Let’s discuss preconditions for talks that are already underway. What?
Talk About Talks
- Trump says the US and China are talking
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US and China are not talking and there are no plans to talk
- Fox Business news discusses a timeline update for possible talks
- Today, Reuters says China is evaluating the US Offer to talk
- Bloomberg discusses a possible thaw
- PBS discusses obstacles to talks
- The New York Times says the US and China dig in with no plans for talks
One thing is perfectly clear. It’s all bullsheet, especially Trump’s claim talks are already underway.
China Hints at Possible Thaw
Bloomberg reports China Hints at Possible Thaw With US in Weighing Trade Talks
China’s Commerce Ministry said in a Friday statement that it had noted senior US officials repeatedly expressing their willingness to talk to Beijing about tariffs, and urged officials in Washington to show “sincerity” toward China.
“The US has recently sent messages to China through relevant parties, hoping to start talks with China,” the ministry added. “China is currently evaluating this.”
China has also quietly started to exempt roughly $40 billion worth of US goods from tariffs, in an apparent effort to soften the blow of the trade war on its own economy. A list of 131 excepted products is circulating among traders and businesses, which highlights areas where Beijing relies on American products, including pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals.
Still, there is a long way to go for the US and China to get talks off the ground. Trump has repeatedly said President Xi Jinping needs to contact him in order to begin tariff talks. Earlier this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said it’s up to Beijing to take the first step to de-escalate the dispute.
Very Close to Talks
No Plans for Formal Talks
The New York Times reports U.S. and China Dig In on Trade War, With No Plans for Formal Talks
At a White House economic briefing this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent demurred multiple times when pressed about President Trump’s recent claim that President Xi Jinping of China had called him. Although top economic officials might usually be aware of such high-level talks, Mr. Bessent insisted that he was not logging the president’s calls.
“I have a lot of jobs around the White House; running the switchboard isn’t one of them,” Mr. Bessent joked.
“China and the U.S. have not held consultations or negotiations on the issue of tariffs,” Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, said at a news conference last Friday. “The United States should not confuse the public.”
However, China’s Commerce Ministry said this Friday that it was now considering holding talks with the Trump administration after repeated attempts by senior U.S. officials to start negotiations.
The economic toll of the tit for tat is starting to become clear. The International Monetary Fund last month lowered its growth outlook for both countries and the world, warning that the tariffs had made a downturn more likely. Government data released this week showed Chinese factory activity slowing in April and first-quarter growth in the United States weakening.
During a cabinet meeting on Wednesday at the White House, Mr. Trump acknowledged that children in the United States may wind up with fewer dolls that cost more. But he insisted that he would continue to push for a “fair deal” with China, which he described as the “leading candidate for the chief ripper-offer.”
The Treasury secretary is expected to take the lead on the China negotiations while Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, oversees most of the other talks. However, Mr. Trump has not formally appointed or authorized a U.S. official to negotiate on his behalf with China, leaving Chinese officials to believe that the Trump administration is not ready or serious about trade talks.
In an interview with Fox News this week, Jamieson Greer, the United States trade representative, said that he met virtually for over an hour with his Chinese counterpart before April 2 but that there had been no talks since Mr. Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs.
Mr. Trump has suggested that Mr. Xi should call him to begin the talks personally, noting their strong personal relationship. But that is not how China typically handles important economic matters. The United States and China traditionally work out their economic differences through a structured dialogue with formal meetings and working groups led by a top economic official from each country.
“This very personalistic approach by President Trump, who wants to negotiate directly with President Xi, doesn’t match with the Chinese system at all,” said Craig Allen, a fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis.
Michael Pillsbury, a top China adviser to Mr. Trump during his first term, said Beijing was most likely waiting to see what the deals that the Trump administration reaches with other nations such as India and Japan look like before engaging directly.
“They don’t want to start the formal talks because they want to know the bottom line from others first,” said Mr. Pillsbury, who speaks to U.S. and Chinese officials.
He noted that the trade fight has become a major point of national pride for China and that it believes that Mr. Trump’s demands — which Beijing does not fully grasp — will soften as American markets gyrate and midterm elections in the United States draw closer.
