China Watch Thread

[Lancer]

Its a good question. I'm hoping the admiral is having a chat about exactly that. 'If you declare independence we will accept it and here's a document stating our military alliance. Btw we have our 3 carriers just at hand, sign here under Trump's...

[giblets]

Would they trust Trump to not change his mind and leave them hanging?

[Ming]

They shouldn't... Trump has turned his back on others before. Especially if they something bad about him or don't always agree with him. You either pray at the Trump alter or you are toast seconds later. I love how when he appoints somebody "he's the most qualified and best person for the position" but shortly there after, when disagreement occurs, "He wasn't right for the job or he's stupid"

[Lancer]

Would they trust Trump to not change his mind and leave them hanging?

An alliance by the US with Taiwan requiring each to come to the aid of the other would force the hand of any president to come. In other words, it wouldn't matter anymore if Biden is bought and paid for, he would be obliged to come to their aid, and visa versa.

[-Jrabbit]

Really? Cuz Trump seems to think he can simply ignore NATO obligations, setting unilateral "conditions" to defend NATO allies.

Why would any mutual defense deal Trump made with Taiwan - assuming there's no time to add congressional approval - hold water?

[Aeson]

An Alliance of any real consequence would need 2/3rds of the Senate to ratify it. The President on his own can make deals, but nothing that is binding long term. A future President could simply revoke any such agreement on a whim.

[Aeson]

Trusting Trump to defend Taiwan when he did nothing for Hong Kong doesn't seem like a good bet anyway. Taiwan trusting Trump to get 2/3rds of the Senate to ratify would require them to be completely delusional.

[Ming]

But Trump is completely delusional... He still thinks he won the election.

[Aeson]

But Trump is completely delusional... He still thinks he won the election.

Yah, just saying Taiwan would have to be delusional to trust Trump could get it done. I don't think they are.

[Ming]

But when you are desperate........

[pchang]

Please keep in mind that Taiwan is not desperate, only Lancer.

[giblets]

An alliance by the US with Taiwan requiring each to come to the aid of the other would force the hand of any president to come. In other words, it wouldn't matter anymore if Biden is bought and paid for, he would be obliged to come to their aid, and visa versa.

If Trump said "nah" and the Dems impeached him for breaking the law, would the Republicans vote to remove him?

[pchang]

When Nixon cancelled the treaty recognizing Taiwan and recognized China instead, a group of Republicans sued him. The case was dismissed and the Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal. This established that US treaties can be unilaterally cancelled by a US President at will.

[Aeson]

But when you are desperate........

It's not that desperate. And it would only serve to make their situation more desperate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_Relations_Act

Currently the US reserves the right to help Taiwan defend itself. What that entails is intentionally opaque. Either we are going to intervene in such a case, or we aren't. Trying to get an alliance doesn't change that.

What it would do is spell out to China what we would do, and serve as an affront to China. If Trump can't get 67 Senators to sign off on it then Taiwan has angered China and the US has clarified it won't intervene. It virtually ensures an invasion ASAP.

If Trump can get 67 Senators to sign up (~0 chance) that would mean the US is already willing to intervene, which we already reserved the right to do. It would also anger China, and still may force their hand to do something they wouldn't have otherwise to save face. It likely stops an invasion, but there are many ways of achieving the same end, including the status quo.

[Kidlicious]

"Consulting Firm Founded By Biden’s Secretary Of State Pick Just Scrubbed Its Website Of All Business Ties To Communist China

DECEMBER 2, 2020 By Jordan Davidson
WestExec, a consulting firm co-founded in 2017 by Joe Biden’s pick for secretary of state, Antony Blinken, scrubbed one of its services offering U.S. research universities the opportunity to garner funds from foreign donors, such as those in China.

In July, the company listed “U.S. research universities” as a beneficiary of its services, assisting prominent colleges by “expanding foreign research collaboration, accepting foreign donations, and welcoming foreign students in key STEM programs” without violating any Department of Defense-sponsored research grants, the Washington Free Beacon reported.



By August, however, the WestExec’s section detailing “Managing China-related Risk in an Era of Strategic Competition” was revised, offering a new example detailing its services for a U.S. manufacturing firm.



The Free Beacon noted that the change occurred mere “weeks before Biden accepted his nomination at the Democratic National Convention in late August.”

While a spokeswoman for WestExec told the Free Beacon that the firm “previously offered a service targeted to U.S. research universities to help them avoid inadvertently becoming involved with the Chinese government,” she did not detail why the company does not advertise that service any longer.

According to the Free Beacon, the firm still claims to assist clients in dealing with “China-related risks” by “leaning on their government contacts.”

WestExec, which is named after “the closed street that runs between the West Wing of the White House and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building,” has previously conducted consulting work involving China and Russia. It also brags of swamp connections and offers to grant its clients access to bring “the situation room to the board room.”

Its swamp connections continue to grow deeper as former members of the firm, including Michèle Flournoy, Avril Haines, and Jen Psaki are being eyed or have already been nominated for positions within a Biden administration.

Some, including Biden family business partner-turned-whistleblower Tony Bobulinski, have expressed fears that Biden and his administration could be “compromised” by communist China after it was revealed that the Biden family might have profited off a deal being planned with a Chinese Communist government-linked firm.

“I think Joe Biden and the Biden family is compromised,” Bobulinski said. “I just don’t see, given the history here and the facts, how Joe can’t be influenced in some manner based on the history that they have here with CEFC,” a Chinese energy company.

Blinken has also demonstrated his disapproval of President Donald Trump and his administration’s handling of China, criticizing their decisions in a 2017 article in the New York Times.

“While Mr. Trump is obsessed with building walls, Mr. Xi is busy building bridges,” Blinken wrote. “I’d never bet against the United States, but if the Trump-led retreat into nationalism, protectionism, unilateralism and xenophobia continues, China’s model could carry the day.”

“My sense is that if we’re working together with our partners, if we are insisting that Beijing live up to its responsibilities, we’re going to get a lot further than this, almost schizophrenic veering back and forth between confrontation and abdication that we’ve seen over the last two or three years,” Blinken later told NBC News"

- The Federalist

[Ming]

[Kidlicious]

Eric Swalwell and other Democrats were targeted by Chinese spy.

https://www.axios.com/china-spy-california-politicians-9d2dfb99-f839-4e00-8bd8-59dec0daf589.html