Huawei: US Commerce Department Target

       Well, now, it has become the poster child of the US effort to curtail China's global ambitions.  The giant technology company, a global leader,  will now have its supply chain interrupted again, thanks to the efforts of the US.  This past week, the Department of Commerce issued new orders that affect many us companies and many more foreign companies that supply Huawei with components for their products.   These supply operations make chips/circuits utilized in cell phones, computers, and data storage facilities found around the globe.   These companies will now be prevented from selling/supplying their products to Huawei.   This will put the company at a strict disadvantage among  tech competitors.   While holding a commanding position among tech giants,  Huawei follows the dictates of Beijing and its goals of achieving a global leadership position in all areas: commerce, politics, and military superiority.  The US has finally begun to aggressively counter this threat.
      A recent paper from the Pentagon discussed a new strategy for the West Pacific Rim.  The US Marine Corps Commandant outlined a new strategy:  a widely dispersed force of Marines with sharp capabilities focused on technology and advanced weaponry that can be utilized effectively by highly trained small units.   Essentially,  the Marine Corps will preposition detachments over a wide arc, north-to-south that will exist as a counter force to Chinese efforts to advance eastward from the Asian continental mass.  Over the past decade, China has aggressively moved into the South China Sea, claiming hegemony over this section of the Pacific that has many other regional claimants, including Taiwan, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and others.   While specific details were omitted, it is clear that strategic thinkers and planners are adjusting goals in light of China's rise to global leadership, economically and militarily.   It has been building up its naval forces to extend its reach eastward.   The building of air bases on disputed islands is clearly the most aggressive display of Beijing's intentions.
      The Covid-19 spread out of China has brought justified examination of all things Chinese.  While a serious situation, the sharp efforts by Beijing to control the virus has served to highlight just how willing the government is to exert control over provincial governments within its borders.  In Hong KOng, things are a bit different.  More about Hong Kong later.

Xi JP