China

[blindpig]

Tariff blackmail cannot intimidate China

On Saturday 5 April, the Chinese government set out its position opposing the US’s unilateral imposition of tariffs on all its trading partners, including China. The statement correctly noted that these tariffs are in clear breach of World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, and threaten to seriously disrupt the global economy. “Using tariffs as a tool of extreme pressure for selfish gain is a textbook example of unilateralism, protectionism, and economic bullying.”

It’s clear that China is the main target of the US’s tariff blackmail, which is being used to undermine China’s growth, to force China to accept the US’s terms of trade, to bully other countries into siding with the US against China, and to punish China for its success in building a modern economy and its refusal to bow down to US hegemony.

It’s equally clear that China will not back down in the face of this bullying. “We don’t make trouble, but we have no fear of trouble”, the statement said. Announcing its countermeasures on 8 April, China’s Commerce Ministry stated that “China will fight to the end if the US side is bent on going down the wrong path”.

A recent Bloomberg article describes how “China has already trade-war-proofed its economy”, observing that Chinese “companies and consumers will feel the pain from tariffs much less than Americans”. Similarly, an article in the Guardian notes that “since Trump’s first trade war with China in 2018, China has ramped up trade with other countries, making it less dependent on the US. Between 2018 and 2020, Brazil’s soya bean exports to China increased by more than 45% compared to the 2015-2017 average, while US exports declined 38% over the same period”.

While China can weather the storm, workers and business in the US will suffer. As Michael Roberts has observed: “Tariffs will substantially increase prices – US consumers will bear the brunt on a wide variety of basic foods and essential goods that physically cannot be produced domestically, with the poorest households being hit the hardest. American industry will struggle with higher costs for key intermediate supplies, machinery, and equipment, dwarfing any marginal benefits from reduced foreign competition.”

The US is exposing itself as a bully and a violator of international law and norms of behaviour. Meanwhile the global economy increasingly needs China more than it does the US. The likely effect of the Trump regime’s tariff war will be to isolate the US, not China.

We republish below articles from Global Times and Xinhua.

Tariff blackmail cannot intimidate China: Global Times editorial
April 8 (Global Times) — The US government, under the guise of “reciprocity,” has announced tariff hikes on all its trade partners, including China, provoking widespread outrage in the international community. The Chinese government’s position on opposing the US abuse of tariffs emphasizes that the US has used tariffs as a tool for extreme pressure and to pursue selfish interests. Previously, China announced a series of countermeasures, and the international community has clearly seen China’s firm determination and will to defend its sovereignty, security, development, and to uphold international fairness and justice. Tariff blackmail will not intimidate China, nor will it undermine justice. China does not provoke trouble, nor is it intimidated by trouble. Pressuring and threatening are not the right way in dealing with China.

China’s firm stance on striking countermeasures stems from the fact that the US’ reason for tariff hikes is utterly unfounded. Under the guise of addressing “unfair foreign trade practices,” the US has slapped high tariffs on its global trade partners. In reality, this is nothing more than protectionism and unilateral bullying – political blackmail wrapped in the cloak of economic means. Such actions blatantly violate the core rules of the World Trade Organization and trample on China’s legitimate rights in global trade, as well as its long-standing efforts to open up. The so-called “reciprocal tariffs” have caused enormous damage to the world trade system and global supply chains, and they will pose a serious drag on global economic growth.

China is an ancient civilization known for its traditions of etiquette and respect. The Chinese people value sincerity and trust as the foundation of their relationships. However, standing firm in the face of pressure and threats is equally a defining trait of the Chinese spirit. Looking back at history, China stood tall even in times of poverty and weakness – much less will it ever yield to hegemony today. Compared to the US government’s initiation of a trade war with China in 2017, today we have a much stronger capacity to withstand pressure, richer experience in handling struggles, and comprehensive preparations to face challenges. China’s industrial system and technological autonomy have significantly improved, its domestic market and economic structure continue to optimize, and its multilateral cooperation and trade partnerships have become more diverse. These factors give China greater confidence in the face of risks. As Bloomberg put it, “China has already trade-war-proofed its economy.”

More importantly, China stands on the side of morality and historical righteousness. The US’ latest round of tariff hikes targets more than 180 countries and regions around the world, including even the United Nations-designated “least developed countries.” Some commentators have noted that such high tariffs will deal a devastating blow to vulnerable nations with narrow economic structures and heavy reliance on exports. China’s decisive countermeasures against the erroneous practices of the US not only defend its own interests but also actively uphold a fair and free world trading system.

China’s countermeasures are not a call to confrontation, but a declaration to defend fairness. Amid the US repeatedly wielding the tariff stick, China has consistently responded with reason, strength, and restraint. Behind this calm and composed approach lies China’s firm understanding that the key is to focus on doing its own things well. No matter how the US cracks down on or pressures it, China remains steadfast in its development and progress. More importantly, China is committed to the path of international fairness and justice, and is willing to contribute certainty to global progress through its own development. This reflects the great vision of the Chinese nation, embodying the value pursuit of promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

The trade volume between China and the US is enormous. The high tariffs imposed by the US will inevitably impact the Chinese economy in the short term. China has ultimately made a “difficult but correct” decision. This confidence stems not only from China’s economic strength but also from the fact that countries globally are participating in economic globalization and benefiting from it, as well as from the depth and breadth of economic and trade cooperation between China and the US.

After the US announced “reciprocal tariffs,” Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, the largest manufacturing base in the US, immediately stated, “California is not Washington,” and that his administration will pursue its own “strategic trade relationships” with international trade partners. This demonstrates that the global trade system, based on industrial chain division of labor and mutual benefit among countries, possesses a robust vitality that cannot be shaken by any political decision lacking realistic logic.

No one can stop China’s development, and China-US economic and trade cooperation aligns with the will of the people. The trend toward economic globalization is an inevitable direction. Time will ultimately prove that the tide of history is unstoppable, moving forward relentlessly, and the Chinese people possess sufficient wisdom and strength to meet challenges, both today and in the future. China will continue to firmly stand on the right side of history and on the side of human civilization’s progress, working together with the international community to contribute greater strength to humanity’s peace and development. At the same time, we also urge Washington to immediately stop unilateral tariff measures and to resolve trade differences in an equal, respectful, and reciprocal manner.

China states its position on opposing U.S. abuse of tariffs
BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) — The Chinese government’s position on opposing U.S. abuse of tariffs was released on Saturday.

Recently, under various pretexts, the United States has imposed tariffs on all trading partners, including China, which severely infringes upon the legitimate rights and interests of nations, severely violates World Trade Organization rules, severely harms the rules-based multilateral trading system, and severely disrupts the stability of the global economic order. The Chinese government strongly condemns and firmly opposes this.

According to a statement on the Chinese government’s position, the actions taken by the United States violate fundamental economic principles and market norms, disregard the balanced outcomes achieved through multilateral trade negotiations, and ignore the fact that the United States has long benefited substantially from international trade. Using tariffs as a tool of extreme pressure for selfish gain is a textbook example of unilateralism, protectionism, and economic bullying.

Under the guise of pursuing “reciprocity” and “fairness,” the United States is engaging in zero-sum games and, in essence, seeking “America First” and “American exceptionalism,” the statement said.

It said that the United States is exploiting tariffs to subvert the existing international economic and trade order, prioritizing U.S. interests above the global common good and sacrificing the legitimate interests of countries worldwide to serve its own hegemonic agenda.

“Such actions will inevitably face widespread opposition from the international community,” it noted.

China is an ancient civilization and a land of ritual. The Chinese people advocate treating others with sincerity and trust.

“We don’t make trouble, but we have no fear of trouble,” the statement said, stressing that pressure and threats are not the right way to deal with China. China has taken and will continue to take resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests.

Noting that China-U.S. economic and trade relations should be mutually beneficial in nature, the statement said the United States should conform to the common expectations of the people in the two countries and around the world. In line with the need to safeguard the fundamental interests of the two countries, the United States should stop using tariffs as a weapon to suppress China’s trade and economy, and stop undermining the legitimate development rights of the Chinese people.

As the world’s second-largest economy and second-largest consumer market for goods, China will open its doors wider to the outside world no matter how the international situation changes, the statement stressed.

It said China will continue to open up to the world at a high level, steadily expand its institutional opening-up in rules, regulations, management and standards, implement high-level trade and investment liberalization and facilitation policies, and foster a market-oriented, law-based and internationalized first-class business environment, to share its development opportunities with the world, and achieve mutual benefits and win-win results.

Economic globalization is the only way forward for the development of human society. The rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core has made important contributions to promoting global trade, economic growth and sustainable development, the statement noted.

“As openness and cooperation is the trend of history, the world will not and should not retreat to mutual isolation and division,” the statement said. Mutual benefits and win-win outcomes reflect the common aspirations of all people, while beggar-thy-neighbor economic bullying will ultimately backfire.

“It is the shared responsibility of the international community to make economic globalization more open, inclusive, universally beneficial and balanced,” it said.

Development is a universal right for all countries, not the exclusive privilege of a few. International affairs should be discussed and handled collectively, and the future and destiny of the world should be in the hands of all nations, the statement said.

There are no winners in trade wars or tariff wars, and protectionism leads to a dead end, it stressed. And all countries should uphold the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, uphold genuine multilateralism, work together to oppose all forms of unilateralism and protectionism, and uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core and the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core.

The statement highlighted the belief that the vast majority of countries that value fairness and justice will stand on the right side of history, making decisions that serve their own interests. The world must embrace equity, not hegemony.

https://socialistchina.org/2025/04/09/t ... ate-china/



China’s solar space station: A game-changer in renewable energy

We are pleased to republish below an article by James Wood, a British-Australian technologist and geopolitical analyst based in China, about exciting developments being made by Chinese scientists in the realm of space-based solar power (SBSP), supplementing the article we posted several weeks ago, Science fiction or science reality: China makes impressive progress towards space-based solar power, and providing an Australian perspective.

Describing the technology in easy-to-understand terms, James writes: “Imagine a kilometre-wide solar array orbiting Earth, harvesting limitless, uninterrupted solar energy and beaming it back home, day and night, without the interference of clouds or darkness… Unlike Earth-based solar farms, which suffer from weather conditions and night-time dips, a solar station in space captures continuous, unfiltered solar radiation, potentially more efficient than anything on the ground. The energy is then converted into microwaves and beamed down to terrestrial receiving stations, where it is transformed back into electricity and integrated into the grid.”

The author notes that China’s “state-driven, centralised approach allows for massive co-ordination and rapid development, unlike the fragmented, slow-moving private sector initiatives in the US”. Meanwhile Australia, “despite its vast potential, has been lagging in both space-based technology and terrestrial renewable energy advancements”. This is attributed to inadequate infrastructure and a lack of long-term strategic planning.

In this as in many other fields, China’s socialist system is proving its superiority over capitalism in terms of moving human understanding and capacity forward.

This article originally appeared on Pearls and Irritations.

China is making the once sci-fi dream of space-based solar power a reality and leaving the West scrambling to keep up. Imagine a kilometre-wide solar array orbiting Earth, harvesting limitless, uninterrupted solar energy and beaming it back home, day and night, without the interference of clouds or darkness. The China Academy of Space Technology is spearheading this geostationary solar power station and with a 2028-2050 roadmap, Beijing is set to redefine the global energy game.

In 2028, China plans to launch a low Earth orbit test satellite generating 10 kilowatts (kW) to trial microwave power transmission. By 2030, a 1-megawatt (MW) station is expected to be deployed in geostationary orbit at 36,000 km, where it will be assembled in space before beaming power back to Earth. By 2035, the system aims to scale up to 10 MW, proving its potential for mass energy production. By 2050, the goal is to have a commercially operated solar power plant in space generating two gigawatts (GW) of electricity with an approximately one-kilometre-wide antenna and complex solar cell array assembled in space.

Unlike Earth-based solar farms, which suffer from weather conditions and night-time dips, a solar station in space captures continuous, unfiltered solar radiation, potentially more efficient than anything on the ground. The energy is then converted into microwaves and beamed down to terrestrial receiving stations, where it is transformed back into electricity and integrated into the grid. The Bishan testing facility in Chongqing, backed by $15 million in funding, is already fine-tuning the radio wave transmission technology needed to transmit solar energy from orbit to Earth.

This isn’t just ambition; it’s execution. China has been investing in SBSP since the early 2000s, with CAST, Chongqing University and Huawei leading research efforts. The country’s state-driven, centralised approach allows for massive co-ordination and rapid development, unlike the fragmented, slow-moving private sector initiatives in the US. Compare this to the US, where NASA’s exploration of SBSP diminished post-Apollo and private renewable energy projects have faced challenges. China’s Long March 9 rocket is expected to support these ambitious projects, while the US relies on private companies like SpaceX for heavy-lift capabilities.

If China succeeds, it will not be just a clean energy breakthrough; it’s geopolitical influence. A functional space-based power station would reduce dependence on fossil fuels, secure national power grids and provide energy for space and military assets. Meanwhile, the US faces challenges, including private sector fragmentation, underfunded agencies and a lack of long-term vision. While China accelerates towards its 2060 carbon neutrality goal, the West is still debating the feasibility of such projects.

To be clear, challenges remain, from microwave precision to orbital assembly logistics, but China’s commitment and pace are notable. The West is watching and it’s attentive. This isn’t just China making history; it’s China shaping the future. China is turning science fiction into fact and is most certainly not the villain of the story.

Australia, despite its vast potential, has been lagging in both space-based technology and terrestrial renewable energy advancements. The nation possesses abundant natural resources and geographical advantages that could position it as a leader in renewable energy. However, several factors have impeded its progress. In the realm of space technology, Australia has historically been a consumer, rather than a producer of space services. The country relies heavily on foreign satellites for critical applications such as weather forecasting, GPS and communications.

This dependency stems from a lack of substantial investment and infrastructure in the domestic space sector. Although the Australian Space Agency was established in 2018 with the goal of tripling the size of the space industry by 2030, progress has been sluggish. The cancellation of key programs and a lack of a cohesive national strategy have left the industry in a state of uncertainty, raising concerns about Australia’s ability to keep pace with global advancements in space technology.

On the terrestrial front, Australia’s renewable energy sector has experienced both growth and significant challenges. The country has seen an increase in solar installations, with renewables accounting for 39.4% of Australia’s total electricity supply in 2023, up 9.7% from 2022. Despite this, the renewable sector faced a slowdown in 2023, with financial approvals for new solar farms shrinking by more than a third and no new wind farms receiving backing. This decline has been attributed to policy uncertainty, inadequate infrastructure and a lack of long-term strategic planning. Additionally, Australia’s continued reliance on fossil fuels, which accounted for a significant portion of power generation in 2020, has hindered the transition to a more sustainable energy system.

While Australia has the potential to be a giant in renewable energy and space technology, a combination of policy inconsistencies, insufficient investment and reliance on traditional energy sources has impeded its progress. To harness its full potential, Australia needs to adopt a cohesive and forward-looking strategy that addresses these challenges and leverages its natural advantages.

https://socialistchina.org/2025/04/11/c ... le-energy/



Greenlandic politicians express wish to develop greater cooperation with China

With the eyes of the world focused on Greenland as the Trump administration continues with its aggressive and bullying campaign – including such high-profile stunts as the recent visit by Vice President Vance to a US base on the island after local people made it quite clear that his wife was not welcome at a traditional dog sled race – aimed at replacing Danish rule with US annexation, overriding the people’s desire for independence, leading Greenlandic politicians have expressed their wish to develop greater cooperation with China.

Reporting from the capital Nuuk on March 28, the Xinhua News Agency said that they expressed interest in deepening cooperation with China in areas such as trade, fisheries, and sustainable development while highlighting the potential for a free trade agreement between the two sides.

Vivian Motzfeldt, the incoming foreign minister of Greenland’s new autonomous government, told Xinhua that strengthening ties with China will be one of her priorities. “My trip to China in 2023 was memorable,” she said, noting that China is one of Greenland’s largest seafood markets. “China is very important to us, and we are eager to strengthen our cooperation.”

Following a general election on March 11, taking into account the critical situation facing their country, four of the five political parties that secured seats agreed to form a unity government on March 28. Together, Demokraatit, Siumut, Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), and Atassut hold 23 out of 31 seats in the Inatsisartut, Greenland’s parliament.

The above-mentioned report is one of a number that Xinhua has recently carried from Nuuk. On March 24, under the headline, ‘Feature: “We don’t want to be Americans” – Greenlanders’, Xinhua reported:

“‘That day, the entire city of Nuuk stood united!’ said Gustav Petersen, a member of Naleraq, the second-largest party in Greenland’s parliament, referring to the anti-US protest held on March 15. [Naleraq won the second largest number of seats in the election but was the only party that has declined to join the new government.]

“According to local media, more than 1,000 people participated in the protest – an impressive turnout for Nuuk, a city with a population of just 15,000. Carrying banners reading ‘We are not for sale,’ ‘Greenland for Greenlanders,’ and ‘Make America Go Away,’ demonstrators marched from the city centre to the US Consulate in Nuuk, sending a clear message of opposition to Washington’s ambitions.

“Petersen said although Greenlanders had varying political preferences during the March 11 parliamentary elections, there was one point of unanimous agreement: ‘We don’t want to be Americans! The United States cannot treat Greenland as a commodity to be bought at will.’

“The US Consulate in Nuuk… remained shuttered when Xinhua reporters visited. ‘On the day of our protest, it was the same – completely deserted,’ Petersen said.

“Standing outside the consulate, Nuuk resident Nikolaj Davidson, who works at a slaughterhouse, voiced his opposition to Trump’s proposal. ‘I don’t want to be American, and neither do my family nor friends,’ he said. ‘Almost everyone in my family disagrees with Trump. From what I know, the vast majority of Greenlanders do not want Greenland to become part of the United States. The American healthcare and welfare systems are not appealing to us.’

“Davidson said that Trump’s main motivation is Greenland’s rich natural resources. ‘Just like the US government has done before, Trump might look for various pretexts to legitimise the takeover of Greenland,’ he warned.”

The following article was originally published by the Xinhua News Agency. We also embed the video of a speech on the current situation regarding Greenland by Lotte Rørtoft Madsen, the President of Denmark’s Communist Party (KP – Kommunistisk Partis). Lotte was speaking in a March 30 webinar entitled ‘Trump’s Aggression in the Americas – the return of the Monroe Doctrine?’ organised by the International Manifesto Group. You can watch the entire discussion at https://youtube.com/live/cKdBHeyBtZU.

