Barack Obama’s reelection in 2012 owed mainly to the timely elimination of Osama Bin Laden. Americans were frustrated with Obama due to high gas prices and unemployment numbers. Obama was a failure on the domestic front and his approval rating was below 50 per cent. And then Osama Bin Laden was killed in midst of 2011, bringing in all-round appraise for the husband of Michelle Obama. Why would Biden be left behind? Amidst the upcoming mid-term elections, the war between China and US seems to be inevitable.
Nancy Pelosi not likely to back off
August has arrived and Nancy Pelosi has not made any formal announcement of not going ahead with the scheduled Taiwan trip. Keeping her past record and circumstantial exigencies in mind, it does not seem plausible. In spite of being a member of the Democratic party, Pelosi has been China Hawk in the past.
Additionally, she also wants to deviate attention from allegations of her husband being involved in insider training. By virtue of being a speaker of the House of Representatives, she is accused of passing on key policy-related decisions to her husband. She will do anything to avoid embarrassment, even going against the advice of the President of America.
China may shoot down Pelosi’s plane
Yes, way before the Chinese and Taiwan military were involved in a competition of show of muscles, Biden had advised Pelosi to not go ahead with her tour. His advice was based on intel by the US military who were scared by the Chinese threat of shooting down Pelosi’s plain if she visits Taiwan.
China considers Taiwan as its own territory and so for the Jinping regime, shooting down military aircraft of Pelosi will be equivalent to shooting down a hostile aircraft entering into its own territory.
Pelosi is getting support
However, the equations have got complicated with the amount of support Pelosi is getting. Mike Pompeo, Former Director of the infamous Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has conveyed to Pelosi that he is ready to risk his own life by accompanying Pelosi on a Taiwanese trip.
Remarkably, Pompeo is from the other faction of the US political spectrum. Additionally, Taiwan has also started military drills in order to showcase that it can protect Pelosi. In the wake of the US Army predicting that China would invade Taiwan by 2027, the island nation desperately wants Pelosi to visit the territory.
Biden can’t zero down
But, Biden is still not sure whether Pelosi should go ahead with the trip. On one hand, invoking nationalistic sentiments in Americans is crucial for Biden’s mid-term prospects, while at the same time, he really can’t afford to antagonize Xi Jinping. China is the backbone of Biden’s much-publicized Green energy makeover of the US power sector. Additionally, his son and various other party members are in cohort with Chinese business establishments.
Biden’s indecisiveness is also because America does not have a semiconductor industry of its own. Americans produce only 12 per cent of their semiconductor needs. Rest 88 per cent is imported from Asia. Taiwan is the hub of semiconductors and this is one more reason Uncle Sam can’t afford to let Taiwan slip off the radar. Protecting Taiwan’s sovereignty has become a political and public requirement for America.
Also Read: Spineless Biden succumbs under Chinese pressure, may betray Taiwan
Elections unite Biden & Jinping
Biden is trying hard to save embarrassment by establishing a connection with Jinping. During his marathon phone call with the Chinese President, Jinping explicitly told him that China won’t compromise with its sovereignty vis-a-vis Taiwan. Biden was also warned against “playing with fire”
Biden is not sure, but Jinping is in a fiss. Moreover, Jinping knows that Biden has got virtually no control over his party members. This is also a reason why he is overtly aggressive against sleepy Joe. Keeping his attitude uptight against Biden is expected to boost Jinping’s re-election campaign later this year. Chinese have already started a military drill in the Taiwan Strait.
Both leaders are facing electoral challenges. Both leaders have failed on the domestic front. A certain low-scale war is the only thing that can save both Biden and Jinping. As they say, tragedies unite the biggest of enemies.
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