“Delay is very much in their interest, and a speedy deal is very much in Trump’s interest,” Mr. Pillsbury said.
Beijing Weighs Fentanyl Offer to U.S. to Start Trade Talks
The Wall Street Journal reports Beijing Weighs Fentanyl Offer to U.S. to Start Trade Talks
Beijing is considering ways to address the Trump administration’s concerns over China’s role in the fentanyl trade, according to people familiar with the matter, potentially offering an off-ramp from hostilities to allow for trade talks to start.
The discussions remain fluid, the people cautioned, while adding that Beijing would like to see some softening from President Trump on his trade offensive against China.
In a clear shift in tone Friday, China’s Commerce Ministry said it was weighing starting talks with the U.S. to halt a trade war while expressing Beijing’s wish for the Trump administration to “show sincerity” to talk. Previously, the ministry had demanded that Washington slash its steep tariffs on China first as a condition for negotiations.
The Trump administration has been considering slashing the 145% tariffs on Chinese imports in a bid to de-escalate tensions with Beijing that have roiled U.S. markets and resulted in U.S. retailers complaining about soon-to-be empty store shelves, The Wall Street Journal has reported. But administration officials also have said the U.S. wouldn’t act unilaterally and would need to see some action from Beijing.
In recent weeks, both sides have exempted certain products from the high duties. But the carve-outs by both Washington and Beijing so far have appeared to be driven by the desire to limit economic damage rather than making concessions.
Beijing’s ongoing discussions on a potential fentanyl offer to the U.S. is the latest twist in a bilateral dance that has led to a communication impasse between both capitals.
Just a few weeks ago, Chinese officials complained privately about not being able to get through to Trump’s core team. But the tables appear to have turned. In the past week or so, Trump and his cabinet members have repeatedly talked about having conversations with the Chinese side, only to be met with stern denials from Beijing until late this week.
China’s Commerce Ministry said Friday Beijing “is currently evaluating” repeated comments and messages from U.S. officials that “expressed their willingness to negotiate with China on tariffs.”
Talks Closer? So What?
Assume you believe talks are closer, or they aren’t. Whatever opinion you want, you can find.
As long as Trump holds the views that trade deficits need to be eliminated on a bilateral basis, talks are not going anywhere.
Trump is looking to placate the market with statements every week:
Ohhh, talks are going well. There’s progress; China is giving in. Whatever.
And China is hoping an offer on fentanyl will allow Trump to do something substantial. Trump won’t, at least enough to matter.
Dropping tariffs from 145%, to 125%, to 100%, to 80% is all meaningless nonsense. Expect meaningless nonsense accompanied by Trump bragging how nice he is.
Mysterious US Trade Reps Meet With Mysterious China Trade Reps. It’s a Mystery
On April 24, I commented Mysterious US Trade Reps Meet With Mysterious China Trade Reps. It’s a Mystery
The unknown meet the unknown discussing the unknown. Let’s discuss Schrödinger’s Cat vs Schrödinger’s Trump.
Talks? What Talks?
- Bessent: The United States and China are not engaged in trade talks because the tariffs both countries have imposed on each other have “to be de-escalated before trade talks.”
- Bessent: The US “does not have a timeline for talks to begin.“
- Bloomberg: “Trump has tried to get Xi on the phone a number of times since he returned to office, but the Chinese leader has, so far, resisted.”
- China: “Any reports on development in talks are groundless.” The US needs to “show sincerity” if it wants to make a deal.
- Trump: “They had a meeting this morning. It doesn’t matter who ‘they’ is. We may reveal ‘later’.”
Finally, both trump and Bessent are telling the truth because the meeting both happened and didn’t happen.
To understand how this works we need to explore quantum physics.
In “Trumperland”, meetings can have happened and not happened simultaneously. It does not matter who “they” is or even if there is a “they”.
Theoretical meetings between unknown “theys” is sufficient to say that a meeting that took place, and also that it didn’t, no matter what was or was not discussed.
Now we are discussing conditions for talks that were already underway.
