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Putin and Xi Peng has made some HUGE decisions, and the “leadership” in the West are very, very worried. This is the best summary of the current state of Geo-political affairs; United States centered, that describes what is going on and why. It’s amazing in its simplicity and depth of understanding. Andrei has outdone himself here.
I discovered this video via email. Which read…
This is one of the more powerful presentations I have seen. I commented as follows:
Andre, many of us who have watched helplessly as all these crimes have been committed IN OUR NAME, would feel --as Martin Luther King said--the Arc of Justice is long,-- relieved of the karmic burden.
When all these people are finally held accountable, after decades (centuries?) of horror they perpetrated. I am sure that many Germans felt the same way after WWII.
https://youtu.be/JbNVIbAgJ1Q
Putin raises hackles when he talks about genocide in relation to the Donbass crisis.
It’s a very great video, and it covers some points that are omitted by the American “news” media, and overlooked by alternative media, and he ties it all together, thus effectively painting a picture of what the China-Russian alliance end-game actually is.
Watch it on you-tube. Click to open up in a new tab.
Think about what he has to say.
I think that many, many MM readers will easily see how the reported articles in “New Beginnings” are all tied together. After watching this video, this is how I actually feel…
New changes, and new alignments.
But that’s just me.
It’s not that I am not happy about it. In fact, I see this future as long in coming. And, as you all are aware, welcome it. But still, like a serious drunk psychopath driving a bus-load of children on a twisty and turny highway going as fast as they can; the American “leadership” are going to hurt a lot of good, kind, and just Americans.
I lament that.
And thus, the shocking reality, and the slap in the face of what is coming down the pipe for everyone involved will not be pleasant. Such as this…
Lament for America.
It’s a good summary of what is going on and why certain words were used.
But even though, you have strengths.
Never forget that. The crazy drunk psychopaths are driving the car left and right on and off the road, but you don’t need to grab the steering wheel. You can buckle up your seatbelt. You can tell the driver to pull over so that you can vomit, and then once he does, you run for the hills.
There are many things that you can do.
You are not helpless.
Find an ally. Someone like you. Don’t try to deal with the changes all alone.
Find an ally. Someone like you.
There’s this big plan, and it is unfolding. Sit tight. Conduct your basic strategies to ride out this period of turmoil, and most especially if you are in the West….
Have a skill that you can use in your community.
Have a larder and supplies.
Network in your community. Be known.
Be kind, helpful and a Rufus.
Conduct prayer affirmation campaigns.
Make sure that you have a formal Fate Forecast prepared for you and follow it.
Center your mind with Hemi-Sync.
You will be just fine.
Remember; do not be alone. There is strength in numbers.
Do not be alone.
Do you want more?
You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.
Instead of splitting Russia from China, the U.S. has unintentionally done its best to push them into a deeper alliance. It was the most severe strategic error the U.S. could make.-b
I just received a comment from a reader that said that I was “butt hurt” and hated the United States. Well, maybe I am, but I don’t hate the USA.
Instead, I simply tried to explain that I just see the bigger picture and I don’t like what I am seeing.
What I am seeing is all the makings for World War III, and the American citizenry are all actively participating in it.
Like zombies. Just going ahead allowing the rot to get worse, letting the buildings fall down, and reelecting the psychopathic to boss them into submission.
So I am going to create a parable.
It’s the parable of the three houses.
The Three Houses
Once up a time there were three houses in a town. They were all well known throughout the town as they were the biggest and largest homes in the community.
Oh, certainly there were many homes in the town. Nearly 200. But most of the homes were much smaller and inconsequential. Some were opulent, like Frans. Some were poor like little Bang A Desh. Some were complex like the house of Mex, and some were trying to fix things up like Zimmy Bob’s.
The biggest of the three was owned by a big, burly, bearded man who went by the name “Big Russ”. He was a big lumberjack and had this enormous bear for a pet.
The other two homes were roughly the same size, but one had many more children. That home was always lively and active. The kids were always playing and talking, laughing and singing.
That home was owned by a very short, quiet man named “Mr. Lee”. He was a quiet, studious man, who always spoke soft and gently. His hobby was making things, and he was always welcoming others to trade with him. When he wasn’t making things, he was always practicing his martial arts in the peace of his backyard garden.
And the last of the homes was one that sat on top of the biggest hill in the town. It was perhaps the richest of all the homes. Everyone, for years, would look up at the home and want to live there. As it was a truly exceptional home; a mansion really.
That home was owned by a man whom everyone called “Uncle Sam”.
Some History
Now, Uncle Sam, being so tall, strong and incredibly handsome, usually got his way in everything that he did. For years, he has been able to strut around the town without confrontation.
He was so accustomed to getting a “free pass” in everything that he did that he started to brazenly offend the rest of the good townspeople.
He would go inside the other homes, raid their refrigerators, take things that he wanted and sleep with the daughters. No one liked that behavior (with a few exceptions), but no one was able to do anything about it.
And over the years, being so accustomed to being the biggest and baddest person in the town, “Uncle Sam” started to believe that it was the natural order of things. He started to believe that he was able to do this because “God favored him, his lifestyle, and his arrogance”.
He believed that he was the exception to all the rules.
He believed that he could define the rules for all the other houses in the community to obey, and that he would have his own rules; his own “exceptions”.
He started to tell this to everyone.
“I am exceptional” he said.
“I have a big shining house on the hill,” he said.
The other two big houses
Now, Uncle Sam had, from time to time, visited the homes of both Big Russ and Mr. Lee. But, he wasn’t ever welcomed, and over the years they have been getting rather antagonized, and infuriated with his actions and activities.
Realizing that, Uncle Sam pretty much stayed away from those two big homes.
Instead, he preferred to frequent the smaller homes in the less affluent section of the town. This included the homes on Mid-East Avenue, and South-Am Road.
As well as all the homes of the Stan Clan.Uncle Sam has really been active there.
Which included him having to be forcefully removed from both Aff Gan, and Kaz Is’s homes.
But, that doesn’t mean that he didn’t want to go visit Big Russ and Mr. Lee from time to time. But the thing is, that when he visited, his table manners were atrocious. His body odor was foul, and his behaviors were rude and distasteful.
What ever he once was, what he is today is something different. Today, he’s a wife beater, a child molester, an alcoholic drunkard, who has a passion for shoplifting, petty crimes, and rape. When he’s not practicing arson, getting into drunk brawls, or taking “a dump” in other’s yards, he’s out having sex with their dogs.
No one really wants to have much to do with him, because as everyone knows, once you let him in your life you won’t ever be able to get rid of him.
As of late…
The children of Uncle Sam has been busy raising all sorts of ruckus. And what’s more, they have been all over the town doing so.
Mr. Lee complained about it.
He told Uncle Sam to take his children, and get out of his backyard. He told him to get off his front porch. He told him to stop peeking into his windows. He told him to stop sabotaging his car, pouring salt in his garden, and pulling up his tulips. He told him to get his dogs and chain them up. He no longer wanted to hear them barking day and night, digging up his bushes, and having his children race around and around the home in loud muffler-less motorcycles.
Big Russ complained about it as well.
He told Uncle Sam to get off his porch, stay out of his backyard. He told him that he no longer wanted those children to set fires to the neighboring yards, stealing the lawn ornaments, and playing their rock-and-roll music at all hours of the day and night.
Uncle Sam heard both of their complaints.
He thought about them.
And said “no”.
The reactions…
Well, Big Russ told Uncle Sam that there would be repercussions. But, took no overt and obvious action.
He sent his children out (in secret) to the yard of Uncle Sam. Then, he sat back and smiled. No firecrackers. No noise-makers. No barking dogs. No loud motorcycles. No. Those children all silently, and sternly, went off to the house armed with dangerously lethal ten-gage shotguns.
No “fun and games”.
And Mr. Lee, always kind and quiet, smiled and sat on his porch with an 8-gage shotgun (which, is a very large gun, don’t you know).
His children, and were told to stay in the house and practice their martial arts, cleaning their long-guns, and reading up on the book “the art of war”.
But Uncle Sam, seemingly an idiot, doubled down.
“Do as I say” he roared!
“You WILL obey me! You will listen to me, and you will pay homage and tribute to me!”
And he sent his children, and his toadies over to the house of Mr. Lee. And, now, almost all of his children are going around and around the house of Mr. Lee. They are revving their engines and making as much noise as they can possibly create. Poor Mr. Lee is really getting “rattled up” with his windows shaking, and the dishes falling on the floor. His tulips all decimated, and his gates town and broken.
And, well Uncle Sam has also started to send his other remaining children to camp out on the porch of Big Russ. There they are lighting campfires on the “welcome mat” and tossing firecrackers at all hours of the day and night. Giggling, sticking out their tongues and making rude sounds and laughing.
It was noisy for years.
Really years.
And then Mr. Lee and Big Russ held a party.
It was a big party and it was held in the dead of Winter. Everyone was invited except Uncle Sam and his “toadies”.
And at the meeting, they announced that the entire town cannot grow and live in peace as long as there is a big bully in town, and that all of the townspeople must gather together and start committing to their promises, agreements, and rules. And that they would take the lead.
Everyone in the party agreed. The welcomed the inclusiveness of it, and their equal participation in it. And of course, they too hated the rude behaviors and the bullying behaviors of Uncle Sam.
The entire town rejoiced in a defined, sensible plan for dealing with the town bully and his toadies.
Now, let me ask the reader a question…
Looking at the big picture…
What action should Uncle Sam take to defuse a tense, potentially catastrophic event train?
I would suggest, sending his kids back home. Paddling them until their butts are red and sore, and selling off all those motorcycles, barking dogs, and firecrackers.
Then apologizing in public to the community.
If you were Big Russ, what action do you think you should take?
Would it be against the children on the porch; a continuous game of "whack a mole", or would it be against Uncle Sam himself?
If you were Mr. Lee, what action do you think you should take?
Would you wait until more children arrive and get louder and badder? Or would you lay down systems to disable those motorcycles? Or would you burn down the gas stations, so the motorcycles couldn't get any more gas?
Do you think that making an announcement at that party was a goo thing to do?
Words without action are meaningless. This is a solid framework that requires tasking. Is the rest of the town up to handle the challenge?
And that is how things are.
And MM here is just trying NOT to pick sides so much as I just want the entire town to live together in peace and harmony.
I live in the house with Mr. Lee. It’s a pleasant, peaceful, kind and calm place. I want to keep it that way. Don’t you?
Please, please make the best of what you have RIGHT NOW. Maybe there are evil psychopathic people, idiots and nasty malcontents. But you are in control of your bubble of reality. You can affect your own life.
You can make the world a better place. Please do so.
Do you really spend enough time with those that you love? Do you have a family that spends happy and sad times together? Is your life rich with pets, friends and savory food?
Spend time with family, friends, or just have fun…
Likten to me.
I know it’s so easy to get caught up with work, needs, goals, objectives and all the rest. I, too, spend a lot of my time scrubbing dog shit off the floor, changing baby diapers, and fielding calls at midnight to Salesmen in Canada and the United States, but you all must start spending more “quality time” (such an overused expression)… more “fun time”.
Play a video game in full immersive simulation. video 6.3MB
You do know that the technology is really advanced in China these days. Like this. Video 2MB
We must be more than ourselves…
Yeah. Having fun is what relaxes us and adds the taste and spice to our lives. It’s really important, and terribly underutilized. Instead, it has been replaced by media, and social networking. I think that we should always look at the bigger picture.
Like what?
Food.
Tasty long cooking food (not the fast food). Delicious. Food. Like your grandmother used to make. Food. Like baked fish, city chicken, scalloped potatoes, corned beef and cabbage and Beef Stroganoff. Food. Stuff that are difficult to get in restaurants. Stuff that your wife and family members can experiment with and make signature dishes that feed and nurture.
And then relax.
Chat over the food. Talk about your day. About her day. About your friends. About what needs to be done. About hope. Dreams. Plans.
Conversation.
Not television.
Don’t wait for others to make it happen. It’s YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. Act in control of YOUR life. Stop waiting for others to do things… to agree on things… to endless debate things. Just do it.
You be the guiding light.
You.
YOU.
Start carving out a place in the table of life, and YOU start inviting others to share in your little piece of Heaven.
GOod friends. Good family. Good food and drink.
You start it. You make it happen.
Beef Stroganoff.
It will happen.
So will a nice, safe, secure home. Cozy, warm. Dry. Tastefully decorated. Your wife is in charge of everything domestic.
She’s the boss.
Like on an aircraft carrier. There is a Captain, and then there is the XO. She’s the Executive Officer, and you are the Captain. Be the Captain; steer that ship to a fine safe harbor and prosper there.
I’m giving you all the keys, don’t you know.
You will get, also, because of your lower stress and improved organization, a group of friends where you BELONG. You will get participation in life. Pets. A cat or two. Maybe a dog.
You will be invited places. You will have good walks. Good times. Great conversation, and people who make special occasions becuse…
…well…
…because (insert lame excuse here).
You will get other things as well.
A hobby. A pleasure or two.
And care about our surroundings.
Watch out for the kids, and the pets that run in front of us from time to time.
Visit historical places. Enjoy the day on the beach or a snowy mountain hike. Play with your pets, or friends. Just start getting engaged in discussions about all sorts of interesting and curious things.
Sit on the porch with an inviting porch light on. Invite neighbors over for a game of checkers, or cards. Have beer available, or iced tea.
Please know that you can make your life in a real paradise on the earth.
You really can. You just have to manufacture it.
You run your prayer affirmation campaigns and implement them in accordance to your fate forecasts. You follow the guidelines on being a Rufus, and participating in the community.
You get your home life in order. You divide responsibilities. Stop trying to run the whole world and carry it on your shoulders. Stop that egotistical nonsense.
Share the responsibilities.
The wife is in charge of all finances and all domestic, you (if you are a man) are in charge of earning money and fixing things. You earn it. She spends it. It’s the natural order of things.
You give her all the money you make, and she hands back a living allowance. Things are much calmer and better that way.
No worries.
I tell you (men) that once you do this, you will forever never have to worry about food, bills, or disputes EVER again. She will take care of everything. You won’t have those worries. Never again.
You will eat WELL. Really, really well. You will have a larder, and a freezer full of premade meals, and canned goods.
Your stress level will go WAY down. There is nothing like daily meals of good fine delicious food, good conversation and an evening of winding down in cool soft relaxation.
And you will be able to focus on your job.
And your life will really start to look like this…
You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.
In the first 100 days of the Biden Presidency, the international world awaited to see how the new administration would handle itself. Many remained hopeful. Certainly Mr. Biden, a seasoned diplomat, and a member of the “dove” (political) party would soften the anti-China attacks, and reach-out to China and the world. The Alaska meeting, would thus lay out a foundation of what the international community would be able to expect in United States and China affairs in the next few years.
This is what China was expecting…
"We hope that through the dialogue, the two sides can focus on cooperation, manage differences and promote the healthy and stable development of China-U.S. relations in accordance with the spirit of the conversation between the two heads of state."
And the actual meeting was stunning.
It really was.
When the meeting opened up, the American “negotiation” team came out with fists slinging making all sorts of demands. No time for pleasantries. The American team immediately began telling China how to handle it’s internal domestic matters, manage it’s territories, and govern it’s cities. It told them that it must obey the “US-Led rule of law” instead of UN conventions. It did not offer help, assistance, or propose ideas of joint cooperation. The opening statements made by the American delegation were a long list of demands, complaints, and accusations.
Then after that first volley was fired, A delegation member added…
“Of course, we only want peace, no one wants war”.
Which in "bully speak" is actually translated as...
"Obey our demands or we will plummet you into a bloody pulp".
Then when it was time for the Chinese to respond, they politely told the American delegation to go to Hell.
When the Chinese delegation arrived in Alaska, their hearts were chilled by the biting cold, but even more by the reception from their American hosts. Blinken and his State Department may felt quite proud of their efforts to isolate and embarrass China ahead of the meeting in Anchorage.
But after facing insult after insult, the Chinese delegation stood up and said "No!" to Western condescension and bullying.
The U.S. had better get used to it.
-CGTN
American reporting
Of course, the United States media is a little confused by this. The Conservative Hard-Right and neocon websites are all so proud that “America is staying tough on China”, and the mainstream media is reporting that the meeting did not go well, but that is expected as the Chinese were so demanding…
Here’s a pro-America article that is accusing China of being arrogant. When the obvious arrogance comes from the United States.
No lunch. Cold instant noodles for lunch.
Demanding China allow American NGO’s in Xinjiang.
Demanding that the US dictate how Hong Kong be governed.
Demanding how China handles it’s state of Taiwan.
Demanding how China handles it’s state of Tibet.
Demanding how, who, and what China does on the international scene.
While the title is spot-on, the content must have been written before the meeting. It seemed like some kind of “boiler plate” text, and did not match up with the title nor the actual events which transpired.
The article is certainly pro-America with statements such as…
“They (the Chinese) came to dictate.
China’s arrogant and insecure leaders are at their most dangerous.
Deterrence is failing.
Biden’s most urgent task is to reestablish it.”
Which is nonsense.
China told them to FUCK OFF and mind their own business. China follows the International rule of law as determined by the UN, not the biggest thug on the block. And that they were aghast at the rudeness, the arrogance, and the sheer demanding tone set forth by the American delegation.
This article was so brief and devoid of facts, I have more characters on my mail box address than the content of this “article“.
Here’s some links to more American based articles all parroting the idea that the negotiations were “contentious and rocky”. All the articles in the American media parrot this predetermined narrative…
It’s not just this, but this same week Biden directly insulted the President of Russia a “Killer”. And thus, within the span of one week, the United States has collectively and intentionally insulted the two other major nations. This does not bode well.
I can tell you that the rest of the world is actually horrified, and if you read what they have to say, you will get a better idea about what is actually going on. Lord help us.
Comments from the rest of the world
These comments are very insightful.
They provide a vision of how America is viewed in the world today, and what people (outside of the American media echo chamber) think. If for anything else, it will give you, the MM reader, and idea of the size and scope of the monster that America has turned into.
Here’s the comments…
The Chinese emphasis on most of the world rejecting a US-directed 'rules-based order' ...
...instead of honoring the UN Charter and settled international law ...
...is of supreme importance and must be re-emphasized ad nauseum.
What a bunch of amateurish megalomaniac idiots.
It was an exhibition of a total lack of tact, self-perception, decency or any equilibrium.
The Chinese's confident offensive resulted in a rapid emotional dive from a state of megalomaniac bravado to shaky self-confidence.
In comparison they made even Trump look like a cultivated gentleman.
To translate from Orwellian Western Newspeak to English:
'Rules-based order' means
'Our rules for you,
that we don't have to follow,
and can change anytime we like.'
'International order' means
'Western-ruled-world order.'
'International community' means
the US-led Western community and vassal states.
(The Western media spouts this all the time.)
'Rules-based' is the modern day incarnation of Americans/British throwing around the phrase 'treaty', 'treaty-based' in colonial days.
Different words, same con.
And of course the Chinese have a few things to say…
Such as
From surrendering to Western powers in 1901, to telling the US in 2021 it doesn't have the qualification to speak to China “from a position of strength”
China needs to convey in a language that US understands.
Straight Forward, Up to the Point, Right at their Faces.
The construct of their brains cannot understand any other ways, Least Not the Diplomatic 'Soft' & Amicable Styles of Communications.
They perceive those to be Weak.
And then we have more Western comments…
USA provided a transcript of both US Govt & China Govt speakers.
I thought this a little unusual, as foreign miminstries like to publish their own transcripts so that they control the authentic translation of their words, free from the opposing parties editing or mis-translation.
"cutthroat competition" may be an arguably alternative translation of "strangle" in the China readout "those who seek to strangle China will suffer in the end."
I was waiting for the China verbatim translation to check the fidelity of the USA translation.
https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjdt_665385/wshd_665389/t1862641.shtmlhttps://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjdt_665385/wshd_665389/t1862643.shtml
But there is only an unquoted report, which is the meeting, but without quotation marks to distinguish between the authors voice and the Officials voice.
Verbatim would be better.
Maybe the USA had reciprocal concerns about the verbatim accuracy of the China transcript.
But its on video anyway, so???
Posted by: powerandpeople | Mar 19 2021 19:37 utc | 7
Toothless sabre rattling is about all the USA has left.
A bunch of old men with a world view from the 1950s whose own virility is long gone is not going to come to an epiphany about their encroaching impotence. The Establishment has no other choice, absent common sense and critical thinking, but to double-down on arrogant self-righteousness bred by sophomoric jingoism that defines 'shallow.'
Empire is crumbling before our eyes. The question is will it take the rest of the world with it as it falls into its own footprint.
Footage of China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi lashing out at U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Anchorage, Alaska, was played repeatedly by China’s state-backed media at home.
“China has Chinese-style democracy,” Yang said, not mincing words in his first encounter with the U.S. President Joe Biden’s team.
“Many people within the United States actually have little confidence in the democracy of the United States, and they have various views regarding the government of the United States.”
The Communist Party Politburo member assailed the U.S., feeding fiery words to the news corps of both countries.
And I really love this next comment. It pretty much sums up my thinking…
Perhaps one of the more predictable mistakes the US will commit next, is misinterpret the stern warnings of the past few days by Russia, China and even NK, as evidence the new Biden/Blinken regime is less feared or respected than the Trump/Pompeo one.
I suspect a more accurate interpretation would be...
"ok, you had the crazy guy for 4 years and we cut you some slack, hoping once the grown ups were back we could reason as adults, but if you're gonna carry on with the same attitude, basically, Democrat or Republican, you can all summarily go fuck yourselves".
Particularly at the end of the term, the Obama regime was already being met by a very hostile China and Russia, well before Trump took over with his less than diplomatic style (or lack thereof). Anyone recall the airport security debacle with China during Obama's last weeks?
Which compares the Alaskan meeting of 2021 with the meeting of 1901 which allowed the Western nations to rape, pillage, and destroy China for decades. Perhaps this picture might be a better illustration…
And FOX news reported on the event
It was of course very pro-America. Leading to this comment…
How our interaction w/China was reported FOX did a full throated, fake narrative just to suit their pro-Trump agenda. When they quoted, 'you cannot talk to us from a position of strength' they made is sound like the Chinese were scoffing at Blinken's weakness rather than his moral turpitude. They made it sound like Blinken surrendering to his Chinese overlords, squandering the strong hand the Trump gave him.
In FOX land, all that matters is that you come up with a great sounding argument. The truthfulness of that arguments is not relevant.
Posted by: Christian J. Chuba | Mar 19 2021 19:55 utc | 14
This is how things look to the rest of the world…
The USA's situation is very dire indeed. The Americans are resorting more and more to "Hail Mary" moves to keep their hegemonic position.
And even then they're blundering.
I would not be surprised at all if they start to straight out have to falsify diplomatic transcripts in order to try to create something favorable to them.
Related to US-China tensions, if anyone likes documentary shows, CNA (Channel News Asia, a broadcaster out of Singapore) has a good four-part documentary released in January 2021 called "When Titans Clash", about the US-China trade/tech tensions, that I would recommend. (I watched the first two yesterday and will watch the other two this weekend.)
Each of the 4 parts is about 48 minutes long and available for watching on YouTube and CNA's website too.
When Titans Clash - part 1 of 4 - Pride & Shame - The Roots of US-China Tensions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL2gBUxblO8
When Titans Clash - part 2 of 4 - The Real Losers of the US-China Trade War
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mYrWYSTW28
When Titans Clash - part 3 of 4 - A US-China Tech War - The True Costs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8XnLW26bmg
When Titans Clash - part 4 of 4 - US or China - Will Southeast Asia Have to Pick a Side
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ8A5jiGICM
Touches on some of the things ak74 mentioned in his comment on the other thread: outsourcing, deindustrialization, the US dollar as reserve currency, etc.
It's from Pearl Forss who was also involved in CNA's 2015-2019 series "The New Silk Road", about China's BRI, that I can recommend as well.
Posted by: Canadian Cents | Mar 19 2021 20:07 utc | 19
And Scott Addams has a thing to say…
And from Northern Europe…
The world appreciates that Russia and China give the US Regime a sublime verbal spanking.
Blinken is Secretary of State for USA, head of the US State Department.
He mentioned in his nomination hearing, & makes allusion in this meeting with China, to a genocide in Xinjiang.
Foreign Affairs magazine article reports US State Department legal office saying they have no evidence for a genocide in Xinjiang.
Is Blinken in touch with his department?
Posted by: dave constable | Mar 19 2021 20:22 utc | 27
same deal as @ 26 dave constable notes too... accusing others of genocide when you have been the main merchant of death on the planet the past 40 or more years doesn't stand.. if anyone is the killer here it is the usa, so the irony isn't lost on everyone..
In my opinion, the Chinese representatives gave a good answer to the American side, although this answer will obviously not be heard.
The Americans have completely lost the culture of negotiation. If there are no elementary human manners, then what kind of agreements can we talk about?
A sad picture. And dangerous. A madman with nuclear weapons (and chemical weapons, by the way) is not the best option for a reliable negotiating partner.
b Posted:
“The alternative to a rules-based order is a world in which might makes right and winner takes all and that would be a far more violent and unstable world,” Blinken said.
The 'rules based order' means 'do what we say' and is of course unacceptable. Here is how the Chinese replied:
What China and the international community follow or uphold is the United Nations-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law, not what is advocated by a small number of countries of the so-called “rules-based” international order.
Say it to uncle Sam. Say it every time they meet. The bankruptcy of the "rules based order" gang of five or six is a failure.
For all its appalling faults the UN and established international courts are the place to go. Suck it up uncle Sam.
Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 19 2021 20:59 utc | 35
And from my email
I am so happy 😊 China tell the oppressor to piss off.
Attached short video with English translation: China tell US you are not qualify to tell us you want to talk to us with strength. 20 to 30 years ago, you already not qualify…
“The alternative to a rules-based order is a world in which might makes right and winner takes all and that would be a far more violent and unstable world,” Blinken said.
LOL.
You really have to wonder if the Americans believe their own bullshit about their hollowed "Rules Based International Order"?
The violent and unstable world is ALREADY here thanks to ... this very same American "Rules" Based Order.
Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Serbia, Somalia--these are just a few of the countries America has either invaded, bombed, or supported moderate jihadi Head-Choppers against to destabilize in the past generation.
Two decades of US “war on terror” responsible for displacing at least 37 million people and killing up to 12 million
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/09/09/cost-s09.html?view=print
This is interesting.
Apparently both the Russians and the Chinese have concluded that Biden intends to use "CornPop" faux-macho posturing as his foreign policy, and they have both decided that "fuck that, let's nip this in the bud".
Because it looks like they have decided they have had a gut-full of US "exceptionalism" and are quite determined to say so.
To anyone, but especially to the Americans.
Going to be a lot of very confused people at Foggy Bottom. They may never have experienced this degree of contempt before.
Posted by: Yeah, Right | Mar 19 2021 22:08 utc | 46
I about fell on the floor when I read Blinken's words, my first thought being "this klutz has zero knowledge of history since 1588 and just admitted as much.
In China, Blinken would never achieve any position of power.
The decadence of the Outlaw US Empire's government is like so many prions turning brain tissue into a swiss-cheese-like mass and then boasting about how finely tuned are its cognitive abilities. And when Harris is installed, we'll have a genuine novice in charge--The Blind leading the Blind.
It's no wonder the Chinese sought an audience with Lavrov ASAP.
Yes. The meeting went so bad that the already tight China-Russia relationship was strengthened. I am sure that certain actions, policies and activities were on hold pending he result of these “talks”. But the American actions were so appalling that China and Russia have decided that more forceful means of persuasion are necessary.
Contrived moulded whatever the case I leave this excerpt. I feel it hits the head.
Here's what journalist Joe Bageant wrote in 2007:
Much of the ongoing battle for America's soul is about healing the souls of these Americans and rousing them from the stupefying glut of commodity and spectacle.
It is about making sure that they—and we—refuse to accept torture as the act of "heroes" and babies deformed by depleted uranium as the "price of freedom."
Caught up in the great self-referential hologram of imperial America, force-fed goods and hubris like fattened steers, working people like World Championship Wrestling and Confederate flags and flat-screen televisions and the idea of an American empire.
("American Empire! I like the sound of that!" they think to themselves, without even the slightest idea what it means historically.)
"The people" doing our hardest work and fighting our wars are not altruistic and probably never were.
They don't give a rat's bunghole about the world's poor or the planet or animals or anything else. Not really.
"The people" like cheap gas.
They like chasing post-Thanksgiving Day Christmas sales.
And if fascism comes, they will like that too if the cost of gas isn't too high and Comcast comes through with a twenty-four-hour NFL channel.
That is the American hologram.
That is the peculiar illusion we live within, the illusion that holds us together, makes us alike, yet tells each of us we are unique.
And it will remain in force until the whole shiteree comes down around our heads.
Working people do not deny reality.
They create it from the depths of their perverse ignorance, even as the so-called left speaks in non sequiturs and wonders why it cannot gain any political traction.
Meanwhile, for the people, it is football and NASCAR and a republic free from married queers and trigger locks on guns.
That's what they voted for—an armed and moral republic.
And that's what we get when we stand by and watch the humanity get hammered out of our fellow citizens, letting them be worked cheap and farmed like a human crop for profit.
Genuine moral values have jack to do with politics.
But in an obsessively religious nation, values remain the most effective smoke screen for larceny by the rich and hatred and fear by the rest.
What Christians and so many quiet, ordinary Americans were voting for in the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004 was fear of human beings culturally unlike themselves, particularly gays and lesbians and Muslims and other non-Christians.
That's why in eleven states Republicans got constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage on the ballot.
In nine of them the bill passed easily.
It was always about fearing and, in the worst cases, hating "the other."
Being a southerner, I have hated in my lifetime.
I can remember schoolyard discussions of supposed "nigger knifing" of white boys at night and such.
And like most people over fifty, it shows in my face, because by that age we have the faces we deserve.
Likewise I have seen hate in others and know it when I see it.
I am seeing more of it now than ever before in my lifetime, which is saying something considering that I grew up down here during the Jim Crow era.
Fanned and nurtured by neoconservative elements, the hate is every bit equal to the kind I saw in my people during those violent years.
Irrational. Deeply rooted. Based on inchoate fears.
The fear is particularly prevalent in the middle and upper-middle classes here, the very ones most openly vehement about being against using the words nigger and fuck.
They are what passes for educated people in a place like Winchester.
You can smell their fear.
Fear of losing their advantages and money.
Fear there won't be enough time to grab and stash enough geet to keep themselves and their offspring in Chardonnay and farting through silk for the next fifty years.
So they keep the lie machinery and the smoke generators cranking full blast as long as possible, hoping to elect another one of their own kind to the White House—Democratic or Republican, it doesn't matter so long as they keep the scam going.
The Laurita Barrs speak in knowing, authoritative tones, and the inwardly fearful house painter and single-mom forklift driver listen and nod.
Why take a chance on voting for a party that would let homos be scout masters?
(Dear Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War, chapter 2)
Well, the US is obviously in a deep crisis: riots all over the place, the southern border is a mess, and the government even needs the national guard to protect itself from the people.
Under the circumstances, one should expect the establishment to act hysterically. It's just a symptom.
Posted by: Mao Cheng Ji | Mar 19 2021 22:32 utc | 53
The madness of the Outlaw Empire is not about to shrink from bringing down the curtain on the human race, if that's what it takes to see their power of command obeyed.