Greenlandic political leaders looks to enhance cooperation with China

NUUK, Greenland, March 28 (Xinhua) — Greenland’s political leaders on Friday expressed interest in deepening cooperation with China in areas such as trade, fisheries, and sustainable development while highlighting the potential for a free trade agreement between the two sides.

Vivian Motzfeldt, the incoming foreign minister of Greenland’s new autonomous government, told Xinhua that strengthening ties with China will be one of her priorities.

“My trip to China in 2023 was memorable,” she said, noting that China is one of Greenland’s largest seafood markets. “China is very important to us, and we are eager to strengthen our cooperation.”

Motzfeldt said her tasks include boosting exports, enhancing cooperation in the fisheries sector, and pursuing a free trade agreement with China.

Aqqalu Jerimiassen, chairman of the Atassut party and a member of the Greenlandic Parliament, shared similar views based on his visit to China in 2018.

“I’ve been to Beijing, Guangzhou and several other cities,” he told Xinhua. “I was very impressed during my visit to China. I was particularly interested in how we can build good cooperation with Chinese enterprises and authorities.”

On Friday, Greenland announced the formation of a new autonomous government in Nuuk, the capital. At a ceremony held at the Katuaq Cultural Center, four political parties, representing 23 of the 31 seats in Greenland’s parliament, signed a coalition agreement to establish the new autonomous government.

Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953 when it became an integral part of the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1979, it gained home rule, expanding its autonomy, while Denmark retained control over foreign affairs and defense policy.



https://socialistchina.org/2025/04/08/g ... ith-china/

[blindpig]

How Would Mao Zedong Cope With Trump?
April 11, 2025


Mao Zedong at work in his cave office in Date Garden. File photo.

By Olivia HU – Apr 10, 2025

Amid the ongoing tariff tit-for-tat frenzy, China might just take a leaf from Mao Zedong’s book to cope with the reckless hegemon the US is known to be.

As Chinese people watched the tariff war spiral out of control, there is one person they suddenly feel nostalgic for—Chairman Mao. There’s a consensus in China that, among all leaders, Mao knew best how to handle the United States.

In the collective memory of the Chinese people, Mao is credited with pushing back U.S. forces during the Korean war and securing a safe external environment for China to develop its economy, pivotal for the newly-established socialist country.

Never has a piece of his advice seemed more relevant. Below are some of Mao’s most popular strategies, frequently quoted in academic forums, discussed on the Chinese internet, and even featured in trending merchandise

“Throw one punch to prevent a hundred blows”

A catchy phrase Mao Zedong used as his rationale for sending troops to Korea peninsula is now frequently referenced on Chinese social media during discussions of the ongoing tariff war.

Public opinion in China was divided when Trump first launched the trade war in 2018. Many questioned whether China, to some extent, deserve the punishment—was it aggressive “wolf warrior diplomacy” or supposedly violations of trade rules that provoked the U.S.? -typical of Confucian self-reflection.

Such voices of appeasement have now naturally faded, as years of trade wars, high-tech blockades, and even political persecution of Chinese scientists in the U.S. have shattered lingering illusions about the legitimacy of US’s actions. A broad consensus has formed across Chinese society: the U.S.’s strategic containment of China cannot be altered by any one-sided overture of goodwill. When China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi said this to US officials in 2021 — ‘We thought too well of you’ — the remark quickly appeared on many people’s T-shirts and phone cases.

Most Chinese have now come to the conclusion that given China’s size and economic heft, caving to the U.S. pressure is simply not an option. Plus, China now holds far more cards than it did during Trump’s first term.

In 2018, China faced critical technology bottlenecks in 35 areas, including lithography machines, semiconductors, tactile sensors, and components for medical imaging equipment. By 2025, China is expected to have overcome at least 85% of these bottlenecks.

Additionally, China’s macroeconomic landscape has shifted significantly since Trump’s first term. Exports now account for less than 20% of China’s GDP, with exports to the U.S. representing only 14.7% of total exports—a 4.5 percentage point drop compared to 2018 when they made up 19.2%.


Exports of goods and services (% of GDP)- China

While pressure is now indeed mounting on exporters, it is domestic stock market investors who are now bearing the brunt of the impact from this round of tariff war. On April 7, over 3,000 shares in China’s A-share stock market hit their limit-down levels and the Growth Enterprise Market Index plummeting by 12.5%.

The Korean War, known in China as “the war to resist US aggressors and aid Korea in defending the motherland”, once again appeared in public discourse. The slogan “Every generation has its own Battle of Shanggangling” became popular among people trying to boost morale-Shanggangling was a grueling battle in the Korean War that the Chinese army won. Since then, Shanggangling has become a symbol of perseverance in the face of hardship. Tariff war might be bloody, but it’s not invincible.

“We will fight as long as they want to fight, and fight on until complete victory is achieved”

This statement was made by Mao Zedong in February 1953, when no sign of armistice was on the horizon.

The Chinese Embassy in the U.S. echoed this sentiment in a tweet in early March: “If the U.S. truly wants to solve the fentanyl issue, the right thing to do is to consult with China by treating each other as equals. If war is what the U.S. wants—be it a tariff war, a trade war, or any other type of war—we’re ready to fight till the end.”

The most recent “war mobilization” from China’s leadership came from Chinese Premier Li Qiang who met with private business leaders yesterday, saying that: “ I urge entrepreneurs to cultivate a deep sense of national responsibility, adapt proactively, and strengthen their enterprises, contributing to the country’s development.”



A sense of wartime solidarity is quietly manifesting itself. Chinese company Jinhe Biotech, the world’s largest producer of veterinary-grade chlortetracycline-a core growth promoter essential to the U.S. livestock industry-has recently announced plans to increase the price of its products in the U.S..

In addition，to stabilize the stock market, hundreds of publicly traded companies, including CATL, Midea, and Kweichow Moutai, have announced share buybacks or significant shareholder investments, injecting over 10 billion yuan to bolster investor confidence. Today, the A-shares market finally received good news, opening with gains across the board as all three major indexes rose.

Guerrilla Warfare When Outnumbered

In Mao Zedong’s book “On Guerrilla Warfare”, he famously wrote “when guerrillas engage a stronger enemy, they withdraw when he advances; harass him when he stops; strike him when he is weary; pursue him when he withdraws.”In other words, every move should be a carefully calculated response to your enemy’s move. Nothing is preordained. Chinese stakeholders have long considered the following three scenarios:

• Scenario 1: If all nations stand firm against the U.S., its supply chains could be severely disrupted.
• Scenario 2: If some resist while others compromise, the markets of resisting nations could be taken over by those who capitulate.
• Scenario 3: If all nation concede, the U.S. might achieve a short-term victory, but the possibility of second and third rounds of conflict remain.

Reality seems to be aligning with the second scenario. Yesterday, the European Union announced retaliatory tariffs of 25%, prompting Trump to backtrack on tariffs for most nations within hours, granting a 90-day reprieve

What’s China’s next move then? If Chin becomes the target of Trump’s highest tariffs, Chinese companies will most likely find ways to circumvent costs—whether by rerouting trade or establishing overseas factories, and this aligns with China’s “go global” policy anyway.

This is not the first time China’s exports have faced a difficult situation. As a member of the Gen Z who grew up in mainland China, I vividly remember seeing on TV news about Chinese companies facing anti-dumping measures and various sanctions abroad. China knows the art of adapting by heart-a knee jerk reaction that has protected Chinese companies back then and will continue to do so now.

Conclusion
To withstand all the turmoil and confusion generated by Trump, Chinese people turn to its reservoir of collective memory for both strength and guidance. In the 1980s, people used to look to the U.S. for lessons during times of loss. They now choose to open Mao Zedong’s Quotations. Chinese youth no longer see it as the beacon of democracy, or frankly, as the beacon of anything at all.


(A meme that gained popularity after California Governor Gavin Newsom stated that U.S. tariff policies do not represent the will of the American people.)

https://orinocotribune.com/how-would-ma ... ith-trump/

[blindpig]

China Daily editorial: the US is not getting ripped off by anybody

We are pleased to republish below a brief editorial in China Daily about the US administration’s hysterical claims that China and other countries are “ripping off” the US via their trade policies. The editorial notes that such claims are being used to justify the US’s unilateral imposition of tariffs, which in turn “provides leverage for the US administration to extract concessions in terms of the real trade war it is waging against China and in reshaping the bilateral relations with the US’s other trade partners in favour of the US by extorting undue concessions”.

The author writes that the US’s trade deficit is not the result of unfair trade practices pursued by other countries, but rather the US’s own economic policies of several decades, pursued in the specific interests of the US capitalist class. What’s more, even if the unilateral tariffs result in more companies investing in manufacturing in the US, this will not create the vast wave of employment being touted by the White House. “The cost of labour in the US means it is more economically viable for machines to do the work than humans.”

In reality, “the US is not getting ripped off by anybody. The problem is the US has been living beyond its means for decades. It consumes more than it produces. It has outsourced its manufacturing and borrowed money in order to have a higher standard of living than it’s entitled to based on its productivity. Rather than being ‘cheated’, the US has been taking a free ride on the globalisation train.” These comments were sufficiently persuasive that they were reported more-or-less neutrally in the Guardian, which is notable given the paper’s usual anti-China stance.

The editorial concludes:

The US should stop whining about itself being a victim in global trade and put an end to its capricious and destructive behaviour. Instead, it should commit itself to working with its trading partners to establish a fair, free and WTO-centred multilateral trading system that is in line with the times.

The US administration has long accused foreign countries of taking advantage of the United States at the expense of domestic jobs and US industries. In US President Donald Trump’s view, the US has received less return value and resources for what it has given the world in terms of the amount of money, trade preferences and other resources. “They’re ripping us off” is his constant refrain.

It is this fabricated premise of a long-standing grievance that has been the launchpad for his administration’s sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs targeting almost all foreign imports, and which have set up a global trade war and promise to upend the decades-old global trading order.

Though the US leader hit a 90-day pause button on many of the tariffs after his radical power play resulted in US stocks volatility, bond yields surging and recession fears intensifying, his administration’s haughty demolition job on the global trade system is far from over, not least because there is still a 10 percent tariff on virtually all exports to the United States. This provides leverage for the US administration to extract concessions in terms of the real trade war it is waging against China and in reshaping the bilateral relations with the US’ other trade partners in favor of the US by extorting undue concessions.

One of the aims of the US administration is to use the tariffs to close, if not reverse, the trade deficits with nearly all of the US’ trade partners. The preoccupation with trade deficits stems from a warped idea that they are proof that the US has been exploited by other countries. This has also made the US president and his trade advisers wrongly claim that the current rules governing global trade have put the US at a distinct disadvantage.

This is contrary to the belief of mainstream economists that a trade deficit simply means a country is importing more goods and services from a given country than it is exporting to that market, and has nothing to do with the state of a country’s economic health.

While bemoaning surging deficits in the US’ trade of goods with other countries, the US administration has deliberately ignored the fact that the US sells far more services than it buys from other countries, which means the US’ service sector enjoys a trade surplus with almost every trading partner around the world, including those at the center of the ongoing trade war such as China and the European Union. The service sector includes retailers, software, internet and telecom providers, movie studios, as well as health care providers, law firms and accounting agencies. According to the US Commerce Department, the US’ trade surplus in services rose to $293 billion in 2024, up 5 percent from 2023, and 25 percent from 2022.

Trade in services, especially finance, legal, entertainment, and high-tech services, has become a major source of US economic strength. In 2023, US services exports were worth more than $1 trillion, accounting for 13 percent of the global total, and they expanded a further 8 percent last year, according to the World Trade Organization. “Global trade in services … is booming. And there is a clear winner on this front: the United States,” wrote Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO director-general.

Moreover, Trump’s claim that foreign countries steal US manufacturing jobs through unfair trade practices, and that only sweeping tariffs will help the US reverse the decades-long decline in manufacturing and create related jobs is out of step with historical realities.

This is because service sector jobs have long driven the US economy — the sector employed 57 percent of private sector nonfarm workers in 1939, when the US Labor Department started tracking US employment, and today, service sector businesses account for 84 percent of those jobs.

The modern manufacturing reality suggests that, even if US companies do reshore, the cost of labor in the US means it is more economically viable for machines to do the work than humans.

The US is not getting ripped off by anybody. The problem is the US has been living beyond its means for decades. It consumes more than it produces. It has outsourced its manufacturing and borrowed money in order to have a higher standard of living than it’s entitled to based on its productivity. Rather than being “cheated”, the US has been taking a free ride on the globalization train.

The US should stop whining about itself being a victim in global trade and put an end to its capricious and destructive behavior. Instead, it should commit itself to working with its trading partners to establish a fair, free and WTO-centered multilateral trading system that is in line with the times.

https://socialistchina.org/2025/04/16/c ... y-anybody/



Some aspects of China’s development model

The following article by Shiran Illanperuma, originally published in the Sri Lankan daily newspaper The Island, explores some of the key elements of China’s economic rise, in particular debunking the myth put forward by neoclassical economists that China is “the model par excellence of market liberalisation and the superiority of private sector driven growth”.

Shiran argues that the main competitive advantage of China’s labour force is not its low cost – after all, there are far cheaper labour markets in the world – but the fact that it is well-educated and healthy, and benefits from excellent transport and energy infrastructure. “This, combined with a domestic value chain, is China’s main strength and why economic growth has been combined with rising wages and standards of living.”

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has been leveraged very purposefully in China particularly from the 1990s onwards in order to develop the domestic economy, and to build up the country’s technological capabilities. Meanwhile, “state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are the elephant in the room when it comes to China’s development model”.

Broadly speaking, SOEs in China perform four ‘macroeconomic’ functions. First, they conduct the low-cost production of upstream inputs such as metals, chemicals, and rare earth minerals. Second, they manage essential commodity reserves and intervene in commodity markets to stabilise prices. Third, they engage in countercyclical spending on public works during economic downturns. Fourth, they are deployed to respond during emergencies and external shocks such as the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic. The through line in these functions is to keep costs low and smoothen out business and commodity cycles. This is why China has not yet faced a recession comparable to many capitalist economies.

The leading role of the CPC in China’s economic strategy is also crucial:

The Communist Party of China, which has around 100 million members (almost five times the population of Sri Lanka!), has been key to the process of China’s development. The party remains committed to developing Marxist-Leninist philosophy and applying it to the country’s concrete conditions. It retains deep roots in all levels of Chinese society, engaging in consultation during the policymaking process.

As such, China’s remarkable rise cannot be separated from its system of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.

Shiran Illanperuma is a researcher at Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and a co-editor of Wenhua Zongheng: A Journal of Contemporary Chinese Thought

China’s rapid development over the last few decades has been the source of much debate among economists. Some claim China as the model par excellence of market liberalisation and the superiority of private sector driven growth. Others equally argue that China’s model is one of planning and state intervention.

On 28 March, I was invited by Nexus Research to deliver a presentation on China’s development model alongside former Ambassador to China Dr. Palitha Kohona. Unfortunately, the contents of this presentation have been misreported in an article in the Island published on 4 April (Dr Kohona: developing countries should covet China model). The article claimed that my presentation touched on “low-cost labour, foreign direct investments, and global trade agreements”. In fact, such simplistic tropes were precisely what I had intended to counter.

China’s development model challenges many of the axioms of neoclassical economics. If low-cost labour were the decisive factor for take-off, then investment should be pouring into much-cheaper labour markets in sub-Saharan Africa. On the contrary, rising wages in China have not led to the outflow of capital one would expect under such a model. This is because the advantage China offers is a healthy and skilled workforce (relative to price) and an infrastructural system that keeps non-wage operating costs (such as transport and energy) low. This, combined with a domestic value chain, is China’s main strength and why economic growth has been combined with rising wages and standards of living.

While foreign direct investment (FDI) has been a huge part of China’s success story, it is possible to overstate their importance. First, FDIs only really took off from the 1990s onwards, yet to begin there would be to ignore the decades of work done to develop the country’s agricultural self-sufficiency, basic industrial system, and institutional structure. Second, what has mattered for China is the quality of FDI, which is determined by government policy. By the standards of the OECD Foreign Direct Investment Regulatory Restrictiveness Index, China remains fairly selective on what FDI is allowed and encouraged. FDI is promoted not as an end in itself but as a means to acquire technology that should be transferred to national champions.

Role of Local Government
A significant portion of my presentation for Nexus Research was on the role of local governments economic policy – something that is often neglected (though there is a growing literature on the subject). China has a fairly decentralised system of governance, a product of its vast size and geography, as well as the institutional changes and experiments in direct democracy during the period of the Cultural Revolution.

Chinese economist Xiaohuan Lan, in his book How China Works (2024), has said that “In China, it is impossible to understand the economy without understanding the government.” While the central government in China formulates indicative plans and the overall goals and trajectory for development, implementation of these plans is delegated to local governments. Local governments have a broad remit to interpret these plans, experiment with implementation, and compete with each other for investment. This leads to a much more dynamic and decentralised development process that encourages grassroots participation.

A comparison between China and India on the share of public employment at different levels of government is very revealing. For China, over 60% of public employment is at the level of local government, with federal and state governments comprising less than 40% of employment. In contrast, less than 20% of Indian public employment is in local government. India, therefore, despite its much-touted linguistic federal system, is far more centralised than China. The weakness of Indian local governments remains a significant barrier for its development.

The Role of SOEs
State-owned enterprises (SOEs) are the elephant in the room when it comes to China’s development model. Chinese political scientist Prof. Zheng Yongnian said in 2011 that “the state sector is in fact important for China’s macroeconomic stability.” This is a radically different approach from neoclassical economics, which views macroeconomic policy purely through the lens of fiscal and monetary policy.

Broadly speaking, SOEs in China perform four ‘macroeconomic’ functions. First, they conduct the low-cost production of upstream inputs such as metals, chemicals, and rare earth minerals. Second, they manage essential commodity reserves and intervene in commodity markets to stabilise prices. Third, they engage in countercyclical spending on public works during economic downturns. Fourth, they are deployed to respond during emergencies and external shocks such as the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic. The through line in these functions is to keep costs low and smoothen out business and commodity cycles. This is why China has not yet faced a recession comparable to many capitalist economies.

As a consequence of this model, SOEs remain a significantly large part of the Chinese economy in quantitative terms. According to data compiled by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, SOEs accounted for around 75% of the aggregate revenue of Chinese firms in the Fortune 500. While it is true these firms are often not as profitable as the private sector, this is by design, as they pass on low prices to domestic manufacturers.

