Two cheers for Tony Blinken

[ishtat]

and Joe Biden?

The exit from Afghanistan was a mess and doubtless military and Intelligence heads will roll in due course. Biden will have to wear the political fall out

Then the French had a hissy fit when they got called out by the Australians on a Submarine contract and lost it to the USA after some quick work by Washington.

But there has been little coverage of the fact that the USA has pulled off a significant Foreign Policy win at China's expense. First some facts: China has been giving Australia a tough time, treating Oz as a whipping boy for its problems with the USA. Emperor Xi thought he could get away with bully tactics because, unusually, Oz has a positive balance of trade with China.

Oz supplies 56% of all world trade in Iron ore, Brazil is second on 18% and much of that is owned by Oz and US interests. Oz is also the worlds largest supplier of high grade coking coal (the type you need for making steel), exporting about 190mt pa with the USA second on 50mt. Xi thought he could tell his steelmakers to source supplies from Mongolia and Russia but the quality just isn't there and they now have significant manufacturing quality problems.

The new security arrangements mean that going forward, US with OZ has a very strong grip on China's capacity to manufacture steel, ships, tanks etc through control of basic supply chains. Xi will probably flex his muscles a few more times but it seems likely that the bully tactics might bend to pragmatic requirements over the coming months.

Getting the Subs contract was icing on the cake for the USA and the French(distraction) though very 'miffed' will be back quick smart to kiss Washington's backside. It appears that Blinken, Biden and the professional negotiators in Washington did an effective job.

 

[ll74]

And they're making progress on two major pieces of legislation which are making it across a crazy high wire act.

I'm truly surprised the submarine deal has been receiving a negative response from the media.....it sounds like a good deal for the US as well as all other parties involved (except France, obviously)

 

[pecksniff]

And they're making progress on two major pieces of legislation which are making it across a crazy high wire act.

I'm truly surprised the submarine deal has been receiving a negative response from the media.....it sounds like a good deal for the US as well as all other parties involved (except France, obviously)

Well, also except China.

 

[Rightguide]

Three cheers for Blinken, is three cheers for China.

 

[pecksniff]

Three cheers for Blinken, is three cheers for China.

 

[Rightguide]

China owns the Biden Administration.

Navarro: Top Biden admin officials 'compromised' by China, urges president to 'stand strong' against Beijing
Former Trump trade adviser tells 'Fox News Primetime' China is 'existential threat' to US
By Fox News Staff | Fox News

More than 20 top officials in the Biden administration are ""compromised in some way ... by the Chinese Communist Party," former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told "Fox News Primetime" Wednesday.

NAVARRO: Over 90% of Americans now understand that communist China is an existential threat to this country. What's going to happen tomorrow in Alaska? I can tell you that the architecture of the Trump negotiations was what I have talked about many times as the 'seven deadly sins' of China. It's intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, currency manipulation. We have to add several more sins at this point.

The Chinese Communist Party infected this nation with a deadly virus and spread a pandemic around the world. Will [Secretary of State] Tony Blinken confront the Chinese about that? Ask them to let us into those labs? Let's figure out how that [pandemic] started and charge them a bill ... Will they hold China accountable for the concentration camps that have 2 million Uyghurs behind bars, making products that wind up in our Walmarts, or sacrificing their organs that get shipped off to Europe to rich people? Will Blinken talk about that? Will Blinken lay a red line down in the sand and say 'No, you are not taking Taiwan on our watch'? I don’t think any of that is going to happen ... The sickest I’ve been over the last year, and it wasn't with the China virus, the sickest I have been is when I heard Joe Biden laugh and smile and say it's OK to put Uyghurs in concentration camps because China has different cultural norms.

I wear a badge of honor on my sleeve that I have been sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party. If Biden bends to the pressure, and by the way, The Wall Street Journal is just as eager as the Communist Chinese Party is to dismantle Trump's tariffs. So it’s time to stand strong. Time to stand strong [against] the Chinese Communist Party. America wants that. Hear me, Joe Biden, on that.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/peter-navarro-biden-officials-compromised-china

 

[pecksniff]

China owns the Biden Administration.

Not if Fox says so.

And that story assumes China is an "existential threat" to the U.S., which it isn't.

