Cadence of Conflict: Asia, October 12, 2020

China has gone effectively “NR”, a tech term for software being “non-responsive”. No matter what any nation says or does, China only digs in, tells the same lies no matter how increasingly obvious, and continues aggression as the solution to losing more friends over its aggression.

Why censor Mike Pence’s statement on China during the vice presidential debate? As an act of good will, China should replay Pence’s statement to correct for the ostensible “no signal please stand by” message during that part of the debate. If anything, letting a foreign vice president make bad statements would help prove that China does not engage in free speech censorship. In all likelihood, the Chinese have been censoring so many people and getting away with it that they thought censoring the American vice president would go unnoticed—it didn’t.

Besides, why keep a foreign vice president’s words away from the ears of their own people. The Chinese people won’t decide how the West will respond to Chinese aggression; the West will decide how the West responds. That’s something else the Chinese Communists don’t seem to understand.

Four nations held a strangely, vaguely-purposed meeting: Japan, Australia, India, and the United States. The reason went largely unexplained, though it was obviously about China. Japan said the meeting wasn’t about one, single country. Australia said no one tells Australia what to do. The US said China is dangerous. From a Chinese Confucian Communist perspective, the meeting seemed out of order. But, in the minds of Western voters, it is clear that all four countries dislike China without having to be told to. It was an unencrypted message China was sure to not decrypt.

Great Pacific

China tells Indian media not to call Taiwan a country, Taiwan says ‘get lost’ // Yahoo News

Pompeo Rails Against China At ‘Quad’ Meeting With Foreign Ministers In Tokyo // NPR

Cambodia confirms US-funded defence facility has been razed // Yahoo News

Trade & Tech

TSMC reportedly obtains license to ship to Huawei – there’s a catch – // gizchina.com

Huawei CFO Dealt Fresh Setback in Fight Against Extradition // Bloomberg

Huawei: MPs claim ‘clear evidence of collusion’ with Chinese Communist Party // BBC News

Six of China’s largest semiconductor projects now halted // Taiwan News

China technology companies face geopolitical, coronavirus changes // CNBC

SMIC Says U.S. Is Placing Export Restrictions on Suppliers // Bloomberg

China

China censored Pence’s comments on China. Signal returned when Harris began talking again. // Twitter @nvanderklippe

China-US relations: PLA slams ‘provocative action’ as US warship sails through South China Sea // SCMP

Censored!
Why did China censor Pence during the VP debate? // YouTube @ Fox Business

Pew survey on negative sentiment toward China, Xi Jinping, coronavirus // CNBC

US warns China against Taiwan attack, stresses US ‘ambiguity’ // Aljazeera

More anti-China sentiment
Stolen Mao Zedong calligraphy said to be worth billions torn in half by unwitting Hong Kong buyer // SCMP

Negative views of China and Xi Jinping at record levels: international survey // SCMP

Negative views of China soar in western countries, poll finds // Guardian

Taiwan

Taiwan’s president calls for less tension with China in annual address // Guardian

What Taiwan needs to defend itself from a Chinese invasion // Business Insider

US warplane appears to ‘draw’ median line between Taiwan and China // Taiwan News

White House has more coronavirus cases than Taiwan, New Zealand, and Vietnam // Taiwan News

With China’s jets repeatedly buzzing Taiwan, here’s what could happen if Beijing attacked the island, East Asia News & Top Stories // Straits Times

China Threatens War Over New Taiwan Independence Proposal: State Media // US News

The more trouble Taiwan creates, the sooner the mainland will teach them a lesson // Global Times (China Govt)

Taiwan says military under pressure from China as missions mount // Deccan Chronicle

Hong Kong

Assistants to former Hong Kong lawmakers among nine arrested on suspicion of helping fugitives flee to Taiwan // SCMP

Korean Peninsula

North Korea Workers’ Party anniversary: Kim Jong Un faces his most daunting challenges to date // CNN

Military Faceoff

How China’s aircraft carriers compare with US Navy flattops // Business Insider

The Air Force is experimenting with a brand new way to put warheads on foreheads // Task & Purpose