China has entities such as the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) which facilitate the centralised governance and oversight of SOEs. This model is crucially different from the Temasek model often discussed in Sri Lanka. Under Temasek, SOEs are almost entirely market-oriented and depoliticised. This is not the case in China, where SOEs continue to play crucial social and political functions.

The Role of Competition
What confuses most observers of China is the fact that it very obviously has a fiercely competitive and dynamic private sector. How then to reconcile the preceding elaboration of the role of local government and SOEs with a competitive private sector? Local governments and SOEs provide the basic institutional framework and economic building blocks for the private sector to play its role in capital accumulation and innovation.

The competitive cycle in China could be broadly divided into four phases. In the first phase, incentives created by the central and local governments lead to a flood of investment in desired sectors and sub-sectors, resulting in the establishment of new firms and production capacity. In phase two, these incentives are eased, leading to fierce competition and survival of only the fittest firms. In phase three, once the market has reached a stage resembling monopoly, one of three tactics may be used: 1. Firms are forced to compete internationally and export; 2. monopoly firms are broken up by the state; or 3. monopoly firms are nationalised or brought under stronger state supervision. The system is designed to resist the market’s natural tendency towards monopolisation.

Political Leadership
The Chinese state has an exceptional ability to maintain what political sociologist Peter B. Evans calls ‘embedded autonomy’. It is close enough to the private sector to understand economic conditions and formulate policy but politically independent enough from capital to resist capture by private interests. This is a key difference between China’s development model and the developmentalism of East Asian states such as Japan and South Korea, where large private firms (zaibatsu in the former, chaebols in the latter) dominate political life.

China’s development model cannot be understood in isolation of its leadership system. The Communist Party of China, which has around 100 million members (almost five times the population of Sri Lanka!), has been key to the process of China’s development. The party remains committed to developing Marxist-Leninist philosophy and applying it to the country’s concrete conditions. It retains deep roots in all levels of Chinese society, engaging in consultation during the policymaking process.

To what extent China’s model can be replicated by other countries is an open question. While the CPC has often invited academics and political parties to study its system, this does not equate to the party attempting to export said system. There is no real ‘Beijing consensus’ that is equivalent to the ‘Washington consensus’. On the contrary, President Xi Jinping, in 2023, cautioned that modernisation “cannot be realised by a cookie-cutter approach”.

“For any country to achieve modernisation, it needs not only to follow the general laws governing the process but, more importantly, consider its own national conditions and unique features.”

https://socialistchina.org/2025/04/15/s ... ent-model/



China strengthens neighbourhood ties in response to US economic coercion

The following article by Dirk Nimmegeers, which originally appeared on the China Square website, seeks to understand the rationale for the Trump administration’s seemingly bizarre tariff war, noting that it is a component of the US’s long-term strategy of containing China.

The US is using assorted means – persuasive and coercive – to win other countries to its side in its campaign of aggression against China. China meanwhile is “is forming or strengthen coalitions with continents, countries, regions and international organisations”, particularly among its Asian neighbours. “Correct relations, the strengthening of mutual trust and regular contacts between China and those neighbours, and among those same countries, are conducive to peace and prosperity.”

The article provides valuable context for President Xi Jinping’s visit to Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia this week.

The article was translated into English from the original Dutch by the author.

Madness?
Most people believe President Trump’s erratic policies will harm the US’s economic interests and alienate its allies. However, it is conceivable that, as Polonius said of Hamlet, ‘though this be madness, yet there is method in’t’. In other words, that there exists a rationale for Trump’s behaviour beyond simple folly and deranged impulsiveness.

In Europe, for instance, the US president has already succeeded in getting his demands for increased financial contributions to NATO accepted by allies. His team has doubled down on distrust of China and has escalated tensions even further than team Biden. In Europe, many influential groups and individuals would rather strike a deal with Washington than cooperate with Beijing.

By means of a global import blackmail, and somewhat later granting a 90-day reprieve to all countries except China, Trump and his ministers and advisers are trying to hit the People’s Republic hard. They want to undermine China’s growth and force China to accept US trade terms. Further, their aim is to punish China for its success in building a modern economy and technology and for its refusal to bow to US rule.

Targeting China and its neighbours
Moreover, Trump and co plan to entice other countries to side with the US against China, and if that fails, to force them to do so. The US elite successfully fought the socialist countries of Europe through an ideological Cold War, imperialist warfare worldwide, fomenting divisions, and a major arms race. Today, in the renewed Cold War, Generation Trump is deploying different tactics against the world’s largest socialist country. In this, financial and economic tactics play an important role.

The Chinese government says it is not seeking a fight with the US, but is ready to take it “to the end” if Washington forces it to do so. This is not grandstanding. The People’s Republic of China has a political leadership that enjoys strong political support from the people and is proving that both with economic growth and technological innovation, it has firmly established its policies and the means to defend them. The Chinese government, under the leadership of the Communist Party, primarily represents the interests of the vast majority of Chinese citizens.

Two-track policy
In doing so, however, it also champions economic globalisation that may benefit all countries. China favours an international system monitored and protected by institutions such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or the World Health Organisation. China takes initiatives for groupings that offer the countries of the Global South in particular new development opportunities and help them to pursue an independent course. The combination of taking care of domestic interests on the one hand and concern ‘for a shared future for humanity’ on the other is reflected in an economic and a geopolitical programme. Economically, this is called a dual circulation strategy. Geopolitically, China makes the case for its sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for multipolarity and peace policy. Driven by President Xi Jinping, Beijing is taking global initiatives such as the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilisation Initiative.

To maximise the chances of success, the People’s Republic is forming or strengthen coalitions with continents, countries, regions and international organisations. Preferential countries for this are its Asian neighbours. It is quite obvious why. First of all, there is the importance of their friendship for national defence, but also for the number of people and social strata in China that live and benefit from trade. China no longer depends on imports and exports to the extent that it did at the beginning of the century; nevertheless these sectors remain essential and have a strong input in the domestic debate.

Which neighbouring countries?
China has land borders with no less than 14 states: Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). In addition, there are neighbouring countries in Asia from which the People’s Republic is only separated by maritime areas, such as the Philippines, the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and Japan. Some more distant countries such as Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, East Timor also belong to the Southeast Asian neighbourhood region of China.

Correct relations, the strengthening of mutual trust and regular contacts between China and those neighbours, and among those same countries, are conducive to peace and prosperity. That’s why China has resolved most border issues with its neighbouring countries. In the region, Beijing seeks peaceful agreements between countries with divergent interests in the South China and East China Seas. A roadmap towards peaceful reunification with China’s Taiwan province is also vital for China’s territorial integrity in that context.

Needless to say, peace and prosperity are further served by China’s excellent economic and political relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The same goes for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), in which China plays a leading role as a co-founding member. Measured by GDP, RCEP is the largest free trade agreement in the world. It unites the 10 countries of ASEAN, as well as Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, in addition to China itself. Cambodian expert Thong Mengdavid speaks of a “mega-trade pact, covering about 2.3 billion people, which has shown its ability to boost regional economic growth, promote trade liberalisation and foster deeper integration among members”. According to Thong, this is “proof of the power of economic integration. It proves that cooperation, not isolation, leads to prosperity.”

Two visions on international politics
Western views and approaches to global politics are based on ‘prosperity through self-interest and neo-colonialism’ and ‘peace through domination and conflict’. Trump’s Make America Great Again is currently the most extreme example of this. China refuses to submit to it and, within the framework of its socialist project, offers an attractive alternative to it.

Contradictions in neighbouring countries
Many of China’s neighbours experience contradictions between, on the one hand, supporters of closer relations with the People’s Republic and, on the other, supporters of submission to the US or a continued alliance with it. In addition, there is always a current that refuses to make a choice, but is often forced to do so by the course of history. In the Republic of Korea (South Korea), for example, the political world is torn between a Democratic Party that wants rapprochement with China and peace with North Korea, and a party of politicians who believe that the country’s interests are best served by continued obedience to the United States. In Japan, some politicians are more open to the alliance between Washington, Seoul and Tokyo, while others prefer a trilateral with Beijing.

Indian ministers and other policymakers aspire to become a rival to the People’s Republic as an Asian superpower, so they are offering the West their services, and participating in projects like the India – Middle East – Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). IMEC would like to be a rival to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Hostility with Pakistan, a prominent participant in the BRI, is one of the reasons for this. These Indian nationalists hinder their political opponents who want to go forward on the logical path of peace and progress between two Asian giant civilisations. Vietnam has a political system and economic policies closely akin to China’s, and a history of socialist brotherly relations with the People’s Republic. But even there, there are apparently groups that, for various reasons, seem to advocate accommodation with the United States, the historical imperialist enemy.

To be continued
Understandably, then, Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to ‘strengthen strategic ties with neighbouring countries’. China plans to do this ‘by taking differences into account appropriately and strengthening supply chain ties’. These remarks were made at a central working conference on diplomacy with neighbouring countries held by the CPC in Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week.

With the following terms China’s foreign ministry announced Xi Jinping’s trip to important neighbouring countries this week. ‘At the invitation of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam to Lam and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Luong Cuong, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and President of China Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Vietnam from 14 to 15 April. At the invitation of the King of Malaysia, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, and King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia, President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Malaysia and Cambodia from 15 to 18 April.’

We look forward to learning what opportunities the negotiators agree on for countering MAGA man Trump.

https://socialistchina.org/2025/04/16/c ... -coercion/

******

China Cuts Off U.S. Gas Imports and Prioritizes Alliance with Russia Amid Trade War


China’s shift from U.S. energy imports to Russian suppliers amid escalating trade tensions.Photo:RT.

April 18, 2025 Hour: 6:39 pm

China maintains a 70-day halt on U.S. LNG purchases, increases Russian imports, and reshapes the global energy landscape in response to U.S. tariffs.

China has gone over 70 days without importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States, according to Kpler data cited by the Financial Times. This move is a response to Beijing’s imposition of 49% tariffs, making U.S. LNG commercially unviable. The last shipment arrived on February 6, while a second vessel was diverted to Bangladesh to avoid the tariffs.

Although the U.S. supplies only 5-6% of China’s LNG (5-6 million tons in 2025), the halt affects 13 contracts valid through 2049 and threatens 28 million tons per year in U.S. projects. Experts like Anne-Sophie Corbeau (Columbia University) predict that China will avoid new contracts with the U.S., prioritizing energy autonomy.


Russia Strengthens Its Role as a Key Alternative

Beijing has quadrupled its imports of Russian LNG since 2022, making Moscow its third-largest supplier after Australia and Qatar. Ambassador Zhang Hanhui confirmed that Chinese companies are seeking to expand agreements with Russia, taking advantage of lower prices following European sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

China redirects 70% of imported U.S. LNG to Europe, profiting in higher-priced markets. This maneuver demonstrates China’s ability to reshape global energy flows, while the U.S. faces risks in key projects and a reciprocal tariff escalation (up to 245% in some sectors).

The crisis highlights the urgent need for energy sovereignty and South-South alliances. For Latin American, the conflict exposes the risks of dependency on global powers and the necessity of autonomous models in the face of U.S. unilateralism.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/china-cu ... trade-war/

[blindpig]

China signs major LNG deals with UAE to replace US supply

Beijing imposed high levies on US-sourced LNG imports in response to Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs on Chinese exports

News Desk

APR 21, 2025


(Photo credit: ADNOC)

State-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) agreed on 21 April to a term deal to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Abu Dhabi National Oil Corp (ADNOC), the third supply contract the energy-rich West Asian nation has signed with Chinese buyers in recent days.

CNOOC's Gas and Power Group agreed to a five-year deal starting in 2026 to buy 500,000 metric tons of LNG annually, an industry source with knowledge of the deal told Reuters.

Private Chinese firm ENN Natural Gas and Beijing-owned Zhenhua Oil each signed a term contract over the weekend to secure liquified natural gas from ADNOC, the British news agency added.

ENN's 15-year contract is the largest and will see the firm buy one million tons of LNG from Abu Dhabi annually starting in 2028.

Chinese LNG buyers are seeking to resell US-sourced LNG cargoes to avoid the new tariff costs imposed by Beijing and to secure new deals from other nations to replace the US supply.

China imported no US-sourced LNG during March, Reuters stated, citing data from KPLer and London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). The US accounted for about five percent of China's LNG last year.

The US is the world's largest LNG seller. In 2024, it exported 11.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of LNG. Beijing is the world's largest importer of super-chilled gas.

On Monday, China warned it would retaliate against countries that make deals with the US that hurt Beijing's interests.

The threat came in response to reports that US President Donald Trump plans to pressure governments to restrict trade with China in exchange for exemptions to US tariffs.

White House officials have already begun negotiations with trading partners over tariffs, with a Japanese delegation visiting Washington last week. South Korea is set to start negotiations this week.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on China and other countries in an effort to reduce the US trade deficit and the ballooning US debt.

Since announcing the tariffs, the US stock and bond markets have sold off significantly, raising fears of a recession.

During the presidency of former US president Joe Biden, the US's debt skyrocketed, in part due to Covid-era spending measures and billions of dollars used to fund the war in Ukraine and Israel's genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

https://thecradle.co/articles/china-sig ... -us-supply

The brilliance of Trump's tariff 'strategy' becomes clear...(See today's 'Trump' entry.)

[blindpig]

Paper Tiger, Global Fracture & Trump as Catalyst
Guancha podcast plus Hudson/Wolff chat with Trump as trigger for the loaded gun behind him.
Karl Sanchez
Apr 24, 2025



But for all of humanity, trade should be free. Don't look at the current bluff of the US government, which is particularly loud, but in fact it is a foreign power and a middle force because it violates the fundamental principles of free trade. From this point of view, China now has to not only defend its own economic interests, but more importantly, protect free trade, which is not only beneficial to China, but also to all countries in the world, and in fact it is also beneficial to the American people.

Podcast excerpt.

Chairman Mao is famous for declaring reactionaries as Paper Tigers beginning with Chaing Kai Shek in 1946 then more famously with the Outlaw US Empire. The saying evolved into a theory and forms the basis for China’s resistance to Trump’s Trade War on China and the rest of the world. That will be further explored in the Guancha podcast I’ll translate below, “How to deal with Trump's trade war - wisdom from Mao Zedong.” Today’s Hudson/Wolff/Nima chat provides additional insight into why the Outlaw US Empire is a Paper Tiger and is a must watch 70-minute tutorial that also provides the basis for why the Global Fracture Hudson has written about will occur. And as is deftly pointed out during the chat, the Ds are not at all in opposition to what Trump is doing because they all work for the same boss—the Gun that Trump is now the trigger for. The combination of the chat and podcast inform the reader/viewer what is driving this portion of history and the path it’s likely to take. I’ll add that the combo is relevant for the entire world, not just China and the Empire. I suggest reading the podcast first then viewing the chat so the proper context is provided. And now the podcast transcript:

"They can fight for as long as they want, until they win completely!"

In early April, after the United States launched a new tariff war against China, a video of Chairman Mao Zedong's speech in 1953 was widely circulated, including Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, who also shared the video on social media platform X, saying, "We are Chinese." We are not afraid of provocations. We will not back down.”

This deafening speech still encourages the Chinese people to be unafraid of struggle and forge ahead bravely in the face of a strong enemy. The symphony of history and reality proves that Mao Zedong's strategic philosophy is not only applicable to the beacon era but also radiates new vitality on the invisible battlefield in the era of globalization.

The live broadcast hall of the Observer Network View College invited Wang Lihua, a colonel of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Gao Zhikai, deputy director of the Center for Globalization (CCG), and Li Bo, president of the Shanghai Spring and Autumn Development Strategy Research Institute, to explain how Mao Zedong Thought is embodied and applied in the international trade battlefield in the new era.

Li Bo: Hello everyone, I am Li Bo, President of the Shanghai Spring and Autumn Development Strategy Research Institute, and welcome to the live broadcast hall of Guanguan College: How to Deal with Trump's Trade War - Wisdom from Mao Zedong.

On April 2, after US President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs, the world was in an uproar, and China became the only country outside the European Union and Canada to directly stand firm with the United States and fight back against unreasonable bullying head-on.

On the one hand, China's courage to fight back is due to the national strength and global trade position we have accumulated over the years, and on the other hand, it is also due to the extraordinary political wisdom accumulated by Mao Zedong, the founder of the Republic, during the revolutionary war years and the first decade after liberation in dealing with the severe international situation.

The live broadcast hall of the University today is honored to invite Wang Lihua, a senior colonel of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and Gao Zhikai, deputy director of the Center for Globalization (CCG), two experts to explain how to draw wisdom from Mao Zedong Thought and win this trade war. Welcome to the studio today.

Chairman Mao Zedong said back then that it was a big deal to get rid of superstitions about the West. In response to Trump's global trade war, online public opinion has quoted Mao Zedong's theory of "paper tigers". A lot of our audience is younger and may not have a clear understanding of that history. First of all, please review the historical background of the famous thesis that "all reactionaries are paper tigers".

Wang Lihua: One of the characteristics of our party and country is that when we encounter difficulties and strong pressure, we always think of Chairman Mao's words, "All reactionaries are paper tigers." In fact, Chairman Mao first said this sentence in August 1946, when he originally wanted to peacefully build the country and establish a coalition government after the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, but Chiang Kai-shek was unwilling, so Chiang Kai-shek began to fight a civil war with the support of the United States.

In this case, will it be possible to defeat the US-backed Kuomintang army? Everyone was thinking about this important question. At this time, American journalist Anna Louise Strong visited Chairman Mao, and in the course of the meeting, she proposed what if the United States wanted to use the atomic bomb?

Chairman Mao replied that the US atomic bomb was a "paper tiger" used to scare people, and then it was extended to "all reactionaries are paper tigers." This "paper tiger" looks terrible, but in fact has no great power, and this was Chairman Mao's basic view in those years.

When this point of view is spoken, it has a great impact because it gives us a very vivid picture of what our opponents are really like.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, we encountered all kinds of difficulties, and when the difficulties were very great, especially when the pressure from external enemies was high, Chairman Mao was talking about this problem, "All reactionaries are paper tigers."

Let's think about it today, did Chairman Mao's talk about "paper tigers" just mentally encourage and calm the fears of everyone? Judging from the history of the party, Chairman Mao's talk about "paper tigers" has a very practical basis. In terms of strength, we are definitely far behind our opponents, but Chairman Mao believes that they are "paper tigers", mainly from the situation, from the essence.

