WORLD ROUNDUPPreparing China for War | The West’s Demographic Problems | American Consensus on Ukraine Has Fractured, and more
· Xi Jinping Says He Is Preparing China for War
The world should take him seriously
· Taiwan’s President Begins Trip to Central America Amid Dire Warnings from China
China, which considers the island a breakaway province, is opposed to Tsai’s stopovers in the United States
· If Arms Control Collapses, U.S. and Russian Strategic Nuclear Arsenals Could Double in Size
Russia is not complying with the New START agreement, and the U.S. may soon join it
· An Arsenal of Democracies Can Best the China-Russia-Iran Axis
The U.S. should bring together the advanced democratic nations as an Arsenal of Democracies
· The Ugly Paradox Behind the West’s Demographic Problems
Western countries are forced to address brutal new demographic realities
· American Consensus on Ukraine Has Fractured
Here’s how the war could play out in the 2024 presidential campaign
· Biden Admin to Debut New Emerging Tech Policies at Summit for Democracy
Leveraging digital technologies for better governance
Xi Jinping Says He Is Preparing China for War (John Pomfret and Matt Pottinger, Foreign Affairs)
Chinese leader Xi Jinping says he is preparing for war. At the annual meeting of China’s parliament and its top political advisory body in March, Xi wove the theme of war readiness through four separate speeches, in one instance telling his generals to “dare to fight.” His government also announced a 7.2 percent increase in China’s defense budget, which has doubled over the last decade, as well as plans to make the country less dependent on foreign grain imports. And in recent months, Beijing has unveiled new military readiness laws, new air-raid shelters in cities across the strait from Taiwan, and new “National Defense Mobilization” offices countrywide.
It is too early to say for certain what these developments mean. Conflict is not certain or imminent. But something has changed in Beijing that policymakers and business leaders worldwide cannot afford to ignore. If Xi says he is readying for war, it would be foolish not to take him at his word.
Taiwan’s President Begins Trip to Central America Amid Dire Warnings from China (VOA News)
President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan says “external pressure” will not stop the self-ruled island from engaging with the world.
Tsai made the vow Wednesday shortly before departing Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei for official visits to Guatemala and Belize. She told reporters that Taiwan is “calm and confident” while also unyielding and not seeking provocation.
She added that Taiwan will uphold the values of “freedom and democracy.”
China, which considers the island a breakaway province, is opposed to Tsai’s stopovers in the United States. Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said Wednesday Beijing will consider any meeting between Tsai and Speaker McCarthy “another provocation that seriously violates the one-China principle” and “destroys peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
Zhu says China will take countermeasures if the meeting occurs, but did specify what actions the government might take.
