Dear President Trump,

Over America’s exceptional history, successive generations have risen to the challenge of protecting and furthering our founding principles, and defeating existential threats to our liberties and those of our allies. Today, our generation is challenged to do the same by a virulent and increasingly dangerous threat to human freedoms – the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) through the nation it misrules:  the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

The Chinese Communists’ stated ambitions are antithetical to America’s strategic interests, and the PRC is increasingly taking actions that imperil the United States and our allies. The past forty years during which America pursued an open policy of “engagement” with the PRC have contributed materially to the incremental erosion of U.S. national security.

This cannot be permitted to continue.

China is not as we wish it to be. In our political system, politics is the norm, and war is the exception. It is explicitly the opposite in the PRC’s worldview. Going forward, we must better understand and deal with this dangerous asymmetry.

We the undersigned, are encouraged by the broad and coherent strategy of robust, alternative policies you have adopted to confront the PRC’s campaign to undermine the national interests of the United States and its allies. We encourage you to stay the course on your path of countering Communist China.

We acknowledge and support your robust National Security Strategy that properly sets forth why the United States must counter the PRC. Opposing the advance of tyranny is fully in keeping with the founding principles of America and our rich heritage of defending freedom and liberty, both at home and, where necessary, abroad.

We note the PRC does not recognize the principles and rules of the existing international order, which under a Pax Americana has enabled the greatest period of peace and global prosperity in mankind’s history. The PRC rejects this order both ideologically and in practice. China’s rulers openly proclaim and insist on a new set of rules to which other nations must conform, such as their efforts to dominate the East and South China Seas and the so-called “Belt and Road Initiative,” with its debt-trap diplomacy, designed to extend such hegemony worldwide. The only persistently defining principle of the CCP is the sustainment and expansion of its power.

Over the past forty years of Sino-American relations, many American foreign policy experts did not accurately assess the PRC’s intentions or attributed the CCP’s reprehensible conduct to the difficulties of governing a country of 1.3 billion people. American policymakers were told time and again by these adherents of the China-engagement school that the PRC would become a “responsible stakeholder” once a sufficient level of economic modernization was achieved. This did not happen and cannot so long as the CCP rules China.

The PRC routinely and systematically suppresses religious freedom and free speech, including the imprisonment of over one million citizens in Xinjiang and the growing suppression of Hong Kong’s autonomy. The PRC also routinely violates its obligations, as it does with the World Trade Organization, freedom of navigation and the protection of coral reefs in the South China Sea. Beijing then demands that its own people and the rest of the world accept their false narratives and justifications, demands aptly termed as “Orwellian nonsense.”

The PRC is not and never has been a peaceful regime. It uses economic and military force – what it calls its “comprehensive national power” – to bully and intimidate others. The PRC threatens to wage war against a free and democratically led Taiwan.

It is expanding its reach around the globe, co-opting our allies and other nations with the promise of economic gain, often with authoritarian capitalism posing as free commerce, corrupt business practices that go-unchecked, state-controlled entities posing as objective academic, scientific or media institutions and trade and development deals that lack reciprocity, transparency and sustainability. The CCP corrupts everything it touches.

This expansionism is not random or ephemeral. It is manifestly the unfolding of the CCP’s grand strategy. The Party’s ambitions have been given many names, most recently the “China Dream,” the “great rejuvenation” of China, or the “Community of Common Destiny.” The “Dream” envisioned by the Communist Party is a nightmare for the Chinese people and the rest of the world.

We firmly support the Chinese people, the vast majority of whom want to live peaceful lives.

But we do not support the Communist government of China, nor its control by the dangerous Xi Jinping clique. We welcome the measures you have taken to confront Xi’s government and selectively to decouple the U.S. economy from China’s insidious efforts to weaken it. No amount of U.S. diplomatic, economic, or military “engagement” will disrupt the CCP’s grand strategy.

If there is any sure guide to diplomatic success, it is that when America leads—other nations follow. If history has taught us anything it is that clarity and commitment of leadership in addressing existential threats, like from the PRC, will be followed by our allies when policy prescriptions such as yours become a reality. The PRC’s immediate strategy is to delay, stall, and otherwise wait out your presidency. Every effort must be made therefore to institutionalize now the policies and capabilities that can rebalance our economic relations with China, strengthen our alliances with like-minded democracies and ultimately to defeat the PRC’s global ambitions to suppress freedom and liberty.

 

Stay the Course!

