China’s Military Fears This

China is real mad because the US is being a Chad. Welcome to China Uncensored, I’m Matt Gnaizda, filling in for Chris Chappell again, who’s still lost in the Matrix. Is Agent Chris the bad guy or the good guy? In the meantime, the United States has been busy angering China. And nothing angered China more than that the US and its allies did at last weekend’s Shangri-La Dialogue. As you know, over the years, China has been rapidly advancing its military capabilities. Among other things, they’re preparing to take over Taiwan. Part of this involves China militarizing the South China Sea, by creating artificial islands and building military bases on them. And China is constantly pushing boundaries with neighboring countries like the Philippines… China has gotten away with more and more over the years, always stopping just short of anything that would provoke all-out war. They’re like a cat pushing a dish to the edge of the counter, making eye contact as if to say, “I know you don’t like that I’m doing this… but I’m gonna do it anyway.” But it seems like, finally, someone is noticing what the Chinese Communist Party is doing and is ready to call it out. Enter US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Last weekend, Hegseth spoke at the Shangri-La Dialogue, also known as the Singapore security forum. The Shangri-La Dialogue is in its 22nd year. This year, the US sent one of its largest-ever delegations to the event, while, curiously, China sent only a minor delegation and cancelled its planned speech. Historically, this forum has been a place for both the US and China to make their pitches to the region about cooperation. But with China all but absent, things were a little different this year. Hegseth even mocked the CCP’s absence. “We are here to stay, and, as a matter of fact, we are here this morning, and somebody else isn’t.” I know the US casts a big shadow, but now they’re also throwing shade. Hegseth made it clear that Washington doesn’t seek a war with China. Which is a similar message to the speech that President Trump gave on his Middle East tour last month. It’s part of Trump’s foreign policy of “Don’t start nothing, won't be nothing.” But Hegseth wasn’t exactly soft on China, either. “Again, to be clear, any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world. There’s no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent. We hope not, but it certainly could be.” “Don’t do it, kitty. Don’t do it!” Much like the US has done with its Western allies, Hegseth also took the opportunity to demand Indo-Pacific allies raise their defense spending and work more closely with each other to deter China. He said it doesn’t make sense for the US to ask its European allies to increase their defense spending by a large amount and not ask the same of its Indo-Pacific allies. Although, I imagine some of the Indo-Pacific allies were thinking, “Ooh, we were hoping you wouldn’t notice that.” In addition, the Under Secretary of Defense posted on X that the 5% defense spending target for NATO countries is the new standard for allies around the world, especially in Asia. Some Indo-Pacific countries are already there, and there have already been plenty of joint military drills between the US and various Indo-Pacific nations, along with plenty of US military aid. So, really, what Hegseth promised was basically, “we’re not going anywhere.” And the message was appreciated! A few members of the US delegation to the Shangri-La Dialogue… confirmed that in conversations they had with Asian officials at the meeting, the US commitment to regional security was warmly welcomed. Gee, I can’t imagine why China wasn’t stoked to show up at what turned out to be a “China is the problem” forum. While there, Hegseth also announced some specific defense initiatives between the US and its regional allies to deter threats like China. “The first project plans to establish repair capability & capacity for radar systems in Australia. It will also enable Indo-Pacific allies operating aircraft, including New Zealand and the Republic of Korea, to repair aircraft in the region rather than relying on single repair sources in the continental United States. The second is a project that will develop standards for small unmanned aerial systems across the Indo-Pacific.” Helping allies! Committing to security! So…surely, there’s no controversy, right? Hahaha. Democratic Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth called Hegseth’s speech patronizing and noted that “his idea where we wrap ourselves around you - we don't need that kind of language. We need to stand with our allies, work together, and send the message that America is not asking people to choose between the PRC and us.” I know Tammy Duckworth was in the military, but I didn’t realize she also served as a member of the tone police. Now, Hegseth did not ask Indo-Pacific nations to choose between China and the US. Instead, he recognized that it’s a complex situation for many countries. “We know that many countries are tempted by the idea of seeking both economic cooperation with China and defense cooperation with the United States. Now, that is a geographic necessity for many, but beware of the leverage that the CCP seeks with that entanglement.” Um…yeah. Fair. Of course, it is a complex situation. Because despite the CCP’s behavior, not everyone in the Indo-Pacific sees it as an out and out threat. Fun fact: Chinese money is the world’s most effective blindfold and earplugs. It’s apparently perfect at tuning out reality. One regional expert points out that… besides a few exceptions, “the perceptions of the threat from China among Asian countries is not parallel to European perceptions of Russia” and that many countries in Asia have “a more sanguine take of China”, where “they recognise the challenge posed by China in the South China Sea but otherwise they are willing to work with China on almost everything else.” Essentially: sure, China always teeters on invading sovereign nations and kicking off World War III… but we save a little more money by buying their cheap crap. Worth it! There’s also a lot of uncertainty about whether the US would really send troops to defend Taiwan, or any other ally, should China go too far. Some analysts point out that President Trump seems more willing to make deals with bad actors on the world stage, such as Russia, Iran, or Hamas… than taking aggressive action to support allies against them. Which makes sense, since Trump is known for making deals. And for being a bad actor. But the Trump Administration has suggested that this new approach is a strategy aimed at realigning Russia with the US against China… or otherwise allowing US allies in the Middle East and Europe to tackle threats there, freeing up the US to focus on the CCP. As Secretary Hegseth made clear, the US isn’t looking for a regime-change war against China. It prefers to deter the CCP, both by boosting its presence in the Indo-Pacific and empowering its local partners. For starters, President Trump aims to exceed his first term’s weapons sales to Taiwan. And he’s committed to “enhancing hard deterrence” for Taiwan. What is hard deterrence? Wouldn’t China like to know. Earlier this year, Hegseth visited Japan and the Philippines and praised their historic alliance with the US, vowing to deepen cooperation. In fact, just days ago, at a meeting of defense ministers, Japan, the US, and Australia agreed to help the Philippines increase its defense capabilities. And also at the Shangri-La Dialogue, the Philippines’ Secretary of National Defense publicly lambasted China’s regional aggression and pointed out that many countries in the region were cooperating to challenge it. It’s beautiful how China is bringing nations together against it. It’s not beautiful from China’s perspective though. They were big mad about Hegseth’s speech. Not long after the conference, China’s Singapore Embassy blasted Hegseth’s speech on Facebook, of all places, saying that the speech was “steeped in provocations and instigation” and that Hegseth had “repeatedly smeared and attacked China and relentlessly played up the so-called 'China threat'”, adding that “as a matter of fact, the US itself is the biggest 'troublemaker' for regional peace and stability.” It’s part of China’s foreign policy of “Nuh uh, you are.” The main problem with that narrative is that Hegseth already pointed out that the US isn’t trying to overthrow the CCP or go to war—it’s trying to prevent one. The Chinese Communist Party seems to be lashing out because, as their low-level delegation may indicate, it’s being isolated. Between improving US military readiness, closer cooperation between the West and its regional allies, and tightening relations amongst the CCP’s regional rivals, President Trump’s new plan for taking on China just might work without even a shot being fired. And that’s a real chad move. At least, it’s working so far. Hopefully everyone keeps their eyes and ears open And not covered by Chinese money. And while we at China Uncensored don’t take any Chinese money, We do need American money to keep making this show for you. So I invite you to join our China Uncensored 50-Cent Army over at ChinaUncensored.tv. You’ll get a bunch of exclusive benefits, which you can click below to learn about. But most importantly, you’ll be helping all of us stand up to the CCP. Once again, I'm Matt Gnaizda. Thank you for supporting China Uncensored.