It’s beginning to look like President Joe Biden is in over his head when it comes to the brewing potential for an international clash.
The changing tides for Biden come as China’s foreign ministry announced coordination with the Russian Federation on the matter of Ukraine.
According to Reuters, Moscow officials met with their Chinese counterparts in Beijing on Thursday. This is the first visit of foreign political guests to the communist capital since the viral outbreak in Wuhan spread into a worldwide pandemic.
Chinese officials have kept out most foreigners since early 2020 as part of its no-tolerance COVID policy, underscoring the importance of the Russian diplomats’ visit to Beijing.
The meeting comes as some 115,000 Russian troops are on standby near the Ukrainian border.
While Russia denies any impending invasion, the concentration of armor, weaponry and medical supplies hints the Kremlin is preparing for the possibility of an attack.
Biden seems to have given Russian President Vladimir Putin the green light for small-scale invasions, but promises action in response to bigger incursions.
“He’s never seen sanctions like the ones I promised would be imposed if he moves,” Biden said in January. “What you’re going to see is that Russia will be held accountable if it invades.”
Unfortunately for Biden, sanctions don’t seem to be the weapon he thinks they will be.
For one, a defense official who served under former President Donald Trump warned that China could easily relieve an isolated Russia. Given China’s massive industrial capacity and a wide land border with Russia, it seems the communist giant does sit ready to scuttle American economic interference.
Russia isn’t the only country looking to cash in on a weak American president.
North Korea recently launched an incredibly powerful missile, the first since Trump confronted the hermit kingdom’s leader in 2017. The White House has been largely silent on the rogue nuclear power’s resurgence.
War breaking out in Europe might spark a deadly conflict in the Pacific as well.
If Russian troops do end up marching on Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine, American involvement there would also give China itself a golden opportunity: The pacification of Taiwan.
While token American forces around the island nation may be able to initially frustrate any invasion, opening a two-front conflict may be a little too rich for Biden’s blood.
Even worse for Americans would be increased cooperation between China and Russia, a nightmare that has barreled toward reality under Biden’s watch. A Eurasian bloc of this scale would pose significant problems for the free world, and would be a dangerous competitor against the United States.
It’s clear these two countries have a common interest in undermining America’s standing in the world, but how far they are willing to go to realize this will depend on Biden’s actions in the coming weeks.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.