Biden-Harris Administration Prepares to Confront China
Let’s Mobilize for Communism, Not for “Diverse” Imperialism
January 26—A friend tweeted, “Happy Inauguration Day U-U-USA! U-U-USA!”
A comrade answered, “I do not appreciate patriotism, sorry. Will you still be saying that when the US goes to war with China?”
Her friend answered, “AW, let’s hope that doesn’t happen . I’m just relieved everything went ok today…How about instead of USA, phew!”
Like this friend, a lot of people are relieved that Biden won, and Trump is out. But it’s a mistake to feel relieved. The US and Chinese imperialists are on a march to war.
China’s imperialist plans require that Taiwan must be incorporated with the mainland by “any means necessary,” as Xi said in 2018. On November 7, US Marines trained with troops in Taiwan for the first time in 40 years. Biden’s invitation of Taiwan’s ambassador to his inauguration was a further provocation.
Last weekend, China sent additional warplanes over the Taiwan Straits as a show of force, in a clear warning to the Biden Administration.
“If the Biden administration follows former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo’s extreme operations,” editorialized China’s Global Times, “the situation is doomed to deteriorate. Sooner or later, these [PLA jet] fighters will appear over the island of Taiwan.”
“Our commitment to Taiwan is rock solid,” the US State Department responded. Then the US sent carrier group Theodore Roosevelt into the South China Sea on a “routine training mission.”
Biden’s War Cabinet
Biden’s cabinet picks show that US imperialists are more seriously preparing for war with China. For that, they seek allies. And they need to win over the US population.
Biden’s picks are Obama-administration war hawks. But the world has changed dramatically. China is overtaking the US in every sphere.
Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, supported the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the US slaughter in Libya. “When we don’t lead,” he warned, “either some other country tries to take our place—but probably not in a way that advances our interests or values, or there’s chaos.”
“President Trump was right in taking a tougher approach to China,” Blinken said during his confirmation hearing. He called on international organizations to support Taiwan diplomatically.
Biden, like Blinken, believes that the US must fight for world leadership despite its steep decline. They don’t plan to share power with rising China and Russia. They, like all imperialists, will willingly sacrifice workers’ blood for profits and global power.
General Lloyd Austin, the first African American Secretary of Defense, led US operations against the Islamic State across the Middle East. He headed the US Central Command. Austin serves on the Board of Directors of Raytheon, the third- largest defense contractor.
At his confirmation hearing, a Senator introducing him said, “As a Black man, he will be an inspiration to millions—in and out of uniform.”
Then Austin characterized China as the “most significant threat going forward because China is ascending.” He favors a high-tech military strategy that allows the US “to hold large pieces of Chinese military inventory at risk.”
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called China “our most important strategic competitor.” She promised to “take on China’s abusive, unfair and illegal practices.”
Let’s Mobilize for Communism, not Multi-Cultural Imperialism
The US imperialists desperately need to win the US youth and other workers to sacrifice, fight, kill and die for US imperialism. They hope that putting in a Black man as Secretary of Defense and the most diverse cabinet in history will help win over angry youth disgusted with racist, sexist capitalism.
Nearly three-quarters of Biden’s cabinet picks are BIPOC, women and/or members of the LGBT+ community. This is the politics of representation—a strategy to fool people into thinking that because a person in power looks like you, they are on your side.
Biden’s diversity in the service of imperialism may fool some temporarily. But we are confident that masses will see through this trick and will fight for our class’ communist future, not for the US bosses’ empire!
The Democrats are promising reforms to try to restore faith in US capitalism-imperialism. But their system can’t deliver what the masses need. Racist police terror, racist inequality in COVID deaths, lack of health care and jobs will continue.
We must boldly and consistently show that communism will end capitalism’s racist exploitation and murderous wars for profit. Many will come to understand the need to fight for the international working class, not for any capitalist no matter what their appearance.
Only communism will meet the aspirations of the masses for a world without racism, sexism, wage slavery and capitalism-imperialism’s inevitable murderous wars for world domination and profit.
Read our pamphlet:
Soldiers, Sailors, Marines: Crucial to a Communist Workers’ Revolution
Available here
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