As a great Marxist and a great strategist, how did Chairman Mao understand this situation? He believes that the most powerful people are not those reactionaries who are barring their teeth and claws, because they represent backwardness, reaction, and a minority, so in the final analysis they have no power.

And we represent the advanced, progress, and the people, so we have strength. At the end of the day, the power is among the people, so they are "paper tigers." Practice has also proved the correctness of Chairman Mao's judgment.

For example, at the beginning of the Liberation War, Chiang Kai-shek was aggressive, thinking about defeating the Communist Party in three months. As a result, it was fought down in three months, and the soldiers were defeated. When the goal of the all-out offensive was not achieved, the Kuomintang changed to a focused attack, attacking Shandong with one fist and Yan'an with the other, and as a result, the key offensive also failed. In the end, we defeated the Kuomintang reactionaries in three years.

Li Bo: In 1946, what was the balance of power between the KMT and the CCP?

Wang Lihua: We are more than 1 million, Chiang Kai-shek should be more than 4 million, more than three times as much as ours, and his equipment is much better than ours. Therefore, it was not wrong to say that the Kuomintang was a "real tiger" at that time, but Chairman Mao thought that they were "paper tigers" because he was reactionary, regressive, and did not represent the will of the people and the interests of the people, so they failed in the end.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, to resist US aggression and aid Korea, one of their countries supported the 17-nation coalition and some other countries, and it should be said that the developed countries in the West basically participated in the war at that time. They clamored to "fight to the Yalu River and go back for Christmas." In the end, as soon as we dispatched our troops, we fought two battles in less than two months, crossed the 38th parallel, and finally brought the United States to the negotiating table.

In the late '50s and early '60s, both superpowers put tremendous pressure on us. At that time, Chairman Mao said, "The snow presses the winter clouds and white flocculents, and the flowers are scarce for a while." In this case, what to think of them? Chairman Mao thought that they were still "paper tigers", nothing remarkable.

At that time, when the republic was first founded, our conditions were very poor, but on the basis of such poverty and bleakness, we mainly relied on our own strength, and at the same time won foreign aid, and achieved rapid development in socialist construction. In the end, the President of the United States went to a large socialist country that did not have diplomatic relations and eased relations with us, and our relations with other countries gradually recovered.

Therefore, Chairman Mao's judgment is correct and in line with the truth. The same is true for us today, so it is natural for us to think of the term "paper tiger".

Li Bo: Thank you, Mr. Wang. Mr. Gao, the situation of the "paper tiger" at that time and the current "paper tiger" have changed a lot, and China is no longer what it used to be. How do you recognize the current behavior of the "paper tiger" in launching a global trade war?

Gao Zhikai: I think if we look at the trade war launched by President Trump and the U.S. government against the world, including the tariff war against China, using Chairman Mao's theory that "all reactionaries are paper tigers", we can still come to the conclusion that the U.S. is a "paper tiger".

Why? First, the United States is now desperate to abuse tariffs and launch a tariff war against the whole world, which Trump calls "reciprocal tariffs".

In addition, the tariff war is not just against China, but against dozens of countries. What Trump has done is unjust and perverse. This is equivalent to holding a gun and holding it to the head of every country and saying, you must listen to me, you must obey. He even said, "I will wage a tariff war against you, and you must not fight back." As long as you fight back, I will give you further punishment and so on.

Of course, some countries are forced by the pressure of the United States to think about how they can pass the customs and never lose too much to him. So the Americans now feel that there are more than 70 countries talking to him, and that he has now achieved his goal of isolating China.

There are even Americans who say that in fact, other countries have been fooled, because the goal of the United States from the beginning was to target China, but he wanted to mobilize the whole world and let them participate in the tariff war and economic war in which the United States isolates China, and fight to the death with China.

The United States seems to be so powerful that it can hold a gun to the head of every country and force others to comply. But the fundamental reason why the United States is a "paper tiger" is that Trump's actions have fundamentally undermined the principle of free trade, and he wants to overthrow free trade and impose America's selfish interests on the whole world.

Former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer also wrote a book entitled "No Trade Is Free," which implies that trade should not be free. In interviews abroad, he has repeatedly emphasized that trade is not free, which actually shows that the mind is not free, the soul is not free, so you think that trade is not free.

But for all of humanity, trade should be free. Don't look at the current bluff of the US government, which is particularly loud, but in fact it is a foreign power and a middle force because it violates the fundamental principles of free trade. From this point of view, China now has to not only defend its own economic interests, but more importantly, protect free trade, which is not only beneficial to China, but also to all countries in the world, and in fact it is also beneficial to the American people.

From this point of view, judging from Chairman Mao's classic theory that "all reactionaries are paper tigers", Trump and the US government today are "paper tigers", because he has committed a big taboo, he wants to destroy free trade and oppose all mankind.

How to get rid of the disease of "Chongmei"?

Li Bo: Some people also believe that the United States is the largest economic country, holding the hegemony of the dollar and military hegemony, and the consumption power of the United States accounts for almost 13% of the global market and 14.7% of China's direct export market, and the indirect share may be even larger. If we are tough, it will lead to hard "decoupling", and serious results will occur, so some so-called "well-wishers" will persuade China to stop. How to get rid of the disease of "pro-American, American-worshipping, and American-phobic" in this trade war, what do the two teachers think?

Gao Zhikai: The United States is confident that it will win the trade war on the surface, but we can compare the economic scale of China and the United States. At the official exchange rate, China's economy is smaller than that of the United States, but mainly because the federal interest rate in the United States, which was as high as 5.5 percent in the last two or three years, is now declining, but it is still close to 5 percent, which is unsustainable.

Because the federal interest rate is very high, the dollar is stronger. In the last two years or so, the renminbi has depreciated by about 17 to 18 percent against the dollar, and if exchange rate fluctuations are normalized, according to the official exchange rate, China's economy is actually about 75 percent of the size of the United States.

But if we take the average purchasing power of the United States, China's economy today is about 130% the size of the United States. In addition, China is actually far ahead in many important indices such as steel production, power generation, and automobile production. In more than 200 manufactured goods sectors, China's output not only far exceeds that of the United States, but often even accounts for more than half of global production.

Therefore, although we do not want to fight a trade war, if the United States forces us to fight, we have enough confidence. Our economic foundation is solid, but the United States has a lot of false places, and this is the first one.

Second, since 2017 and 2018, the United States has been clamoring for "decoupling" from China. Although he said, I'm just scaring you, or rather, I don't really want to "decouple" from you, etc. I don't believe you're going to decouple from me, but I'll be fully prepared.

From 2017 to the present, only a few years have passed, and all aspects of our country have been preparing for a long time, and we have long wanted to see what is the background of your country? Are you really going to undermine free trade? Are you really going to overturn the current international trade order and so on? We don't want a trade war, a tariff war, but we're prepared.

Another crucial point is that many foreigners say that China is in trouble this time and has been isolated by the United States, and that the United States will unite other countries in the world to form a strong united front to fight against China. China will lose its share of exports in the U.S. market, causing domestic unemployment and factory closures. How do you respond to these questions?

In fact, the market share of the United States is not as important as imagined, because the Chinese nation has lived on this earth for more than 5,000 years, and for most of the time, there has been nothing to do with the United States.

Therefore, if the United States wants to bully China and impose hegemonism on us, then we are ready to deal with a world without the United States, and we are confident that we can live for another 5,000 years, and this is China's confidence.

We must see the truth, that is, the United States is a "paper tiger". America wants to be divided, we want to be united. Trump wants to force other countries to join him in opposing China, hating China, and decoupling from China, but it is very likely that he will not be able to do so, because every country has its own mind. Seeing that China is now defending free trade and the United States is undermining free trade, who wants to wear the same pants and ride in the same boat with the United States?

Wang Lihua: Although in the past we called US imperialism and all reactionaries "paper tigers", in terms of strength, they are indeed very powerful. Now, again, we say that the United States is a "paper tiger", but this time it is true. Even in terms of strength, the United States is basically a "paper tiger", and it no longer has the kind of advantages it had in the past, even if it is violent, it does not have much gold and steel, and it does not have much strength foundation.

In 2024, in dollar terms, the GDP of the United States will grow rapidly, 1.5 times that of ours. But this GDP is very empty, as long as prices rise, there will be GDP if there are more dollars issued. GDP has a certain relationship with strength, but it does not fully reflect the real strength.

If we look at the strength of the United States from another angle, we can see the essence and true face of the American "paper tiger." Electricity generation is the driving force of economic development. Modern industrial production is inseparable from electricity, without which there can be no development and growth of production. Only when there is more power generation can economic growth be faster; With less power generation, growth is slow.

China's total electricity generation in 2024 is 9.4 trillion kilowatt hours, equivalent to 2.2-2.3 times the total power generation of the United States, which is much larger than that of the United States.

Industrial electricity consumption is more indicative of the problem. Without industry, we can't create so many products, we can't create so much wealth, and growth is likely to be bubble growth. China's industrial electricity consumption is 6.5 times that of the United States, and you say that your plate is bigger than mine, who can believe this?

Another characteristic of electricity is that it must be used as much as it is generated, and the power generation, transmission, and electricity consumption are instantly balanced. If there is too much power and it cannot be used, the power plant will have to pull the gate, and if it is not enough, the factory will have to pull the gate. China's large power generation shows that the level of operation of our factories and the scale of industrial manufacturing are still far from the United States.

And it's not just the United States that's far behind, China's industrial electricity consumption is twice that of the six major industrial countries combined: the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, and South Korea. We have such a large industrial capacity, production capacity, and our productive forces have developed to such a scale, what else is there to fear?

Some people may also say that China's high electricity consumption may be because your technology is not good. But I want to tell you that in recent years, China's scientific and technological breakthroughs have emerged one after another. Taking the military field as an example, the armed forces must seize all-round superiority in fighting wars, including land, sea, air, space, electricity, and networks. If we all have an advantage, it means that we have the strength and are sure to win the battle.

In terms of land routes, China ranks first in terms of high-speed rail and automobile scale, technology and export. In terms of sea routes, China has the world's largest shipbuilding volume and leading technology. In the air, our drones and fighter jets are the first in scale and technology. Now the big planes can't stop us, including the oblique detonation engine that has recently exploded, and China is also unbeatable.

In terms of space, our Beidou satellite navigation scale is the first and the technology is the first. In two years, China's space station will become the only one in the world, and our lunar exploration program and so on will be among the best in the world.

We are also the world's largest in terms of power generation, and our power generation technologies include wind, solar and nuclear. China's nuclear fusion power generation technology is the world's leading; Our transmission technology, UHV, is unique, technology first, scale first.

Our 5G network has spread all over the country, does the United States have it? Our 6G has made a breakthrough, mobile phones can communicate directly with satellites, and the scale of mobile phone manufacturing accounts for more than half of the world. In addition, the large model of artificial intelligence has made the West feel a subversive breakthrough. We are at the forefront of quantum computers, quantum communications, and other scientific and technological research that represent the world's cutting-edge.

Tactically attach importance to the "real tiger" of the United States

Li Bo: Through the comparison of these real data, we can see that China today surpasses the United States in many aspects, but Chairman Mao also said that we should "despise the enemy strategically and attach importance to the enemy tactically", so many people think that even if the United States is a "paper tiger" today, we must fight it as a "real tiger". Mr. Wang, how do you think we should pay attention to such a "real tiger" tactically?

Wang Lihua: Our situation today is completely different from when Chairman Mao first fought to resist US aggression and aid Korea. According to Chairman Mao's statement, at that time, we were "more gas and less steel", and the United States was "more steel and less gas". Now, the "steel content" of our strength far exceeds that of the United States, and in such a background of strength, why do many people still feel the need to kneel when Trump is playing tricks there and suppressing China? Or can't fight with the United States? In fact, this is because in the process of development, they lost their "qi".

Chairman Mao asked the people to read stories that were not afraid of ghosts. Among them, it talks about a scholar named Chen Pengnian, who went to a friend's house to play at night, and his friend went out to drink, ready to entertain him. He was sitting and waiting for his friend, and at this time, a female hanged ghost came from outside the door, and directly blew him with yin qi, Chen Pengnian suddenly felt that the yin wind was biting, and he would soon die.

At this time, he thought, "The ghost is still angry, but I am alone?" "If a ghost can with air, can't I blow her with air? So he puffed up and blew on the ghost. As a result, wherever the air blew, a hole was pierced in the ghost's body. And he continued to blow, and at last he blew the devil's chest, and his stomach, and finally the demon's head was blown out, and then the demon vanished.

This is a very interesting story, the ghosts here represent decay, backwardness, reaction, yin and evil. She has the air to blow you, but we are out of gas? We represent justice, and we must not only blow it, but also blow it with the energy of yang, light, and justice. We can blow this ghost away, and we can defeat the "paper tiger" and all evil ghosts.



In August 1950, People's Pictorial published "U.S. Imperialism Reveals Its True Form."

Li Bo: Mr. Gao, there is a video of your conversation on the Internet, where you talked about the United Kingdom, and you think that the United Kingdom is not worthy of being China's opponent at all. After reading it at the time, I felt very relieved. What do you think about the "tactical importance of the enemy"? Is the United States a "real tiger" worthy of our attention?

Gao Zhikai: In dealing with this unprecedented tariff war launched by the United States against the world, from a tactical point of view, China should pay attention to it, but from a strategic point of view, it must despise it.

Trump said we were going to get more tariffs to make America richer. But he forgot to tell the American people, who will pay the tariffs? It is not China that pays, not the European Union, nor African countries and ASEAN countries, but the American people.

So Trump said that collecting $2 billion in tariffs a day is equivalent to forcing the American people to pay $2 billion a day. Neither Trump nor his administration has the dignity and morality to say to the American people, I'm sorry, you paid this tariff, and I forced you to pay it.

From this point of view, we must grasp whether Trump and his administration are "real tigers" or "fake tigers". We should be careful, first, not to take the "fake tiger" for the "real tiger", or turn it into a "real tiger". Also, don't mistake the "real tiger" for the "fake tiger", the relationship is very delicate.

In other words, tactically, we must treat the United States as a "real tiger," but strategically we must treat it as a "paper tiger."

After Trump launched the global tariff war, the U.S. stock market, bond market, and foreign exchange market collapsed, and the employment problem was in jeopardy.

Many people find out when they pay their bills, why did they overcharge me so much? If you look closely, it turns out that you have to pay tariffs, so will the American people still be willing to pay them? Will they vote with their feet? The United States will have midterm elections in 2026, and the next presidential election in the United States will be held in 2028. Will the Republican Party become a "lame duck government" next year? Will the Democrats return to the White House in the next presidential election?

What Trump is doing is full of uncertainty because he is actually blackmailing the whole world, blackmailing China, blackmailing ordinary Americans. When Trump was doing real estate transactions in Manhattan, he went bankrupt six times and fought more than 4,000 lawsuits. What kind of person takes what kind of road, and when he encounters such a person as the president of the United States, he is now going to toss the whole world, and if he wants to win by such means, he can scare China back, but in fact this is wishful thinking.

In short, we have to stand firm and insist on doing the right thing. In this tariff defense war, two points are very important: first, unswervingly defend China's legally legitimate rights and interests; Second, we must unswervingly protect the important principle of free trade. If we do a good job in these two aspects, I think we will definitely be able to defeat the "paper tiger" of the United States.

Li Bo: There was a previous statistic that after Trump imposed tariffs, the average American people spent an extra $3,800 a year to pay the tariffs, of course, the proportion of "reciprocal tariffs" at that time was not so high, maybe it was calculated at 60%, and now the tariffs have increased further, and the people have to pay more.

For example, US Treasury Secretary Bessant revealed in an interview abroad two days ago that his goal is to force US allies to negotiate through tariffs, and finally they will do business with the United States, not with China, and isolate China to the greatest extent.

There's also Silicon Valley tycoon Peter Thiel, who has close ties to U.S. Vice President Vance. Two days ago, he was very hesitant, saying that things made in China are really good, and the United States is dependent on them, but because China and the United States are systemic competitors, it is impossible not to "decouple". Even if there is great pain in "decoupling", it must be taken off.

Although only a small part of the supply chain with a high degree of automation can be transferred to the United States, this part of the supply chain with a low degree of automation may be transferred to other countries, as long as these countries are not as large as China and cannot threaten the United States in terms of size, military and ideology.

These people really want the "decoupling" of China and the United States, even if it comes at a big cost, and Trump is just the one who issues orders in front of the stage. From this point of view, the United States is still a bit like a "real tiger". Mr. Wang, how do you think we should look at the "real tiger" of the United States tactically?

Wang Lihua: This question is right, we are not afraid of him, and we are not trying to underestimate it. The emaciated camel is also bigger than the horse, and the United States is, after all, a world hegemonic country. Moreover, the fear of China's rise among American elites has been consistent, whether it is the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, whoever comes up will suppress China.

We need to see both Trump's lack of rules and the thoughtfulness behind it, which is the common will of the ruling class. Therefore, we cannot treat it as a pure, superficial insight.

When Chairman Mao dealt with his own opponents and reactionary enemies, including the forces that suppressed us in the United States, he always said two words: We must see that it is a "paper tiger" and that it is a "real tiger." We must build on this analysis in order to define our own strategies, tactics and approaches.

On the one hand, from a strategic point of view, they are "paper tigers", "dead tigers", "tofu tigers", and there is nothing to fear. We must build up our strategic thinking in this regard, strategically defy all enemies and all forces that suppress us and have the courage to fight and win victory.

If you are suddenly intimidated by the enemy's aggressiveness, you will be defeated without fighting yourself, so you must establish confidence in victory. This confidence comes from a strategic analysis of the nature of the enemy, an analysis of the opponent, and the nature of difficulties.

On the other hand, we must see that the difficulties and opponents we face are "real tigers", who will eat people, will cause you a lot of trouble, and will cause a lot of economic difficulties. From this point of view, we must establish our strategic thinking and tactical thinking, attach importance to the opponent on every specific issue, adopt a cautious attitude, and pay attention to the art of struggle, so as to achieve victory in the end.

This is Chairman Mao's basic thinking, and it is the same today. First of all, we can't be afraid, if we are afraid, we don't have to fight, we will fail if we lie flat. On the other hand, if you want to win your own victory, you must seriously analyze your opponent and where its characteristics and weaknesses are and be fully prepared not to fight a battle for which you are unprepared or uncertain.