The US, as it is today, doesn't respect any nation's sovereignty and is mostly indifferent to allies and foes alike.
The regime considers itself the only sovereign worthy of such title on earth; and expects to be allowed to run the table at its pleasure, or else it will supervise the burning down of the house.
Biden meanders about, not even possessed of his right mind, holding on to the delusions and lies of several presidents who lately came before him; and he is just the man to keep all the fires of destruction burning, while the torture of innocence is unceasing, and as the arrogant demands made against other countries become more absurd. What else is more obvious?
These are the things we have seen foreshadowed before and after 9/11.
As long ago as the 80s Reagan was told about the reality of nuclear winter.
In A Man Without a Country, Kurt Vonnegut described how scientists explained to G.W. Bush that a nuclear exchange of even a moderate duration and size, could still depopulate the earth of most of its people.
The Bush Administration, toying with the idea of deploying baby nukes, for strategic exigency, short of total war, went with "guesswork" rather than prudent scientific advice.
It was their best guess that the circumspect, abbreviated use of nukes wouldn't destroy humanity itself, or cause ice age conditions, or bring about global starvation.
Re Sadde @3 "What a bunch of amateurish megalomaniac idiots. It was an exhibition of a total lack of tact, self-perception, decency or any equilibrium."
Seems like just the other day I was reading the same description about Pompeo lol. And yet somehow this is much worse, as we have a clearly demented, recently installed "president" who can't make it up a flight of stairs or give a press conference, who has the nuclear football following him around 24/.7.
Been nice knowing y'all.
Well Russia has been very seriously preparing for total war for some years now, and China too has caught that drift and begun to do the same.
By comparison, the US is ready for aggravation, but nothing beyond that.
The US has no capability for war.
How then, for the free nations of the world to defeat the US?
One could surmise that the best way would be to force the US to accept defeat.
Iran already showed the way.
The lesson is not that hard to understand, although the tactics are obviously more complex.
Who will punch the bully?
Because we all know that this is what causes the bully to slink away, and to behave a little better.
It begins with words, because that's what the US likes to fight with, treating then merely as weapons, treating them with contempt.
And now words of contempt itself, as Yeah Right @45 points out, are being driven forward like a moving wall against the US.
First come the words. Next will come...
...whatever will come, but it is a certainty that the Russia/China team has every contingency war-gamed.
As Piotr Berman points out in the previous thread, the US neurotic dynamic is to escalate blindly until it achieves control.
This is the dynamic that must be defeated.
Obviously, this will involve situations in which the US has nothing left to escalate with (situations that don't allow the nuke specter)...
...at which point, the US has to slink away - under cover of words of bluster, to be sure, to salve the ego, but slink away even so.
And a few more of these lessons of defeat will re-train that ego, over time, lessons carefully administered, and all watched over by armies of loving grace.
Blenkin and co just got thoroughly washed in a Chinese laundry, washed clean dried and starched, ready to put on their fully cleaned washed self's for taste of some Russian pastries.
Soon after on the coming Iranian 13th day of the new year (thirteenth out) they can go for an Iranian picnic for taste of gourmet delicious Persian soup (Ash).
I really enjoyed the Chinese exchange with shining city on hill guys, Happy Iranian new year and New century (1400) to you all, MOA and b.
Suffice it to say, I love the Chinese (and they highly cultured ways etc) when they talk and act like this to the barbarians aka the Americans.
Everything the Chinese FM said was correct, and spot on.
Blinken and Bush are as boorish and rude, perhaps even more condescending than Pompeo and Trump - But it is hard to choose between the lesser of two American evils
Posted by: michaelj72 | Mar 19 2021 23:14 utc | 60
The editors at Strategic-Culturesee it this way:
"In a desperate bid to thwart the strategic partnership between Russia and Europe, Washington is resorting to ever-more frantic threats of sanctions and other disruptive measures.
Biden is playing the personal insult card in a gambit for blowing up bilateral relations with Russia as a way to sabotage Nord Stream 2.
"It’s a pathetic move, one that actually speaks more of America’s historic enfeeblement rather than pretensions of power. Russia would do well to stay calm and let the Americans make fools of themselves."
It seems Russia's doing just that--attending to the vital business of developing its nation and peoples. Russia's geared for numerous patriotic celebrations throughout the year, and Biden's comments were made on the eve of Crimean reunification with Russia, which only served to cement Russians closer and hold Putin in even greater esteem. Talk about an Own Goal!
Outlaw US Empire Nord Stream policy is close to being the same as literally torpedoing it, making it an act of war against the EU and Russia. Somehow, I don't think Blinken understands that fundamental fact.
The fact that Blinken has to read what he supposedly thinks, compared with the Chinese representatives and diplomats like Lavrov, Zakarov, and even Putin who know their thoughts without someone else writing their script.
Same as all the MSM. They all appear to get their news sent to them in writing and maybe a few fluff up the news but they know what the agenda is.
So in just a matter of weeks, the US just antagonized both Russia and China.
This seems a surprise to me, US is getting very bold, I thought they would be more active but subversive, but this is just straight up insulting your opponents.
I'm in the middle of Armstrong's essay and am at the first reference to Kagan's vision:
"What should that role be? Benevolent global hegemony. Having defeated the 'evil empire,' the United States enjoys strategic and ideological predominance. The first objective of U.S. foreign policy should be to preserve and enhance that predominance by strengthening America’s security, supporting its friends, advancing its interests, and standing up for its principles around the world.'
It's absolutely clear that Kagan has no clue as to the reality of what is actually the objective of the Neoliberal Parasites running the Outlaw US Empire; for aside from "advancing its interests," the Parasites have zero motivation to do any of that.
As their sole ambition/goal is to vacuum up all the wealth they can and leave a shell just as they planned and failed with Russia, but have succeeded elsewhere.
And as for principles, the reality is it has none, nor does it have any friends, just vassals and victims.
This analogy by Armstrong's excellent:
"The U.S. is sitting on a dragon and it daren’t get off or the dragon will kill it. But because it can’t kill the dragon, it must sit on it forever: no escape. And dragon’s eggs are hatching out all around: think how much bigger the Russian, Chinese and Iranian dragons are today than they were a quarter-century ago when Kagan & Co so confidently started PNAC; think how bigger they’ll be in another....
"But the more sanctions, the stronger Russia gets: as an analogy, think of sanctions on Russia as similar to the over-use of antibiotics – Russia is becoming immune."
And tying it all up is this excellent summation:
"Has there ever been a subject on which people have been so wrong for so long as Russia? How many times have they said Putin’s finished? Remember when cheese was going to bring him down? Always a terminal economic crisis. A year ago they were sure COVID would do it. A U.S. general is in Ukraine and Kiev’s heavy weapons are moving east but, no, it’s Putin who, for ego reasons – and his “failing” economy – wants the war. Why do they keep doing it? Well, it’s easy money – Putin (did we tell you he was in the KGB?) wants to expand Russia and rule forever; therefore, he’s about to invade somebody. He doesn’t, no problem, our timely warning scared him off; we’ll change the date and regurgitate it next year. In the meantime his despotic rule trembles because of some-triviality-of-the-moment. These pieces write themselves: the anti-Russia business is the easiest scam ever. And there’s the difficulty of admitting you’re wrong: how can somebody like Kagan, such a triumphantasiser back then, admit that it’s all turned to dust and worse, turned to dust because they took his advice? Much better to press on – it’s not as if anybody in the lügenpresse will call him out or deny him space. Finally, these people are locked in psychological projection: because they can only envisage military expansion, they assume the other guy is equally obsessed and so they must expand to counter his expansion. They suspect everybody of suspecting them. Their hostility sees hostility everywhere. Their belligerence finds belligerence. The hyperpower is forever compelled to respond to lesser powers. They look outside, see themselves and fear; in their mental universe the USA is arrogantly strong and fearfully weak at the same time."The Walking Dead is finally becoming a metaphor for the Outlaw US Empire, its policies, and what it terms values--which aren't values but vices. But TWD was fiction and was thus capable of reforming itself. The Empire's goals and polices are essentially the same as in 1940 and even further back to 1913, and haven't changed very much, being just as illegal and immoral then as now. What's different are the "Dragons" which didn't exist in 1918 or 1944, and the Parasites have almost total control that's finally seeing domestic pushback.
Here's Sputnik's initial report on the Alaska meet. Not much reference to commerce. Here's an excerpt:
"Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who accompanied Yang to the talks, told CGTN that their side had made clear to the Americans that China takes its sovereignty very seriously and warned them not to 'underestimate China's determination to defend its territory, to defend its people, and maintain its righteous interests.'
"Washington has criticized China's security policies in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, where Western-backed separatist forces have created chronic unrest, as well as its longstanding claim to rule Taiwan, an autonomous island ruled by the Republic of China that lost the civil war in mainland China in 1949, when the socialist People's Republic of China was formed.
The US technically recognizes Beijing's claim to be the sole legitimate representative of China, but in reality is the primary backer of the Taiwanese government.
Beijing says all of these are internal matters and not of Washington's concern."
Very little's reported of the Outlaw US Empire's response. This little bit doesn't bode well:
"US State Department officials noted they did not see the Alaska summit as the beginning of a new mechanism or dialogue."
I see that as a confession that they aren't agreement capable since they can't even continue a dialogue.
i've been a reader of moa for quite a few years now, but never contributed to the forum. mostly because after a while i found what i wanted to say anyway, and why pile on?
i really enjoy the civility of the forum, and it's internationality.
And of course b's insights. as a german myself I share many points of view with him in matters i have knowledge in, or think that i do. for example i think that trump sure might be seen as a desaster by many, but it was a gift to europe, and germany in particular, because he openend the eyes of many, many people here who for decades thought murrica is our friend, our big brother, who will always protect us from the evil of the world - namely communism, russia and lately china.
a majority of the people here, as well as in the rest of the so called "western world" have been brainwashed for about 7 decades to think that way, even when america committed the most obvious, heinous, horrible crimes against humanity and our civilization as a whole. there was always a spin, "human rights", "democracy", "free trade" and so on, values that had to be "defended" - when in reality it was always an offensive aggression or even a "pre-emptive strike".
people just swallowed what the media fed them and went on with their daily chores.
trump changed that, suddenly the ugly side of the empire became visible, and i will always be grateful for that. because now it cannot be hidden anymore.
it wasn't just the unruly behaviour of a "new rich" and uneducated bully who accidentally became president. politically, the general attitude was always the same, trump only worded it much more obvious, making it harder for politicians and media to spin.
that's why our politicians and media (for the most part fed by trans-atlantic "think tanks") hated him almost more than americans themselves - he made their lies obvious and transparent.
if it wasn't so sad, it sometimes was almost funny to see them squirm, having to explain why our friend and protector suddenly became so selfish and hostile.
All of them welcomed of course the new harris administration, being so progressive, just and friendly again - only to witness a change of paradigm they probably didn't even think trump was capable of, or willing to: i think in later years, this week will mark the "official" beginning of the new cold war era.
This behaviour against Russia and China was not a slap, but a punch in the face and will NEVER be forgiven nor forgotten.
The only question for europe is: does it finally have the balls to emancipate and stand up against the bully? or will it submit and become a collateral damage of it's downfall?
in form of a nuclear wasteland maybe? i think that nord stream II is a turning point.
if Germany caves in here, there's little hope to get rid of the leash for it and the whole of Europe. if it stands tall, Europe might become a buffer instead of a frontline. knowing and seeing our politicians, i'd say it doesn't look good.
@Posted by: Grieved | Mar 19 2021 23:05 utc | 55:
...., the US neurotic dynamic is to escalate blindly until it achieves control. This is the dynamic that must be defeated.
Yes that's problem all right, but can you ever defeat that dynamic given that the gorilla owns 10,000 nukes and has no moral qualms whatsoever of using them? Until a near perfect anti-nuke defense system is developed I surmise the world would just have to live with, and get used to, the juvenile antics of King Kong because it has stated time and again it would escalate all the way up to using its nukes, because that's what they are for according to a former Sec. of State.
I'm a pessimist on this issue. I'm afraid we'll just have to endure and live with a wild beast for a while to come.
Posted by: Oriental Voice | Mar 20 2021 0:35 utc | 76
The Alaska talks have ended and the Global Times Editor writes:
"China and the US are two major world powers. No matter how many disputes they have, the two countries should not impulsively break their relations. Coexistence and cooperation are the only options for China and the US. Whether we like it or not, the two countries should learn to patiently explore mutual compromises and pursue strategic win-win cooperation." [My Emphasis]
The big question: Does the Outlaw US Empire possess enough wisdom to act in that manner.
Russia is a classical construct with more than 1000 years of history and culture. These are part and parcel of what Russia is and who her people are....
The USA on the other hand, has never coalesced into a cultural entity.... Most of US culture was created by advertizers during the post WWII period..... The rock & roll generation... hippies.... etc.
A state based upon a covenant between itself and God... mediated by orthodox christianity... is totally foreign to Steve and most US denizens...
But it exists.... Ditto for China... now 5000 years young.... the embodiment of confucianism... meritocracy...
All foreign to Steve and Blinken and Biden....
INDY
so here is the white house press briefing for today on this thread topic - Department Press Briefing – March 19, 2021
here is the segment on china-usa meeting.. interestingly our prime minister trudeau mention the issue of the 2 michaels held in china and the phrase something to the effect "china must adhere to the 'rule based law' b.s. was at the top of his words in the radio when i was in the car earlier..
"QUESTION: (Inaudible) Alaska, if you’re able to talk about that. Obviously, there’s been a lot of reporting since yesterday about how sort of tense the initial encounter was. And there’s been discussions of – I think both sides have accused the other of breaking protocol in those initial exchanges. But I wonder if – does the State Department – based on the tone of that first meeting, does that give you any concern for the future of the relationship with China and the possibility of reaching some agreements or getting some achievables out of these meetings? Thank you.
MS PORTER: Thank you for your question, Simon, and just as a response to that, of course, as you know, Secretary Blinken and NSA Sullivan had their first meetings with Director Yang Jiechi and State Councilor Wang Yi, and of course, are in sessions this morning. And these were serious discussions. Again, I’ll just reiterate something that NSA Sullivan said. And of course, to your point about it, the – being contentious or not, again, we – he said we don’t see conflict, but of course, welcome stiff competition.
Again, this was a single meeting, and again, we know that sometimes these diplomatic presentations can be exaggerated or maybe even aimed at a domestic audience, but we’re not letting the theatrics from the other side stop us from doing what we were intending to do in Alaska, which is lay out our principles as well as our expectations and have these tough conversations early that we need to have with the PRC.
Let’s go to the line of Edward Keenan.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) of the Alaska meetings, the two Michaels, Kovrig and – the two Canadian Michaels who are being held as political prisoners in China, widely perceived as leverage against the United States, who are going to trial now as these meetings take place. Secretary Blinken and President Biden expressed their desire to see those two Michaels released when they met with the Canadian prime minister recently. I wonder to what extent those cases are up for discussion in Alaska right now, and if so, like, to what extent and how?
MS PORTER: Well, let me start off by saying that the United States continues to publicly call on the PRC to end the arbitrary and unacceptable detentions of the Canadians citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig. And again, the United States is deeply concerned by the PRC’s decision to hold a closed-court hearing with the Canadian citizens. Obviously, no one from – no diplomat from Canada or the U.S. were involved in that. And we’re also deeply alarmed by a report that the PRC will commence the trial of Canadian citizen Michael Kovrig on March 22nd and we renew our call for PRC authorities to attend this trial.
We’ll always just reiterate that we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Canada in calling for their immediate release, and we also continue to condemn their lack of minimum procedural protections during their two-year arbitrary detention."
The Americans have completely lost the culture of negotiation. If there are no elementary human manners, then what kind of agreements can we talk about? A sad picture. And dangerous. A madman with nuclear weapons (and chemical weapons, by the way) is not the best option for a reliable negotiating partner.
alaff | Mar 19 2021 20:44 utc | 32:
And Bio-weapons.
I suspect Blinken/Sullivan/Biden need to show that they are "tough" to the Chinese in public because otherwise, they will be roasted by the 78 millions Trump supporters for being "weak" to China compared with Trump. Behind the close door, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi characterized the talks to be NOT "very tense." I believe Biden actually is quite keen to get some "achievements" from the Chinese side, probably not realistically in this meeting, but hopefully in the near future.
Ha, but the weather is cold, the hotel is shoddy, and the Chinese delegate had to have instant noodle for lunch - that sounds like a very low budget “Hongmen Banquet” by the Americans. Maybe they are still waiting for their 1.9 trillion stimulus check?
trump changed that, suddenly the ugly side of the empire became visible
I've heard this about Trump a lot, but I've always wondered why Trump was the ultimate catalyst for this epiphany. You would think that the Iraq War should have been that watershed moment, or even Libya (and perhaps they were for many, like me). I suppose from the perspective of inter-imperialist relations in the first world, a lack of decorum of the level of Trump's is more anomalous and egregious than the imposition of death and destruction of people in the global south.
Mr. Id
Truly dreadful but very likely true portrait of America and not only the South; of which not much has remained after the mass migrations from the North in these past 40 years.
My personal observations have been consistent with your in the interior of the United States, the Judeo-Christians have become meaner and more bigoted and more racist. They are aggressive with an in-your-face attitude. They hate, and they hate Catholics, Muslims, and especially Iranians.
A wealthy preacher was recently asked why always flew in a private jet. He answered that he saw so much hatred on the face of fellow passengers that he could no longer endure it. Others laughed at him, but I believed him.
The late Carl Gustav Jung once observed that he knew World War II was coming because he could see Wotan in every German.
As I wrote to Mr. Kooshy, America could have been the Love of all nations of the world, their second home. But the leaders of Judeo-Christian, such as the late John Hay or the late Theodore Roosvelt, went after Imperial America chimera and their folksy plebs after Second Coming and Palestine. This project of 150 years has now failed.
I think that the presidency of Mr. Trump revealed the ugly side of the United States; suddenly the gilded papier marche of America, carefully created by the best propaganda techniques over 70 years, was shredded and USA was revealed to be a country just like so many others.
It is up to American people, Judeo-Christians as well as others, to address the deep deep social problems of the United States.
Rape camps in Yugo, rape camps in Libya, rape camps in Xinjiang.....Somebody sure have certain fetishism for sex and violence.
One from the archive,
That 'humanitarian intervention in Sudan'
Indeed, the Darfur crisis is following a pattern which is so well-worn now that it has almost become routine. Saturation reporting from a crisis region; emergency calls for help broadcast on the electronic media (such as the one recently on the BBC Radio 4 flagship ‘Today’ programme); televised pictures of refugees; lurid stories of “mass rapes”, which are surely designed to titillate as much to provoke outrage; reproachful evocations of the Rwandan genocide; demands that something must be done (”How can we stand idly by?”, etc.); editorials in the Daily Telegraph calling for a return to the days of Rudyard Kipling's benevolent imperialism[6]; and, finally, the announcement that plans are indeed being drawn up for an intervention.
……………..
Intervention will allow Western forces to control an oil rich region, and perhaps to expel the present holders of concessions. The fact that the biggest of these is China, and that America’s other foreign adventures also seem to have as their goal the control of energy supplies to that strategic rival, only adds further piquancy to what is, otherwise, an all too banal case of modern imperialistic meddling.
Many great observations tonight, but all, beg the question; How do we change a nation state that has so thoroughly morphed into an advertising and marketing phony, aided and abetted by so many deluded morons?
I don’t know if the title will match up with the content. I cannot access the content here. But the truth remains everyone should have humility when entering in diplomatic negotiations. Arrogance has no place there.
.
And this…
All this nonsense about Xinjiang is being exposed for what it actually is… a convenient fiction.
.
And this…
Of course, the USA “media” will translate this as arrogance. But what is China supposed to do after a seven minute tirade demanding China to do certain things or else experience a hot war…
.
And he is correct.
On the global scene, America is the weak nation.
And this…
Yeah, after the terrible behavior of the United States “diplomats” we have a major “pile on” against America…
…the American narrative is that the BRI is bad and will result in a “debt trap”. So says the 20 trillion dollar debt nation.
.
Roderrick
Here’s a post from Roderick…
US took to Alaska the same attitude as it has had for 250 years.
That must change.
We imposed democracy and capitalism on other nations, only to learn that many cultures simply could not find those a successful replacement for what they had for centuries. Even following the USSR, people wanted the old ways back, feeling their safety net had been taken from them and billionaire oligarchs had looted state assets.
We have corrupted democracy and capitalism, both have become ugly in the rebellion and corruption that have permeated our nation like cancer. Consequently we no longer have anything worthwhile to ‘sell’ or impose.
But more importantly, our self-assigned charter as the world policeman, only creating more problems by every war since WWII, has created a world that reviles us, indeed more and more nations view us as their enemy, even as they are getting stronger by the day.
Humility rather than hubris. That is the only means for America to survive long-term. Get along, stop invading, stop threatening, stop harming other nations economically. If we cannot change, a global coalition will finally have had enough of their increasingly common enemy.
And within China…
Well the response to the Alaskan negotiations and the arrogance of the American delegation was quick. Already there are tee-shirts, and iPhone cases being made.
And here’s some more pictures. It’s all over China, now.
Was asked by Maria Siow at #scmp for his take on the Alaska meetings. His responses:
Genuine frustration and posturing by both sides... both countries have compelling reasons to improve relations... We won’t see a lot of movement on more contentious issues in in the next few weeks, but the groundwork will be laid in this meeting, quietly, for resolving the trade war, drawing clearer lines on tech competition, and a mutual understanding if not respect for each others redlines... Don’t be too distracted by the tough talk. China’s two top foreign policy officials wouldn’t be in Alaska if positive prospects were unlikely. They don’t walk into traps.
Biden appears to have confirmed what many already suspected: that Allies have some key concerns with China, all hope the US can help resolve these and provide security guarantees, but none want to see relations worsen or follow Washington into an aggressive containment strategy. I’m optimistic that we’ll see tensions relax on multiple fronts, but it will depend in part on whether Washington will better discipline itself on Taiwan and likewise better discipline Taiwan, as was often the case before Trump, and whether Beijing will find an acceptable way forward through this as well. Taiwan is really the stickiest issue to work through.
China pretty much stated that the USA has no say what so ever on how China deals with it’s domestic issues, and to FUCK OFF regarding them. If the USA pushes on these issues they will cross a “red line” which is very dangerous…
China will not change it’s government structure.
The U.S. brags about its democracy, even though its policy is most frequently dictated by the bureaucrats and the bureaucratic system. Congress struggles with basic tasks such as keeping the government funded and running. The U.S. is in a new gilded age, where selling digital kittens for millions of dollars is mistaken for innovation. Its politics are stalemated, its institutions are brittle, and its wealth is funneled to a small circle of elites.
-CGTN
Stop demanding that China adopt the American way of governance. American government, and leadership is an abject failure. It is insanity to expect a prosperous, growing, and successful nation to adopt the failed policies that characterize America.
In the statement, the Chinese side emphasized that the ruling position of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is a choice of history and the people's choice, and the development of China is inseparable from CPC's leadership.
The ruling position of the CPC and the security of the system is "an intangible red line" and "must not be compromised," the statement highlighted.
It added that the socialist system with Chinese characteristics is the system most in line with China's national conditions and the "code" for China's development, and stated that China's development goal is to achieve the "two centenary" goals and the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through hard work.
And this translation from the Chinese is most certainly a “bitch slap”…
China's reply to US at Alaska meeting:
You have your type of democracy. we have our type of democracy.
We lifted millions if not all of our population out of poverty. You created millions of unemployed and homeless.
We controlled and eradicated Covid. You let Covid devastate you.
Your infrastructures are at least 30 to 40 years old.
We build and provide cheap and affordable housing for the people. You build houses but the economic situation that you are in now resulted in more foreclosures (people giving up) than people buying.
We don't have homeless people sleeping in the street. You have plenty sleeping all over the place.
Our people have sufficient good food to eat. You too have food but the people have no money to buy food and have to rely on Govt Food stamps to pay for their food.
We have very little crime rate. You have one of the highest crime rate in the world which keeps your police very busy.
We have affordable health insurance and health care. Your health care is so out of reach such that the average household could not afford to fall sick.
Our people are united behind us. Your people are divided behind you.
Our democratic systems are quite different. Ours can deliver the goods. Yours make you indebted.
Why must you make us follow your way of running the country?
China’s human rights, not an excuse for interference
Using the excuse of “human rights” has long been the methodology for interference in the affairs of other nations. China will not allow it, nor tolerate it.
"China will not impose its democratic system and values on other countries, while firmly safeguarding its own political system and values, and opposes accusing and discrediting China and interfering in China's internal affairs under the guise of human rights issues," according to the statement.
China also pointed out that it has no intention to interfere in America's political system or to challenge and replace U.S. position and its influence. It called on the U.S. side to properly view China's political system, its development path, national strategies as well as its influence worldwide.
Commitment to independent foreign policy of peace
Both America and China said that they were committed to “peace”. But how and when they said it differed.
The American delegation produced a long line of demands on China’s internal affairs, and followed up with the demand that China obey “the US-Led rule-of-law” instead of the UN charter. Then immediately afterwards, said “of course the US is committed to peace and wants to avoid war”.
China stated…
In the statement, the Chinese side reiterated that its commitment to an independent foreign policy of peace, insist on independence, uphold peaceful development, uphold win-win cooperation, uphold multilateralism, uphold fairness and justice, and continue to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind
"We firmly defend national sovereignty and national dignity, and we firmly oppose other countries' accusations on China's internal affairs," it claimed, reiterating that China adheres to the path of peaceful development.
Support for ‘true multilateralism’
America wants to ignore the UN. Instead it has a “US-Led Rule-of-law” that they expect China to obey.
China and the world follows the dictates of the UN. America wants to have a US-Led “rules-based” order upon the rules that the United States make. This is not acceptable to China, (and Russia).
China also highlighted multilateralism in the statement by regarding it as an "important cornerstone of the current international system."
According to China, true multilateralism should adhere to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, respect the basic norms of international relations, respect the sovereignty of all countries in the world, respect the diversity of civilizations, and work for the democratization of international relations.
"We are willing to work with the United States to maintain true multilateralism in the multilateral mechanism such as the United Nations and provide the international community with more and better international public products," said the statement.
China, U.S. need cooperation not confrontation
America came into the negotiations on a strategy of “zero sum”, meaning do things as I dictate, or face the consequences. While China was looking forward to a “win – win” outcome.
Regarding relationship between China and the U.S., the Chinese side stated that the essence of Sino-U.S. relations is mutual benefit and win-win, rather than a zero-sum game.
"Neither China nor the United States can bear the consequences of conflict and confrontation," the statement warned, calling on the two sides to "trust each other instead of suspicion, understand each other instead of accusing each other, and cooperate with each other instead of dismantling, so as to ensure that both sides focus on handling their domestic priorities and achieving their respective development goals."
The statement stressed that China's policy on U.S., with a high degree of stability and continuity, is committed to "achieving non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation with the U.S."
It called on the two sides to keep communication channels open, resume normal dialogue and exchange mechanisms, carry out mutually beneficial cooperation, so as to properly manage differences, and avoid misunderstandings and misjudgments.
No compromise on Taiwan question
This is a major “red line” and will result in military conflict if it is crossed.
Calling the Taiwan question core to China's interests and a matter of China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, China reiterated that there is no compromise in this regard.
No rights to interfere in China’s Hong Kong affairs
How can one engage in cooperation for example, if America is obsessed with interfering in China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity?
Sure the U.S. has its "principles" - but this must be done in a fair, pragmatic and reconciliatory way as opposed to, for example, whipping up unrest in Hong Kong, clinging onto the "genocide" rhetoric on Xinjiang, or promoting tensions in the Taiwan Straits.
How China conducts its internal policies is its business, nobody else's.
-CGTN
This is a major “red line” and will result in military conflict if it is crossed.
Regarding the recent decisions made by China's top legislature, the National People's Congress, on the improvement of electoral system in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the Chinese delegation said the U.S. should respect the decision and follow the international law and basic norms of international relations.
"It is the central government's task to improve the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. How to design, develop and improve the electoral system is China's internal affairs. No foreign government, organization or individual has the right to interfere," read the statement.
‘Xinjiang genocide’ claim: ‘Biggest lie of the century’
America needs to interrupt the BRI. And key to that is Xinjiang. China says that this lie of “concentration camps” and ‘Genocide” is simply not true and must end. But it will not. America is planning on military intervention into the Chinese territory and are moving forces in Afghanistan concurrently.
China also dismissed the claim that there is genocide in China's Xinjiang, calling it "the biggest lie of the century."
The delegation said the door of Xinjiang is wide open to the world. It welcomed exchanges with the U.S. side on the basis of mutual respect while stressed that China will not accept any investigation in Xinjiang based on the presumption of guilt by those who are biased, condescending and want to lecture China.
It is hoped that the U.S. side can respect facts, call off attacks against and smearing of China's Xinjiang policy, and abandon double standards on anti-terrorism, it added.
Tibet ‘part of China,’ ‘Dalai Lama has long engaged in anti-China separatist activities’
Again. This is a major “red line” and will result in military conflict if it is crossed.
China also pointed out that the 14th Dalai Lama is a political exile who has long engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion.
"It is hoped that the U.S. will abide by its commitment to recognize Tibet as part of China and not support 'Tibet independence,' handle Tibet-related issues carefully and properly, lift sanctions on relevant Chinese officials, and stop using Tibet-related issues to interfere in China's internal affairs," it stated.
It's a strange truth that during the two-day sit-down, the director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi did just that. They wasted no time in highlighting the importance of "mutual respect" and the avoidance of harmful extremes in addressing bilateral relations and structural disparities.
Perhaps the Chinese diplomats did not want to be disrespected and misunderstood. But they soon found out their U.S. counterparts, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, were from another universe with their own brands of isolation. They seemed out of touch with reality to acknowledge the existence of differences, and to find the safety of the middle ground to resolve them amicably, rather than go for the imbalance of the extremes in the hope to validate America's shell games in East Asia and the Western Pacific.
The senior American diplomats walked into the meeting ostensibly from a position of self-righteousness and strength, absolutely unprepared and reluctant to drop the interventionist claims and instincts, to discuss the delicate process of resetting the pivotal relationship, and to compartmentalize and contain the structural differences.
From this perspective, the downfall of their hopeless quest to enforce their interventionist worldview in the testy exchange is found in this...
...in the wrong message that China ought to be confronted and contained, and that accommodation, mutual coexistence, or even extensive cooperation on matters of mutual interest must be ruled out...
... (that is) until China respects "the U.S.-led rules-based international order."
The Biden administration has displayed initial deluded and antiquated thinking when it comes to foreign policy.
After the four-year interregnum of Donald Trump’s “Cirque du Stupide,” America’s foreign diplomacy should be undergoing a total facelift.
Returning to the stodgy “business as usual” foreign policy of the past is not the answer.
As the Biden administration began to nestle into office, there was a familiar refrain in press releases from the Department of State, otherwise known as “Foggy Bottom.”
These included such old ditties as “The Secretary and the Foreign Minister discussed ways to strengthen cooperation with allies and partners to address the [blah . . . blah . . . blah].”
…
The Biden administration has displayed initial deluded and antiquated thinking when it comes to foreign policy.
