Joe Biden is going to be rated as probably the worst foriegn policy president of the modern era. (Amazingly, Jimmy Carter lived to see this day.)

While all eyes are currently on Ukraine, and the West’s busy verbal condemnation of Russia, China isn’t letting the grass grow under its feet when it comes to their big goal. Both China and Taiwan know what the next steps are here. China steamrolled Hong Kong and the West complained, but didn’t lift a finger. Taiwan knows they are in deep trouble, and they are watching the situation in Ukraine and Joe Biden’s reaction to it.

Let’s just say that Biden’s reaction was not promising when it came to China and getting them to cooperate with sanctioning Russia.

Joe Biden says he’s "not prepared to comment" on whether he’s urging China to help isolate Russia

— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) February 24, 2022

And why should they? China is busy taking advantage of the situation and doing a few flybys over Taiwan. You know, just for kicks.

Taiwan scrambled its air force Thursday as nine Chinese aircraft have entered the island nation’s air defense zone, the Taiwan Ministry of Defense announced.”

A small fleet of eight J-16 fighters and a Yun-8 technical reconnaissance aircraft breached the air space. The Taiwanese aircrafts broadcast a warning and monitored the Chinese fleet’s activities.”

Nothing like a small flyby demonstration to send a message. The message apparently is: all your country are belong to us. Hint, hint, hint.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying dismissed the concerns of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said there might be worldwide consequences, including for Taiwan, if Western nations failed to support Ukraine’s independence, according to Reuters.”

“Taiwan is not Ukraine,” Hua said while speaking in Beijing. “Taiwan has always been an inalienable part of China. This is an indisputable legal and historical fact.”

Hua noted that the situation with Taiwan is the result of the country’s civil war in the mid-20th century but that China’s integrity should have never been compromised and has never been compromised.”

In 1949, the government of the Republic of China fled to Taiwan to escape communist forces, who formed the People’s Republic of China the same year.”

Taiwan, for its part, knows what is at stake here.

The people and government of Taiwan stand with Ukraine. The principle of self-determination cannot be erased by brute force.

— 賴清德Lai Ching-te (@ChingteLai) February 23, 2022

The cascading failures that have stemmed from the absolute clusterf**k that President Brandon began with Afghanistan are rapidly coming home to roost, and everyone can see it with their own eyes. So Taiwan would like a firm commitment from the United States to actually help them out if and when China makes a move.

Speaking in Beijing earlier on Thursday when asked about the new U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei reiterated that Taiwan was a “core issue” of China’s and it would tolerate no foreign interference.”

“We urge the U.S. side to recognise the high sensitivity of the Taiwan issue, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and stop playing with fire on the Taiwan issue,” Tan said.”

In the 12-page Indo-Pacific strategy overview issued earlier this month, the Biden administration vowed to commit more diplomatic and security resources to the region.”

That overview can be read here, but how much faith do you think Taiwan is really putting into it, considering the evidence being laid out today while watching Ukraine attempting to fend off a complete invasion, while President Depends insists that SANCTIONS ARE AWESOME, just check back in a month and see for yourself!*
(*results may vary)

And given that Ukraine was promised protection from Russia if they gave up their nuclear weapons in 1994, do you really think the government of Taiwan isn’t saying quietly to themselves, “you know, now might be a good time to restart our own nuclear program or get some because no one is going to save us but ourselves”? Even state-run media in China acknowledges that a nuclear Taiwan would be a massive deterrent. Given the current state of the world, could anyone blame Taiwan if they built a nuclear bomb? This is what the weakness of the West and the belief that dictators would act in good faith has resulted in creating.

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Featured image: composite of Taiwan flag via Winston Chen on Unsplash (Unsplash license) and Chinese flag via SW1994 on Pixabay (Pixabay license)