Many countries are sick and tired of Trump's nonsense of imposing tariffs,...

 I think many countries are sick and tired of Trump's nonsense of imposing tariffs, walking back next, give a timeline, reimpose those tariffs and possibly walking back when the shit hits the fan. Is this what he called his 'Art of the Deal'?

Countries must never be lured into a false sense of security and fall into Trump's conman game, knowing this is his forte. Remember his six bankruptcies and it will be better for everyone. China knows what game Trump is playing and is now prepared to fight 'any kind of war'. What is the message?

Trump is like a headless cockroach, not knowing which direction to turn and making decisions on the spur of the moment, having to follow his dishing out of 'word salads' that are sometimes unintelligible. Talk about Kamala Harris, the master of inventing 'word salads' to confuse and to wriggle out of difficult situations. As an example, how could Zelenskyy be designated a dictator one day and the next day becomes a great leader following orders, which just boggles the mind.

Great leaders do not go back on the words that come out of their mouths. Doing so is a sign of weakness, according to the late Lee Kuan Yew. They are not kids playing kid's game. They are leaders whose words must be credible to be trustworthy. Not making decisions that swayed from one direction to the next like bamboos swaying with the wind.

Anonymous

$1m for Chinese built ship entering American ports. China's reply, $1m for every Boeing landing in Chinese ports

 Just how stupid the USA administration has fallen into is really mind-blowing.

According to Kevn Walmsley on his site 'Inside China Business', Trump is proposing to destroy Chinese shipbuilding, because China is now the dominant shipbuilder around the world. Many shipowners have built ships in Chinese shipyards at competitive prices, which are now plying the oceans with cargo. Trump is thinking of rebuilding the shipbuilding industry in the USA, levying a US$1 million for every ship made in China calling at USA ports, or US$1,000 per ton on ships carrying oil and bulk cargo. Imagine an oil tanker carrying 280,000 m/tons of crude equivalent to 1.96 million barrels, if my calculation is correct, which is the average load of a mid-range tanker, paying US$280 million calling at a USA port? Would owners even want to think of calling at USA ports? That is madness.

That proposal is adding another layer of tax on USA citizens, as manufacturers in China and shipowners facing levies will just jack up their prices and freight rates, which will eventually be borne by USA consumers. If Trump can sell his tariffs to USA consumers, he may very well pull this off as well. To say that USA voters are stupid is an understatement but then, just pitying them for having no choice.

It is actually a very stupid idea of targeting Chinese ships just to cripple Chinese shipyards. It will fail and just benefit Japanese and South Korea shipbuilders building more expensive ships. However, these latter two are facing problems finding workers to build ships.

The people advising the Trump administration are just not looking at things further than their noses. China can easily retaliate when a push becomes a shove. What is there to prevent China from raising a reciprocal levy on Boeing planes landing at Chinese airports. Every airline of the world has Boeing airplanes on its fleet. What will that mean for Boeing going forward.

For every action, there is always a way to retaliate. It will be too late to regret when it backfires.

Anonymous

Zelensky sold Ukraine to Trump. Trump sold Ukraine to Putin

 It is not peace that he Zelenskyy and the USA are negotiating. It is giving the minerals in Ukraine to the USA in return for more weapons to fight the war. How is being given more weapons a path to peace. I find it difficult to reconcile.

Trump is forcing Zelenskyy's hand, oops, knowing Zelenskyy has no hands to negotiate, in return for a deal to have access to Ukraine's minerals that the USA desperately needs. How does a peace deal be hyped up to be dependent on the mineral deal is difficult to understand.

A peace deal has not yet been reached, and Trump is already pretty confident that he will have access to the minerals, most of which are mainly found in Eastern Ukraine, controlled by Russia. Has Putin agreed to share them with the USA I am not sure?

Moreover, there are more important issues to be trashed out regarding territories to be negotiated, concessions to be given and take, what kind of negotiated peace it will entail, who is going to oversee the truce and who is to be involved in peacekeeping roles. NATO and vis a vis USA peacekeeping role must surely be out of the question, otherwise the war is fought over nothing. NATO is trying to gain a foothold in Ukraine and allowing that is basically seen as caving in by Putin.