The series of industrial progress, scientific and technological progress and progress in breaking through the "bottleneck" project that we just talked about come from our precautions. After the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, we changed the old development mode, implemented a new development concept, and led development with innovation. After more than ten years of hard work, many fields that the United States could have stuck our necks have achieved relatively big breakthroughs.

In addition, we must concentrate our forces on fighting a war of annihilation, to hurt the enemy, to attack his vital points, to hit his seven inches, and you can't always let him inflict losses and difficulties on you. Therefore, we must also hold on to his vital point, so that there will not be a longer entanglement.

This time, our party and government have taken a series of resolute measures, and Trump has not taken advantage of it, for example, we have restricted the import of American agricultural products, and American farmers originally supported Trump, and they elected Trump in the hope of getting benefits, but they were sold by Trump, and now they are basically in a state of despair.

For example, we have restricted the export of rare metals, which has caused great difficulties for the US military and high-tech industries. For example, accelerate the construction of an offshore payment system for RMB. Isn't the United States a financial hegemon? We will promote fair trade and free trade among countries around the world through practical actions. These are very powerful.

We must think carefully about every move, grasp its weaknesses, and concentrate our forces on fighting a war of annihilation. Finally, let Trump know that he has lost, and stop these unreasonable actions as soon as possible. It provides a good condition for free trade not only for China, but also for the world.

Chairman Mao once said, "The US imperialists are very arrogant, and they must be unreasonable wherever they can be unreasonable." If you make a little sense, you have to do it. We are through targeted and time-effective actions to make him reason and abide by the rules in front of the whole world. [My Emphasis]

As said above, clearly the Outlaw US Empire is desperate, so desperate that it didn’t take the time to think things through and properly evaluate its opponent, which China certainly has. The cited amounts of electricity generation tells the story. If you know Chinese thought, it’s easy to see from where Mao’s wisdom grew—it comes from the same place as Xi Jinping Thought. The bold fact that China did without the Outlaw US Empire for 5,000 years and is prepared to do without it for another 5,000 years doesn’t even enter the mind of the Barbarian. The further realization that Trump is merely a tool also shows the depth of Chinese understanding. Like Tik Tok Man they have studies and thus know. Hudson’s interaction with the Chinese over the years has helped him predict how they’re reacting. Wolff’s referencing Hegel again on inescapable contradictions that can be anticipated provided one bothers to study what one’s doing is also something to anticipate when viewing the chat. The audacity Chairman Mao had in saying the atomic bomb is just another paper tiger was correct.

It appears that the coming Global Fracture might leave the Outlaw US Empire rather isolated with very few within its Bloc since it’s declared a trade war on even those many saw as its allies. The longstanding observation that the Empire only has interests not allies appears it’s being proven correct as its ruling elites have even alienated its neighbors. Even its co-Genocidalist and West Asian proxy is being attacked to the latter’s great shock. But there’s one target that’s yet to awaken to the reality of Trump’s actions, and that’s those that voted for him because he promised MAGA and peace, neither of which he’s going to deliver as he’s now proven.

https://karlof1.substack.com/p/paper-ti ... -and-trump

******

China, Hong Kong and The Art of Blinking

Pepe Escobar

April 25, 2025

Captain Chaos definitely does not have the cards – which as even South Pacific penguins know, are all made in China.

SHANGHAI and HONG KONG – So, predictably, Captain Chaos did blink first. As much as he – and his sprawling media circus – could not possibly admit it.

It all started with “tariff exemptions” – from smartphones and computers to auto parts – on products imported from China. Then it veered towards carefully manicured leaks implying tariffs “could” be reduced to a range between 50% and 65%. And finally a terse admission that if there’s no deal, a “tariff number” will be unilaterally set.

China’s Ministry of Commerce was unforgiving: “Trying to trade away others’ interests for temporary gains is like bargaining with a tiger for its skin – it will only backfire”.

And it got fiercer. The Ministry was adamant that any Trump 2.0 claims of any progress on bilateral negotiations have “no factual basis” – de facto depicting the US President as a purveyor of fake news.

Tigers, tigers burning bright: the image does not recall poetry superstar William Blake, but Mao’s legendary depiction of the US Empire as a “paper tiger” – a flashback that struck me over and over again last week in Shanghai. If the US Empire was a paper tiger already in the 1960s, the Chinese argue, imagine now.

And the pain will increase, not only for the paper tiger: any dodgy deals made by foreign – vassal – pussycat governments at the expense of Chinese interests simply will be not be tolerated by Beijing.

Last week in Shanghai I was reminded over and over again – by academics and business people – that the weaponized Trump Tariff Tizzy (TTT) goes way beyond China: it is a desperate offense ordered by the US ruling classes against a peer competitor that scares the hell out of them.

The best Chinese analytical minds know exactly what’s going on in Washington. Take for instance this essay originally published by the influential Cultural Horizon magazine breaking down the “triangular power structure” of Trump 2.0.

We have all-power Trump forming a “super-establishment”; Silicon Valley money politics, represented by Elon Musk; and the new right-wing elite represented by VP J.D. Vance. End result: a “governance system that is almost parallel to the federal government.”

European chihuahuas – caught in the crossfire of Trump 2.0 – are simply incapable of such synthetic and precise conceptualization.

Paper tiger meets fiery dragon

What a deep dive in Shanghai has revealed is that China has been handed over a rare earth-like opportunity by Trump 2.0 to consolidate its strategic initiative solidifying the role of leader of the Global South/Global Majority, at the same time carefully managing the risk of a New Cold War.

Call it a Sun Tzu move that may paralyze the Empire in its tracks. Professor Zhang Weiwei, with whom I had the pleasure to share a seminar in Shanghai on the Russia-China strategic partnership, would agree.

China is on the move across the spectrum. Chinese Premier Li Qiang sent a letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishibe urging a joint drive, right now, to counteract the tariff dementia.

President Xi’s top message in his Southeast Asia tour last week was to stand up against “unilateral bullying”.

Xi deftly moved between Malaysia – current rotating chair of ASEAN, always avoiding taking sides – and Vietnam – with its “bamboo diplomacy” always hedging between US and China.

Xi told Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, directly: “We must safeguard the bright prospects of our Asian family”. Translation: let’s create an exclusive sphere of influence close to the ‘community of shared destiny’ but that does not include outside powers such as the US.

In parallel, there has been a strong debate – from Shanghai to Hong Kong – that transcends the role of China as the world’s factory: what matters now is how to redirect some of China’s astonishing manufacturing capacity towards the domestic market.

Of course there are problems – such as the lack of purchasing power among scores of Chinese domestic consumers, even as the bulk of national China income is directed to fixed-asset investments. A great deal of China’s rural elderly population survives on a monthly pension of roughly $30 a month, and the hourly rate for the gig economy has stagnated at around $4.

Meanwhile, in several high-tech fronts, China just built the fastest high-speed train on the planet: 400km/h, soon to run between Beijing and Shanghai. China is already receiving orders for the C919 commercial wide-bodied airliner. And China has come up with the world’s first thorium-powered nuclear reactor. Translation: unlimited cheap and clean energy is at hand.

The Mafia way of doing business

Hong Kong is a very special case. HSBC executives, for instance, worry about a possible decoupling between US and China – and wonder whether Hong Kong may survive without US trade.

Yes, it can. The US is Hong Kong’s third largest trade partner; yet Hong Kong’s export and import to the US are only 6,5% and 4%, respectively, of its total global exports and imports, including transshipment of goods back and forth from the mainland.

HK is a world-class logistics hub and free port. So as long as Trump 2.0 does not forbid trade with Hong Kong – well, anything can happen – imports should not be affected. Anyway, most of what HK exports – electronics, luxury goods, clothes, toys – can easily find alternative markets in Southeast Asia, West Asia and Europe.

The crucial point is that over half of Hong Kong trade is with the mainland. And the key fact is that China can easily survive without US trade. Beijing has been carefully preparing for it since Trump 1.0.

From Shanghai to Hong Kong, the best analytical minds are in tune with the inestimable Michael Hudson, who has emphasized, over and over again, how “the United States is the only country in the world that has weaponized its foreign trade; weaponized its foreign currency, the dollar; weaponized the international financial system; and treated every economic relationship in an adversarial way, to weaponize it.”

A self-confident, high-tech savvy China, from academics and business people to xiao long bao and pulled noodles vendors, graphically understands that the Empire of Chaos, in its drive to “isolate” China, is only isolating itself (and its chihuahuas).

Moreover it’s such a joy to see Michael Hudson also referring to the same “paper tiger” syndrome that I witnessed in Shanghai these past few days: “Well, America has become a paper tiger financially today. It doesn’t really have anything to offer except the threat of tariffs, the threat of suddenly disrupting all of the trade patterns that have been put in place over the last few decades.”

In Shanghai, I heard serial implacable dismissals of the so-called “Miran plan” – as in the paper published last November by Trump’s economic advisor “restructuring the global trading system”. Miran is the brain behind the Mar-a-Lago accord – whose rationale is to weaken the US dollar by forcing major economies – from China to Japan and the EU – to sell US dollar assets and swap short-term US Treasuries for 100-year bonds with zero interest.

Miran’s brilliant idea boils down to nations having only two options:

1.Meekly accept these US tariffs, without retaliation.

2. Write cheques to the US Treasury.

Zhao Xijun, co-dean of the China Capital Market Research Institute at Renmin University, destroyed the scheme succinctly: transferring money to the US Treasury like this is like “collecting protection money on the streets”. Translation: that’s the Mafia way, “a thuggish and domineering act, merely dressed up with the lofty justification of providing public goods”.

Meanwhile, in the Grand Chessboard, Beijing keeps working steadily side by side with Russia towards a Eurasian-wide security architecture anchored on a balance of powers: it’s all about the new Primakov triangle (RIC – Russia, Iran and China).

Top BRICS members Russia and China will not allow the Empire to attack fellow BRICS member Iran. And support comes in more ways than one. Example: more imperial energy sanctions on Iran? China will increase imports via Malaysia, and invest even more in Iran’s infrastructure, in tandem with Russia in respect to the International North South Transportation Corridor (INSTC).

In a nutshell: Captain Chaos definitely does not have the cards – which as even South Pacific penguins know, are all made in China.

https://strategic-culture.su/news/2025/ ... -blinking/

[blindpig]

Zhou Bo: "Liberal International Order"? This is nothing more than a form of historical myopia
More Geopolitical Comedy from Guancha
Karl Sanchez
Apr 25, 2025



The editors at Guancha note:

Recently, Zhou Bo, a researcher at Tsinghua University's Center for International Strategic and Security Studies, was interviewed by Gerardin Dugg and Hamish MacDonald, hosts of ABC Radio International's "Global Adventures" program, to elaborate on China's views on the current international situation, the Taiwan Strait issue and global responsibilities.

The fact that this is comical will become apparent as one reads the transcript. The differing POV between China and West is quickly addressed in a way that’s very pragmatic and clearly doesn’t conform to that of the West. IMO, it’s these contradictory POVs that supply the comedic element and is what makes this interview so valuable, which is why Guancha’s editors translated and published it. A search for an English version of this transcript was attempted but nothing was found, although a link to the previous interview that’s mentioned at the opening was found. I’m aware that a new conflict point’s been opened by Outlaw US Empire terrorist proxies in Kashmir that has caused India and Pakistan to semi-mobilize their forces, which was the terrorist act’s intent. Hopefully, wise eyes will see the manipulation and calm the waters. Neither side has anything to gain by the action, so cui bono must be invoked, and that points to the usual suspects who benefit from sowing chaos. That maxim must be kept in mind as this long read is digested:

Geraldine Doogue: The next person we're going to interview is Zhou Bo – we've interviewed him before, and the response was very good. He is a retired colonel who recently published a new book, Should the World Be Afraid of China? This is a rare book from a Chinese perspective.

Hamish MacDonald: So let's start at this moment, and to be honest, what I specially, really want to know is: how does China see the situation in the world right now? The world is in chaos, but what does it all look like from China's perspective?

Zhou Bo: It's really a "billion-dollar question". I've been thinking about it myself, in part because I don't quite believe in the once-ingrained concept of the so-called "liberal international order."

To put it simply, I believe that the current international order is not fundamentally different from the past: it has always been a collection of different countries, different social systems, different national identities, different cultures, and most importantly, different civilizations. For example, it was not until the "Great Geographical Discoveries" in the 16th century, that is, after da Gama discovered India and Columbus discovered America, that people gradually understood the outline of the world and began to have a more complete understanding of the world.

But if you simply define the "world order" as a so-called "liberal international order", it is actually a kind of historical myopia. Because if you really look at it that way, it's a bit like living in a Francis Fukuyama-esque world – the world where "history ends."

Geraldine: So you mean, it's actually a Western-imposed worldview, right?

Zhou Bo: Yes, the so-called "liberal international order" only looked like that at best, during the period when the Soviet Union collapsed and China had not yet fully emerged. But if you really believe in that order, it's easy to fall into narcissism; as soon as you find that you are no longer strong, you will start looking for "enemies". This is actually very dangerous. But if you believe that this world order is a collection of civilizations, then you ask yourself: How do I coexist with others?

Geraldine: In a way, President Trump will probably agree with you to some extent. He also seems to be envisioning a "shared" pattern of power and influence, which has caused a stir in some parts of the West-–because he has chosen to work with people who hold a completely different view of power. So in that sense, is the line of thinking that you're describing somewhat consistent with Trump's point?

Zhou Bo: No, I don't think so. Because Trump's slogan is "Make America Great Again", and this "Great Again" is basically to restore American hegemony and restore dominance over the world. China, on the other hand, prefers to see itself as part of the world, nothing more.

Geraldine: Isn't he just trying to divide the world? Aren't we beginning to see this? He seems to be engaged in the division of "spheres of influence"?

Hamish: yes, for example, he's willing to "cede" Europe to Russia, and maybe Asia to China, and then let the United States focus on its own affairs.

Zhou Bo: You may be right. But the point is that the so-called "sphere of influence" is actually a very old concept that simply does not apply to the 21st century. I have always stressed that China has no sphere of influence in the first place; Even if China wanted to have it, it wouldn't.

Why? A lot of people will refer to Southeast Asia as China's "backyard," but if you look at Southeast Asia, there are quite a few countries that have territorial disputes with China over the South China Sea, and several countries that are allies of the United States. Looking at Northeast Asia, North Korea will not necessarily listen to China.

So, where is China's "sphere of influence"? So the conclusion is: if China doesn't have a sphere of influence at all, then there's no need to build one. We just need to go out into the world and make ourselves more influential.

Understand that "influence" and "sphere of influence" are two different things. China's influence is already global, so there is no need to pursue so-called spheres of influence. Pursuing a sphere of influence means you'll have to make a bunch of allies, and why would you want to do that when alliances are expensive and hard to maintain?

Geraldine: Interesting. You are putting forward the idea that China is completely non-aligned in its handling of international affairs. And you also have an interesting observation about China's "national character": you say that China still has a certain degree of "victim mentality", which is not conducive to the country's development. So why do you think this mentality is not helpful for China's own development?

Zhou Bo: Yes, many Chinese do believe in this "victim mentality". In a sense, this mentality is not unreasonable, because China did suffer from foreign aggression after 1840. But the so-called "hundred years of shame" that we often refer to is theoretical, and even mathematically, if it is counted from 1840, to 1949.

When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, Mao Zedong declared that "the Chinese people have stood up from now on." Now that the Chinese people have "stood up," this humiliated history should also be turned over. This victim mentality can create nationalism because you feel like you've been treated unfairly. But once you get stronger, this emotion can make others start to feel nervous.

If we divide China's economic aggregate by the size of its population, China is certainly a developing country. But at the same time, China does have the potential to become the world's largest economy. So the question arises: can the world's largest economy still be called a developing country? If the answer is "yes", then what is the point of dividing "developed countries" from "developing countries"? If China becomes one of the most powerful countries in the world, will it be necessary to maintain a "victim" mentality? Will you continue to call yourself a "victim"?

Hamish: Okay, but isn't that exactly one of the core issues of U.S. dissatisfaction with China? The United States believes that China is using its status as a "developing country" for its own benefit. For example, in the international sharing of responsibility for the climate transition, this has become a point of contention–-because China is classified as a developing country, it does not need to bear the same responsibilities and obligations as developed countries in the West when dealing with climate change. And this is unfair in the eyes of the West, after all, as you yourself mentioned, China may soon become the largest economy in the world. [Unmentioned is the fact that China has done more to reduce emissions than the West; thus, the question is fallacious.]

Zhou Bo: The problem is that China is wearing "too many high hats"–-and every hat is real, which confuses many people, including Chinese. In the eyes of the Chinese themselves: we are the world's second largest economy in terms of GDP, but in terms of purchasing power parity, we are the world's largest economy; We are the world's largest trading nation, the largest exporter, and the world's largest industrial nation. But at the same time, not so long ago we were the most populous country in the world.

Hamish: So, the question is: why does China seem afraid to admit its power and influence?

Zhou Bo: I think it's because China wears too many high hats, so every aspect of China is real. It depends on who you're talking to, and it also depends on where you stand and what perspective you use to view China.

Hamish: Indeed, Mr. Zhou, I do have this feeling of "wearing too many high hats" when I listen to your explanation. You say that China does not need and does not want allies, but at the same time it has "no limit to friendship" with Russia. How can these two statements be put together?

Zhou Bo: I'm glad you asked this question–-let me try to convince you in the simplest way possible. For example, I said, Hamish, I want to be friends with you. And then I said, wait a minute, Hamish, our friendship must have a limit. Do you think that makes sense? So the so-called "friendship without limits" is basically an expression of a good wish, hoping that this friendship can last for a long time.

Hamish: But China doesn't say that to all of its friends. It will indeed say that friendship has a bottom line. That's what it says to us in Australia. We've been through periods of growing friendships, but there have also been times when China will say, "No, there's a problem here." [Which side acts to terminate the friendship—China is even-n=handed while Australia oscillates politically like a wind sock.]

Zhou Bo: Maybe I can convince you in another way. Although this friendship is described in the same document as "unlimited", just a sentence or two after this sentence, we make it clear that this is not a military alliance. Therefore, this shows that even in this kind of friendship, China has a bottom line. China opposes the use of nuclear weapons in any form, and China has not supplied Russia with any missiles or military equipment.

Hamish: yes, that's what I don't quite understand. China wants to be a major global power, so why not exert influence in its relationship with Russia to bring about an end to the war in Ukraine?