It should be remembered that Biden’s Senate career began when Mao Zedong was still in charge in China, a war with the U.S. as a main participant continued to rage in Southeast Asia, a country called the United Arab Republic was the center of political activity in the Middle East, white rule and apartheid was the name of the game in southern Africa, and right-wing dictatorships ruled throughout Latin America.
Those who live in the past will never be prepared to face the future.
“Very frank. It was the first high-level meeting between members of the Biden administration and their Chinese counterparts. To say that it was a public relations disaster for the US is to understate the case.”
“Blinken and his sidekick, Jake Sullivan, a Hillary Clinton factotum who is now national security adviser, sat down to read China the riot act. It was not a success.”
“The United States, said Yang, in one of the most dismissive diplomatic rejoinders I have ever heard, does not have the ‘qualifications’ to address China ‘from a position of strength’. F, my dear Blinken, you.”
“Joe Biden has been in office for just two months. Has any US president had such a disastrous opening chapter on the world stage? None that I can recall.”
We learnt two things from the China-US high-level dialogue held in Alaska last week.
The first was from the session at the beginning when the media were present. This would normally be conducted in a polite and somewhat anodyne fashion dressed up in diplomatic nicety. It could not have been more different. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan commenced the proceedings and made some sharp criticisms of China. In response, Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Foreign Affairs, gave a bravura performance. Far from pulling his punches or couching his words in diplomatic language, he let his American counterparts have it with both barrels, challenging not just the US position but its very legitimacy. And all this before the world's media.
Let me quote some of his choice barbs: "When I entered this room, I should have reminded the US side of paying attention to its tone." "The US is not qualified to say it wants to speak to China from a position of strength." "China and the international community…uphold the UN-centered international order…not what is advocated by a small number of countries of the so-called 'rules-based' international order." "On human rights, we do hope the US will do better on human rights. The challenges facing the US in human rights are deep-seated. They did not just emerge over the past four years, such as Black Lives Matter." "On cyber-attacks, let me say that whether it's the ability to launch cyber-attacks or the technologies that could be deployed, the US is the champion." "The US does not represent international opinion and neither does the Western world."
While delivering these shots, Yang spoke with passion but never raised his voice. There were no cheap jibes. He occupied the high ground in the argument and left the Americans bewildered and belittled.
This is not normally the Chinese manner on such occasions. It is a sign that something has changed. There is a new sense of confidence on the part of the Chinese. That they are - or can - win the argument. That they are at least the equals of America. That they speak from a position of strength and America from a position of weakness. That history is on their side. It feels like the diplomatic equivalent of moving from "keeping a low profile" to "striving for achievement," or from being a relative spectator in the global system to becoming a major architect. The Americans have hitherto always thought of themselves as running the show; the shock visible in the body language of Blinken and Sullivan was the realization, conscious or unconscious, that this was no longer the case. The same was apparent in the Western media. The BBC, for example, invariably critical of China, reported it with an unfamiliar neutrality, as if stunned by the role reversal.
The second thing we found out from the dialogue (albeit already evident from the signals emanating from the White House), was that there will be no return to the status quo ante. That Biden is desperately anxious to appear as hostile to China as Trump was before him. The underlying forces at work here are very deep. America is in the process of coming to the painful realization that China is now its equal. But it cannot bring itself to accept or acquiesce in what is already an historical reality. That is why there can be no return to 1972 (Mao-Nixon Accord) or 1979 (US recognition of China). The relationship that prevailed then between China and the US was entirely different: the US was the giant, China a minnow. That was the basis of the US-China relationship for 45 years from 1972 until Trump torpedoed it in 2017, even though, of course, by the end China's rise was already undermining America's assumptions about the relationship. The realization that China was on the verge of overtaking the US economically, that China enjoyed a huge global presence, that it was already in effect its equal, came as an enormous shock to the American psyche and body politic.
Addicted to its hubris, it failed to see the blatantly obvious coming. As there can be no return to the past, the China-US relationship, so crucial to both and to the whole world, will have to be rethought on an entirely new basis, namely one of mutuality and equality. The problem is that the US is very far from thinking like this. How America needs for these times a giant like Henry Kissinger: someone who understands - and admires - China in a very profound way.
For the time being we must think in more mundane ways. Cooperation will be confined to the foothills, it will be a case of issue by issue, a bit here and a bit there, rebuilding contacts and communications between the two countries, ending as best can be done the toxicity and wanton destruction wrought by Donald Trump. Even this will not be easy but it ought, at a pinch, to be possible, with climate change offering the most important challenge and opportunity. For without cooperation between the two countries, climate change will imperil the very future of the planet and humanity.
China's representatives easily demolish the mountains of lies built by the US and its vassals, as part of their hybrid war on all independent nations, but now chiefly aimed at China and Russia, designated by the US hegemon, behind the pretext of "national security", as America's chief global "rivals". Truth weakens and eventually destroys imperialism, that's why it is now completely banned throughout the Western establishment media. Observe the barely repressed tone of exasperation in China's spokesperson. It's clear Beijing and Moscow have had just about enough of Western harassment, imperialist hostility, bad faith and hypocrisy. March 2021 clearly marks a turning point in international relations.
...
"China's position on the Meng Wanzhou case is very clear. This is nothing short of a political incident in which Canada played a very disgraceful role as an accomplice. We urge the Canadian side to immediately release Ms. Meng Wanzhou, who has been arbitrarily and unreasonably detained by the Canadian side, and ensure her early and safe return to China..."
Leaders, politicians and diplomats that have wisdom and serve their people will not pursue the so-called “alliance of democracies”. Many countries in the region want to see a sound and steady China-US relationship. Working together for a better life is democracy in real sense.
According to #US media, in 2016, a #Uyghur couple went to Italy with 3 children, leaving another 4 in #Xinjiang. If there's "forced sterilization" and "genocide" in Xinjiang as some in the west claim, how come this Uyghur couple have 7 children?
The #US, #UK and #Canada together account for only 5.7% of the world's population. Even if #EU is added, that will be about 11%. They cannot represent the international community.
#Democracy comes about when power belongs to people. There is no unified model for democracy. Sovereign states should be respected in their independent choose of development path. No one has the right to meddle in their internal affairs under the guise of "democracy".
I wonder in what way the west's democracy is superior. Amid #COVID19, the world's richest nations watch hundreds of thousands of their people die. Is this #democracy? While western politicians are busy wooing their party voters, the Chinese government serves all wholeheartedly.
In Guilin, FM Wang Yi & FM #Lavrov issued a joint statement that shed light on what is real human rights, democracy, international order & multilateralism. #China & #Russia will jointly and resolutely defend international justice & fairness.
China & Russia, with great sense of commitment & responsibility as major countries in the world & permanent members of the #UNSC, will give strong backing to each other on issues of core interests as important partners & play an underpinning role in international affairs.
In 40 years, the #Uyghur population has grown from 5.5 million to 12.8 million. The fact that #Xinjiang residents of various ethnic groups enjoy stability, security, development and progress, makes it one of the most successful human rights stories.
Some in the #US, #UK, #Canada and #EU clearly don't want to acknowledge the real facts about #Xinjiang & don't care about the truth, but hold on to accusations based on lies & false information. They just do not want to see #China's success, development and better livelihood.
What the #US, #UK, #Canada and #EU have done is utter denigration and offense to the reputation and dignity of the #Chinese people, blatant interference of China's internal affairs, and grave violation of China's sovereignty and security interests.
The #US and #UK used some test tube of washing powder and a staged video as evidence to launch wars against sovereign countries such as #Iraq and #Syria, leaving numerous death and displacement. Shouldn't they be sanctioned?
#France, #UK and #EU launched a war in #Libya, leading to regional turbulence & grave migrant and refugee issues. Shouldn't they be held accountable?
Tens of hundreds of people died of #COVID19 because these most developed countries are indifferent to their people's rights to life and health. They hoard #vaccines far in excess of their population's needs, leaving developing countries struggling with insufficient vaccines.
How can people enjoy rights if they lost their lives? Some in the west talk a lot about #humanrights, but who and what right on earth are they protecting? In what way are they respecting and protecting human rights.
#China is not what it was 120 years ago, when foreign powers could force open its door with guns. Certain colluding individuals in politics, academics and media should think twice if they think they could make wanton smears with impunity.
The west shall entertain no illusion as regards #China's firm determination to defend national interests and dignity. It's a courtesy to reciprocate what we receive. They will have to pay a price for their ignorance and arrogance.
Chinese Government Statement
#China deplores and rejects the unilateral sanctions by #EU citing so-called #HumanRights issues in #Xinjiang.
This move is based on nothing but lies and disinformation, and will inevitably undermine China-EU relations.
To safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interest, #China will sanction #EU individuals and entities that have been spreading lies and disinformation at the cost of China's interests...
The #EU must drop its hypocritical double standards, and stop going further down the wrong path. Otherwise, it will be met with further resolute reactions.
https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/.../s2510_665401/t1863106.shtml
MM Comments
I had high hopes for the meeting. I was wrong.
Rather than improve relationships between the United States and China, the Alaskan meeting pretty much depicted America as an out of control bully that stated that it did not need to follow the UN and global governance standards. Instead it was the biggest, meanest and baddest thug on the block and laid out it’d demands on China.
It told China that “you will obey what we say or risk a hot war with us and our very powerful allies”.
While I am sure that most Americans would welcome this attitude, I found this arrogant, and very upsetting.
Reports are that immediately afterwards, China and Russia set up and held meetings.
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My inbox is now getting all cluttered up with people asking me about World War III. Seriously. They are doing this. Though, I cannot blame them. The anti-China propaganda out of America has been absolutely relentless and horrific. It has gotten so bad that I even stopped following many of my favorite conservative websites because of the outright lies, nonsense and bullshit that is pouring out of them.
As China’s Ambassador to the U.S., Cui Tiankai, pointed out in a recent interview, the political atmosphere you have in the U.S. can be characterized as the “ABC policy”, meaning “Anything But China”, that is, that nothing good should be said publicly about China or the Chinese government, whose growing respect in the international community is deemed a threat to Western hegemony.
The last time then this propaganda onslaught was this severe was in the days leading up to World War I.
Though, people are beginning to see the obvious propaganda. Check out this post at MoA; "China Did Not Deceive Us - Counting Death During An Epidemic Is Really Difficult".
Americans are waking up, and just read the comments. All of them are pretty much seeing America as the "King without any clothes on". Maybe this pile on propaganda onslaught will ease up soon. But don't get too soft and comfortable. It will just change form.
"The fact that China had an outbreak of corona virus dose not mean it originated in China ! This virus came from a USA /UK bio warfare lab."
… people are naturally asking me what I think about what China would do…
…how it would react…
…were America to start moving some troops about and flying in and out of Chinese airspace. Maybe landing a contingent of Marines on Taiwan, or taking over tiny Hong Kong, or lobbing some cruse missiles at some of the Spratly islands. You know, doing the same kinds of things that led up to the USA invasion of Libya.
Or, the USA invasion of Panama.
Or, the USA invasion of Grenada.
Or, the USA invasion of Kuwait.
Or the USA invasion of Vietnam.
Or the USA invasion of Iraq.
They ask me, off line and via e-mail, about (my thoughts on) what “might” happen if the USA decides to “protect” Taiwan. They wonder about China, and what China’s reaction might me. They see the constant anti-China propaganda as all pure pristine truth. And after this onslaught, they view China as a very vary bad nation, full of evil despicable people.
Thus they are worried about China’s “saber rattling”.
Anti-China propaganda = China “saber rattling”.
Well, rather than send out about twenty e-mails, I decided to jot down a few things herein so that everyone can read them. Right or wrong, here it is.
But some things before I get started…
Firstly, I was not in the CIA, or the DOD. I was in MAJ.
That gives me a unique perspective, but one that might not be in agreement with the current set of folk in charge of the levers of power. What I know comes about via other avenues and with other (um) “baggage”. I sort of see the “bigger picture”, don’t you know. The “why” rather than the “how”.
Secondly, I am an American inside China. I read both Chinese and American “news”. I live, breathe and fully understand China, and no it does not resemble anything even remotely like the image and the caricature that is portrayed inside of America.
What passes for “news” out of America these days isn’t any kind of reporting, or even educated editorials. It’s mostly pure lies, and distortions. They (the writers) take a piece of information and twist it beyond recognition into something evil, dirty and dangerous.
No wonder Americans are so petrified and afraid of the rest of the world. Jeeze Louise!
But, you know, you asked, so I’ll tell you all what is going on.
Most Americans are all living inside their own “bubble”; their own “echo chamber” and surrounded by their own “yes men” that nod and agree with everything they say. They read the same publications and earnestly believe that what they want will be best for their idea of the future of America.
They believe that what they read is mostly true, and that America needs to take action! And take control of the situation, NOW!
The USA is losing it’s role as the leading superpower. This is intolerable as the entire fiction that the US dollar is stable would fall apart were another nation take supremacy. So the USA is working to “suppress” China.
This could go easy or it could go hard. Apparently the people occupying the buildings in Washington DC want it to go hard.
The problem is, have absolutely no fucking idea what they are asking for. And here, is my opportunity to tell you all what to expect.
First things first…
This anti-China propaganda is not organic. It is intentional and designed to prime Americans for war with China.
On March 21 the Daily Beast reported of an upcoming propaganda campaign the White House was launching against China:
As the number of coronavirus cases continues to grow at a rapid pace in the U.S., the White House is launching a communications plan across multiple federal agencies that focuses on accusing Beijing of orchestrating a “cover-up” and creating a global pandemic, according to two U.S. officials and a government cable obtained by The Daily Beast.
The cable, sent to State Department officials Friday, lays out in detail the circumstances on the ground in China, including data on coronavirus cases and deaths, the local business environment and transportation restrictions. But it also issues guidelines for how U.S. officials should answer questions on, or speak about, the coronavirus and the White House’s response in relation to China.
The talking points appear to have originated in the National Security Council. One section of the cable reads “NSC Top Lines: [People’s Republic of China] Propaganda and Disinformation on the Wuhan Virus Pandemic.”
Soon the mainstream media started to spread the new talking points. A Google News search for the search term “China Cover-up” now finds 449.000 results. It’s interesting stuff for certain, but let’s not get side-tracked.
The USA has an active propaganda campaign to prime Americans up for War against China.
Discussions of War!
This all began innocently enough. I received an email asking about how China would react were American forces were to “make moves” inside of Taiwan. You know… for “democracy” and “freedom“.
Most of the world supports China. The USA is pretty much alone except for the UK, Japan and Australia.
Hum…
Rescue Taiwan from the evil clutches of nearby neighbor China, huh?
Well, first things first.
How Taiwan is described to Americans is off-the-wall incorrect. Taiwan is not a small independent nation that is “under the thumb” of a brutal tyrannical Communist Dictatorship out of Beijing.
Taiwan is part of China.
Just like Rhode Island is part of America. It shares the same race, the same culture, the same society, the same familial relations, the same meals and is tied financially to mainland China. People go back and forth between the two nations regularly. Most people in Taiwan have relatives on the mainland. They share the same holidays and the same interests and the same behaviors. The Taiwanese have both Chinese and Taiwan citizenship. People living inside of Taiwan are card-carrying mainland Chinese.
The only thing is that Taiwan’s local government is a “democracy”.
Saying that the USA should “make moves” on Taiwan is like China tying to “make moves” on New Hampshire. It’s an issue of “outsiders” getting involved in things they know nothing about and risking world war III in the process.
Nations famously tend to always try to fight the last war, and what America is preparing to do today with the newly assertive China is no exception.
The problem is our last war was against primitive religious fanatics in the Middle East. China is an emerging superpower with approaching-peer level conventional capabilities. They have an actual strategy for contesting the United States in all the potential battlespaces – land, sea, air, space and cyber.
America is simply not ready for the Pacific war to come. We’re likely to lose.
-We Are Going To Lose The Coming War With China
So let me be absolutely clear on this. The United States is the sole major military aggressor left in the world. It is currently fighting eight simultaneous wars, and has been fighting them for long, long periods of time. The presence in Afghanistan is almost twenty years now!
That is not a “policing” operation. That is nothing less than a good old fashioned military excursion to acquire territory for the empire. Just like Britain, France, and the Dutch used to do. It’s just like the Nazi’s did when they overran Poland, or what Russia did when it annexed Lithuania.
America today is a military empire.
China knows this. Russia knows this, and both of them are getting pretty alarmed at what they are seeing. Their “spies” inside of Washington DC are informing them of terrible plans. Just terrible, and they are going to try to avoid the events by purposely dancing, and waltzing around them.
That is…
… up to the point where there isn’t any “dance floor” left.
And then, well… it will not be pretty.
The mass-produced Chinese DF-41. The weapon delivery system is designed to be launched as the final stage of China’s intercontinental ballistic missile, which would approach its target at a velocity of up to 10 times the speed of sound. It carries a warhead that is 1000 times more devastating than what was used on Hiroshima. Hypersonic speed range lies between Mach 5 and Mach 10. (Bullets generally travel about Mach 2, twice the speed of sound.)
The neocons are dangerous.
Honestly, anyone that is contemplating war with China needs to have their head examined. They really do.
They view the world as a small village. They see nations and groups of people as different families (in that village) that have their own customs and habits as well as different ways of doing things. They believe that they should be left to live their own life on their own terms. They do not believe that they have the rights to scold or persuade or negotiate with the heads of these other families to change their way of doing things.
Yeah. It doesn’t agree with what you have been reading in American media does it? Eh? But then again, facts don’t matter to the ideological American press. China is planning to invade America!
Yuppur! With it’s single landing craft and one and only aircraft carrier!
I guess that all the Chinese soldiers will swim to America.
…
Anyone who knows anyone from China (on a personal basis) will agree with this assessment. China is looking for global win-win situations. They don’t want to control the world. They only want to provide a safe haven for the Han race.
It’s like most other nations, don’t you know.
Like Israel wants safety for it’s Jews. Just like the Palestinians want safety for their people. Just like most normal nations want. The nations want to protect it’s people, help it’s people, and provide a good and healthy place for them to live their lives in peace. Anyone who has traveled to Asia can see this instinctively.
Most Chinese cities are new, clean,modern and high-technology. The Chinese people are proud of their country and their accomplishments. They want to share in their success with others.
The Oligarchy wants POWER!
But that is not what the Powers That Be (PTB) that own, run and control America want. This oligarchy wants full and absolute dominance of the world. They want to maintain a post-World War II level of global control and will stop at nothing to make sure that that reality is maintained.
To maintain that level of control, America must suppress any nation that approaches the leadership role.
Which is what China is doing. Google up “China’s rise”…
So America must suppress China, and has been involved in doing so ever since Donald Trump became President. From 2017 to 2019, it has been using germ warfare designed to destroy the chicken, pork, foul, wheat and (unsuccessfully) the rice industries. Yes, it is true. America attempted to suppress China via wide spread famine.
And it was pretty innovative too. With using drones to spray Swine Flu all over the widely separated pig farms in the remote hinterlands. Pretty crafty. I mean, I am personally impressed on how the virus was obtained, stored, converted into aerosols, and sprayed in specially designed and manufactured drones. It wasn’t a “garage” operation that’s for certain.
Do you, dear reader, know how to obtain a virus? How to handle it? How to store it? How to put it into an aerosol, and then modify a drone to fog it over livestock?
Pretty fucking innovative, I’ll tell you what.
And let’s not even get into the efforts to collapse the RBI (Road and Belt Initiative) via protests, and violence in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. Hey! Did you all notice that the “pro-democracy” protests came to a complete (and sudden) end once the American “journalists” were expelled from Hong Kong. What a coincidence!
Imagine that!
But China is not that card-board cut-out that the neocon echo chambers think it is. America tried to starve China. But you know, China did not starve. They just moved to other things to eat. Like water, they moved like water.
America tried to make “pro democracy” protests in Hong Kong, a place that already had a democratic government. It fell flat on it’s face, but forced the movement of international companies out of Hong Kong, but into the welcoming arms of mainland China.
Imagine that!
China is not what the “echo chamber” thinks.
American neocons have no idea how intelligent and flexible China is or how resilient their people are. That is because we are all fed a constant and steady diet of “bat slurping” evil Chinese.
There is a kind of fantasy, a card-board cut-out, or cartoon image of what the Chinese are, what China is, and what the Chinese government is. It’s all wrong.
Looks like something that you would see on Rush Limbaugh, Townhall.com, Hal Turner, or Alex Jones, eh? Is any of their statement about the Wuflu, Chicoms, or “bat slurping” any different from this 1940’s era poster?
War! War! War!
The Chinese do not want war.
They are not stupid either.
Again I note that the PRC leadership can read maps. It is probably more aware and less self-deluding about the economic precariousness of its situation than American politicians would be if the positions were reversed, because Marxist doctrine insists that politics is an epiphenomenon of economics.
The PRC can start a war, but they don’t have the capability to win one. That’s why, barring a Hitler-scale episode of insanity in the PRC leadership, it’s not going to happen.
-On the implausibility of a war with China
It’s the American neocons who want war, and they have ramped up their entire propaganda machine to jazz up the American people into a pro-war frenzy. The articles are everywhere, and the decision to blame China for the COVID-19 is from the very top of the Presidency.
America selected China as the Villain de jour.
In Desert Storm, Saddam Hussein was dumb enough to choose to face a U.S. military that was ready to fight its last war.
That last war was the Cold War, where the Americans were prepared to fight a Soviet-equipped conscript army using Soviet tactics. And Saddam, genius that he was, decided to face America and its allies with a Soviet-equipped conscript army using Soviet tactics, except fractionally as effective as the Russians.
It went poorly. I know – I was there at the VII Corps main command post as his entire army was annihilated in 100 hours.
Chances are that the Chinese will not choose to fight our strengths. In fact, those chances total approximately 100%.
It’s called “asymmetrical warfare” in English. What it’s called in Chinese I have no idea, but Sun Tzu wrote about it.
Don’t fight the enemy’s strength; fight his weakness. Strike where he is not. Spread confusion about your intentions; force him to lash out.
It’s all there in The Art of War; it’s just not clear anyone forming our current American military strategy has read it. Maybe they would if we labeled it “Third World” literature and said checking it out would check a diversity box for promotion.
-We Are Going To Lose The Coming War With China
Motivated and angry sheeple!
Are you one of the people so jazzed up? Are you getting all hot and bothered about the “evil Chinese”? Do you want to go ahead and “teach them a lesson”?
Save Taiwan from the hideous horde?
Rescue Hong Kong so that they can have “democracy“?
Embrace the poor downtrodden Uighurs in Xinjiang?
Crush China so that Tibet can be “independent”?
Evaporate the naval Bases on the Spratly Islands for climate change?
Well, if so, then welcome to being a sheeple.
Sheeple. Blindly obeying and listening to what the American media says. People, the US Government OWNS all American media. That includes the mainstream press, the Alt-Right and the Hard-Right press. Not to mention the Alt-left and Progressive press as well. If you read Alex Jones, know that he is fed information from the CIA. If you listen to El Rushbo, know too that he is fed information. Whether it is intentional or coincidental, both are puppets for the government propaganda machine.
Sheeple.
Because that is exactly what you are. Depending on your age range you are either a sheeple or cannon fodder. You are being manipulated, and it is in coming hard and fast.
Well take a chill pill.
A build up for war!
The Chinese are not going to invade the USA. They are not going to do anything. They are going to continue to improve their economic situation, build up relationships all over Asia and Africa, and keep on keeping on. they haven’t fought a war since 1977. How many wars has the USA fought since then?
The American neocon faction, led by Pompeo, is all setting a massive military system in motion designed to suppress China’s rise on the economic stage. This is on going. And the COVID-19 offers some great excuses to ready up the military.
The Trump administration is filled with hard-core absolute neocons.
Every indication indicates that the American political machine has targeted China as an enemy.
Every indication.
Every one of them.
Which is WHY I am getting a small flood of emails on this subject.
We seem intent on fighting not the enemy we face but the enemy we want to face. This is a rookie mistake. And we’ve built our strategy around that error.
Take aircraft carriers. I have a sentimental attachment to those potent floating fortresses – the Schlichters are usually Navy officers and I’m the random green sheep who went Army. There was a picture of my dad’s carrier (the U.S.S. Lake Champlain) hanging in my house as a kid.
I love them – but in 2019 they’re a trap.
We’re hanging our whole maritime strategy in the Pacific Ocean around a few of these big, super-expensive iron airfields. If a carrier battle group (a carrier rolls with a posse like an old school rapper) gets within aircraft flight range of an enemy, then the enemy will have a bad day.
So, what’s the super-obvious counter to our carrier strategy?
Well, how about a bunch of relatively cheap missiles with a longer range than the carrier’s aircraft? And – surprise – what are the Chinese doing?
Building a bunch of hypersonic and ballistic anti-ship missiles to pummel our flattops long before the F-35s and F-18s can reach the Chinese mainland.
We know this because the Chinese are telling us they intend to do it, with the intent of neutering our combat power and breaking our will to fight by causing thousands of casualties in one fell swoop.
-We Are Going To Lose The Coming War With China
Manipulation 24-7.
The news media is all FUCKING BULLSHIT.
None of it is true.
None of it is true.
None of it is TRUE.
Have I made myself clear on this?
Now that the American population is sufficiently primed towards war with China, what’s next is some “spark”, or some “event” to justify a military excursion. That’s the standard template.
It happened in World War I, and in World War II, and the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, and Kuwait, and Panama, and Iraq…
…now, it’s the same “song and dance” about China.
It always works because most Americans are just mindless sheeple.
Americans that believe the government controlled media are Sheeple. If you believe what you read on Alt-Right, hard-Right, Alt-left or mainstream media, you are sheeple.
Therefore, it is likely that the United States will make some kind of provocative move that will enable the enormous military system to grind into action. Expect some sort of provocation, and the American mainstream media to hammer (over and over again) that war is necessary to destroy China.
You know…
… for democracy.
The sinking of the Lusitania was the trigger (the provocation) that dragged the United States into a war against Germany. Up until that event, Americans and their government had no desire at all to go to war with Germany at all.
Reality Check
Well, we cannot control things outside of our reality. We have to run with the herd and try to be an outlier, somehow, so that we do not run off the cliff. You know, it’s not enough to know that this is going on, it’s being aware and TAKING PROACTIVE ACTIONABLE STEPS.
Another mistake is over-prioritizing quality over quantity, which is the same mistake the Nazis made with their tanks.
The Wehrmacht had the greatest tanks in the world – all top notch. Really good tanks. Tank-to-tank, they were the best – the dreaded Tiger had an 11.5-to-1 kill ratio.
The Americans and Russians had merely decent tanks, just multiples more of them.
Quantity has a quality all its own. Right now, America has something like 280 ships. We’ll have about 326 by 2023. That’s to cover the entire world. We had 6,768 ships when WWII ended in August 1945
Of course, it would also be nice if the Navy would emphasize seamanship and basic skills again so that it could keep its super-expensive ships from running into other vessels. The U.S.S. Fitzgerald collision not only killed some of our precious sailors, but took out a key weapons platform – 1/280th of our entire fleet! – because its officers failed again and again and because key systems on the ship were out of commission.
This is inexcusable, but it is being excused.
-We Are Going To Lose The Coming War With China
Well, the United States today is going to get it’s ass handed to it were war to erupt. China does NOT PLAY. They are a serious, serious, SERIOUS nation that wants to avoid war at all costs. But, if they decide to fight, Lord help the people on the receiving end.
That means the Fucking United States.
The DF-41 is currently the most powerful Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), developed in China. It is one of the deadliest ICBMs in the world. It is based on an 8-axle launcher vehicle.
Keep in mind…
China is geographically larger than the USA by about 30%.
China has 4 times the population.
China has about 35 times the number of STEM trained workers.
China is a nation by merit. You either win or you beg on the streets.
China has 40 times the number of manufacturing factories.
The Chinese are survivors and will do anything to survive.
China is aligned militarily with Russia
A War with China is a war with Russia also.
So these neocons who are getting you all worked up and hot and bothered about “liberating” Taiwan are unaware that once they set a war machine in motion, both China and Russia will attack America.
Let me say that again.
China has specifically told the world, and Donald Trump personally, that any action against China in any way will result in the harshest and most devastating response that they can muster.
What do you think that means?
Trade tariffs?
Blockade?
PLA military movement inside of China?
Economic sanctions.
Arrest of dissidents?
You are NOT listening to what they said. They said the harshest and most devastating response.
Harshest and most devastating…
People that is not economic. That is not trade. That is not diplomatic. That is not about internal policing, or military movements within China. That is about war. War that is fought by a truly pissed off capable nation.
So…
Are you ready for a radioactive America?
No one wins a nuclear war. Someone had best tell Trump and his staff this. You cannot survive it, and even if you did, the landscape would be altered beyond recognition.
Let’s talk about China’s reaction…
It’s not about an electricity “grey out”.
It’s not about a loss of some internet for a spell. Or, not being to access Alexa, or your book collection on your EPUB appliance. It’s not about not being able to use Facebook or check Google.
It’s not about lines at at a gas station for gas.
It’s not about people running to COSCO for toilet paper.
America is not used to dealing with a peer-capable military nation. This will not be some “rag heads” waving AK-47’s about, and screaming “God is great!”. This will be a hornet’s nest of really, really pissed off nerds who are out for blood.
Are you ready to not just no wifi, but no electricity, and no gas? Are you ready to turn on your water, and nothing comes out? Are you ready to discover that no electronics works at all. That an EMP fried everything. Imagine. No cell phones. No computer. No car starters. No lawnmowers. No cable. No movies. No radio.
Anything that uses electronics would be non functional. Even that old CB Radio that you have in a dusty box on a garage shelf.
Have you stockpiled food and supplies for two fucking years?
The focus of our military has shifted from victory to satisfying the whims of politicians.
Here’s a troubling thought – if you go to one of the service branches’ War Colleges and poll the faculty and students about America’s greatest strategic threat, as many as 50% of the respondents will tell you it is “climate change.”
That’s not an exaggeration.
Our military is supposed to be dealing with the Chinese military and its brain trust is obsessing about the weather in 100 years.
-We Are Going To Lose The Coming War With China
America would be reshaped completely were just ONE American city to be obliterated by a high-yield nuclear warhead…
Now…
… Imagine what it would be like if every city larger than Fort Wayne, Indiana were reduced to glass slag and radioactive rubble.
Imagine what it would be like when the new capital of the United States was relocated to Augusta, Georgia.
How would you be able to handle this situation?
Are you ready to follow a leader that wants to “spread democracy” way off in far-away China? If so, then take a good hard look at what your life will become. Imagine how your family, your children and your relatives will fare in this environment. War situations are always very hard on the women-folk. You had best be sure that Trump and his neocon buddies are doing the best for you and your family.
Now, take this sanity check. Let’s see how prepared you are.
Don't drive your car / truck today. Try to go to work, pick up groceries or do anything without a car. Try it. I am not kidding. Try it.
America without infrastructure is Somalia.
You will not even begin to start repairing things. No dozers, lifts, electric tools, and electric generators would work. All would have their electronics completely and absolutely fried beyond usefulness. It will just be you, and your muscles.
Of course…
…all the time while wearing radiation protection and masks for the various bioweapons unleashed.
Under this situation, would you give a “rat’s ass” whether or not Taiwan is politically connected to Beijing?
Look what you all will get when you try to help those poor Taiwanese get “democracy“. I hope it’s fucking worth it.
