- Retired Lt. Gen. HR McMaster warned that Xi Jinping is preparing China for war.
- McMaster said Xi has increasingly signaled aggression in his speeches about Taiwan.
- He called on the US to step up its military presence to deter China from moving against Taiwan.
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Herbert Raymond McMaster, a former national security adviser, said Monday he believes Chinese President Xi Jinping is “preparing the Chinese people for war.”
Speaking on CBS’ Face The Nation, hosted by Margaret Brennan, McMaster said the US should be careful not to “fall into the same traps that we made with Vladimir Putin” when it comes to the threat of a conflict with China over Taiwan.
He and several experts, including Michèle Flournoy, the former undersecretary for defense policy, were on the show and discussed US foreign policy on various fronts, such as dealing with Iran, the war in Ukraine and China.
McMaster, a retired lieutenant general who served as national security adviser under former President Donald Trump in 2017 and 2018, said the US should take potential threats from Xi seriously, adding that the leader “means what he says.”
“I think we have to be careful not to mirror ourselves, not to fall into the same traps as with Vladimir Putin, the confirmation bias and the optimism bias,” McMaster said.
He added that Xi has acted aggressively in recent speeches, telling Chinese people that bringing China back to national greatness would take sacrifices.
McMaster said Xi had “made it pretty clear” through his recent remarks that he was preparing to move against Taiwan and “subdue” the island.
—Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 1, 2023
“China has become increasingly aggressive, not only from an economic, financial and wolf warrior diplomacy perspective, but also physically with its military,” he added.
McMaster called on the US to increase its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region. “We talk a lot about relying on our allies and that maybe if we step back, the allies will do more,” McMaster said. “I think actually the opposite is the case. If the Americans do just a little bit more, many of our allies will follow suit and bolster their defense capabilities and capabilities as well.”
Xi said in October that China “seeks peaceful reunification with Taiwan,” but has also repeatedly signaled aggression toward the democratic island as he consolidated power last fall.
He opened China’s 20th Communist Party Congress by saying his government will “never promise to give up the use of force” to conquer Taiwan. In November, Xi urged the Chinese military to prepare for a possible war and outlined a vision for the People’s Liberation Army to become a world-class military force by 2027.
The Chinese president also denounced “foreign interference” in Taiwan — a veiled threat against the US that came after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in August. Beijing reacted sourly to the visit, announcing a series of new military exercises near the island.
Xi Jinping speaks during an inspection of a military command center in November. Li Gang/Xinhua via Getty Images
On the US side, President Joe Biden angered Beijing in October when he deviated from long-standing US policy by saying Washington would defend Taiwan if it was attacked by China.
The White House later clarified that the president’s remarks signaled no change in foreign policy and that the US was still opposed to “any unilateral change in the status quo.”
Biden’s rhetoric then changed when he met Xi at the G20 summit in November, when the president emphasized cooperation between their nations and peace across the Taiwan Strait.
McMaster did not immediately respond to Insider’s email request for comment.