Former Secretary of State and former CIA Director Mike Pompeo said that Chinese President Xi Jinping is &#8220;watching for American weakness&#8221; during an interview Monday after an Air Force general warned in a memo that the U.S. is on a collision course with communist China.
Four-star Air Force General Mike Minihan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-general-predicts-war-with-china-by-2025-i-hope-i-am-wrong" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a memo last week that believes that the U.S. will be in an all-out war with China in the next couple of years.
“I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025,” he wrote. “Xi secured his third term and set his war council in October 2022. Taiwan’s presidential elections are in 2024 and will offer Xi a reason. United States’ presidential elections are in 2024 and will offer Xi a distracted America. Xi’s team, reason, and opportunity are all aligned for 2025.”
Minihan said that his top priority was ingraining the fact that &#8220;unrepentant lethality matters most&#8221; in the minds of the 50,000 service members that he leads.
Pompeo <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/pompeo-highlights-threat-china-air-force-general-predicts-war?intcmp=tw_fnc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">addressed</a> Minihan&#8217;s remarks during an appearance on Fox News&#8217; &#8220;Special Report,&#8221; saying: &#8220;I take General Minihan to be serious, in the sense of he&#8217;s clearly very concerned that we&#8217;re not doing enough to prepare to deter the Chinese Communist Party.&#8221;
&#8220;I think that&#8217;s what he was really getting at – it&#8217;s hard to put timelines on any of these things: he says 2025,&#8221; Pompeo said. &#8220;But make no mistake about it, Xi Jinping is watching for American weakness. He&#8217;s watching for an absence of resolve. And if he sees opportunity, he will seize that very opportunity.&#8221;
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) said Sunday that the odds of a conflict with China by 2025 “are very high.”
“I hope he’s wrong &#8230;” McCaul said. “I think he’s right, though, unfortunately.”
“We have to be prepared for this,” McCaul said. “And it could happen … as long as Biden is in office — projecting weakness as he did with Afghanistan that led to Putin invading Ukraine — that the odds are very high we could see a conflict with China and Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific.”
Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/jan/29/top-house-democrat-adam-smith-criticizes-generals-/">claimed</a> that the possibility that the U.S. would end up in a war with China was “highly unlikely.”
“We have a very dangerous situation in China, but I think generals need to be very cautious about saying, ‘We’re going to war. It’s inevitable,’” he claimed.

US-ISRAEL-POLITICS-REPUBLICANS-POMPEO

Mike Pompeo Reacts To Air Force General Predicting War With China In 2025

China

Foreign Policy

Mike Pompeo

Politics

Taiwan

U.S. Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX) said Sunday the odds of a conflict with China by 2025 &#8220;are very high&#8221; after a four-star Air Force General warned officers that he sees a war on the horizon over Taiwan.
McCaul, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told &#8220;<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rep-mccaul-air-force-generals-prediction-2025-war-china-hope-wrong-think-right">Fox News Sunday&#8221;</a> he agreed with the recent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-general-predicts-war-with-china-by-2025-i-hope-i-am-wrong">statement</a> made by Air Force General Mike Minihan, which noted the military official believes U.S. forces &#8220;will fight in 2025.&#8221;
&#8220;I hope he&#8217;s wrong . . .&#8221; McCaul said. &#8220;I think he&#8217;s right, though, unfortunately.&#8221;
The top GOP lawmaker said China could look at a military invasion of Taiwan if President Xi Jinping of the Chinese Communist Party fails to influence Taiwan&#8217;s presidential election in 2024, which takes place a year from today, and further China&#8217;s efforts on its so-called &#8220;reunification&#8221; with the island.
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, has been independently governed by China since 1949. China holds a “One China” policy, asserting that Taiwan is a part of China.
&#8220;We have to be prepared for this,&#8221; McCaul said. &#8220;And it could happen &#8230; as long as Biden is in office — projecting weakness as he did with Afghanistan that led to Putin invading Ukraine — that the odds are very high we could see a conflict with China and Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific.&#8221;
Seth Jones of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published a report last week, which follows a CSIS wargame scenario that pointed out that in a conflict with China, U.S. arms, including long-range, precision-guided munitions, could run empty in one week.
Jones explained his assessment to The Wall Street Journal, which noted the U.S. support for Ukraine in its war with Russia had drained the U.S. stockpile of weapons. As a result, Pentagon officials reassessed its quantity of munitions in December, illustrating the underinvestment in munitions that had been going on for years.
&#8220;The bottom line is the defense industrial base, in my judgment, is not prepared for the security environment that now exists,&#8221; Jones told Journal, adding that the defense industry is currently &#8220;better suited to a peacetime environment.&#8221;
&#8220;How do you effectively deter if you don&#8217;t have sufficient stockpiles of the kinds of munitions you&#8217;re going to need for a China-Taiwan Strait kind of scenario?&#8221; Jones said.
Rep. McCaul agreed the CSIS scenario had left him feeling &#8220;very&#8221; worried.
&#8220;Our defense industrial base is broken,&#8221; he said, adding he signed off on all foreign military weapons sales three years ago that have yet to go into Taiwan.
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) countered his colleague&#8217;s possible war with China narrative on &#8220;Fox News Sunday,&#8221; saying the conflict is &#8220;highly unlikely.&#8221;
Smith further suggested that generals take caution by not signaling to the world &#8220;the U.S. is going to war with China.&#8221;
&#8220;Anything is possible,&#8221; Smith said. &#8220;I&#8217;m really worried when anyone starts talking about war with China being inevitable.&#8221;
Smith agreed with McCaul that the U.S. military stockpile of supplies puts the military forces in a vulnerable position in the face of a possible conflict with China.
&#8220;This is a huge problem,&#8221; Smith said. &#8220;We don&#8217;t have the industrial base, and we don&#8217;t have the ability to ramp up that industrial base.&#8221;
U.S. Department of Defense officials told <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/us-air-force-general-predicts-war-china-2025-memo-rcna67967?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma">NBC</a>, who first published the memo from the Air Force General, that such comments &#8220;are not representative of the department&#8217;s view on China.&#8221;
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin disregarded speculation that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan was imminent.
&#8220;What we&#8217;re seeing recently, is some very provocative behavior on the part of China&#8217;s forces and their attempt to re-establish a new normal,&#8221; Austin said. &#8220;But whether or not that means that an invasion is imminent — I seriously doubt that.&#8221;
Virginia Kruta and Hank Berrien contributed to this report.

