Speaking to The Washington Times on the United States pulling out of Afghanistan, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserted that China has grown emboldened, particularly in advancing its Taiwan interests.
"Every world leader," said Pompeo, also a former CIA director, witnessed the "debacle" of the U.S. withdrawal and "saw an America that wasn't prepared to do the basic blocking and tackling, something that it was fully capable of doing to protect its people and its interests.
"When they see that — that absence of resolve — I think it increases the likelihood that Xi Jinping will make an aggressive attempt to do what he has long wanted to do, which is to bring Taiwan back inside of the Chinese orbit." Pompeo, who has alluded to a run for the 2024 presidency on the Republican ticket, added that "there is little doubt in my mind that Xi Jinping senses weakness from an American administration."
According to the New York Post, President Joe Biden and Xi are poised to meet in person in November.
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