This makes perfect sense, somewhere.
Anybody ever think trumps goal is to throw the country into chaos do he can declare Marshall law. Or whatever he needs to do to stay in powrr
Kudos, Mish. You cut through the BS like a machete through the jungle. There are no talks, just rumors about talks about possibly talking if the two sides agree to talk. It’s all a scam to jack up zee stonks. Oy vey!
China blinks! China’s just a typical little bitch that will bow. MAGA
What kind of talks and/or negotiations are actually happening with China and 190 other countries?
None of any significance.
Comprehensive trade deals take 1-5 years to negotiate and complete.
It is logistically impossible to complete 200 trade deals in a few weeks. The US simply does not have the personel to be involved in so many negotiations at the same time.
Whatever “talks” are happening will be simple small “deals” of little significance between the US and a few other countries for publicity purposes.
The strategy of every country in the world will be to stall and stretch out “negotiations” as long as possible, to give up as little as possible, and to wait out Trump’s first two years, while waiting for the economic pain in the US to force Trump to abandon this economic experiment.
I would like to see Trump keep tariffs on as long as possible so we can see the results. A lot of pain for very little gain.
It literally amazes me that TrumpCO did not START with REDUCING INFLATION, not exacerbating it. And, the time has passed for America to even ATTEMPT the achievements of Greatness.
That ended in 1945. We have slowly unraveled the work ethic, education, Waste Reduction (plastics are worse now), Marriage, bringing up Kids, getting ahead, making money, achieving goals and retiring early.
That is ALL OFF NOW for our young people. And, they think that DEI is first and foremost rather than CREATING GOODS that the world wants from us.
We are a total mess. We are the worst house in a bad neighborhood. NO ONE wants us.
In the meantime, the MSM has resisted using the Label, “LIAR” to conclude how things are going.
Trump LIES. Obfuscates. Dodges. Avoids.
THEN, astonishingly, he BRAGS that things are going Swimmingly.
He should just SHUT THE F UP! ONLY speak when results are had.
I was in High Tech and we NEVER bragged about our CPU SPEEDS until they could be proven. I owned a Motherboard Company, selling to OEM’s and they would NEVER have bought a nickel of our products had we bragged with no results.
In Government, results do not matter. JUST TALKING about magical results is what matters to TrumpCO.
What an idiot. Nearly as bad as BidenCO and KAMALA (the word salad queen).
Perhaps why Trump had such “ magical results” in “His Last Term” It’s like destiny for him when You put it that way. I am not one to deny repeated success from someone, and especially when they have a chance, so soon, to do so again! I won’t be surprised in the least however…
– Trump says the US and China are talking. > I strongly suspect that they are indeed talking. I also highly expect, if Smart, that You and anybody else Not Directly Involved, will not hear a peep about what’s being talked about. Why? So the Talks can be distorted, lied about, and misrepresented, as they have been doing. Of course all of that won’t stop, but it sure makes them look like idiots when they are shown to be uttering pure BS…
– Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US and China are not talking and there are no plans to talk. > Specifically about Tariffs, He is referring to. He is correct, and we are Not Talking about that. Trump made it clear on that. China must take the next step of wanting to work together. That Ball is in their court, to discuss and get back to us on.
– Fox Business news discusses a timeline update for possible talks > They know squat.
– Today, Reuters says China is evaluating the US Offer to talk > They know squat.
– Bloomberg discusses a possible thaw > They know squat.
– PBS discusses obstacles to talks > They know squat.
– The New York Times says the US and China dig in with no plans for talks > They know squat.
– One thing is perfectly clear. It’s all bullsheet, especially Trump’s claim talks are already underway. > I totally disagree with that sentiment. What’s ALL BS is what’s written above in regards to what the MSM is reporting. They are making it all up. They know nothing, as it’s being kept close to the vest, for this exact reason. Talks have been sabotaged and misrepresented all along, but Trump and His Administration have stopped that behavior. The leaks are being uncovered, and the BS too! They are talking, and it’s now China’s Turn, to agree or to disagree, and then we go from there with more talks at that point.