Key Speakers At The Texas Tribune Festival

‘I Think He’s Right’: Top House Foreign Affairs Republican Agrees With U.S. General’s War With China Prediction

Top House Foreign Affairs Republican Agrees With U.S. General's War With China Prediction

Congress

Xi Jinping

A new study whose data was obtained from senior military and defense officials as well as congressional and defense industry leaders, warns that if the United States and China engage in hostilities, the U.S. weapons cache is woefully lacking.
Seth Jones of the Center for Strategic and International Studies wrote the report, which follows a CSIS wargame scenario that pointed out that in a conflict with China, U.S. arms including long-range, precision-guided munitions, could run empty in one week.
“The bottom line is the defense industrial base, in my judgment, is not prepared for the security environment that now exists,” Jones told <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-weapons-industry-unprepared-for-a-china-conflict-report-says-11674479916?mod=hp_trending_now_article_pos5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a>, adding that the defense industry is currently “better suited to a peacetime environment. &#8230; How do you effectively deter if you don’t have sufficient stockpiles of the kinds of munitions you’re going to need for a China-Taiwan Strait kind of scenario?”
“These shortfalls would make it extremely difficult for the United States to sustain a protracted conflict,” Jones’ report asserted. “They also highlight that the U.S. defense industrial base lacks adequate surge capacity for a major war.”
“The history of industrial mobilization suggests that it will take years for the defense industrial base to produce and deliver sufficient quantities of critical weapons systems and munitions and recapitalize stocks that have been used up,” the study added.
Adm. Daryl Caudle, the head of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, has expressed his frustration with the defense industry, snapping, “I am not forgiving of the fact they’re not delivering the ordnance we need. &#8230; All this stuff about Covid this, parts, supply chain — I just don’t really care. We’ve all got tough jobs.”
The U.S. support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, which has drained the U.S. stockpile of weapons, caused the Pentagon to reassess its quantity of munitions in December, illustrating the underinvestment in munitions that had been going on for years; e.g. investing in new weapons systems instead of shells or ammunition, the Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/pentagon-reviews-munitions-needs-as-ukraine-drains-stocks-11670591163?mod=article_inline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>.
Bill LaPlante, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, acknowledged, “You have to have almost a political environment like we have now, where people see the urgency for it. Because in times of peace and times of prosperity, it’s one of the first things that falls off the budget.”
As recently as late December, 71 Chinese warplanes were detected flying around Taiwan, performing military exercises, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry.
According to the People&#8217;s Liberation Army, China was conducting a “strike drill” in response to “provocations” and “collusion” between Taiwan and the United States.
“71 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected in our surrounding region by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today,” the Taiwan Defense Ministry tweeted. “R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities.”

America / Pentagon-US Department of Defense.River Entrance.Sign.