That is what is being set up. The media is treating all or you as dupes to go ahead with a war that they believe will be similar to Yemen, Afghanistan or Syria. But you know what? It won’t be that way at all.
There will not be any “carriers off the coast plinking at the Chinese mainland“, or “Marine expedition forces moving on Taiwan or entering Hong Kong“.
Nor will there be any riots and protests demanding “regime change”. Or that China switch from a traditional conservative Chinese government to that of a diverse and progressive democracy. And you won’t find anyone (except those on the CIA payroll) demanding that China embrace American style “democracy”.
It’s going to be something else entirely.
Put yourself in the Chinese shoes…
Here’s how the Chinese win.
First, they take out our satellites. You know the GPS location service on your phone? Satellites, which are easy to hit. Say “bye-bye” to much of the ability of our precision weapons to find their targets.
Also up for destruction are the communications satellites we rely on to coordinate our operations.
And then there is the Chinese cyberattack, not only on our military systems but on systems here at home that control civilian power, water and other logistics.
A U.S military with no comms and no computers is essentially the Post Office with worse service. An America with a ruined internet is Somalia.
-We Are Going To Lose The Coming War With China
Imagine if you were Chinese…
You have studied and studied and trained and trained and trained. You grew up attending schools that only had one winner and everyone else were losers and you rose to the top through sheer blood and guts. You rose to the top, not by diversity quotas, or racial advantage. You rose to the leadership position through merit.
America is a nation who’s leaders are selected by politically-justified criteria. Not through merit or hard-labors.
Now today, you, as a Chinese leader / advisor / strategist are tasked with kicking America in the gut, disabling it’s strategic response ability, and disabling it with the least number of causalities as possible.
What would you do?
Well, for starters…
EMP – fry all electronics and render all vehicles, cell phones, computers, and manufacturing equipment into worthless slag.
And you know…
Detonating nuclear weapons on the top 20 cities would cut the American population in half.
As well as…
Nuclear bombs, already buried beneath the major cities would be detonated bypassing all the expensive early warning systems.
But you are the top of the top. You would be crafty and creative. You would not be a “diversity hire” and most certainly wouldn’t be there because of “political pull”. You would handle things differently…
Nuclear destruction of Mono Lake would turn California into the Sahara desert. It would dry up, and any water that would seep up from the ground would be heavily radioactive.
Oh, and why have China do all the “heavy lifting”…
Allow Russia to perform a “double tap” using it’s Satan II weapons systems.
Last view of downtown Chicago after US Marines enter Taiwan.
The Dongfeng 41, of DF-41, is currently the most powerful Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), developed in China. It is one of the deadliest ICBMs in the world. It is based on an 8-axle launcher vehicle and is similar in concept to Russian road-mobile ICBMs such as Topol-M and Yars. First test launch of this missile was made in 2013 and the second followed in 2014. Some sources report that the DF-41A missile was fielded in 2016 or 2017. It was first publicly revealed in 2019.
The DF-41 is a solid-fuel missile. It has an estimated range of 12 000 km and carries up to 10 Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs). Its range is sufficient to reach all areas of United States, Europe and Russia. It will take roughly 20-25 minutes from launch for the DF-41 to reach targets in the United States. This missile is extremely devastating and can wipe out entire countries.
This missile has internal navigation system with indigenous Chinese BeiDou satellite navigation system update. It could be accurate to 150 meters, or possibly, even more accurate.
-Military Today
China’s short and medium range missiles that are in extremely well hardened shelters.
America would be reduced to pre-Medeaval England but without water, and religion to sustain any sort of community unification. Far flung bases would be on their own. All 800 of them. They would die out or start to turn to the neighboring host nations, who (in case you haven’t noticed) are now close friends with China and Russia.
Then they hit our land bases on Guam, Okinawa and elsewhere with a blizzard of missiles, knocking them out and annihilating our aircraft on the ground.
Maybe we could respond with B-2s flying from the continental United States.
We have 19 whole combat-capable aircraft, assuming a 100% operational readiness rate, which is just not a thing. We might even take out a few missile batteries on the Chinese coast.
We won’t know the difference though.
As for our carriers, if they come to play, they are likely going to get sunk, and if they stay out of the fight, they are merely useless – assuming quiet diesel subs do not find and sink them.
This is not a surprise. We play wargames against the Chinese all the time, and we lose.
-We Are Going To Lose The Coming War With China
Ah, Kirk, yeah this is possible if nuclear weapons were not used. But, that’s your American biases showing.
All of the American Aircraft Carrier groups would be sunk using modern, aggressive, and mass produced missiles designed to take them down. If they are unsuccessful, a very large nuclear detonation would sent them to the great deeps.
All carrier groups would be destroyed. Not by precision missiles, but by big, dirty and nasty nuclear weapons that could detonate five miles away from the carrier and sink it easily.
Boomer subs would be sunk before they could launch anything and the ICBMs would be pre-targeted by specialized anti-missile spacecraft.
Chinese fighters with anti-ship missiles.
Moreover, we need to get it through our heads that no one is going to be as dumb as Saddam was and conveniently fight us the way we want to be fought.
We need a complete strategic mindset revolution, one that moves from a few super-expensive systems to many affordable ones.
We need to say good-bye to legacies of the 20th century, like mostly manned combat aircraft and a few huge carrier battle groups.
We need to prepare to defeat the enemy we actually face, not the enemy we want to face.
-We Are Going To Lose The Coming War With China
Of course, there would be a response…
American forces react
The American forces are all set in motion for an “easy peasy” invasion and would need to be re-directed to new objectives. Nuclear missiles would be launched, and much of the Chinese cities would lie in ruin. Chinese military would take hits, and once the nuclear genie was let out of the bottle, America would continue to utilize it’s already announced strategy of using “low yield” nuclear weapons on China.
China would hurt. Make no mistake.
There would be damages ships everywhere, and none of this would be reported. American losses would be hidden, and Chinese losses would also be hidden. No one would know the true scope of things.
Chinese ships would be sunk. Chinese cities would be plummeted and damaged. Smoke, oily smoke would fill the skies, and American Marines would engage in efforts to make land fall in critical strategic points all through the South Pacific.
But…
But…
America could destroy the largest Chinese cities and still maintain a population three times that of the United States. They still would have their factories. They still would have their infrastructure. They still would have Russia on their side.
The Chinese would pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and get right back to work improving their lives and making the world a better place.
Oh, you don't believe me. You think that China as "lucky" that they got the COVID-19 under control in two months. While America is going to be dealing with it for two years. It's "luck" you say.
The Chinese DO NOT PLAY.
America would be in ruin.
Surviving Americans would fight among themselves and various fiefdoms would be established. America would devolve into city-states and much of the rural country side would be no-mans land.
The Balkanization of America would manifest as enclaves; all of which would kill each other off for scraps of moldy turnips.
It won’t be at least ten years before America stabilizes.
America would try to put itself back together. In some areas the local government would be able to maintain control, in other areas, local militia would take over that role, and in still others it would be a dog-eat-dog nightmare.
At that, when the dust clears, America will probably end up a five separate nations.
It would be a mere shadow of it’s former self.
Horrible, right?
Yes, it is horrible.
And that is just my point.
The end game. Be careful what you want.
Anyone wanting war or conflict is nuts. Pure and simple. They are nuts, crazy and evil.
occupatio @11: "A hot war is not imminent..."
I just read Pepe's leak from finance insiders and am not so sure about this. The US has tried sanctions, tariffs, various trade barriers and dire threats to all and sundry, and even a series of bio attacks on China in order to maintain global dominance. As Peter AU1 has suggested not long ago, the US may try to blockade China's oil supply, but that will lead to "kinetic encounters" guaranteed and for sure.
Does anyone really believe that the US will give up on hegemony without playing every possible card it has? And what cards does the US have left other than its military?
-Posted by: William Gruff | Apr 8 2020 16:26 utc | 13
Fighting China will not be a “walk in the park”. It will be the end of the United States as you know it. Your children will curse you, your behavior and your actions.
What you can do is fight back
Anyone who talks to you, suggest to you, and posts an article (anywhere) suggesting war with China needs to be shut up immediately. They need to be told in no uncertain terms that things WILL NOT GO as they assume it will.
Do not wish for war. It’s an awful, awful thing.
So…
Conclusion and Take Aways
When people ask me what I think about the USA getting involved militarily with China, they are often of the mindset that it will be some sort of regional conflict, conducted far away, off in China.
It will not.
Any war with China will go nuclear on American soil.
Let me make myself perfectly clear on this.
Any American military “intervention” in or around Taiwan, the South China Sea, or any Chinese bases and facilities will be considered an attack on Beijing. Just like if the Russians decided to land their Spetsnaz in New Orleans, it would be considered an act of war.
The result will not be a police action. It will be a declaration of war.
If any American military operations are conducted on or near China, there will be complete nuclear Armageddon unleashed on American cities. Make no mistake, and let’s be frighteningly clear about this. This is not debatable. It will not be a far-away war that you can eat popcorn to while you are cruising through your internet news feed.
It will be up close and very personal.
I mean ANY attempt to interfere with China overtly or militarily.
So please don’t try to come up with “questionable” scenarios where the Chinese might somehow be convinced to play a conventional war with America. It will not happen. The Chinese do not play. They are a serious, serious nation.
They make the rules.
You all should realize this by now. haven’t you been paying attention during the last four years of the “Trump Trade Wars”. Things will be done on their timetable, on their terms, and under their control.
America doesn’t have a chance.
One nuclear hit on Mono Lake will render the entire West coast uninhabitable for centuries.
The destruction of New York with zero out the stock market and with it will be the collapse of every public American company.
Any one who thinks otherwise is a fool.
If you are going to shoot Tony Soprano, you had best make sure you kill him. Otherwise, your life is over.
Tony Soprano does not play. If you mess with him, you can expect to pay the price as this MEME illustrates. But China is not a television show, but they are just like Tony. They are a serious, serious nation that does not play.
Keep in mind…
China knows what is coming and is prepared to confront it.
A war against China will result in a full-MAD level response.
A war with China will result in nuclear destruction of American cities.
China has peer-level military capabilities.
Alignments…
Both Russia and China will fight together against the United States.
The EU will side with China and Russia.
The Middle East will side with Russia and China.
India will try to stay neutral.
Australia will probably side with the United States.
The results…
China can handle a nuclear war and return to normal.
America cannot handle a nuclear war and it would destroy everything.
Check out these links…
Remember, China and Russia are military partners.
If you attack one, the other would chime in. Combined, any attack on either Russia or China would result in both coming for the American jugular vein. And there would be no mercy. Both would conduct “double taps”, and America would become a radioactive agrarian society… without electricity or running fresh water.
Chinese ICBMs.
It’s not just myself that understand this. This has been the continuous, steady state response to all the simulations conducted by the RAND group, the pentagon, and other NGO’s.
Yet, the anti-China narrative has ramped up. It’s fucking insanity.
A Final Word
All this neocon talk and discussions in preparation for a war with China will absolutely tank the United States completely. With this in mind, it’s probably best to have Bozo the Clown as President rather than Donald Trump and his army of neocons.
President Trump and his top most trusted advisors.
China and Russia will not permit a war to manifest.
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I read that Donald Trump wants the COVID-19 vaccine that is being developed in Germany. He wants it to be patented as an American product and limit it’s utilization to Americans only.
Meanwhile, China is sending supplies and resources to any nation that needs it. Planes, boats and transports have been dispatched and are busy trying to help other nations during time of need.
America - Selfish, self-serving, and demanding.
China - Helpful, compassionate, offering help.
Perhaps it’s time to step back and look at the bigger picture.
It’s a picture of what lies outside the shores of the United States. It’s a picture that does not resemble anything that any American media reports. This is true whether it is the Alt-Left, the Mainstream Media or the Alt-Right neocon publications.
Instead, take a look at what’s really going on, in the bigger picture…
The following is a reprint of an article found on the Global Research website. All credit to the authors.
Washington elites can’t recognize that a multi-polar world is already here. Worse, the Trump administration keeps constantly stumbling in foreign policy, thus showing the entire world that the USA may not be the almighty superpower.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the US is turning into Rodney Dangerfield of geopolitics.
Here are some recent examples of embarrassing US foreign policy:
EU & Russia
USA openly tries to block Nord Stream, the gas pipeline that links Russia to Europe. And the US-led propaganda campaign was non-stop & intense.
In the end, Germany & others went ahead with the Russian pipeline anyways.
Nord Stream
What does this have to do with America? Why is America so fixated in preventing this progress?
India and Turkey
India and Turkey ignore America’s public bullying and buy Russian missile defense systems (S-400).
Then the US threatens to retaliate by blocking the sale of F-35 to Turkey.
What does this have to do with America? Why is America so fixated in preventing this progress?
India
India — America’s strategic partner to “contain” China — buys oil from Iran & Venezuela, ignoring US sanctions.
India and Iran have made many trade agreements.
What does this have to do with America? Why is America so fixated in preventing this progress?
Venezuela
Having failed in Syria & Iran, the bloodthirsty Neocons wanted at least one damn regime change. So they targeted Venezuela and used all the standard strategies — choosing a puppet leader (Guaido), trying to bribe/blackmail military leaders, obvious sabotage of electricity across the whole nation etc.
John Bolton, Marco Rubio and Mike Pompeo spend enormous time tweeting sensational propaganda.
Yet, Maduro has survived.
Now, to rub it in, Putin is flying Russian military and aid to Venezuela; and China has sent medical supplies. The Monroe Doctrine is openly challenged for the first time since the Cuban Crisis.
Maduro and Xi Peng.
What does this have to do with America? Why is America so fixated in preventing this progress?
Huawei
US bans Huawei & dictates all its allies into doing the same!
Panama ignores US threats, welcomes Xi Jinping, joins Belt and Road, and signs 40 bilateral agreements with China.
Xi Peng in Panama.
What does this have to do with America? Why is America so fixated in preventing this progress?
Italy
Similarly, the US government publicly threatened Italy about joining the BRI…
How idiotic!
The rest of the world does not subscribe to American Alt-Right neocon publications. This type of rhetoric is fine within the American echo chamber, but looks absolutely ridiculous to the rest of the world.
Maybe Washington doesn’t know that many EU countries are already formal members of BRI — Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece, Malta, Poland, Portugal etc.
Well, Xi Jinping visited Italy in March, got a royal welcome and signed huge deals.
Italy ignored the US and signed on to Belt and Road. Plus, Italian PM Conte visited China in April for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Summit (where representatives from 150 countries, including 37 Prime Ministers and Presidents, attended).
As Italian leaders put it, “BRI creates a circle of virtuous growth” and “BRI is a train that Italy cannot afford to miss.”
Also please note, that during the COVID-19 crisis, the United States refused to help Italy in any way.
Yet China not only sent supplies, but sent doctors and medical staff to assist the already stressed Italian medical staff.
What does this have to do with America? Why is America so fixated in preventing this progress?
France
Then Xi Jinping went to France, got a red carpet welcome again
(including at Arc de Triomphe in Paris) and signed a massive deal to buy
300 French Airbus planes!
Not the American planes that they had discussed with Obama.
Xi Jinping went to France, got a red carpet welcome again (including at Arc de Triomphe in Paris) and signed a massive deal to buy 300 French Airbus planes!
Two days earlier, Macron had warned that Europe shouldn’t be naive about China’s influence.
But now he claims “China is EU’s strategic partner!!!”
China is EU’s strategic partner!
What does this have to do with America? Why is America so fixated in preventing this progress?
Germany
Even Germany’s Merkel endorsed the Belt and Road Initiative by saying…
“It’s an important project and Europeans want to participate in it.”
Germany has become strategic partners with China.
Everyone around the world realizes the power of China’s economy. And they ignore America’s hysterical reaction.
The entire saga is like that “Distracted Boyfriend” meme.
“Distracted Boyfriend” meme.
America needs a proactive, constructive, positive foreign policy in this multi-polar world. And the US should stop being so insecure, paranoid and negative.
Trump should join the Belt and Road Initiative and work with 126 other member countries to build infrastructure, increase connectivity and boost trade. Also, stop demonizing Russia & picking fights with Venezuela, Iran, Syria etc.
We need to get out of the zero-sum attitude & focus on a win-win strategy.
Conclusion
It doesn’t take a “Rocket Scientist” to figure out where the world is moving towards.
America possesses 10% of the world’s factories. China possesses nearly 70% of the factories. China hasn’t fought a war since 1977, and they offer grants and loans with “no strings attached”. They seek harmony and a “win – win” arrangement. They view global relationships as “give and take” in a way that both parties benefit.
They keep their “noses out of” other nations internal affairs.
Hard manufacturing industry as part of a nation’s GDP world-wide. America is on par with Burma. Even tiny Sri Lanka, and Paraguay have better ratios.
Meanwhile the United States, like a big lumbering aged dinosaur is trying to clutch and claw itself back into global significance. It has to. For if it doesn’t, that enormous mountain of debt, based on the inflated petrol-dollars, will totally devastate what remains of America.
The only options left for America are to [1] get with “the program” and work together with the rest of the world, or [2] engage China (and by extension, Russia) in World War III.
No other options are “on the table”.
Let’s see what happens. Pay strict attention to the American mainstream and Alt-Right media. The nature of the articles will inform you as to which path America has embarked upon.
If the anti-China rhetoric keeps on increasing in intensity, a move to Iceland might be prudent.
I hope that you enjoyed this post. I have many others in my Trump Trade Wars Index, here…
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I have been quite clear that the United States has been conducting biological warfare with China for the last four years. But others refuse to believe the train of evidence. They cannot reconcile the idea that the USA would wage covert germ warfare on a nuclear armed nation. But things are changing. Here’s an article by a detractor to this belief that begrudgingly admits that just maybe the USA is that reckless in risking World War III.
And that maybe I am right.
That the USA has been conducting germ warfare against China, and does not care if there is some “leakage” of the virus out of China. The goal is to suppress China at whatever the cost.
This is a reprint of the article titled ” Who Made Coronavirus? Was It the U.S., Israel or China?”, it was published on March 6, 2020 by Enrique Suarez for the Strategic Culture Foundation. It has been edited to fit this venue. All credit to the author.
Who Made Coronavirus? Was It the U.S., Israel or China?
It might be possible that Washington has created and unleashed the virus in a bid to bring Beijing’s growing economy and military might down a few notches.
I’ve had to delete YouTube off my phone to avoid all the anti China stuff since the virus kicked off.
There is a massive offensive happening to try poison people’s minds against China.
Reality is I’ve actually never had a bad experience in China and I’m going in and out 10 years.
-Derek Kenny
The most commonly reported mainstream media account of the creation of the Coronavirus suggests that it was derived from an animal-borne microorganism found in a wild bat that was consumed by an ethnic Chinese resident of Wuhan. But there appears to be some evidence to dispute that in that adjacent provinces in China, where wild bats are more numerous, have not experienced major outbreaks of the disease. Because of that and other factors, there has also been considerable speculation that the Coronavirus did not occur naturally through mutation but rather was produced in a laboratory, possibly as a biological warfare agent.
Where did it originate?
I got the insight today that this global crisis makes one thing very clear.
To everyone's probable disbelief in the Western world, China and other Asian countries opted for drastic measures to save the people's lives, regardless of economic impact.
The West is so concerned about economic and consequent political fall out that they compromise lives .. ultimately it will shoot in their own feet...but meanwhile unnecessary lives will be lost. And who will take the responsibility?
-Peter Buytaert
Several
reports suggest that there are components of the virus that are related
to HIV that could not have occurred naturally. If it is correct that
the virus had either been developed or even produced to be weaponized it
would further suggest that its escape from the Wuhan Institute of Virology Lab and
into the animal and human population could have been accidental.
Technicians who work in such environments are aware that “leaks” from
laboratories occur frequently.
Wuhan Institute of Virology Lab .
There is, of course, and inevitably, another theory.
There has been some speculation that as the Trump Administration has been constantly raising the issue of growing Chinese global competitiveness as a direct threat to American national security and economic dominance.
It might be possible that Washington has created and unleashed the virus in a bid to bring Beijing’s growing economy and military might down a few notches.
If there is a way to cripple a country without warfare, this is how it's done. I don't doubt there is a pandemic occurring, but the sheeple will buy into this more than what actually occurs from a health standpoint. Don't get me wrong, people will die from this, but it will absolutely cripple our economy. God help us and continue stocking up.
- Bill Krejci
It is, to be sure, hard to believe that even the Trump White House would do something so reckless, but there are precedents for that type of behavior.
In 2005-9 the American and Israeli governments secretly developed a computer virus called Stuxnet, which was intended to damage the control and operating systems of Iranian computers being used in that country’s nuclear research program. Admittedly Stuxnet was intended to damage computers, not to infect or kill human beings, but concerns that it would propagate and move to infect computers outside Iran proved to be accurate as it spread to thousands of PCs outside Iran, in countries as far-flung as China, Germany, Kazakhstan, and Indonesia.
American and Israel designed Stuxnet was intended to take out the computers of Iran, but “leaked” and took down half of the global internet.
Inevitably there is an Israeli story that just might shed some light on what has been going on in China.
Israel has a vaccine!
Scientists at Israel’s Galilee Research Institute are now claiming that they will have a vaccine against coronavirus in a few weeks which will be ready for distribution and use within 90 days.
The institute is claiming that it has been engaged in four years of research on avian coronavirus funded by Israel’s Ministries of Science & Technology and Agriculture.
Israel’s Ministries of Science & Technology and Agriculture.
They are claiming that the virus is similar to the version that has infected humans, which has led to breakthroughs in development through genetic manipulation, but some scientists are skeptical that a new vaccine could be produced so quickly to prevent a virus that existed only recently.
They also have warned that even if a vaccine is developed it would normally have to be tested for side effects, a process that normally takes over a year and includes using it on infected humans.
If one even considers it possible that the United States had a hand in creating the coronavirus at what remains of its once extensive biological weapons research center in Ft Detrick Maryland, it is very likely that Israel was a partner in the project. Helping to develop the virus would also explain how Israeli scientists have been able to claim success at creating a vaccine so quickly, possibly because the virus and treatment for it was developed simultaneously.
The biological weapons research center in Ft Detrick Maryland.
In any event, there are definite political ramifications to the appearance of the coronavirus, and not only in China.
American Political Ramifications
In the United States, President Donald Trump is already being blamed for lying about the virus and there are various scenarios in mainstream publications speculating over the possible impact on the election in 2020.
If the economy sinks together with the stock market, it will reflect badly on Trump whether or not he is actually at fault. If containment and treatment of the disease itself in the United States do not go well, there could also be a considerable backlash, particularly as the Democrats have been promoting improving health care.
One pundit argues, however, that disease and a sinking economy will not matter as long as there is a turnaround before the election, but a lot can happen in the next eight months.
National Security and Iran.
And then there is the national security/foreign policy issue as seen from both Jerusalem and Washington.
It is difficult to explain why coronavirus has hit one country in particular other than China very severely. That country is Iran, the often-cited enemy of both the U.S. and Israel.
The number of Iran’s coronavirus cases continues to increase, with more positive tests confirmed among government officials last Saturday. There were 205 new coronavirus cases, bringing the government claimed total to 593 with 43 fatalities, though unofficial hospital reports suggest that the deaths are actually well over 100.
That’s the highest number of deaths from the virus outside of China.
No less
than five Iranian Members of Parliament have also tested positive amid a
growing number of officials that have contracted the disease. Iran’s
vice president Masoumeh Ebtekar and deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi
had also previously been confirmed with the virus.
The usual suspects in the United States are delighted to learn of the Iranian deaths.
Mark Dubowitz, a Washington DC neocon and his Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) is active in pounding the drums of war against Iran.
Mark Dubowitz, Executive Director of the Washington-based but Israeli government-connected Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) boasted on twitter Tuesday that…
“Coronavirus has done what American economic sanctions could not: shut down non-oil exports.”
An Iranian government spokesman responded that…
“It’s shameful and downright inhuman to cheer for a deadly Virus to spread – and enjoy seeing people suffer for it…”
Dubowitz followed up with an additional taunt, that Tehran has “spread terrorism” in the Middle East and “now it’s spreading the coronavirus.”
The US сould be the prime culprit behind Covid-2019 outbreak that hit China and then Iran, head of its elite Revolutionary Guards claimed, threatening that the virus will eventually be turned against those who unleashed it.“It is possible that this virus is a product of a biological attack by America which initially spread to China and then to Iran and the rest of the world,” Hossein Salami said on Thursday.
He vowed that Iran would “fight” the virus and cautioned that the illness “will return” to the United States, if Washington was indeed responsible for the outbreak.
Though such conspiracy theories have been circulating for a while, there’s still no official proof it could be true.
The Head of Iran’s Civil Defense Organization, General Gholam Reza Jalali, said earlier on Tuesday that media fear-mongering over the new corornavirus in the country bolsters claims that the virus is a biological attack on China and Iran. He said that some reports indicate that it could be a hostile state, but added that his suspicion requires laboratorial investigation and a study of the virus genome.
Iran has been one of the countries hit hardest by Covid-19 outside of mainland China where it originated. As of Thursday, the Islamic Republic has reported 3,513 confirmed cases and 107 deaths attributed to the virus. Some 15 of those who have succumbed to the coronavirus died in the last 24 hours, according to Iran’s Health Minister Saeed Namaki.
The country has shuttered all schools and universities until the end of the country’s calendar year on March 20 in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.
On Tuesday, state media announced that the head of Iran’s emergency medical services was being treated for coronavirus. Numerous high-level Iranian officials have fallen ill to the virus. Recently, 23 lawmakers tested positive for the illness in the Islamic Republic.
Mohammad Mirmohammadi, a member of a council that advises the supreme leader, died after falling sick from the disease. His death follows those of two other high-profile Iranians who contracted the virus – a former ambassador and a newly-elected member of parliament.
- Сoronavirus May be a Product of US ‘Biological Attack’ Aimed at Iran and China, IRGC Chief Claims - RT News
Who made the COVID-19?
Even before the toll in China reached the current 3,045 dead and 80,711 infected, the Chinese Communist Party had called the pandemic a biological weapon of the USA following the revelations of Asian scientists on the anomalous “modeling” of the S protein.
As reported first by Veterans Today and then by Gospa News, the American journalist Jeff Brown, founder with other international journalists and authors of the Bioweapon Truth Commission, an independent research organization on the history and innovations of biological weapons, has supported this thesis, that with the passing of the hours finds more and more supporters.
-Veterans Today
So, you have your choice.
[1] Coronavirus occurred naturally, or [2] it came out of a lab in China itself or [3] even from Israel or [4] the United States.
If one suspects Israel and/or the United States, the intent clearly would have been to create a biological weapon that would damage two nations that have been designated as enemies.
But the coronavirus cannot be contained easily and it is clear that many thousands of people will die from it. Unfortunately, as with Stuxnet, once the genie is out of the bottled it is devilishly hard to induce it to go back in.
Back to America…
Nothing to see here ... carry on ... it's less to worry about then the common flu
- C D
Now it appears that it has boomeranged back to America.
The Post I’m stationed at told us today they’ve been briefed today and it’s just like the flu and to wash our hands and not worry. 75K is a huge number that would get out. I’m sure some have it but I have trouble buying that number. Anyone else on active duty please chime in if you’ve heard or seen otherwise.
- Jonathan Weaver
The United States government, being what it is, is actively lying to the people, covering up events and trying to tell everyone that the flu is much, much worse.
I work maintenance for an intercity apartments had the cops called and they were talking amongst them selves saying Kroger and several others are paying off duty cops for security. I mentioned corona virus they shut up after that. The stores know.
- Shawn May
And finally this, from a conservative blogger who bought into the Trump narrative hook-line-and-sinker…
Further perspective:
In the US-alone flu season, we saw at LEAST 220,690 new cases per day, on average. Over TWO-HUNDRED THOUSAND.
The peak day WORLDWIDE for COVID-19 was 15,100. Just 6.8% of the US AVERAGE for flu. (That day was an extreme outlier, because it represented China changing reporting standards from confirmed-by-testing to diagnosed-by-symptoms.)
As of 3/5/2020, new COVID-19 cases WORLDWIDE: 2,800. 1.3% of the average US flu cases.
If you truly believe you’re going to die from COVID-19, you either 1) have some extremely high risk factors like being an 80 year old man with diabetes and a bum ticker, who’s been french-kissing your girlfriend from Wuhan; or 2) you already died from the frickin’ flu.
Sure things could change. The virus could mutate again. We could import a bunch more infected people and turn them loose. But as things stand…
1. Eat decent food.
2. Wash your hands often.
3. Avoid sick people.
Sound familiar? Yes, it’s the same basic precautions you be be taking to avoid the flu and common cold (which I’ll remind you is often yet another coronavirus, too; and for most people COVID-19 is amounting to a common cold).
People need to stop losing their shit.
-Bear Buss
Yeah. It’s just like the flu. Right?
Just like the “common cold” right?
Nothing to worry about.
You don’t need to wear a mask.
Right…
Author
Philip M. Giraldi is a former CIA counter-terrorism specialist and military intelligence officer who served nineteen years overseas in Turkey, Italy, Germany, and Spain. He was the CIA Chief of Base for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 and was one of the first Americans to enter Afghanistan in December 2001. Phil is Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest, a Washington-based advocacy group that seeks to encourage and promote a U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East that is consistent with American values and interests. He is a frequent contributor to Global Research.
I have other posts on this subject. You can view them in my Trump Trade War Index, here…
You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.
Please kindly help me out in this effort. There is a lot of effort that goes into this disclosure. I could use all the financial support that anyone could provide. Thank you very much.
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The world is well aware of the 2016 through 2019 trade negotiations between America (the United States) and China. It lasted three years, and was marked by a seemingly endless set of stops and false starts. Finally culminating with a “phase one” agreement immediately prior to the the COVID-19 (coronavirus outbreak). What many people are not aware of is the list of demands placed upon China by the (neocon) negotiation team. Here, we look at the impossible demands, and record them for prosperity.
Remember this well kids; this is NOT how you negotiate.
Negotiation is a matter of give and take, where both sides have the belief that they “won” the negotiation. You do not enter into negotiations with the idea that “you will do as I say, or I will destroy you!“.
The American Advantage.
What many people, especially Americans (locked up within their propagandized bubble) do not understand is that America doesn’t have much clout to negotiate with.
America has little to offer China.
While it might seem like “China needs America, more than America needs China”, the truth is that is actually the other way around.
The exports to America, from China, are a very small percentage of the Chinese export market.
The imports from America to China are also tiny. With aircraft and cotton being the leading exports.
Thus, the “Trump trade war” has very little impact on China.
This is not the world of the 1980’s. The rest of the globe has grown, and they have vibrant middle classes, malls and cities. China services the world. Not only America. In fact, over the years, it appears that the bulk of products exported to America from China are increasingly the cheapest and easiest to make.
Meanwhile the rest of the world opts for better to best quality, and higher priced consumer products. All provided by China.
I’ve covered this in another post here…
You see, there really isn’t much of an advantage that America has. It can only negotiate from a point of military strength.
The John Bolton strategy… “do as we say or we will erase you from the surface of the earth”.
American Negotiation Team
The Negotiation team set up by President Trump was filled and staffed by hard-line neocons. These war-mongering dinosaurs are the reason why the entire world economy was riding a “roller coaster” for the last three years.
They entered the negotiations with “strong demands“, and “hard lists“. Then when things would apparently be going well, the American team backed out and left the table.
