President Biden warned China two years ago not to provide “material support” for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
On Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken conceded that Xi Jinping ignored that warning. China, Mr. Blinken said, was “overwhelmingly the No. 1 supplier” of Russia’s military industrial base, with the “material effect” of having fundamentally changed the course of the war. Whatever Mr. Biden chooses to do next will be momentous for global security and stability.
Mr. Biden can either enforce his red line through sanctions or other means, or he can signal a collapse of American resolve by applying merely symbolic penalties. Beijing and its strategic partners in Moscow, Tehran, Pyongyang and Caracas would surely interpret half-hearted enforcement as a green light to deepen their campaign of global chaos. Mr. Xi sees a historic opportunity here to undermine the West.
This is a moment akin to President Obama’s 2013 red-line failure in Syria. When dictator Bashar al-Assad defied Mr. Obama’s warning not to use chemical weapons on his people, the president abstained from military action, and the consequences were dire. Six months later Moscow launched its 2014 invasion of Crimea—the beginning of the now-decadelong Ukraine War.
A failure to act decisively against China now would open a path for Russian victory in Ukraine.
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If you cannot scare the Taliban, Syria or Iran, you are certainly not going to frighten Xi or Putin. Both consider the U.S. and Europe to be Paper Tigers who do little more than talk.
@L1b3rtyMonkeyPatriot2yrs2Y
Well, trying to scare the alliance between the biggest country and the most populous country in the world isn’t going to work.
@LeftLanePaisleyPatriot2yrs2Y
Puppets don't have the brains to know what a red line is. Xi knows he is dealing with a puppet and can do anything he wants.
Xi is only talking to Blinken because he knows it’s important to Biden’s reelection.
The announced “Friends without Limits” was a geopolitical test which Biden and Blinken failed miserably. China was gauging the reaction - knowing how Trump would have immediately said “want to bet?” as he did with China and Iranian oil. With only silence in response from Biden, Russia went forward knowing it could rely on China backstopping the entire Russian economy.
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
How do you feel knowing countries can influence war outcomes by supporting one side, and what should be done about it?
There's not much to do about it. This is how world politics has worked as long as there has been politics.
@9M24LVK2yrs2Y
It seems fairly obvious that powerful countries can determine the outcome of a war so they should just choose the side they support
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
Considering past consequences, how important is it for nations to stand firm on their warnings to others, and what should be the limit of compromise?
@9M28RKT 2yrs2Y
If China wants to test the US they can go ahead. While I think war is entirely unnecessary and that our leaders should be able to come to agreements like the civilized adults we elected them to be, if China thinks they can disrespect the US's clear boundaries then they better think again, we have the highest funded and the best military in the world, not to mention we are part of the NATO alliance and China isn't so if we go to war with China they are going to war against all of the countries in NATO.
@9M27YYL2yrs2Y
I think he is just letting country's walk all over us.
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
If a country ignores a warning from another country not to support a war, how should the warning country respond to maintain global respect and prevent conflict escalation?
@9M24LVK2yrs2Y
Send troops to Ukraine to help defend them against China
@VersatileTigerPatriot2yrs2Y
They are laughing out loud in Beijing at Joe Biden.
Wonder if those 30K Chinese military aged men crossing the boarder are agents of chaos? Does our current President even care?
Someone should tell Biden the Chinese are Republicans. He would then see them as a threat.
@LemurArianaConstitution2yrs2Y
As an anti-Trump, old-school liberal, I am nonetheless disgusted by Biden's lack of gumption and fear of Russia. He won't even allow Ukraine to fire American weapons into Russian territory. He's also scared of Iran and will never do anything meaningfully military against the latter, just a few bombing runs on Iran's proxies and only when American servicemen and women get killed first. As for China? Just a cowardly bluff.
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
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