Author and China observer Gordon Chang says that the Chinese regime is taking what could be viewed as provocative actions against the United States, which he believes could ramp up if conflict in Iran escalates.
“The important part here is that we have had last month over four of our important military bases [breached by] foreign drones. These drones were large. They were unhackable. They obviously were not recreational. So some foreign power, probably China, maybe Russia, was operating drones over our critical Air Force bases,” he said on “Mornings With Maria” on April 6.
“Right now, the United States needs to be able to defend its bases in its homeland, because those drone flights were a warning to the United States of some sort,” he said.
Chang also pointed to the recent bomb plot at the MacDill Air Force Base in Florida as another potential warning. It was allegedly carried out by siblings who attempted to flee to China after leaving an improvised explosive device at the base’s visitor center, and officials recently said the defendants’ parents were illegal immigrants from China.
Chang said Beijing could be directing a threat toward the United States for its involvement in Iran.
“These are warnings that China tends to move on the U.S. in the American homeland,” he said.
Chang also said that Beijing’s recent 40-day closure of offshore airspace across the Yellow and East China Seas flies in the face of international norms set by the United States. The closure runs from March 27 to May 6 and will require the rerouting of commercial flights, but China has not given notice to its neighbors of any military drills scheduled for that region.
“This is outrageous, because the Chinese have not announced any military exercises,” Chang said. “[The] United States needs to oppose this in one way or another, and there are a number of ways that we can do that, but we cannot allow the Chinese to close off the global commons, because if the Chinese get away with it, other countries will do the same, and we will never have that open commons that we need.”
“Remember over 250 years of American history, we’ve had only one consistent foreign policy, and that is to keep the skies and the seas open and safe for everybody, and China is directly opposed to that, especially with this 40-day closure,” he said.
Chang added that U.S. involvement in Iran is not a distraction that could give Beijing an opening, because with the recent large-scale purges in the Chinese military, Chang believes the communist regime is not ready to act.
