China is stockpiling food, raising the alarm that it could be preparing for war. According to some reports, the communist nation has collected enough wheat, maize, and rice to meet the needs of its staggering 1.4 billion-person population for at least 18 months. China is said to possess around 70% of the world’s grain and 50% of wheat. The country furthermore has an enormous stockpile of oil.
In recent years, the Chinese Communist Party, which governs the giant nation, has been purchasing farmland all over the world, including in the United States, but the latest evidence of hoarding is raising eyebrows in the region and is causing speculation as to what China’s plans are.
Australian Liberal Party Defence and National Security Policy Chair Lincoln Parker said Western nations are not addressing the threat posed by China and have left themselves vulnerable by overseeing the demise of manufacturing in their own countries.
Some analysts speculate that China could be preparing to enter a military conflict over Taiwan. The Chinese have long threatened to attack the island, and America’s role in that potential conflict is significant. The Chinese military carried out exercises near Taiwan while its President, Tsai Ing-wen, met with high-level politicians in the US, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and leading House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries.
China is furious about Taiwan’s relationship with America, and tensions increased again in mid-August when the island’s Vice President William Lai visited the US on his way to Paraguay. Beijing spared no time in denouncing Lai as a “troublemaker.”
Alarmingly for Americans, President Biden appears to have committed the United States to the defense of Taiwan but is somewhat unclear as his position on the issue has changed over the past few years. The White House was forced to state that Biden would not militarily defend Taiwan in 2021, but by September 2022, he answered “yes” when asked directly if the US would commit to Taiwan’s defense in the event of a Chinese attack.
