China Tells DoD To Pound Sand

From the beginning of the Zhou regime the overall strategy of the Neocons appears to have been a two-step program: 1) Browbeat China into submission, then pivot to 2) forcing Russian regime change via sanctions shock and awe. Presumably a third step would have followed: Pivot back to China to enforce total subjugation. As things turned out, the first two steps have been a total bust. To begin with, the Chinese—heirs of a proud civilization—took the Neocon attempts at browbeating very badly. So badly that they now refuse to even speak with the Zhou regime (there has been an exception—they recently did meet with the Commerce Secretary).

The US has switched from brow beating to virtually begging the Chinese to please talk to us—’we’re holding our hand out’. The Chinese remain unimpressed. Here’s the latest:

China Rebuffs Pentagon Chief, Blunting Push for Rapprochement

U.S. had proposed a meeting of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu in Singapore

WASHINGTON—China has rebuffed a U.S. request for a meeting between their defense chiefs on the sidelines of an annual security forum in Singapore this coming weekend, the Pentagon said Monday, showing the limits of a tentative rapprochement between the two rival powers.

In other words, China won’t even do an informal meeting “on the sidelines.” Moreover, further down past the paywall the WSJ apparently states that the “rebuff” was couched in “unusually blunt” language. Something like, Pound sand, guizi devils!

The Sirius Report

@thesiriusreport

China has dismissed a US request for a meeting between their defence chiefs on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore.

US officials described China's response as an unusually blunt message.

3:56 PM · May 29, 2023

What could account for this? Well, there is this:

S.L. Kanthan

@Kanthan2030

US is so arrogant that it refuses to lift a stupid 2018 sanction that it imposed on a Chinese General for buying Russian fighter jets. How does it concern the US, Mr. Free Trade & Sovereignty?

Now, that General Li Shangfu is China’s Defense Minister!

3:40 PM · May 29, 2023

Sanctioning doesn’t seem like a good start for a productive relationship. Why is diplomacy so challenging for Neocons?

But then, what would there possibly be for China to discuss with the US at the Sec/Min Def level? Taiwan? Nothing to discuss, from the Chinese POV. The US long ago agreed that Taiwan is part of China, so why would China reopen a settled issue—especially from a military standpoint? And especially with the US supposedly arming Taiwan to the teeth, assembling some sort of coalition against China, and openly threatening war with China no later than 2025. Where is the room for discussions? China has made it abundantly clear that they’re not going to back down.

From the Chinese POV more productive mutual defense discussions would be those with Russia. And this militates against any NATO intervention in Ukraine, as well. Well played, Neocons!