LAST WEEK BEIJING LAUNCHED A
SERIES OF EXERCISES SURROUNDING
TAIWAN AFTER PELOSI’S VISIT
THERE.
I WANT TO READ THIS TO YOU THAT
THEY SAID THE FOREIGN MINISTER
THAT CHINA HAS USED THE DRILLS
TO PREPARE FOR THIS INVASION OF
TAIWAN.
DO YOU THINK THAT’S WHAT THEY
ARE DOING?
>> HI, THANKS FOR HAVING ME
THIS MORNING.
THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES.
LOOK, WE LOOK AT CHINA AND WE
SHOULD LOOK AT CHINA AS THE
GREATEST THREAT WE FACED IN THE
LAST 50 YEARS.
IT IS AN ADVERSARY IN EVERY
AREA LED BY AN AUTHORITARIAN
PRESIDENT IN PRESIDENT XI AND
THEY HAVE TAIWAN IN THEIR
CROSSHAIRS.
THIS IS A CRISIS THAT WILL GROW
OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
WHY I SAY THAT IS I BELIEVE
THAT PRESIDENT XI BELIEVES THIS
IS AN OPPORTUNITY TWIN NEXT TWO
YEARS TO ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING
WITH TAIWAN BECAUSE I THINK HE
SEES THE PRESIDENT BEING WEAK
WHEN IT COMES TO INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS AND NATIONAL SECURITY.
SO THE WILL OF THE NATION IS
BASICALLY ENCAPSULATED BY THE
LEADER OF THE NATION, PRESIDENT
XI IN CHINA OR PRESIDENT BIDEN
IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
WHEN THEY SEE WEAKNESS THEY’LL
REACT.
THAT’S SOMETHING WE NEED TO
FEAR.
THREE WAYS YOU CAN COUNTER IT,
ECONOMICALLY WITH SANCTIONS,
PUT BACK MILITARILY BY PUTTING
MORE BATTLE GROUPS IN THE
PACIFIC.
WE ONLY HAVE ONE RIGHT NOW.
OR MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE ONE
THAT’S KEY, POLITICALLY.
DOES IT TAKE RISK?
OF COURSE.
THIS IS THE TIME AFTER 50 YEARS
YOU PICK UP THE PHONE, CALL
PRESIDENT XI AND SAY YOU KNOW,
THIS ONE CHINA POLICY THAT WE
STARTED IN 1972 ISN’T WORKING.
WE’LL RECOGNIZE TAIWAN AS A
NATION.
DEMOCRATIC NATION, 23 MILLION
PEOPLE.
WE GO BACK TO A TWO CHINA
POLICY.
THERE IS RISK BUT IF WE DON’T
DO SOMETHING IN THOSE THREE
AREAS AND REACT STRONGLY, I
THINK YOU SEE CHINA WILL REACT
AND TRY TO TAKE TAIWAN UNDER
ITS UMBRELLA.
>> Dana: HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE
THE AMERICA’S NATIONAL INTEREST
IN DOING ANY OF THOSE THREE
THINGS THAT YOU JUST TALKED
ABOUT ESPECIALLY NUMBER THREE?
>> WELL LOOK, THE REASON WHY
IT’S IN OUR NATIONAL INTEREST
WE’VE ALWAYS BEEN A PACIFIC
POWER BASED FROM WORLD WAR II
ON.
THAT IS A CRITICAL AREA FOR US
TO CONCENTRATE ON.
WE NEED TO PUSH BACK ON CHINA
BECOMING A REGIONAL POWER.
OUR ALLIES ARE LOOKING AT US.
JAPAN IS LOOKING AT US, THE
PHILIPPINES, VIETNAM, AUSTRALIA
IS LOOKING AT US.
IF THEY SEE US MOVING BACK OR
MOVING AWAY FROM CHINA BECAUSE
OF A FEAR OF CHINA, THEY WILL
GRAVITATE MORE TOWARDS CHINA.
MOST OF THE TRADE, HALF THE
TRADE OF THE WORLD GOES THROUGH
THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND IT IS
IN THE PACIFIC AREA.
WE CANNOT AFFORD TO GIVE UP ANY
OF THAT TERRITORY, LAND OR
INFLUENCE.
IF WE DO THAT, WE’LL HURT
OURSELVES ECONOMICALLY,
MILITARILY AND ALSO WITHIN THE
ALLIANCE.
>> Dana: I LISTEN TO YOU AND I
HEAR THAT LOUD AND CLEAR AND IT
MAKES SENSE TO ME.
BUT HAS PRESIDENT BIDEN EVER
ARTICULATED SUCH A THING TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE?
IT’S ALMOST AS IF WE TALK ABOUT
TAIWAN BUT ON THE PERIPHERY.
THEY DON’T WANT TO DEAL WITH IT.
POLICY IS UNCLEAR.
YOU JUST LAID OUT IF THAT’S
WHAT PRESIDENT BIDEN BELIEVES,
HE COULD SAY THAT TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
DO YOU THINK HE WOULD EVER DO
THAT?
>> NO, I DON’T.
HERE IS WHY.
LOOK AT THE NATIONAL SECURITY
STRATEGY OF THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA.
IT IS STILL AN INTERIM NATIONAL
SECURITY STRATEGY.
BY GOLDWATER NICHOLS YOU NEED
TO HAVE A STRATEGY PUBLISHED
EVERY YEAR THAT LAYS OUT THE
INTEREST OF A NATIONAL.
WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THE VITAL
NATIONAL INTERESTS ARE BECAUSE
BIDEN HASN’T EXPRESSED IT IN A
FINAL DOCUMENT.
THE ANSWER IS NO, HE HASN’T
DONE IT AT ALL.
HE HASN’T SENT THAT TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE SO THEY CAN
DIGEST IT, THINK ABOUT IT, TALK
ABOUT IT, AND MAKE IT HAPPEN.
>> Dana: I HAD FORGOTTEN THEY
HAVEN’T RELEASED THAT.
THANK YOU FOR THE REMINDER.