– China has also quietly started to… > So China IS Talking? Good they are Up!
– Trump has repeatedly said President Xi Jinping needs to contact him in order to begin tariff talks. > Like I said, it’s China’s Turn To Talk…
– Very Close to Talks > That’s Entirely Up To China Now.
– No Plans for Formal Talks > That’s Entirely Up To China Now.
– China Said: “The United States should not confuse the public.” > Please Note: Not Trump, but the U.S. (The MSM He is referring to). Hence the reason there is no discussion on or about the talks. They were getting sabotaged by the Press!
– As long as Trump holds the views that trade deficits need to be eliminated on a bilateral basis, talks are not going anywhere. > Unless or Until they start negotiating honestly, Trump will not change His Stance, and why should He. He will stay quiet until they do so, and that’s right around the corner, as they have no choice in reality, but to negotiate, and fairly this time around…
– Trump is looking to placate the market with statements every week. > I think they refer to That, as “Assurances” which is exactly what He is supposed to do as Commander & Chief, last I checked…
I will use the Tennis suggestion and say this: CHINA has a TENNIS RACKET and the USA HAS ONLY A RACKET. China controls the service. CHINA IS IN CHARGE. They think in terms of the END GAME, not the single tennis exchanges, which shows the Trump has no tools of the game and barely knows what a Ball is.
He is the proverbial NAKED KING.
“China controls the serve” (I think you meant). Here is what you are missing. It doesn’t matter WHO Serves, it’s WHO Returns the serve. China can serve all day long, but if nobody returns any of the serves, then China is playing by themselves. He Who Plays, and dictates HOW is the one in charge. When they serve, the opposing player has no choice but to “Play” it’s China’s return, as Trump has Served! So let’s see if they want to play, shall we…
at this pace, Chinese only need to wait for elections in congress in 1.5 years
repubs despite all this trump BS have smallest margin in lower chamber.
it will be reversed
1.5 Years, in American Think, is a long time. IN CHINESE THINK, it is a blip of no consequence. I had Chinese Partners and they ALWAYS SAID TO ME, the ONLY NON-ASIAN EXEC: “D, look five years ahead. STOP RUSHING THINGS.” I was a 30 year old Company Owner and INSTANT GRATIFICATION was my tendency, just as you would expect from a Punk Exec.
I learned from them. I no longer rush into anything. I think in steps.
While Trump congratulates himself on his first 100 days, in the real world, the Chinese are runnign with it on advanced technologies.
Look up “photonic technology”, unveiled recently in China, slated for full production next year – light based low-power low cost computing (memory chips and CPUs) using crystalline matrices, no silicon, and 10,000 times faster than the silicon based chips in the West, and this is just one example of many. While JD Vance calls the Chinese “peasants”, those peasants are taking over in all areas of technology. We are already at the point where I see small chance of the West ever catching up, let alone out-competing.
Americans are delusional, just like your President. This is not 1990 anymore, though you think it is.
Technology is divided inot 64 sectors, and China is leading in 57 of them now, by next year it will be 63 out of 64, and Trump will still be making speeches about how brilliant he is.
I advise you to start learning Mandarin, so you can communicate with your new overlords. And I am only half-joking here. You need to get serious, very serious, about these matters, and I see no sign that is happening. Reality detachment disorder abounds in the West, and is epidemic in America.
That’s “running away with it”, spilled drinks on this keyboard too many times.
Read about the gory details here, if you really want to grasp how serious the situation is. The bottom line is that in China they graduate a small army of scientists and engineers every year, and they put them to work on actual science and technology – while in the West, kids learn about gender diversity and Advanced Lesbian Dance Theory. (not joking).
After 20 years, it shows in the results. Western companies buy back their own stocks to prop up valuations, when they should be spending that money on R & D, except R & D is noit popular with shareholders, it doesn’t show in quarterly results. Short term thinking leads to total failure.
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/04/china-leapfrogging-the-u-s-in-tech-innovation.html
Or watch the many videos of the recent Canton Fair, where miles of booths ofChinese companies show off new technologies that prove one thing to me – they are so far in the lead right now, that catching up here may be imposible.
