|
On The ‘Woke’ Flight To Taiwan
Is this the most 'librul' rubbish headline ever?
bigger
Investing in Real Estate as Self-Care
Many women seeking independence after a breakup or divorce have discovered emotional empowerment and even healing in real estate investment.
What is the definition of 'many'? I wonder at what tiny slice of the market this 'woke' advertisement for buying real estate is targeted.
—
Anyway – More seriously.
That too old 'woke' lady with the massive freezer full of very expensive ice-cream let it know through Taiwanese media that she wants to arrive in Taipei tomorrow, August 2, at 22:30 local time (14:30 UTC) and stay over night.
Pelosi's trip is a stupid thing to do but she is a politician and stupid things are what they generally do.
Michael D. Swaine @Dalzell60 – 12:26 UTC · Aug 1, 2022
I have been told that Pelosi has said she will only not go 2 TW if Biden publicly discourages her n she can blame him. Anyone else heard this? Sounds like Pelosi. Why can’t they both confer n conclude it’s not a good idea? Why the blame game, if true?
Pelosi expected to visit Taiwan, Taiwanese and US officials say
I can think of several reasons why Pelosi will not arrive in Taiwan. Here flight might, for example, get diverted. But it is also possible that it happens but is followed by huge consequences, likely to the disadvantage of the U.S. and Taiwan.
There is also this thought, by Cynthia Chung, which might become relevant:
In October 2019, Jake Sullivan, who became U.S. National Security Advisor in 2021, stated in an interview that the U.S. needed a clear threat to rally the world and play the role of saviour of mankind and that China could be that organizing principle for U.S. foreign policy. In the 2019 interview, he acknowledges that the problem was that people were not going to believe that China is a global threat, that their view of China is too positive and that the United States would need a “Pearl Harbour moment,” a real focusing event to change their minds, something he calmly stated that “would scare the hell out of the American people.”
She correctly traces such 'Pearl Harbour moment' thinking back to neo-conservative movement. Chung closes with this:
Thus, when Jake Sullivan observes that there is not enough anti-China sentiment to bolster an image of the United States as a “saviour of mankind” against China and that America is in need of a “Pearl Harbour moment” I would be very wary.
The circus around Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan in the coming days, and evident glee that is coming forth from many of these neocons frothing at the mouth over this prospect is a clear sign that something incredibly reckless and stupid is about to happen.
Pelosi’s airplane might indeed be shot down on her completely irrelevant and unnecessary trip to Taiwan, and if it is, don’t be surprised if it was the Americans themselves who are behind it, who have shown they are willing to do anything for that “Pearl Harbour moment.”
I for one surely hope that the above does not happen.
It’s Army Day today in China, and Global Times has published this editorial “PLA is not afraid to fight for defending sovereignty and security”, which to me is a rather bland headline, all things considered. It leads thusly:
“At the same time, as the world situation enters a new period of turbulence and change enveloped in hegemony and cold war mentality, the slogan ‘A country needs a strong military before it can truly be strong and secure‘ has become a strong consensus among Chinese people.
“In addition, this year’s Army Day faces a special situation: The US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may visit the island of Taiwan in these two days, seriously provoking China’s core interests. Tasked with deterrence and countermeasures, the PLA has naturally earned the particular respect of hundreds of millions of Chinese people.” [My Emphasis]
Those millions are far more numerous than Americans who support Pelosi, Biden and their objectives. The next paragraph almost sounds Reaganesque:
“Pelosi’s provocation also proves once again that China needs to build a strong people’s army more than ever in history. Pelosi would never be as stealthy as she is now if not for fear of the PLA. Instead, she would probably strut there and it is conceivable that the DPP authorities and Taiwan secessionists would also act more recklessly. But on the other hand, the presence, and especially the collusion between external interference, such as Pelosi, and Taiwan secessionists, has objectively put higher demands on the PLA. Our military cannot slacken in training and preparation for war, and we must accelerate the development of the PLA into a world-class army.” [My Emphasis]
The reader can almost hear the editor sigh and exclaim we’ve been at peace for almost 40 years only to mount his horse and declare:
“But at the same time we need to keep reminding ourselves to maintain distance and vigilance against the naive mind-set that wishes for absolute pacifism. We must avoid the situation in which people no longer know how to fight after living in peace for so long. For a major country like China, the consequence of having a relaxed mentality on national defense construction is unthinkable.” [My Emphasis]
Well yes, it is unthinkable since it shares the planet with a set of very dangerous warmongering nations thinking they’re better than all other humans. The next paragraph underscores that point:
“The turbulent international situation in recent years has repeatedly taught us that the world is not at peace. The scenes of devastation and extreme misery in some war-torn areas have deeply touched the Chinese people. There’s no such thing as a peaceful world, we feel it is peaceful only because someone else is taking on the burden of keeping the peace, because we happen to live in China. The feelings expressed and shared by netizens have strong resonance in Chinese society. These grassroots feelings out of intuition are more in line with the reality of current international politics and help us enrich and improve our understandings of the world and of China. This is very necessary.” [My Emphasis]
We’re not told how many netizens have expressed such sentiments, but since Chinese are very vocal on their social media platforms, it’s likely a considerable number. The concluding paragraphs sound somewhat like Neocon-speak using the potential threat to beef up the defense budget, except that the threat isn’t imaginary. If Pelosi tries to invade Taiwan, is that how it will be seen/treated and thus reacted against? The editorial’s conclusion hints that action will be taken but of what sort:
In the past 10 years, the combat capability of the Chinese military has improved greatly and weaponry and equipment, the organizational system, actual combat training, military theory and talent cultivation have all made historical progress. Meanwhile, we need continuous efforts to strengthen national defense and build an army that matches China’s international status and is in line with national security and development interests, providing strategic support for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. For this end, besides an adequate raise of the national defense budget, what the PLA needs is a continuous improvement in actual combat capability that will always focus on combat readiness, and forging an elite powerful force ready for the fight, capable of combat and sure to win.
It needs to be pointed out that the US and Western countries, while increasing their military spending by a big margin and while publicly pressuring China, criticized China’s normal military buildup. According to their logic, China had better pull out its “teeth”, so as not to pose a “threat” or be “aggressive.” Chinese people won’t fall for this trick. In fact, different from the US that takes the military as a hegemonic tool, China always pursues a defense policy that is defensive in nature. China develops its military power to defend its national sovereignty, security and development interests. Compared with the external threats and challenges it faces now, China’s military strength is still not enough.
Since modern times, the Chinese people suffered hugely from foreign aggressions and wars. They love and cherish peace more than anyone else after experiencing all the agonies. But this doesn’t mean that we will trade our core interests for peace and tolerate bullying. We will not attack unless we are attacked, but if we are attacked, we will certainly counterattack. The people’s army, having fought with all kinds of powerful rivals and won one victory after another, is never afraid to fight and always excels at fighting.
Posted by: karlof1 | Aug 1 2022 16:40 utc | 22
|