 

Author of Letter

James E. Fanell

Captain, USN (Ret)

Former Director of Intelligence & Information Operations U.S. Pacific Fleet

 

List of USA Signatures (Alphabetically)

Willard     Anderson

 

Clarence Anthony

Lieutenant Colonel, USMC (Ret)

 

Rod Azama

Director The Chancellor Group

 

Bob Baker

Former US Army Intelligence Analyst

 

Tim Beard

Rear Admiral, USN (Ret)

 

Michael Bender

Commander, USN (Ret)

 

Kenneth Benway

Lieutenant Colonel, USA (Ret)

U.S. Army Special Forces

 

Paul Berkowitz

Former Staff Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee

 

Joseph Bosco

Retired Department of Defense

 

B.E. Bostwick Jr.

Senior Intelligence Officer, GS-15 (Ret) USPACOM

 

Christopher Brassard

President Ten Eyck Group

 

Robert Brodsky

Captain, USN (Ret)

 

Nick Buck

Captain, USN (Ret)

 

Naushard Cader

Board Member/Director

Center for War and Peace Studies

 

Roger Canfield

Author americong.com and VVFH.org

 

Kevin Carrico

Senior Lecturer

Monash University

 

Dennis Carroll

 

Gordon Chang

Writer

 

Edward Connelly

PhD Chinese, Australian National University

Independent Translator

 

David Connelly III

Captain, USN (Ret)

 

Henry F. Cooper

Ambassador, former Chief Defense & Space Negotiator with the Soviet Union, SDI Director

 

Anders Corr

PhD, Publisher Journal of Political Risk

 

Demetrius Cox

Lieutenant Commander, USN (Ret)

U.S. Pacific Fleet Veteran Intelligence Officer

 

Michael Craven

 

Kenneth deGraffenreid

Former Special Assistant to the President, Senior Director of Intelligence Programs, Ronald Reagan National Security Council

 

Chuck DeVore

Lieutenant Colonel, USAR (Ret)

California State Assemblyman, 2004-2010; Special Assistant for Foreign Affairs, Office of the Secretary of Defense, 1986-1988

 

Markham Dossett

Commander, USNR (ret)

 

June Teufel-Dreyer

Professor of Political Science University of Miami

 

Ian Easton

Research Fellow Project 2049 Institute

 

Robert D. Eldridge

President

The Eldridge Think Tank

 

Richard Fisher

 

Art Furtney

Major, USMC, (Ret)

 

Frank J. Gaffney

Vice Chairman Committee on the Present Danger: China

 

Samantha Gay

 

Kerry K. Gershaneck

Professor & Senior Research Associate Thammasat University Faculty of Law (CPG)

 

Bill Gertz

Author “Deceiving the Sky: Inside Communist China’s Drive for Global Supremacy”

 

Paul Giarra

Commander, U.S. Navy (Ret)

 

Chadwick Gore

Former Staff Director House Foreign Affairs Europe, Eurasia, Emerging Threats subcommittee

 

James Grundvig

Freelance Investigative Journalist

 

Ilango Gurusamy

Owner, Freedom on Wheels LLC and Propellant Software

 

Lianchao Han

Vice-President Citizen Power Initiatives for China

 

Heath Hansen

Specialist, USA (Ret)

Veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan

 

William Hawkins

President Hamilton Center for National Strategy

 

Donald Henry

Captain, USN, (Ret)

 

William C. Horn

Captain, USN (Ret)

 

Bradley Johnson

President Americans for Intelligence Reform

 

Frank Kelly

Captain, USN (Ret)

 

Miles Killoch

 

Roy Kirvan

PhD, U.S. Intelligence Community (Ret)

 

Ted Kresge

Lieutenant General, USAF (Ret)

Former Vice Commander U.S. Pacific Air Forces

 

Emil Levine

Captain, USNR, (Ret)

 

Steve Lewandowski

 

Ben Lowsen

China Strategist U.S. Air Force / Sawdey Solution Services, LLC

 

Holly Lynch

Democrat Candidate for NY’s 10th Congressional District

 

 

Tim Lyon

Captain, USN (Ret)

 

Victor Mair

Professor University of Pennsylvania

 

Rod Martin

Founder & CEO The Martin Organization, Inc.

