China Willing to go to War with Trump

On July 4, 2015, the US and Australia held joint military exercises on Fog Bay, in Australia’s Northern Territories.  The exercises, called Talisman Saber, and involving 33,000 troops, was designed to simulate an invasion of the Malacca Straits and cutting off China’s access to oil, gas, and other raw materials from the Middle East and Africa.  That was merely a “routine exercise” but it made the point to China that the US would not tolerate changes in the status quo in the South China Sea.

China reacted negatively to Trump’s suggestion that he might use the independence of Taiwan as a bargaining chip to “get a better deal” with China on trade or other issues, that is, to change the status quo in the South China Sea in the favor of the US.

Here’s a quote from Newsweek, which shows what the Chinese government thinks of Trump and how it will slap him down:

“The calculating businessman might feel shrewd about seizing China’s fate by the throat through the Taiwan question,” responded China’s state-run Global Times newspaper, a mouthpiece for hard-right nationalists. “However, the truth is this inexperienced president-elect probably has no knowledge of what he’s talking about.” If Trump tries to change Taiwan’s status, China, might well “offer support, even military assistance to U.S. foes,” it said.