U.S. Weapons Cache ‘Not Prepared’ For Protracted War With China, Study Says

Communist China

Military Weapons

U.S. Military

World

Taiwan will extend its mandatory military service requirement from four months to one year beginning in 2024, President Tsai Ing-wen announced Tuesday. 
The extension comes amid increased provocations and threats from China in the past year. On Sunday, China <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-send-71-warplanes-around-taiwan-in-strike-drill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sent</a> 71 warplanes around Taiwan in what the People&#8217;s Liberation Army called a “strike drill,&#8221; in response to &#8220;provocations&#8221; and &#8220;collusion&#8221; between Taiwan and the United States. 
“China’s expansion [of military aggression] continues to impact the international order, threatens regional peace and stability, and affects cross-strait relations,” Tsai <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/27/taiwan-military-mandatory-service-china/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “The existing system does not meet combat readiness requirements.”
The extension is a major <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64100577" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shift</a> in Taiwanese policy since the 1990s, which saw the requirement shrink from three years to one year to 10 months. The requirement <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/27/taiwan-extends-compulsory-military-service-amid-mounting-tensions-with-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decreased</a> to four months in 2013, with the first five weeks in basic training. 
&#8220;This is an extremely difficult decision, but as president, as the head of military forces, it is my unavoidable duty to defend national interests and our democratic way of life,&#8221; Tsai continued. “Nobody wants war. The Taiwanese government and its people do not want it, nor does the international community want it. But peace does not fall from the sky,” she said.
More advanced military readiness training will also be implemented, according to Tsai. This advanced training will be partially modeled off of elements of the U.S. military and other advanced militaries, the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64100577" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBC</a> noted. Tsai said that current Taiwanese defenses are not equipped to defend against increased aggression from China. 
Taiwan has been continuously provoked by China, especially since the election of Tsai, whose Democratic Progressive Party favors remaining independent from the communist country. Following Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-concerned-about-chinas-reaction-to-pelosi-taiwan-trip" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trip to Taiwan</a> in August, China employed numerous provocative measures, including sending Chinese planes and ships in and near the Taiwan strait, with 21 of them entering Taiwan’s air defense zone.
In a <a href="https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-at-a-conversation-on-the-evolution-and-importance-of-technology-diplomacy-and-national-security-with-66th-secretary-of-state-condoleezza-rice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">conversation</a> with former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and former Secretary of Defense James Mattis in October, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “there has been a change in approach from Beijing toward Taiwan in recent years.” He continued, saying China is “pursu[ing] unification on a much faster timeline.” 
The extension of service comes after two years of discussions and the urging of American military analysts, but Tsai denied American pressure led to the change, according to The <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/taiwan-to-extend-mandatory-military-service-11672129529" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wall Street Journal</a>. While Taiwan has been moving towards an all-volunteer force, difficulty recruiting meant that conscription was still necessary, the outlet noted. 
At the Chinese Communist Party Congress in October, President Xi <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-could-invade-taiwan-within-the-next-year-u-s-navy-chief-warns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> for “reunification” with Taiwan and even claimed the communist nation is willing to use force to achieve it, saying they “reserve the option of taking all measures necessary,” The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-could-invade-taiwan-within-the-next-year-u-s-navy-chief-warns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.  
“The wheels of history are rolling on towards China’s reunification and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” Xi said in his opening address at the party congress. “Complete reunification of our country must be realized.”

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen Announces Military Service Extension Amid China Tensions

Taiwan Extends Compulsory Military Service Amid Rising China Threat

Global Politics

Seventy-one Chinese warplanes were detected flying around Taiwan on Sunday, performing military exercises, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry.
According to the People&#8217;s Liberation Army, China was conducting a “strike drill” in response to “provocations” and “collusion” between Taiwan and the United States.
“71 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected in our surrounding region by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today,” the Taiwan Defense Ministry tweeted. “R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
71 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected in our surrounding region by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities. <a href="https://t.co/DagRhnN69F">pic.twitter.com/DagRhnN69F</a>
&mdash; 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) <a href="https://twitter.com/MoNDefense/status/1607180600355721217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The 71 warplanes included 60 fighter jets, of which six advanced SU-30 warplanes participated, AFP <a href="https://www.barrons.com/news/china-deployed-71-warplanes-in-weekend-war-drills-taiwan-defence-ministry-01672023608#:~:text=to%20AFP.com.-,China%20Deployed%2071%20Warplanes%20In%20Weekend%20War%20Drills%3A%20Taiwan%20Defence,Monday%2C%20including%2060%20fighter%20jets.">reported</a>.
The Taiwan Defense Ministry also noted that 47 of the detected aircraft had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which separates Taiwan from continental Asia, including China. Those aircraft reportedly entered Taiwan’s southwest air defense identification zone, (ADIZ), Taiwan’s airspace plus the additional area in which foreign aircraft are expected to identify themselves. Taiwan’s ADIZ overlaps China’s and includes part of mainland China.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
47 of the detected aircraft (J-11*12, SU-30*6, CH-4 UCAV RECCE*1, J-10*6, J-16*18, Y-8 EW*1, Y-8 ASW*1, KJ-500*1, WZ-7 UAV RECCE*1) had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ, flight paths as illustrated.
&mdash; 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) <a href="https://twitter.com/MoNDefense/status/1607180602754883589?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The importance of Taiwan cannot be overestimated. Taiwan makes 65% of the world&#8217;s semiconductors and roughly 90% of the advanced chips.
In early November, Chinese Communist President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/xi-jinping">Xi Jinping</a> declared his country would focus on preparing for war, Express <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1693723/preparing-war-china-xi-jinping">reported</a>. The communist leader pointed to security concerns, claiming that it was &#8220;increasingly unstable and uncertain.”
“For years, Xi has been ratcheting up his rhetoric around the use of military force to reunify Taiwan with mainland China, and in response, the West has done very little,” Dr. Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society told <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11403145/China-focus-preparing-WAR-Xi-Jinping-declares.html">the Daily Mail</a>. “Liberal Democracies must now take him at his word, and work collectively, using all means necessary to deter Xi from invading Taiwan.&#8221;
“As a priority, Western nations must begin the process of removing all Chinese influence from critical industries such as energy, water and nuclear power,” Mendoza continued. “Next, we must immediately start the process of decoupling China from many of our most relied upon supply chain networks and develop new ones with likeminded partner nations.”
In October, the Chinese Communist Party interpolated an extra line into its constitution that stated it was “resolutely opposing and deterring” Taiwan&#8217;s independence.
In mid-October, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday <a href="https://breakingdefense.com/2022/10/navy-leader-cant-rule-out-chinese-invasion-of-taiwan-even-earlier-than-2027/">warned</a> of a Chinese takeover of Taiwan, saying, “It’s not just what President Xi says, it’s how the Chinese behave and what they do. And what we’ve seen over the past 20 years is that they have delivered on every promise they’ve made earlier than they said they were going to deliver on it. So when we talk about the 2027 window, in my mind, that has to be a 2022 window or potentially a 2023 window. I can’t rule that out. I don’t mean at all to be alarmist by saying that. It’s just that we can’t wish that away.”

