Trump is the rascal, NOT Xi. Xi is the gentleman

... the crevasse of tensions over Taiwan, which this weekend caused Xi to threaten to call off the meeting, there won’t be much to see at the peak. The summit’s main virtue is to show that relations are functional enough to meet at all. Both sides’ untrustworthiness and unilateral pursuit of strategic leverage will sharply confine its substance.

It’s common to describe the Xi-Trump relationship as transactional rather than based on principles. In reality, it isn’t even that. Anything they agree is subject to fudging and reneging. Their only real compact is a balance of terror, refraining from escalating trade or other actions for fear of mutual destruction.

The best we can currently say is that this situation is at least holding. Trump’s rhetoric on China and particularly Xi himself has shifted from aggression to admiration.  Alan Beattie CNA

The white reporters always paint the picture that the tension between China and America was caused by both parties, both are equally responsible. They refused to tell the truth, that the Americans are the real devils, solely responsible for starting this war against China, calling China enemy, trying to bring down China, stop China's growth through unending attacks, all kinds of wars, sanctions and tariffs. And Trump the rascal is the one that keep changing his position after every negotiation and attacking China before a meeting with Xi just responding. Trump is the most untrustworthy scum on earth! But they would blame Xi for the silly antics and behaviours of Trump as if Xi is another rogue like Trump. Do not put Xi in the same low down category as rascal Trump.

The whole world knows how unreliable and despicable Trump is, totally cannot be trusted, a pariah that lied and lied and lied. Xi has never take a hit at Trump or America without being provoked, most of the time in retaliation to what gangster Trump had done to China. 

Stop the lie. Xi is an honourable international leader that is many classes above the rascal and rogue Trump. The leaders of the whole have been making a beeline to Beijing to meet Xi and treated with honour and respect. No respectable world leader would want to be seen with rogue and pariah Trump, let alone crawling all the way to Washington to kiss his ass.

Stop the wars against China, stop trying to oppress China, stop killing Iranians, stop the genocide in Gaza and stop stealing their land, stop stealing Venezuelan oil, release Maduro and Duterte, you American terrorists! Stop the cruel oppression of the Cubans and let them live a normal life.  It is ok to continue to support the Europeans/Americans to continue with the war in Ukraine. Let the European savages kill each other and destroy each other for the good of human kind.

The American economy is so bad that even Trump appointee Walsh has to raise rate

Trump initially was not happy that the former Fed Chief, Jerone Powell, did not cut interest rates fast enough and was removed by Trump. Now his own chosen appointee, Kevin Maxwell Walsh, instead of cutting interest rate, is doing just the opposite. Trump is riled and caught in a bind for November, with inflation rising. The Fed is even talking about another rate hike by the end of this year. Will Walsh outlasts Trump is the question.

Trump is now gloating about imposing 100% tariffs on China and India for buying Iranian oil in a bill to be passed, a sanction that had already been used against China and India for buying Russian oil and trying to add Iran into the picture. Have we gone through that already?

I was not wrong to say that any measures taken is all to target China, while India is also affected. But India needs US$ as its rupee is not widely in demand by others for doing trade. Its rate of depreciating makes it toxic to hold. Even close allies, like Russia, does not want to sell its oil in rupees, preferring the Chinese Yuan or ruble, which is an affront to the Indians. How much rupees Russia still holds selling oil to India in the past is not known.

As I always say, Trump and his administration can increase those tariffs to 1,000% and it will not make any major difference if China just continue to cut its exports to the USA, making de-dollarization even more beneficial for China and BRICS. If there is little trade between China and USA, what is the point of a 100% tariff? Impose more secondary 100% tariffs on countries trading with China? Go ahead.

China can just sell more to the Global South at the same price, make the same profit, keep the same factories humming, increase its trade surplus without any economic consequences.

Who suffers? The USA consumers of course, which goes without saying. Sure, they could source for alternatives from elsewhere, but at what price and quantity that only China can produce. For me, I am clapping that USA goes ahead with secondary sanctions on China that is getting less and less detrimental, just like the primary sanctions over the decades. Imagine exporting to the Global South and using the Yuan as the intermediary, without the need for US$. Honestly, the USA is cutting its nose to spite its face. But it is in desperate straits, so anything goes.


Anonymous

Anything without clown Trump's face or signature on it must be a hoax

Trump is now calling the fear of excessive AI development as a hoax. Anything that goes against his warped thinking is a hoax. The USA last bastion is in AI and data center investments, and big tech in USA are just using circle investing to give semblance of all-time highs on Wall Street. One big tech investing in another and vice versa is USA version of cultivating trillion-dollar companies.

If what Trump calls hoaxes regarding climate change and AI, then what about his own farting regarding the Ukraine War, the COVID fiasco, his ties to Epstein and the files that he wants desperately to keep secret, the Iran nuclear issue and all the hoaxes that Iran was on the verge of having a nuke when under Obama's agreement that had been contained and which even his own intelligence refute his claim. Of course, the one saying that has to go as usual.

