There are a "lot of worrying signals all at once" when it comes to Beijing's increased aggression in the South China Sea, China expert Gordon Chang told Newsmax TV Saturday.
"For the last six months or so, we have seen these increasingly hostile Chinese aerial maneuvers around Taiwan," Chang said on Newsmax TV's "The Count." "They have (gone) straight across the median line in the Taiwan Strait. They've also done these circumnavigation exercises, flying around Taiwan with nuclear-capable H-6 bombers as well as other aircraft."
Chang, who appeared on Newsmax TV with former Ambassador and ex-acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell to discuss the news that China has been increasing its aggressions, including flying bombers and fighter jets over parts of Taiwan.
"This comes as (Chinese leader) Xi Jinping has said the Chinese military needs to be ready to go to war, 'at any second,'" said Chang. "Also, they mobilized the society now with these amendments to the national defense law that takes power away from the civilian authorities and gives it to the Communist Party's Central Military Commission. So there are a lot of worrying signals all at once."
Meanwhile, Grenell discussed a letter sent from former DNI Director John Ratcliffe about the disagreements within the intelligence community on the potential extent of Chinese interference in the recent election.
According to The Washington Post, which published the letter, political appointees in the Trump administration clashed with career intelligence analysts over the extent that both China and Russia may have sought to interfere in the recent election and accused each other of politicization.
"What's unhealthy is when individuals — whether they're current or former officials — start leaking some raw intelligence...that's how people manipulate the intelligence for political gain," said Grenell.
"We've got to get to the bottom of why so many politicians keep pushing the Beijing line within the intelligence community, which is to look at Russia," he added.
Chang also criticized President Joe Biden for overturning a Trump executive order to keep the Chinese out of the U.S. power grid.
"Our grid really is unprotected in many ways, because electric utilities have been very persuasive in making sure the federal government didn't impose on them," said Chang. "We do not need Chinese equipment in our grid, and I hope that the Biden administration is not actually going to let a Chinese supplier sell to our electric utilities."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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