An U.S. trade delegation led by Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin just returned from China. There was apparently no agreement which was expected given the American side made demands as if China was a small nation under the American thumb. For example, the U.S. demand that China unilaterally cut the trade surplus with the U.S. by $200 billion which is more than half of the surplus. There was demand that China stopped its support of Xi Jinping's Made in China 2025 industry policy. The U.S. also demanded that China cannot retaliate or sue the U.S. for slapping tariffs or investment restrictions on China. Those are all absurd demands that no nation would kowtow to. Given the history of Chinese humiliation at the hands of western nations with unequal treaties and the rise of China to big power status now, China would consider these demands to be insults if not something to be laughed at.
I think this is just typical of Trump playing to his base. Just like saying Mexico will pay for the wall when no nation would do that. But is his base calling him out on that? He also promised to label China a currency manipulator as soon as he took office. But he did not and his base did not call him out on it. So these demands will not be met by China and the base will not call him out on it. The risk here is that we will go to a trade war with China. I think Trump will pull back from the blink, at least his advisors will tell him to. But if he doesn't, and a trade war happens, his base will call him out on THAT because they will be hurt in the pocket for sure.
The attendees at the NRA convention speech by Trump were not allowed to carry guns into the hall. I thought Trump and the NRA believe that the more people carry guns, the safer it is? The NRA respond to this irony by saying that it is the Secret Service who made the rules of no guns. You mean Trump could not tell the Secret Service to allow guns? You mean the Secret Service believe it is safer that everyone do not carry guns, contrary to Trump and the NRA? Doesn't the NRA always rail against government interference on their Second Amendment rights? How come there is no massive protests against the Secret Service at the convention?
Monday, May 07, 2018
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I don't have much to add and I did find it funny that guns weren't allowed at the NRA convention. I wonder if there will be a new deal with Iran now. If you think about it, POTUS gets to look like he kept his campaign promise and also "force" a new agreement, that he will call "HUGE".
ReplyDeleteSame thing with China. I have a feeling that things will be OK and all this is just talk.
I heard that your favorite show, DWTS eliminated one of my favorite basketball players, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, last night. Sounds like this season is a shortened one and will end soon. I think the big surprise is how good Tanya Harding has been.
-LBOAYM
Well, by backing out of the Iran deal and restarting sanctions, there will be no new deal. Iran may not restart its nuclear program at this time if the other 5 nations do not restart sanctions. For sure, Russia and China will continue to trade with Iran. China, in particular, will thumb its nose at Trump, given his rhetoric against them recently. Interestingly, Trump cited Israel intelligence giving him information about Iran cheating. What about American intelligence? His sec. of state Pompeo, who was CIA director, had said that Iran was adhering to the deal. Israel intelligence is great but it is the interpretation of it that is troubling. That is because it is interpreted by Netanyahu, the Trump of Israel!
ReplyDeleteKareem is the worst of the contestants. But what do you expect from a guy 7 feet 2 and 71 years old? Since everyone is an athlete, everyone is pretty good. So I am not surprised that Harding is good, especially since figure skaters tend to do well. But I am surprised the great reception she got given that she was a villain in her prime!