But don’t worry, Trump will MAGA. Or not.
Americans are delusional, just like your President
=====
2/3 of Americans never traveled outside USA, or know single foreign language,and that being land of immigrants!
Agree and affirm all above posters.
What about the guns?
Does the US still have the biggest best guns?
Can we win a war with China?
My money is on China because they don’t care about human life, only the life of the state.
I’m loyal to whomever is in charge of my immediate surroundings.
My missus at present.
Sleep well comrades
2/3 huh? Strange, as nearly everyone I know, has traveled outside the U.S. In fact half the people I know do it for their Jobs! My career just happened to be International for a good portion, so maybe it’s my inner circles, but most of my Family & Friends have travelled a lot outside the Country. In fact destination Weddings have been a thing for decades now.
democracy works. always has. idiots elect idiots.
“Roughly three-quarters of Americans (76%) have visited at least one other country, including 26% who have been to five or more.”
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/12/06/americans-who-have-traveled-internationally-stand-out-in-their-views-and-knowledge-of-foreign-affairs/
I agree. We are Americans and have spent YEARS living in Portugal and Spain (I quit work, sold my stock and we full-time Travel). America is nice and all but it bores me compared to sitting in a Cafe in Lisboa, eating Lulas with a Sagres or a fine Douro regional wine. OR, Alentejo Vinho Verde or Vinho Tinto.
“VEE-NOO TEEN-TOO.” Pronunciation. America is BORING.
Japan said they are negotiating. But the gap between them is still wide.
90 agreements in 90 days ? ? ? ?
US – China negotiation will take years to compromise.
Global recession – You’re welcome.
Chinese only need to wait for elections in congress in 1.5 years
repubs despite all this trump BS have smallest margin in lower chamber.
The fentanyl is a red herring.
China is not producing fentanyl, but the precursors.
China produces thousands of chemical precursors, and none are specific to fentanyl synthesis. China does not have a fentanyl problem. America has a drug problem. Afghanistan used to produce heroine when the Americans invaded, but before and after, under the Taliban, very little production. In fact the fentanyl problem is partially the result of the Afghan withdrawal and the subsequent scarcity of heroine.
= producing fentanyl,
ask mo11rons who IMPORTED COKE INTO FLORIDA IN 80х from s. america/ central america
hint: CIA
[1] As long as Mr Art-of-the-Deal approaches this in terms of China being the ‘chief ripper-offer’ there will be no talks and no deal. What could possibly the logic of being ripped off 10% less or 90% less? Nobody will talk percentages of rip-off.
[2] The complete lack or reason is exhibited by the across the board nature of these tariffs. If Trump were to discuss his desire to reindustrialize America, he would perhaps be able to have a conversation with China about specifics. If beads, chips, and soy beans are all put into the same pool, any logic of protecting specific industries or products goes out the window; it just means there’s no plan.
[3] As long as Trump insists that when you buy a couch at the store using a credit card, the store is ripping you off, nobody in the whole universe will know how to talk sensibly about anything — they will be reduced to therapeutic murmuring that seems to best fit the situation.
Instead of the promised deregulation in making business decisions trump has created a morass of moving targets that supposedly are supposed to force manufacturers to build plants in the U.S. DeFacto and abusive regulation…
The tariffs are harsh and sudden governmental over-reach. The words extortion and coercion come to mind.
In a free society, businesses are free to buy from where they want from whom they want and employ whom they want. Pursuit of low costs that enable profits is the core of a capitalistic society.
Bringing commerce to a halt first and then negotiating is inappropriate. It reduces tax revenues and starves the economy of the materials necessary to build factories and robots.
Trump is doing the exact opposite of how to achieve long term investment in U.S. manufacturing. With his radical agenda of alienating our allies he has destroyed our capacity to be reliable exporters or peaceful neighbors (think Canada and Greenland).
The notion that if trump starts his term by crashing our economy and then allowing a recovery in a few years is a ridiculous strategy. Theatrics at best.
Uncertainty stops long term investment…
A president that lies constantly and places incompetent sycophants in governmental positions of importance is a danger to our society.
