Could We Be At War With China?

The conflict with China is continuing to grow. Could we be at war with China? 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Tonight, amid growing tensions with China, we're with American forces
in the Pacific, where General Mike Minihan is preparing his
airman for a mission he's warned could come soon.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Do you think the US could be at war with
China in the next few years.

Speaker 3 (00:15):
It's not me to say whether we could be at
war with China in the next few years.

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Earlier this year, Minihan, the head of Air Mobility Command,
wrote a controversial memo to his commanders, warning the US
could be at war with China in two years and
they need to be prepared.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Do you still believe that.

Speaker 3 (00:31):
I don't believe conflict is inevitable. I don't believe it's unavoidable.
But I also believe that ready now is what matters most.

Speaker 4 (00:39):
So I was up from NBC News last night. They
didn't exclusive, and their teas through the entire newscast was
are we ready for war with China? And NBC exclusive
of thought. Wow, the fact that that phrase is even
being set out loud is such a change from just
a couple of years ago. I mean, not like hold on,
sit down. There's a chance the United the two biggest economies,

(01:03):
the biggest country in the world could go to war
just you know, it's just like common knowledge. Are we
ready for war with China? Was their teas and I thought,
holy crap. But anyway, so that was the military guy.
You remember that story from last year, as they said
there where he wrote in a memo that came out
that he thinks will be in a conflict of China
within two years. And they spent so much of the

(01:24):
Dang segment trying to nail him down on that. That
was so dopey. It is dopey, and I just I
found that frustrating. But he didn't back off it. I mean,
he used different ways to word it to not sound
as inflammatory so that everybody wouldn't go, oh my god.
He certainly didn't back off that statement. And why would he. Well, no,
that whole conversation was so idiotic. That's the purpose of

(01:45):
the military is to be ready for conflict, and he
was letting his people know, Hey, this is not some
sort of imaginary exercise. It's entirely possible we will be
in conflict. So bear that in mind as you train,
as you do your jobs. Perfectly legitimate. The controversial memo,
it's just so stupid. It is it is stupid for

(02:06):
stupid people. Could we hear the other clip from that segment?

Speaker 1 (02:08):
In his memo, Minihan told Aerman to get ready by
firing from a clip and to aim for the head.

Speaker 3 (02:14):
I'm not trying to be provocative. I'm trying to provide
my formation with the tools and the action and the
priority necessary to win.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
Do you still agree with everything you wrote in that
January memo?

Speaker 3 (02:24):
I agree absolutely with the urgency and the action. Are
you ready now? We are ready?

Speaker 2 (02:29):
Now that assurance coming, even as some critics have voiced
concerns the US is not modernizing equipment fast enough for
a potential conflict, but mine telling us exercises like these
are critical to being ready.

Speaker 4 (02:41):
Yeah, that was the important part of the segment NBC
did was how ready are we? And get away from
the stupid, gossipy part of the memo, how ready are
we for a war with China? And they're training? Seriously,
they showed some of the exercises we're doing that are
you know, not not cloaked resemblances of a war with

(03:05):
some country? No, specifically, this is what we'd have to
do if we were war with China. Of course, of
course we should be doing that to let them know
that we're doing that, because they're doing exactly the same thing.
If you remember the stories of they have targeting practice
on target practice on aircraft carriers that are exactly our
aircraft carriers. They're not pretending just some if there were

(03:26):
a conflict there in the future. No, China's training for
war with the United States, so we might as well
be training for war with them.

Speaker 5 (03:33):
Did the Chinese generals put out a controversial memo saying
they would fire it models of US carriers?

Speaker 4 (03:41):
They just take it over the deputies. Yeah, it's frustrating.
And I don't know if a country that has that
sort of media and treats its population that way can win,
because I'm sure the generals in China are just sitting
there at the table saying, when we go to war
with the United States, should we shoot here first or
hit them there first? And when we sink this aircraft
carrier that they probably named by no, then well you

(04:01):
know they're not playing this stupid game.

Speaker 5 (04:04):
Well, and this is my final shot at the nice
little gal there who did that report.

Speaker 4 (04:10):
Are we ready? Yes, we are, he says, as if
he's gonna say no, not even close. Geez, this happens
in the next two or three years, We're screwed. No,
he's going to say we're ready.