Zhou Bo: That's because you're looking at this issue from a European perspective. And when China looks at this relationship, it must first look at it from a bilateral perspective.

Hamish: But China has also said that economic growth, for example, depends on peace, and that global stability is a prerequisite for sustained prosperity.

Zhou Bo: Oh, of course. With regard to "stability", the question is what causes instability? Because Russia believes that NATO expansion is precisely the source of instability. This statement is not unreasonable, because the biggest difference between Putin and the previous leader is that he is the one who said, "Enough, that's it." Since the Soviet era, whether it is Gorbachev, Yeltsin or Putin, their attitude towards NATO has basically been the same--NATO should not continue to expand. But the difference is that Putin decided to act, and this is the difference between him and the previous leader.

Geraldine: I don't think we can resolve this difference of opinion in this episode, but I want to move on to another issue. You make an obvious point in your book: the biggest problem for all of us is how to avoid wars between China and other countries, no matter who the "other countries" are. And your answer is very direct, and it does point out a challenge in the situation in the Taiwan Strait. Can you summarize your point of view and let us hear what you think?

Zhou Bo: First of all, I don't think a war between China and the United States is inevitable. There are only two places where we can have conflicts: one in the South China Sea and the other in the Taiwan Strait. I put the South China Sea in front of the Taiwan Strait, which is different from what many people think, because the United States has been sending planes and warships to the South China Sea, and we sometimes intercept them. This creates a very dangerous close encounter.

Hamish: What's wrong with the U.S. sending ships and planes to the South China Sea to maintain freedom of navigation?

Zhou Bo: That's exactly the problem. These islands and reefs are Chinese territory, but the United States does not recognize them. The problem is that the United States itself has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, but has always considered itself a "guardian". Then I want to ask, if this law is really that good, why don't you approve it? If it's not good, why are you using it to challenge others?

Geraldine: But I still want to bring it back. I see you wrote in your introduction: "How to avoid war in the Taiwan Strait? My answer is simple–-convince China that peaceful reunification is still possible. This quote is very special. I would also like to add that you did not mention the people of Taiwan. What do they want? How do we reach a consensus where everyone's rights are respected?

Zhou Bo: I say this because it's the simplest answer to a "billion-dollar question." According to Chinese law, one condition for China to use non-peaceful means is that China believes that the prospect of peaceful reunification has been completely lost. Therefore, we must believe: "The prospect of peaceful reunification has not been completely shattered, and we still have patience." And now that China is in the midst of rapid development, it begs the question: Will China become more confident in pursuing peaceful reunification, or will it become more impatient and resort to force?

I believe that convincing the Chinese government that peace is still possible means that the United States has to exercise restraint, and the Taiwan authorities have to exercise restraint. If all of this can be done, I believe that peace is possible. If the Chinese Government believes that the path to peaceful reunification is no longer possible, it will be a completely different situation.

Hamish: But there are many ways to achieve reunification, and many people will cite Hong Kong as an example. So it is entirely possible that Taiwan will be "taken back" in a similar situation, right?

Zhou Bo: That analogy is not entirely appropriate. Let me give you another example. Before the pandemic, about 1.5 million Taiwanese lived in Chinese mainland, so you can't imagine that the two sides of the strait are completely isolated.

1.5 million Taiwanese live in Chinese mainland, which means that about 6% of Taiwanese already live in the mainland. People always mention that the mainland will use a "big stick", but everyone often forgets that the mainland actually gives a lot, a lot of "carrots". For example, Taiwanese children can go to kindergarten in Fujian Province, just like our own children. They will also have an ID card, which is almost the same as the mainland ID card.

So those 1.5 million people say a lot. These people don't care about living in a completely different society and a completely different political system–-as long as that society provides them with better opportunities. And these people are all above the middle class, so I believe that with the development of globalization and the acceleration of artificial intelligence, just like the rest of the world, the integration between the two sides of the strait is also accelerating. This also means that perhaps one day, Taiwanese people will feel that it is not bad to be part of the most powerful country on the planet.

Hamish: I'm interested in how you see China's future role as a global power. In China's message to the outside world, we often hear references to the "rules-based international order". At the same time, the United States seems to be abandoning its soft power and seems to be treating its allies as enemies. If the United States no longer plays its traditional role, how will China position itself? Is it to replace it, or is it something else in mind?

Zhou Bo: China has actually stepped in. Because when the rest of the world looks more and more chaotic, it's only natural for people to look to China and ask the same questions as you. But what role will China play? In my opinion, China is more like an "anchor" or "stabilizer" in this turbulent world.

Hamish: But if China wants to be a stabilizer, doesn't that mean it has to play the role of mediator in the Middle East conflict, in the European conflict? Then we have to do something that China doesn't often do on the international stage, right?

Zhou Bo: I think China can indeed play a role in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine. Although Russia and the United States are communicating now, if you read the news like me, you know that the ceasefire proposed by Putin is actually conditional, right? So there may come a time in the future when all the major powers, including China, will need to provide some form of collective security.

Hamish: Do you think China would really do that? Like in Ukraine or the Middle East?

Zhou Bo: Yes, I think it's possible, it depends on how the situation develops. If the end result is a kind of "truce", then security guarantees are definitely needed.

Hamish MacDonald: So what kind of security guarantees do you think are possible, taking Ukraine as an example?

Zhou Bo: For example, Russia has announced that it will annex those four oblasts to Russian territory, but it is actually very difficult for Russia to really take full control of those four oblasts, because Ukraine has at least the full support of Europe, and possibly even the United States. So, in the future these four states may well turn into an Afghan-like situation— the Ukrainians will conduct endless guerrilla warfare like the Mujahideen. This means that Russia will never be able to truly control those four regions. So, this means that the so-called "armistice" is possible. A lot of people are talking about a ceasefire, a truce, or any other scenario, and a "truce" is the one that is most discussed.

Hamish: So, first of all, I want to ask you, are China's security guarantees going to Russia, or are they going to Ukraine?

Zhou Bo: It should be a collective security guarantee for both sides, because neither side can completely defeat the other, but both sides are actually very afraid. There is a fear that what will happen once the ceasefire is broken. This is not only Ukraine afraid, but Russia is also afraid, afraid that it will appear isolated. That's why Russia wants the Global South, such as China, India, and Brazil, to get involved.

Geraldine: You also mentioned in your book that China actually plays a very important role in global peacekeeping, which I didn't know much about before. If there is an arrangement for a truce in Ukraine, is China willing to send peacekeepers to supervise it?

Zhou Bo: I think China can do so if the parties to the conflict request–-which is the first requirement for peacekeeping. This is because China is the largest troop contributor of the five permanent members of the Security Council, and its credibility in global peacekeeping is beyond question. So I think China can take on that role with India, along with other countries in the Global South, plus some non-NATO European countries. After all, this war is taking place in the heart of Europe, and European countries should still participate, but not NATO members. Because I suppose for Russia, these countries will only be seen as "wolves in sheep's clothing".

Geraldine: Maybe we should go back to the title of your book: Should the World Be Afraid of China? Your answer is clearly "no". Can you expand on that point of view, especially at a time when the situation is very uncertain and no one knows what's going to happen next. Can you talk about why you think China can actually play a constructive role in the new world order?

Zhou Bo: Let's start with China's history over the past 40 years. The rise of China is already a miracle in human history, and that in itself says a lot. I think the next thing for China to prove is that even if China is strong, it doesn't need to act in a hegemonic way. This is the next challenge facing China. I think the first issue we've solved. Now it depends on whether China can become one of the most powerful countries in the world but not follow the path of hegemony.

It's really challenging, but we have time to observe. If China has been able to remain peaceful for the past 40 years, why can't China make the world safer? The world is not the single perspective of the West as it sees the world. If you look at the world from the perspective of the Global South, I think people's perception of China is generally positive. In Africa, the vast majority of countries have a positive impression of China. In the Indo-Pacific, the situation is more complicated, but even last year, according to a poll, in Southeast Asia, people actually praised China more than they did about the United States.

Geraldine: What about India? Can I interject? The relationship between China and India seems to be a bit more complicated.

Zhou Bo: Yes, it is. Because Sino-Indian relations were originally good, until that deadly conflict occurred on the border in 2020. But even in that incident, I saw something positive — that neither side chose to shoot. Don't you think it's weird? The modern armies of the two worlds, however, are fighting in the Stone Age way. This shows that the soldiers on both sides subconsciously know: you can't shoot.

Hamish: We may have kind of overlooked the feelings of some countries in Africa and some countries in the Pacific–-especially the debt and debt repayment obligations that they are now burdened with because of Chinese loans. I wonder how we in Australia should view this relationship in this context? Does China want to be friends with us, or is it a more nuanced matter?

Zhou Bo: Let me tell you this, the first country I visited abroad was actually Australia, and that was in 1990. At that time, I came to work as an interpreter, accompanying Chinese pilots on the simulator of Ansel Air to help train Chinese pilots. Ansel doesn't seem to exist anymore. But I went again in 1999, when I was the first Chinese visiting fellow at the Royal Australian Military College, and I stayed there for three months. So I think that, overall, the Chinese's feelings towards Australia are quite positive. For you are far away from us, a great island in the middle of the ocean. Theoretically, we should not be enemies with each other, but historically you have always been involved in other people's wars.

Hamish: Yes, we're really far away. So why are Chinese Navy ships circumnavigating Australia? What is the purpose of this? How do we interpret this behavior?

Zhou Bo: Then I should probably remind you why your warships sail so close to China's coastline? And why did your military planes invade the airspace of the Paracel Islands? That's China's airspace. And you've not done this once or twice, but many times.

Hamish: But our official position is that we're ensuring freedom of navigation in international trade lanes. There is a difference between the two.

Zhou Bo: Can I also borrow your words and do the same thing for the same reason as we detoured to Australia?

Hamish: You're saying you're going around Australia to transport trade supplies? Is that what it means?

Zhou Bo: I mean, our ships are also conducting "freedom of navigation" operations around Australia.

Hamish: And what's the purpose?

Zhou Bo: First of all, it's the high seas, and we have the right to sail. There is no international regulation that prohibits us from doing that. In fact, the question should be to ask you: Why did you cross the Taiwan Strait? What are you passing through there for? You don't really have much real trade through there, do you? One-third of your trade is with Chinese mainland, and warships don't need to cross the Taiwan Strait to transport these goods.

Hamish: So you mean, the interpretation that we should get from this is, "You don't do this to us"?

Zhou Bo: I don't think the Chinese government has ever expressed its views in this way, but international law does allow us to do so. But if you can ask yourself, I think that's good for you.

Hamish: (laughs) So let's end here, shall we?

Geraldine: Oh, wait, I also want to ask you a question in particular, which is about "hard power" and "soft power". Joseph Nye once said that in the long run, soft power often trumps hard power. For example, the Chinese People's Liberation Army is now very advanced in equipment, and your navy is also the envy of the whole world. But I would say that China's soft power is not really strong. Despite your improved image in the Global South, China's soft power is still at a disadvantage overall. What do you think, is this China's shortcoming?

Zhou Bo: I don't think so, it really depends on how you define soft power. In the case of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) you just mentioned, so far, the Chinese military's overseas operations have been all humanitarian in nature, whether it's anti-piracy, peacekeeping, or disaster relief. Our hospital ship, the Peace Ark, has traveled the world, providing people with medicines and medical services free of charge, never at any cost. These are all efforts by China to demonstrate its goodwill.

As a veteran of the People's Liberation Army, my hope is that even if China has the largest number of warships in the world, the PLA will continue to do only humanitarian missions in the future. Because there are always excuses to kill, but who can remember those excuses, right? But if you're just going to help people in need around the world, they'll appreciate you. And who can deny the importance of peacekeeping, the fight against piracy, disaster relief, these things? And this is exactly what the PLA has been doing. In the last 40 years, you can't find an example of the PLA killing a person overseas–-isn't that commendable?

Hamish: Mr. Zhou, we come from two countries that often misunderstand each other and don't often communicate directly. So personally, thank you very much for coming and talking to us today. I really hope to invite you back in the future to continue this conversation. I think that's more important than ever.

Zhou Bo: Thank you, Hamish, thank you, Geraldine. It was a funny, friendly argument.

Geraldine：[Chuckles] Friendly quarrel, we may need more friendly quarrels. [My Emphasis]

IMO, Zhou Bo misreads Russia and its SMO for Russia isn’t “fearful” and has vastly greater military capabilities over Ukraine and NATO. Otherwise, his replies to standard Western Propaganda/Talking points were excellent parries. More forceful responses were available, but Zhou’s tact was great. As for soft power, IMO the Global Majority sees how powerful China is and also sees its other behavior and listens to its proposals. Promoting a shared future for humanity is very far from being hegemonic. how China manages the Era of the Outlaw US Empire’s Decline is an excellent question that entirely depends on the Empire’s behavior. Currently the Empire continues to weaken itself in a manner that worsens its decline. The world has tired of paying tribute now that alternatives exist. And that’s what we see blossoming—regional arrangements generating new nodes of power. But what’s meant by power in this case is economic power judged by living standards—the advancement that development aims for. And what we see in declining powers is a lowering standard of living.

Clearly, Zhou’s book provides the context behind the talk of “victimhood” at the outset. The link goes to an excellent Sinology substack’s book review, which is a big read itself.

https://karlof1.substack.com/p/zhou-bo- ... onal-order

[blindpig]

China Leapfrogging the U.S. in Tech Innovation
Posted on April 30, 2025 by Yves Smith

Yves here. Readers who have taken note of the performance of DeepSeek AI or other Chinese technical feats, like their super cheap EVs, dark factories, number of patents issued would not be surprised to learn that the US is lagging China. This Tom Neuburger post provides some details.

By Thomas Neuburger. Originally published at God’s Spies

It’s not difficult today to find articles on China’s great leaps forward in high tech development, and indeed, in development of all kinds. Ian Welsh, for example, has been ringing this bell for a while. A good example is here:

Forget GDP, it’s completely misleading. China is ahead in everything that matters: 80%+ of tech fields, has more population and the largest industrial base in the world and it’s the main trade partner of more nations than anyone else, including America.

This graphic is illustrative, but it applies to everything except planes and launch capacity, and soon it will apply to them too[.]

The graphic referred to is sobering:



For more of Welsh’s China reflections, go here.

China and Tech Innovation

But one story in particular struck me as beyond remarkable:

World’s fastest memory writes 25 billion bits per sec, 10,000× faster than current tech

PoX could be the key to unlocking performance bottlenecks caused by storage limitations in AI hardware

A research team at Fudan University has built the fastest semiconductor storage device ever reported, a non‑volatile flash memory dubbed “PoX” that programs a single bit in 400 picoseconds (0.0000000004 s) — roughly 25 billion operations per second. The result, published today in Nature, pushes non‑volatile memory to a speed domain previously reserved for the quickest volatile memories and sets a benchmark for data‑hungry AI hardware.

I’ll spare you the jargon. Non-volatile flash memory is memory that persists when the power is turned off. It’s the BIOS at the core of your laptop, the flash drive the size of your thumb. As you know, writing to flash drives is slow. What the Chinese have done, is, with new technology, increased the write speed by a factor of 10,000.

Notice the use of “graphene,” by the way, in the design of this product. Graphene is a miraculous and under-used substance — under-used because its use involves great technical difficulties. But the promise is great, as the above report shows. China is not alone in graphene development, but they’re at the head of the pack.

This is an artist’s representation, but accurate. It’s truly two-dimensional:



Yet it’s considered the strongest substance in nature at a molecular scale, with incredible electrical properties. There’s more on its promise here.
China, Pride and the West

My point is not about tech, not primarily. It’s about China. While the U.S. was busy making its rich people richer (when you own the government, you can make it dance to your tune), China was making China great again.

I mean that literally. The history of China is a story of national greatness: the earliest dynasty, the Xia, dates to 2000 BC; the first Empire, the Qin (“chin”), dates to the Roman conquest of Greece. By the end of the 18th century, the Qing (“ching”) dynasty ruled a third of the world’s population; and its country contained earth’s largest economy.

That greatness was followed by a fall: subjugation to the will of the West, primarily Great Britain at first, as discussed in works like Alfred McCoy’s To Govern the Globe, the story of the West’s brutal treatment of, well, everyone else in the world. (Our ongoing discussion of McCoy can be found here.) From the mid-1800s on, China became a client state of the West.

The Chinese are keenly aware of this great embarrassment, this blot on their historical record, and many have argued that this, more than wealth, drives Chinese policy today. You can see Chinese pride, for example, in the current government’s approach to corporate corruption, a striking contrast to our own, where corruption has almost become a fourth branch of the state. (Welsh comments on that briefly here.)



All this is to say that China is technically leaps ahead of the rest, as you may have read in stories about DeepSeek AI or the stunning BYD all-electric cars, whose selling price in China starts around $8,000. In contrast, the cheapest vehicles in the U.S., all gasoline powered, start around $20,000.

China’s Post-Silicon World

A final story, this from a former Intel executive, now CEO of a Chinese ATE company. (ATE means “automatic test equipment,” the chip-test industry.) Here’s Part 3 of his discussion of memory chips (reformatted slightly for clarity):

PART 3: Moore’s Law is dead. China’s not mourning—it’s moving on.

While the West clings to silicon and EUV [extreme ultraviolet lithography, a chip-making technique], Beijing is building a post-silicon future—with light, atoms, and brains.

If you thought atomic memory was scary… wait till you see what’s next.

Thread:
Most people think chip wars are about EUV, 3nm [3 nanometers, the size of a single transistor on a chip], and NVIDIA. That’s yesterday’s game. China’s playing on a different board now: Post-Silicon Computing.

Photonics
Neuromorphic chips
Spintronics
2D [two-dimensional] materials
[2/15]

Why ditch silicon? Because physics won’t play ball anymore.

