Michael Pillsbury, senior fellow for China strategy at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News’ “Mornings With Maria” today that Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska is being targeted by China’s government due to his push to reopen the military base at Adak.
In recent weeks, Sullivan has been more vocal about the importance of the now-shuttered Adak Naval Base, which China may see as a challenge to its geopolitical and military ambitions.
The base, 1,220 miles from Anchorage and closer to Asia than mainland North America, was closed in 1997. Sullivan cites the need for it to be reopened to counter joint China-Russia naval operations and the continuing air incursions by Russia in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone.
Pillsbury, a leading authority on China, is the author of “The Hundred-Year Marathon: China’s Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower.” He was responding to questions about China’s reactions to increased tariffs announced by President Donald Trump, and he gave a pessimistic report on the deteriorating relationship between the super powers.
His remarks about Sullivan come at about the 8:35 minute mark in the interview here:
Pillsbury’s statement was part of a broader discussion about a statement from China’s Commerce Ministry that said China will take countermeasures against any country that makes trade deals with the United States.
As reported by Reuters, China has imposed sanctions on some members of Congress, government officials, and heads of non-governmental organization for their “egregious behavior on Hong Kong-related issues,” its foreign ministry said Monday.
“The sanctions are also on Dan Sullivan of Alaska,” Pillsbury said on Mornings with Maria.
“He wants to reopen Adak, the island, and make it into a really powerful base for our air forces against China, so they’re after him now. I notice the Chinese press picks out people it wants to demonize and Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Marine Corps retired colonel, he’s their new punching bag,” Pillsbury said.
Sullivan, in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing earlier this year, mentioned that a Chinese company, suspected of being linked to the People’s Liberation Army, approached the Aleut Corporation about leasing land on Adak. He said the company was “almost certainly a front for the PLA,” which would give China a strategic foothold on the island.
“After the President’s election, he actually put a statement out saying: ‘We will ensure Alaska gets increased defense investments as we fully rebuild our military, especially as Russia and China are making menacing moves in the North Pacific.’ That’s a quote from the commander in chief,” Sullivan said during that committee hearing, speaking to Admiral Samuel Paparo of INDOPACOM.
“I know I’ve raised this with you, but it’s a little bit of an issue just in terms of the urgency. As I mentioned, the State of Alaska, the Aleut Corporation—a great Alaska Native Corporation that owns the land there, and the U.S. Navy were in Adak a couple weeks ago doing a site assessment. They’re going to get that to us soon. The Aleut Corporation I’ve talked to. These are great patriotic Americans—Alaska Natives serve at higher rates in the military than any other ethnic group in the country. They would love to do a deal with the Navy, a 99-year lease or something like that. But you know who checks in with them once a year, Admiral, about leasing Adak?” Sullivan asked the admiral, who responded that he would have to guess it was not a friendly nation.
The answer is China.
“It’s a Chinese shipping company that is certainly, in my view, a front company for the PLA. How embarrassing would it be to the Pentagon or the Navy — these guys would never do it; the Aleut Corporation is all patriotic — but let’s assume they weren’t, and somehow they signed a 100-year lease with a Chinese shipping company that is always out there looking at Adak. Do you think that would be embarrassing for the U.S. Navy and the Pentagon?” Sullivan said to Paparo.
Sullivan has cited Chinese interest in Adak as part of his broader argument for reopening the base. In discussions with military leaders like Paparo and Gen. Gregory Guillot of NORTHCOM, he reminded them of China’s and Russia’s joint military operations near Alaska, including naval task forces in the Bering Sea and now-routine air incursions.
The US Navy is preparing a report on Adak reopening options, due in the coming weeks.
China is a Communist nation. Communists do not believe individuals possess rights that are greater than collective rights. What this means is individuals are sacrificed to the group when there is a perception of value obtained by the transaction. It is equivalent to a democracy where the mob rules. However, there are no mobs in a Communist nation. Sullivan is challenging the Borg. He will be assimilated. And it will be from within.
I am not a fan of Dan Sullivan because he is not doing anything or enough to “fix” the Anchorage VA Clinic and the myriad problems there. I never vote for him. But on this point, I believe the US should resurrect the former Navy base on Adak.
We don’t need China getting another foot in the door to take over Alaska, They already have Amazon
There is much speculation as to how much ‘influence’ the CCP has within America: buying up prime farm land, investing in sea ports, investing in popular social media platforms and so forth. It is also reasonable to assume the CCP are ‘influencing’ our elected officials to ‘see’ things their way. Notable is the Swalwell / Fang Fang romance- an American Congressman who just happens to be on the House Intelligence Committee with a known CCP operative. Far less dramatic ‘influencing’ by the CCP is surely happening throughout our government. Sadly there does not seem to be much concern about the CCP’s influence in our political affairs. This can be due to wide spread naivety or brazen corruption.
Senator Sullivan should be praised for sounding the alarm to take on the CCP’s desire to gain a foothold in Alaska. It certainly fits the ‘MO’ of the CCP to further their Arctic strategy. No doubt the Trump Administration will be taking it seriously.
But meanwhile our senior Senator famously spends her time trashing President Trump at every opportunity in a vain attempt to get noticed. TDS unleashed. What is really being noticed is the vapidness of her public statements and her inability to stand for issues that actually benefit Alaskans. Sadly, the senior Senator does not seem to have the intellectual wherewithal to understand the geopolitical threats Alaska faces from the CCP. Senator Sullivan clearly does.
Open it up! No need to discuss, make it a joint navy/marine base.