I'm John that's with my colleague Mary Kistel, Executive Vice President Stevens Incorporated,

former Senior Advisor of the Secretary of State marries my guide in the State Department's many, many

chambers, many decisions make.

I sometimes think of it as a Harry Potter castle in some fashion.

Old Wizards have been there for decades and they know how to get things done if you can

find them and if you have the right spell.

Mary, we turn now to China. China is an enemy of the United States

and its allies. China is bullying the Philippines so much so that the Philippine

Coast Guard vessel that was on station and was rammed recently now had to withdraw because of

dehydration out of supplies. There was a man who was injured on board.

They were treated, I'm told in the atmosphere of having dozens of Chinese Coast Guard vessels surround them at this moment in the South China Sea called a shoal.

It's bullying is what it is, and the Philippines

doesn't have the resources to go up against

the overwhelming odds of China.

Where is the US Navy? Where is the Biden administration?

Am I asking the wrong question, Mary, because I was told we have a mutual

defense pack. Nothing could look more like an attack than ramming a Coast Guard vessel.

That's right. It is an attack and it's a test not just of Manila, but as my former colleague, Miles U, has pointed out very eloqu eloquently it's a test to the United

States because of the mutual defense treaty. It's a direct test of what we're

going to do and the way that the White House has reacted has been to try to

conciliate. For instance we have another delegation, US delegation, going to

Beijing this week from the Treasury Department.

...