Former Trump adviser says China-Philippines clash is dress rehearsal for attack on Taiwan

They're doing it on a very small model of Taiwan, which is a small island that is not, in itself, a major, geostrategically important place, he said, adding that Beijing is trying to demonstrate that it can impose a blockade, create a sense of futility and discredit the idea that the United States is going to help not only the Philippines but by extension Taiwan.

Manila and Beijing have been locked in a conflict in the South China Sea for months. The latest skirmish was last month between the Philippine Navy and the Chinese Coast Guard. The melee left several Filipinos injured, including one sailor who lost a finger.

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Chinese, Philippine ships clash in first incident under Beijing's new coast guard law

Chinese, Philippine ships clash in first incident under Beijing's new coast guard law

The Philippine forces were on a mission to resupply the BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II ship deliberately grounded on the Second Thomas Sandbar in 1999 and occupied by their comrades. The hot spot is known in Manila as Ayungin Sandbar; Beijing calls it Renai Jiao. Both sides claim it is part of their maritime territory.

Asked to respond to Pottinger's comments, Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Beijing Embassy in Washington, said Manila had violated China's rights and carried out deliberate provocations and that the United States should not exploit the issue to sow discord, much less intervene.

The resolution of the Taiwan issue is a matter for the Chinese people themselves, Liu added. It must be resolved by the Chinese people and tolerates no foreign interference. Relevant people should stop hyping up the Taiwan issue on various occasions, creating tensions and provoking confrontations.

This should only happen if the President [Ferdinand] Marcos [Jnr]“We need to agree on this and, after discussion with President Biden, decide that this would be the best solution,” he said. “I’m not saying that means we have to go to war. I’m saying we have to acknowledge what’s happening and start imposing much higher costs on Beijing.”

Asked about the possibility of joint U.S.-Philippine resupply missions in the South China Sea, Pottinger said: “We should be prepared to do that. I hope we are. It's kind of a Berlin airlift to resupply… the Philippine marines in Second Thomas Shoal and some of these other islands.”

Meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, in May, Pottinger said the talks were not being taken seriously by the Chinese side.

They sent some mid-level officials from the Foreign Ministry to the first round of negotiations, [and] “I had no one willing to seriously discuss our concerns,” he said.

The Chinese delegation was led by Yang Tao, director-general of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and included officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission and other government agencies.

Tarun Chhabra, special assistant to the president and senior director for technology and national security at the National Security Council, and Seth Center, the State Department's acting special envoy for critical and emerging technologies, led the U.S. side, with Commerce Department officials in attendance.

Speaking at a Council on Foreign Relations event in Washington, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said both countries understood, at some level, some of the challenges that AI presents for military command and control.

In a separate discussion at the same event, Chhabra said Beijing disagreed with US policy on the issue.

Liu responded to Pottinger's remarks by saying that China places equal importance on development and security, and is working to ensure that AI is a force for good and ensures safety and fairness.

“We stand ready to work with the United States to intensify exchanges and cooperation on AI, explore ways to harness its benefits for sustainable development, and communicate on risk mitigation,” he added.