[theold]

Naively, however, some in Trump’s circle believe he is facing an either-or situation between China and Russia. Their argument is that to defeat Xi and his designs on the Indo-Pacific, Trump must make peace with Putin.

Rightly, many in Trump’s sphere see China as our pacing military and economic threat. Men like Rep. Mike Waltz, Sen. Marco Rubio and former Rep. John Ratcliffe who are respectively being put forward as Trump’s national security advisor, secretary of State and CIA director, acknowledge that Beijing represents a clear and present danger.

They also are all on record as arguing that the U.S. cannot afford to give Putin a win in Ukraine and eastern Europe. If Trump does that, it would be tantamount to giving Chinese President Xi Jinping a strategic win — and it would only embolden and strengthen the rapidly coalescing “Axis of Evil” partnership between Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.


https://thehill.com/opinion/national-sec...d-war-iii/