This continued for three long years, and threw the world economy into a tail spin.
List of American Demands
The negotiation strategy was one of strength. From the American side it was “do this, or face the consequences”.
American strategy: Do as I say, or face the consequences.
This is well known throughout the American news media, though they didn’t say it as brutally or bluntly as I did.
It’s all described as “reasonable”, “fair” and “common sense”. You know, “…for the children”.
All lies.
Just like “common sense gun control”. Just like “reasonable sentencing guidelines”, and “zero tolerance rules for the school children.”
It’s all just propaganda.
That’s all it is.
For most Americans, reading the news, they are mistakenly under the impression that the “trade wars” was all about trade. It wasn’t. It was about global power, and how America can retard the growth of China long enough to recover it’s former standing.
Here’s the list of demands that the American (neocon) trade negotiation team placed upon China…
Now to be clear and certain, this is not ALL of the demands, nor the thousands of bullet lists that the trade negotiations encompass. I am not the mainstream press.
The American media would report on a Thanksgiving dinner in the following manner...
"There was a Thanksgiving dinner. People were upset about the tooth pick selection. The toothpicks were too wooden, too few, and not the proper size. Anonymous sources within the dinner party has referred to the dinner as "catastrophic" and desiring strong toothpick discipline..."
Selective reporting is NOT reporting. It is propaganda.
Thus here, I am going to concentrate on the general omissions in American coverage of the trade war events. Here we look at some of the American demands that only warranted a mere sentence or two in a multi-page report.
[1] Independence for Tibet
If you read the American media you might be inclined to say that this is not unreasonable. The Western media is saturated with news about unhappy Tibetans and the need for “freedom” and “democracy”. That’s the story. That’s the propaganda.
Here’s a selection of some readings to give you all an idea of what is going on in Tibet and what America is up to…
What you don’t read is any thing positive about China and Tibet.
That’s right. All Western media is all about the unhappiness and “unrest” in Tibet. Americans read this while never setting a foot there, knowing people there, or getting news from other areas.
The fact is that Tibet is not riddled with unrest, strife and unhappiness. It’s quite the contrary.
Modern Tibet. It just doesn’t fit the American propagandized narratives.
Just go and see for yourself. Do not take my word for it.
In the meantime, realize that by removing the Tibet region from China, it takes a sizable geographic bite out of China. It’s roughly equivalent to removing California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas from America.
NOT . GOING . TO . HAPPEN .
China without Tibet.
[2] Independence for Xinjiang Muslims
This is a “much to do about nothing” narrative. The entire Uyghur Muslim independence movement is a CIA fabrication.
Oh, how I hate to use the letters "CIA" in anything. It makes me sound like some kind of conspiracy kook.
Yet.
The CIA does exist. They do launch revolutions, and they ARE involved in trying to destabilize China.
Likewise the narrative continues for the independence for Xinjiang. Oh, you don’t know what I’m talking about? I am talking about the Uyghur Muslims. Oh, I’m sure you read about the millions and millions of poor harmless Muslims in re-education camps.
What’s the latest figure? Eleven million people in concentration camps. OK. I’ll bite. Point the camps out to me using Google Maps. After all New York City is six million people, so any camps that are double that size should be easy to see…
The reason to cause unrest and strife in Xinjiang is to stop the Road and Belt initiative from taking place there. For those “poor Muslims” are going to become filthy Dubai-rich within the next ten years. Oh, no! That will not help the United States one bit, and must be stopped.
Don’t you know.
“For the children”.
As I have stated before, the idea that China would discard the Road and Belt initiative, and isolate themselves to an over reliance on sea shipment of goods is a “pipe dream”.
NOT . GOING . TO . HAPPEN .
China without Tibet and Xinjiang.
[3] Independence for Taiwan
Taiwan is populated with Han Chinese. But maintains it’s own government structure. It’s the one nation, two systems philosophy that China maintains. Well, that does not sit well with the negotiation team. They want Taiwan to sever ALL TIES with China, and instead make Taiwan a client nation with the United States.
Here’s a mixture of links to help you all flush out the situation…
Taiwan is like a nice big juicy aircraft carrier right off the Chinese mainland.
Anyone who even thinks that China would even consider this is smoking too much of that wacky weed. China is a nation of merit. Their leadership ranks are filled with the best and the brightest. They will not even contemplate such an abomination.
NOT . GOING . TO . HAPPEN .
China without Tibet and Xinjiang and Taiwan.
[4] Freedom for Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a tiny nation. It too is part of the one nation, two systems set of governance.
However, it is important. This is because it is the second portal to the Road and Belt initiative.
By freezing egress from that portal, American can retard trade routes and isolate China effectively.
By controlling Hong Kong and Taiwan, and arranging for military bases in both those areas, America can easily place military forces in close proximity to the Chinese mainland.
NOT . GOING . TO . HAPPEN .
[5] Adopt a two party democracy
There is nothing so rude, so arrogant as to tell someone that you don’t like their hair style, their clothing, and the way they sign their name. Well, that’s American industry today. All of which happened to me.
Well, these jackasses in Washington, don’t even give a seconds thought to applying this level of rudeness to other nations.
That’s like China telling Washington DC to disband all political parties and adopt Communism.
ITS. NOT. GOING. TO. HAPPEN.
China today is a single party, traditional conservative nation. Much like the United States was initially setup up as. Then after the 12th amendment the formation of two parties came into being with “democracy”. This is what Trump is demanding of China. To allow a second opposition group to embrace “democracy”.
Perspective
If the roles were reversed. And China demanded these similar kinds of demands on the United States, the nation would look something like this…
What America would look like if the Chinese made the same kinds of demands that the American neocon negotiation team are making.
Conclusions
The five major structural demands that the American negotiation team placed on China did not occur. They will not occur. They never will occur.
Independence for Tibet. (US client state.)
Independence for Xinjiang. (US client state.)
Independence for Taiwan. (US client state.)
Independence for Hong Kong. (US client state.)
Change the Chinese government into a two-party “democracy”.
China has spent the last two decades trying to be come functionally independent from the rest of the world, but tied to the global economic reality. You will [1] not be able to successfully instigate famine in China via trade restrictions, even if you use biological warfare on both the chicken and pork industries. You will [2] not get them to sever their ties with their neighbors, and [3] you will not get them to embrace the failed American “democracy” model.
NOT . GOING . TO . HAPPEN .
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because I just don’t care to.
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From 2016 through 2019, the United States under the guidance and direction of Donald Trump was enmeshed in trade negotiations with China. For most of that time, the negotiations were rocky and a period of discord and confusion reigned. Things become worrisome, and as a result, the world economy went into a recession and things began to take on a very gloomy outlook.
Then, in October of 2019, it was announced that the trade talks were resolved and that Phase One of the trade negotiations would be implemented. Here we discuss these issues, trends and the related affairs that colored this sequence of events.
There is a lot to learn here, as it involves diplomacy, expectations, society, culture, manufacturing, the global environment, and industry. Rather than look at it from the simplistic black-and-white “cardboard cutout” of how it is presented in the American media, let’s look at it in detail. It’s a very interesting study of the affairs of men and nations.
We will start with a recap.
A Brief Historical Recap
The US-China trade dispute erupted publicly in March 2018.
Its origins, however, go back to August 2017, when the Office of US Trade Representative (USTR) issued a preliminary report charging that China’s ‘2025 Plan’ projected passing the US in next generation technology development (5G wireless, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity).
China’s plan represented a fundamental challenge to US global economic—and military—hegemony next decade, according to the USTR.
Made in China 2025 is a strategic plan of China issued by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his cabinet in May 2015. With it, China aims to move away from being the world’s “factory” and move to producing higher value products and services. It is in essence a blueprint to upgrade the manufacturing capabilities of Chinese industries.
That initial USTR report was followed by a second report released in March 2018. That report concluded and confirmed what the first report had raised. Both reports argued that China represented a threat in nextgen technology development that the US could not ignore.
Dr. Christopher Ashley Ford, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, gave a speech at the Multilateral Action on Sensitive Technologies (MAST) Conference, in which he explained that “countries that choose Huawei technology are opening the door to Chinese access to their domestic networks and local companies, as well as potential surveillance by Chinese officials, posing a potential threat to their national security and economic well-being.”
- State Department Highlights Chinese Technology Threats
The trade war with China only then commenced, with Trump imposing an initial $50 billion in tariffs on China imports.
An initial tentative agreement was reached between the main negotiators, the US team led at the time by US Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin, in May 2018.
But you know, that tentative deal was quickly scuttled. The kibosh was put on it and it was shit-canned.
Neocons aborting the plan 1.
This is because US neocons, China hardliners, Pentagon, and the US Military Industrial Complex and friends in Congressional defense appropriations committees organized their forces and got Trump to nix the deal.
The scuttled deal included some serious concessions by China. That included [1] China agreeing to buy $1 trillion more in US farm goods over five years and [2] agreeing to allow US banks and financial institutions to have 51% ownership control of their operations in China.
These are really big deals.
But, the neocons would not have any of that. They wanted to rule the world and wouldn’t give an inch any way in any manner. Only America will be in charge. Only America can rule, tell other nations how to live and define the trade agreements. And if war is necessary to put other nations “in their place”, then so be it.
China reiterated their earlier (and substantial) concessions over the summer of 2018, but to no avail. The neocons would nave none of it.
The main issue was not the US trade deficit.
Nor IP guarantees.
Nor tech sharing of US companies in China.
Nor even majority ownership of US operations in China.
The main issue was the development of nextgen technologies—AI, 5G, and cyber. US Neocons aligned with the Pentagon-Military Industrial Complex, now led by Robert Lighthizer, the head of the USTR. These neocons did not want any nation to have any kind of technical superiority over America and they would fight it “tooth and nail” and economies, world trade, and prosperity be damned!
America MUST be number one, or nothing.
NOTHING!
Other notable neocons included Peter Navarro, special trade adviser to Trump.
Not to forget the largest neocon of them all, John Bolton, who demanded China slow, and even share its nextgen technology development with the US, or else no deal!
"We want your technology and you WILL give it to us.
If you don't well, we will put every pressure possible on you. And, oh by the way, don't think that we are not capable of planting swine flu to destroy all your pork products, launch revolutions and unrest in your cities, and maybe even sink a few ships if that's what it take to put you all in your place.America is the biggest, the best and the most powerful. Never forget that."
Seriously!
Negotiations stalled thereafter as Trump turned his focus to the NAFTA 2.0 negotiations and the 2020 midterm elections approached.
Six months burned away, and the trade negotiations, were dead in the water. The neocons convinced president Trump to “hold fast”, that China is still a third-rate nation and that the trade “wars” are sending China back twenty years.
But they were deluding themselves.
All the signs pointed to a reality that was at odds with American perceptions. Indeed, the Chinese had many “cards up their sleeves” and many of the assumptions that American advisors had on China were simply not true.
What’s worse, the American people started to notice this.
Negotiations were restarted in January 2019 after the midterm elections, and another five months of negotiations between the parties took place until another tentative deal was reached in May 2019.
Neocons aborting the plan 2.
That tentative deal once again was blown up at the last minute by the Lighthizer-Navarro neocon faction now in control of negotiations, with Mnuchin in tow as a co-chair.
That tentative deal once again was blown up at the last minute by the Lighthizer-Navarro neocon faction now in control of negotiations, with Mnuchin in tow as a co-chair.
As the China delegation prepared to come to the US to sign off in May 2019, the US raised new additional demands:
[1] China had to share its nextgen technology development with the US.
[2] China to cease subsidizing its state owned enterprises.
[3] China to provide assurances it would not devalue its currency to offset US tariffs (which now totaled $200 billion).
[4] The existing US tariffs would remain in effect even if an agreement were reached. They would not be removed.
These were the new terms, “Too bad” they said.
All these demands were publicly communicated in the week prior to the May 2019 meeting in Washington D.C. when the deal was scheduled to be signed off.
It seems like they were totally and wholly devoted to terminating the deal, rather than trying to find some common ground from which to negotiate to in good faith.
Neocons aborting the plan 3.
Understandably, the China delegation came and returned home in a day.
The Neocons had scuttled a deal once again. Nextgen technology was the crux. Either China capitulated on nextgen tech or there was no deal, according to the Neocon-Pentagon position.
The Neocons had scuttled a deal once again. Nextgen technology was the crux. Either China capitulated on nextgen tech or there was no deal, according to the Neocon-Pentagon position.
Trump thereafter met China president, Xi, in Osaka Japan at the G20 meeting. They both agreed once again to restart negotiations. Both also agreed to keep a hold on the level of existing tariffs and not raise them further in the meantime.
But Trump broke the pledge in late July 2019.
On the advice of his neocon trade negotiators, he raised tariffs on the remaining $250 billion of China imports. The understanding with Xi not to raise more tariffs was thus shattered.
China raised tariffs of its own on US goods in response.
On the advice of his neocon trade negotiators, he raised tariffs on the remaining $250 billion of China imports. The understanding with Xi not to raise more tariffs was thus shattered. China raised tariffs of its own on US goods in response.
Trump threatened to raise existing tariffs by another 5%, to 25% and 30%, and levy more on all the remaining China imports in December 2019.
The trade war was intensifying.
China took steps to stabilize the situation. China stopped intervening briefly in global money markets to prevent its currency, the Yuan, from devaluing and allowed it to fall 5%-7%–a move that essentially negated Trump’s additional 5% tariff hike.
China stopped intervening briefly in global money markets to prevent its currency, the Yuan, from devaluing and allowed it to fall 5%-7%–a move that essentially negated Trump’s additional 5% tariff hike.
Stock and bond markets plummeted on the mere prospect of a trade war now morphing into a currency war. The trade war, based mostly on tariff hikes, was about to expand the economic conflict beyond mere tariff measures.
Uh oh!
It will be the USD (inflated with mountains of debt) against a rising currency the yuan (that represents the bulk of world wide manufacturing).
Tariffs were already slowing the global economy. A currency war would quickly spread beyond US and China and inject even more instability into the already slowing global economy.
Both China and Trump peered over the cliff of a pending broader economic war between the two economies—and then backed off.
Both China and Trump peered over the cliff of a pending broader economic war between the two economies—and then backed off.
This continued all Summer until September 2019.
Fast forward, the outcome by September 2019 was yet another resumption of negotiations between the two parties, followed by the announcement of a ‘Phase 1’ deal on trade.
So why did Trump ‘stand down’ and agree to a deal now, after escalating his threats and actions over the summer?
The reasons pointed to American problems as a result of the “trade dispute”. You see, America was not as robust as the government would like everyone to believe. Thus, clearly it had to do with [1] the US economy softening in the 3rd quarter combined with [2] a growing discontent in the farm sector. This discontent is over Trump’s handling of the trade dispute that was beginning to bite hard on US farm sector sales. You see, American farmers were heavily dependent on exports to China.
The reasons clearly have to do with [1] the US economy softening in the 3rd quarter combined with [2] a growing discontent in the farm sector. This discontent is over Trump’s handling of the trade dispute that was beginning to bite hard on US farm sector sales. You see, American farmers were heavily dependent on exports to China.
As the trade dispute between the countries had intensified over 2018-19, Trump had placated farm interests by providing an extra $28 billion in direct farm subsidies.
But it wasn’t enough.
According to some sources, no fewer than 12,000 farms went bankrupt in 2018 alone. The $28 billion was going mostly to agribusiness and not getting down to independent farmers who needed it most.
According to some sources, no fewer than 12,000 farms went bankrupt in 2018 alone. The $28 billion was going mostly to agribusiness and not getting down to independent farmers who needed it most.
Farm sector trade associations were demanding Trump settle the trade dispute and their voices grew louder after the August escalation between the US and China.
"This trade war of YOURS is killing US. Please stop it, resolve it, or do whatever it takes, and do it soon. You are killing us!"
So too were other notable business groups, like the US Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable, raising their complaints about the now rapid deterioration of the negotiations.
"I thought that we would come to a mutually fair and agreeable trade agreement. Not one that is contentious, where we are making all the demands, and forcing China into a corner in which they will never agree to. This is not only stupid in the short term, but unwise in the long term. STOP POKING THE PANDA BEAR!"
So too were other notable business groups, like the US Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable, raising their complaints about the now rapid deterioration of the negotiations.
The trade war was beginning to clearly impact general business investment and manufacturing in the Midwest US, and not only in the US but worldwide.
The entire global economy started to slow affecting everything and everyone.
US business investment on new plant and equipment turned negative in the 2nd quarter and promised to continue to slump, while business inventory investment was also being pared. If actions wouldn’t reverse, the entire “deck of cards” could go “belly up”.
On January 8 the World Bank released its report Global Economic Prospects, which confirmed what most people had suspected all along. The World Bank estimates global economic growth to decelerate by 0.1 percentage points in 2019, and the decline could continue well into 2020 as well.
Part of this could be attributed to the Donald Trump factor — free trade is being threatened like never before. However, it is also because the world has been awash in cash after 2008. Any attempt to bring back financial sobriety will mean a bit of belt-tightening, and hence an inevitable slowdown.
The trade war was beginning to impact beyond the farm sector.
By August the US manufacturing sector began to contract, joining what had now become a global manufacturing recession.
Moreover, at the end of August it was also beginning to appear that the manufacturing contraction in the US was potentially spilling over to the larger services sector.
While manufacturing PMIs were contracting in the US, the even larger Services sector PMI had begun to decelerate sharply in terms of growth rate.
Chase bank research was estimating that, with the new Trump tariffs on China consumer good imports set for September and December, consumer spending would be reduced on average by no less than $1,000 per household.
Of equal concern, the new round of Trump tariffs on consumer goods now threatened to slow US consumer spending—the only sector of the economy still holding up in terms of growth. If it does in fact impede growth, there could be disastrous consequences for America, Americans the reelection chances of Donald Trump.
"A key measure of consumer spending unexpectedly dropped for the first time in seven months in September, raising concerns about one of the brightest spots in the US economy.
The Commerce Department said Wednesday retail sales fell 0.3% last month, the first decline since February and compared with a 0.6% rise in August. Retail sales account for more than two-thirds of economic output.
Consumer activity, along with hiring, has propelled an economy that has been otherwise roiled by a trade dispute between the Trump administration and China."
Chase bank research was estimating that, with the new Trump tariffs on China consumer good imports set for September and December, consumer spending would be reduced on average by no less than $1,000 per household.
It was this growing economic slowdown in the US—combined with the growing political discontent in the farm sector and from other major non-farm business organizations—that pushed Trump to concede to the Phase 1 deal.
President Donald Trump’s trade war provided the kind of real-world experiment that practitioners of the dismal science so desperately crave, but the results weren’t all that different from what their econometric models predict. In a new paper, “The Impact of the 2018 Trade War on U.S. Prices and Welfare,” economists Mary Amiti of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Stephen J. Redding of Princeton University and David Weinstein of Columbia University document what economists have told us for decades: that tariffs are a tax on the consumer.
Trump may say, and believe, that “billions of dollars will soon be pouring into our Treasury from taxes that China is paying for us,” but China isn’t paying the taxes. U.S. consumers are. And as for the president’s belief that tariffs will “cure” the nation’s trade deficit, which he sees as a sign of weakness, today’s data suggest otherwise.
The study found that the waves of tariffs throughout 2018 resulted in “substantial increases” in the prices of intermediate and final goods, the cost of which was borne entirely by U.S. consumers. There was little improvement in the “terms of trade,” which means exporters didn’t lower their pre-tariff prices. And the higher price of imports enabled U.S. producers to raise their prices. What’s more, the tariffs introduced inefficiencies by disrupting supply-chain networks. And the customs duties were insufficient to offset the loss to consumers.
Trump’s 2020 election interests had become more paramount than the concerns of the neocons and militarists who were demanding China capitulate on the nextgen tech issue or no deal.
A rapid about face by Trump occurred by late August-early September and China was once again invited to resume talks in Washington in early October.
The content of the Phase 1 deal reached October 11, 2019 reveals that Trump abandoned his ‘big deal or no deal’ position. He retreated from the neocon ‘non negotiable’ demand, that was holding up a deal since May 2018. This demand was that China capitulate on the nextgen tech issue or no trade deal.
The content of the Phase 1 deal reached October 11, 2019 reveals that Trump abandoned his ‘big deal or no deal’ position. He retreated from the neocon ‘non negotiable’ demand, that was holding up a deal since May 2018. This demand was that China capitulate on the nextgen tech issue or no trade deal.
Placating his farm sector political base to get China to resume purchases, and taking China’s 51% ownership concession desperately wanted by US big banks (i.e. the primary demand of the Mnuchin faction on the US negotiating team), became Trump’s new priority demand in Phase 1.
Neocon John Bolton fired.
The nextgen technology issue so critical to the neocons was clearly demoted and removed from the bargaining table by the US.
In Phase 1 China got its ‘partial’ deal—and absent any concessions on the nextgen tech issue. That was left for a Phase 2 or even Phase 3, as Trump put it in his press conference the same day.
Trump’s advisers believe he wants to impose a 25 percent tariff on foreign autos, hoping to raise the cost on foreign competition and persuade U.S. consumers to buy American-made cars. But critics — which include many of his fellow Republicans and even some of his own advisers — caution it could raise costs for consumers and be a disaster for jobs.
Those critics also (unsuccessfully) urged Trump to not put tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, but this time the stakes are far higher.
So far, the president has tariffs on foreign washing machines, solar panels, steel, aluminum and some Chinese-made goods. In total, the tariffs cover about $85 billion worth of products. It sounds like a big number, but it is less than 4 percent of the United States’ total imports last year ($2.4 trillion)
Trump got what the China delegation had already offered way back in 2018: i.e. 51% ownership and resumption of big purchases of US farm products.
In short, Trump caved in and in effect “took the money and ran”. His 2020 re-election interests took precedence over the neocon-military concerns over China’s nextgen tech development. He announced to the world that the USA and China came to an agreement and trade deal.
In short, Trump caved in and in effect “took the money and ran”. His 2020 re-election interests took precedence over the neocon-military concerns over China’s nextgen tech development. He announced to the world that the USA and China came to an agreement and trade deal.
What’s In the Phase 1 Deal?
Important to note, the Phase 1 deal itself is not yet a signed agreement. It’s a verbal understanding between Trump and China’s vice-premier and chief negotiator, Liu He.
In his press conference announcing the deal on October 11, Trump admitted the parties were yet to sign off even on Phase 1 but hoped that it could be done within 5 weeks; that is by the time Trump and Xi meet again at the APEC conference in Chile in November.
Increased purchases of farm products by China.
Trump boasted repeatedly the Phase 1 deal included up to $40-$50 billion in new US farm purchases by China.
Over what period was not clear, however. Trump vacillated from saying current levels of China farm purchases were $8 billion, or maybe $16 billion, or was $17 billion at prior peaks.
He really didn’t know. Or maybe it was $20 billion, as one side comment was made in the press conference. It sounded like $40 billion was the target agreed to in principle and over the course of the next two years.
But that was the ceiling apparently.
Trump declared there’s “never been a deal of this magnitude for the American farmer”. Of course that wasn’t true. But the Trump hyperbole and spin was in.
Americans can have controlling interest in their companies on Chinese soil.
Another major agreement area in Phase 1, according to Trump, was China’s confirmation it would allow US companies to own 51% of their operations in China. As Trump put it, “banks will be very very happy”.
More US multinational corporations could now shift even more production to China.
A Suspension of an additional 5% tariff hike over the already applied 25% tariff hike.
On the important tariff front, in Phase 1 Trump agreed only to
suspend his threatened 5% tariff hike (raising rates from 25% to 30%)
due the following week of October.
What’s NOT In Phase 1
What’s not in Phase 1 reveals clearly that Trump clearly capitulated
on the nextgen tech issue in exchange for resumption of farm purchases
and the 51% US bank ownership in China offer.
No Intellectual Property protections.
What was agreed to in ‘IP, or intellectual property’ protections was
left vague in Phase 1. Trump admitted only some IP issues were included
in Phase 1 but didn’t say what. IP was mostly left to Phase 2, per
Trump.
No details on how China can control the value of the yuan.
Equally vague was the understanding in Phase 1 on how China might agree not to devalue the Yuan, its currency. That was key to the US since devaluation would offset Trump tariffs.
Trade representative, Lighthizer, provided some vague commentary during the Trump press conference about how China and the US would meet to work out some rules in that regard. But the devaluation issue itself was irrelevant.
China had consistently over the preceding 15 months of trade war intervened in money markets to keep its currency from devaluing, and did so even as the rising US dollar was the primary cause of the pressure on the Yuan to devalue, as it other currencies worldwide as well.
If anything was driving the devaluation it was the rising US dollar, not a policy action by China to enact a devaluation.
No action on nexgen technology.
Tech issues were in general put off.
As Trump declared, would be “largely done in Phase 2”, or maybe even a Phase 3. And Phase 2 would not begin until and if Phase 1 verbal understandings were ‘signed off’ in writing five weeks from now by Trump and Xi in Chile.
Further revealing no agreement on the strategic nextgen tech issue, Trump indicated the US would continue its policy attacking China’s 5G tech company, Huawei, as well as selectively ‘blacklist’ other Chinese AI companies in the US.
That was, he added, “a separate process”.
So the nextgen tech issue is now a separate track, in effect decoupled from the trade negotiations. It is very unlikely it will be reintroduced in Phase 2, should that subsequent round even occur, which is not likely in any substantive way before the 2020 US elections.
No reduction on existing tariffs.
Also left out of Phase 1 was any US reduction of existing tariffs on
China imports. That continuation of tariff levels included the $160
billion of China consumer goods exports to the US scheduled for December
15, 2019.
China can continue to subsidize it’s state-owned businesses.
The US also apparently failed to attain its demand that China reduce
its subsidies to its state owned enterprises—a strange proposal given
that the US just subsidized its business sector with trillions of
dollars with Trump’s 2018 tax cuts.
How and Why Trump Folded in the Trade War with China
As usual, Trump talked tough before his G20 meeting with Xi Jinping in Osaka, Japan.
“China will face 25% tariffs on the $300 billion of the remaining imports,”
It was frightening and terrifying, and the world shook. But lo and behold, he not only came up empty handed, but he also caved in numerous ways, including reversing his ban on Huawei.
What happened?
To summarize Trump’s astonishing loss at the negotiations with China:
He didn’t raise new tariffs (on the $300 billion of Chinese goods)
He reversed his ban on Huawei as well as eight other Chinese hi-tech companies, which were sentenced into the “entity list” just a month and half ago. (Now the whole “Huawei is a security threat” has been revealed as an utter hoax!)
He accepted more talks (though, without any deadline targets).
In exchange for all of this, all Trump got was China’s promise to buy more agricultural goods. Ah yes. Once again soybeans and farmers play an immense role in trade decisions.
Tech Bomb Neutralized
How did this happen?
First, China quickly neutralized Trump team’s “nuclear option”. With that option (or idea) being to shut down Huawei, at all levels, in the United States.
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. is a Chinese multinational technology company that provides telecommunications equipment and sells consumer electronics, including smartphones and is headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.
It’s not a bad play. As it has worked before.
The US was trying the same playbook that worked with Japan in the 1980s. That time, the US banned Toshiba to bully Japan into the infamous Plaza Accord. But, don’t you know, China isn’t Japan!
ThePlazaAccordorPlazaAgreementwasanagreementbetweenthegovernmentsof France, West Germany, Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom, todepreciatetheU.S. dollarinrelationtotheJapaneseyenandGermanDeutsche Markbyinterveningincurrencymarkets.
-Wikipedia
This time, however, was different.
Indeed, China and Huawei had a surprise for the US team. Huawei announced that it had been preparing for just this kind of an emergency for many many years.
They were ready.
This time, however, China and Huawei had a surprise for the US team: Huawei announced that it has been preparing for just this kind of an emergency for many many years. They were ready.
Huawei’s CEO (Ren Zhengfei) went on the offensive.
With the media hounding him for rebuttals and sound bites, he responded in a measured and methodical manner. In all, he laid out some pretty surprising comments and announcements. In which [1] he claimed that HiSilicon (a Huawei subsidiary) can make most of the semiconductor chips that Huawei uses, and [2] that Huawei has been working on a secret operating system (“Hong Meng” or “Ark OS”) that can replace both Android and Microsoft Windows!
Huawei did not need American semiconductor chips.
Huawei did not need American or Korean operating systems.
Some media outlets reported that this OS, referred to as "Hongmeng OS", could be released in China in either August or September 2019, with a worldwide release in the second quarter of 2020. On 24 May 2019, Huawei registered "Hongmeng OS" as a trademark in China.
- Harmony OS - Wikipedia
The reaction on the social media was unmistakable. Make no mistake. Anyone who was not an American was rooting for Huawei. Yes, the “underdog” which sold 200 million smartphones last year and half of them were outside China.
Hisilicon Technologies Co., Ltd. (海思半導體) is a Chinese fabless semiconductor company wholly owned subsidiary of Huawei. Founded in 1991 as ASIC Design Center of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., HiSilicon became an independent, wholly owned subsidiary of Huawei in 2004.
- HiSilicon - WikiChip
The reaction on the social media was unmistakable. Make no mistake. Anyone who was not an American was rooting for Huawei. Yes, the “underdog” which sold 200 million smartphones last year and half of them were outside China.
Americans had no idea. The Trump negotiation team were blindsided by this. American industry were stunned.
Now, Google and Microsoft were scared.
What if Huawei really launched a good decent OS that can take on Android and Windows? Worse, what if all the other Chinese smartphone companies switched to Hong Meng?
About 65% of worldwide Android users are using Chinese brands!
China is a major player when it comes to the production of smartphones. In addition to having a hand in many of the most recognizable tech brands, China has a number of its own brands that have become quite popular internationally. Are any smartphones not made in China? You can find a phone that’s not manufactured in the People’s Republic–if you’re willing to hunt.
While the US was trying to kill Huawei, it seemed like Huawei was about to kill Android.
The roles were reversed, and America wasn’t ready.
And the implications are far worse.
For the US would lose all its abilities to spy on the world, if both the hardware and the software are Chinese! Truth be told, this is the real reason why Google started lobbying the Trump administration to lift the ban on Huawei.
As for the US semiconductor companies, they also started seeing signs of Chinese independence in the chip-designing area.
China announced a new home-grown CPU that could compete with Intel and AMD. This would be the first time a non-American company would make its own CPU. And another Chinese company announced it will start mass production of memory chips (DRAM).
China announced a new home-grown CPU that could compete with Intel and AMD. This would be the first time a non-American company would make its own CPU. And another Chinese company announced it will start mass production of memory chips (DRAM).
To summarize: US plans for crushing Huawei fell flat and (depending on your point of view) even backfired.
US plans for crushing Huawei fell flat and backfired.
Chinese Economy
How about China’s economy? Are Trump’s tariffs crushing the Chinese economy? Was China on the verge of collapse due to starvation, famine and a rising tide demanding “democracy”?
Not really.
Of course, you wouldn’t be able to tell, with the American propaganda machine in full force, churning out bullshit…
"China’s economy grew at mere 6 per cent in the third quarter of 2019 compared with a year earlier, its slowest pace in about 30 years, delivering another blow to global growth and underlining many of the challenges facing President Xi Jinping.
The country’s trade war with the US, slowing income growth and cooling manufacturing investment took a toll on the world’s second-largest economy between July and September, according to the figures released by the (American) National Bureau of Statistics on Friday."
