China Picking Up Where US Leaves Off Not A Good Thing

China is not our friend.

I know. I’m really breaking news on that one, aren’t I?

However, they’re not. Seeing this fact shouldn’t be rocket science. The Biden administration, which is not exactly filled with brain surgeons, should be able to see it plain as day.

Unfortunately, we get crap like this instead.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said China's possible involvement in Afghanistan could be "a positive thing".

He said this was if China was looking towards a "peaceful resolution of the conflict" and a "truly representative and inclusive" government.

His comments came after Taliban representatives visited China.

China said it saw the Taliban playing an important role in the peace process and rebuilding of Afghanistan.

"No one has an interest in a military takeover of the country by the Taliban, the restoration of an Islamic emirate," said Mr Blinken, who was asked about the talks while on a visit to India.

He urged the Taliban to come to the "negotiating table... peacefully".

Oh, goodie.

Here’s the problem with this. First, China and the Taliban already have one thing in common. They don’t like the United States.

There’s little reason to believe that China would actually do anything to prevent the Taliban from taking over, which is really the role they’re going to want in any peace process.

But let’s say that China actually does stop the Taliban from regaining control. What then? Well, despite the trillions American taxpayers spent trying to keep Afghanistan free, if China is there at the end, they’re going to get the credit from those within the country.

Frankly, regardless of who ends up on top, China is going to get the goodwill.

China, however, likely doesn’t really care about who controls Afghanistan so long as they control them.

When the United States leaves a void somewhere, it creates a problem. When China steps in to fill it, those in a lurch look to them with a certain degree of thankfulness. That gives the totalitarian regime gravitas to advance their interests while ours take a backseat.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t want our country involved in every little bit of international BS you can find. Sometimes, there’s something to be said for minding our own business.

Yet sometimes, we can’t. Afghanistan is one of those times. We had to step in. We screwed up by not letting our troops fight the damn war as it was needed. Politicians back in Washington need to learn to keep their hands off.

Letting China gain in stature because we simply can’t even, though, is a fiasco in the making.

The sooner our so-called leaders recognize that China is a rival. More than that, though, they’re likely an enemy nation. The sooner we start to recognize that, the sooner we can recognize that moves like this aren’t necessarily going to be in our best interests.

Understand, if China can find a way to screw us, they will.