CHINA-PLA-THE EASTERN THEATER COMMAND-JOINT EXERCISES (CN)

China Send 71 Warplanes Around Taiwan In ‘Strike Drill’

China Send 71 Warplanes Around Taiwan In 'Strike Drill'

airplanes

<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/taiwan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Taiwanese</a> semiconductor company TSMC will more than triple a previously planned $12 billion investment toward new facilities in <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a> as the global computer chip <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/supply-chain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supply chain</a> remains the focus of worldwide concern.
The $40 billion commitment represents one of the largest foreign direct investments in American history, as well as the largest in the history of the Grand Canyon State. One fabrication plant configured to produce N4 processors will open in 2024, while a second plant will begin manufacturing 3-nanometer processors in 2026.
“When complete, TSMC Arizona aims to be the greenest semiconductor manufacturing facility in the United States producing the most advanced semiconductor process technology in the country, enabling next generation high-performance and low-power computing products for years to come,” TSMC Chairman Mark Liu said in a <a href="https://pr.tsmc.com/english/news/2977" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. “We are thankful for the continual collaboration that has brought us here and are pleased to work with our partners in the United States to serve as a base for semiconductor innovation.”
The facilities will create 10,000 technology jobs and will manufacture over 600,000 wafers per year, constituting more than $40 billion in annual end-product value. More than 10,000 workers were hired to build the facilities so far.
<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://get.dailywire.com/readers-pass/read-only-v2?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_medium=editorial&amp;utm_source=dwsite&amp;cid=dwplus&amp;mid=z&amp;xid=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/readers-pass/read-only-v2?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_medium=editorial&amp;utm_source=dwsite&amp;cid=dwplus&amp;mid=z&amp;xid=0" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">TIRED OF THE LEGACY MEDIA’S BIAS CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE AND OBSCURING THE TRUTH? JOIN US.</a>
Multiple manufacturing economies in Asia enforced harsh lockdown measures two years ago, creating bottlenecks in the global semiconductor supply chain that persist to the present day. The CHIPS and Science Act, signed by President Joe Biden earlier this year, provides $39 billion in <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/09/fact-sheet-chips-and-science-act-will-lower-costs-create-jobs-strengthen-supply-chains-and-counter-china/#:~:text=%20FACT%20SHEET%3A%20CHIPS%20and%20Science%20Act%20Will,for%20capital%20expenses%20for%20manufacturing%20of...%20More%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">manufacturing incentives</a> for semiconductors, as well as $13.2 billion for research and development and a 25% investment tax credit for computer chip production.
“It means more workers in these major factories, but it also means more opportunities for suppliers and contractors, good paying construction jobs, opportunities for small and medium-sized manufacturers and suppliers,” National Economic Council Director Brian Deese <a href="https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/12/06/business/tsmc-arizona-investment/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> reporters on Monday. “It means economic opportunity for communities that have often been left behind in economic cycles, including traditional energy communities that have powered our nation for generations and tribal nations.”
After Congress greenlit the CHIPS and Science Act, Micron announced a $40 billion memory chip project, while Qualcomm and GlobalFoundries announced a $4.2 billion fabrication partnership. Several companies, including TSMC, issued “public warnings” early in the summer vowing to “scale back their plans to make semiconductors” in the United States since the new incentives had not yet been approved, according to a <a href="https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2022/06/icymi-three-companies-warn-about-delayed-chip-funding-globalwafers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the Department of Commerce. Member states of the European Union have also advanced legislation to encourage domestic semiconductor production.
China, South Korea, and Japan maintain nearly 80% of global semiconductor manufacturing capacity, according to <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2022/04/12/ensuring-a-stronger-us-taiwan-tech-supply-chain-partnership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Brookings Institution, with Taiwanese companies like TSMC producing over 90% of cutting-edge chips smaller than 10 nanometers, the class of chips used in cell phones and computers.
TSMC has garnered particular attention as China postures an invasion of Taiwan, constituting one of the motivations for Western countries to advance semiconductor incentives. During a recent twice-per-decade meeting of top Chinese Communist Party legislative officials, Chinese President Xi Jinping opened with a discussion of his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chinas-xi-issues-dark-warning-on-taiwan-as-he-consolidates-power-over-ccp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">geopolitical ambitions</a>, including the defeat of democratic aspirations in Hong Kong and the imminent conquest of the island nation.

