Ret. Lt. Col. Oliver North told Newsmax that China is "watching every flub" made by President Joe Biden and his administration to see if it can move against Taiwan.
"[China is] watching every flub that's committed by this administration, not just by Joe himself, but by the staff, by the secretaries of state and defense, particularly by all the kinds of problems that we have in this country," North said during "Stinchfield" on Wednesday. "They're watching very, very, carefully, assessing whether they can go after Taiwan and continue to build their military bases on phony islands out in the South Pacific."
North said that while we appear to be in a cold war with China at the moment, it could turn into a "hot" war at any time.
North reacted to the reports on Wednesday that North Korea launched three missiles from the Sunan area in Pyongyang just hours after Biden left Asia following a trip to the region that included a visit to Seoul, South Korea.
"The missiles that were tested by North Korea would not exist, but for the help that they've gotten from the Russians, the Iranians, and, of course, the Chinese," North said. "They are actively engaging in a very, very, potentially hot war. It's still a cold war as [of] yet."
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that it was the 17th missile test made by North Korea, and it came just after Biden vowed to strengthen deterrence measures against North Korea for such actions.
One of the three launched missiles is suspected of being a longer-ranged intercontinental ballistic missile that was estimated to have flown 224 miles. A second missile reportedly "disintegrated" after about 12 miles. And the third was classified as a short-range missile.
According to the Times, both South Korea and the U.S. followed the tests with launches of their own land-to-land missiles of the east South Korean coast to show the "swift striking capability to deter further provocations from North Korea."
In April, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un said that he was prepared for a standoff with the west and the U.S. "for a long time" and vowed to continue his nuclear program "at the fastest possible speed," the Times report said.
China held military drills itself last month around Taiwan as U.S. lawmakers visited the island, which has not been formally occupied by Chinese troops and is supported by the U.S., Al Jazeera reported April 15.
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, there have been concerns that China could make a similar move against Taiwan.
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