Cadence of Conflict: Asia, January 18, 2021

This is a linchpin week. Britain’s new aircraft carrier stands by with courses ready for the South Sea. America has an inauguration scheduled amid more foreseeable chaos, likely greater than Hong Kong. Bad news on China only gets worse—while the Huawei CFO pleas for a life less difficult than her millions of dollars can buy her, she is contrasted to China’s treatment of two arrested Canadians. That doesn’t make China look charitable in the eyes of the five countries that declared the Hong Kong treaty broken late last year.

Diplomats from Taiwan and the US had a diplomat-to-diplomat talk in Switzerland. That’s new. China’s furious. That isn’t new.

A destabilizing United States coupled with swelling Western spite for China make the perfect bait and trap for China to think it should enter a war it couldn’t possibly know it couldn’t possibly win, but should have and would have if someone had only listened.

Trade & Tech

Detained Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou wants bail conditions eased // WA Post

Imploding!
China’s consumers are turning against the homegrown Big Tech giants they once revered // Fortune

Boeing 777 was chartered to fly Meng Wanzhou home, Canada court hears as she seeks to have bail relaxed // SCMP

China

Upbeat Xi Says Time on China’s Side as Turmoil Grips U.S. // Bloomberg

Darned if you do, darned if you don’t if you have anything to do with China
China brings in new law to fight Trump’s sanctions // BBC News

Taiwan

Taiwan representative meets with US diplomat // Taipei Times

CFR rates Taiwan conflict top concern // Taipei Times

Taiwan can fill gap left by Confucius Institutes: AIT // Taipei Times

“We advise people like Pompeo to recognize the historical trends, stop manipulating Taiwan-related issues, stop going against the tides of history, refrain from going further down the wrong and dangerous path, otherwise they will be severely punished by history.”
China warns Trump admin. heading down ‘dangerous path’ with Taiwan outreach // CBS News

Hong Kong

US-China Row: US sanctions pro-China officials // Taipei Times

Korean Peninsula

Kim Jong Un Unveils New Submarine Missile Threat as Trump Exits // MSN News

Military Faceoff

USS Gerald R. Ford Problems: Carrier Can’t Launch Fighters // Popular Mechanics

Lockheed Martin Delivers HELIOS Laser Weapon System to U.S. Navy // Naval News