Joe Biden's Presidential Tact.

WEIRD thing about President Biden's foreign policy playbook: He threatens China if it aids Russia (vs Ukraine) by (recently) meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and warns of a partnership in the region to "counter China." At least, no fist-bump was exchanged.

       Didn't Potus know that the top 2 buyers of Moscow's oil since the start of the war (in Ukraine) are China and India, who are BRICS buddies with Russia? 

       Meanwhile, since he couldn't convince Taiwan to diss China or he failed to goad China to invade Taiwan, he instead offers $6.6 billion in federal money to Taipei's TSMC to build a microchip factory in Phoenix. (Another $6.4 billion is handed to South Korea’s Samsung for a plant, also in Texas.) 

       But of course chips need silicon. So Joe (separately) sent both State secretary Antony Blinken (his third?) and Treasury chief Janet Yellen (her second trip) to China to ask Xi Jinping to take it easy with exports of silicon to other competitors. And suggest to sell them instead to the U.S. Or to TSMC, which is already being supplied by China, in the first place.

       All these as Mr Biden keeps on trumpeting the "Chinese danger." Of course, his stance in Israel follows the playbook. He castigates Bibi yet he pressures Congress to speed up shipment of new fighter planes to Israel. And warns of a widened war which is geared at Iran. The eventual, expected rationale of pumped-up military aid to Tel Aviv. Weird, wild world. 🏛🗽🏛

South China Sea. And Stuff.

Response to: “South China Sea issue, a global concern, says Japan.” 

OF course, the South China Sea is a global concern. Always is. Trillion$ worth of commercial/maritime shipping passed through it, for starters. These days as trade works in/around China, India, Japan, South Korea et al, SCS could be more valuable globally than the Persian Gulf, Suez Canal, Strait of Hormuz, or Baltic Sea. 

       Ergo, if a Gaza/Ukraine level war explodes in South China Sea, who benefits? The U.S. and Europe (or E.U.) or G7. Who gets derailed? China and India or BRICS. (The "odd man out" in both? Japan, who is also a member of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. 

       The RCEP free trade agreement gathers 15 Asia-Pacific nations, led by China and including Australia, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and Singapore. These nations account for about 30 percent of the world's population and 30 percent of global GDP, making it the largest trade bloc in history. 

       Obviously, or clearly, we should know what powers benefit per current wars in Gaza (think reactivation of "arms for oil" in West/Middle East bilateral deals, think disruption of economic activities of new BRICS members from the region) and Ukraine (think NATO expansion, think natural gas, think Baltic Sea).    

      This neverending drama in South China Sea stays as that, drama. But the drama ups U.S. military aid mojo in the region. Already, Japan and South Korea are #1 and #3 top hosts of U.S. troops overseas. 

       However, per obvious reasons, China will not bite the Joe Biden dare. Potus' current rat trap is Taiwan but Taiwan's top trade partner is China, its kin. Stupid to fight bro. If ever China responds militarily? It would be via North Korea. Pyongyang can easily paralyze Asia by damaging nuclear plants in SK and Japan, while targeting U.S. military there. 

       Yet all Kim Jong-un does is counter bullying the West. Of course. In all, if war does indeed happen? Who get hit? Asians. America and Europe stay relatively safe and comfortable. China is formidable as a Wall (think Boxer Rebellion of yore as historical basis).

       However, Beijing or CCP isn't that dumb to wage war in Asia, with its investments scattered all over the region and its cultural bloodline imprinted all over. ☮️☮️☮️

Visual: U.S. Naval Institute.