Anonymous

Trump and Putin are now best of friends. Singapore sticking out like a sore prick

Naively sanctioning Russia did nothing for us except put us into its list of unfriendly countries and thereby be excluded from many beneficial Russian initiatives, including BRICS - an economic, political and humanitarian interstate association comprising 45% of the world’s population and a third of global GDP, which, our neighbors, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, have joined. If a fair poll were taken amongst Singaporeans, I am pretty sure many would not sanction Russia, after all, it does not benefit them except make an enemy of Russia.

Governments must always listen to the voice of the people. The people know what is best for themselves, and when they are doing well, the country will be strong. On the other hand, weak governments that are easily swayed by external forces, be they powerful countries, corporations or investors, will, like Zelenskyy, sell out their countrymen, and eventually, ruin the country.

Foong Swee Fong

The above are the concluding paragraphs of a post by Foong Swee Fong in the TRE titled Reality Check.  Singapore was the odd eager beaver among the Asean states to condemn and sanction Russia in the Ukraine War, like real. Punching above our weight. Steady poon pee pee. Maybe Singapore wanted to ingratiate to the Americans that it was an ardent supporter of everything the Americans do, American gangster Rules Based Order. Or it was coerced by the Americans to take such a stand as suggested by Foong above. 

Whatever, someone must have thought it clever to side with the Americans or the Ukrainians to sanction Russia, hmmm, on the grounds of principles or in the interests of Singapore I supposed. See, no one dared but Singapore dared. Now Trump is throwing the works of demented Biden, actually the works of the Jew Blinken, into the trash bin and making love with Putin. This speaks a lot about international politics and not to act rashly without thinking or with shallow thinking or be weak and be coerced to make stupid decision.  Oops, oops, clever decision. The outcome says it all.

When Trump and Putin are seen hugging and kissing each other, tossing each other like bosom friends, what would Singapore do? Trump refused to call Russia the aggressor. Would the advocates of this anti Russia sanction go crawling to Moscow to beg for forgiveness and be allowed to join BRICS in the interests of Singapore? Cannot imagine when Trump and Putin would throw a party and Singapore is not invited. Cannot imagine when all the Asean countries join BRICS and Singapore is left out in the cold. 

One thing for sure, without apologising to Putin, Singapore cannot never hope to join BRICS which is against our national interests. Or in the name of national interests, Singapore would throw away its principled stand and withdraw its sanction against Russia and apologise to Russia? Who should do it?

Would Putin be satisfied with a simple apology or demand more?

What do you think?

Chinese value education as a way to a better life

 The Chinese had long understand the value of education and invested much in the past, perhaps centuries ago. We all know that during the rule of the dynasties in China, scholars were inducted into the Imperial Government through examinations to select them, not just picking them up from thin air. And a place in the ruling class was a much sought after priority for parents and those scholars, who studied hard for the examination. Rich or poor they get the same opportunity to serve the country.

Yes, education is a trait that the ancient Chinese cherished, and later generations still cherishes a good education today. In the past, Chinese parents were even sending their children to study in good schools overseas, even to Singapore schools. And you know what I found out. through experience. how good those Chinese students really were? A Chinese student from China, unable to speak or write good English, joined a Secondary Class that I was in, and within a few months, learned English and did so well that we were really amazed. This is the kind of talent that China has and is nurturing, from kindergarten stage today.

China is building new universities to keep up with demand, while universities in the West are suffering financial problems. With Chinese universities rising in stature and producing outstanding scientists and engineers that are contributing to the 'factory of the world', the world can see the reality of what an education in China can do for them as well and are sending students over to China instead of the West. Moreover, the cost of a university education in China is way less costly than an education in any of the Anglo-Saxon countries. I would say that for parents in poorer countries, there is more bang for the buck to send their children to have a university education in China than in the West.

Suffice to say, China is even trying to eat the breakfast, lunch and dinner of Western universities, which the West will one day claim that China has overcapacity in education as well and must cut back, LOL.

Anonymous