TSMC Headquarters and Museum Ahead of Earnings Results

Chipmaker Triples Investment In New Arizona Plant To $40 Billion

TSMC Pours $40 Billion Into Arizona

Arizona

Supply Chain

Technology

On Tuesday, Chinese Communist President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/xi-jinping">Xi Jinping</a> declared his country will focus on preparing for war.
“China is preparing for war, its President Xi Jinping is reported as saying,” Express <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1693723/preparing-war-china-xi-jinping" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported.</a> “The communist leader cited security concerns, saying that it was ‘increasingly unstable and uncertain.’”
“For years, Xi has been ratcheting up his rhetoric around the use of miliary force to reunify Taiwan with mainland China, and in response the West has done very little,” Dr Alan Mendoza, Executive Director of the Henry Jackson Society told <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11403145/China-focus-preparing-WAR-Xi-Jinping-declares.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Mail</a>. “Liberal Democracies must now take him at his word, and work collectively, using all means necessary to deter Xi from invading Taiwan.&#8217;
“As a priority, Western nations must begin the process of removing all Chinese influence from critical industries such as energy, water and nuclear power,” Mendoza continued. “Next, we must immediately start the process of decoupling China from many of our most relied upon supply chain networks and develop new ones with likeminded partner nations.”
In October, the Chinese Communist Party interpolated an extra line into its constitution that stated it was ‘resolutely opposing and deterring&#8217; Taiwan&#8217;s independence.
In mid-October, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday <a href="https://breakingdefense.com/2022/10/navy-leader-cant-rule-out-chinese-invasion-of-taiwan-even-earlier-than-2027/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> of a Chinese takeover of Taiwan, saying, “It’s not just what President Xi says, it’s how the Chinese behave and what they do. And what we’ve seen over the past 20 years is that they have delivered on every promise they’ve made earlier than they said they were going to deliver on it. So when we talk about the 2027 window, in my mind, that has to be a 2022 window or potentially a 2023 window. I can’t rule that out. I don’t mean at all to be alarmist by saying that. It’s just that we can’t wish that away.”
The 2027 window referred to the timetable by which China would invade Taiwan, propounded by Adm. Phil Davidson, head of US Indo-Pacific Command, in 2021.
At roughly the same time as Gilday’s remarks, Secretary of State Antony Blinken <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/blinken-china-timeline-taiwan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">echoed</a>, “There has been a change in the approach from Beijing toward Taiwan in recent years. Instead of sticking with the status quo that was established in a positive way, a fundamental decision that the status quo was no longer acceptable and that Beijing was determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline.”

Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee Meet the Press

China Preparing For War, Xi Jinping Says

Conflicts

A U.S. Navy Admiral is warning that China could invade Taiwan much sooner than previously thought, claiming the Chinese almost always deliver on their promises sooner than expected. 
Admiral Mike Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations, <a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/how-will-the-us-navy-navigate-an-uncertain-security-environment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> the alert while speaking at the Atlantic Council’s Forward Defense’s Commander’s Series on Wednesday. The comments come in the wake of the historic Chinese Communist Party’s 20th Party Congress, where Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chinas-xi-issues-dark-warning-on-taiwan-as-he-consolidates-power-over-ccp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dark warning</a> for the small island and secured another term in full control of China. 
“When we talk about the 2027 window, in my mind that has to be a 2022 window or potentially a 2023 window,” Gilday said. “I can’t rule that out. I don’t mean at all to be alarmist by saying that, it’s just that we can’t wish that away.” 
At the Party Congress a week ago, President Xi talked tough on Taiwan, calling for “reunification” and even claiming the communist nation is willing to use force to achieve it, saying  they “reserve the option of taking all measures necessary.” 
“The wheels of history are rolling on towards China’s reunification and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” Xi said in his opening address at the party congress. “Complete reunification of our country must be realized.”
Admiral Gilday said he is prioritizing “making sure the ships we are fielding today are as ready as they can be” and added that Congress is currently considering a $27.5 billion shipbuilding budget. 
“It’s how the Chinese behave and what they do,” Gilday said when asked about the Communist party congress, adding, “What we’ve seen over the past 20 years is that they have delivered on every promise they have made earlier than they said they were going to deliver on it.”
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, has been independently governed of China since 1949. China holds a “One China” policy, asserting that Taiwan is a part of China. A 2021 survey by National Chengchi University in Taiwan found that a majority of Taiwanese people, 62%, believed that they were “exclusively Taiwanese,&#8221; <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/china-taiwan-relations-tension-us-policy-biden#chapter-title-0-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Council on Foreign Relations</a>. On the other hand, 32% considered themselves both Taiwanese and Chinese. 
Taiwan has been continuously provoked by China, especially since the election of Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, whose Democratic Progressive Party favors independence from China. Following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-concerned-about-chinas-reaction-to-pelosi-taiwan-trip" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trip to Taiwan</a> in August, China employed numerous provocative measures, including sending Chinese planes and ships in and near the Taiwan strait, with 21 of them entering Taiwan’s air defense zone.
According to the <a href="https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-taiwan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of State</a>, the position the United States holds on Taiwan opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side,” adding that the U.S. does not support independence for Taiwan, expecting “differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” 
In a <a href="https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-at-a-conversation-on-the-evolution-and-importance-of-technology-diplomacy-and-national-security-with-66th-secretary-of-state-condoleezza-rice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">conversation</a> with former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and former Secretary of Defense James Mattis early last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “there has been a change in approach from Beijing toward Taiwan in recent years.” He continued, saying China is “pursu[ing] unification on a much faster timeline.” 
President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-declares-u-s-troops-will-engage-in-war-with-china-if-taiwan-attacked-white-house-walks-back-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last month during a “60 Minutes” interview that if “there was an unprecedented attack,” U.S. forces would defend Taiwan, a comment later walked back by the White House.