- The Worst Chinese Economy in 30 Years
Meanwhile, the American economy is roaring forward ever skyward…
"The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the United States expanded 2.30 percent in the second quarter of 2019 over the same quarter of the previous year. GDP Annual Growth Rate in the United States averaged 3.20 percent from 1948 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 13.40 percent in the fourth quarter of 1950 and a record low of -3.90 percent in the second quarter of 2009."
- United States GDP Annual Growth Rate | 2019
Um… I might not be the smartest fellow in the world, but I am pretty sure that 6.0% is a lot better than 2.3% growth. No matter how you look at it.
What’s going on?
During Jan-May 2019, China’s exports to the US fell about 5%, but China’s exports to the EU rose more than 14%. And, guess what, EU is China’s #1 trading partner (and ASEAN is the #2 trade partner), while the US is #3.
During Jan-May 2019, China’s exports to the US fell about 5%, but China’s exports to the EU rose more than 14%. And, guess what, EU is China’s #1 trading partner (and ASEAN is the #2 trade partner), while the US is #3.
So, China keeps growing at a healthy pace. In fact, the IMF predicts a healthy 6.2% real GDP growth for China this year!
But here’s the kicker.
While China’s exports to the US fell 4.8%, the reverse — US exports to China — fell by a whopping 24% (for the first five months of 2019).
The talking is over. Now we’re fighting a real trade war — and here on my farm in Iowa, I’m on the front line.
The dispute between the United States and China poses a direct threat to my livelihood. Because of the new and emerging tariffs on both sides, the things I grow will sell for less and the things I buy will cost me more.
This week the price of hogs dropped $12 for every pig I sell. This morning, soybeans are down 40 cents a bushel — a $1.7 billion loss to the value of U.S. soybeans. And if I want to make new capital purchases of machinery or grain bins — anything made with steel or aluminum — I’ll have to pay a higher amount.
For years, we’ve engaged in a war of words with China over trade. American officials have complained about everything from China’s currency manipulation and subsidized industries to a trade deficit that hit a record level in 2017. The difference between what Americans bought from China and what Chinese bought from the United States reached $375 billion last year. President Trump recently demanded that the United States reduce this gap by at least $100 billion.
Last month, Trump fired a salvo, announcing new tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on imported aluminum. China retaliated a few days ago with a long list of new tariffs, affecting about $50 billion of American-made products. Many fruits and nuts, for example, will face a 15 percent tax. So will a variety of stainless steel pipes.
China also slapped a 25-percent tax on pork products — a category that affects me directly because I raise hogs. We try to sell every part of these animals, from the meat to the offal. Even before the trade war erupted, pork prices weren’t very good. Now they have dropped to the lowest prices since 2003.
Now things are going from bad to worse.
The Trump administration responded on Tuesday by proposing more than 1,300 new tariffs on Chinese products, including televisions, chemicals and machinery. They’re also worth about $50 billion, in a tit-for-tat move that aims to match China’s latest round.
Now China has shot back. On Wednesday, it added tariffs to more than 100 U.S. products, including cars and planes. This round affects me, too. If the Chinese impose the announced tariff of 25 percent on soybeans, another major product on my farm, it will lower my price $2.50 a bushel.
China isn’t the only market for my pork and soybeans. Reducing our access to this important destination, however, has global repercussions. The bottom line is that what I produce is suddenly worth less money. My competitors in Argentina and Brazil must be celebrating their good luck.
What will tomorrow bring? Nobody knows. Today, however, is bad enough: My farm business is now under siege, held hostage by a trade war that my neighbors and I never wanted. Yet, U.S. Trade Ambassador Robert Lighthizer says we can’t worry about me, it is the big picture that is important. All I can say to him is that the financial bullets are real, and they hit with real impact on us in agriculture.
To be sure, Trump isn’t doing anything he said he wouldn’t do. He has talked tough on trade from the moment he announced his candidacy. I supported his election, but also harbored deep reservations about his trade agenda. Now my fears have come to fruition.
My hope is that the president will make good on the promise that he’s a master negotiator. Perhaps he’ll bargain his way out this mess. Many of the new tariffs have yet to take effect. They’ve already shaken markets and taken an economic toll, but they are threats rather than realities. Perhaps a round of productive bargaining will sweep them away.
- Impact of Chinese trade war: What American farmers produce is suddenly worth less money
So, US exporters and farmers are hurting real bad.
And Trump cannot win re-election without the support of those “great soybean/corn/pork farmers.”
As for the tariffs on the last $300 billion of imports from China, 600 major US corporations and influential trade groups — Walmart, Nike, Apple etc. — strongly lobbied against the tariffs and held a few days of hearing/testimony with the US Dept. of Commerce.
Behind the doors, corporate lobbyists were probably threatening US politicians — “If you don’t stop these tariffs, we will fund your opponent in the coming election and destroy you!”
Then, to really really rub it in, Apple announced one day before the G20 meeting that they were going to move manufacturing of high-end desktop computers (Mac Pro) from the US to China!!!
Yes, it is true, China can cripple the US economy in many ways. Rather than actually carrying out these threats, the Chinese government warned US corporations whose subsidiaries are making hundreds of billions of dollars every year in China — note that this is not reflected in the official trade surplus/deficit calculations.
Then China made these corporations lobby the Trump administration. This is much more effective.
At the same time, China has also been opening up certain sectors in the last month. For example, Morgan Stanley was allowed to become a majority holder in its joint venture; and US corporations would be free to compete
in oil/gas sectors in China. Such actions create allies who will put
the pressure on US politicians to not escalate the trade war.
As for manufacturing, China is moving ahead with artificial intelligence, robotics, 5G, IoT etc. The Chinese really don’t want to be stuck with low-end manufacturing. If some of these jobs move to Vietnam, Thailand etc., that’s fine.
China needs only four or five more years before it fully catches up with the US in major sectors such as semiconductor, biotechnology and civil aviation. While the Chinese government has officially stopped talking about “Made in 2025,” you can bet it has been accelerated to “Made in China 2023.”
Thus, the Chinese government’s plan is to just ride out America’s temper tantrum for a few more years.
The US needs a completely new paradigm for the 21st century. Unfortunately, Washington elites are totally clueless.
Washington elites are totally clueless.
Sun Tzu said, “strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory, but tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” The latter approach is more appealing to Trump, the real estate salesman and TV reality star.
Total capitulation? Art of the Deal? There are actually some very interesting global dynamics at play and lessons to learn. First, to summarize, Trump announced a ‘Phase 1’ of trade deal with China.
Moreover, to the dismay of many of his supporters who are virulently anti-China, he said the following: “There was a lot of friction between the US and China. Now it’s a love fest! That’s a good thing.”
Why Trump made the deal with Phase One
As I have written numerous times over the last 1.5 years, the trade war with China was a futile effort.
China is too strong.
The US is too dependent on China.
It is also impossible to move any meaningful amount of manufacturing out of China.
Moreover, Trump is facing re-election and now, to make things worse, possible impeachment by Democrats. He needs a win. The best solution is to get a partial deal and declare victory.
Winners and Losers
While the US didn’t get its biggest demand (structural changes to the Chinese system) Trump certainly won some decent concessions. These include
China opening up its financial sector to Wall Street
US companies operating in China without joint ventures or technology transfer
Currency deal (strengthening Yuan)
Chinese purchase of agricultural products
Winner #1: The people who run the US are the financial guys — Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Blackstone, Fidelity, Vanguard, Citigroup etc. These guys don’t give a damn about manufacturing,
which is a low-profit operation. The mega and easy profits are made in
stocks, bonds, mutual funds, insurance, derivatives etc.
The ultimate dream of these Wall Street types is to tap into the Chinese market, which has the world’s largest middle class with the fastest growing wealth. Starting next year, these financial guys will be able to set up fully foreign-owned firms that specialize in futures, securities and mutual funds.
Winner #2: China comes out as a winner, even though it has suffered and compromised quite a bit in the negotiations.
First, the US attack has forced Chinese companies to accelerate their plans for technology independence.
Second, the trade war has helped strengthen the Chinese communist party and has increased the sense of nationalism among the public. China has now proven to the world and itself that it can stand up to the US — it didn’t fold in the trade war; numerous countries have refused to ban Huawei or drop out of the Belt and Road Initiative in spite of a lot of American pressure; and US corporations like the NBA and Apple have bowed to China.
Third, the opening up of China will create competition and eventually improve Chinese companies.
Finally, fourthly this truce will stabilize China’s economy and stop America’s hybrid wars (non-war wars). Indeed, just watch how quickly the protests in Hong Kong fizzle out; and watch how the Uyghur “concentration camp” story gets forgotten by the US media.
Partial Winners: US corporations are partial winners, and US farmers will go back to where they were before.
US corps will be able to export more, when the Yuan becomes stronger.
Of course, it depends on how much and how fast Yuan rises. Also, Trump
says that China has agreed to buy $40 or $50 billion worth of US
agricultural products, but farming is not like a factory where you can
double the output easily. So, farmers will just go back to the status
quo before the trade war began.
Just like Bush didn’t break China, Trump won’t break China by forcing
another 20 or 25% rise in Yuan’s value. In fact, that will work just
fine for China, which wants to (1) move its economy more towards
consumption and (2) make Yuan an international currency.
Losers: First, all the rabid anti-China, anti-communist and anti-globalist conservatives are going to be deeply disappointed.
We are not decoupling with china and, worse, we are becoming more interconnected with China. There’s a big crowd on social media who spew insane things like China is our biggest enemy every day! Followers of Steve Bannon, Peter Navarro, Gordon Chang, Kyle Bass etc. will be going through the five stages of grief.
Also, the losers will be those who dreamed of manufacturing jobs
streaming back from China to the US. (They may come back 10-15 years
from now when industrial robots are much smarter).
Phase 1 Conclusion, and on to Phase 2
In his White House briefing, Trump also mentioned a couple of times that this deal is good for world peace. Whether he meant it or not, the sentiment is right. The concept of “Chimerica” may have a chance to live a little longer.
However, there is a catch: US elites may still be dreaming of the “Phase 2” of the deal.
What’s in Phase 2
This is the failed dream-plan to stop the rise of China. Many conservatives hope that this will be implemented to put China in it’s “rightful” place.
This includes “structural changes” to China’s economy — basically making China open up its entire economy to foreign banks/corporations and dismantle its socialist system. It is intended to dismantle the Chinese “Communist with Chinese characteristics” system and replace it with American-style democracy…
As if that is EVER going to happen!
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019. Also, we can expect more legislation. The legislation will hamper Chinese interests. Geng Shuang, China’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson, warned the US about consequences. He said that the legislation is the “wrong decision of the U.S.”
He also said, “Chinese side will have to enact effective countermeasures,” according to a CNBC report.
Shuang warned that if the Senate passes the bill, the bilateral relationship between the US and China could deteriorate. The deal will hamper US interests in China.
Notably, China is an important market for US stocks like Apple (AAPL) and Tesla (TSLA). Apple suppliers are located in China. Notably, car sales in China contribute significantly to Tesla’s revenues. However, the above events might give President Trump an extra edge during the trade talks. The legislation needs President Trump’s approval.
-Market Realist
Such changes will mean that there won’t be any state-owned enterprises or government-directed plans like “Made in China 2025.”
From the beginning, US elites were trying to break China like they did with Japan in the 1980s.
In the Plaza Accord, the US forced Japan to double the value of Yen, move car manufacturing plants from Japan to the US, accept crippling sanctions on Toshiba, and handover valuable semiconductor technology patents to the US. All these were possible because the US still occupied Japan. And the lead American negotiator who made it all possible was … Robert Lighthizer … who’s now been leading the charge against China for more than two years.
Unlike Toshiba … Huawei and other Chinese companies now under the “entity list” can survive without US technology or market. Unlike Japan … China is a fully independent country.
Head’s up…
Phase 2 will never happen.
It is highly unlike there will be a ‘Phase 2’ in anything but a token discussion level. And if there is, it is extremely unlikely it will include any meaningful concessions by China on next gen tech—i.e. AI, 5G, cybersecurity.
China has now clearly prevailed in blunting Trump and the neocon offensive in that regard.
For their part, Trump and US military-industrial-Pentagon interests will continue to pursue blocking China on the tech issue in ways decoupled from trade negotiations.
Various other measures will now be the focus, such as attacking and blacklisting China tech companies in the US and even elsewhere among US allies. Perhaps even delisting them from US stock exchanges, as a recent Washington ‘trial balloon’ proposed.
Trump did not go there on the eve of the recent negotiations.
It would certainly have ‘blown up’ the trade deal once again if he had. But that—blacklisting and delisting—remain as likely US tactics in the months to come. For the technology war—i.e. the real war behind the tariffs and trade war—has only just begun between the two countries.
And a broader economic war involving non-tariff measures is almost certain to erupt after the 2020 elections.
A ‘Phase 2’ follow up negotiations is tentatively set for after the Phase 1 sign off in November in Chile. Not much will come of it, however, so long as Trump insists on maintaining the current level of 25% tariffs on China imports to the US.
Trump likes the current level of tariffs and the revenue it brings in, which allows him a somewhat independent source of financing for his domestic programs independent of the US Congress passing legislation and authorization bills which he now won’t get.
On the other hand, Trump may temporarily suspend the planned tariff hikes on $160 billion of consumer goods due December 15, 2019 should the US economy continue to weaken in the 4th quarter, which is more likely than not.
But it will be a temporary suspension, not a dropping of the tariffs.
The 15 month long US-China so-called trade war is over.
There will be further discussions but no significant changes before the US 2020 election. What Trump got in Phase 1 is all he’s going to get.
He’s probably promised the neocons, who have lost out on this Phase 1 deal, even more aggressive action against China companies doing business in the US. That’s their ‘concession prize’.
Worst case, Phase 1 might not even be finalized, should the neocon-Pentagon-Military Industrial Complex faction regroup and try to scuttle the deal, once again for a third time. There’s always that possibility.
-Counterpunch
Meanwhile, China is putting the Neocons on warning… do NOT mess with us.
This is China's most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and it has an operational range of more than 14, 000 kilometers. The DF-41 is capable of carrying about 10 independently targetable nuclear warheads which can hit any target on earth. DF-41 is now the world's longest range missile ahead of US LGM-30 Minuteman which has a reported range of 13,000 kilometers.
- China unveils Dongfeng-41 missiles that ‘can strike US
…the US realized that gunboat diplomacy or nuclear diplomacy are off the table.
For decades, the United States has taken China’s ballistic missile capability for granted, assessing it as a low-capability force with limited regional impact and virtually no strategic value. But on October 1, during a massive military parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Beijing put the U.S., and the world, on notice that this assessment was no longer valid.
In one fell swoop, China may have nullified America’s strategic nuclear deterrent, the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and U.S. missile defense capability. Through its impressive display of new weapons systems, China has underscored the reality that while the United States has spent the last two decades squandering trillions of dollars fighting insurgents in the Middle East, Beijing was singularly focused on overcoming American military superiority in the Pacific. If the capabilities of these new weapons are taken at face value, China will have succeeded on this front.
The ghosts of Opium Wars and the Century of Humiliation made sure that China was prepared for this moment.
A Failed Trump Trade Policy
Trump’s trade war with China is clearly a net failure. Trump could have gotten the same deal back in 2018, more than a year ago. Instead, the dispute was allowed to escalate, with the effect of causing business uncertainty and slowing investment in the US and worldwide due to the 15 month trade war.
The trade war has clearly played a part in the global manufacturing recession now underway, which threatens now to spread to services and consumption and precipitate a general recession in the US economy and possibly even worldwide.
Trump has pushed the global economy to the brink of a worldwide
currency war in the process as well. He has drained $28 billion thus
far from business and consumer spending in order to collect tariff
revenues that he’s diverted in turn to the farm sector in subsidies that
otherwise might not have been necessary. Small business, household
consumers, and failing small farmers have paid the price and will
continue to do so in higher prices from continuing tariffs.
Despite 15 months of trade war with China—and a series of ‘softball’ trade deals with South Korea, Japan, and Mexico-Canada—the US trade deficit as of August 2019 has reached record deficit levels of $55 billion that month and an annual rate of nearly $700 billion a year. The trade wars have been totally ineffective in reducing the US trade deficit—if that was ever the goal.
If we look at the ratio of #exports to #GDP (currently 19.51%) and the #distribution by country (just about 20% to the #US), we realize that only about 3.9% of #China's GDP is coming from exports to the US.
That is less than the annual growth of GDP.
In other words, China's #economy grows by much more than all the exports to the US - every year.
This puts the potential pressure the #USA can put on China via protectionist policies in quite some perspective.
Of course, the actual exports have a multiplier, as suppliers to exporting companies would also suffer from a further closing down of the US economy.
But the main message remains: 80% of Chinese exports don't go to the US (and increasing as trade with #Africa grows), and overall the Chinese economy is less and less dependent of foreign #currency coming from exports. #TradeWar
-Harold Bachmann
Now some humorous Dilbert on this matter…
Links about China
Here are
some links about my observations on China. I think that you, the reader,
might find them to be of interest. Please kindly enjoy.
China and America Comparisons
As an
American, I cannot help but compare what my life was in the United
States with what it is like living in China. Here we discuss that.
The Chinese Business KTV Experience
This is
the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the
British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal
press. This is the reality. Read or not.
Learning About China
Who
doesn’t like to look at pretty girls? Ugly girls? Here we discuss what
China is like by looking at videos of pretty girls doing things in
China.
Contemporaneous Chinese Music
This is a
series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It
is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I
am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series
of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and
enjoyment.
Parks in China
The parks
in China are very unique. They are enormous and tend to be very
mountainous. Here we take a look at this most interesting of subjects.
Really Strange China
Here are
some posts that discuss a number of things about China that might seem
odd, or strange to Westerners. Some of the things are everyday events,
while others are just representative of the differences in culture.
What is China like?
The
purpose of this post is to illustrate that the rest of the world,
outside of America, has moved on with their lives. That while they
might not be as great as America is, they are doing just fine thank
you.
And while
America has been squandering it’s money, decimating it’s resources,
and just being cavalier with it’s military, the rest of the world has
done the opposite. They have husbanded their day to day fortunes, and
you can see this in their day-to-day lives.
Summer in Asia
Let’s take a moment to explore Asia. That includes China, but also includes such places as Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and others…
Some Fun Videos
Here’s a collection of some fun videos taken all over Asia. While
there are many videos taken in China, we also have some taken in
Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Korea and Japan as well. It’s all in fun.
Articles & Links
You’ll not
find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy
notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a
necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money
off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you
because I just don’t care to.
You can start reading the articles sequentially by going HERE.
You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
As I write this, the “Trump trade war with China” in on it’s third year. It has been one heck of a roller-coaster ride, and today I can definitely say that, contrary to what the mainstream American media reports, China is just happy as can be waiting the “trade war” out.
China is not starving, ready to collapse towards famine.
There aren’t layoffs of millions of people
Huawei hasn’t collapsed, and sitting by waiting for America to develop 5G technology
Here, we review the current state of affairs between the USA and China in the building “cold economic war”, and then investigate options that can move the trade war as a positive win for America. Because right now, it is just floundering. And the only ones really getting “dinged” by it are the Americans that have to pay higher prices for their manufactured products.
This article is all about making America #1.
But first, we need to see things as they actually are. Not as how we want them to be. In many cases that means that we must erase some preconceived notions that we might hold dearly.
To help a person that has collapsed in the street, you need to know WHY he collapsed. Was it heat stroke? A heart attack? A gun shot wound? Or, was he just sleepy. You need to know the TRUE situation in order to provide the proper assistance.
Please kindly note that this post has multiple embedded videos. It is important to view them. If they fail to load, all you need to do is to reload your browser.
The Lose-Lose scenario
At the start of the Donald Trump presidency, myself and others sincerely believed that the trade disagreements between the USA and China could be resolved. We believed in a win-win scenario. One in which both side so the table came back with something resembling success. A win-win for everyone.
But, unfortunately, that did not happen.
Instead, what developed was a policy of “lose – lose”. That is to say, that both sides would lose. However, the idea was for Chinese to lose much more than America would. Thus it would be a positive gain for America, and thus provide the USA with a greater amount of bargaining power.
The USA would lose a little bit, but recover quickly.
The Chinese would lose a lot, and maybe not recover for decades.
Personally, there is no doubt in my mind that this lose-lose strategy is a NeoCon strategy.
Because it is complete and utter nonsense, and has no bearing what so ever on reality.
As such, it is no surprise that it would be enforced, embraced and cultivated by Neocons within the trump administration. For every time it looked like the trade issues would be resolved, there would be some kind of problem. And each and every problem resolved around a Neocon-related issue.
I like to point my fingers at war-monger extraordinaire John Bolton, but I could be wrong.
To Bolton, the support of allies is proof of US military weakness, not diplomatic strength and he is yet to meet an arms control agreement he likes. The latest casualty amidst their wreckage of the pillars of the US-crafted global order is the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
How and Why
Why in the heck would anyone really want a lose-lose situation? Really, it’s crazy right? I mean, why go to a restaurant that has discount week-old meals for a cheap price when you know that you are going to get sick afterwards? Why do it?
Maybe on the HOPE that there is a CHANCE that you won’t get sick.
The understanding on how anyone would possibly want a lose-lose trade agreement is clear once you see the distortions of reality that neocons live under.
China is forever a third-world nation.
America is a long-term first-world nation.
China is dependent on the United States for labor, food, and status.
America doesn’t need China, and we can reopen all our factories again easily.
Each and everyone of these assumptions parrot the American mainstream press. And, as such, each and everyone is completely and absolutely wrong. It’s what Americans WANT to believe, not what is really going on.
China is not what the American mainstream press says it is. Instead it is something else. The mainstream American press produces “news” and “reports” that appeal to American emotions. Not to provide them facts and information. Remember, the only way that America can operate efficiently is with a just and well-informed populace.
People!
A healthy America requires an educated and well-informed populace. Otherwise, America is doomed to suffer through the mistakes of the mass-mob, as well as the manipulations by those that control them.
Changing things around.
Right now, the trade situation is at a standstill.
China is waiting everything out. They will let events play out. For they play “the long game’.
America is willing to suffer though events as they transpire. They believe that China is feeling the same kinds of pressures that Americana feel. For Americans believe that the Chinese, just like Americans, play the “short game”.
The only thing is… China just isn’t experiencing any kind of serious pressures.
In reality, for the Chinese owned businesses, it’s all just a slight down-tick in trade and a very slight increase in prices on imported goods. The ones that are hurting are the American businesses that operate within China. They are feeling the vast brunt of the trade-wars, as well as their support networks. Most of which are HK based.
"The Trump administration made a very serious miscalculation in launching the ‘trade war’ with China. It believed that either, or both, the leadership of China would submit to the Trump administrations threats or the Chinese population would not be prepared for a serious struggle with the US. Both calculations have proved entirely wrong. China’s leadership did not surrender to but hit back against the US attacks. Furthermore anyone who follows China’s domestic discussion, on what is now by far the world’s largest internet community, knows that this line was strongly supported by the Chinese population."
- China prepares for economic ‘prolonged war’ with Trump
The big issue in China today, and I can tell you this personally, is that there is a global slowdown going on. This slowdown was triggered by the Trump Tariff wars, but was not caused by them. The global slowdown was forecast for years, and China has long prepared for it.
The Chinese play the "long game" and plan in terms of centuries. American play the "short game" and plan on quarterly results (once ever three months).
Thus, as far as the tariff situation is concerned, they are just content to let things play out and allow America to eat itself alive…
China is playing the “long game”. America is playing the “short game” (quarter by quarter). In this situation, the “long game” favors China. The “short game” harms America.
One of the reasons why these authoritarian regimes like China are much more popular in the eyes of millennials around the world than among older generations, is that the younger people feel at least China focuses on the future, invests a huge part of their economic product into the future, and have a plan.
Look at the United States. Look at these countries today. They’re unable to focus on anything beyond next month. They can’t even formulate a budget. They can’t get anything through Congress. And all they’re doing is embarrassing themselves.
-McAlvanay
In the long run, the United States can be harmed immensely unless this situation does not turn around.
The very first thing that needs to happen is to do a deep purge of the neocons in the White-house.
President Trump's agenda is at odds at the neocon agenda. In many ways they are direct opposites.
These people do not want any kinds of win-win trade situation. Instead, their world view is one of “us vs. them”. They believe that there can only be two types of people in the world; The “hammers” and the “anvils”.
Neocons hold a mid-1850s mindset. They think in terms of nations, wars, and geographical conquest. They do so at the expense of understanding the Earth as a living (kind of) organism that we all inhabit.
Here’s my narrative on one of these neocons. Open it up, as it will open up in a new tab. Read it. All neocons are the same. They do not love America, American conservatism or tradition. They love power and empire building.
They believe that there can only be one leader in the world, and that is the United States. They believe this because we have “democracy!” (whatever the heck that is supposed to mean). The rest of the world is to live under our subjugation.
No other relationship is possible.
Now, Donald Trump did actually purge neocon John Bolton from his staff, and then immediately contacted Xi Peng in China wanting to resume trade talks.
The American media of course does not associate the firing of Bolton with China. To them, it's all just a coincidence. Bolton was fired for other reasons, like Saudi Arabia, North Korea, and Syria.
According to the mainstream American press, calling China and Bolton’s firing within minutes of each other was just a coincidence. Nothing more.
What China is
The way that Donald Trump tells it, China’s manufacturing sector is close to collapse, fatally wounded by Washington’s tariffs on Chinese imports.
Last month the American president was celebrating how China’s supply chain was “breaking up like a toy because companies are moving out”. A few days later he talked again about how Beijing was desperate to call a halt to the trade row. “You know why they want to make a deal?” he crowed. “Because they’re losing their jobs, because their supply chain is going to hell and companies are moving out of China and they’re moving to lots of other places, including the United States.”
But if Trump’s tariffs really are designed to torpedo China’s manufacturing base, he may have to think again.
Washington will have announced levies on about $550 billion of Chinese goods, when the full tariff quotas come into effect at the end of this year. That could affect up to 5% of China’s manufacturing capacity, according to calculations from Qu Hongbin and Jingyang Chen, two economists at HSBC.
But the impact of the tariffs isn’t going to be the same across the manufacturing sector at large. Much depends on the type of goods being made. Lower-end, more labour intensive industries such as furniture and textile production are taking the biggest hit, with companies shifting their factory lines to countries like Vietnam, Cambodia and Bangladesh.
-Week in China
China is many things. One thing it is not is what the neocons think. China has leap-frogged the USA in so many areas that it’s just too tiring to elaborate upon. Maybe one or two videos might help add some perspective in this matter.
Some facts. (Opens up in a separate tab.)
But maybe we can ignore the charts, tables and figures. Not everyone can follow them. (Given the really poor state of education in the United States today.)
Rather than the charts of facts and figures that I have in other posts, some informal quick peeks into what is going on in China might be refreshing. Here are things that are EVERYDAY sights in China, but that you will not see in the United States.
For starters…
One of the first things that people are beginning to see when they cross into China and go through Chinese customs is a robotic customs officer. They will instruct you to input your biometics into the Chinese data base.
The robots, named Xiao Hai, have state-of-the-art perception technology and are able to listen, speak, learn, see and walk. Ten robots have started working as customs officers at three ports in China’s Guangdong province, authorities said. They were the first batch of intelligent robots, to be used by Chinese customs at the ports of Gongbei, Hengqin and Zhongshan, Xinhua news agency reported.
The robots, named Xiao Hai, have state-of-the-art perception technology and are able to listen, speak, learn, see and walk. Based on a specialized customs database, the robots can answer questions in 28 languages and dialects, including Cantonese, Mandarin, English and Japanese.
There are some particular problems they cannot solve, and customs officials said they will link the robots to their customer service hotline in the future. With face recognition technology, the robots can detect suspicious people and raise an alarm, according to Zhao Min, director of Gongbei customs.
Then, once you leave customs, you walk out into the bright daylight and confront traffic. China has traffic galore as they are a very populous nation.
Check out this MICRO VIDEO of the amazing traffic technology being implemented in Chinese cities this year…
Chinese traffic lights. As 3D holographic laser light presentations. Meanwhile the USA is still using 1960’s technology in traffic control.
It’s not even funny how much the Chinese have pushed ahead of American technology. While American industry has been hiring “Diversity officers” to hire employees based on minority “disadvantage”, China doubled down and only hires and promotes on merit.
The Chinese are a serious people. They do not play around.
Their products are excellent. For instance, when President Trump shut off all the Huawei 5G products and development in the United States, China said fine. You see most of the Apple, Motorola, and LG products are all designed in China. (Aside from some leadership positions.) Not in the United States.
There will be a retreat in technological, educational, and manufacturing leadership. The attempts by Donald Trump to thwart the global strategic trade supply chain has not been successful, and only aggravates an already dire situation.
So all the Chinese workers, the engineers, the developers and the designers, they are all inside China. They live in China. They are Chinese, and are paid Chinese wages and salaries. So when the United States government started to crack down on this outsourcing, they politely bowed, and left. They left the American owned companies. They walked across the street. And then they joined the Chinese owned companies. No problem.
With this influx of American-trained talent, China just took off.
They sprinted ahead and are now galloping forward at a healthy clip. The American companies are now in a kind of funky planning stage on how to react to the disruptions in their supply chains.
Check out this MICRO VIDEO of the latest wrap-around visual technology in the new Huawei phones. Pretty darn impressive.
Almost all communication products are designed in China. So if American companies cannot hire the Chinese engineers to make the products, the Chinese companies would instead,
And of course, there is there growing drone and robotics industries. Both of which has dwarfed anything in the United States.
For instance, today all public fireworks displays in China come along with these lighted drone formations. These make an enormous three dimensional visual canvas. This is, I must admit, quite visually stunning. When I first saw this in 2014 I was stunned. And today, it is so very commonplace that no one seems to give it a second thought.
Check out the impressive swarm drones in this MICRO VIDEO below…
Chinese swarm drones.
It’s like those super modern high-speed trains everywhere. “Oh that thing? What you’ve never ridden in one before?”
High speed rail is fast, cheap, clean, economically and ecologically friendly. It is accessible, and a great way for getting from one point to another. There are no long TSA lines. The seats are big, roomy, and the ride is comfortable and smooth. And the cost. Well, the cost is about 1/6 the cost of an airline ticket.
Read more (opens in a separate tab) here…
People! Seriously, China got started about four decades ago, and kept on running. They are moving forward, and perhaps (from their point of view) it’s a good thing that people are oblivious just how quickly and far that they are advancing.
So you know they are advancing in robotics, and in synthetic memory and minds. How about sex toys? Are you aware of the quality and scope of the Chinese sex toy industry? It’s taking the world by storm, I’ll tell you what.
Off the shelf standard sex doll. This one is warm to the touch, can talk and converse (in multiple languages) and has some limited mobility circuits.
Here’s another sex doll.
They come in a wide range of styles, shapes, weights and performance. Personally, if you are desirous of purchasing a sex robot, I would advise getting the premium model. They come with additional features that help mitigate the price tag amount.
This sex doll has limited functionality, being more a doll rather than a robot. However, it is totally and completely customizable. You can select anything from eye color, skin tone, body softness, height, check size, and many other attributes.
The point here is that everything from custom genetic designed pets, electric vehicles, to yes, even sex dolls are made in China and they are made well in China.
No one in America is apparently aware of this.
