Henry Kissinger: Armed Conflict with China is Possible
Speaking Thursday at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Beijing, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said the current trade war between the US and China could explode into an armed conflict larger than World War I.
“A discussion of our mutual purposes and an attempt to limit the impact of conflict seems to me essential,” says Kissinger, who engaged in trade talks with Communist China in 1971. “If conflict is permitted to run unconstrained, the outcome could be even worse than it was in Europe. WWI broke out because of a relatively minor crisis…and today the weapons are more powerful.”
The US and China have entered the “foothills of a Cold War,” but it is not too late to find a solution. To prevent war, explains Kissinger, will require a serious commitment from both sides to understand and overcome the political causes behind the conflict.
“Everybody knows that trade negotiations, which I hope will succeed and whose success I support, can only be a small beginning to a political discussion that I hope will take place.”
Factors exacerbating US-China tensions include:
- US sanctions on Chinese tech companies
- Accusations of IP theft and spying
- China’s persecution of Muslims
- US endorsement of the pro-Democracy movement in Hong Kong
- Competition in the South China Sea
The trade war with China began in June 2018 when President Trump declared a 25% tariff on $50 billion of Chinese goods. Since then, both sides have imposed escalating tariffs that have squeezed the farming and manufacturing sectors.
President Trump had planned on signing a preliminary trade deal with China during a summit in Chile in November, but the event was canceled due to protests. A new set of tariffs affecting $160 billion of Chinese goods is set to go into effect December 15th.
Author’s Note: Kissinger is right that compromise is necessary to prevent conflict, but given China’s plans for world domination and abuse of our trade relationship, I wonder if such compromise is possible.
The Chinese can start more fires than we can put out. They are weaning themselves off of the US consumer market and going to Belt-and-Road themselves into trade with Western Asia and Africa so they flip us the bird in 10 years and rule over all those that are too weak to do anything about it.
The US will not be able to “win” against China in any area unless we mobilize a massive wave of unity at this point. The Chinese play to win, and if they have to break a few bones in the process, it is an expense they are willing to bear.
Their “tech” class of persons are revered in Chinese society while we revere business CEOs, lawyers, and loud-mouth political types, that thrive on competition and arguments.
The tech people can develop a plan where they agree on a result, go back to their labs and figure out their part of the solution. The same method works if you want to shut down the US power grid, steal the plans for the F35 Lightning, build a new coal-fired power plant every week, or mold plastic deck chairs for sale at Walmart.
We here in the US wage war on ourselves. Identity/class/race/political hatred and phobia is the acid that is dissolving our national fabric and strength.
Maybe I am just an old WASP, but I have to wonder, if our nation is so despicable as the new crop of Congress reps and Presidential hopefuls would have you believe, why is everyone for 1000 miles south of Texas willing to risk their lives and their children’s lives just to set foot illegally on our soil?
Why are all those unarmed Hong Kong citizens facing down the Chinese Army, just to try to keep their own judicial system, and not be subject to the communist judicial system across the border in China?
How can you see that fierce life-or-death determination and think that socialism is a good thing for this nation? Those determined people know what happens when the average citizen cannot protect themselves from violence and when the central government becomes too powerful and controlling.
With this in mind, please re-read the US Constitutional Amendments. Those determined people mentioned herein are living their life without the benefit of what US Citizens take for granted. Individual Liberty and Property Rights.
What happens to China’s internal order if we close our market and end our 70 years of insuring Freedom of Navigation for the unhindered movement of goods and energy from port to port, including China.
China’s success rests on 2American Props—Our Market and the Protection of Freedom of Navigation provide by the U.S. Navy
Can China survive as it is outside globalization?
QUID PROAren’t you glad that Quid Pro JOe accepted a one and one half BILLION DOLLAR BRIBE to allow the COMMUNIST CHINESE TO ESTABLISH A MILITARY BASE IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ON THAT ARTIFICIAL ISLAND?? JOE BIDEN & HIS MEA.LY MOUTHED COMMUNIST-MUSLIM MENTOR THE KENYAN FLASH, SOFT SPOKEN RACIST FROM CHICAGO, OBAMA ARE TRAITORS. GET IT, “folks” (As QUID PRO JOE SAID WHEN HE STATED THAT “FOLKS” CHINA IS NO THREAT” GET IT, “FOLKS”???
Angrily put and correctly put.
The whole lot of them: Obama, Clinton, Kerry, Biden, comet, clapper, the rest of the dirty cops are all panicking to cover up the scheme that you refer to. Hence the kangaroo impeachment.
Pres Trunp will get to the bottom of it and vanquish the evil and pave the way to once and for all dispose of identity/race/class politics.
China will bluff quite far along and back off when nukes start moving.
Why doesn’t the President do a nation wide fire chat talk, and tell the nation what all the scum in out nation are trying to pull on us? Shame them for what they are trying to do to the USA. Where in the hell did this nation take that wrong turn.
ALL OF THIS HAPPING .AND THE POLICICIANS ARE ACTING LIKE 5 YEAR OLDS . THEM (DNC )(DEMCO-RATES ) (JACKASSES ) NEEDS TO FOR GET 2016 . (THEY LOST FOR THE BEST OF REASONS ) (AMERICA AND THE WORLD SEEN HILLARY CLINTOS AS SHE REELY WAS . ) NOW FORGET 2016 AND MOVE ON . THE REST OF THE WORLD IS PASSING AMERICA BUY. AND TO GET BEHIND IN THIS TIME IN HISTORY . COULD GET MOST OF US KILLED . ???
Finally we have a Republician that has the B—- to stand up to China – – we now have a leader that thinks America is Great – about time.! ! Someone that is looking out for the interests of a regular American Citizen – – finally.
Trump will win again. He knows what he is doing. China has taken advantage of the US long enough and our president will put an end to it. They have been reported as backing down to us already.
And the racial/class division you talked about is a hoax perped by the Leftist socialist dems to divide this nation; if people are stupid enough to believe it. this nation does NOT embrace racism/class division politically, culturally, legally, economically or in any other way and hasnt in decades-a black professor at Stanford confirmed this.
Leftist newbies do not study their history and are doomed to repeat it; socialism has never worked anywhere its been tried.
Invaders flooding our borders demanding the resources of our hard working citizens is outrageous, and would not be happening if not for the Leftist dem socialist party promising them our resources for FREE; Americans cannot even get their own resources for free-we the people PAY FOR THEM!
Anyone dumb enough to vote for a democrat today is courting disaster and destruction for our nation. period.
I think we all know that China has a strong military that outnumbers us but the point most are ignoring is the economic strength of ours verses theirs and the ability to sustain this trade war as it is called. The U.S. is in a far better position and China can hold out just so long before their economy reaches a point of no return. They are manipulating to keep their banks from failing now and I believe they know time is running out on them and a deal needs to be made.
LMAO…Kissinger was a tool of Nixon’s trying to negotiate with a regime that was and had been killing American soldiers in VietNam and Korea…The Chinese are terrified of what the United States would do to their economy in a War. It is so loosely based on “tech” industry, that it’s collapse after a few months of US Navy Blockades from the shipment of oil to China would end in catastrophe. No, the US can put more pressure on China’s economy than China ever could on the US. China being the oil-greedy nation it has become, will suffer tremendously in a War with the USA.