Saturday, February 15, 2020

U.S. Defense Secretary Esper: World Must 'Wake Up To The Challenges Presented By China'



Daily Mail: Trump's Defense Secretary Mark Esper says the world needs to 'wake up' to China's growing global threat and slams their 'predatory' treatment of rivals

* Esper, who is a frequent critic of China, made the comments at an international security event in Munich
* He said China tops Pentagon's list of potential adversaries, followed by Russia
* In his address, Esper slammed the communist country's 'internal repression, predatory economic practices, and heavy-handedness'
* He did however stress that the U.S does not want conflict with China, and noted the government had sent medical supplies to help combat the coronavirus
* Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi publicly dismissed Esper's comments as 'lies'
* Esper's comments were made in the same week the U.S Department of Justice filed 16 new criminal charges against Huawei for 'plotting to steal trade secrets'

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Saturday cast China as a rising threat to world order - saying the world's most populous nation steals Western know-how, intimidates smaller neighbors and seeks an 'advantage by any means and at any cost.'

A frequent critic of China, Esper used an address to an international security conference in Munich, Germany, to give his most comprehensive condemnation yet of a communist country that he said tops the Pentagon's list of potential adversaries, followed by Russia, 'rogue states' like North Korea and Iran, and continuing threats from extremist groups.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The Chinese foreign minister has responded .... U.S. criticism of China is 'lies', foreign minister says (Reuters).

More News On U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper's Remarks On China

US defense chief slams China as rising threat to world order -- AP
US defence secretary warns Huawei 5G will put alliances at risk -- The Guardian
World must 'wake up to the challenges presented by China,' says Defense Secretary -- CNN

11 comments:

Bob Huntley said...

,,,

Anonymous said...

"..... intimidates smaller neighbors and seeks an 'advantage by any means and at any cost." Yes, Mark, that describes American behavior. For once, you told the truth. Good for you!

Anonymous said...

or a highly placed person under the control of Putin and thus shifting blame to one country while ignoring the threat from the other one

Bob Huntley said...

Anon 4:45

America has been reduced to the status of a Kakistocracy.

RussInSoCal said...

Lol - kakistocracy? Nope. However one could easily apply the term to the Obama admin. 8 long years of economic stagnation, geopolitical incompetence and utter domestic division and corruption from the top down. Obama, Biden, Clinton, Holder , Comey and their ilk produced neither peace nor prosperity for the US. They of course enriched themselves and their cronies, though. Arrogance and incompetence are a bad combination.

Now China on the other hand would be a great example of a kakastocraxy.

Bob Huntley said...

Russ

You are in denial.

Anonymous said...

The geopolitical competence was quite strong from Jan. 20001 to 2008, indeed, Russ.

Indeed.

The second great depression was also really cool and competent, too.

Thanks, GOP! I'm a billionaire who loves upper-class tax cuts that pay for themselves!

RussInSoCal said...

LMAO - another simple minded comedian.

Anon, It was a recession not a depression. Google the terms and learn. But it was the longest lasting recession of our history. The Obama kakistocracy was unable to lift the nation out of it. 8 years under Obama and 13 million more people on food stamps, 8 million more into poverty. Racial division, economic division, excuses and fecklessness. As much as admitted core American industries were gone for good. Obama hadn't the first idea of basic economics and wouldn't listen to anyone who did. I have to thnk him in this regard. Without the incompetence of Obama and the stagnate state of affairs he led, Donald Trump likely would not have been elected.

8 years of squandering every bit of geopolitical capital. Flouncing from one massive foreign policy disaster to the next whiut an care in the world. Obama was given a recovering Iraq with the war won after the Bush Surge - he was promptly outmaneuvered by the Iraqi leaders and withdrew all US forces in a snit. Only to have them return and refight the whole war again to recover the progress made previously.

Syrian Red Lines, Libyan Regime Decapitation, Russian collusion, Fast and Furious, IRS meddling, Chines trade failure - "Indeed".

I have to thank him in this regard. Without the incompetence of Obama and the stagnate state of affairs he crated, Donald Trump likely would not have been elected.

You can also thank Obama for the mess the Democrat party is in. Obama created the Alt-Left progressive monster that is now alive and "woke" and is about to nominate an anti-American Socialist as the Democrat Presidential Nominee.

I can see why you're so angry.

Bob Huntley said...


Russ, I do believe that you will deny that Trump is evil personified even as he is throwing you under the bus.

The difference between the two Presidents is that while Obama was a hack in it for himself only, Trump is a conman in it for himself only. In both cases the "people" be damned.

RussInSoCal said...

Bob, I don't believe you've posted one positive comment on this board ever. Nothing pro West. Nothing pro-Canadian or pro-American. Never an acknowledgement of a life lost to combat for a congratulations of a job well done.

Just a non-stop curmudgeon. (who happens to reside in an angry alternate universe far, far away)

Bob Huntley said...

Russ

I don't rejoice in the supposed glamour of war at all. And certainly not wars of imperialistic aggression where families lose their children in distant lands, fighting for what is almost always a criminal action.

I detest seeing posts on sites like this dumping on people who are in their own lands, defending against an invader which often is the US military, supposedly there defending the US homeland.

That Americans' children come home dead, or, mangled physically, or, mentally is part of the cost of such wars and no matter how bravely one may have served his/her nation in the execution of an illegal war I feel their bravery might have been better demonstrated by refusing to go for trumped up imperialistic reasons in the first place.

Perhaps America would be a better country if it was at least honest enough to admit that.

As far as I am concerned "a life lost" in the execution of an illegal war is to be pitied, not congratulated no matter how bravely that person died. I tend to think more of the innocents that person may have killed in their own land.

In an article where a Japanese reporter/photographer was interviewed concerning his experiences during that war, he said that he was required to report that Japanese soldiers, in the aftermath and as they lay dying on the battle field, died praising the Emperor. He said the young Japanese soldiers actually died the same as the American boys died. Crying out for their mothers. do you think those Japanese soldiers, if their bodies were brought back home, deserved congratulations?

So yes I probably do reside in a universe somewhat alternate to yours in that I am to harangue those that oppose illicit and inhumane behavior.