Xi mocks Macron and Scholz with Sino-Russian naval drills
Tom Rogan
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Emmanuel Macron of France are at least a little embarrassed by their craven appeasement of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The leaders of Europe’s two largest economies know that the United States is frustrated by their striking willingness to put trade with China before all other security and human rights concerns. To deflect this criticism, the two leaders always use their engagements with Xi to make a public call for him to use his “influence” (Scholz) or “mediation” (Macron) with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. In this way, they hope to show that their trade-at-all-costs agenda comes with at least some benefit to international security.
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Unfortunately, it’s all for show. Don’t take my word for it: Take Xi’s ships. Consider the major Sino-Russian naval exercise taking place between Wednesday and next Tuesday in the East China Sea.
Underlining Xi’s utter disdain for the Franco-German pretense that they are pressuring him on Russia, these naval exercises are occurring roughly 250 miles north of Taiwan and 250 miles northwest of the Japanese island of Okinawa (home to major U.S. military forward operating bases). China and Russia are thus sending a very clear signal to the U.S., Japan, and Taiwan with these exercises, including a signal of their rejection of democratic sovereignty and international stability (ironically, the supposed centerpiece of Macron’s Pacific strategy is “stability”).
Yet Beijing’s state-run Global Times newspaper underlined that these exercises aren’t simply for show. It noted that they include “relatively sensitive” training involving “anti-submarine” warfare. Considering Russia’s high competence in submarine spectrum warfare, this exercise thus threatens a critical element of U.S. war plans against China: effective employment of submarines. Talking of Macron’s stability principle, the Global Times also observed that “this exercise is indeed not far from Taiwan, and includes the subject of joint blockade. ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionist forces see themselves as the target. Let it be.”
Indeed.
Just don’t expect Macron and Scholz to complain about this show of force against their democratic allies or its proof of their nonexistent security influence with Xi. When confronted with utterly shameless Chinese efforts to work with Russia to undermine democratic security, it’s always all quiet on the Franco-German front.
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