Month: February 2023

NATO Member states have enhanced their militaries’ interoperability over the years to improve the effectiveness of their joint forces on future battlefields.

It appears China and Russia are taking a page from the West’s playbook and ramping up their ability to act together coherently, effectively, and efficiently to achieve tactical, operational, and strategic objectives. China is well aware that possessing  materiel and manpower is not enough to ensure victory against an adversary with advanced weapons and a sophisticated level of combat experience and training. Beijing’s lack of experience in combat may be one of the final factors holding Beijing back from taking Taiwan by force. Chinese forces have not seen extensive combat since its early 1979 border war with Vietnam. It did not do well in that conflict, often making rudimentary mistakes. Chinese troops would carry cement high up into the North Vietnamese border mountains to fortify their positions. The Chinese troops would then go out on patrol, get lost, and when they did relocate their fortification, often discover that Vietnamese troops had captured their position. China suffered heavy losses due, in large part, to a lack of training and combat experience.

China today is assuming a more globally-oriented leadership position in the world. Its military forces are operating farther from its shores. This week the navies of China, Russia, and South Africa are conducting joint naval exercises in the Indian Ocean off the coast of South Africa. It is the second time since 2019 that that governments have practiced a joint operation. “Although those exercises were noteworthy at the time, little came of them. However, under the vastly changed geopolitical circumstances coming as a result of Russia’s all-out aggression against Ukraine, the potential ramifications of these upcoming exercises might be more far-reaching,” says Stephen Blank of the Jamestown Foundation. 

The United States conducts similar training with South African forces. Pretoria sees it as maintaining a neutral position between the great powers. What is of particular interest in this type of ten-day training event is that recently China and Russia are planning many of them with third party nation-states. In January 2022 and again last fall China and Russia joined forces with the Iranian Navy for exercises, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. TASS suggests this reflects a strengthening of the relationship with Iran and increased cooperation between China and Russia. In the waters of northeast Asia Russia and China have conducted a number of joint naval, air and land exercises targeting South Korea and Japan. Analysts in Washington indicate that there is growing concern about security in the Indian Ocean as both China and Russia become more active in the region. Blank says it marks a “major transformation for security in Asia” and alarms even New Delhi.

China’s aggressive foreign policy moves in Africa, and early signs of increased Russo-Chinese bilateral cooperation, suggest that Moscow’s moves complement Beijing’s objectives across the continent. Although the war in Ukraine may hamper Russian efforts at the moment, when working in concert with China, it presents a serious challenge in West in Africa and the Indian Ocean.  Blank points out that Russia’s campaign for permanent naval bases in the Horn of Africa, Indian Ocean, and the Red Sea dates back to the Soviet Union under Leonid Brezhnev. “They resumed in the late 2000’s and have been continuing ever since,” he says. The Indian Ocean has been a Russian priority for more than a decade. IT is fast becoming one for China. Russo-Chinese joint exercises will increase the interoperability of both navies and the security risk in the region, despite the war in Ukraine. Blank points out that China is also pursuing a global policy in more than one theater of operation, with many more resources than Russia. Thus, he notes, “the possibility for cooperation is much greater, with highly consequential benefits coming from any bilateral coordination. Whether Moscow’s unrelenting pursuit for global influence and military presence will bear fruit in terms of cooperation remains to be seen, but regardless, its efforts will present serious challenges for Western, Asian, and African policymakers.” 

Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Department

The United States faces the largest contiguous alliance of states opposed to Western ideals in the history of our country. While most news reports cover the war in Ukraine, Russia is busy shoring up its ability to cause trouble in the Middle East and the Caucasus. Russia, together with China, North Korea, and Iran, are working together to oppose American values, the dignity of individual lives, and the capitalist system that has raised so many societies out of poverty. The alliance is not only opposing the West on political and economic grounds, but these states today are also cooperating in the upgrade of their offensive military capabilities. A year ago this week, the world witnessed Russia attack its neighbor, Ukraine. This February the world is quietly witnessing the deepening of Russo-Iranian relations with news that Tehran is purchasing Russian-built Sukhoi Su-35 advanced fighter jets and not the less advanced Su-30’s. 

