Bringing manufacturing back to the USA is Trump's wet dream

 A dream is just a dream. Bringing manufacturing back to the USA is not going to happen. Anywhere in the world, people can make things much cheaper than in the USA, so why would business leaders be blind to all the realities?

Even companies like John Deere, manufacturer of farm equipment in the USA for more than 155 years, knows that USA is not conducive for further investment and wanted to move some production to Mexico. And Tim Cook has already indicated that he cannot foresee Apple moving production back to the USA. If such homegrown USA icons are saying all this, what will foreign business leaders think?

Again, by using the lure of subsidies? Right now, the USA Government is still subsidizing farmers after the trade war Trump started during his first term. Just imagine that. What will taxpayers say about subsidizing foreign companies operating in USA for just as long. It is ridiculous and unsustainable.

Anonymous

Trump's foolish tariff wars hurting the Americans. China selling to the rest of the world with little or no tariffs

 After rolling back tariffs on laptops and electronics by calling it a reprieve, which most had looked upon as a backtrack and failure by Trump, he is now reported to be going back again to look at what items really to exempt, just to save face amid the confusion. Laptops are laptops and electronic equipment are also electronic equipment by any other name, so what is there to reconsider?

Trump has again reiterated that nobody is going to escape his wonderful tariffs, and he mentioned China in particular. Now, did Xi called him to beg him to exempt laptops and electronic equipment that he needs to mention China in particular as not going to escape as well? Is the mention of China meant to frighten Xi, who is as calm as ever, and now visiting Vietnam Cambodia and Malaysia, unlike the situation in the Trump administration not knowing how to deal with a problem they themselves started.

Chinese manufacturers are just brushing aside the tariff threat and taking them in their stride. They lose a little, but China is playing the long game. That is not the case with the USA consumers though, who will be paying more and possibly even unable to buy any cheaper products as China is now really serious about decoupling completely from the USA, rather than having provocations by the USA over and over again.

And that spells good news for the Global South, with even cheaper products from China to be enjoyed. Would the Global South be calling it a blessing in disguise?

Anonymous

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.