Go ahead, ask an American “China expert” on [1] the gongbei robotic customs officers, the [2] holographic traffic gates at cross-walks, the [3] 5G integration of Shenzhen, or [4] to name all the different makes and models of electric cars debuting out of China this year. He can’t.
And thus… he’s no “expert”.
Just an actor, pretending. He found a nitch a few years back and has been milking it over the years. But, you know, China is not America it’s rate of change is about 20x that of America’s. You need to really pay attention to keep up with all the changes.
Or else you will just be regurgitating “sound box” echo chamber narratives from like-minded individuals.
One of the many, many new housing subdivisions in China.
John Bolton actually stated in late September 2019 that (I am paraphrasing) “… the tariff wars has sent China back twenty years…”.
Twenty years, eh?
Ah, the ignorance is great in this one. Either that, or he has a tumor in his head. It’s a typical characteristic of neocons, don’t you know.
Most of the companies in the US–China Business Council (an organisation of about 200 American firms that trade with China) think that investment will continue to flow. A full 97% of the council’s members say their operations in China are profitable, and 87% report that they have no plans to relocate any of their activities to other countries.
Some of the difficulties of ‘reshoring’ manufacturing jobs back to the US were brilliantly revealed by the recent Netflix documentary American Factory too (see WiC464).
In the meantime there is little sign that the Chinese supply chain is being eroded, because of the tariff pressure from Washington.
“Trump’s claim that an exodus of foreign firms will force China to capitulate to US demands to settle the trade war is wishful thinking at best,” Lardy concludes.
-Week in China
Knowing the trade situation as it is, what can be done to salvage it?
That’s what this article is all about.
It’s about us taking a pragmatic, realistic look at the way things are, not at how we wish them to be, and planning on implementation of changes for our own personal benefit.
Let’s look at each issue and figure out how we can reduce or ameliorate the situation successfully. In so doing, let’s tackle the American mainstream (conservative & liberal) narratives. Let’s do it one, by one, and see how we can migrate things into “our” favor.
It sure beats sitting in a dark closet and trying to shoot darts at a target that we cannot see. Eh? Or, to put it another way. We don’t want to go around to tree after tree, pissing indiscriminately.
American mainstream media reporting on the trade wars.
Here’s some Mainstream media issues, and what the “informed” American populace thinks about China. Let’s take each one, dissect it, and see what we can do about it. OK.
$500 B trade deficit.
Global Supply Chain.
Made in China is bad.
China is ripping the USA off!
Chinese are unable to buy American products.
Chinese products are poor quality, simple and break down.
Chinese workers are slaves that labor for nothing.
Fair Trade
Dumping products
Stealing IP
They are dirty Commies!
Tariffs will bring back jobs.
For starters let’s tackle the A-#1 reason why the trump Tariff Wars exist in the first place. It is because America is losing $500 billion dollars every year to China, and we (pretty much) need to reduce that amount in order for America to be vibrant, healthy and prosperous.
[Issue 1] We are losing $500 billion every year to China
This is based on the fact that we have a trade deficit in goods for about $500B. This is a fact, Jack.
But, what is the composition of that deficit? Where within that composition can we move things to our advantage, and what parts should we ignore as hopeless?
Well, when we study the deficit we note that it is only based on products. It doesn’t include services. And in this area we have a surplus with China. We export those services to China. There are things that they cannot do, but we can. It’s our strength.
I propose that we increase our strength in this area. Work on our strengths, not play to our weaknesses. No matter how good it sounds politically. Give and take.
We provide services. They give us products.
Why not put a tax on the services that we supply to China? That tax can then be used to offset the tariffs that Americans must pay in imported products.
Play on our strengths. It’s a win-win for Americans.
[Issue 2] The Global Supply chain.
Then there’s the global supply chain.
Today we have a global business environment, and no wishing for the “good old days” is going to put that “Genie back into the lamp”. That “train has left the station”.
China imports a lot of natural resources and components from other countries to manufacture and assemble the finished goods. China buys chromium from Africa, and that goes into the metal alloys in cell-phones, drone motors and automobile electronic chip-sets.
Now, China does import other raw materials.
And yes, they do import a lot of raw materials out of the United States. And, no, I’m not talking about wheat, rice, and barley. I’m talking about uranium, and other precious metals that we have. Not to mention coal. China wants our coal. China wants our natural gas. Why not give it to them?
…at a price, don’t you know.
Again, that little bit of extra cost to buy from Americans can be used to offset the imbalance in tariffs. It would be a win-win for the American consumer.
Continue our exports to China, only raise the prices on them. Not prohibitively high, but gradually over time. Another win – win for Americans. Be smart. Think long term.
[Issue 3] Made in China.
Not every product made in China is Chinese.
It’s not. Many Japanese, British, German, French, and yes… American products are made in China. Actually 40% of “Chinese” exports are actually products of foreign (multi-national) corporations based in China. Many of which are American owned.
You’d never hear that in the American mainstream media.
Like Apple and their iphone. Like all those hobby drones that you can buy in the stores. Like the automobile electronics found in all the Fords, General Motors and other American cars. They are all American, but manufactured in China.
They are all American products, manufactured, designed and built in China.
Check out this graph…
Chart of the Chinese exports of goods, broken down by resource type, over the last ten years.
Thus, all these “Chinese” goods, aren’t really Chinese at all. They may be American, Japanese, South Korean, German etc.
You see, it’s easy to consider trade as products from one nation to another. But the fact is that the way business, and manufacturing is conducted today does not resemble in any way the old “made here, stays here” formula.
We need to take that into account.
We could by law, force American companies to make their products in America. That is, forbidding them to manufacture parts and components outside of America. It would be a law specifically targeting “supply chain management” outside of the USA.
American products should be made in America. We can still buy from China, but those products that are made by American companies need to be made in America.
No tariffs that Americans need to pay. More jobs for Americans. Yet another win-win.
[Issue 4] China is ripping us off!
This is pretty much the narrative. It doesn’t matter if you are an American Conservative, a liberal, or a member of the American mainstream media, this is the mantra.
Cheap junk in Walmart – China’s fault!
High prices for iPhones – China’s fault!
Power tool breaks – China’s fault!
US oligarchs and corporations decided to move American jobs abroad not China.
China smiled and took the business. But, seriously, their attitude was "Meh, whatever!". You see, everyone was coming to China to manufacture their products. America had to stand in line.
They raked in the profits, and gave the American consumers some benefit in being able to purchase inexpensive goods.
They came to China with bucket loads of cash. They promised the Chinese the world and gave them blueprints, technical specifications and trained them how to make their products. Then they sat back, drank their chardonnay while the money poured in.
US oligarchs and corporations decided to move American jobs abroad not China. They raked in the profits, and gave the American consumers some benefit in being able to purchase inexpensive goods.
Yes.
Never forget, US consumers and businesses benefit from inexpensive Chinese goods and labor. So, let’s not blame China for the lost manufacturing jobs. If you want to do something about it instead of eternally complaining then…
…ONLY BUY AMERICAN.
What’s so darn hard about that?
So stop your moaning and groaning. Start today. Stop buying anything that even resembles something imported. Period. You cannot change the world, but you can change your little part of it. Begin now. Begin today.
[Issue 5] They don’t buy our products!
This is another outright lie that is somehow broadcast in the United States. The actual reality is quite different. The Chinese place a high value on American products. In fact, in terms of personal value, to a Chinese person, owning a Buick is about equal to owning a Lamborghini. Yes!
It’s one of those jaw-dropping things that boggles the mind of most Americans. For in America, a Buick is considered a robust typical family car. While in China, it is considered the height of luxury, good taste, while at the same time being fiercely loyal to one’s family.
In China, the Mary Kay company gives her top saleswomen pink Buicks.
Perhaps that’s all part of the reason why GM sells more cars in China than in the US.
Not to mention that Apple sells more iPhones in China than in the US.
For United States semiconductor giant, Qualcomm, 65% of their revenues come from China.
Boeing sold 1000 planes to China in the last five years.
In fact, most major US corporations consider China as their #1 or #2 market.
So, yes, China has a very open market and it buys a lot of American services and goods, but a lot of them happen to be made in China. Similarly, corporations such as Starbucks, McDonald’s, KFC etc. profit enormously from their thousands of branches in China.
Starbucks continues to open thousands of new stores each year, mainly outside of the North American market. The company has a five-year plan with several goals to continue driving growth. Starbucks wants to be the employer of choice and invest in those employees who continue to deliver superior customer service. Starbucks has always been on the forefront of valuing employees, especially its part-time staff. The company has stated it will grow to 30,000 locations globally and work on creating new reasons for customers to visit its stores throughout the day.
The Chinese love, just love American products. If you really want to offset the trade imbalance between the two nations, then sell more products to China. This means a retail presence inside of China and far greater social and industrial brands than what is presently established.
The Chinese end up buying more American products (especially if they are made in America) and the Americans take home more money. The Chinese are willing to PAY MORE money for an American product just by virtue of it’s reputation. Don’t squander this advantage.
Sell more products to China, they will be happy, and the Americans will be raking in the money. It’s a win – win for America.
[Issue 6] Chinese products are crap
If Chinese products are crap, why do Americans keep spending $500 billion a year on buying crappy things?
Are Americans stupid, or powerless to change things? Is it that the deplorable Americans are just uneducated simpletons. Not hip to the wily ways of the Chinese?
Is that the narrative?
This narrative makes no sense. Not really. Everyone seems to think that all China makes is the cheapest toys in Walmart, but it’s only Americans that makes the computers, iphones and drones that fly in the sky.
Wrong! The roles are actually the reverse.
Don’t forget that BMW manufactures most of their cars in China.
BMW debuted its Vision Future Interaction Concept, a Mirrorless i8 Concept and its Internet of Things concept. It’s a very large suite of new technologies and it’s all extremely impressive. However, BMW wants to make it disappear into the background and make it invisible to customers.
Also, iPhones, Nike shoes and Prada bags are all made in China.
And Chinese brands like Huawei and OnePlus are actually beating Apple. So it’s not as if Chinese can’t make high-end, high-quality products.
They can, and they do.
We need to recognize the true and real state of things. That way we can best be able to decide on courses of action that actually work.
Instead of the progressive liberal Marxist "feel good" legislation.
That said, if you pay someone $1 an hour, don’t expect amazing products that will last for a lifetime. You get what you pay for.
You can only pick two.
Also, Chinese corporations are working their way up the value chain. Chinese high-end smartphones (Xiaomi and OnePlus) are already #1 in large consumer markets such as India; and, within five years, Chinese electric cars will be globally popular as well.
Chinese electric vehicles dominate. More Chinese electric vehicles are made in China than in the rest of the world combined.
To understand how to take advantage of the global situation, you must first understand it as it exists. We need to see things as they are. Not as we want them to be. That way, we can leverage the situation towards our very own benefit. It will be a win-win for Americans.
A win-win for Americans.
LeEco announced its investment in a joint venture between Aston Martin and Faraday Future, a direct competitor of Tesla, further signalling its intentions in the space. The front of the car features an LED loop that can be lit in different spots such as indicators or fog lights. The rear passenger doors, known as ‘suicide doors’ open from a hinge at the rear, as opposed to the front. They’ve also waived a previous law that protected home-grown companies from being gutted by foreign competition, as long as they invest in electric technology.
That’s led to a boom in EV startups such as NextEV and CH-Auto who, along with LeEco, could turn the car industry on its head. Especially given the size of China’s domestic market has now surged past America’s to become the largest economy in the world. Chinese EV companies have also been poaching talent from the likes of BMW to help make China the electric car center of the world.
[Issue 7] Everything in China is made by slave labor
It’s not.
The Chinese have a much stronger work-ethic than Americans have. We might not want to hear it, but it is true.
There is nothing good or bad about it. It has do do with society. The higher percentage that Americans have for leisure transmits in more time to attend church, more time for personal education, and more time to spend with the family and making the best of the life that one has. Let the Chinese work themselves to the bone. Americans don’t need to as we have what is known as work-life-balance. It’s a good thing… for us.
Let others live their lives as they want. If they want to work 12 hour days and on Saturdays, let them. Live and let live.
They also have different laws, different customs, and different culture. Thus comparing labor in China to that of the USA is like comparing apples to oranges.
Here is a brief comparison between three factories. One is an American non-union factory. One is a union American factory. One is a Chinese factory. One of the first things that the astute reader will notice that, aside from the pay, there is little else of value that the union provides the employees.
The second thing that you will notice is that the Chinese employee is granted all kinds of things that an American would never, ever be provided with. Like free housing (as in a personal apartment), free internet, three free meals a day, and many other things unheard of in the United States.
This is a quick generalized comparison between factories in the United States compared to factories in China. It is a gross simplification on many levels. However there are some things that need to be taken into account. firstly, the Chinese make far less money than their American counterparts. On the other hand, they get many perks and things that Americans can only dream about.
If you want to buy a product at Walmart, and you like it’s price, then go for it.
Sears tried to compete against Walmart, and lost. They offered better quality, warranties, and (for a spell) better working conditions in the factories that supplied the products to them.
It didn’t work.
When I buy something made in Wisconsin, I do not know about the working conditions that the product was created under. What I do know is that I liked the product and so I bought it.
China’s electric vehicle start-up Nio launched its first mass-produced model over the weekend, in a home market marked by competition with companies such as Tesla. The ES8, which starts at 448,000 Chinese yuan ($67,765) is half the starting price of Tesla’s 836,000 yuan ($126,470) Model X in China.
Complaining about situations beyond your control, outside of your understanding, and trying to moan and groan about it is fruitless. If you think that the Chinese labor like slaves, then DON’T BUY CHINESE PRODUCTS, and shut the heck up.
It’s a win win.
[Issue 8] We want Fair Trade and China must lower their tariffs
It’s not as if the only thing that stands in the way of US progress is China’s tariffs. Consider that we imported 8 million cars last year.
We imported Eight Million cars.
Eight / Million / Cars.
Maybe we should buy American goods, before we demand that others buy American products. Eh?
Imported vehicles to the United States. Most of the vehicle imports to the USA come from Canada and Mexico. While China is certainly the leader in automotive manufacture by volume, type, and differentiation, it hardly exports any vehicles to the United States.
Also, even if China eliminates their tariffs on our exports, US corporations will find that it’s still cheaper to manufacture goods in China, rather than making them here and shipping them over.
It’s not about nations. It’s about the oligarchy and the companies that they control.
Let’s not forget that the US already has a lot of protectionist tariffs, quotas, barriers and subsidies for various products and business sectors. Every government in the world has to cater to its people and special interest groups.
Finally, since WWII, the US has enjoyed an extraordinary privilege of being able to easily print the global reserve currency and wantonly borrow from the rest of the world.
Be careful what you wish for.
For a true “level playing field,” all currencies must be equal, which Americans won’t easily accept. Yeah. Can you just imagine if China could sanction western countries and arrest western CEOs for violating Chinese sanctions! Like the USA does.
Be careful what you wish for.
Most Americans, American companies, and the company stockholders would be most unhappy if China began to play to the same rules that the United States have implemented over the last four decades.
I would advise that we get on the good side of China. With China as a friend we can merge with shared benefit. Treating them as an enemy does the opposite. Work together for the betterment of all. It’s a win – win for everyone.
[Issue 9] They operate at losses and dump products
It is true. There are some state-operated Chinese entities that keep operating while losing money and simply rolling over their debt. China allows that to create employment for its people and also, sometimes, to capture the global market.
However, US corporations such as Amazon, Uber, Netflix and others do the same as well.
Moneys flow toward utility. The Chinese fund factories. The USA funds institutions.
China is a nation that values work, labor and production. America is a nation that values medicine, social reconstruction and government, As such, China will make the products that Americans will use under regulation.
It’s just the way things are.
China is a nation that values work, labor and production. America is a nation that values medicine, social reconstruction and government. You can easily see where all the money is going in America. Just look at the top three items. As such, China will make the products that Americans will use under regulation.
Truthfully, the only difference being that the US corporations are subsidized by commercial banks and the Federal Reserve Bank. While the Chinese factories are subsidized by the Bank of China.
We need to recognize that within the framework of utility. When we do, and grasp the true nature of things, it becomes easier to accept the truth. China makes the things that Americans use. Embrace that reality. It will be a win – win for Americans.
[Issue 10] They steal our IP
IP = Intellectual Property.
Most of these accusations are unwarranted.
It makes for great arguments, and a pretty decent media platform from which to espouse upon, but really, it’s just nonsensical. No one is sneaking around “stealing things”.
The Chinese company just buys an American company fair and square. Then , since they own the patents and the equipment and the intellectual property, they can do with it as they wish.
Carpetbaggers
In general, the term “carpetbagger” refers to a traveler who arrives in a new region with only a satchel (or carpetbag) of possessions, and who attempts to profit from or gain control over his new surroundings, often against the will or consent of the original inhabitants. After 1865, a number of northerners moved to the South to purchase land, lease plantations or partner with down-and-out planters in the hopes of making money from cotton. At first they were welcomed, as southerners saw the need for northern capital and investment to get the devastated region back on its feet. They later became an object of much scorn, as many southerners saw them as low-class and opportunistic newcomers seeking to get rich on their misfortune.
If China is stealing our IP, how come Tesla just opened a new plant in Shanghai and Boeing just announced a new factory in China?
If China is a thief, how come Intel Corp. has funded Horizon Robotics, a Chinese startup?
If China is a threat, why does Warren Buffet own 10% of BYD, China’s biggest electric car manufacturer?
Every western hi-tech firm — Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Dell etc. — has branches in China and they wouldn’t do it if China is just stealing their IP. They are not stupid. Are they?
Yes, China required transfer of technology in many industries, but it was a voluntary, consensual business transaction. Driven by greed to conquer the Chinese consumer market, western corporations obliged. Also, arrogance made the West assume that Chinese copycats will never be good enough.
Fast-food giant McDonald’s is selling a controlling stake in its China business to a group of investors led by state-owned Chinese conglomerate Citic in a deal worth up to $2.1 billion, the companies said Monday. The transaction is part of a global business overhaul being carried out by the American company to keep up with changing tastes that have resulted in declining sales. Under the terms of the deal, Citic Ltd. and its investment management unit Citic Capital will acquire 52 percent of the business while another partner, Washington-based private equity firm The Carlyle Group, will own 28 percent.
There are definitely problems with Chinese espionage and those must be opposed and stopped. However, most people confuse blatant theft of intellectual property with it being given away. And for the last couple of decades, the American companies did just that. They gave the technology away so that the American company owner can make enormous profits in the transaction.
America lost it’s technical edge, so that a hand-full of individuals could profit from it. These Americans sold out America so that they could become filthy, filthy, rich.
For America to become great again, we need to arrest and imprison those that gave away our strengths, our knowledge, our technologies, our resources for their own personal profit. They should be in jail instead of drinking chardonnay in one of their many mansions. It’ll be a win – win for Americans.
[Issue 11] But they’re commies!
In spite of China’s “communist” party, CCP, what they have is a unique mix of socialism, capitalism and Confucianism. Don’t treat them as a cardboard cutout, a cartoon of something evil. They are not, and you should be ashamed to fall for the 1930’s-era propaganda template.
Chinese communism is NOT the same kind of communism that we Americans have come to think of. It is something all together different.
The private sector is vibrant — [1] 90% of new jobs are created by private enterprises, [2] venture capitalists are investing more in Chinese startups than in American counterparts, [3] the upper middle class is growing rapidly (200 million), [4] there are 3.5 million millionaires and [5] two new billionaires were created every week last year.
Two new millionaires every week!
China is not your textbook “communist” country.
While the Chinese government is certainly authoritarian, relative to western democracies, it has accomplished an economic miracle over the last four decades that’s unprecedented in human history.
800 million people were lifted out of poverty and the GDP grew 40-fold in 40 years.
That’s why 84% of Chinese trust their government and 68% say that the government is the best institution to lead the country to a better future.
To understand how we can “beat the other team”, we need to understand who they really are, what their tactics are, how they call their plays, and their strengths and weaknesses. It will be a win – win for Americans.
[Issue 12] Tariffs will bring back jobs
Tariffs can only bring back jobs if there are American alternatives to the Chinese products. That way the tariffs will price the Chinese products at a disadvantage to American products. And the consumers will want to buy American products.
But…
The vast majority of products under the Trump tariff schedule has no comparative American-made alternative.
Thus it will be the American consumer that will be paying the tariffs, as they will have no other alternatives.
This is a real big problem, and perhaps the real heart of the problem with the “trade wars” today. We need to realize how legislative actions produce unintended consequences…
In the 1990's Bill Clinton and his Democrat controlled Congress, single-handedly devastated the American ship-building industry. You see, they laid a "wealth tax" on boats. As they (incorrectly as it turned out) that only wealthy people could afford yachts, and small boats.
What happened, is that everyone stopped buying boats. As a result the entire ship-building industry collapsed. It took decades to recover, and even today it is just limping along.
You see, most of the products that Americans buy comes from China, and that there are zero alternatives. This is a problem. This is a really big problem.
Factories do not grow on trees.
You cannot snap your fingers and immediately start making televisions sets, drones, robots, kitchen appliances and shoes from nothing. You need talent, knowledge, machinery and a skilled and talented work force.
But, you do know, that most of the American work force does not have this background. Their background is in the service industries.
Thus creating a factory, or even moving it from China to the USA is a very difficult thing to do. Check out this link (opens up in another tab).
You see, Trump’s 10% or 25% tariff on Chinese goods won’t create enough incentive for most manufacturers to start building products in the US. At the most, US companies will simply move the manufacturing to other developing nations such as Vietnam, Thaliand etc. Moreover, Chinese Yuan has already fallen 10%, thus largely neutralizing the first round of tariffs.
Considering that every major business/lobbying group, corporation and economist is against tariffs and trade wars, it’s highly unlikely that jobs are going return from Asia, Mexico and elsewhere.
Tariffs and retaliatory tariffs can also lead to a big loss of jobs or even a recession. There have already been endless stream of stories about layoffs and lost sales.
While it’s true that some Japanese and German automakers who want to avoid confrontations may build new assembly plants in the US, others may be forced to relocate some existing factories from the US to Europe and China to avoid the cross-border tariffs.
Make a favorable environment for other nations to put their factories in America.
Reduce regulations so that the factories will want to move to America.
Limit the taxes on employers, and on workers so that the American factory worker has a chance to compete.
It will be a win-win for Americans.
Conclusion
There won’t be any winner in the trade war. China in 2019 isn’t China in 1990. We should stop treating it as such. That is crazy.
At the same time, the West should be mindful of history — the Opium Wars and the following Century of Humiliation are etched in the Chinese national psyche. China has worked very hard and sacrificed a lot in the last forty years; and they’re not going to give up their dreams. They are a nation of achievers.
The Chinese are a serious nation and do not play around. If this trade situation is not handled carefully, things can turn really bad for America. It’s not going to be anything like Americans expect.
(Aside from the total collapse of America at every level...) I think there are two other options.
One would be a crisis and defeat. That is something we have not experienced in America. What that would look like we can only speculate by looking at other examples of defeated nations, what has happened to them, and how they have adjusted to their post-defeat role.
You might look at the defeated Axis powers after World War II as an interesting test case, and we have written a little bit about that. One thing that might even be most disturbing of all, is that no real crisis ever ultimately expresses itself, which actually, oddly enough, may be the worst outcome of all.
That is to say, everything we see about our world today, the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer, democracy sort of ebbing away, people feeling powerless over their political lives, people feeling less and less a sense of civic participation or belonging, and we have kind of turned that up.
There is an interesting book by Tyler Cohen. He is a very popular writer now, he wrote Average is Over and The Great Stagnation. He wrote a recent book called The Complacent Class. If you want to read a book about America’s future in the absence of a fourth turning, read that book.
The real rate of return gets lower and lower, we kind of approach the stationary state, productivity growth kind of ebbs to nothing, we become a kind of nominal market society, but one in which all the markets are dominated by a few very large companies with enormous market power and concentration.
In that kind of society, highly stratified, not feeling at all like what we think of as being America, is, I think, the scariest one, one in which global problems, problems of global order are not rectified. And it is one that disturbs me the most.
-McAlvany
So, let’s get rid of the zero-sum mentality, drop the aggressive posture, come up with tangible goals, and negotiate with respect and a smile.
The tariffs have slowed China’s economy, which grew 6.6 percent in 2018, its slowest rate in almost three decades. Meanwhile the United States grew an amazing 1.7 percent. The most astounding growth in decades.
For goodness sakes. Everyone can win. We just need to stop playing the neocon war – war -war game. It’s going to really… REALLY harm the United States. And I do mean BIGLY.
So, let’s think smart. Address things as they really are, and work for a win-win for everyone. Now is the time to do it.
12OCT19 Update
Trump said the U.S. and China have "agreed in principle" on a preliminary trade agreement. Trump acknowledged that differences remain on major issues on which the two countries are divided, but the White House still decided not to push ahead with a planned increased to tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods next week.
The move would have raised those tariffs to 30% from 25%.
"There's too many factors at play for him to just issue threats to governments, China's or anybody else's, to just follow along with what he says," said Wang, referring to the U.S. president's previous threats to slap additional penalties on Chinese goods.
-USA Today; Senior China adviser: Trump to blame for delays in securing final trade deal, says China has been 'accommodating'
Links about China
Here are some links about my observations on China. I think that you, the reader, might find them to be of interest. Please kindly enjoy.
China and America Comparisons
As an American, I cannot help but compare what my life was in the United States with what it is like living in China. Here we discuss that.
The Chinese Business KTV Experience
This is the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal press. This is the reality. Read or not.
Learning About China
Who doesn’t like to look at pretty girls? Ugly girls? Here we discuss what China is like by looking at videos of pretty girls doing things in China.
Contemporaneous Chinese Music
This is a series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and enjoyment.
Parks in China
The parks in China are very unique. They are enormous and tend to be very mountainous. Here we take a look at this most interesting of subjects.
Really Strange China
Here are some posts that discuss a number of things about China that might seem odd, or strange to Westerners. Some of the things are everyday events, while others are just representative of the differences in culture.
What is China like?
The purpose of this post is to illustrate that the rest of the world, outside of America, has moved on with their lives. That while they might not be as great as America is, they are doing just fine thank you.
And while America has been squandering it’s money, decimating it’s resources, and just being cavalier with it’s military, the rest of the world has done the opposite. They have husbanded their day to day fortunes, and you can see this in their day-to-day lives.
Summer in Asia
Let’s take a moment to explore Asia. That includes China, but also includes such places as Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and others…
Some Fun Videos
Here’s a collection of some fun videos taken all over Asia. While there are many videos taken in China, we also have some taken in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Korea and Japan as well. It’s all in fun.
Articles & Links
You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.
You can start reading the articles sequentially by going HERE.
You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
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"A recent survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in China shows that 41% of the respondents considered relocating or had relocated manufacturing facilities outside of China, but only 6% were considering moving back to the United States. Southeast Asia was the top destination. "
-Townhall
This is an overview of the complexities and issues that a company must deal with in order to relocate their factory out of China and place it back in the United States. It’s not as easy as it sounds, and we discuss the issues involved independently outside of the contentious American political scene.
We discuss the functional and practical issues with relocating a factory back to the United States from China. Not, the political issues, nor the need for America to reclaim it's manufacturing base. Those are other issues that will not be addressed here.
Though, let it be clearly understood, that I stand with Donald Trump in that there is a serious need to restart the American industrial machine and fire it up back to a level of productivity in order for the USA to maintain a global leadership role.
This entire issue came to a head when President Trump “ordered” American factories currently in China to “uproot” and Return back to the United States. It made all the headlines, don’t ya know?
However, the truth is that is it is extraordinarily difficult thing to do. And no, as much as I would like all of youse guys to hire me, you just can’t hire an “expert” to handle things and expect them to be done to your satisfaction. It doesn’t work that way.
Sorry.
While there are ways to accomplish this task, there will be a hit in quality, price, and delivery time. All of these issues will affect the market share of the companies that agree to relocate. This damage to the market share for the companies involved should not be discounted. For many, it will manifest as a dance with death.
Here we discuss the most important issues that a company CEO, or owner would need to consider when contemplating relocating his company out of China.
Full Disclosure
For starters, I must make the full disclosure. Please take note that I was one of those “evil” Americans who relocated factories out of America and placed them in China. It was my job and maintained this role for a solid fifteen years if not longer.
Call me an a$$hole if you like.
It’s difficult being the person that everyone hates.
It’s not like I wanted to do it, so much as starving in a food-stamp line really sucked. I followed the money. You take what work is available and you do not question the person cutting you a paycheck. Sure beats scrubbing toilets, hauling manure, or judging the sex of chickens. Truth this.
It was difficult scraping by in Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. I was just happy to get a job any job when unemployment (actual) was in the double figures.
For decades, people like Trump’s trade director Peter Navarro have warned us that something like this would happen someday. But we were condescendingly told, This is capital seeking the most efficient market! And, anyway, if China screws with us, we’ll just make it ourselves.
Really? With broken-down buildings, a dispossessed workforce and no machinery? Unfashionable working-class people in the industrial Midwest were discarded long ago. They may as well have had “obsolete” stamped on their foreheads.
-Ann Coulter
Ah. Maybe you the reader are unaware of the existence of the “rust belt” and us sorry sacks that lived there.
Unemployment line. In this June 23, 2014 photo, people wait in line to meet with recruiters during a job fair in Philadelphia. The Labor Department reports on the number of people who applied for unemployment benefits last week on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
I was hired for that task and did it to the best of my ability for numerous companies throughout the late 1980’s into the new century. Once Bill Clinton came to office, it just seemed like the “flood gates” opened up and just about everyone wanted to uproot and move their operations to China.
So, I do know what I am talking about.
A map showing the location of United States manufacturing plants in China as of 2008. As today is 2019, you can well appreciate that all these plants are joint-ventures, and not organized as WOFE and thus the American ownership of these companies are at 49% or less, with the Chinese partner owning a 51% controlling stake in the factory.
And no, moving American factories back to America from China is not as simple as Donald Trump, Fox news, CNN, WaPo and the Drudge Report makes it out to be. It’s complicated. If handled poorly the entire American industry segment can be wiped out completely (rather than just simply outsourced).
Listen up!
Let it also be clearly understood that it was much easier to relocate a factory to China than it would be to reverse the effort, and relocate it to the United States. Yes. It’s like eating a delicious pizza. Once you eat it, you cannot regurgitate it up and present the vomit for resale. Now, can you? Nope you cannot.
We will cover some of these points in this article.
China makes everything
Most Americans are under the impression that the only things that China makes is cheap and useless junk. That is because of three things. [1] Ego, [2] Mainstream American media, and [3] Walmart.
The truth is that China is the manufacturer for the world.
Most computers are made in China.
Most clothes washers are made in China.
Most cell phones are made in China.
Most automobile engines are made in China.
Most transmissions are made in China.
Most tires are made in China.
So do not be under the erroneous assumption that it’s easy to relocate a factory back to the USA. These are, for the most part, not low-technology factories. (The low-technology factories have long since moved to even cheaper nations with less regulation, like Vietnam and Cambodia.)
Today, most American owned factories in China are much more advanced, than what is assumed. They are far more automated than the American mainstream news media lets on.
Take a look at what these factories make…
Trade between the USA and China.
ACME Widget Technology Inc.
