"When all eyes are on Taiwan, China could strike elsewhere, possibly India," says Ex-US Marine intel officer

In a conversation with ANI, Newsham said that as Chinese President is into PLA rejigs, he might want to test them. For that matter, as the world looks at Taiwan with bated breath, Xi Jinping might choose to attack India instead.

"I hope somebody's ready for that. You know, years ago, a foreign reporter told me, this is back when foreign reporters were actually good, when the name meant something. And he said, you know, you should always look where everybody else isn't. And when all the focus is on Taiwan, and that's all the talk, and people are saying, well, we've got two years or 2027, or we have two weeks. But if you're focusing on that, well, you do well to look in other places as well," he said.

Newsham said that everything about Chinese PR is deceptive, and called upon the world to be alert, especially some place that is of interest to India.

"Everything about the PR of the Chinese and not just the Chinese communist system is deceptive. And it's part and parcel of how they operate. So while everyone's looking at Taiwan, expecting them to do a certain thing at roughly a certain time, well, I wouldn't be surprised to be surprised. And India is not a bad place to do that. It could be the Korean Peninsula, southern Japan, the Philippines. You can think of a few places," he said.

"But if you just think Taiwan and you get all greased up and everything's looking at that, well, you're setting yourself up. And that's where the smart people can catch their breath and step back and look elsewhere, see where they might go. And India has got to be on that list or someplace that is of great interest to India," Newsham added.

Newsham said that looking somewhere where the world isn't is the best advice to follow.

"And you'd have to do that. And I think that the US side, I think we're fortunate, and I'm not being nice, it's actually to have a country that is willing to look after itself. And we haven't had many of those that are. And I don't need to tell India what the China threat is. Although, like us, there's plenty of people in India who would tell you there is no threat. But that's certainly on the list. But don't look where everyone else isn't. Or how do I say it? Looking where everyone else isn't is the best approach. And its sort of common sense, but human nature is what it is. And we tend to get a fixation on whatever we think is going to happen and where. But it could be wrong," he said.

Newsham said that it is true that the Chinese have not fought a war for long, but they had a violent face-off with the Indian army in Galwan, Ladhak.

"I would also note, and it's an important thing because you hear it all the time, that while the Chinese haven't fought a war forever, a real war, or since maybe the Korean War, the Vietnam shoot-up, or gunning down some Vietnamese Marines and sailors on a standing knee-deep in water down in the Paracel Islands in the 80s. You had hand-to-hand combat with Indian troops. Oh, that's true. The Chinese came out on the short end of that. Yes. And probably on the much shorter end than was announced. And a war against India, of course. But you hear it. They're not a tested force," he said.

Newsham said that the Chinese continue to train rigorously and can their army could be called upon to launch any offensive.

"If you know what you're about, you train well, you can catch on to what needs done very quickly. So I tend to, I don't take much comfort in that fact that the Chinese military hasn't done, hasn't fought an actual war for a long time. And the Chinese themselves talk about the peace disease, which means that they haven't fought. But the military really only has to be good enough to do a certain thing at a certain place at a certain time," he said.

Earlier, a Pentagon report submitted to the US Congress has flagged China's claim over India's Arunachal Pradesh as part of its stated "core interests", underscoring Beijing's broader national strategy aimed at achieving the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" by 2049. (ANI)