How the Trump-Xi summit could set superpower relations for many years to come
"This summit between the world's two most powerful leaders is set to be one of the most consequential encounters for years."
--- Yeah, right. As if that relationship hasn't been going up and down, back and forth over the recent years. And that will most probably continue, even though the moron-in-chief, er, I mean, Trump will probably claim a great success when he comes back. There will probably be a deal, because both sides want to save face, but I doubt that it will be very consequential.
"The future of global trade, rising tensions in Taiwan, and competition in advanced technologies are all at stake."
--- Yawn.
"The country's economy is already battling slower growth and higher unemployment. Increasing oil prices have driven up the cost of items made with petrochemicals, everything from textiles to plastics. For some producers in China, costs have gone up 20%."
--- But, hey, that's a good thing. Because if the inflation is up, that means the economy is booming, isn't it?
"Even if Trump says something kind of left field that looks like some capitulation on Taiwan, because he's not so careful with his use of language, the Chinese know better than to put much stock in that, because he can reverse it with a Truth Social post a week later."
--- Exactly, that's Trump. So why do you think it's such a consequential encounter?
Trump puts Taiwan arms sales, Hong Kong jailed activist Lai on agenda ahead of meeting with Xi
"When asked about Washington’s longstanding support for Taiwan’s defense, Trump said Monday that, “I’m going to have that discussion with President Xi.” “President Xi would like us not to, and I’ll have that discussion. That’s one of the many things I’ll be talking about.”"
--- Ominous.
"“Jimmy Lai — he caused lots of turmoil for China. He tried to do the right thing. He wasn’t successful, went to jail, and people would like him out, and I’d like to see him out too,” Trump said on Monday. He had previously called for Lai’s release in a meeting with Xi on the sidelines of the APEC summit in October last year."
--- Yeah, and see how much that helped. Lai will only be freed if Emperor Xi gets a good deal out of it. I doubt that Trump has much to offer in that regard.
Linguistic workaround allows Marco Rubio, sanctioned by Beijing, to travel to China for the first time
"US secretary of state Marco Rubio is heading to Beijing with president Donald Trump despite being under Chinese sanctions – a breakthrough that might have been made possible after China changed his name’s transliteration.
As a US senator, Rubio, who is visiting China for the first time, fiercely championed human rights in China, which retaliated by imposing sanctions on him twice – adopting a tactic more often used by the US against adversaries.
But China appears to have found a diplomatic workaround after Trump named Rubio his secretary of state.
Shortly before he took office in January 2025, the Chinese government and official media began using a different Chinese character for “lu” to represent the first syllable in his surname.
Two diplomats told the AFP news agency they believed that China made the change because Rubio was under sanctions, which included an entry ban, under the old spelling of his name.
China said Tuesday it would not block Rubio for his past actions."
--- The question is, will Rubio still be a fierce champion of human rights in China?
China inflation beat estimates in April as Iran war drives producer prices to three-year highs
"China’s producer prices rose at their fastest pace in more than three years in April, while consumer inflation also beat forecasts, as Iran war-driven commodity costs and holiday spending delivered a broader reflationary boost to the economy."
--- How is that a boost for the economy if oil and related prices are rising? Is everyone going crazy nowadays?
It's not as if any underlying factors in the Chinese economy have changed very much.
Europe should behave more like China does if it wants to survive this age of chaos
"While European governments have been obsessed with preserving order, China has been working out how to survive chaos.
China saw this moment coming a decade and a half ago as Europeans outsourced their security to Nato, their trade rules to the World Trade Organisation, and their energy supplies to Russia and the Gulf. At the same time, Beijing was quietly stockpiling oil, food and semiconductors on a massive scale, cornering the global market in rare earths, critical minerals and the technologies of the future."
--- China hasn't been preparing for a world in chaos, China has been preparing for war over Taiwan.
"Some European leaders fear that taking a harder line against Beijing would mean missing out on a cornucopia of Chinese investments. But the massive technology transfers and investments that Beijing has dangled in front of the noses of the outgoing Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán and Spain’s Pedro Sánchez have yet to materialise.
[...] The half-hearted tariffs that the EU introduced on the auto sector have resulted in a few BYD plants, but these measures are too low to make a real difference to the calculus of Chinese firms. Instead of Chinese-built factories in eastern Europe with jobs for thousands, Europe is more likely to witness rapid deindustrialisation as cheaper (and often better) Chinese products flood European markets."
--- Yep.
"Europe now needs to do the same thing – the window before its manufacturers lose out to China permanently is closing rapidly. Europeans must stop their capital from going overseas to the US and use it for a massive investment drive on green technologies, AI and defence. They must build strategic critical minerals stockpiles to make Europe’s defence industry a bit more crisis-proof. Countries should make clear political commitments to buy European-made batteries and exclude Chinese wind turbines from their infrastructure."
--- Too bad that strategic thinking is not very widespread among European politicians.
China 'very disappointed' with Europe's planned investment restrictions, diplomat says
EU Delegation to China hosts second EU-China conference in Beijing
China should stop hoarding food and fertiliser, says former World Bank chief
--- China Uncensored: "This is How You Negotiate with China"
--- China Uncensored: "The Iran War Has Been A DISASTER for China"
--- China Uncensored: "Let's Talk About Israel... "
Hat Xi die besseren Karten?
"Beobachter sehen Staats-und Parteichef Xi in der stärkeren Position."
--- Manche Beobachter.
"Im vergangenen Jahr haben die USA und China sich gegenseitig mit hohen Zöllen und Exportkontrollen überzogen. Ein Treffen zwischen Trump und Xi in Südkorea konnte die Situation vorübergehend entspannen. Gelöst ist der Handelsstreit noch lange nicht"
--- Auch bei diesem Treffen wird das nicht passieren.
"Sollten die USA mit diesen Waffenlieferungen die rote Linie überschreiten, wird China auf verschiedene Weise Vergeltungsmaßnahmen ergreifen. Es wird nicht nur den Handel betreffen, China könnte auch andere Mittel einsetzen, wie zum Beispiel den Verkauf von Waffen an den Iran oder Russland"
--- Gähn...
s.a.: Zu Besuch bei "Freund" Xi
Rubio reist mit neuem Namen in China ein
