IN STORE FOR DUSTY THIS
HALLOWEEN.
TENSIONS ARE RISING, MEANWHILE,
IN THE TAIWAN STRAIT.
OVERNIGHT, TAIWAN’S DEFENSE
MINISTRY SAID IT HAD TO WARN OFF
ANOTHER 19 CHINESE AIRCRAFT
ENTERING ITS AIR DEFENSE ZONE.
THIS ACTION IS THE LATEST IN
CHINA’S FLEXING ITS MILITARY
MUSCLE TOWARD TAIWAN AS TAIWAN
SEEKS ENTRY INTO THE PACIFIC
TRADE PACT, HOPING TO MAKE IT IN
BEFORE CHINA DOES.
JOINING ME RIGHT NOW IS FOX NEWS
SENIOR STRATEGIC ANALYST,
GENERAL JACK KEANE.
GENERAL, IT’S ALWAYS A PLEASURE
TO SEE YOU.
I WAS QUITE CONCERNED WHEN I SAW
THE NEWS THAT FOR A SECOND TIME
IN A WEEK, WE SEE THESE CHINESE
AIRCRAFT ENTERING TAIWAN.
WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO IT?
>> WELL, WE KNOW FOR A FACT THAT
THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR WELL
OVER A YEAR, MARIA.
AND CERTAINLY WE ALSO HAVE SEEN
SINCE THE AFGHANISTAN COLLAPSE
CHINA HAS INCREASED ITS RHETORIC
CERTAINLY IN TERMS OF
INTIMIDATING, COERCING TAIWAN
AND MAKING EMPHASIS THAT THE
UNITED STATES HAS WALKED AWAY
FROM A 20-YEAR ALLY FIGHTING
SIDE-BY-SIDE IN AFGHANISTAN AND
SURRENDERED THE DONE TROY A
TERRORIST ORG. -- COUNTRY TO A
TERRORIST ORGANIZATION, THE
TALIBAN.
THAT HAS BEEN POUNDING CERTAINLY
INSIDE OF TAIWAN BUT HE THESE
TWO INCURSIONS I THINK ONE IS A
RESULT OF THE AFGHANISTAN
COLLAPSE, THE SECOND THOUGH I
THINK HAS TO DO WITH THE QUAD.
THE QUAD IS AN INFORMAL ALLIANCE
THAT BEGAN IN THE BUSH
ADMINISTRATION, REVISED BY THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS HAD ONE
MEETING WITH THEM ON ZOOM.
HE’S HAVING A PHYSICAL MEETING
WITH THEM TOMORROW FOR THE FIRST
TIME AND THIS IS A GOOD THING.
THE QUAD IS JAPAN, AUSTRALIA,
INDIA AND THE UNITED STATES.
THREE OF THE FOUR LARGEST
ECONOMIES IN THE WORLD HAVE
JOINED TOGETHER IN AN INFORMAL
ALLIANCE TO MAKE SURE THE
INDO-PACIFIC STAYS STABLE AND
SECURE.
THERE’S OTHER THINGS THAT THEY
DO IN TERMS OF CRY MATT CHANGE
-- CLIMATE CHANGE AND CERTAINLY
COVID VACCINE DISTRIBUTION AS
WELL.
BUT THE CENTERPIECE OF THIS IS
REALLY CHINA AND THE FACT THAT
THEY’RE ALL COMING TOGETHER
CERTAINLY IS GETTING TO THE
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA FOR
SURE HERE AND I THINK THE LATEST
INCURSION IS PROBABLY DEALING
WITH THAT, TO PUT THE PRESSURE
ON THE ALLIES IN THE REGION AND
ALSO TO PUT THE PRESSURE ON
TAIWAN.
MARIA: EVEN AS CHINA IS WAITING
IN THE WINGS TO HAVE MORE OF A
ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN.
I MEAN, LONGER TERM, GENERAL,
WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS MEAN, DO
YOU THINK CHINA WILL ULTIMATELY
TAKE OVER THE BAGRAM AIRBASE
WHICH WAS A HUGE MISTAKE OF THIS
ADMINISTRATION TO LET IT GO,
GIVEN HOW FORTIFIED AND
STRATEGICALLY LOCATED IT IS
RIGHT NOW?
WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON HOW THIS IS
DEVELOPING?
>> WELL, CERTAINLY CHINA I THINK
IN ADDITION TO PAKISTAN WILL BE
THE NUMBER ONE BENEFICIARY OF
THE AFGHANISTAN COLLAPSE.
I MEAN, CHINA ALREADY HAS
MINERAL RIGHTS FOR COPPER INSIDE
OF AFGHANISTAN BUT THEY HAVEN’T
BEEN ABLE TO ACCESS DUE TO THE
CONFLICT THAT’S BEEN TAKING
PLACE AND SO OUR AUDIENCE
UNDERSTANDS, AFGHANISTAN DESPITE
ITS OBVIOUSLY IMPOO POVER -- IT’
SITUATION WITH ITS PEOPLE, IS
RICH IN MINERAL RIGHTS IN TERMS
OF COPPER, URANIUM, LITHIUM AND
GOLD AND NONE OF THAT REALLY HAS
BEEN MINED WHATSOEVER.
SO CHINA IS EYEING SOME OF THAT
TO BE SURE AND I THINK THEY’LL
BE ONE OF THE COUNTRIES THAT
WILL PROVIDE ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE
TO THE TALIBAN REGIME IN A
SIGNIFICANT WAY TO GAIN ACCESS
CERTAINLY AND INFLUENCE, BECAUSE
THAT IS WHAT THEIR ECONOMIC
INFLUENCE IS ALL ABOUT.
IT’S ABOUT GEOPOLITICAL
INFLUENCE AND THAT’S WHAT HAD
THEY WANT OVER CENTRAL ASIA.
THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY THRILLED
THAT THE UNITED STATES IS OF OUT
OF CENTRAL ASIA AND SOUTH ASIA.
WE HAVE GIVEN UP SEVEN MILITARY
BASES AND MULTIPLE CIA BASES.
AS TO BAGRAM, I THINK THAT’S A
COMPLICATED QUESTION WHETHER
THEY WANT BAGRAM OR NOT.
CERTAINLY, YEAH, ON THE SURFACE
OF IT, IT DOES.
BUT IT ALSO MEANS THAT THEY
WOULD BE SUBJECT TO ISIS ATTACKS
AND POSSIBLY OTHER TERRORIST
ATTACKS AND WHETHER THEY WANT TO
TAKE THAT ON OR NOT REMAINS TO
BE SEEN.
I THINK THEY’LL MOVE
ECONOMICALLY INTO AFGHANISTAN
MUCH MORE SO THAN THEY WOULD
MILITARILY.
MARIA: YOU KNOW, A SOURCE IN
WASHINGTON OF SAID TO ME THAT
ONCE CHINA IS IN CHARGE OF ALL
OF THOSE RARE EARTH MINERALS IN
AFGHANISTAN THAT YOU’RE TALKING
ABOUT, THAT HE CREATES A
POTENTIAL TO REALLY BACK UP OUR
AUTO PRODUCTION BECAUSE THESE
RARE EARTH MINERALS ARE USED FOR
MANY PARTS IN VEHICLE
DEVELOPMENT.
LITHIUM AND OTHER RARE EARTH
MINERALS.
YOU WONDER IF THAT HAS A MAJOR
ECONOMIC IMPACT ON AMERICA.
I KNOW THIS IS PROBABLY GOING TO
BE ONE OF THE TOPICS NEXT WEEK,S
CONGRESS IS GOING TO HAVE A
CHANCE TO GRILL GENERAL MARK
MILLEY, GENERAL.
MILLEY WILL JOIN DEFENSE
SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN NEXT WEEK
AND HE’LL TESTIFY ABOUT THE THE
BOTCHED AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL,
THE TALIBAN SWIFT TAKE TAKEOVER
OF THE COUNTRY.
WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING?