Washington was able to stop past attempts by Algeria, Egypt, and Indonesia to purchase the Russian jets. To date, only China has succeeded in buying the Su-35 jets and India has made little progress in closing a similar deal, according to Vali Kaleji, of the Jamestown Foundation. “…in the new geopolitical environment brought on by Russia’s war against Ukraine, Iran may indeed become the new destination of the Russian fighter, which underlines a burgeoning military relationship between Moscow and Tehran,” says Kaleji.

Last September the world learned from the commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF), Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi, that “the purchase of Sukhoi Su-35’s is currently being discussed, rather than Sukhoi Su-30’s,” according to the Tehran Times.  The Russian jets are expected to arrive in Iran in less than four weeks. Russia also sold air defense systems, missile systems and helicopters; all of which are due in Iran soon. Euromaiden Press reported in mid-December that the fighter jet deal may have been part of an exchange for Iranian drones sent to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine. 

So far, it appears the US intelligence community is finding it difficult to establish a clear and irrefutable link or contract between Moscow and Tehran, although Russia has not denied one exists. Kaleji suggests that deepening ties may be the reason for the secrecy as Russia and Iran are developing new defense and security programs. One analyst suggests that sanctions on Russia means they can’t deliver the 24 Su-35’s Iran ordered last year, however, most other analysts studying Russia argue that Moscow may have found a way around sanctions to obtain the special technology required from abroad to build the planes. 

“Tehran’s purchase of Su-35 fighter jets would facilitate the renewal of some of the IRIAF’s capacities and possibly lay the foundation for further cooperation in defense production between Russia and Iran,” says Kaleji. According to the Russian-outlet Sputnik in late January, “Even though the cost of maintaining and operating this jet appears to be high for Iran, these costs could be reduced if there are agreements on the joint production of the Su-35 engine in the Islamic Republic.” The Russian jet is versatile and Iran may be capable of installing its original weapons on it. Should that occur, Putin will have in effect provided Iran a means of creating a combat-ready mini-AWACS [airborne warning and control system]. Kaleji argues that if the Russian jet is then connected to Iran’s radar network, it will acquire unique point defense capabilities. Along with other military purchases from Russia, Iran could gain a significant advantage over neighboring states and impact the balance of power in the Persian Gulf region, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

The Russian deal may also push other nearby states to try to secure a deal with the United States to obtain F-35 fighter jets. Although some Iranian experts suggest Iran’s power is based on deterrence backed by missiles and drone power and not a turning point, the Russian deal when finalized will be one of the most consequential arms purchases for the country since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. It will also represent a new era in Moscow’s relationship with Tehran and alter the balance of power throughout the South Caucasus and Middle East. Should the war in Ukraine expand into NATO Member states the US, under its obligations in the NATO Charter, would be required to support the states under attack.

At its present level, the United States cannot effectively handle military action simultaneously in two separate theaters of operation. The Su-35 advanced fighter jet deal may be the spark that ignites the Middle East.

Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Department

Illustration: Pixabay

It is becoming more obvious that the priorities of many key elected officials, on the federal, state and local levels, bear little resemblance to those of the American people. If one excludes left-wing politicians, journalists and academics, it is clear that eliminating gas stoves and fossil fuels, defunding the police, building bridges to nowhere, providing benefits to illegal aliens and forcing drivers into electric cars is of much concern.

In a 2022 Pew Research survey, climate change came in at a weak number 14 in a list of concerns. Yet that appears to be a central motivating factor of the Biden White House. Racial equity appeared nowhere in a list of the top 18 issues—possibly because there is not a single law, regulation, or rule that in any way shape or form that in any way permits racism, nor is there any practice in corporations throughout the nation that is racist, except in the fevered imagination of candidates seeking to gain radicalized votes.