To better help understand the issues involved, we will use a fictitious American company. This company is based on a number of actual companies that I worked at where I relocated the factories to China. It is an amalgamation of numerous actual companies that I am sorry that I'd rather not announce publicly. As I did sign NDA's at all the companies.
This fictitious company is called ACME Widget Technology Inc. This company was a very prosperous consumer appliance company that was established in the 1950’s and was a major player in the consumer market during the 1960’s into the 1970’s.
They manufactured a wide selection of consumer appliances ranging from “white goods” (washing machines, stoves, and other large appliances), to “kitchen appliances” (microwave ovens, toasters, coffee makers) to “Lawn and Garden” appliances (weed-wackers, lawn-mowers and chainsaws).
White goods and other large appliances on display in a well known appliance store.
At their peak they employed over 10,000 American workers.
They operated numerous individual specialized factories, each one customized for a specific product line. As such there was one factory for personal scales, a different factory for heated cooking appliances, a factory for outdoor grills, and another one for washing machines. For all the various product lines, there was, perhaps, 30 to 45 factories at the middle of the 1990’s.
Most of these factories were in the Southern states, with the bulk of the factories in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.
(They were initially in the North in the Great Lakes region, but relocated during the 1970's to the South East. They did so for lower wages (1/4 the rate) and the ability to skirt the onerous regulatory and union requirements.)
The ACME Catalog.
While the factories were in the Southern states to take advantage of the low labor rates, and “friendly” (at that time) business climate, the corporate offices were elsewhere. Marketing, Sales and the Commercial management offices were located in a suburb of Chicago. Perhaps you heard of it, Schaumburg Illinois?
While Engineering, Quality, Tooling and Test facilities were located within a days drive of any of the specialized factories in the deep South. Their offices were in the town center of one of the many numerous small Southern towns. Hattiesburg, Mississippi, perhaps you have heard of it?
Local engineering and related quality offices in small town America in the Deep South.
A 1980’s Hostile Takeover
In the 1980’s a group of investors seized control of the company. It was hostile, and thus the term “hostile takeover” become commonly used. (Remember the movies “The secret of my success”, and “Other people’s money”.) They laid off a significant percentage of the workers, shut down and sold off various factories and divisions (Remember the movie “Pretty Woman”?) and “Chainsaw” Al Dunlap?
It was a “bloodbath”.
Their goal was to strip-mine the company for personal profit. They felt that they could do with the company as they wished as they held controlling interest in it. And, since no one was doing anything to stop them from this (terribly unethical) activity, they were correct.
Without enforcement of the laws, or the selective application of laws... they functionally do not exist.
Given the crimes of the Washington oligarchy, this should be painfully obvious to everyone in America today.
After laying off thousands of people, Al Dunlap retired to a life of luxury and ease, playing golf and smoking cigars. Meanwhile the workers that he laid off ended up destitute, many lost their homes, and went into bankruptcy. Today, many live in mobile homes, and are employed in low-paying unskilled labor employment.
I was hired to move companies to China.
Within this contentious environment, where the wealthy and successful were guzzling XO and cavorting with high-paid hookers, (while us working “normals” were discarded as “useless riff raff”), they hired me to do three things;
Relocate specific factories to China
Create Joint Ventures with existing Chinese factories
“Farm out” specific product lines to existing Chinese factories and create a partnership whereas we would purchase complete products from them though our Purchasing organization.
They wanted to move the plants to China for the simple reason that the wages were far less, the rate of exchange USD to Yuan was in the favor of the United States ownership, and that regulations, laws, and controls were lax, or in many cases, not present at all.
The operational costs American facility vs Chinese facility + Logistics costs were like "night and day". It was absolutely mind blowing how much cheaper it was to manufacture products in China compared to the USA.
Not to mention, of course, that the Chinese were actively courting American businessmen to “sell their soul”, “sell out their countrymen”, for a life of ease, prostitutes and a never-ending supply of recreational drugs.
First, they hired slick American marketing firms and convinced giant U.S. companies to relocate manufacturing to China by providing $1 leases for comparable plants and abundant cheap labor. Wall Street fell for it.
Secondly, state-subsidized Chinese companies flooded U.S. markets with products at one-third the prevailing price. The result: In short order, most American manufacturers had to file for bankruptcy. Then, these same Chinese firms shamelessly swept in and bought up our manufacturers’ now-unused equipment for pennies on the dollar.We were asleep. Sure, it cost China some money in the early stages, but per their long-term plan, China became the world’s top manufacturer and resource for such fire-sale buy-outs at the same time. The plan was masterful, the U.S. and American stakeholders fell for it hook, line and sinker.
I personally observed this wholesale takeover up close from 1990 to 2010.
-Townhall
Note on the quote above: No American citizen can lease under the terms mentioned in the quote. Only the Chinese partner can take advantage of that lease arrangement. While the quote is a good one, it is very deceptive.
But moving into China was not as straight forward as it appeared. You just don’t hop on a plane with a suitcase full of cash, point to a factory and say “I want that one”. To operate in China (up until around 2008 or so) you needed to create a joint-venture partnership with an existing Chinese factory. So that is what ACME did. They partnered up with existing Chinese factories.
The primary advantages in having a joint venture in china was labor rates, regulations, and favorable trade terms. Anything else is speculative.
A comparison in hourly wages for manufacturing workers in the United States as compared to China.
The Dismantling of American Industry
These actions took place throughout the 1990’s and by the tail end of the decade, almost the entire product line for ACME was manufactured in China.
All in all, it took nearly a decade to move operations off shore without seriously affecting market share and the confidence of our customers. Our name brands remained intact. Commercial campaigns for the sales of ACME products were given top spots on television and through newspapers.
The Design, and Quality staff remained in the United States.
However, that too began to be outsourced as well. With Engineers from India, and China working alongside American Engineers. Eventually, the complete Engineering and Quality groups were wholly outsourced to China.
None remained in America.
Customer Service Staff at a CS operations room in India.
Customer Service activity was outsourced to India. None remained in America.
This remained true even after a flood of complaints about the quality of the customer service. They worked for a fraction of the cost of Americans, and with that pittance lived a upper-middle class lifestyle in India. The company savings went directly into the pockets of the owners of ACME.
Thus the resultant reorganization of the company resulted in very competitive prices that appealed to the major retailers. Walmart, Target, Sears, Home Depot, Walgreens and others all placed ACME Widget products in key SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) locations in their stores.
In other words, displayed predominantly, at eye-level on shelves, and in high visibility locations within stores.
A graph of the decline in American manufacturing employment (and conversely ability) in order to meet the profit targets of Wall Street, the globalist cabal that runs Washington, DC, and the progressive political leadership in America.
Product Placement in Stores
The complexity of product placement in stores is unknown to most Americans, but it shouldn’t be. The largest profits from the sale of ACME products went to the “Box Retailers”, not to the manufacturer. They made a profit margin of around 30% on each appliance, compared to the paltry 2-3% that the factory earned for making it.
Walmart
Sears
Target
JC Penny
Walgreens
K-Mart
Additionally, these stores placed pricing pressure on ACME to lower the price every year. Walmart had a policy of price reduction that equated to 1.5% off each model, each year.
Now this price reduction was not passed on to the consumers. Nope. The store kept the savings.
Though the price to the “Box Store” would decrease, the sales price would not. Thus resulting in a net gain in profits for the local stores of 1.5% each year for each existing product. This was important, as Walmart maintained a solid 30% mark-up over the factory cost. (The the factory cost mark-up was rarely more than 3%.)
That $100 vacuum cleaner cost $67 to make and ship. The store that you bought it from made $30, the factory made $3.
Globalism was fantastic for the wealthy. Their profits were never larger.
Though, not so good for the local, “Joe Blow” who had a family and needed to work to earn enough to meet the basics of a roof from the rain, cheap food to feed the family, and some beer to dull the senses.
Power Tool Isle in Home Depot in the United States. All of which are made in China and rebranded with American-friendly names.
As such, the profits were enormous for the company, and the owners (the ones that conducted the “hostile takeover”) rolled in the cash in mind-boggling amounts.
The amounts of profits were truly mind-boggling.
They used that money to “diversify” their company portfolio. They bought hotels, cruise liners, travel agencies, and were getting involved in Savings and Loan banking. Such was the high-flying life in the 1990’s. (Anyone remember the movie “The Wolf of Wall Street”.)
President Obama represented the Global Interests of a global socialistic community. He did not care for local Americans, as he viewed them as a part of an “old order” that must be discarded in favor of a new, more “enlightened” progressive way of doing things.
Unfortunately, many of these side ventures failed. Thus additional rounds of layoffs, and downsizing’s continued a pace.
This continued to be the story throughout the industry as the competition to ACME also implemented their modus operandi.
Then came the election of Donald Trump.
President Trump starts a “Trade War”
Donald Trump and Xi Peng.
In 2016 though 2019 he raised tariffs on Chinese made products. With the percentage of tariffs constantly increasing. This continued until late Summer of 2019 when he demanded that American companies working and trading with China return their operations back to America.
It most certainly shook the will of most nations around the world.
I know it shook Wall Street, and afterwards, globally all consumers and manufacturers started to slow down operations to take a slower more conservative bent on the matters at hand. They slowed everything way… way down.
It started in 2016, and over the next three years, the global economy started to slow down and cool off. Orders out of America limped forward hesitantly, while orders from Europe kept pace, but were more cautious than before.
Nothing “crashed” as predicted by the “screeching heads” on the “blue panel” debates on television. (All actors reading scripts, and playing roles, don’t ya know.) But things slowed down. Things cooled off. Investors became cautious.
I get a phone call.
Walking the dog on the beach.
In September 2019, I was walking my dog along the beach near my house when my cell phone rang.
I normally don't keep my cell phone with me. But, for reasons related to habit, I had it in my satchel with me.
An old boss of mine, from my ACME days, tracked me down (How he was able to do so, I do not know.) and wanted to know if I would be willing to help them sort out the issues related to relocating their factories back to the United States.
I should have said no.
After all, our history was contentious. For, as soon as I completed my tasks with ACME, they immediately fired me, and made me sign a NDA in order to guarantee that I could get food stamps. No back pay, no severance package nothing. I couldn’t even go back to my office to get my personal effects. Pretty harsh, especially when you consider my very own personal situation…
… I had a wife with a very serious mental illness. And I was splitting my time between dealing with insanity of work issues and visiting her at the hospital. The layoff, at a time when my wife was suicidal, was a severe hardship. Well, for me at least.
Maybe you can handle an hysterical deranged wife painting the bathroom mirror with fingernail polish, while you are trying to “hit the streets” looking for new employment. I could not.
But that’s life. No one gives a rat’s ass about you.
Dilbert comic. It’s so funny because it is (sort of) true. LOL
It’s (as they say in America) “just business”. It’s the “American Way”, don’t you know. And you, as an American, should know. This is the truth, and this is the way it is. This is the real deal.
In America… it’s “just” business.
Being laid off without notice, or severance really blows. But that’s the story of being an American worker during the last three decades. It’s the American way.
As was true through most of the 1990’s, treating employees as disposable paper cups often resulted in some bloody events.
But, in this case I said “yes” to my old boss. I asked a (relatively) enormous sum of money (expecting them to decline), and they agreed. Imagine that! I guess they were desperate.
After about two weeks of sorting out my personal affairs, we had a meeting in the conference room in one of their plush offices. It was on the 16th floor in this really nice (curtain wall) glass and steel structure that resided in Florida. What a life. They had really been doing well. Everything was new, and polished. It was a big change from the “hand me down” desks and cubicle walls that I dealt with back in the 1990’s.
Yeah. It looked something a little like this…
Corporate Headquarters
After the initial pleasantries and handshakes (You know, how was the flight, and did I like the hotel, etc.) , they asked me what was involved in moving the factories back to the United States, and so I put together some bullet points and made a PPT presentation to the upper management.
Making a PPT presentation.
Capital Expenditures
The first point raised, of course, was costs. If you are going to move operations from one physical location to another, you will incur costs. What would those costs be?
The costs incurred would fall under numerous general categories;
Relocating heavy machinery and equipment (or the purchase of the replacements thereof).
Rules, fees, taxes and the costs associated with agency regulations that one must pay in the United States to operate a factory there. Do not be under the impression that you can just cut down a tree, install a power line, pave a road, and start putting up a pole building without having American government regulation at all levels involved.
Fees, charges, and associated bribes that you must pay when you are dealing with local American government. Make no mistake this is a very real issue and one that is kept quite hidden. After all it is quite illegal, and you all don’t want the pristine agencies of the FBI and DOJ putting their retainers on your efforts.
Rent or construction of new facilities.
The hiring of new staff to replace the Chinese staff. This will include all benefits as well as the various associated taxes, fees and social security benefits.
Associated relocation costs.
Associated tariffs in moving product inventory, and equipment from China to the USA.
It’s not so simple.
If you want to do something, it will cost money. Imagine that you are moving your house from Illinois to Los Angles. There will be costs. There will be the costs for the movers, the gas, the rental of the vehicle and the employment of the moving crew. The same is true for a business. There will be costs.
Some Key Points
Now, I would like to make some relatively important key points regarding moving a factory to China as compared to moving it back to China.
Firstly, consider what ACME did when the relocated the factory from America to China.
In the mid 1990’s, ACME formed a joint partnership / joint-venture with a Chinese company. ACME would take 70% of the profits, and the Chinese partner would take 30% of the profits.
ACME then shipped all their heavy manufacturing equipment from America to China. They physically removed it from the American factories, and shipped it to China. Then at the factory, they utilized both American and Chinese labor to set the equipment up, debug it, and shim the mechanisms into working condition.
However, it was well understood that once you set up a factory within China, you MUST have partial Chinese ownership. You absolutely cannot operate any factory in China without significant Chinese ownership. At that, let it be well understood that the Chinese co-owners MUST have at least 51% ownership in the company. The American owners will NEVER have more than 49% ownership of anything that they own and bring to China. It is Chinese Law (at least back in the 1990’s it was).
Also, let it be well understood that the upper management at ACME knew full well that this was the case. But they did not care.
Their focus was on the short term profits, as was their charge. They fully expected that the company would eventually collapse long before there would ever be the need to relocate the factories back to the United States.
Semi-automated production line typically used in the appliance assembly. Picture is of a Bosch line prior to export to a Chinese assembly line.
Thus, any equipment brought into China will now require the co-owner’s (Chinese national) approval to remove from the Chinese factory and ship elsewhere.
In practice, this is often a big “NO!” There are some cases where the Chinese owner will permit the removal of old or antiquated equipment at a price. Often the price will be at market value or higher.
So, when ACME moved the equipment into China it was very simple. They moved it, and used their inherent labor to set it up and debug.
Yes, so when ACME relocated entire factories to China, it was a simple matter of firing all the American employees, boxing up the equipment, and handing it over to a Chinese partner. They, in turn, would own the equipment, train and staff the Chinese workers to use the equipment and ship the products back to America.
It was a model that worked well from the 1990’s up to around 2019. Everyone was doing it. American industry, as was Wall-Street, were all focused on quarterly profits. They could not see further than a few years in the future. The Chinese, on the other hand, think in terms of centuries.
However, to remove the equipment, they will NOW need the Chinese co-owner’s approval. This will often not be easy and it will come at a price. For they will be asking permission from their (now wealthy) Chinese partner to give up all of the capital equipment that resides in his factory. (And make no mistake, at 51% ownership, it is his factory.)
Please keep in mind that the cost of these manufacturing and assembly machinery are in the millions of dollars. As an example, an automated “brake” used to cut and bend aluminum sheet will equal the cost of a Lamborghini. Now, figure that each factory might have ten such machines at minimum. That is a lot of money.
Factories utilize so many different types of automation, that it is difficult to quantify exactly which ones are critical to the production end line goal, and which ones can be replaced by American manual labor. Photo is of an actual American joint-venture factory within China.
In short, what all this means is that American ownership of a Chinese factory is, at best, at 49%. As such removal of the equipment to America is problematic and will probably NOT occur. The Chinese business partner would keep the equipment, dissolve the partnership once the sales dissolve (easy enough under Chinese law) and end up owning the complete factory himself.
Thus the American partner is then forced to purchase all brand new assembly equipment from scratch and start off all over again. Only this time, due to the ravaging effects of inflation, the cost of the equipment is much more expensive than the initial purchase in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Thus capital equipment expenditures would seriously end up in the hundreds of millions of dollars alone.
Relocating a factory from China back to the United States is a prohibitively expensive exercise that costs an enormous amount of money. The only way around these costs are to employ Americans in an entirely manual assembly role and cut out all automation, quality checks and basic assembly standards.
Quick summary;
American manufacturing capital equipment is 100% American company owned when shipped to China.
American manufacturing capital equipment is only 49% American owned when shipping out of China.
The difference in ownership will result in serious costs regarding the purchase of new capital equipment equipment for use within a factory in the United States.
If the American management wants to go the legal route to resolve any issues with the Chinese partner, the Chinese legal system will rule in favor of the Chinese national. They ALWAYS rule in favor of the Chinese national. This is the way it works.
To put this in another way; to purchase new automation equipment for an American factory will entail enormous costs.
The only way that a business can purchase replacement capital equipment is with favorable banking and loan arrangements, but even with that, the amortization costs on most typical appliances will be on the order of an increase in 30% to 55% increase in the costs of the appliance.
Bill Clinton was quite satisfied with the trade arrangements with China, and supported it whole heartedly.
Is it fair? No. But that is the situation that President’s Clinton, Bush and Obama were all quite satisfied with.
Technically Skilled Leadership
Another issue is the technical staff.
This is something that is given quite a bit of “lip service” in the industry, but is actually just a big smoke screen. If talented technical staff were actually important they would never be laid off. Right?
Like I said. It’s a lot of words with no substance.
How to fire someone in America. Soften the blow so they don’t go postal on you.
Well, that is all just fine and day, except when you are talking about relocating a factory.
For you NEED these people, and you NEED their expertise. Otherwise, you will have all sorts of problems in production, resulting in quality disasters, and severe production delays.
Production Engineers are critical to the smooth operation of the production lines in a factory.
No we are not talking about line supervisors, and accounting clerks. We are talking about the engineers that maintain and operate the complex automated machinery. We are talking about the design, industrial, manufacturing, and mechanical engineers that make the production lines hum efficiently.
Oh, yeah.
They used to be plentiful in the United States, but over the last three decades they have become a dying breed. Most, once laid off, could not find other similar work and so they migrated into other occupations.
When our nation’s coal miners found themselves out of work, the left-media gleefully told them that they need to “learn to code.” After all, they were dinosaurs working, literally, with dinosaur fuels and needed to be reeducated for the global, technological economy.
The condescending chant that rained down from the privileged ivory towers of the leftist elite: Learn. To. Code.
-Legal Insurrection
Some became bakers, while other ended up delivering mail for the Post Office. Some became teachers, while others became Bus Drivers. Maybe some even “learned to code”, as the Mainstream News Media laughingly taunted the unemployed professionals.
Design, production, manufacturing, industrial, quality and maintenance engineers are key talents that all factories require. Though over the last three decades, most of them have been Chinese, not American.
They, like myself, were forced to migrate to where the work is. If you are lucky, you never need to change and swap jobs. But during the 1990’s this was a near impossibility.
There are very few active technical factory experts in the United States today that are able and willing to relocate to a new post-China startup. They exist, but are decidedly no longer as plentiful as they once were. As such, once you find them, you will need to pay them a premium salary for their knowledge and experience.
Manufacturing engineers make sure that the process is set in place and the the workers can best manufacture complex and high quality products. Without them, the factory will be plagued with all sort of quality problems, arguments, failures and delays.
Now, that does not mean that they cannot be found.
They exist and are available in America. However you will need to pay them American salaries, and American benefits. Often with a benefit package that is ten times that of what the companies have been accustomed to paying their Chinese technical staff.
Process Engineers have an important role in the successful operation of any factory, especially those involving chemical and treatment processes.
So ,yes there are technical staff that can be hired within America to work and maintain the factories. However, the cost to employ them will require a budget at lest ten times larger than the budget that is already allocated for the staff at a comparative Chinese factory. This cost will be added on to the cost of the product manufactured at the factory.
Training of staff
Compared to the two previous issues, this one is not as serious. It simply means that all those American workers that ACME must hire to work in the newly relocated factory must be trained. You would think that it wouldn’t be too much of an issue. We have been training workers to work in factories in America for many, many decades.
Only one problem though.
Factory manufacturing techniques have changed drastically since the mid 1990s. The Chinese staff will need to train unskilled American workers to operate the relocated equipment, and learn the process parameters.
The people who know how to make the specialized products that ACME makes no longer exist in the USA. The Americans that used to know are all gone. Either they found new work when they were fired back in the 1990’s, or are now retired.
The ones that know how to operate the (new and improved) machinery, check the quality of the product, and are knowledgeable to quickly debug the process when things go wrong are all Chinese.
Which means, of course, to train your new workers, you must use existing skilled Chinese workers to do so.
Chinese supervisory staff training an American worker on site in America.
You have two options;
Obtain a H1-B visa for the Chinese staff and use them to train and supervise the new American workers.
Ship all the new American workers to China for hands-on training at the Chinese factory prior to shipping the equipment back to the United States.
Both options have been used by various companies over the last few years. Each option has some pros and cons associated with it.
Chinese management training Americans on site in the factory inside China.
However, the reader should note that due to the availability of the H1-B visa in the United States, the ACME leadership discovered that they would have to wait a year to apply for new visas, as all the existing visas were taken by software engineers out of India. Thus forcing the more expensive route to ship Americans to China to train how to use the equipment.
Training of Americans to work in the returned factory from China will necessitate the training by Chinese nationals. This will be conducted either in China or in the United States depending on the availability of visa access.
Breakup of Global Relationships
Of course, in order to return an American factory out of China and back to the United States, there will have to be a period of contentious negotiation between the owners.
PPT on the key points in negotiating with the Chinese.
After all, and I hope that I made this clear, an “American” company residing in China is NOT 100% American owned. No. Instead it is a joint venture / partnership with the Chinese partner owning controlling interest of the entire factory, technical skills, intellectual property and capital equipment.
For any American company to do this will create a period of discomfort and strife, as most Chinese owners will not want to relinquish any controlling interest, nor deplete their internal resource pool. He would fight, aggressively, any attempts to dissolve the relationship, ship components back to the United States and have access to stock and supplier interests.
Trade negotiations between Xi Peng and Donald Trump. The Chinese are tough negotiators. Do not think for a minute that they will not take full advantage of any situation.
This entire matter would be contentious. As a result, most American corporate executives would refer the entire matter to their American legal branch to handle. But, and you all should know and realize this, American law has no jurisdiction in China. Chinese law is what is followed, and the courts will almost always rule in favor of the Chinese nationals.
The Chinese legal system will ALWAYS rule in favor of the Chinese national.
When ACME tried to dissolve their partnership with the joint venture, and went the Chinese legal route, the courts ruled that not only did the American firm not have any legal standing, but they then awarded the American 49% legal controlling interest to the Chinese factory owner as punitive punishment.
Thus as a result, the ACME American company ended up with 0% ownership of the company, with their Chinese partner ended up with 100% ownership.
China is a serious, serious nation. They do not fool around, and they have laws that protect Chinese nationals. Americans should realize this and consider alternative solutions to any legal issues instead of going through the “proper” legal avenues.
Loss of Market Share in China
How things have changed. I’ve since returned to China many times, and I’ve watched its economy grow to become the second-largest in the world.
Based on purchasing power parity (PPP), it’s the largest. And according to Credit Suisse, the size of China’s middle class has for the first time overtaken the U.S. to become the world’s most populous—109 million Chinese compared to 92 million Americans.
-Frank Talk
It might surprise many typical Americans, but China is a POTENTIALLY much larger consumer market than America is.
Presently the United States is the world leader in consumer product purchases, but that will change in the future. Most projections place China in the leadership role in the early to middle 2030’s.
China is growing, and the amount of growth just boggles the mind, and Americans are absolutely oblivious to this fact.
Thus, if you want to have a global “slice of the pie” for what ever products you make, you will need to sell them in China.
Now, in order to sell products in China, you will need a Chinese “presence”. This can be a regional headquarters, a partner factory, or some other kind of legal entity to “open the door” for your products to be sold in China.
China is a huge market that can be exploited by American factories and businesses. However, they must be free to be able to sell their products to Chinese consumers. Were China to implement Trump-style tariffs, this will not occur, and Germany, Japan and Korea will capture those markets.
Do not be under the erroneous assumption that you can just carry some of your products to China and then just sell them openly. Nope.
All products must meet Chinese regulatory requirements.
It is similar to that in the USA. (Remember the Billionaire Boys Club where they were having a difficult time importing Mercedes Benz automobiles into the USA because they would not meet the emissions requirements?)
Now, it is far, far easier to sell American made, or American sourced (out of a Chinese joint-venture, or a WOFE) than trying to exporting the product directly to China. There is already a legal presence within China.
An opportunity exists for American companies to sell to China. However, they must do so carefully and maintain their name recognition.
Corporate Identity
What ever you do, you must maintain your logo and trademark or else you would no longer have any kind of “product identity” associated with your products. However, if you have partnered with a Chinese factory to make your products, then THEY, not you, own the registration and trademarks within China.
By relocating the “American” factory to America out of China, ACME ran the risk of totally closing off the Chinese Market. This is because their Chinese partner OWNED all royalties, Logos, Copyright, and trademarks for the ACME brand. Under Chinese law, as practiced, the Chinese person who first manufactures a logo, or uses a symbol automatically owns the rights to it. Once ACME leaves, they can never return back to China and use their brand. If they did so they would be in violation of Chinese law.
Long Term Consequences
I long ago concluded that the world will eventually essentially divide into two spheres: China and the United States. But what I have not been able to figure out is what that will mean overall nor what that will mean for particular regions and countries. In particular, I get stuck when trying to figure out which countries will go to which side.
I have always believed some countries will essentially be required to choose between the United States and China, some countries will want to choose between the United States and China, and some countries will want to straddle between the United States and China.
-China Law Blog
China is growing and it appears that the United States does not appreciate competition. The USA wants to maintain it’s role as a global superpower, fighting and policing the globe by taxation of it’s citizenry. While China is looking for economic dominance through cooperation with national partnerships.
You know, you do not need to relocate the factory back to America. you can relocate it to another nation with similar conditions to China. Here, you can make a joint venture partnership between the Chinese factory and a local factory, say in Cambodia, Vietnam, or Laos.
There are work-arounds. Products made in China, can be shipped to a nation that does not have Trump-level tariffs against it. The shipping container would then go to this second “pass through” nation, the documents would then specify that it was made and originated out of the third nation. Then shipped to the United States.
Of course, it is possible that the economic pain China is feeling from the trade war has been mitigated by some businesses trying to “work around” the tariffs. This is typically done by exporting to an unsanctioned country where some “value added” is created before being shipped onto the final destination – thus avoiding the tariff.
This is a tried and tested formula with one of the more extreme examples being Russia. It takes time to find alternative suppliers from different countries or to develop domestic ones. When sanctions were first imposed on imports from the EU, Russia companies used business relationships to import EU products via 3rd party countries, including Belarus. This put up costs, but ensured supply chains could continue functioning until alternatives were found.
If that has indeed been happening as a result of the US-China stand-off, the most likely avenue is Vietnam. While US imports from Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan have certainly increased, it is from Vietnam that they have surged. ...
... It is difficult for an economy to build extra production capacity and related supply chains in a short period of time to substitute even part of the production from China. Vietnam’s manufacturing production growth was quite flat at around 10% year-on-year in 2019. It was even slower in 2018. It is hard to believe that the surge in Vietnam’s exports to the US (in US dollar terms, remember) has all come from production within Vietnam.
The obvious response is that it hasn't. Chinese exports to Vietnam have displayed a strong upward growth trend in 2019, which is in contrast to the slowdown in 2018, and also in contrast to the moderately flattish growth of Vietnam’s production.
-ING
This is a mature solution. Many of the products that American believe are made in Germany, Japan and Korea are actually made in China. They are made in China and then shipped and stored in the respective warehouses for later shipment to the United States.
Pass-through trade option.
This option might increase the price of the products from 1% to 5%. This is a viable solution as opposed to the 30% to 40% tariffs that Donald Trump is talking about.
"The Trump administration made a very serious miscalculation in launching the ‘trade war’ with China. It believed that either, or both, the leadership of China would submit to the Trump administrations threats or the Chinese population would not be prepared for a serious struggle with the US. Both calculations have proved entirely wrong. China’s leadership did not surrender to but hit back against the US attacks. Furthermore anyone who follows China’s domestic discussion, on what is now by far the world’s largest internet community, knows that this line was strongly supported by the Chinese population."
- China prepares for economic ‘prolonged war’ with Trump
There are many considerations that a company must take into account when faced with a Presidential decree that the company relocate from China to the United States. It’s a complex issue with many facets.
When discussing relocation of American factories back to America you must also include the contentious corporate history over the last four decades that led up to the situation that exists today. Nothing happens in isolation. It is all the result of society, and corporate behaviors that are nurtured by the political class in Washington D.C..
In any event, it is up to each individual company to determine what actions would be in their own corporate interests. I would advise obtaining knowledgeable legal representation, and employment of experienced “old hand” expats residing in China, rather than some “expert” out of an “ivory tower” in Los Angles.
Other great articles
Here’s some articles by others in the business. They pretty much say the same things as what I am presenting here. Only they are better written. LOL.
Here are
some links about my observations on China. I think that you, the reader,
might find them to be of interest. Please kindly enjoy.
China and America Comparisons
As an
American, I cannot help but compare what my life was in the United
States with what it is like living in China. Here we discuss that.
The Chinese Business KTV Experience
This is
the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the
British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal
press. This is the reality. Read or not.
Learning About China
Who
doesn’t like to look at pretty girls? Ugly girls? Here we discuss what
China is like by looking at videos of pretty girls doing things in
China.
Contemporaneous Chinese Music
This is a
series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It
is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I
am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series
of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and
enjoyment.
Parks in China
The parks
in China are very unique. They are enormous and tend to be very
mountainous. Here we take a look at this most interesting of subjects.
Really Strange China
Here are
some posts that discuss a number of things about China that might seem
odd, or strange to Westerners. Some of the things are everyday events,
while others are just representative of the differences in culture.
What is China like?
The
purpose of this post is to illustrate that the rest of the world,
outside of America, has moved on with their lives. That while they
might not be as great as America is, they are doing just fine thank
you.
And while
America has been squandering it’s money, decimating it’s resources,
and just being cavalier with it’s military, the rest of the world has
done the opposite. They have husbanded their day to day fortunes, and
you can see this in their day-to-day lives.
Summer in Asia
Let’s take a moment to explore Asia. That includes China, but also includes such places as Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and others…
Some Fun Videos
Here’s a collection of some fun videos taken all over Asia. While
there are many videos taken in China, we also have some taken in
Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Korea and Japan as well. It’s all in fun.
Articles & Links
You’ll not
find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy
notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a
necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money
off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you
because I just don’t care to.
You can start reading the articles sequentially by going HERE.
You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
![The reasons clearly have to do with [1] the US economy softening in the 3rd quarter combined with [2] a growing discontent in the farm sector. This discontent is over Trump’s handling of the trade dispute that was beginning to bite hard on US farm sector sales. You see, American farmers were heavily dependent on exports to China.](https://metallicman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/5107_Fig5-1024x718.png)
Posted by: chet380 | Mar 19 2021 19:16 utc | 1