Money talks
But it don’t sing and dance
And it don’t walk
Long as I can have you
Here with me, I’d much rather be
Forever in blue jeans
or is it the AC/DC Money Talks song?
ABBA?
Pink Floyd?
China bends the knee. And only a fuking idiot would not have predicted this
China is in a weaker position vis-a-vis trade than is the United States. That could be affecting its decisions.
No. China makes products the US needs now – maybe in 3-5 years, when/if factories are built in America, those products can be not bought from China, but they will cost much more, as production costs are lower in China. But few business leaders are going to build those factories in America, given the daily flip-flops of Trump, businesses neeed consistency, and Trump is the opposite of that.
Trade with China amounts to about 5% of China GDP, which won’t be all ost if sales to America stop, some level of those same goods can be sold elsewhere, and eventually will be bought within China itself.
In the longer term, there are over 800 million low-income Chinese who will replace American demand 3+ times over, as they move up the economic ladder.
I am involved with retail supply chains, they tell me that in 2-6 weeks, depending on the product, the shelves will be massively empty, sooner once cluless consumers finally realize what is going on and panic buying ensues. Think Covid, and toilet paper, on a much larger scale.
“maybe in 3-5 years, when/if factories are built in America”
So fast?
Who builds the machines? China has almost 3 times the manufacturing systems production of the US, and will most likely not be interested in helping the US.
Stop using Meth.
see a doctor , Nostradamus.
Schrodinger the cat doesn’t like the unemployment rate. More people produced less GDP. Wages stalled. With less hours per week, more gov workers and contractors unemployed the unemployment rate might rise to 4.5%/5% in Q3 2025.
The emperor with no clothes has talks with China “Commencing to Commence”. Meanwhile many a small business burn. Over crap like tariffs on socks as if 99.8% of the people should pay more for them as if we really need to do them. NO!
Scott Gallaway’s iPhone numbers are:
Trump says we need to manufacture iPhone here and somehow ($9k iPhone?) replace the $500 a month Chinese iPhone makes.Somehow Don thinks we shouldn’t believe “Comparative Advantage and synergistically win-win where the Avg Apple iPhone designer making $200k salary is not victory enough?!And there’s the more DeFacto argument: Why would a CEO want to fold his hand on building US plants when the majority of economist and political brains know they can just wait a few years, and the MO will flip back for mutual win-win comparative advantage trade (at least to some degree) – and new US plants and production may not even happen by then ANYWAY?
Trump is needlessly trying to drag us into a recession.
Talking or negotiating? There is a difference and some might construe talking as negotiating or negotiating as talking. They certainly are talking but I have no idea if they are negotiating. The title is ambiguous.
Why aren’t they informing Mish?
How can you possibly have any deal when Trump says anyone buying oil from Iran is banned from dealing with the U.S. Don’t India & China buy oil from Iran? How is this going to logically work?
Endless contradictions, incoherent and incompetent policies.
Today the de minimis went into effect, let the chaos begin!
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/05/01/de-minimis-exemption-closing-may-2-tariffs/83385974007/
Threatening Iran like a schizo is better than bombing Iran. Capish. Trump contradicts Steve Witkoff, not himself. Iran has enough knowledge to produce a nuclear bomb in a 1BDR apt somewhere in Iran. Iran is 3 times bigger than TX. Iran can enrich U from 4% to 60% within a few days if they keep their centrifuges.Trump listens to Rubio, not Steve Witkoff. His days are numbers.
Fungible Commodity. Put a Timbuktu flag on the tankers.
The de minimis ban makes some sense in supporting domestic retail, but I fail to see how slapping a $25 per item tariff ($50 starting next month) will make a dent in the fentanyl trade. $100,000 charge per package might make a difference in fentanyl, or maybe not? At least the decreased de minimis traffic might make spotting incoming Chinese fentanyl easier.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-closes-de-minimis-exemptions-to-combat-chinas-role-in-americas-synthetic-opioid-crisis/
zion don is a schizo narcissist who just wants to be in the news. makes no matter what he says this week. it will change many times over the next 3 and 3/4 years.
