(RoyalPatriot.com )- Some military experts and lawmakers believe that China is closely watching how the Biden administration responds to the escalating tensions in Ukraine.
Texas Congressman Michael McCaul, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said last week he fears China, emboldened by the events unfolding in Ukraine, could move against Taiwan as soon as the Beijing Olympics are over.
Brent Sadler, a naval warfare and advanced technology fellow from the Heritage Foundation agreed that there is a danger, but added that China’s actions will depend entirely on how the Biden administration handles the situation in Ukraine.
According to John Herbst, a former US ambassador to Ukraine, one only needs to look at history to know China is keeping its eye on the events in Eastern Europe to gauge what they can get away with concerning Taiwan.
Herbst noted that the Italian invasion of Ethiopia and the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in the 1930s sent a clear message to Adolf Hitler as to what he could get away with.
Herbst said both Russia and China are challenging the international order, but China is the greater threat. To reduce the likelihood that China will seize Taiwan if Russia moves on Ukraine, the West has to make Putin’s life miserable.
Failing to deal effectively with Russian provocation, Herbst warned, would have a direct impact on US standing around the world, something China is bound to exploit.
As it is, the Biden administration’s bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan emboldened not just China but Russia. Bungling Ukraine as well would only add fuel to the fire.
According to Sadler, the US government made a mistake when it fed into the fear that war is inevitable. He said the Biden administration’s signaling of our intent and what US interests have been mismanaged.
Last week, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed Beijing’s public support for Russia in the ongoing standoff over Ukraine. Wang called for calm, but also criticized NATO for what he called a “Cold War mentality.”
Wang warned that the security of one country shouldn’t come at the expense of the security of others. He urged NATO to abandon its “Cold War mentality” and address Russia’s “legitimate security concerns.”
