Miscellaneous News

[Abominable]

The US SecDef doesn't just 'cold call' the Chinese Defence Minister. There would've presumably been preliminary communiques between the two sides at the departmental level on the nature of the phone call before leadership at the Chinese MoD then decides whether to accept the American request for a ministerial call.

All that is to say China most certainly already knew what the phone call was about. If it's a cross-border civilian matter, which this is, it ought to be civilian government institutions that deal with said matter i.e. between the US State Department and China MFA, not Lloyd Austin telling Wei Fenghe to pick up the phone and be like: "Dude, what's with the balloon?"

The position of defence minister is a civilian position. If the tables were turned, it's absolutely appropriate for the Chinese defence minister to contact the American equivalent.

It makes no sense for China to refuse a phone call. America is the country that has been intent on exacerbating a Chinese-American conflict.

Think of it this way....why are the Americans telling us this? Why didn't they keep quiet about it like they did with Russia? They want to push the narrative by not cooperating the Chinese has something to hide.

 

[sndef888]

I can't believe we're still talking about the balloon

It's a complete nothingburger. Americans themselves already disclosed it happened in the past before without issue. It's one of those things that are technically not allowed but both sides keep quiet about it since it's pointless to argue about.

Unfortunately, this time the Americans needed a new propaganda talking point (their Xinjiang and Hong Kong bullshit is running out of steam). Hence, why they intentionally let it float over Alaska and Canada into mainland US before raising a stink. Just like clockwork, they are ramping up anti-China bills using this excuse.

The only significance of this issue is that it shows the US has no intention of rapprochement, and intends to continue the anti-China red scare.

 

[GZDRefugee]

The U.S. apparently detected the balloon on January 29 when it was over the Aleutian Islands. Austin could have called his Chinese counterpart anytime in the seven days between that detection and the time the decision was taken to shot it down

If they were gonna down it anyways, why did they do it over the Atlantic rather than over Alaska or even Yukon? Falling from 60K feet in the air onto land or water would obliterate any payload but at least you don't have to deal with the corrosive effects of saltwater. If the balloon truly was a threat, it would have been able to complete its mission without interference.

 

[Helius]

The position of defence minister is a civilian position. If the tables were turned, it's absolutely appropriate for the Chinese defence minister to contact the American equivalent.

So is the position of US SecDef. However unlike SecDef the Chinese Defence Minister is also a ranking general of the PLA, but that's beside the point.

It makes no sense for China to refuse a phone call. America is the country that has been intent on exacerbating a Chinese-American conflict.

Again, this isn't a military matter hence it is against diplomatic protocols to involve an executive branch that deals with a country's armed forces when there's no military discussion to be had in the first place.

Think of it this way....why are the Americans telling us this? Why didn't they keep quiet about it like they did with Russia? They want to push the narrative by not cooperating the Chinese has something to hide.

That much is painfully obvious. And Wei Fenghe picking up the phone would be playing right into the Americans' hands as then it would become a military issue.

 

[taxiya]

Really high tech spy stuff.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1623022693158199297

View attachment 106837

If the US ever fly a balloon, I call them for copying, IP infringement and reverse engineering.

 

[solarz]

Risk and opportunity, mate.

If the power-that-be believe they can win before nukes come into play, then war is just good business.

That is literally impossible. If anything, defeating China's military conventionally increases the risk of nuclear escalation.

There is no scenario where a nuclear armed state will surrender without using its nuclear arsenal.

In fact, the ideal outcome for the American MIC in a Taiwan conflict would be a proxy war like Ukraine, where they can keep supplying weapons indefinitely.

Remember that the Americans want a new *Cold* War.

 

[KYli]

US is trying to make a none issue into an issue. Not taking a call is the right decision. US attempts to portray China as not cooperating which doesn't even matter as China's standing in the West isn't going to change to the better.

China should stop caring for PR in the West. China isn't dealing with a pragmatic and mature adversaries but a bunches of cry babies and self-righteousness. The West keeps poking China of Taiwan issue which is China's core interest. These countries have lost their minds and don't think logically and don't care if such actions could provoke a war.

But as long as their politicians can win some brownies points they would continue to escalate. Ukraine conflict hasn't served a warning to them but instead has emboldened them to take even more aggressive self-righteousness nonsense.

More importantly, what is China's interest. Don't let your enemies drag you into a mug fight and waste your precious resources to stupid fight. If your enemy is acting crazy, just ignore them and not trying to engage. More you try to engage, the more likely your enemies would try to hype up a none issue into some kind of big deal.

 

[pmc]

A clear example of American short-sightedness and will eventually be the undoing of any good will Europe had towards America.

I think most Europeans will be glad to get rid of those pipelines. Germany got richer due to its direct dealings with Russia /China but used EU to strangle the rest of Europe.

 

[9dashline]

I'm surprised no one has questioned this and it is being taken as the truth.

Why would China refuse a phone call from the Americans? Is avoiding dialogue been the Chinese policy so far? It's not like the authorities were keeping quiet about the incident, they've already come out and said it was a commercial weather balloon. China has been sidelining more hawkish senior politicians for some time, they clearly want dialogue with the west as partners, not enemies.

It's also strange that we're being told this straight away. Last year for several months the Russians were refusing high level phone calls from the Americans. Yet we didn't find out until the Russians reestablished communications - around the time the Russians claimed they had credible threats of the Ukrainians having WMD.

This phone call revelation is the same as most of what this story is all about, a psyops campaign to condition Americans into hostility against China.

Okay, so how much have you put on your card yet? thats the real question you should be asking yourself, assuming you are ethnic Chinese living in US or 5eyes

 

[horse]

US is trying to make a none issue into an issue. Not taking a call is the right decision. US attempts to portray China as not cooperating which doesn't even matter as China's standing in the West isn't going to change to the better.

I think it is all related to the Russia Ukraine war.

The idea is to lump Russia and China together.

That way the American public will continue to support that war in Ukraine.

The American people, don't like losers. If Ukraine is perceived as losing, or worst at a stalemate, the American people will lose interest in this war, the ambitious American politician will start to campaign against it.

The US deep state (if it exists) must win that Ukraine war. But war always ebbs and flows, and when behind, got to keep morale up.

That NATO kerfuffle over the tanks, means not all is well.

Now everyone can only talk about the balloon, and by this Friday, the Superbowl.