Speaker 5 (04:20):
But you know, I think anybody who studies this stuff
realizes we are a I don't know what sports metaphor
do you want to use, We're a quarterback who hasn't
actually been off the bench in three years.

Speaker 4 (04:30):
We feel like we're ready to get into a game, but.

Speaker 5 (04:33):
Gosh, we haven't actually done our job for a while,
I mean really done it.

Speaker 4 (04:41):
So who knows? Who knows? I know, was he a
Navy guys?

Speaker 1 (04:45):
All right?

Speaker 4 (04:46):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (04:46):
I think so, Yeah, I know, yeah, the Navy definitely
has issues. But anyway, speaking of China, I thought this
was so interesting from the Wall Street Journal, Xijien Ping. Well,
i'll give you the headline, Shejian Ping chokes off crucial
engine of China's economy. First quarter of last year, there
was one hundred billion dollars in foreign investment in China.

(05:08):
One hundred billion dollars this year first quarter, twenty billion. Wow,
it fell by eighty percent because Shi Jinpeng is kicking
at comedy style more and more specifically, and if you
read business news, you're familiar with this. If you don't,
you probably not. But She's national security agenda has really

(05:32):
taken the forefront even more than business, and its focus
is fending off perceived foreign threats. So Chinese investment is
now looking more and more like a minefield for foreign
firms for a bunch of different reasons. Quoting from the Journal,
A She led campaign this year has hit Western management consultants, auditors,
and other firms with a wave of raids, investigations, and detentions. Meanwhile,

(05:54):
an expanded anti espionage law has added to foreign executive's
worry that conducting routine business activity in China, such as
market research, could be construed as spying.

Speaker 4 (06:05):
So if you if you do a.

Speaker 5 (06:07):
Study of how Chinese currency flows from real estate to retail,
for instance, you will get busted by the Chinese authorities
for spying.

Speaker 4 (06:18):
I get that that's that often is a cover for spying.
Having read a lot about you know, the Soviet days
of them spying on us, that that was a lot.

Speaker 5 (06:26):
Are you working for the Chinese? Now that was the
Chinese side? Which side are you on? Have you signed
your loyalty?

Speaker 4 (06:31):
Oth Soviets who do that all the time, just be
in a town and you know, try to gather all
that kind of information. But yeah, that would that would
choke off your your economy quite a bit.

Speaker 5 (06:41):
The perception that doing business in China has become much
riskier is choking the flow of capital into an economy
already struggling with weak private investment and consumption, as well
as soaring use, unemployment, plunging real estate market, rapidly aging population,
et cetera. It is striking to me that when China

(07:02):
was most successful at hiding its true colors, when it
was making its phony, Hey, we just want to modernize
and be your friend.

Speaker 4 (07:11):
I mean, this communist thing, we're really seriously rethinking of it,
thinking it.

Speaker 5 (07:15):
So, why don't you invest heavily in our country, share
a bunch of technology with us, and we'll modernize and
become an active participant in the world community. When they
were really faking that, well, their economy was soaring. But
Shijin Pinging saw the direction things were going under some
of the predecessors and said, no, we're communists. We're actual communists,

(07:37):
and we're going to take control again. Now the economy
is tanking again, and well, not tanking might overstate it,
but the brake pedal has been hit hard. What the
next chapter is is really interesting to me.

Speaker 4 (07:52):
Did you know that three Chinese ministers are visiting the
United States before October and that is supposed to pave
the way for Biden and She to meet in San
Francisco in November. I didn't know that Biden and She
are meeting in the United States in November. Do you
think chi Jinping is gonna want to visit Chinatown or

(08:14):
is it just redundant? Wow? I mean, is there any point?
I am an ox? What are you? I was born
in the Year of the Snake as a matter of fact.
And Biden will say, I'm a rat.

Speaker 3 (08:26):
Oh.

Speaker 4 (08:26):
I think an ox and a rat can get along.

Speaker 5 (08:29):
I doubt that, right, And then they'll buy some cheap
souvenirs and be on their way. Enjoy some of them
pork dumplings.

Speaker 4 (08:36):
Look at those duck feet in a basket and say,
who could eat that? What is that a beaver? Nah?
I think it's a cat. Oh?

Speaker 5 (08:46):
Anyway, walking through Chinatown, Hey, this is really cool,