Biden’s Declining Mental Acuity Is A Big Welcome Mat To Red China’s Aggression

Shawn Fleetwood reporting for The Federalist

President Joe Biden’s declining mental acuity has become a national security issue and has seemingly emboldened Red China’s willingness to engage in increasingly aggressive behavior.

On Saturday, a U.S. destroyer was abruptly cut off by a Chinese naval vessel during a transit through the Taiwan Strait. According to Fox News, the USS Chung-Hoon — which was conducting a “freedom of navigation” exercise with the Royal Canadian Navy — was forced to “slow down to 10 knots to avoid a collision” with the Chinese vessel. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that the Chinese ship came within 150 yards of the U.S. destroyer and that China’s “actions violated the maritime ‘Rules of the Road’ of safe passage in international waters.”

“The U.S. military flies, sails, and operates safely and responsibly anywhere international law allows,” U.S. military officials said. Paul Mountford, the commander of the Canadian frigate, claimed the Chinese vessel’s maneuver was announced over the radio before it was attempted, “clearly indicat[ing] this was intentional.” Predictably, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) defended the aggressive move by calling it “lawful, safe and professional.”

This weekend’s incident marks the latest in a growing list of Chinese maneuvers that appear designed to interfere with U.S. military operations. Two weeks ago, a Chinese fighter jet came within 400 feet of a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft while the latter was conducting a patrol of the South China Sea. The unexpected fly-by signifies “an alarming increase in the number of risky aerial intercepts and confrontations at sea by [People’s Liberation Army] aircraft and vessels,” according to the Pentagon.

Biden’s Decline = Red China’s Rise

The list of aggressive actions taken by the CCP in recent months isn’t the only one that’s getting longer. Within the past few days, Biden has advertised several moments of ailing mental and physical health.

On Thursday, the president tripped over a sandbag while handing out diplomas at the Air Force Academy’s 2023 graduation ceremony. When exiting Marine One later that same day, Biden hit his head on the helicopter’s door frame, later telling reporters he “got sandbagged,” in reference to his graduation fall.

In addition to falling numerous times, Biden has failed to recall basic facts while speaking at public events. For example, when asked by a child during a White House event in late April about the last country he visited, Biden completely blanked on the question until another kid had to remind him it was Ireland — where he had been only two weeks prior. Biden’s also had moments where he’s gotten lost on stage, forgotten the name of his defense secretary, confused President Donald Trump with President George W. Bush, and forgot what office he was running for, just to name a few.

While legacy media have worked overtime to run interference for Biden by accusing Republicans of “seizing” on these moments to question his fitness to serve, the president’s penchant for exhibiting physical and cognitive weakness poses a major problem. Every public display of Biden’s fragility is another indication to Xi Jinping and the CCP that America lacks the effective leadership necessary to confront China’s growing ambitions.

And why wouldn’t it? Biden’s domestic policies have crippled America’s national security and economic stability, while opening the door for antagonistic powers such as China and Russia to move towards a “multipolar world order” devoid of U.S. hegemony. Moreover, the CCP already tested Biden’s resolve when it sent a spy balloon into U.S. airspace earlier this year. Instead of shooting it down immediately, Biden waited for it to drift across the entire continental United States — after it had gathered “intelligence from several sensitive American military sites” — before taking action.

Absent a strong American leader to challenge the CCP, it’s not out of the question to think China will take advantage of the Biden presidency as an opportunity to take additional aggressive actions throughout the Indo-Pacific in order to further its regional (and ultimately global) objectives.