Things are getting really tense between Joe Biden and Chinese “Pooh Bear” Xi Jinping. (He really hates that comparison.) On Thursday, they had an important video chat about Taiwan. For two full hours, Biden got a lecture on how drastic the response will be if Nancy Pelosi dares to visit.
Joe Biden gets an earful
On July 28, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping held their fifth official video conference, which lasted more than two hours. Officially, they were meeting to “chart the future of their complicated relationship at a time of simmering economic and geopolitical tensions.”
Xi keeps telling Biden to keep his grubby hands off Taiwan and none of the progressive Democrats in his administration are getting the message. “Those who play with fire will perish by it.” was the exact quote.
From 8:33 to 10:50 a.m. Joe had to sit there and take it as the Chinese leader made it crystal clear that Nancy Pelosi isn’t welcome in Asia and Beijing “would view such a trip as a provocation.” U.S. officials are taking that as a serious threat. Earlier this week, Zhao Lijian with China’s Foreign Ministry spelled out that “all ensuing consequences shall be borne by the U.S.”
President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping confronted each other in a two-hour call amid growing friction between the two countries over Taiwan. Xi is said to have warned Biden that “those who play with fire will perish by it.” pic.twitter.com/ebu4YVNdba
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) July 28, 2022
Biden and Xi have vastly differing “perspectives on global health, economic policy and human rights.” Meanwhile, China isn’t fully convinced that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was all that bad. He might just have to do something similar with Taiwan and Biden is making him lean that direction further every day.
Chinese TV is saying that the “two heads of state had in-depth communication and exchanges on China-U.S. relations and issues of mutual concern.” That’s pretty neutral coverage. Pelosi has the Pooh Bear swearing and throwing things around his office. She wants to infect Chinese-owned Taiwan with mob rule democracy and she has the political clout to make waves.
A visit would get her the distinction of being “the highest-ranking U.S. elected official to travel to Taiwan since Republican Newt Gingrich visited the island in 1997 when he was House speaker.” Joe learned Thursday that what the military told him was right.
Visit by Pelosi not a good idea
When asked about the rumors Pelosi was packing for Taiwan, Joe told the press the Pentagon didn’t think that would be a good idea, not at the moment. Blinky Blinken and Lloyd Austin have been going out of their way to push the envelope.
The Navy practically dared China to go ahead and sink the Benfold recently. The warship sailed through disputed water China says is definitely NOT international. Go ahead and torpedo us then, the Pentagon taunts.
John Kirby, one of Joe Biden’s national security handlers, downplayed the two hour lecture as ordinary business. Kirby noted that it’s “important for Biden and Xi to regularly touch base.” His Imperial Wisdom “wants to make sure that the lines of communication with President Xi remain open because they need to.” That’s what General Mark Milley says every time he reaches out to his Chinese counterpart behind the administration’s back, too. Milley is the kind of guy the Kubrick classic Dr. Strangelove was made to warn about.
Then again, George Orwell never expected 1984 to become a textbook for Democrat tactics, either. “There are issues where we can cooperate with China on, and there are issues where obviously there are friction and tension.” Kirby added. The kind of tension that boils over into “doomsday.”
Everyone in the world was keeping an eye on Thursday’s exchange. “This is one of the most consequential bilateral relationships in the world today, with ramifications well beyond both individual countries.”
Joe Biden had a couple quick things to say. He warned that we’re not going to rely as heavily on Chinese manufacturing. On Wednesday, the Senate passed a measure “to encourage semiconductor companies to build more high-tech plants in the U.S.“