We hit atomic limits
Heat throttles performance
Quantum effects break transistors
Silicon is choking. Moore’s Law is over.
[3/15]

China saw this early. Instead of racing TSMC [Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited] to 1nm, it’s building alt-tech ecosystems:

Memory from 2D crystals [graphene]
Processors that use light not electrons
AI chips that mimic the human brain
All skirting U.S. sanctions.
[4/15]

Example: Photonic Chips
Light-based logic, no heat, near-infinite bandwidth. Tsinghua + Huawei built photonic tensor cores for AI—10x the speed at 1% power. No EUV. No Intel. No problem.
[5/15]

Example: Neuromorphic Computing
Think chips that think like brains. China’s Tianjic and Darwin chips use spiking neural networks—ideal for edge AI and robotics. Forget GPU farms—this is on-device intelligence.
[6/15]

Example: Spintronics
Using electron spin instead of charge. Fudan and CAS are prototyping memory and logic devices with zero leakage, zero volatility, and atomic scale density.
[7/15]

And it all connects to the memory bomb we dropped in Part 1 & 2:

2D memory = foundation
Photonics/Neuromorphics = compute layer
All built without TSMC, ASML, or Arm

China’s breaking the U.S. tech siege by jumping over it.
[8/15]

Why this matters: The West has bet everything on scaling silicon and squeezing EUV. But China is building a parallel ecosystem, born in national labs, designed for strategic decoupling.
[9/15]

Western analysts dismiss it as “not ready.” That’s what they said about:

Chinese EVs
5G
Solar
Drones

Now those industries are owned by China.
[10/15]

And while the U.S. throws $52B at TSMC Arizona delays, China is:

Publishing thousands of post-silicon papers
Funding 100+ new labs under “863” and “Key R&D” programs
Launching “More than Moore” pilot fabs

This is national strategy, not startup vaporware.
[11/15]

Even Huawei—banned, sanctioned, bleeding—just released AI chips rumored to contain photonic interconnects and 2D SRAM. They didn’t die. They evolved.
[12/15]

Remember this: The U.S. controls the past of computing. Silicon Valley is named after a dying substrate [silicon]. But China may control what comes after—and it won’t be built with silicon.
[13/15]

You don’t need to beat NVIDIA. You just need to make NVIDIA irrelevant. China’s post-silicon roadmap is a bet against the status quo—and it’s accelerating.
[14/15]

Next up (Part 4):
If China controls post-silicon computing, who controls the new standards?
Quantum encryption, chip-to-chip photonics, edge AI models—
The next war isn’t on the chip. It’s on the protocol. #MemoryWars continues.
[15/15]

I really don’t want the focus to be on Trump. He’s not the fire; he’s just an accelerant. The fire is the greed of the rich, their capture of government, and their constant shortsightedness when faced with the gleam of more wealth.

How crass, how tragic, how low, how mean their desires. That we went along, that we fed them, how sad for ourselves.

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/04 ... ation.html

The rich have always owned the US government but the fact that they now flaunt it speaks to the increased degree of that control. Better watch that hubris, you fucking pigs...

*****

Roger Boyd

Geopolitics And Climate Change

China informed South Korea that it cannot export any “dual use” items containing rate earth minerals from China. This is China now playing the US game of stopping third countries from exporting goods containing raw materials/components that were sourced from it.

This is tightening the grip around the throat of US industry, including the Military Industrial Complex. It will of course also hit South Korean exports. China seems more and more bent on an actual decoupling from the US, taking the opportunity that Trump has provided.

The piece below from Hua Bin details the benefits of such a decoupling for China and sarcastically with respect to a US which would be in a much worse position after a decoupling with much of the elite’s “reshoring” and “cheating” discourses to be the BS that they are. A controlled decoupling is always better for China’s strategy of slow US decline, but moving a little faster may be better in “educating” Trump on reality.

https://substack.com/@rogerboyd/note/c- ... ail-digest

******

The case for a complete decoupling between China and the US
Trading between enemies is a bad idea
Hua Bin
Apr 28, 2025

The current Sino-US relationship is not sustainable in the long run. The US won’t give up its global hegemony. China won’t give up developing its economy and national power. US hostility is open and palpable. China is defiant and confident. There is no way to square a peg in the round role here.

A Plaza Accord type of arrangement, when Japan self-castrated, is out of the question. The balance of power between the two, at this point, is such that neither side will back down. Time is on China’s side and the US knows that. So, a delay game is unlikely to sustain.

Decoupling is inevitable. Trump’s tariff war provides both sides the perfect opportunity to unwind economic and trade relationship.

The economic ties between the two countries include –

- $440 billion Chinese goods and services export to the US and $190 billion import from US

- $500 billion US direct investment in China (Apple, Tesla, Starbucks, etc.) with $700 billion annual revenue generated in the Chinese market

- Most large US companies have significant China domestic sales in every industry from GM, Nvidia, Nike, P&G, McDonald’s, Coca-cola, to Citibank.

- Revenue from China sales for US multinationals range from 20% global sales for Apple and Du Pont to 10% for Starbucks and Johnson & Johnson to 6% for Walmart. Many count China as the second largest market after the US.

- Most US MNCs are dependent on Chinese supply chains for both sales in China and outside. Large US retailers like Amazon and Walmart source 60-70% of their merchandise from China

- 10-15% Hollywood global box office is from China, the second largest movie market in the world

- 300,000 Chinese students go to study in the US every year and roughly a million is currently enrolled in US universities. Annual tuition from Chinese students is $12 billion

- $28 billion annual China direct investment in the US, including in manufacturing, real estate and equity market. $80 billion annual revenue for Chinese companies operating in the US; largest Chinese manufacturer in the US is Fuyao Auto Glass in Ohio and Illinois with $448 million annual revenue

- Few Chinese brands count US as a large market. None of the 100 largest Chinese companies (such as PetroChina, Alibaba, Huawei, BYD) derive more than 2% of their revenue from the US.

- China holds $760 billion US Treasury; total Chinese foreign reserve is $3.2 trillion, in a mix of dollar and non-dollar assets

- There is no known US government holding of Chinese assets

- Around 280 Chinese companies are listed in US stock markets with total market cap around $1.1 trillion

A full decoupling would entail the following –

- Severe all trade, including service trade in tech, intellectual property, media and entertainment

- Cleanse supply chains that are dependent on the other side

- Liquidate financial holdings – China sells its US Treasury and other US assets, US delists Chinese companies on US stock exchanges. US could steal Chinese assets as with Russia. China could confiscate US companies’ assets in China in return.

- Expel each other’s businesses operating in the other country

- Stop flow of students and tourism

A full decoupling is good for both countries as –

- Trading with the enemy is risky business for both sides

- Dependency and vulnerability can be exploited when two countries are geared up for a showdown, including a kinetic war

- Severing economic ties remove frictions on one important dimension, negating any further quarrel on unfair trade or one side taking advantage of the other (e.g. Chinese peasants lending money to the Americans to buy stuff made by the same Chinese peasants)

A full decoupling is good for the US -

- Removes China as the economic bogeyman and a distraction from real economic problems in its system like inequality of wealth distribution

- We can find out how successful the US will be to restore trade balance and eliminate deficit with others

- We can find out how successful the US will be to reshore manufacturing and get factory jobs for Americans

- We can find out how the US will improve its inflation and standard of living

- We will find out how successful the US will be to establish alternative supply chains, source critical materials, and develop skilled labor to reindustrialize

Decoupling is also good for China -

- Accelerate the push to achieve technological self-reliance and fireproof its economy

- Reduce risk exposure to US financial assets

- Chinese companies can take over the domestic market share of US companies once they exit from China

- Stimulate domestic consumption and expand trade with others, especially countries not aligned with the US

- Internationalize RMB and accelerate alternative financial ssytems (CIPS vs SWIFT, digital RMB vs. US dollar)

Decoupling is a win-win proposition. With an even playground, let’s find out who will succeed in the ensuing economic and technological competition.

https://huabinoliver.substack.com/p/the ... decoupling

******

Godfree Roberts
Here Comes China

China's Navy is twice the size, half the age and 4x better armed than our 20th century fleet.

China's 100,000 strong missile armory has twice the range and striking power than our sparse, 20th century crap. Why, because the PLA invested billions taming 21st century propellants (N15B) and explosives (CL-20) and we invested zero.

And people wonder why I drink.



https://substack.com/@herecomeschina/no ... ail-digest

[blindpig]

Xi Jinping: China will not slow down its climate actions or reduce its support for international cooperation

In an alarming international context in which the Trump administration has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement and is generally “walking away from global climate action“, China has reiterated its firm commitment to green development and global cooperation to prevent climate breakdown.

The following remarks by President Xi Jinping to the Leaders’ Meeting on Climate and the Just Transition on 23 April 2025 outline China’s vision for advancing global climate governance. Xi notes that, although “global climate governance has gone through winds and rains, green and low-carbon development has eventually become a trend of our times”.

Obviously referencing the United States, he points out that “some major country’s persistent pursuit of unilateralism and protectionism has seriously impacted international rules and the international order”. This presents a significant challenge. Nonetheless, “we will overcome the headwinds and steadily move forward global climate governance and all progressive endeavours of the world”.

China has been implementing a Green Belt and Road Initiative at an impressive pace, and is involved in renewable energy projects with countries throughout the Global South. This will continue. “As a member of the Global South, China will vigorously deepen South-South cooperation and continue to provide help for fellow developing countries to the best of its capability.”

Xi details some of China’s remarkably achievements in environmental sustainability in recent years: “Since I announced China’s goals for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality five years ago, we have built the world’s largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system as well as the largest and most complete new energy industrial chain. China also leads the world in the speed and scale of ‘greening, contributing a quarter of the world’s newly-added area of afforestation.”

He concludes by promising that “China will not slow down its climate actions” and will play its part in the building of a clean, beautiful, and sustainable world.

The text of the speech was first published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China.

Your Excellency Secretary General António Guterres,
Your Excellency President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva,
Colleagues,

It is a great pleasure to join you virtually at the Leaders Meeting on Climate and the Just Transition.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement. Over the past decade, global climate governance has gone through winds and rains, but green and low-carbon development has eventually become a trend of our times. This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. As unprecedented global changes unfold at a faster pace, humanity has come to a new crossroads. Although some major country’s persistent pursuit of unilateralism and protectionism has seriously impacted international rules and the international order, history will, as always, move forward through twists and turns. As long as we enhance confidence, solidarity and cooperation, we will overcome the headwinds and steadily move forward global climate governance and all progressive endeavors of the world. Let me share four points with you in this regard.

First, we must adhere to multilateralism. The more volatile and turbulent the international situation becomes, the greater the need for us to firmly safeguard the U.N.-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law, and firmly safeguard international fairness and justice. The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement are the legal cornerstone of international climate cooperation. It is important for all countries to champion the rule of law, honor commitments, prioritize green and low-carbon development, and jointly respond to the climate crisis through multilateral governance.

Second, we must deepen international cooperation. Solidarity and cooperation are needed more than ever as the world faces multiple, compounded challenges. We should rise above estrangement and conflict with openness and inclusiveness, boost technological innovation and industrial transformation through cooperation, and facilitate the free flow of quality green technologies and products, so that they can be accessible, affordable and beneficial for all countries, especially the developing ones. As a member of the Global South, China will vigorously deepen South-South cooperation and continue to provide help for fellow developing countries to the best of its capability.

Third, we must accelerate the just transition. Clear waters and green mountains are just as valuable as gold and silver. Green transformation is not only the essential way to address climate change, but also a new engine for economic and social development. Such transformation must be people-centered and pursued in a way that advances the well-being of people and climate governance in tandem, and strike a balance between multiple goals including environmental protection, economic growth, job creation, and poverty alleviation. Developed countries are obliged to extend assistance and support to developing countries, help drive the global shift toward green and low-carbon development, and contribute to the common and long-term well-being of people of all countries.

Fourth, we must strengthen results-oriented actions. Instead of talking the talk, we must walk the walk. We must turn our goals into tangible results through systematic policies and concrete measures. All parties should do their utmost to formulate and implement their program of action for nationally determined contributions (NDCs) while coordinating economic development and energy transition. China will announce its 2035 NDCs covering all economic sectors and all greenhouse gases before the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Belém.

Colleagues,

Harmony between man and nature is a defining feature of Chinese modernization. China is a steadfast actor and major contributor in promoting global green development. Since I announced China’s goals for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality five years ago, we have built the world’s largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system as well as the largest and most complete new energy industrial chain. China also leads the world in the speed and scale of “greening,” contributing a quarter of the world’s newly-added area of afforestation.

However the world may change, China will not slow down its climate actions, will not reduce its support for international cooperation, and will not cease its efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind. With the future of humanity and the well-being of our people in mind, let’s earnestly honor the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, do our utmost respectively and collectively, and build a clean, beautiful, and sustainable world together.

Thank you.

https://socialistchina.org/2025/05/01/x ... operation/



Trump-allied anti-communists dance onto British stages

Shen Yun, the dance company associated with the far right, anti-communist Falun Gong cult, staged a number of performances in British cities between January-March 2025. With lavish advertising and staging, the real agenda behind Shen Yun will not be immediately obvious to many who buy tickets or who simply receive the glossy advertising flyers through their letter box. The following article, which arose from discussions among some members of the Friends of Socialist China Britain Committee, aims to start addressing this knowledge deficit by highlighting the true character of Falun Gong.

Some other articles we recommend on this topic include:

Falun Gong leaders disprove immortality by inconveniently dying (Pearls and Irritations)
“Arctic ice is not melting”: Far right newspaper promotes climate disinformation on Meta (Global Witness)
Shen Yun dance company and its secretive parent, Falun Gong, investigated (People’s World)
Shen Yun: The Falun Gong cult’s anti-communist propaganda roadshow (People’s World)

A marketing blitz accompanied the January-March 2025 performances of the Shen Yun (approximately translated as “Divine Rhythm”) dance troupe in various British cities. Some may find Shen Yun’s tagline “China before communism” a little pointed. The line is, in fact, only the soft edge of a highly reactionary political project.

The dance shows purport to represent ancient and especially ‘spiritual’ Chinese culture. Relying on western audiences’ ignorance of such traditions, as well as the vibrant diversity of contemporary Chinese culture, the performances present an ‘orientalised’ spectacle through which to smuggle reactionary messages, and with the proceeds from the shows further funding its owners’ global far-right campaigns. Such campaigns have involved, among other talking points, anti-vaccination and anti-medical science messaging, full-throated support for US President Trump’s MAGA movement, apocalyptic and extra-terrestrial conspiracy theories, and less explicitly but no less perniciously, racist and homophobic views.

Shen Yun Performing Arts is owned and operated by the Falun Gong / Falun Dafa movement, which emerged in the 1990s in the People’s Republic of China. Originally presenting itself as a manifestation of the surge of interest in traditional qigong practices, it quickly revealed its real anti-socialist and obscurantist political agenda, all the while receiving funding from the US Congress-controlled Freedom House, along with similar institutions. Such funding continues to this day, with research finding that

Mark Palmer, one of the National Endowment for Democracy’s (NED’s) founders and Vice Chairman of Freedom House… founded a new government-supported group, Friends of Falun Gong (FoFG). By perusing FoFG’s annual tax filings, one discovers that FoFG has contributed funds to Sounds of Hope Radio, New Tang Dynasty TV, and the Epoch Times—all Falun Gong media outlets. FoFG has also contributed to Dragon Springs (a Falun Gong ‘compound’ that hosts a Falun Gong school and a residency complex) and to Shen Yun…[1]

Falun Gong is one among many such ‘Trojan Horse’ style organisations that western imperialists have supported and continue to support with the goal of destabilising the government of the PRC.[2] The main aim of Palmer’s work and of these bodies is large-scale anti-communist and anti-sovereign destabilisation. The US has a long and proven record of backing religious and ethnic outfits trying to draw regions into conflict and instability – one only has to look at their support for al-Qaeda in Syria and similar ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ power networks in the Caucuses, Xinjiang, northern Africa, the Americas and beyond. This should be and is taken as a real potential threat to stability by those countries that seek to maintain their independence.

Religion is presented as being integral to FLG. As part of its eclectic mish-mash, some Buddhist and Daoist ideas are merged with founder and master Li Hongzhi’s Manichaean apocalypticism, with exhortations of good versus evil featuring heavily within the cult members’ indoctrination. In the 2018 book Falun Gong: Spiritual Warfare and Martyrdom, James R. Lewis writes about how Li deliberately downplays public awareness of the group’s ideas, and obsessively promotes the message of its own persecution, as cover for its own far-right propagandising and organising. This mode of operating is clearly present in Shen Yun shows, where skits about alleged oppression of FLG members are interspersed throughout. For a spiritual group supposedly grounded in compassion and forbearance, there is a surprising amount of hatred to be dished out. Apart from communism, other targets include homosexuality, ethnic mixing, and feminism. No wonder Donald Trump has been described as angelic by its members.

Following increasingly disruptive and explicitly anti-communist organising, the Falun Gong movement was proscribed in the PRC in the late 90s. The movement then sought to build its global media empire from outside China, headquartering (surprise surprise) in the US, with a huge compound in upstate New York.[3] Allegations of systematic labour abuses among Shen Yun dancers have been uncovered and reported on extensively by two New York Times reporters in 2024 who have a background investigating Donald Trump. An escalation of action against Shen Yun has occurred in recent months, with a lawsuit for trafficking and forced labour brought by a former dancer, and an ensuing inquiry by the New York State Department of Labor.

Such contempt for workers is precisely indicative of the kind of ‘China before communism’ FLG wishes to return to: a brutally exploitative, neocolonial system rejected decisively by the Chinese people in 1949. However, the image it seeks to present is of course the complete opposite. It’s as reactionary and incoherent as MAGA itself – with both espousing a return to a fictional historical ‘promised land’, a common trope of fascist ideologies.

In case there is any room for doubt, modern China has no shortage of religious institutions, many of which are supported with public finances. Buddhist monasteries and nunneries continue to practice their faith. China has around 35,000 mosques, which means that Chinese Muslims have a much higher number of mosques per capita than Muslims in the UK or US. Anyone who has ever tuned into Chinese TV channels will see dance routines featuring regularly among the huge amount of cultural output celebrating ancient and modern Chinese traditions, actively promoted by the Communist Party as well as wider society. Chinese president Xi Jinping has, in particular, sought to celebrate and reconnect with traditional culture, tying it directly to the programme of the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” and “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics”:

If there were no 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation, where would the ‘Chinese characteristics’ come from? And if it were not for these Chinese characteristics, how could we have today’s successful path of socialism with Chinese characteristics?[4]

Chinese people enjoy celebrating their past in different ways, too. Han Dynasty-inspired weddings have become a trend in recent decades, for instance, and tourists flock to ancient religious sites. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is alive and well in the PRC, with continuous efforts by researchers to discover the effective parts, rather than refusing modern medicine as Mr Li advocates.

