Timing in politics is rarely accidental. Certainly not on the international stage.

China’s massive arrests of pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong is no accident. It’s perfectly timed to be overshadowed by the protests in D.C. and, more significantly, by the Communist regime’s expectation that it won’t have President Trump to deal with anymore and can expect a smooth ride from Beijing Biden.

The crackdown isn’t coincidental. Neither is the message.

The People’s Republic of China is taking advantage of the chaos in this country, but it’s also building up to the larger crackdown in Hong Kong and against domestic and international dissidents, culminating in a possible invasion of Taiwan, if Biden takes office.

China has emerged from the pandemic stronger than ever while America and Europe, its biggest rivals and customers, have been weakened. And China is going to exploit that weakness to consolidate its One China vision. Hong Kong is all but done, and its obsession with Taiwan means that it may very well be next.

The Communist regime will push against India, Vietnam, and other countries, expanding its territory for more breathing room, though its biggest expansion plans will eventually take it into Russia. (For now, the PRC is content to lease the land that a declining Russian population can no longer properly make use of.)

China is betting on American irrelevance. That’s to say, it’s betting big on Biden.