Apart from the threat of nuclear war, which is a big "apart," the USSR was never an existential threat either.

 

[butters]

cornboy either didn't read or didn't understand the op

The new security arrangements mean that going forward, US with OZ has a very strong grip on China's capacity to manufacture steel, ships, tanks etc through control of basic supply chains. Xi will probably flex his muscles a few more times but it seems likely that the bully tactics might bend to pragmatic requirements over the coming months.

 

[spacekowboy]

How a fella named Anthony Blinken that makes his living in the political sphere hasn't decided to be referred to by his first initial is truly a disappointment.

A. Blinken. I mean come on. It's right there.

cornboy either didn't read or didn't understand the op

Nice.

 

[Rightguide]

Not if Fox says so.

And that story assumes China is an "existential threat" to the U.S., which it isn't.

Apart from the threat of nuclear war, which is a big "apart," the USSR was never an existential threat either.

^^^^^
Communist disinformation stooge, hard at work lying to people.

 

[Rightguide]

cornboy either didn't read or didn't understand the op

^^^
Butter Butt, in steaming frustration with Nature for the existence of Cellulite, loses sight of all else, namely, who benefitted from the Afghan disaster? Answer, the Chinese.

 

[pecksniff]

^^^^^
Communist disinformation stooge, hard at work lying to people.

I'm really more of a left-progressive social democrat, and there is a difference, and it does matter, and I'm not spreading any lies or disinformation here. I have never on any occasion on this board been wrong where you were right.

 

[pecksniff]

^^^
Butter Butt, in steaming frustration with Nature for the existence of Cellulite, loses sight of all else, namely, who benefitted from the Afghan disaster? Answer, the Chinese.

So what? China is not an enemy of the U.S., and they're certainly not going to spread Communism to Afghanistan, nor anywhere else.

 

[Rightguide]

So what? China is not an enemy of the U.S., and they're certainly not going to spread Communism to Afghanistan, nor anywhere else.

Xi Jinping Signs Order No. 1 'To Focus On War Preparedness' And Refers To The U.S. As 'Enemy'
January 13, 2021

https://www.memri.org/reports/xi-jinping-signs-order-no-1-focus-war-preparedness-and-refers-us-enemy

FIGHTING TALK China’s military ordered to ‘concentrate preparations for fighting a war’ as tensions with West grow
President Xi Jinping told generals to 'strengthen the mission … and concentrate preparations for fighting a war'

Jamie Seidel for News.com.au
10:35, 29 Oct 2018Updated: 10:52, 29 Oct 2018

FIGHTING TALK China’s military ordered to ‘concentrate preparations for fighting a war’ as tensions with West grow
President Xi Jinping told generals to 'strengthen the mission … and concentrate preparations for fighting a war'

Jamie Seidel for News.com.au
10:35, 29 Oct 2018Updated: 10:52, 29 Oct 2018

Communist China President Xi Jinping Signs ‘War Preparedness’ Order, Calls US An ‘Enemy’
By Pamela Geller - on January 14, 2021

https://gellerreport.com/2021/01/co...ar-preparedness-order-calls-us-an-enemy.html/

 

[pecksniff]

Doesn't matter -- Xi is only rattling sabers for domestic consumption. He is no more preparing for actual war than we are. Neither country can afford war. We are too economically dependent on each other.

 

[ishtat]

I noticed that Blinken and Biden are now meeting with Senior Ministers from India and Japan. In addition, a couple of days ago Japan was unusually stroppy with China for disputing its ownership of one of the southernmost islands. If the USA can continue to put pressure on Xi and China with these two nations as well we might have to increase the award to three cheers for Blinken and Biden.

 

[Rightguide]

Doesn't matter -- Xi is only rattling sabers for domestic consumption. He is no more preparing for actual war than we are. Neither country can afford war. We are too economically dependent on each other.

What matters is that you were true to form and proven to be totally full of shit.

 

[Rightguide]

I noticed that Blinken and Biden are now meeting with Senior Ministers from India and Japan. In addition, a couple of days ago Japan was unusually stroppy with China for disputing its ownership of one of the southernmost islands. If the USA can continue to put pressure on Xi and China with these two nations as well we might have to increase the award to three cheers for Blinken and Biden.

They're probably trying to convince Japan and India not to come to the aid of Taiwan.