Taiwan Conducts Live Fire Military Exercises

China Could Invade Taiwan Within The Next Year, Top U.S. Navy Officer Warns

Notable figures from around the world expressed shock after images emerged late on Friday night of Chinese communist dictator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/xi-jinping" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Xi Jinping</a> having his predecessor, former President Hu Jintao, taken out of the Chinese Party Congress.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/22/world/asia/china-xi-jinping-congress.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that the party congress is a highly choreographed event, which caused even more concern for the unexpected removal of Hu, who tried to talk to Xi as he was being forcibly removed.
Some reports and commentators tried to suggest that Hu might have been feeling unwell, but video showed him repeatedly appearing to resist being removed from the room as he looked confused and even angry at being unexpectedly hauled away.
The ouster of Hu from Beijing’s Great Hall of the People came before Xi was to give a major speech to some 2,300 key CCP officials. Xi, who in 2018 ended the two-term limit for presidents, is expected to be officially confirmed for a third term as CCP general secretary. He serves as both general secretary of the Communist Party, president and head of the armed forces, and is often referred to as “Paramount,” or “Supreme Leader.”
While video of the incident went viral on Twitter, it was absent from China’s heavily censored social media platforms.
The 69-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/xi-jinping-putin-meet-at-olympic-games-release-joint-statement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-reader-unique-id="24">Xi</a> spoke Sunday at the opening session of the once-every-five-years congress and signaled a pending move on Taiwan, did a victory lap over Beijing’s defeat of Hong Kong’s democracy aspirations, and vowed to defeat <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/no-fing-evidence-russell-brand-blasts-biden-pfizer-after-exec-admits-covid-vaccine-was-never-tested-to-stop-transmission/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-reader-unique-id="25">COVID</a>.
Xi struck a stridently nationalistic tone at the opening of the 20th Party Congress, which appears set to affirm him as its leader for life. He seemed to embrace that his muscular government is on a collision course with the West and intends to take over Taiwan.
The following are some of the most notable responses online to the viral incident:
<ul>
<li data-reader-unique-id="26">Melissa Chan, reporter at VICE: &#8220;Worst case scenario is Xi just pulled a macabre power move intentionally done in front of the country and the world and we all just witnessed a political purge served ice cold.&#8221;</li>
<li data-reader-unique-id="26">Monica Crowley, former Treasury official: &#8220;The ruthless brutality of the communist purge. Absorb this.&#8221;</li>
<li data-reader-unique-id="26">Emily Maitlis, author and journalist: &#8220;Hard to overstate just what a chilling moment this was at the end of a highly choreographed Congress. Xi &#8211; Chinese leader who has changed rules to allow for indefinite terms in office &#8211; has his predecessor Hu taken away.&#8221;</li>
<li data-reader-unique-id="26">Darren Grimes, GBNews: &#8220;The way in which the frightened, ashen faces refuse to look at their former leader. An awful sight of communism in action.&#8221;</li>
<li data-reader-unique-id="26">John Bryant, CEO of Operation Hope: &#8220;Everyone in Chinese leadership must walk around completely paranoid and stressed out, every day of their lives — that this, could happen to them. No words.&#8221;</li>
<li data-reader-unique-id="26">James Stavridis, Vice Chairman of the Carlyle Group, PhD, Admiral, US Navy (Retired), former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO: &#8220;Watch this chilling and Orwellian scene. Hu gets heave ho. Xi you later Hu.&#8221;</li>
<li data-reader-unique-id="26">Luis Garicano, economics professor: &#8220;This is your reward, Mr Hu, for playing by the rules and leaving after two terms&#8230; A naked display of power by Xi in front of the world.&#8221;</li>
<li data-reader-unique-id="26">Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN): &#8220;It is clear that Xi controls the Party Congress and wanted to show his muscles to the world by humiliating Hu Jintao in front of the foreign press.&#8221;</li>
</ul>
Greg Wilson contributed to this report.

Closing Ceremony Of The 20th National Congress Of The Communist Party Of China

The World Reacts To Chinese Dictator Xi Jinping Purging Former Leader On Camera: ‘Chilling And Orwellian’

The World Reacts To Chinese Dictator Xi Jinping Purging Former Leader On Camera: 'Chilling And Orwellian'

