More Stuff. Political Stuff, of course.

Responses to Facebook chats.

ALL the drama! The European Union sources 63 percent of its aluminium from Guinea, 41 percent of its manganese from South Africa, 35 percent of its tantalum from DRC etc etcetera. Copper, lithium and cobalt from Zambia as well go to the E.U. and the U.S. 

       What about American and European oil giants in Nigeria? Etc etcetera. Natural resources to the West! All these have been happening in Africa yet annually 6 million die out there from various diseases (including the Covid years). The West doesn't really care as long as they get what they want. WHO? Who what? 

       Should we talk about "arms for oil" deals in the Middle East since discovery of oil in the desert or since the birth of Israel in 1948? A war has to happen so they can get the oil in exchange for arms? That is why U.S. arms manufacturers dominate the Top 10. Until the region got rich, the Arab Spring shuddered and some of them joined BRICS. 

       Then suddenly Donald Trump shook the table with his aggro tariffs and then news said, whoa?!? I mean, are we talking about how evil America is now because Mr Trump shook the glade? Sure, Donald's tariff trickery is meant to rock the chess board versus China, whose trade expansionism carries on and holds the global economic leverage since 2001 when it joined the WTO, hoping that some US manufacturing goes home. They will not. 

      Some of the 8,600+ US companies in China may even expand to India. What will happen is these countries that are hit with U.S. tariffs will instead toss FDIs to the US (South Korea's Hyundai, Taiwan's TSMC, and Japan's SoftBank are early new investors) although their global money remains. 🏛🗽🏛

MEANWHILE, the U.S. is still #1 consumer market and marketing showroom. Meanwhile, nearly 50 out of 90+ hit by The D's tariffs expressed willingness to negotiate with the U.S. as China matches the cards on the table of course. 

       This is why we need to renegotiate. Shake the trade table. Not a reset via wars or regional armed hostilities or military dares via military aid. Aid giving must be reviewed and cut the quid pro quo that only motivated government corruption among recipient countries. Push the import/export redo. 

       Sure, the US economy will suffer some but, come on, we in America buy anything! Can't we pull back a bit? And save the money or credit cards till renegotiation is over? Till the U.S. and China sit for a second trade pact? In fact a trade war between these titans is good for others. Refer to Trump I's trade war with China (2016 etc) which, for example, benefitted Vietnam et al. Etc etcetera. 🏛🗽🏛

Tariff Talk and more talk tariff.

Responses to Facebook chats.

[ ] ALL THE BLAH. As though tariffs are new. Examples: Franklin D. Roosevelt's Reciprocal Tariff Act of 1934 enabled him to liberalize U.S. trade policy around the globe. LBJ's tariff spikes per trade quarrel with Germany (chicken and vans). 

       Fast forward: When China joined the WTO in 2001 (Russia in 2012) tariff tactics had to be reworked. China and Russia and their BRICS partners got the raw materials and APIs. (The BRICS trade bloc was formed in 2009.) The Chinese are the shrewdest of these BFFs. The merchant who talks less but deals more. 

       Meanwhile, Japan is the #1 FDI country in the U.S. and #1 host of US troops overseas (#3 is South Korea). Recently, Taiwan's TSMC and SK's Hyundai expressed willingness to upgrade investments here; Japan's SoftBank as well. Etc etcetera. 

       These are giant corporations playing mahjong on a weekend as they talk business. Tariff talks. But the media wants our clicks so here we go. 

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[ ] THE PHILIPPINES. The U.S. has controlled Philippine economics since 1898. Why is this so big a deal now? Yet as the 21st century strode in, China loomed as the Philippines' top trading partner. So why don't Filipino farmers and workers turn to the BRICS bloc in the case of Washington's Donald Trump “messing things up.”

       The (Western) media tells us that because of Mr Trump's tariffs (which is not new in history) the world now suffers. Because of the U.S.? So whatever the U.S. does, the Philippines and the world simply abide? Or crashes like domino tiles? 