Something smells fishy here.
meanwhile: For years, North Korea has been secretly placing young IT workers inside Western companies. With AI, their schemes are now more devious—and effective—than ever. https://www.wired.com/story/north-korea-stole-your-tech-job-ai-interviews/
dictator and wannabe dictator whose more of a comedy act.
my head hurts
How do you know they are not talking? How does anyone really know what is happening behind the scenes?
Trump says his people are talking to China. China says they’re not. I believe China.
Rooting for China too?
So you believe covid came from a wet market?
Bat Lady or Fang Fang
I don’t believe China about everything. I just don’t think there are high-level US-China trade/tariff talks going on. Trump was beating his chest too much, so it’s come down to who will blink first. I think Trump will, if he hasn’t already.
Covid was probably developed at Chapel Hill, NC, and then Fauci sent the work to Wuhan. Everybody knows that. There is still a possibility it was released (by the US) at the Wuhan 2019 Military World Games.
Yes, in September 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1157, the “Countering the PRC Malign Influence Fund Authorization Act of 2023.”This legislation authorizes $325 million annually from fiscal years 2023 through 2027, totaling over $1.6 billion, to demonise the Chinese Communist Party’s global influence.
Trump is not complaining.
Why? ? ? ?
Is it strange? ? ? ?
US is also involved in this mess.
Trump can hardly breath without lying. I.e. “200 trade negotiations are underway”, oops, but “we can’t say with whom”!
And does it even matter since more exemptions keep happening.
“In recent weeks, both sides have exempted certain products from the high duties.”
That’s part of the process.
A pattern of dishonesty? When Trump’s lips move, start by assuming he’s lying, and you’ll come out ahead most times.
Both have a stick and a few carrots. Millions of ants are doing nothing all day, but Xi iron fist can knock Trump to submission. China is fighting for glory and Taiwan. Trump: the PRC creed is outdated. The Chinese are fat and obese. Youth unemployment is high. Per capita is $11K/year. Xi: be more elastic: If college students and working ants rise on Gulliver the giant, they can break China apart even without guns in their hands. Either way: the US consumers will have to live without Chinese junk bc Trump and Xi don’t get along. They never did. Hunter did.
So it’s a regime change operation by the US?
No. Bend the creed to reduce global risk. Xi is a very capable leader. When Xi becomes more elastic better days will come. Trump got Pierre^2 out. SPY closed Apr 2/3 gap, breached Apt 2 high, but closed below. SPY 1W flipped this week, 4/28, leaving behind 3 lower weekly closed. Take your bets.
8% of Chinese are obese and 40% of Americans are obese. The gap is much wider than that, actually, since a BMI of 28 is considered obese in China whereas it’s 30 in the USA. Anytime I fly to the USA after living in East Asia for years, I always get a HUGE (no pun intended) dose of reverse culture shock by the large (no pun intended) army of morbidly obese people, usually women, riding around on carts at the airport. You never see anyone that fat in East Asia. Kim Jeong Un is about as fat as they come and he’s capable of strolling around on his own two feet.
Chinese have 50% less fat cells. When they add a few pounds they might suffer from insulin resistance and fatty livers.
Tariffs raise prices. Those Americans with the ability to charge more raise their prices to keep their standard of living level. Which raises price for goods and services. Then those on the bottom strike to raise their standard back to the base line of poverty. The american companies have to pay more making their goods more expensive both at home and the world market.
Only winners are car companies and farmers getting hand outs.
Corporations go to were there are people to exploit for labor. After Asia gets expensive they will move to Africa
Trump wants to pay off the debt by placing it on the little guy. But is afraid to raise taxes on the really wealthy because they can move out of the country. .
visuals make it easy for the leadership to remain stupid vs proactive
In a very weird way, this is a helpful weird way to summarize a very weird situation. Thanks.
The two are made for each other as one can’t trust either one of them; what they say or what they “might” do.
Trump keeps things “fun”, “crazy”, “sensible”, “insane”, “idiotic” or “asinine” depending upon you view of life.