On the state and local level, a similar divorce from the concerns of the citizenry exists. Crime, excess taxation and regulation, and failing schools are key problems, but elected officials, particularly in “blue” states, haven’t gotten the message.

New York is a deep blue state beset by all those issues. As the legislature convened in 2023, among the first measures it concentrated on were “human composting” ( a process in which a human’s corpse is combined with items such as woodchips, heated, and then used to grow plants.) and giving themselves a 29% raise over their salary of $110,000.

The state’s citizenry has voted with their feet, leaving in record numbers.

In California, where the threats of electric brownouts are a constant presence and where homeless individuals and crime make its once proud cities resemble Dante’s inner circle of hell, Governor Newsome concentrates on driving gas cars out of existence and a host of woke issues. Like New York, his population also is leaving in massive numbers.

A 2022 PBS report notes that “Concerns about inflation and personal finances have surged…Forty percent of U.S. adults specifically name inflation in an open-ended question as one of up to five priorities for the government to work on in the next year, according to a June poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s a sharp rise from 14 percent in December and less than 1 percent the year prior. In all, 77 percent mention the economy in any way, up from 68 percent in December. But just 10 percent specifically mention jobs or unemployment, as U.S. employers continue to hire despite high inflation and weak economic growth. Now, too, Americans increasingly call their personal finances a major issue: 44 percent mention it, up from 24 percent in December and 12 percent the year before. That includes more mentioning gas or energy prices (33 percent now vs. 10 percent in December) and food costs (9 percent vs. less than 1 percent).”

Throughout the nation, no priority popular with elites but despised by the population is more evident than the politicization and radicalization of education. While spending taxpayer funds that produce more financial support than almost all industrialized nations, the results in basic competence in key subjects has declined precipitously. Reading, writing, sciences, and history are shortchanged as left-wing indoctrination, woke ideas, and attempts to gain the votes of union pofficials gain time and resources. COVID funds meant to address students needs were waylaid.

Centersquare  reports that  “Chicago Public Schools spent 77% of the $1.49 billion in federal COVID-19 relief money on employees’ salaries and benefits and the district has seen ’extra pay’ skyrocket during the pandemic, according to a 2023 report from the district’s Office of Inspector General.”

Politicians gained union help for their campaigns, at the expense of students.  Another in a long litany of putting their priorities ahead of their constituents.

Illustration: Pixabay

The Progressive mismanagement of American cities has reached epidemic proportions.

Unlike the drastic fiscal errors Washington has committed since the current Administration took office, or the dangerous foreign and defense polices it has adopted, it doesn’t take research to see the results of the absurd errors, based on bankrupt ideological extremes, committed by the current leadership in major urban centers across the nation. They are as commonplace as your uncomfortable daily commute, and as obvious as the unaddressed crime you walk around and the excess taxes you pay.

Writing in The Week, Joel Kotkin states that “Crime rates are spiking and homelessness, once an exception, is increasingly widespread. Those very streets once said to be ‘paved with gold’ are now are filled with discarded needles, excrement and graffiti.

NYC crime statistics released by the NYPD indicate that murder, rape and robbery have skyrocketed 40% over a year ago.  

The New York Times recently noted: “California’s cities have become unlivable. The basic problem is the steady collapse of livability… traffic and transportation is a developing-world nightmare. Child care and education seem impossible for all but the wealthiest. The problems of affordable housing and homelessness have surpassed all superlatives — what was a crisis is now an emergency that feels like a dystopian showcase of American inequality…Just look at San Francisco… the streets there are a plague of garbage and needles and feces, and every morning brings fresh horror stories from a “Black Mirror” hellscape… At every level of government…representatives, nearly all of them Democrats, prove inadequate and unresponsive to the challenges at hand.”

