Wait for the full impact of Trump's tariffs to drown the average American households

 Wait a little longer and be patient. Let us see what the 145% tariffs on Chinese goods is going to do to the USA voters just a couple of months down the road. Everything is going to cost more than double. 'Hang tough' gloated Trump and wait for manufacturers to move back to the USA to make things for them. No longer cheap, but much more expensive for sure. Let us just sit back and enjoy the soap opera that is going to unfold. In the meantime, Trump and his cronies are ripping off the stock market with his manipulation by making big announcements and immediate U-turns.

China's export to the world is more than US$3.5 trillion, with a 'T', with US$500 billion with a 'B' to the USA. The USA is therefore not the only country that China can export to, and with goods that cheap, who does not want them. Would people navigate towards expensive goods from the USA when manufacturing returns to the USA, not tomorrow, not day after but years or decades down the road? Even cutting off all exports to the USA, which is about 14% of all Chinese exports globally and is not going to collapse China. Markets can be substituted by building up more exports to countries like Africa, South America, Canada, EU, ASEAN and Bangladesh, with the last country now engaging in trade and investments from China on the cards. Xi Jinping is touring ASEAN to snarl a bigger slice of the two-way trade.

This is happening while the USA is preoccupied with cutting trade with many countries with its tariffs and Trump touting about countries having to go to Washington to kiss his arse. How shameful is that to be humiliated so openly. Taiwan is said to be the first to go to Washington to kiss Trump's arse, and seems to be proud of it like an obedient dog, to enjoy the first horrid smell of the stank. Taiwan would then have to tell the world that the smell was 'fragrant and beautiful' which Trump will demand that they announce it to the world, LOL.

Anonymous

China and BRICS taking on the Americans

 China has moved into high-tech manufacturing which is competing very well with the USA, EU, Japan and South Korea. The USA was already rattled by DeepSeek in AI, unable to compete against Chinese EVs, shipbuilding and infrastructures like high-speed rails and not to talk about manufacturing. The trickle-down effect is a bonus for other South Asian countries, particularly Africa.

Trump gloated that the world has to keep up using the US$ forever. Trump seems to have already forgotten his demonization of the de-dollarization agenda of BRICS countries and contradicting his earlier stand, knowing earlier that de-dollarization is posing a great threat to the US$ hegemony.

BRICS countries are already conducting trade outside the US$, so just spinning the continued dominance of the US$ in world trade in time to come is a bit too far-fetched. Countries are already dumping US bonds and assets in the face of those tariffs and needing to hold less US$ for trade going forward. As trade within BRICS can already be conducted in each country's local currency, what does the future hold for the US$ in the context of BRICS countries, with the exception of India.

Anonymous

GE 2025 - What it is gonna like?

 The drum of a GE is getting louder by the day. Polling Day is set on 3 May. Not much time left for campaigning and walkabouts. Both the ruling party and the oppositions are gearing up for the contest as always. So far it is looking like business as usual, the same text, the same slate of candidates from both sides, and the same narratives to be played over and over again. Nothing new except for a few new faces. Other than the trade war affecting all countries, domestically there are not real clutching issues, maybe rising cost of living and the unstoppable influx of foreigners.

From the opposition side, what I hope to see is more serious contest in terms of candidates and no 3 corner or multi corner fights. The opposition camp has the disadvantage of fielding good candidates that are hard to come by. No doubt they have some very good candidates that are on par with the best in the ruling party. Often the strength of good candidates is compromised by the addition of weak candidates and undermine the competitiveness of the team in a GRC. Every candidate counts and weak candidates included under the DEI formula is an Achilles Heel to the opposition camp.

The second point is to be serious in wanting to win a seat or GRC. When a one on one contest is still a big hurdle to cross, it is ridiculous and a joke to contest in a 3 corner or multi corner fight. What are the intent and purpose of such a fight when losing is nearly a 99.9% reality. A general election is not masak masak, just to contest for the sake of contesting when the chance of winning is practically nil in a multi corner fight. What is going on in the minds of the opposition camp? Fielding a candidate or team for fun, for publicity, for ego in multi corner fights?

On the side, the ruling party, the changing of the guards is expected with the overstayers and less effective MPs and ministers being retired. One of LKY's core belief is that every candidate fielded must be as good as flawless. The ruling party has ample choices, as they could tap on a bigger pool of good candidates. LKY made it very clear that he did not want to bother about the private lives of his candidates. But once a candidate's private life becomes a public scandal, he/she should not be fielded. Such candidates are a liability to the party and his team. No amount of washing with flower water can remove the doubts about such candidates in the minds of the public. Clever explanations are not easily accepted in the courts of public opinions. It is also a reflection of the party's integrity and what it stands for.