Chinese Communist Party

Communism

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/xi-jinping-putin-meet-at-olympic-games-release-joint-statement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chinese leader Xi Jinping</a>, poised to seize a third term in full control of his nation, signaled a pending move on Taiwan, did a victory lap over Bejing’s defeat of Hong Kong’s democracy aspirations and vowed to defeat <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/no-fing-evidence-russell-brand-blasts-biden-pfizer-after-exec-admits-covid-vaccine-was-never-tested-to-stop-transmission/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID</a> in a Sunday speech.
The 69-year-old Xi, who became the head of the Chinese Communist Party 10 years ago, struck a stridently nationalistic tone at the opening of the 20th Party Congress, which appears set to affirm him as its leader for life. He seemed to embrace that his muscular government is on a collision course with the West and intends to take over Taiwan.
“The wheels of history are rolling on towards China’s reunification and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/key-takeaways-xi-jinping-two-042142521.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Xi said in the two-hour speech</a>. “Complete reunification of our country must be realized.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
BREAKING: Xi Jinping opens CCP summit by announcing full control of Hong Kong has been achieved, that Taiwan is next <a href="https://t.co/Y5PGVXg9Sj">pic.twitter.com/Y5PGVXg9Sj</a>
&mdash; 6&#39;2 Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) <a href="https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1581494843557089281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Xi referred to “rapid changes in the international situation,” which experts inferred meant China’s increasing alienation from the West and burgeoning alliance with Russia.
Xi claimed victory over both Hong Kong’s stalled independence movement and COVID, crediting his government with having “protected people’s lives and health.” Mentioning Taiwan as the third of three major challenges met by his regime was deemed a signal that Beijing may be closer than ever to make a move on Taiwan, a self-governing democracy Beijing claims as its own.
The speech was delivered inside Beijing’s Great Hall of the People to 2,300 of the CCP’s most powerful members. They cheered wildly when the president mentioned “reunification” with Taiwan. Although he pledged to try to achieve the goal peacefully, he issued a dark warning.
“We will never promise to renounce the use of force and we reserve the option of taking all measures necessary,” Xi said.
Speculation that China could invade Taiwan has been building over the last year, with some international diplomacy experts surmising that Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have a deal to back each other. China has not criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A takeover of Taiwan, the world’s top manufacturer of computer chips, would leave the West at the mercy of China technologically. The U.S. has traditionally held a state policy of ambiguity over what it would do if China were to invade Taiwan, although President Joe Biden has said the U.S. would intervene.
Xi said that over the next five years, China would focus on education, economic growth, and the continued buildup of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) into a “world-class military.”
The weeklong congress is the CCP’s most important gathering in decades as it prepares to make Xi the nation’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, who ruled from 1943 until his death in 1976 at age 82. Most of the meetings throughout the week will take place out of the public eye, but Xi, who has a firm grip on the party, is expected to emerge with more power and potentially a new title.

Opening Ceremony Of The 20th National Congress Of The Communist Party Of China

China’s Xi Issues Dark Warning On Taiwan As He Prepares To Consolidate Power Over CCP

China's Xi Issues Dark Warning On Taiwan As He Prepares To Consolidate Power Over CCP

Strive Asset Management Executive Chairman <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/vivek-ramaswamy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vivek Ramaswamy</a> argued on Wednesday that the same American companies which left <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/russia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russia</a> after the invasion of <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/ukraine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ukraine</a> are too financially dependent on <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China</a> to do the same if the nation attacks <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/taiwan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Taiwan</a>.
More than 1,000 companies in the Western world have decreased operations within Russia beyond the extent required by international sanctions, according to an <a href="https://som.yale.edu/story/2022/over-1000-companies-have-curtailed-operations-russia-some-remain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a> from the Yale School of Management. During an interview with Fox Business, Ramaswamy predicted that economic conditions will bar companies from leaving China in the way that did not apply to firms leaving Russia.
“It’s easy for multinational corporations to shun Russia. Multinational corporations are not going to shun China in the same way,” Ramaswamy commented. “Many of them depend on China for their growth. So I think the same multinational corporations that condemned Russia for taking action against Ukraine will not say a peep — I think you can mark my words on this — will not say a peep as China makes its move on Taiwan.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">https://twitter.com/VivekGRamaswamy/status/1580272234278817793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw</blockquote>
China has heightened aggression toward Taiwan in recent months. As the United States pursued trade talks with the island nation, the Chinese military <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-lashes-out-as-u-s-and-taiwan-forge-trade-agreement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sent</a> a “readiness patrol” near Taiwanese sea and airspace. As Russia began the invasion of Ukraine, China likewise sent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/taiwan-scrambles-air-force-after-chinese-aircraft-spotted-nearby" target="_blank" rel="noopener">squadrons of jets</a> into Taiwanese airspace following a similar incursion one month earlier.
Ramaswamy joined former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week in writing an <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/investing-silicon-semiconductors-chips-taiwan-invasion-tsmc-china-intel-blackrock-asset-manager-11665408814" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opinion piece</a> for The Wall Street Journal noting American companies’ failure to level with investors on their exposure to Chinese risk. While responding to the article on social media, asset management company BlackRock claimed that their analysts have indeed considered implications from Chinese &#8220;reunification&#8221; with Taiwan — prompting Ramaswamy to observe that the word choice <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/blackrock-refers-to-potential-chinese-military-invasion-of-taiwan-as-reunification" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reveals</a> how the asset management company is “beholden” to the Chinese Communist Party even when “they’re trying to argue that they’re not.”
American goods and services trade with China surpassed $615 billion as of 2020, according to <a href="https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/china-mongolia-taiwan/peoples-republic-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Office of the United States Trade Representative, while foreign direct investment in China was nearly $124 billion.
At the end of last year, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon apologized after making a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jpmorgan-ceo-apologizes-after-mild-joke-about-chinese-communist-party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mild joke</a> about the Chinese Communist Party marking its centennial. Chinese authorities had granted JPMorgan Chase permission months earlier to assume full control of a securities business.
“I’d make a bet that we last longer. I can’t say that in China. They are probably listening anyway,” Dimon, one of the most influential executives on Wall Street, jested before stating that “it’s never right to joke about or denigrate any group of people, whether it’s a country, its leadership, or any part of a society and culture” shortly thereafter.
In a recent episode of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/new-world-disorder-with-vivek-ramaswamy-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Search</a>,” Ramaswamy explained to Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro that Chinese President Xi Jinping is unlikely to start an invasion of Taiwan until his power is solidified following the start of his unprecedented third term. Ramaswamy predicted that the ideal “window for the likely invasion of Taiwan” among Chinese leadership ranges between October 2022 and January 2025, when the next American president could ascend to power.