Once a great city, Chicago is collapsing.  An analysis in The Week notes: The nation’s third-largest city is riddled with dysfunction. Chicago is “a fiscal basket case,” says urban analyst Aaron Renn, with a lower credit rating than any major metropolis except Detroit…Its strapped school system seems perpetually on the verge of collapse…Chicago routinely ranks among the nation’s most politically corrupt cities, with a Democratic machine controlling City Hall for 90 years. That machine has incurred $20 billion in unfunded pension debt by giving generous public pensions to unions. But above all, what’s tearing at the city’s heart [is] crime…”

Philadelphia is, plainly speaking, a mess. Detroit, the very symbol of urban decay, continues its tragic decline. The list could go on, but the point is already clear.

The problems aren’t the result of an unexpected, unforeseen, or unstoppable challenge.  They are the direct and specific result of very poor ideological policies enacted by hyper-politicized left-wing government officials who have demonstrated neither remorse nor concern over the serious harm caused to their constituents. Rather than tackle crime and other essential problems, absurd urban governments spend most of their time on ideological battles attacking the very principles that made American metropolises great.  They consistently find new ways to spend taxpayer dollars on issues that have little to do with the needs of its citizenry.

New York is a prime example. Its government is considering asking taxpayers to foot the bill to provide legal services to illegal aliens. It has carved up its already too-narrow streets to provide barely used bike lanes. It seeks to charge motorists tolls to go from one part of the city to another.  City Hall has declared a jihad against middle class neighborhoods, seeking to place oversized low-income buildings that bring numerous problems to even the safest communities.

Ryan Streeter, writing for the American Enterprise Institute, stresses that “Platitudes against inequality and injustice notwithstanding, today’s left-leaning urban overseers are responsible for the unaffordable housing, poor school outcomes, income segregation, and policing problems that characterize much of urban life today. These problems predate our current crisis, which has merely blown the top off for all to see.”

Photo: Pixabay

There is growing concern that Russia is violating a key arms control treaty.

U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, have written to Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense, and Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence, to express their concerns that Russia has failed to uphold key tenets of New START.
 
The letter warns that “Russia’s unilateral cancellation of the New START Bilateral Consultative Commission (BCC) and refusal to restart New START inspections, another key tenet of the treaty, coupled with other statements by its government officials, at a minimum, raise serious compliance concerns regarding the Federation’s adherence to the New START Treaty. This would occur during a uniquely dangerous time when both Russia and China are expanding and modernizing their arsenals, Iran, a state sponsor of terror, continues to expand its nuclear program, and North Korea rattles its nuclear saber.”

 In May, according to RealClearDefense Russia engaged in the most serious violation of the New Start Treaty. Yuri Borisov, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister in charge of defense procurement inadvertently described two serious Russian violations of the New START Treaty. He mentioned that Kaliber cruise missiles were widely deployed on Russian naval vessels, and KH-101 missiles were on Russian military aircraft.

RealClearDefense explains that “With the revelation by Mr. Borisov that the Kh-101 long-range nuclear-capable cruise missiles are carried by Su-30 and Su-34 fighters, every element necessary to establish a serious violation of the New START Treaty is now documented by on the record statements made by the President of Russia and the Russian general who is the spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry in formal press briefings.”

In 2016, Russian violations of the treaty were discovered during an on-site inspection carried out in Russia .  American inspectors discovered critical components of SS-25 intercontinental ballistic missiles had not been properly disabled in compliance with treaty obligations. Further, U.S. personnel couldn’t verify whether missiles that were supposed to be destroyed had actually been eliminated

Inexplicably, despite that and other incidents, the Representatives note, President Biden gifted Vladimir Putin a clean, five-year extension to New START at the beginning of his administration despite concerns about the treaty, including the weakness of its verification regime and its failure to address Moscow’s history of violative behavior.

In 2022, to uphold a part of the treaty regarding mutual consultations, a U.S. delegation arrived in Cairo, Egypt, but the delegation from the Russian Federation canceled the meeting, stating it would no longer participate in the required meetings.  Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov said “There’s no reason now to talk about any new dates. I don’t think any proposals will be made over the next few weeks, in the short term…It’s just been canceled, and we won’t propose any new dates.” Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov directed blame at the U.S. and its support for Ukraine in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion as the reason for canceling the talks. 