The ruling party also have the same DEI problems in fielding candidates and often weak candidates too are being fielded. Both sides are affected by this legal requirement to be politically correct. Given the privilege of numbers, the problem is more exaggerated in the opposition camp than in the ruling party camp.

GE2025 is going to look like any GE in the past except that Lawrence Wong would be put to test as a new PM. He would be faced with the problem of consolidating his power and support base for his next term. This could be tricky as there are many personalities and ageing problems that he has to deal with. He would have to call upon the support of Hsien Loong to ensure a smooth changing of the guards. No minister or MP would want to give up their lucrative positions voluntarily, especially those that have sunk in their roots and think they are indispensable, cannot be dislodged, they are the best in the island.

Lawrence would want a strong team that he can trust and rely upon without having to watch his back. Trust and loyalty are extremely critical during this phase of his premiership when his support base is still in the making.

Russia's new wargame business...pay and play for all you like with latest war machine

 Russia and China are now in possession of some of the finest weapons and weapons systems in the world that would make the American weapons and weapons systems looked dated and obsolete. The overhyped F35s have yet to face real battle against the Russian and Chinese equivalents. All the Americans could crow about is on paper, claiming superiority here and there on a sick aircraft that has loads of unsolved problems. As the Ukraine War falls into pieces, the Americans may be forced to use the questionable F35s against the Russians Sus and Migs. Then all the fictitious claims would fall apart when the F35s start to fall from the sky.

China has even developed several advanced sixth generation fighters and bombers. And China's anti ship missiles, China's laser anti aircraft and anti drone systems are top notch, the best available. But many of these advanced weapon systems are not for sale in case they fall into the hands of the American terrorists that have run out of ideas and unable to produce anything of real value except hyping them up on papers. The best example of the declining American military technology is NASA. Once touted and made the world to believe that it possessed the most advanced space technology, has been downgraded, delegated to an irrelevant and obsolete organisation with nothing to show. NASA's main job to try to impress the world that it is still around and doing something useful, is to use photoshop to churn out images of space, claiming all kinds of discovery with fabricated images and nothing more. NASA even dares to claim a probe that was dead and lost for decades is back, alive and kicking and sending data from the edges of the universe. This is first grade Hollywood fiction for movie goers. Fiction and nothing else. Its funds have been slashed for being unproductive and technologically backward, and with all its lies of having rockets to the moon being exposed as fakes. So, what else can NASA do but use computer images to fake that they are in the forefront of space technology, looking into outer space, to the extreme universe, like the imaginations of juveniles and their fantasies.

The advancement in science and technology and in weapon systems now allowed the Russians and Chinese to start a new military weapon business called lease and play. Countries with the money but unable to purchase advanced weapons and weapons systems can send their men to China or Russia to lease war machine and play with them to their hearts content, for as long as they want, as long as they can afford to pay, even for their men to station permanently in Russia or China. They can even claim to own these weapons and weapons systems as theirs for the lease duration but cannot take them home.

This can become a lucrative source of income for the Russians and Chinese, like letting boys and girls to play in the games arcades or amusement parks. Move aside computer games creators, this is real wargames with real weapons and weapons systems and only those with deep pockets can play, to satisfy their egos, to be able to touch real advanced weapons and pretend that they own them.

China well prepared to take on the American terrorists

 China must continue to develop its domestic demand, which is very important move in the face of external threats, which may come at any time. Trump's tariffs are one example of such external threat that China must keep planning to overcome and not wait for the event to take place before it happens. Thankfully, China is ready this time and already well prepared for it.

Having said that, China is also doing right in upgrading and increasing its military spending. Just treat those howling and fabrication by others regarding China's increase military budget and consider them as mere irritants or noises. China's action is for its own protection which it needs, not to cater to what others wants to force China to do to suit their agenda. Whatever military alliances China is forging has no basis for others to complain about. Not with Russia, not with ASEAN, not with the Pacific Islands. Chinese Defense Minister, Dong Jun, is visiting Vietnam to enhance defense ties further, his second visit so far.

The USA and the West can keep speculating and downsizing China's weapon system developments, fighter jets and aircraft carriers, calling them junks. If they are junks, why bother with them, am I right? Without the usual spying ability resulting from China's cutting off Western spying with its 5G and dismantling of Western loopholes using Western apps, the West is now using speculation when talking about Chinese fighter jets and aircraft carriers, by just using satellite images to cull their information.

Anonymous