Key Speakers At Conservative Political Action Conference

Entrepreneur: Same Companies That Pulled Out Of Russia ‘Will Not Say A Peep’ When China Invades Taiwan

Vivek Ramaswamy Says Companies That Ditched Russia Will Be Silent As China Takes Taiwan

Russia

Ukraine

Vivek Ramaswamy

<a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/blackrock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BlackRock</a> referred to a potential military invasion of <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/taiwan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Taiwan</a> as “reunification,” a phrase that aligns with the official policy of the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chinese</a> government.
Former Secretary of State <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mike-pompeo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Pompeo</a> and Strive Asset Management Executive Chairman <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/vivek-ramaswamy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vivek Ramaswamy</a> argued in a Monday <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/investing-silicon-semiconductors-chips-taiwan-invasion-tsmc-china-intel-blackrock-asset-manager-11665408814" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opinion piece</a> for The Wall Street Journal that BlackRock “raves about the importance of Chinese investments with little mention of Taiwan” and associated risk factors. While responding to the article on social media, BlackRock claimed that the firm has “highlighted for the past year the investment risk should China take steps to accelerate reunification with Taiwan.”
Ramaswamy argued that BlackRock’s choice of words reveals how the asset management company is “beholden” to the Chinese Communist Party even when “they’re trying to argue that they’re not.”
“They refer to China’s potential military invasion of Taiwan, a sovereign democratic nation, as ‘reunification.’ ‘Reunification’ is a phrase you use to describe a lost child who has been returned to his parents in a shopping mall, not a military invasion of a sovereign nation,” the entrepreneur said. “BlackRock can&#8217;t even utter the word ‘invasion’ in the very tweets where it’s claiming it is not beholden to China.”
The Daily Wire contacted BlackRock to determine the company’s official policy toward the independence of Taiwan but received no response.
As Ramaswamy and Pompeo observed in the article, BlackRock became the first foreign company to secure preliminary approval to offer mutual funds in China two years ago. During the summer of 2021, BlackRock told investors to triple their Chinese investments after a selloff in the country’s stock market.
In recent months, however, China has assumed an increasingly aggressive posture toward Taiwan. The Chinese military <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/china-lashes-out-as-u-s-and-taiwan-forge-trade-agreement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that it sent a “readiness patrol” around Taiwanese sea and airspace this summer in response to trade talks with the U.S. In February of this year, as Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, China sent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/taiwan-scrambles-air-force-after-chinese-aircraft-spotted-nearby" target="_blank" rel="noopener">squadrons of jets</a> into Taiwan’s airspace following a similar incursion one month earlier.
An invasion of Taiwan would prove especially dangerous to American companies’ ability to access semiconductors. In particular, manufacturer TSMC produces 90% of the world’s most advanced computer chips, meaning that an attack upon the island nation could cause a global economic crisis. The article therefore encourages American firms to invest in domestic semiconductor production and said that asset managers like BlackRock are failing to address known risk factors that could harm their clients.
The economies of China and the United States are deeply intertwined. American goods and services trade with China surpassed $615 billion as of 2020, according to <a href="https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/china-mongolia-taiwan/peoples-republic-china">data</a> from the Office of the United States Trade Representative, while foreign direct investment in China was nearly $124 billion.
Beyond the present geopolitical risks associated with an invasion of Taiwan, multiple key Asian manufacturing economies enforced harsh lockdowns two years ago, creating bottlenecks in the global semiconductor supply chain that persist to the present day. President Joe Biden recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-signs-52-billion-semiconductor-bill-in-latest-push-to-fight-inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> the CHIPS and Science Act, which includes $39 billion in computer chip manufacturing incentives, $13.2 billion for research and development, and a 25% investment tax credit for semiconductor production.
“One-third of the core inflation last year was due to the higher price… for automobiles and a shortage of semiconductors,” Biden said two months ago. “Folks, we need to make these chips here in America to bring down everyday costs and create jobs.”

General Images Of BlackRock Inc.

BlackRock Refers To Potential Chinese Military Invasion Of Taiwan As ‘Reunification’

BlackRock Garners Controversy Over Reference To Potential Chinese Invasion Of Taiwan

BlackRock

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