 

Tidal W. McCoy

Former Acting Secretary of the U.S. Air Force

 

Thomas G. McInerney

Lieutenant General, USAF (Ret)

Assistant Vice Chief of Staff U.S. Air Force

 

Randy McSmith

Master Chief Petty Officer, USN (Ret)

 

John Mengel

Captain, USN (Ret)

 

Paul Midler

Author “What’s Wrong with China”

 

John Mills

Colonel, USAR (Ret)

Director (Ret) Cybersecuritry Policy, Strategy, and International Affairs

 

James Mishina

Lieutenant Colonel, USA (Ret)

U.S. Tax Payer

 

Wayne Morris

Colonel, USMC (Ret)

Numerous Military Veteran Associations

 

Steven Mosher

President Population Research Institute

 

Denis Muller

Lieutenant Colonel, USMC (Ret)

Merle Mulvaney

Lieutenant Colonel, USA (Ret)

Member, Red Star Rising

 

Charles “Chuck” Nash

Captain USN (Ret)

 

Jim Newman

Captain, USN (Ret)

JHU/APL

 

Grant Newsham

Colonel, USMCR (retired)

Visiting Scholar, National Chengchi University, Taiwan

 

 

Roscoe Nicholson II

International Consultant

 

Peter O’Brien

Captain, USN (Ret)

 

Edward O’Dowd

PhD & Colonel, USA, (Ret)

 

Kyle Olbert

Director of Operations East Turkistan National Awakening Movement

 

Don Oliphant

President

DWO Enterprises

 

Robert Oster

Private Investor

 

Rebeca Page

Publisher

SD Metro Magazine

 

Robert Page

Chairman/CEO REP Publishing, Inc.

 

Russ Penniman

Rear Admiral, USN (Ret)

Former Reserve Deputy Commander U.S. Pacific Fleet

 

Lawrence Peter

Lieutenant Commander, USN (Ret)

 

Peter Pry

Dr. & Director EMP Task Force

 

Robert Rector

 

Eric Reddig

U.S. Navy Veteran

 

J.R. Reddig

Captain, USN, (Ret)

 

Louis Riggio

 

Eric Rohrbach

 

Robert Rohrer

 

Gerard Roncolato

Captain, USN (Ret.)

 

Warren Henry Rothman

 

Robert Rubel

Captain, USN (Ret)

 

Mark Safranski

Publisher zenpundit.com

 

Michael Schauf

Captain USN (Ret)

Military Intelligence

 

Stuart Schippereit

Commander, USN (Ret)

Former naval intelligence analyst

 

Paul Schmehl

VVFH

 

Suzanne Scholte

President Defense Forum Foundation

 

Carl Schuster

Captain, USN (Ret)

Adjunct Faculty, Hawaii Pacific University

 

Dan Seesholtz

Captain, USN (Ret)

 

Lawrence Sellin

Colonel, USAR (Ret)

Iraq and Afghanistan veteran

 

William Sharp

Former Host, Asia in Review

 

Stephen Sherman

Director RADIX Foundation

 

J. Scott Shipman

Owner B.B. Hoss, Inc.

 

Joseph Smith

President (Ret) Parke-Davis Pharmaceuticals

 

Fred Smith

Captain, USN (Ret)

Lecturer, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

 

Peter Smith

Captain, USN (Ret)

Consultant

 

Pete Speer

Lieutenant Commander, USN (Ret)

Member, Red Star Rising

 

William A. Stanton

Former Director of the American Institute in Taiwan

 

Guy Stitt

CEO AMI International

 

Duane Stober

Captain, USNR, (Ret)

Former Reserve Intelligence Coordinator Area One

 

Mark Stokes

Executive Director Project 2049 Institute

 

Fred Stratton

Commander, USN (Ret)

 

Gary Stubblefield

Commander, USN (Ret)

 

John Tate

Commander, USN (Ret)

 

Bradley Thayer

Professor University of Texas San Antonio

Mark Tiernan

Captain, USNR (Ret)

 

John J. Tkacik

Director, Future Asia Project International Assessment and Strategy Center

 

Don Tse

Lead researcher SinoInsider

 

Paul Valleley

Major General, USA (Ret)

Chairman Stand Up America

 

John E. Vinson

Captain USN, (Ret)

 

Thomas Wade

 

Arthur Waldron

Lauder Professor of international Relations

University of Pennsylvania

 

Yana Way

Educator, Way Tutoring

 

Toshi Yoshihara

PhD, Author “Red Star Over the Pacific”

 

James Zumwalt

Lieutenant Colonel, USMC (Ret)

 

Jennifer Zeng

 

Foreign Signatures

Terence Russell

Senior Scholar University of Manitoba

Canada

 

Doris Liu

Independent documentary journalist

Canada

 

Jianli Yang

Founder & President Citizen Power Initiatives for China

China

 

Elena Bernini

CEO Oxford Omnia International

Italy

 

Satoshi Nishihata

Washington Bureau Chief The Liberty, Happy Science USA

Japan

 

Larry Ong

Senior analyst SinoInsider

Singapore

 

Chu-cheng Ming

Senior researcher SinoInsider

Taiwan