Heading to the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, 80-year-old President Joe Biden took a break from intense negotiations with 58-year-old House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) over the continuing budget resolution [CBR] to raise the debt ceiling $1.5 trillion. Biden left a negotiating team in place to work toward some kind of compromise of budge priorities with the House GDP, looking to cut spending before it implodes the U.S. economy. At the G7, involving Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, Biden hopes to strengthen his Ukraine War coalition, at a time when France, and host of other non-aligned countries seek a ceasefire and peace talks. Biden and Ukraine’s 44-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky see no option other that continuing the bloody and destructive war against the Kremlin. French President Emmanuel Macron, 45, continues to press for peace.
China watches the G7 closely as Biden seeks to develop a NATO-like coalition to in the Indo-Pacific to confront growing Chinese aggression in the South China Sea where the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, all want China to stop building military installations on shoals or sandbars in the Spratly Islands and other sites. Chinese President Xi Jinping sees the U.S. encroaching on its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the South China Sea region. Former President Barack Obama sued China at the Hague’s International Court of Arbitration over China’s interference in opens seas and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. U.S. won its case against China in 2016, prompting China to reject all terms of The Hague’s ruling. Biden stirred up a hornet’s nest Sept. 23, 2022 saying that he would commit U.S. troops to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.
Xi has been asserting Communist China’s right over Taiwan, warning the Republic of China that it needs to reunify with Mainland China or face possible military intervention. Biden broke over 40-years of strategic ambiguity under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, where former President Jimmy Carter committed the U.S. to recognize only one China, the one in Beijing, and to end the 1954 Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty. Telling Beijing he would commit U.S. troops to defending Taiwan violated the Taiwan Relations Act. China moves closer in an economic, political and military alliance with the Russian Federation, especially after Biden launched his proxy war against the Kremlin. Xi sees Biden manipulating other Indo-Pacific nations into a NATO-like coalition against Beijing. Communist China said it was preparing for a possible Taiwan invasion in some murky future.
Biden’s attempt to create a coalition of Indo-Pacific nations against China is views as a red line in Beijing. China has threatened to take over Taiwan to return the island nation to Communist China. “While the G7 is a consensus-driven group, the hosts do play a big role in setting the agenda and the Japanese are very, very concerned with economic security issues writ lager, including vis-à-vis China,” said an unnamed G7 official. Indo-Pacific countries are not quite sure what to do with Biden’s proposal to create a NATO-like organization to deal with China’s expansive foreign policy. No Indo-Pacific nation, including Japan, wants a war with Communist China, reluctant to go along with Biden’s foreign policy. French President Emmanuel Macron said about the EU, that the Brussels-based block must not follow the U.S. into more conflict in Ukraine and a growing crisis over Taiwan.
Biden has his hands full in Ukraine, not knowing what to expect in the way of an outcome, with 70-year-old President Vladimir Putin believing he’s in a pitched battle with the United States. Starting a new war with China over Taiwan, or any other reason, would strain the Pentagon to the breaking point. Already having difficulty meeting defense obligations to Taiwan because of Ukraine, Biden doesn’t have the military resources to fight a second war. Biden thinks he’s like Gen. Douglas McArthur, giving ultimatums before engaging in battle. “I think that what you can expect is that G7 leaders will make clear that we’re all unified and united behind a common approach grounded in common values l . . “ said the unnamed G7 official. G7 nations must figure out their own relationship to Beijing, at a time when Communist China seeks to unify Taiwan with Mainland China.
French Preident Emmanuel Macron, after a state visit to Beijing April 12, said the EU must not get drawn into a U.S. war with China over Taiwan, no matter how much the U.S. and EU share certain democratic values. “American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction,” Macron said, referring to Biden’s dysfunctional relationship with Beijing. G7 officials look to limit the export of semiconductors to China, especially from Taiwan, further antagonizing Xi. “There’s a consensus on the need to ensure security of technology. I don’t want to get ahead of the discussions in terms of what agreement there will be, but I think amongst the countries that are the most significant players on semiconductors, there’s very broad agreement and a significant degree of consensus,” said the unnamed G7 officials. Xi won’t take the U.S. role in restricting semiconductors to China lightly, driving a bigger wedge in U.S. relations.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
