BRICS and China. And Stuff.

Responses to Facebook chats.

WITH BRICS expanding while it also/already included massive markets India, Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia, China is sure to hold on to its deposits of pertinent minerals to counter Mr Trump's tariff spikes. The US is world's #1 consumer market but with prices going up, buying behavior will change. Yet we know The D is pushing pieces on the chess table as gambits and variations, hoping to break the Chinese. But the CCP has the trade leverage and may even lure US allies to the table, with loan/investment sweeteners. 

       Mr Trump is also hoping for more FDIs but I don't think he (or any POTUS) can convince US giants to leave China; they may even expand to India and Indonesia. Bottomline, Trump tries to stock up chips leading to the stalled second phase of his trade pact with Xi Jinping. First phase was in January 2020. He hoped to continue the negotiations but he lost the 2020 election and Joe Biden's China playbook was different, totally hawkish (dare China to armed hostilities in South China Sea via Taiwan, which of course didn't work). 

       In just 4 years, China firmed up its economic clout: RCEP was formed in Nov 2020, right after Trump's loss. 14 Asia Pacific economies on Beijing's side. Then before the Gaza war, UAE, Egypt, Iran (+ Indonesia and Ethiopia) joined BRICS. Of course, China brokered the Saudi Arabia and Iran handshake before the war. Today: Trump's focus is wobbling. He overshot his expectations of (easily) ending the Ukraine and ME wars. Not the way it was in 2016. These wars are taxing him out, losing more trade chips. But let's see 🇺🇸☮️🇨🇳

FB Friend: “I seriously doubt we are ever going to see any upside to what D is doing, looking more and more like a loser's hand. He is steering the race car into a 10 car smash up.”

DONALD Trump knows that his playbook isn't going to work. Joe Biden's hawkish playbook didn't work as well. I don't think any other China policy will ever work for the US, or any other POTUS can fix this or bring manufacturing back to the US, due to several reasons. The only way is to sit with the Chinese and find a common ground, but they have the leverage. 

       The D is simply stocking up chips for the 2nd phase of his trade pact with China, which got stalled and messed up when Mr Biden took over. (The 1st phase took place in January 2020.) In Biden's time, China "went to work" as the US busied itself with two wars and internal Left vs. Right caterwauling. They did that during the Cold War; they bought lands NSEW of the globe to prime the Dragon up for its trade expansionism. 

       The last time that the U.S. had a trade surplus was in 1975, so they know what they were doing or planning. Anyhow, Mr Trump is showing his loyal minions that he is doing something per his campaign pledge. 🇺🇸☮️🇨🇳