       Donald Trump's reasons are Very American Reasons per its economic competition with China. But China's global trade expansionism isn't about to stop. So why not sit with the Chinese, Russians, Indonesians, Brazilians etcetera? We got leverage. The Philippines' strategic position in the South China Sea is integral to Washington's military/security paranoia. We once junked the U.S. bases, we can do that again. 

       But then again, the Philippines' hatred for Trump almost equals its hatred for China. What do we really want? Weird kind of colonial mentality? LOL! 💸🏢💸

Drama 101: Canada. United States.

Responses to Facebook chats.

This Canada / U.S. drama is a media fed "showtime" political caterwaul that only highlights President Trump's (and Elon Musk's) ADD fix and distracts from Justin Trudeau's failures (as Max Carney pumps up his approval mojo). 

       Cold facts that stay (especially that both extremes hate China): <>Canada is U.S.' #1 (or #2 behind Mexico) trade partner and #1 supplier of oil. 70 oil and natural gas pipelines deliver those "energy" to the U.S. Cut them? Nope. 

       <>Canadians (not the Chinese as some idiots say) own 33.5 percent of the total foreign-owned agricultural lands in the U.S. Etc etcetera. POTUS saliva and media intrigue can't change those facts. 

       As border neighbors, the U.S. and Canada are better off as partners. So what's next? Own Mexico, LOL! Are we in a 17th century timewarp? And those who say they are moving to Canada? How easy. It's like moving to California from Georgia? Easy. It's not like Trump-hating Americans need a visa to cross Niagara or apply for an asylum as in “The Handmaid's Tale.” Well, go visit and move back in 2029. But there's the Olympics in L.A. in 2028. Enjoy! 

       Meanwhile, self-induced anxiety with these Trump thrillers only spike Pfizer's profit grade per meds for the mental unease. The NBA playoffs are coming up! 🇺🇸☮️🇨🇳

Americans and Russians and Chinese.

Response to Facebook chats.

BAFFLING how many Americans misread or miscalculate Vladimir Putin or Russia and China. Traditional hate vs global (narcissism) power rivals? Sinophobia? 

       When Bill Clinton signed a trade pact with Jiang Zemin of China in 2000 and paved the way for Beijing to enter the WTO (as an MFN or Most Favored Nation) the following year, Washington didn't have an idea what the CCP's next move would be. China's trade expansionism actually started years ago in Deng Xiaoping's time, late 1970s to 1980s (or his “open door policy” and global expansionism blueprint got going after Mao's death in 1976).

       Technically, Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative agenda was laid out in Deng's years while the U.S. was super busy and more focused in a Cold War with Russia. Joe Biden's chess moves were essentially Cold War-styled military intrigue in Eastern Europe (by way of Ukraine) and in South China Sea (by way of Taiwan). The war “dare” worked with Vladimir Putin but it didn't work with Xi. 

       The so-called “One China Policy” is now obsolete since the “two Chinas” are huge trade partners. President Trump battles them with tariffs as his Defense chief Pete Hegseth sells arms to Asia. (The U.S., which almost monopolizes arms manufacturing, still needs to sell arms, regardless of Mr Trump's dovish tact. Just a pragmatic Washington fact.)

       Check RCEP, China gathered 14 Asia Pacific economies to forge the largest trade pact in history in November 2020, as Joe Biden was celebrating his election win. Japan, South Korea, the Philippines etcetera may smile to the U.S. but their economic lifelines rely mostly with China and India (BRICS). 

       Russia? While NATO was expanding after 1991 (the Warsaw Pact ended), Moscow was expanding its economic clout via its oil and natural gas until Europe super relied on those energy imports. These days, the E.U. is struggling and hasn't recovered from below 1 percent economic growth due to the so-called embargo (though Germany, Netherlands, the U.K., France et al are still buying some mostly by way of India). Etc etcetera. 

       So we are still saying Mr Putin has a BFF in White House? Or China is guilty of human rights shit? Both the Kremlin and the CCP are sarcastically laughing as they carry on with business. (Refer to BRICS expansion. Trade not military.) 🏛🗽🏛