Free Two Peasants and a President by Frederick Aldrich Page B

decision that can be made: deny everything.  We deny it.  China denies it.  Larimer denies it.  There’s not a damn shred of proof out there that we don’t control.  That leaves Baines hanging in the wind with a preposterous, unfounded rumor.  And once we’ve tied our little necktie around his neck, his credibility will crumble and he’ll look like just another lecherous loose cannon.”
    The first lady looked at the president as if to say: ‘You got any better ideas?’
    “I’m starting to see a certain beauty in all this,” said the president.  “We destroy Baines’ credibility and the Chinese owe us for a change.  With us holding their dirty little secret, they have no choice but to continue buying our Treasuries .  Tell numb nuts, our beloved press secretary, what he’s going to need to say in his briefing.”
    “Don’t you think you should to address this personally?” s aid the first lady.
    “No, I do not!” replied the president, tiring of her interference.  “My involvement would just add credence in the minds of some.  It’s got to look like this whole thing is so preposterous that the president wouldn’t stoop to even speak about it.”

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    Embassy of the People’s Republic of China – Washington , DC
     
    Call volume since the sinking of the Philippine warship had been higher than Ambassador Li could remember.   The switchboard was ove r whelmed and, as was the embassy’s policy, it was simply shut down and a recording activated.  Those whom the embassy felt important enough had alternate numbers to use.
    The Philippine government was pressing the UN for an emergency meeting of the Security Council.  Beijing not only repeated its official pos i tion that only warning shots were fired, but then it doubled down:  ‘China, having been the victim of repeated warlike acts in the South China Sea, over which it enjoys indisputable sovereignty, reserves the right to sink any foreign vessel entering Chinese waters without its permission,’ stated the official announcement from the Foreign Ministry. 
    It was a stunning announcement, equivalent to Iran threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz but with far more power backing it up.  While Iran was well aware that it would ultimately lose any confrontation with the United States Navy, China evidently now felt itself in a position to back up those words. 
    To those who had been following the rise of Chinese military power, this was hardly a surprise; rather it was an inflection point in a plan that China had been implementing for many years.   Some had felt that it would be several years before China would feel confident enough to make such a bold move, but experienced China hands understood that at some point it would become inevitable.  Few remembered the prescient words of Deng Xiaoping, the man largely responsible for China’s rise as an economic powerhouse: “Hide your strength, bide your time.” 
    Ambassador Li assumed that his government was not sharing all the details of the incident with him; it seldom did.  But he was well aware that US-China relations had just entered a dangerous new phase.  What had been notably absent in the Chinese declaration was any pretense of diplomatic language.  It was a clear threat, a line which China now dared the United States to cross. 
    It was approximately 6:00 pm when there was a knock on the door of the ambassador’s office.  As his aide entered, the ambassador noticed the DVD in his hand.
    “Yes, what is it?” he said crisply.
    “Sorry to bother you, Mr. Ambassador, but I believe you will want to watch this,” replied the aide. 
    “The familiar voice and visage of the CBC News anchor once again greeted the ambassador.   He had watched her broadcasts many times, some with amusement, occasionally with concern, but this time he had the feeling that there would be nothing amusing in her words.  He was not proven wrong. By the time her report had concluded, the