The Trade War Front Just Got Quiet - But the South China Sea Is as Hot as Ever
By Dr. Kent Moors
Headlines last week were blaring that the Chinese were willing to calm their attitude toward the U.S. regarding the ongoing trade war.
In fact, they even hinted that they would not retaliate against whatever the U.S. has in mind for the coming weeks.
This is quite the milestone according to some, but I'm remaining, as always, skeptical.
Too many years in counterintelligence seems to have increased my sense of cynicism.
Fact is, if the Chinese are backing down, I suspect they may have something much more devastating in mind.
Because when a blowhard suddenly becomes docile, that's when there's reason for concern.
And in this case, it has nothing to do with the financial trade war.
A member of China's Ministry of Commerce commented on this new tack that "China has plenty of means for countermeasures, but under current situation, the new question that should be discussed right now is about removing the U.S.'s new tariffs on $550 billion Chinese goods to prevent escalation of the trade war."
China's means of countermeasures often means less financial and more military.
Despite its new attitude toward the trade war, the Chinese have been getting more and more aggressive in another area.
Now, that's not to say the U.S. is completely innocent in all regards of this area, but escalating tensions aren't doing anything to prevent stomach ulcers.
This is, of course, the situation in the South China Sea.
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