>> WE ARE LOOKING TO DEEPEN OUR

ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP WITH TAIWAN

INCLUDING HIGH TECHNOLOGY

ISSUES, INCLUDING ON

SEMICONDUCTORS, SUPPLY CHAINS

BUT WE’RE PURSUING THAT IN THE

FIRST INSTANCE ON A BILATERAL

BASIS WHILE WE ARRANGE WITH

OTHER COUNTRIES THROUGH THE

FRAMEWORK.

WILL: OVERNIGHT THE BIDEN

ADMINISTRATION EXPRESSES ITS

DESIRE FOR STRONG ECONOMIC TIES

WITH TAIWAN AS PRESIDENT BIDEN

ARRIVES IN JAPAN.

THE PRESIDENT IS WRAPPING UP THE

ASIA TRIP TO THOUSANDS OF

SERVICEMEMBERS IN NORTH KOREA

ALL THE WHILE CHINA LAUNCHES

MILITARY DRILLS.

GORDON CHANG, AUTHOR OF THE

GREAT CHINA TECH WAR.

HE JOINS US NOW.

GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON SET WITH

US.

>> GOOD MORNING, WILL, TERRIFIC

TO BE HERE.

WILL: YOU LOOK AT THESE TWO

THINGS SIMULTANEOUSLY.

THE ONE THING JAKE SULLIVAN SAYS

THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION LOOKS

TO DEEPEN ECONOMIC TIES WITH

TAIWAN, THIRD, CHINA LAUNCHES

MILITARY DRILLS.

CONNECTED?

>> THEY ARE CONNECTED.

BEFORE BIDEN STOPPED IN SOUTH

KOREA, THE CHINESE PUBLICLY

WARNED HIM NOT TO TALK ABOUT

TAIWAN.

THERE WAS THE JOINT STATEMENT

BETWEEN PRESIDENT BIDEN AND

PRESIDENT OF SOUTH KOREA WHICH

SPECIFICALLY MENTIONS TAIWAN.

THERE WILL BE A LOT OF TAIWAN

DISCUSSIONS IN JAPAN, THE SECOND

AND LAST STOP ON THIS TRIP.

REALLY WHAT THE NIGHT WAS SAYING

TO BEIJING, I’M NOT AFRAID OF

YOU ANYMORE.

THE REASON THE ADMINISTRATION

HAS TO DO THAT BECAUSE THE LAST

COUPLE WEEKS THE BIDEN TEAM HAS

DONE THINGS THAT MADE IT IT

LOOKED LIKE IT WAS INTIMIDATED

ABOUT I CHINA.

THE REASON THE CHINESE WERE VERY

AGGRESSIVE BEFORE THE TRIP

BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD

BIDEN ON THE RUN.

WILL: WHAT HAPPENED LAST COUPLE

WEEKS, SENT A MESSAGE THE BIDEN

ADMINISTRATION MAY BE

INTIMIDATED BY CHINA?

>> NED PRICE, STATE DEPARTMENT

SPOKESMAN WALKED BACK GOOD

COMMENTS THE STATE DEPARTMENT

MADE ON TAIWAN AFTER CHINA GOT A

PUBLIC HIS SY FATE.

IT MADE IT LOOK LIKE CHINA WAS

DETERMINING WHAT U.S. POLICY

WOULD BE, TELLING US WHAT TAIWAN

POLICY WOULD BE.

THAT WAS CLEARLY UNACCEPTABLE.

SO THAT CREATED A VERY BAD

IMPRESSION AMONG PEOPLE.

I THINK BIDEN GOING TO ASIA IS

SORT OF LIKE A REPAIR TRIP AFTER

THE CHAOTIC WITHDRAWAL FROM

AFGHANISTAN.

FAIL TURF DETERRENTS IN UKRAINE.

ALLIES IN ASIA WERE PRETTY

NERVOUS ABOUT AMERICAN

LEADERSHIP.

THEY WERE SAYING ARE YOU THE

UNITED STATES ANYMORE?

SO THAT IS THE REASON WHY BIDEN

HAD TO GO THERE.

WILL: SOUTH KOREA, JAPAN, OUR

ALLIES NEED TO SEE STRENGTH FROM

THE UNITED STATES.

CHINA SEES WEAKNESS INSECURITY,

NOW IS OPPORTUNITY TO BE MORE

BELLIGERENT, PUSH US AROUND A

LITTLE BIT.

DO YOU THINK CHINA LOOKS AT

EVENTS IN UKRAINE, LOOK AT THE

WAY THE WORLD RESPONDED TO TO

RUSSIA FEELS EMBOLDEN OR SAYS

LET’S NOT BE THE BELLIGERENT ON

THE WORLD STAGE?

>> MY GUESS, ON BALANCE MORE

ENCOURAGED THAT INHIBITED.

A LOT OF THINGS THAT INHIBITED

THEM, SOME ENCOURAGED THEM.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, WILL,

ALTHOUGH WE HAD OVERWHELMING

POWER OVER RUSSIA OUR ECONOMY

WAS 13.1 TIMES BIGGER THAN

RUSSIA AT THE END OF LAST YEAR

OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, THEIR

ECONOMY WAS 10.5 TIMES BIGGER,

BRITAIN’S ECONOMY TWICE AS

LARGE.

ALL THESE NATIONS WERE NOT ABLE

TO STOP CHINA.

CHINA LOOKS AT THAT, LOOK,

WESTERN DIPLOMACY IS REALLY BAD.

THESE GUYS ARE WEAK.

THEY CAN’T STOP RUSSIA FROM

INVADING UKRAINE.

THE CHINESE LOOK AT THAT SAY, WE

CAN DO SOMETHING ON TAIWAN.

WILL: CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG,

THE CHINESE POLICY, APPROACH FOR

DECADE HAS BEEN THE FORM OF

ASYMMETRIC WARFARE.

IT’S BEEN ECONOMIC, IT’S BEEN

CULTURAL.

I WONDER IF EVENTS BETWEEN

RUSSIA AND UKRAINE LET’S

CONTINUE WITH THAT PATH?

INSTEAD OF DIRECT MILITARY

CONFLICT LET’S CONTINUE WITH THE

WAR UNDER THE SURFACE?

>> YES.

REMEMBER WAR UNDER THE SURFACE

WAS COVID-19.

ALTHOUGH WE DON’T KNOW EXACTLY

WHERE THIS PATHOGEN CAME FROM WE

KNOW THAT CHINA DELIBERATELY

SPREAD IT BEYOND ITS BORDERS.

MORE THAN ONE MILLION AMERICANS

WHO HAVE BEEN KILLED.

THAT’S WARFARE.

ONE MILLION AMERICAN DEAD.

WILL: YEAH, BUT TO YOUR POINT

TAIWAN IS THE FLASHPOINT.

TAIWAN IS THE FLASHPOINT WHETHER

OR NOT IT BECOMES KINETIC WAR AS