Tearing up Obama's nuclear deal with Iran in order to start the war against Iran was the biggest hoax. I wonder what happened to the Gaza peace deal hoax that had been relatively quiet all this time. Any money that had been given to the conman is just sayonara for those morons that believed in him. No sympathy if they were screwed upside down.

I think another Trump hoax just got its usual attention by the MSM, which is that Tehran is begging for talks. How many people are going to believe in all his farting day in and day out.


Anonymous

Singapore's blessings turning into misgivings

 Singapore benefited from many blessings in its short history of existence. Some are natural, geography, some are through thrift and hard work and the contributions of wise leaders and a compliant population willing to sacrifice and struggle through hard times with the leaders, tightened the belt, spent less, save for tomorrow.

Two of the blessings benefiting Singapore today is plenty of money and the ability to pay many million dollar employees. Singapore is now often spoken of as the richest or second richest country on earth using per capita income as a measurement. The average per capita income for Singaporeans is something like US$90,000. Of course many Singaporeans did not earn this kind of money. The number is being averaged down from the income of many millionaires and billionaires. Nonetheless, Singapore has a lot of money in its national reserves. This is a good thing. Singapore now has officially three state funds managing the nation's reserves which unofficially could be in the trillions. 

The second blessing, since Singapore has so much money, means it can pay a lot of employees in the millions. Yes, you need not be a lucky entrepreneur or businessman to become a millionaire or multi millionaire. Just be an employee, be a happy and lucky employee could bring about a great harvest beyond anyone's dream. And the company needs not be super high tech, just simple supermarket or bus companies can still be their top employees in the millions for relatively mundane work.

But these two blessings could turn around to become misgivings or disadvantage. Singapore just has too much money and is caught in a position on how to invest these money. The problem arises when there are too few good opportunities for investment and ended up having to invest for the sake of investing. When investing because there are too much money in the hands of fund managers, karung guni business also good if can make quick bucks. The danger of having to invest for the sake of investing is obvious. Not investing is not an option. This may lead to a tikam tikam mentality. Lose never mind, plenty of OPM to lose.

Then there are the vultures salivating at the money Singapore has and finding ways to lay their hands on Singapore's pot of gold. The combination of vultures coveting at Singapore's reserves and the push factor for fund managers short of good ideas and investment opportunities can be deadly. One trying to grab, one ever willing to part with the money in the hope of making good returns. And why not, it is OPM after all. What is a few million dollar to lose? Singapore has a lot of money to lose, to part, to play with. This is the first step in the thinking that would lead to squandering our huge national reserves. We got so much money, there is nothing to worry. Money chiat buay leow, soo buay leow.

Caveat, people in organisations and companies with loads of money must be reminded that the money did not fall down from heaven, but created and built over the years by their predecessors. These monies are not for them to squander, to tikam, to throw around freely and irresponsibly. They need to protect them like hell. A mountain of gold can be squandered away easily by the reckless and brainless incumbents.

The other blessing of having too many millionaire employees can become a problem when they have to be seen to be working, to justify being paid in the millions. In a similar way, like investing for the sake of investing but not because there is a good opportunity to invest, overzealousness may not be a good thing. When millionaires that have nothing better to do but wanting to show that they are working hard, may come up with spurious projects or schemes that are better not to have than doing. Doing for the sake of doing, coming up with silly projects that are unnecessary or even wasteful, can be harmful than just being wasteful.

Singapore's good blessings must be cherished and carefully protected and not be turned into holes in the pocket, draining away our reserves callously or irresponsibly, all for nothing, all because there is no accountability and responsibility, all because there is too much money to throw around. Do not be so generous with OPM. The OPM are the blood, sweat and tears money of the previous generations.

One thing for sure, BRICS is not a hoax

Man proposes, God disposes. Who would have thought that Russia will be on the side of China today, when throughout much of the last several decades. China and the Soviet Union were rivals since their split in 1961. Relations were on the mend after the collapse of the Soviet Union and have been improving since then.

When Russia was kicked out of the G7 in 2014, that was to kickstart the cementing of Russia/China ties. BRICS was formed in 2009 by Russia, China, India and Brazil to provide a de-dollarization movement. The weaponization of the US$ had already sound alarm bells for the rest of the world and there was an urgent need to go around the problem. The sanctions on Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela and others did make countries to ask the question - Who is next? The straw that broke the camel's back was the sanctions on Russia and the seizure of Russian assets. There was no longer any question that de-dollarization is the only way forward and not whether it is necessary.

The fact that BRICS is expanding and more countries are queueing to join the bloc speaks for itself. The confidence of de-dollarization is there, and countries want to be sure of not falling into the 'Who is next' conundrum.

From thinking that BRICS is just an irritant against the US$ hegemony, the panic by the USA over what is seen at the recent BRICS meeting in Delhi is telling. The MSM is instead picking on the issue of Xi not attending the gala dinner, trying to promote a split between Xi and Modi. One other notable attendee, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayeh al Nahyan, also did not stay for the gala dinner, but no speculation is being made regarding his absence.

As I always say, the USA has the largest propaganda machine available to fabricate hoaxes that will be picked up by the MSM doggies. You can be sure that China is always at the top of its agenda.


Anonymous