WILL WE GET ANSWERS HERE IN
TERMS OF THE NO PLAN PLAN TO CUT
AND RUN OUT OF AFGHANISTAN WHEN
THESE TWO GENTLEMEN ARE IN
TESTIMONY NEXT WEEK?
>> YEAH, WELL, CERTAINLY THE
SENATORS AND THE CONGRESSMEN
HAVE A LOT OFS QUESTIONS HERE TO
ASK AND I THINK THEY’RE GOING TO
REVOLVE AROUND, ONE, THE
WITHDRAWAL DECISION ITSELF.
IT’S BEEN CERTAINLY REPORTED
WIDELY THAT SECRETARY AUSTIN AND
ALSO GENERAL MILLEY OPPOSED THE
WITHDRAWAL.
I THINK THEY’RE GOING TO WANT TO
CONFIRM THAT.
NUMBER TWO, IN AGREEING TO THE
WITHDRAWAL AND A DATE CERTAIN,
WERE THERE ANY CONTINGENCY PLANS
THAT IF THE GOVERNMENT AND THE
MILITARY IN AFGHANISTAN BEGAN TO
COLLAPSE MORE RAPIDLY THAN
ANTICIPATED, WERE YOU GOING TO
STOP THE WITHDRAWAL, WHY DID YOU
CONTINUE THE WITHDRAWAL WHEN THE
COUNTRY SEEMED TO BE IMPLODING?
I THINK IT’S ALSO REPORTED,
MARIA, HAD THAT THE PENTAGON
WANTED TO START THE EVACUATION
IN MAY AND I THINK THEY’LL BE
PURSUED ON THAT ISSUE.
DID YOU MAKE THAT
RECOMMENDATION, YOU’RE GOING TO
USE BAGRAM AIRBASE, CERTAINLY
WHY WAS THAT RECOMMENDATION
TURNED DOWN AND WHAT ABOUT
BAGRAM AIRBASE, WHY DID WE CLOSE
IT, WHY DIDN’T WE KEEP IT OPEN?
THOSE QUESTIONS ARE GOING TO BE
PROBED.
AND FINALLY, THE EVACUATION
ITSELF, COULD WE HAVE SECURED
THE AIR A PORT ANY BETTER THAN
WHAT WE DID AND PREVENTED THE
LOSS OF OUR 13 SERVICEMEN AND
THE OTHER CIVILIANS THAT WERE
KILLED THERE?
AND WHAT ABOUT THE DATE CERTAIN?
WE KNEW WE COULD NOT GET ALL OF
OUR PEOPLE OUT BY 31 AUGUST.
THE TALIBAN WERE OPPOSING IT AND
JUST THE SHEER SCALE AND SIZE OF
THAT EVACUATION DENIED US THAT.
WHY DIDN’T WE KEEP IT OPEN FOR
ANOTHER WEEK, FOR ANOTHER MONTH?
WHAT WAS YOUR RECOMMENDATION?
IT’S BEEN REPORTED THAT THE
PENTAGON DID AGREE WITH KEEPING
THE DATE CERTAIN, IN OTHER
WORDS, EVACUATE 31 AUGUST AND A
LEAVE AMERICAN CITIZENS BEHIND.
I THINK THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO
ANSWER ALL OF THOSE QUESTIONS
AND I’M CONFIDENT HAD THEY WILL.
MARIA: GENERAL, REAL QUICK, LET
ME END WHERE I BEGAN AND THAT
WAS TAIWAN.
THE BEIJING OLYMPICS ARE IN
FEBRUARY 2022, JUST A FEW MONTHS
AWAY.
WOULD YOU EXPECT BEIJING TO OF
MOVE INTO TAIWAN RIGHT AFTER THE
OLYMPICS?
>> NO, I DON’T SEE THAT AS THAT
NEAR TERM AN ISSUE.
CERTAINLY THEY WOULD NEVER DO IT
BEFORE THAT.
BUT I THINK THE INTIMIDATION AND
COERCION IS GOING TO CONTINUE.
YEAH.
MARIA: OKAY.
ALL RIGHT.
GENERAL, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
THANKS SO MUCH.