will have the power to destroy our lives….. Somehow I’m not comforted.
No doubt. Me either. Age is just one of the issues. Term limits and money obviously would have to be addressed.
Sambor71 and WRU:
You guys speak the same language! It is heart warming…
🙂
The real issue is power.
We are ruled in a kakistocracy pretending to be a democracy which is supposed to be a constitutional republic. The citizens of this nation think that by voting the government will improve. But the election process is so corrupt that isn’t likely.
We need to strip the power away from these cretins. Start with the power to promote wars. Make it so transparent and difficult that it becomes obvious only a tiny minority benefit from it.
I hear ya man. But, just once, I’d like to see EVERYONE vote third party. I think it would be better than a revolution.
Here is a possible answer. People vote AGAINST a candidate rather than for a candidate. Fear is an powerful tool in manipulating voters. We hear the wasting your vote con every election. So, what if voters got to pick first choice, second choice and third choice etc. If your first choice has the lowest number of votes, that candidate is eliminated but your second choice gets your vote. The vote is recalculated and the process is repeated until one candidate has the majority.
So… Your vote always counts. (unless you have no other choices then your vote would be null). This would free people to vote for who they actually want instead of voting defensively. I think a lot of people would decided o vote third party as a first choice.
As has been stated by many, you don’t see people spending millions for an office that pays less than $200,000 per year. The payoff comes when they take office and begin the Biden process of grifting as much as you can.
Most of the payout comes after the office holder, apparatchiks and such leave office. There are exceptions though. Pelosi is a good example.
That’s about the size of it. Those old fucks will never give up power willingly so unless the people can find a way to change the rules, they will stay in office forever, Biden, Pelosi, McConnell, Romney, etc. Some may still convince themselves that they’re doing the work of the people but for most it’s just the power and money that keeps them in office. Besides, it beats working.
And those you mentioned are young compared to Grassley and Feinstein. Grassley will be 95 at the end of his next term if he wins in 2024. You could use dental floss to blindfold Feinstein. But, I guess they are the best that Iowa and California can come up with
Justin Raimondo also knew Nancy Pelosi was a warmonger. Many publications attacked him in the 90s by simply mentioning he was a homosexual running as a republican. As usual, the issue of voting for war vs. antiwar was lost. Talking about being “politically correct,” only how and when it suits the establishment.
Well said NA, very well said.
Nancy can’t go away. Her husband needs the stock tips.
Wars, surely there are competent, reasonable and intelligent individuals in this country who would presumably be fine leaders, yet the ones you mention, One, Two and Three, respectively, are the ones we’re stuck with.
Apparently competent, reasonable and intelligent people shun politics.
Yes, Congress has the task to legislate and that includes foreign relations. What Pelosi and her retinue can learn in Taiwan for any anti-China legislation is already known and our Department of State should be more than able to keep Congress informed. This is a clear-cut stunt. And a dangerous one. And a stupid one. Our executive branch of government which must eventually execute whatever stupid laws will emanate from Congress has let it be known that it is against this potentially dangerous exercise.
Xi is angry but does not quake in his boots.
Peace is the only threat to the MIC, which is why you won’t read that word on a congressional website, the white house website, or any other government website, and you won’t hear it in a press conference or presidential debate. It has been sent down the memory hole.
It’s a very big and deep hole.
Biden keeps increasing provocations while some others keep warnings about nuclear war, not only with Russia, but he has added China. The joke is that is more concerned about global warming than nuclear war.
And you couldn’t think of anything a little more insignificant than global warming to use as the “joke”? There are soooo many.
A funny thing happened on the way to the global warming…
“On Friday, when reporters asked Pelosi about XI’s comments she smiled, laughed, and declined to comment”
That’s a psychopath. Nancy is in her own world and in that world she believes she has power. Psychopaths though can be given a reality check and they will turn into a useless rock um brain freezes for Nancy.
Succinctly put!
I got a brain freeze reading it, lol.
I am too scared to lol.
And she has plenty of company, all of them, in all three branches of government, with a few exceptions are deranged.
The Chinese will not be provoked into war over diplomatic aggression. But they will respond diplomatically and militarily to Pelosi’s visit.The military response will demonstrate Chinese strategic dominance over Taiwan without engaging in hostile action. I expect something like a massive Chinese incursion into Taiwanese airspace during Pelosi’s visit and perhaps sending a naval task force into Taiwanese claimed territorial waters or even flying an air attack group into visual range of Pelosi’s plane. Xi is not Putin and will not be provoked into a war or an occupation that would hurt China’s economic growth. China prefers to wait for unification with Taiwan.
The two classes of Chinese response are target aircraft up and target aircraft on the ground. Aircraft on the ground I think would be theater, but if the Chinese stage something while Pelosi’s aircraft is up it’s a whole different play, maybe like the one Lincoln went to. Closing to visual will probably require (or precipitate) a response, either turning back or turn and burn, that second of which will be difficult when outnumbered N:1 and trying to protect a big ‘ole subsonic cow (Pelosi’s aircraft). I expect this has been explained to various furrowed brows. Anyway, you’re probably right the Chinese will avoid a shooting war, at least until their nuclear arsenal approaches parity. They’ve played the long game with Taiwan and they’re going to win it, but I’m about tired of counting on other people’s politicians to act like rational adults.