The Kremlin’s violations shouldn’t be a surprise. The use of both strategic and “battlefield” nuclear weapons has become a major part of its military strategy.

Russia has an overwhelming advantage in nonstrategic nuclear weapons, of the sort that Putin has repeatedly threatened to employ in his Ukraine invasion. Part of Putin’s move to reassert his nation as an influential power is the use of nuclear armaments to replace conventional forces, including so-called “battlefield” nukes.

According to a U.S. government report issued several years ago,  the Russian Federation has adopted a policy to use nuclear weapons not just in in response to the use of nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction against it or its allies, but also in response to whatever it perceives to be a significant threat.

The report notes that Russian has developed “precision low-yield” nuclear weapons for strikes “anywhere in the world.”  By the cvlose of the 20^th Century, Moscow developed atomic weapons with  reported yields “from several tens of tons to 100 tons of TNT equivalent.” Russia is also developing “superlow-yield weapons” and “penetrators, ” along with “‘clean’ nuclear weapons.

Illustration: Pixabay

China’s aggressive leadership is creating security challenges on the Korean peninsula and for countries around the world. Two times this week President Biden had to order the US Air Force to shoot down high-altitude, Chinese surveillance balloons flying over the United States. The latest incident occurred over Alaska on Friday. In East Asia, Beijing has threatened Taiwan by repeatedly invading its legal airspace, surrounding the island with its navy, and blockading its territorial waters. In Central Asia, China is attempting expand its sphere of influence by sending military delegations and pushing its BRI agenda to open trade routes for Chinese products. 

In the Arctic, China maneuvered to obtain observer status on the Arctic Council, the governing body of the eight Arctic nations and unilaterally designated itself as a “near Arctic nation.” While in Latin America, Chinese companies manage the ports at each end of the Panama Canal. China has signed predatory loans and other one-side business deals with a number of African nations driving some to near bankruptcy. No matter where one turns China is conducting intelligence operations and attempting to undermine the West. Xi Jinping is working to push the United States out of the western Pacific, but like a thorn in its side, North Korea is slowing China’s effort to attain hegemon status.

“The existential North Korean nuclear and missile threats negatively impact the Asia-Pacific security environment for the United States, South Korea, Japan and Australia,” says Debolina Ghoshal of the Jamestown Foundation. These states have taken countermeasures to defend against Pyongyang. The result, she says, it that North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities indirectly worsen China’s “security dilemma” by spurring Washington and its allies to devote greater resources to maintaining a strong security presence in Northeast Asia. 

China protested when the US deployed the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile defense system in South Korea in 2017, despite Seoul’s assurance it was a defensive move to stave off a North Korean offensive. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to object and last summer pointed out that  it “clearly undermines China’s strategic security interests.” Washington counters that China fails to assert it influence over North Korea to achieve a successful denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Beijing further objected when Washington lifted the restrictions it had imposed on South Korea to limit the range and payload of its ballistic missiles. 

South Korea’s current President, Yoon Suk Yeol, wants to take the THAAD operations to the next level by “normalizing” its operations in the country. The new approach in Seoul is in concert with efforts by Tokyo last November to acquire counter-strike capabilities. Kyodo News in December reported the move was intended to counter the deteriorating regional security situation brought on by China’s military modernization program and North Korean nuclear developments.

