♪.
>> WE ARE LOOKING TO DEEPEN OUR
ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP WITH TAIWAN
INCLUDING HIGH TECHNOLOGY
ISSUES, INCLUDING ON
SEMICONDUCTORS, SUPPLY CHAINS
BUT WE’RE PURSUING THAT IN THE
FIRST INSTANCE ON A BILATERAL
BASIS WHILE WE ARRANGE WITH
OTHER COUNTRIES THROUGH THE
FRAMEWORK.
WILL: OVERNIGHT THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION EXPRESSES ITS
DESIRE FOR STRONG ECONOMIC TIES
WITH TAIWAN AS PRESIDENT BIDEN
ARRIVES IN JAPAN.
THE PRESIDENT IS WRAPPING UP THE
ASIA TRIP TO THOUSANDS OF
SERVICEMEMBERS IN NORTH KOREA
ALL THE WHILE CHINA LAUNCHES
MILITARY DRILLS.
GORDON CHANG, AUTHOR OF THE
GREAT CHINA TECH WAR.
HE JOINS US NOW.
GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON SET WITH
US.
>> GOOD MORNING, WILL, TERRIFIC
TO BE HERE.
WILL: YOU LOOK AT THESE TWO
THINGS SIMULTANEOUSLY.
THE ONE THING JAKE SULLIVAN SAYS
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION LOOKS
TO DEEPEN ECONOMIC TIES WITH
TAIWAN, THIRD, CHINA LAUNCHES
MILITARY DRILLS.
CONNECTED?
>> THEY ARE CONNECTED.
BEFORE BIDEN STOPPED IN SOUTH
KOREA, THE CHINESE PUBLICLY
WARNED HIM NOT TO TALK ABOUT
TAIWAN.
THERE WAS THE JOINT STATEMENT
BETWEEN PRESIDENT BIDEN AND
PRESIDENT OF SOUTH KOREA WHICH
SPECIFICALLY MENTIONS TAIWAN.
THERE WILL BE A LOT OF TAIWAN
DISCUSSIONS IN JAPAN, THE SECOND
AND LAST STOP ON THIS TRIP.
REALLY WHAT THE NIGHT WAS SAYING
TO BEIJING, I’M NOT AFRAID OF
YOU ANYMORE.
THE REASON THE ADMINISTRATION
HAS TO DO THAT BECAUSE THE LAST
COUPLE WEEKS THE BIDEN TEAM HAS
DONE THINGS THAT MADE IT IT
LOOKED LIKE IT WAS INTIMIDATED
ABOUT I CHINA.
THE REASON THE CHINESE WERE VERY
AGGRESSIVE BEFORE THE TRIP
BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD
BIDEN ON THE RUN.
WILL: WHAT HAPPENED LAST COUPLE
WEEKS, SENT A MESSAGE THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION MAY BE
INTIMIDATED BY CHINA?
>> NED PRICE, STATE DEPARTMENT
SPOKESMAN WALKED BACK GOOD
COMMENTS THE STATE DEPARTMENT
MADE ON TAIWAN AFTER CHINA GOT A
PUBLIC HIS SY FATE.
IT MADE IT LOOK LIKE CHINA WAS
DETERMINING WHAT U.S. POLICY
WOULD BE, TELLING US WHAT TAIWAN
POLICY WOULD BE.
THAT WAS CLEARLY UNACCEPTABLE.
SO THAT CREATED A VERY BAD
IMPRESSION AMONG PEOPLE.
I THINK BIDEN GOING TO ASIA IS
SORT OF LIKE A REPAIR TRIP AFTER
THE CHAOTIC WITHDRAWAL FROM
AFGHANISTAN.
FAIL TURF DETERRENTS IN UKRAINE.
ALLIES IN ASIA WERE PRETTY
NERVOUS ABOUT AMERICAN
LEADERSHIP.
THEY WERE SAYING ARE YOU THE
UNITED STATES ANYMORE?
SO THAT IS THE REASON WHY BIDEN
HAD TO GO THERE.
WILL: SOUTH KOREA, JAPAN, OUR
ALLIES NEED TO SEE STRENGTH FROM
THE UNITED STATES.
CHINA SEES WEAKNESS INSECURITY,
NOW IS OPPORTUNITY TO BE MORE
BELLIGERENT, PUSH US AROUND A
LITTLE BIT.
DO YOU THINK CHINA LOOKS AT
EVENTS IN UKRAINE, LOOK AT THE
WAY THE WORLD RESPONDED TO TO
RUSSIA FEELS EMBOLDEN OR SAYS
LET’S NOT BE THE BELLIGERENT ON
THE WORLD STAGE?
>> MY GUESS, ON BALANCE MORE
ENCOURAGED THAT INHIBITED.
A LOT OF THINGS THAT INHIBITED
THEM, SOME ENCOURAGED THEM.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, WILL,
ALTHOUGH WE HAD OVERWHELMING
POWER OVER RUSSIA OUR ECONOMY
WAS 13.1 TIMES BIGGER THAN
RUSSIA AT THE END OF LAST YEAR
OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, THEIR
ECONOMY WAS 10.5 TIMES BIGGER,
BRITAIN’S ECONOMY TWICE AS
LARGE.
ALL THESE NATIONS WERE NOT ABLE
TO STOP CHINA.
CHINA LOOKS AT THAT, LOOK,
WESTERN DIPLOMACY IS REALLY BAD.
THESE GUYS ARE WEAK.
THEY CAN’T STOP RUSSIA FROM
INVADING UKRAINE.
THE CHINESE LOOK AT THAT SAY, WE
CAN DO SOMETHING ON TAIWAN.
WILL: CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG,
THE CHINESE POLICY, APPROACH FOR
DECADE HAS BEEN THE FORM OF
ASYMMETRIC WARFARE.
IT’S BEEN ECONOMIC, IT’S BEEN
CULTURAL.
I WONDER IF EVENTS BETWEEN
RUSSIA AND UKRAINE LET’S
CONTINUE WITH THAT PATH?
INSTEAD OF DIRECT MILITARY
CONFLICT LET’S CONTINUE WITH THE
WAR UNDER THE SURFACE?
>> YES.
REMEMBER WAR UNDER THE SURFACE
WAS COVID-19.
ALTHOUGH WE DON’T KNOW EXACTLY
WHERE THIS PATHOGEN CAME FROM WE
KNOW THAT CHINA DELIBERATELY
SPREAD IT BEYOND ITS BORDERS.
MORE THAN ONE MILLION AMERICANS
WHO HAVE BEEN KILLED.
THAT’S WARFARE.
ONE MILLION AMERICAN DEAD.
WILL: YEAH, BUT TO YOUR POINT
TAIWAN IS THE FLASHPOINT.
TAIWAN IS THE FLASHPOINT WHETHER
OR NOT IT BECOMES KINETIC WAR AS