The only way China will reach nuclear parity with the US or Russia will be if the US and Russia eliminate 95% of their nukes. 350 nukes gives China the capability of destroying any country or alliance that attacks them.In the 1960’s Robert McNamara said that 200 nukes were sufficient to achieve MAD. The US and Russian arsenals are strategically unnecessary. China might upgrade its nukes, but they will never waste their national resources investing in thousands of unnecessary nuclear weapons. Chinese foreign policy is a lot like US policy when the US was the ascendant power in the 19th century. Peaceful competition is good for China’s economy and its peaceful economic rise improves its strategic situation over time.
Nobody knows the nuclear intentions of the Chinese leadership except them, but if they want to pursue parity they have the resources. They seem to be in growth mode. And yeah, 200 warheads is supposed to be in the ballpark of a sufficient deterrent, but with ABM systems factored in it’s hard to say. The US and USSR/Russia certainly didn’t settle for 200. Academically I’d like to see China at numerical parity with the US and Russia just to see a 3 way MAD extreme overkill, which would be interesting and dystopian freaky, and maybe we could leverage it into a ban. It was absurd the US wanted China to be part of US/Russia nuclear reduction talks.
I think it would be better, yet, to take Nancy on a walking tour of Disneyland… The worst trouble she can get into is possibly getting lost or stuck on a ride…
Or her hair could get caught on a whirly gig and she would spend eternity spinning round and round…
She may have an impact on greenhouse gases…
🤣
China One is the USA policy why aggravate the situation..
I’ve been empathizing this morning with the F-18 pilots screening the Reagan right now thinking what am I doing up here, oh yeah, I’m supposed to try and get a visual on the incoming warhead(s) to verify the contact(s) on our godzillion dollar radar systems are real, and they probably won’t even bother with me because my 50 million dollar state of the art weapons platform will be a f*cking submarine an hour or two later, so should I ditch near the last known whereabouts and hope I get fished out with any survivors or see how close I can get to land before I get shot down? What did the exec say? Scr*w him, he’s not here. Why am I up here again? Oh yeah, so somebody who actually reminds me a lot of grandmother, our tolerance for whom does not involve dying in the China f*cking Sea, so somebody who reminds me of grandmother can get her picture taken in Taipei, wherever the f*ck that is. Hm. Hm.
And, ya know, politicians barking and preening for their tongue wagging masses is one thing but if you’re flying an F-18 your eyes are good enough to see all that water and you’re smart enough to read a scorecard and I bet a lot of them are having second thoughts about their career choice right about now, but I’m going to go out on a limb and speculate that if the Chinese do enough missile rattling Nancy and for sure Pompeo are going to have a gosh darnit Covid flareup because those people risk other people’s lives, not their own.
Outstanding post, Ted!
And better yet, we ‘Murkin taxpayers get to foot the bill!
Thanks. I read today Pelosi will supposedly go commercial so they’ll use the insurance excuse, which isn’t really any fun to write about …
Since Pelosi’s husband is using her legislative agenda for insider trading perhaps her visit to Taiwan involves the number one chip manufacturing factory in the world, Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM).
One way or the other this will not end well. That’s all we can say at this point. The Chinese have endless options to respond to this provocation. But there is no doubt that they will respond, they have been very clear about that.
The purpose of the CHIPS and Science Act, which Pelosi supported, spends $52 billion to encourage the development of the US Semiconductor industry. The idea is to assure that the US does not rely on other countries. China already has a similar project underway. Currently, Taiwan manufactures two thirds of the world’s semiconductors. So, Nancy just pulled the rug out from under Taiwan’s economy.
But right now, they control the industry. Both China and the US have a vested interest in keeping semiconductor production near maximum.
Biden’s warnings to Pelosi are pure showmanship. I assume he wants her to assure Taiwan that there will be life after semiconductors 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏❜𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 without raising tensions even further.
Here’s a blast from the past: Justin Raimondo vs. Nancy Pelosi for congress:
https://www.antiwar.com/raimondo/news1.html
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/The-small-old-party-3156128.php
Those of us here who are seniors ( wait, OMG, am I really one of ‘em?!) would readily acknowledge that we’ve lost some of our cognitive abilities. At least once a day I walk into a room and haven’t a clue what I went there for. And compared to these dinosaurs, I’m a mere baby at 68!
What is it about politicians that they appear to steadfastly insist that their office makes them impervious to the mental decline that we ALL suffer as we age?
I recall that many thought JFK to be “too young” to be president, yet he negotiated us out of Armageddon.
Those of us here who are seniors ( wait, OMG, am I really one of ‘em?!) would readily acknowledge that we’ve lost some of our cognitive abilities. At least once a day I walk into a room and haven’t a clue what I went there for. And compared to these dinosaurs, I’m a mere baby at 68!
What is it about politicians that they appear to steadfastly insist that their office makes them impervious to the mental decline that we ALL suffer as we age?
I recall that many thought JFK to be “too young” to be president, yet he negotiated us out of Armageddon.