Recent developments concerning North Korea, says Ghoshal, “pose both traditional and non-traditional security challenges to China. While North Korea’s recalcitrance leaves China with neighbors strengthening their militaries, the continuing North Korean nuclear crisis presents other challenges as well.” The North’s economy in 2023 is struggling. It faces international sanctions imposed on it for its nuclear and ballistic missile development activities. North Koreans are fleeing across the border into China and joining the ranks of the country’s unemployed, already high due to the impact of Covid. Beijing also is concerned as the behavior of North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, is erratic and causing nearby nations to increase the defensive posture and creating a nuclear conundrum. “Some observers believe that North Korea will conduct a seventh nuclear weapons test this year,” say Ghoshal.  If this happens, the Chinese publication Huaqiu suggests that Xi Jinping is concerned that the United States will strengthen its extended nuclear deterrence strategy to protect its allies, Japan and South Korea. These developments add to the pressure the CCP leadership in Beijing is facing on both the military and diplomatic fronts. 

This year China faces some hard decisions concerning its security position. If it intends to secure a nuclear-free Korean peninsula so that it can concentrate its efforts elsewhere, it needs to persuade Kim Yong-un that a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and missile testing is in its best interest. Ghoshal argues that “The intersection of strategic competition between China and the US and its allies and North Korea’s growing nuclear capabilities underscores that Pyongyang’s pursuit of its nuclear ambitions has security implications that reverberate not just on the Korean peninsula, but globally as well.”

Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Dept.

Illustration: Pixabay

Events in Ukraine draw the world’s attention to western Russia, but there is also another active area of interest to analysts studying the Sino-Russian relationship.

Eastern Siberia is what some in February are calling a “raw materials pantry” for China. Almost 14 months ago, Vladimir Putin opened the Kovykta gas field in a ceremony commissioning the site. Its reserves, estimated at 1.8 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, are almost exclusively sent through the Power of Siberia pipeline to China. It is expected to carry 27 billion cubic meters of gas annually to China while Russian citizens in the region are forced to use firewood and coal to heat their homes through the freezing Siberian winters. Only one percent of Russian homes in the Irkutsk region use gas, although last month the Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported that Moscow is promising to raise that amount to 3.22% at some future date. “In truth, for Moscow, maintaining strong relations with Beijing seems to be much more important than the well-being of its own citizens,” says Vadim Shtepa, writing in the Eurasia Daily Monitor this week. 

Despite Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, EU member countries at first continued purchasing massive amounts of Russian raw materials which helped finance Putin’s war machine, notes Shtepa. Recent reports indicate that for 2022 Russia may have grossed almost $285 billion in energy sales. Much of that came from Europe in the early days of the war. As European states began rejecting Russian energy exports, Moscow turned to the east and its energy importing partner – China. By last summer Russia was exporting 7.6% more over 2021 numbers. That equates to 1.68 million barrels a day and makes Russia China’s top supplier of oil. 

Russia is replacing its European customers with its communist neighbor but at a deep discount. As many analysts in Washington point out, China is the dominant partner controlling the relationship. Beijing receives about a 30% discount on world market prices of oil and gas. This helps resolve a second political problem for Moscow, according to Shtepa. “By expanding raw material exports to China…[it is able] to ensure China’s neutral position regarding Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine, since Moscow has been unable to trigger formal support from Beijing.” Xi Jinping and the CCP leadership are keenly aware of the potential impact of sanctions on China should it become too closely tied to support of the Russia war effort in Ukraine. Although Russia is unlikely to earn an endorsement of the war or convince Beijing to sell it more advanced weapons, the energy sales do compensate for about 20% of revenues lost from European sanctions, according to Alexei Gromov, director of the Moscow Institute of Energy and Finance. 

Although some in eastern Russia fear a Chinese attempt to seize Siberian and the Far Eastern territories by force, Shtepa says that “Beijing does not need to do this, as Moscow itself provides the necessary access and resources for virtually nothing.” Chinese companies already control thousands of acres of forests with long-term leases.  He argues that Russia’s Far East has de facto been turned into a joint Russian-Chinese raw material colony. Moscow, for the most part, ignores local infrastructure needs in Siberia and its Far Eastern territories.  The Russian state Duma has effectively abolished local self-governments and incorporated them in Putin’s “vertical of power” in Moscow, according to the Russian government. Putin’s treatment of the region has not gone unnoticed by the local indigenous populations. There are signs of discontent and frustration over their treatment by Moscow. Some see the government as viewing them as less important than the natural resources of the region. While others accuse Putin of pushing potentially danger energy projects on them without concern for those living in the region. Over the last year this has led to an increasing willingness to protect with some in Siberia calling themselves separatists.

It could result in the fruition of Putin’s worse fear: a two front war which would be hard for Moscow to win while still fighting in Ukraine. It may be the opening China has been quietly waiting for, to recover the one million square miles of Siberia and the Far East it lost after World War II.

Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Dept.

Photo: Pixabay

The ongoing pacificism of the Biden Administration in the face of Chinese aggression against the United States has become a massive danger to the safety of the nation. It’s bizarre nonchalance as Beijing’s spy balloon hovers around U.S. nuclear weapons sites is only the latest example.

The current White House has allowed the southern border to remain open as illegal shipments of Chinese-made fentanyl, in quantities sufficient to poison the whole country, are smuggled in.  It abolished anti-espionage efforts aimed at addressing Beijing’s intensive spying.  It has tolerated, for a time, the attempted purchase of U.S. land near sensitive military installations. It has looked the other way at Beijing’s financing of violent groups, and its massive propaganda efforts in American universities. As Americans struggled to afford gas, Biden allowed part of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to be sold to China.

FBI Director Christopher Wray has stated that China is “waging this fight not through legitimate innovation, not through fair and lawful competition… [it is] engaged in a whole-of-state effort to become the world’s only superpower by any means necessary.” It is doing so not only by developing a massive military but by buying U.S. politicians, spying, hacking, intellectual property theft, bribery, blackmail and other nefarious means.

China has developed extraordinary influence in key parts of the American body politic, including the California Democratic Party. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s chauffeur, who according to CBS News, ”also served as a gofer in her Bay Area office and was a liaison to the Asian-American community (who) even attended Chinese consulate functions for the senator. ”  He was a Chinese spy, reporting to the Chinese government about local California politics for 20 years. 

Another  Chinese communist spy who compromised Congressman Eric Swalwell, Fang Fang, also “socialized, networked with Rep. Judy Chu and then-Rep. Mike Honda, campaigned for now-Rep. Rho Khanna, volunteered for Bill Harrison, the mayor of Fremont, California at the time, and fundraised for other, and in some cases, developed romantic or sexual relationships with politicians to gain intelligence and send it back to her handlers, who were believed to be stationed in mainland China.” 

It is not a coincidence that California Democrats, especially Rep. Adam Schiff and then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi were at the forefront of the false assaults on Donald Trump.  Whatever one might think of the former president, he was undeniably the most anti-China president the U.S. ever produced, explaining the fury that Beijing’s U.S. political allies had for him.

The ultimate prize for Beijing is the presidency itself. And that brings us to a question that is muddied by partisanship, both from elected officials and a biased media: why has Biden been so reluctant to confront China’s illicit and aggressive actions.

In some areas, Biden has taken some appropriate steps.  His Administration has engaged American allies in the Indo-Pacific region to work closer together to discourage potential military action initiated by Beijing.  But in the 21^st Century, aggression may not begin with a dramatic, Pearl Harbor type assault.  The more likely path will be through less kinetic means, a fulfillment of Karl Marx’s prediction that “capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them.”

Author and researcher Peter Schweizer reports the following. Chinese researcher Di Dongsheng, speaking in Shanghai shortly after Biden’s election, stated that “China now had ‘old friends… inside America’s circle of power…he reassured the audience that Beijing could settle issues with ‘people at the top’ in the United States. When he asked that question—rhetorically—about Biden’s son’s deals, [he said] there are indeed buy and sell transactions involved here.” His candid comments prompted the Chinese government to remove the speech from its social media platforms.

The Biden family’s financial ties to China, in which significant sums of money were gained without the provision of any actual service, appear to be a textbook case of pay for play influence peddling. America needs to put aside partisan considerations and take a clear-eyed look at this.