Shen Yun’s claim to represent a ‘lost’ or ‘destroyed’ culture is, therefore, a bizarre lie. In the meantime, it should be regarded as a scandal that such an organisation, with such a reactionary overarching mission, advertises ‘innocently’ all over London’s underground network and in university towns, with its Epoch Times, and on billboards nationally. All progressive people should reject this toxic organisation and unmask it as the far-right cult it is.

[1] James R. Lewis, Junhui Qin, ‘Is Li Hongzhi a CIA Agent? Tracing the Funding Trail Through the Friends of Falun Gong’, Journal of Religion and Violence, Volume 8, Issue 3, 2020, https://www.pdcnet.org/jrv/content/jrv_ ... e_type=pdf

[2] For more on this method of counter-revolution, see William Blum, Rogue State.

[3] The massive Dragon Springs headquarters of FLG has also drawn negative reactions from its neighbours, who allege substantial pollution from the constant building on the site.

[4] Xi Jinping, ‘One year on, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture leads path to national rejuvenation’, Global Times, https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202410/1321209.shtml

https://socialistchina.org/2025/04/29/t ... sh-stages/

'Epoch Times' is an impressive and apparently well financed propaganda outlet. A copy came my way a couple years ago, in volume and layout in was comparable to the New York Times. The politically unaware can easily be gulled by it's 'official' appearance.

[blindpig]

Further Examination of MOFCOM's Statement & China's Intentions
Karl Sanchez
May 07, 2025



In a follow up to last night’s breaking news from China’s MOFCOM (Ministry of Commerce), we have another article placed on Guancha that further parses what was said and what ought to be expected. Its title:

Concern: China will engage with the US with a scrutinist mentality

China and the United States are finally going to talk, and this news has become the top priority in the field of public opinion at home and abroad today. According to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce, Vice Premier He Lifeng will visit Switzerland from May 9 to 12, during which Vice Premier He Lifeng, as the Chinese leader of China-US economic and trade relations, will hold talks with US Secretary of the Treasury Bessant.

It needs to be said that this is a positive sign. The global trade impasse caused by the brazen trade war launched by the United States has been going on for some time, and all parties are suffering losses and injuries, especially the United States itself. China is a veritable force in the world's anti-trade war. Because China has withstood most of Washington's firepower, some countries have been able to "steal peace." It is because China has withstood Washington's almost frenzied tariff attacks that the US top brass has been forced to keep unleashing on adjusting tariff measures without waiting for a phone call, and to take the initiative to send messages to the Chinese side through various channels in the hope of talking with the Chinese side. "Fight, accompany to the end; talks, the door is open," China's position is consistent. It is only when the United States realizes that it is impossible to subdue China through trade blackmail and bullying that it will be more proactive in talking.

Please note the statement of the spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce: China has carefully assessed the information of the US side. After fully considering global expectations, China's interests, and the demands of the U.S. industry and consumers, China decided to agree to engage with the U.S. side. "Engagement" is not negotiation; "engagement" means that the channel is connected first, which is one level lower than negotiation, and the wording is very exquisite, which shows that China's intentions and sincerity towards the US side need to be observed and confirmed, and it needs to "listen to its words and watch its deeds". To a certain extent, it can be said that China's engagement with the US with the mentality of a reviewer is in the hands of the Chinese side as to whether to shift from "engagement" to "negotiation" or to suspend "engagement". China's move is neither compromise nor credulity, but a strategic response to the US initiative. The Chinese side did not lower the bottom line of principles, but took the engagement as an opportunity to observe whether the US side is really sincere in correcting its mistakes.

Some netizens wondered, "Is this a smoke bomb or a delaying tactic by the United States?" In fact, there is no need to overthink that if the US side does not match its words and deeds and tries to continue to exert pressure under the guise of engagement, China has already made it clear that it "will never seek any agreement at the expense of its principled position and international fairness and justice." Regardless of the outcome, this engagement will provide the Chinese side with more information and experience for future games. As we all know, the negotiating table is also an important battleground. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in 1945, in order to expose Chiang Kai-shek's conspiracy of "fake democracy and real civil war", Chairman Mao went to Chongqing in person to negotiate with Chiang Kai-shek. Although the negotiations failed to prevent the civil war, this action demonstrated to the people of the whole country and the world the sincerity of the Chinese Communist Party in striving for peace, exposed the true face of Chiang Kai-shek, and won the moral high ground for the subsequent struggle.

There are similarities in this economic and trade engagement between China and the United States. Even if the US side lacks the sincerity to negotiate on an equal footing, China can further reveal its true intentions to the international community through contacts. As the spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce said, "China's determination to safeguard its own development interests will not change, and its position and goal of safeguarding international fairness and justice and safeguarding the international economic and trade order will not change."

During the arduous years of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, China and the United States "fought and talked, talked and fought" on the battlefield, and negotiations and operations complemented each other. The heroic performance of the volunteers on the battlefield portrayed the prestige of the country and the army and won a favorable position for the game at the negotiation table. The current economic and trade game between China and the United States also requires a combination of strength on the battlefield and wisdom at the negotiating table.

In the face of tariff wars and trade wars under maximum pressure from the United States, China's economy has shown unimaginable resilience and strength. Since 2018, China has withstood the pressure, steadily promoted high-quality development, made remarkable progress in scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance, and continued to enhance the stability of industrial and supply chains. These achievements prove that US unilateralism will not work in the face of China. Behind this engagement is China's self-confidence in firmly following its own development path. No matter what the US side does, China will be able to respond to all changes without change, handle its own affairs well, and lay a solid foundation for engagement and games. [My Emphasis]

I note the Covid Year wasn’t included since its actual root has yet to be discovered, but some version of a Trade War with China’s been in the Outlaw US Empire’s policy mix since the Obama regime, although the inane aspect of its policy was to continue to strengthen China via continual offshoring of industry while trying to negate the outcomes of that policy which was and is a stronger China. What IMO needs to be acknowledged is China’s ability to see and comprehend the Empire’s policy aims and to craft a policy that would use the Empire’s efforts to China’s advantage. I’m also curious to see if the US side takes advantage of this open information provided by China on its position, which is uncannily similar to Russia providing its basic negotiating position on Ukraine that by its actions Team Trump never bothered reading. IMO, there’s a very strong possibility Bessant will prove an ass and bungle the engagement. And China’s position is very public as you’re reading it here.

I linked to this video interview by Bloomberg TV with Port of Los Angeles Director Gene Seroka who explained the impact on his and other US ports, consumer pricing, and how this affects the ordering schedule for retailers along with other business effects, and I link to it again because it provides info all readers ought to be aware of. What isn’t said by Seroka and other US commentators is China businesses have other outlets for their goods—there are many more market opportunities than the US market beginning with the Chinese market with its one billion people—over three times the US market size. The US was once the market of last resort which fueled the indispensable nation myth, but that’s no longer the case. Outside the close to four billion people composed of China, India, and the Collective West is another four billion that are rising in their economic power and market importance. About one billion are already well connected to China via RCEP and ASEAN. As Team Biden discovered in 2021 when it was lectured by their Chinese opposites in Alaska, the Outlaw US Empire no longer has any position of strength in relation to China. That if China is disrespected, it will get up and leave the table.

https://karlof1.substack.com/p/further- ... -statement

*******

IMEC interrupted: The resistance that's buying Beijing time

As Tel Aviv and Washington redraw the region’s economic map, China quietly benefits from the resistance’s disruption of rival US-led trade corridors and maritime control.


Abbas Al-Zein

MAY 7, 2025


Photo Credit: The Cradle

The war on Gaza has revealed a profound contradiction between China’s strategic interests in West Asia and the gains pursued by Israel, backed by the US. While Beijing works to safeguard its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Washington and Tel Aviv are actively reshaping the region to marginalize Chinese influence politically, economically, and logistically.

At the center of this tug-of-war is the Indo-Middle East-European Economic Corridor (IMEC), announced during the 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi. With India, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the UAE, and key European states on board, IMEC aims to bypass traditional Chinese trade routes – linking India to Europe via West Asia. The occupation state’s port of Haifa is a cornerstone of this project.

Gaza: Gateway to a geopolitical showdown

Tel Aviv’s bid to impose full control over Gaza – just kilometers from the corridor’s route – is not merely a military objective, but a prerequisite for securing this western-aligned trade pipeline. According to The Diplomat, the war on Gaza has already “destroyed IMEC before it began,” while a Carnegie report notes the corridor's viability is in limbo following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and the pause in Saudi–Israeli normalization.

A subdued Gaza would offer Israel economic leverage, regional integration, and a new geopolitical function, undermining China’s central position in global trade. But as long as the resistance holds out in Gaza and southern Lebanon, the corridor remains vulnerable, thereby buying Beijing time to reinforce its own strategic alternatives.

In this context, Palestinian and regional resistance inadvertently serve Chinese interests by keeping Israel’s infrastructure under threat and delaying US-led integration projects. Haifa and other Israeli ports face persistent insecurity, deterring investors and complicating long-term infrastructure planning.

Unlike Washington and Tel Aviv, Beijing benefits from a multipolar delay – and the survival of the resistance tilts the regional balance in its favor.

China’s quiet gains from the resistance

Even though China is not a direct party to the war, the erosion of Palestinian resistance would bolster competing western-aligned networks and shrink Beijing’s maneuvering space. Maintaining a state of indecisiveness in the Gaza and Lebanon theaters offers China valuable time to fortify its BRI assets through safer corridors.

A parallel front in this confrontation is unfolding in the Red Sea. US and Israeli military activity near Bab al-Mandab signals an effort to monopolize control of this strategic chokepoint. While these operations are framed as countering “threats to navigation,” they are, in fact, designed to consolidate western dominance over a key global trade artery.

China, which set up its first overseas naval base in Djibouti in 2017 to protect its BRI sea lanes, views this militarization as a direct challenge. According to the Defense Post, the US aims to “counter China’s growing influence in the region,” citing Sino–Russian–Iranian joint naval drills and Chinese surveillance support to allied vessels.

In April, the US accused China’s Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. of providing satellite imagery to Yemen’s Ansarallah-aligned armed forces to help target American and allied naval assets in the Red Sea. While the company denied the claim as “malicious slander,” Washington sees it as evidence that Beijing is leveraging private firms to wage a proxy intelligence war.

This arrangement allows China to preserve plausible deniability while benefiting from disruptions to US maritime operations. Beijing’s refusal to condemn Yemeni strikes and its insistence on ending the war on Gaza as a condition for regional stability aligns with its broader strategy of avoiding direct confrontation while undercutting American control.

According to the Israeli National Security Institute, China is “ready to bear the economic damage caused by the crisis” in the Red Sea, in exchange for not taking a position consistent with Israeli–American goals.

Iran, sanctions, and energy pressure points

Iran, China’s closest partner in the region, plays an equally pivotal role. Nearly 50 percent of China’s oil imports come from West Asia, and Iran supplies a significant share at preferential prices – a relationship shaped by sanctions and strategic necessity. For Beijing, this energy corridor is essential for hedging against US market manipulation and securing autonomy in energy pricing.

However, Washington has made Iran a central target of its containment strategy. From nuclear deal sabotage to proxy pressure and economic strangulation, US policy seeks to isolate Tehran and force its partners – especially China – into new dependencies. On 1 May, US President Donald Trump announced the imposition of secondary sanctions on any entity that buys oil or petrochemical products from the Islamic Republic.

This escalation is designed to hit China where it hurts. By weakening Tehran’s export capacity, Washington limits Beijing’s options and forces it into greater reliance on Persian Gulf states aligned with the US. China’s goal to de-Americanize energy flows is thereby undermined, and its long-term vision for economic sovereignty is put at risk.

In this light, Israel’s role in regional destabilization – including through fostering sectarianism in Syria and cyber operations targeting Iranian infrastructure – serves US objectives by making Iran a less reliable node in China’s BRI network.

Strategic decoupling or direct collision?

The broader implication of all these trends is that West Asia is no longer a background theater in US–China rivalry – it is the front line. The US is not retreating from the region to pivot toward East Asia. Instead, it is weaponizing West Asia itself in order to corner China globally. Projects like IMEC, naval patrols in the Red Sea, and anti-Iranian sanctions are all extensions of this strategic logic.

Meanwhile, China continues to walk a diplomatic tightrope – maintaining neutrality, avoiding military engagement, and calling vaguely for de-escalation. But the gap between its economic interests and political posture is becoming unsustainable. As Israel pushes to militarily secure a trade regime designed to displace the BRI, Beijing must decide whether its passive posture can hold – or whether it will be compelled to defend its interests more assertively.

A delicate balance tilted by the resistance

Despite the mounting pressure, resistance forces across West Asia continue to play an outsized role in shaping this geopolitical battlefield. From Gaza to Lebanon, from Iraq to Yemen, their ability to impose insecurity on rival infrastructure – whether airports, pipelines, or maritime lanes – creates friction that benefits China without requiring Beijing to act directly.

Sanaa’s hypersonic ballistic missiles, the remnants of Hezbollah’s arsenal, or potential cross-border strikes by the Iraqi resistance, all contribute to an environment where American designs struggle to stabilize. Crucially, these actors have refrained from targeting Chinese interests, reinforcing Beijing’s image as a neutral trade partner rather than a military hegemon.

This equilibrium – where resistance keeps the region unstable enough to delay US integration projects, but not so chaotic as to damage Chinese investments – has so far worked in Beijing’s favor. But as Israel seeks to expand its role as a western economic hub, and as US sanctions aim to cut China off from alternative energy sources, the margin for Chinese inaction is narrowing.

https://thecradle.co/articles/imec-inte ... ijing-time

******



China helps Cuba fight blackouts, strengthen power grid

Cuba may slowly ease its crippling blackouts and strengthen its electricity grid as it begins building seven solar parks with the first batch of equipment from China.

The Chinese aid will help Cuba’s plan to build 92 solar installations by 2028, adding about 2,000 megawatts to the island’s power grid and help reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports. Once completed, the project will significantly boost Cuba’s strained power system, which currently has a capacity of 7,264 MW.

According to Maribel Aponte-Garcia, an economist and professor at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, the solar parks will also contribute to Cuba’s logistical and financial sovereignty by strengthening the country’s logistics capacity in the Greater Caribbean. For example, the Port of Mariel has the potential to be connected into logistics corridors in the China-Russia-Latin America axis, which can help avoid United States-controlled transit points such as the Panama Canal.

“Cuba is much more than an island with an energy crisis. It’s a critical logistics node in the Greater Caribbean, with direct access to maritime routes that connect the Atlantic with the Gulf of Mexico, Central America and South America.”

China, a major global exporter of solar panels, has emerged as a “comrade and brother” to Cuba, reaffirming its commitment to supporting the island’s energy transition, said Ruvislei Gonzalez Saez, a professor at Cuba’s Centre of Research for International Policy.

“Chinese cooperation in installing solar parks is extremely strategic, particularly in the energy sector,” he noted. In 2018, Cuba formally joined the Belt and Road Initiative, and three years later it joined the Belt and Road Energy Partnership, which aims to boost multinational energy cooperation.

The following article was originally published by China Daily.

Cuba may slowly ease its crippling blackouts and strengthen the electricity grid as it begins building seven solar parks with the first batch of equipment from China.

The Chinese aid helps Cuba’s plan to build 92 solar installations by 2028, adding about 2,000 megawatts to the island’s power grid and help reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports. Once completed, the project would significantly boost Cuba’s strained power system, which currently has a capacity of 7,264 MW.

Installation work is set to begin soon in Artemisa, about 50 kilometers west of Havana, where the equipment arrived late last month. Additional solar parks are planned for the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Las Tunas, Holguin, Granma and Guantanamo. More materials from China are expected in the coming months.

“Chinese investment in solar energy in Cuba is a joint commitment to energy sovereignty, South-South cooperation, and the multipolar reconfiguration of global trade and logistics,” said Maribel Aponte-Garcia, an economist and professor at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus.

The solar parks will also contribute to Cuba’s logistical and financial sovereignty by strengthening the country’s logistics capacity in the Greater Caribbean, she said.

For example, the Port of Mariel has the potential to be connected into logistics corridors in the China-Russia-Latin America axis, which can help avoid United States-controlled transit points such as the Panama Canal.

“Cuba is much more than an island with an energy crisis,” Aponte-Garcia said. “It’s a critical logistics node in the Greater Caribbean, with direct access to maritime routes that connect the Atlantic with the Gulf of Mexico, Central America and South America.”

Over time, the solar park could become a key component of an emerging South-South architecture, in which renewable energy powers technological platforms, ports and autonomous corridors, she added.

China, a major global exporter of solar panels, has emerged as a “comrade and brother” to Cuba, reaffirming its commitment to supporting the island’s energy transition, said Ruvislei Gonzalez Saez, a professor at Cuba’s Center of Research for International Policy.

Last year, China exported enough solar panels globally to generate 235.93 gigawatts of power, up 13 percent year-on-year, according to US renewables research firm InfoLink Consulting.

Gonzalez emphasized the significance of Chinese cooperation in advancing Cuba’s renewable energy sector.

“Chinese cooperation in installing solar parks is extremely strategic, particularly in the energy sector,” he said, adding the effects are not only political and economic but also show how it can improve the quality of life for Cubans.

Aponte-Garcia said China has long been an active partner of Cuba in terms of trade and investment, with participation in projects such as the Mariel Special Development Zone and the energy sector.

In 2018, Cuba formally joined the Belt and Road Initiative, and three years later it joined the Belt and Road Energy Partnership, which aims to boost multinational energy cooperation.

Beijing and Havana have signed several construction and energy deals aimed at supporting cooperation between China and Latin America.

Beyond energy coordination, China also continues to invest in projects linked to the production of medicines, biotechnology and agriculture, Gonzalez said.

Cuba joined the BRICS+ grouping as a partner state, which could drive integration with the bloc. BRICS+ is an intergovernmental organization that includes Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa, along with a growing number of countries such as the United Arab Emirates.

Further, an increased presence of Chinese investments in Cuba is expected, though the US blockade against Cuba “can make some economic-financial operations and processes difficult”, Gonzalez said.

https://socialistchina.org/2025/05/04/c ... ower-grid/



CPC representative: China and Sri Lanka have worked shoulder to shoulder, showing the world how our countries can thrive together

Tens of thousands of people gathered in the iconic Galle Face area of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo this May Day in a massive show of support for the new government of the National People’s Power (NPP) grouping, whose core is the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP – People’s Liberation Front), the country’s largest Marxist party.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and other party leaders were joined by representatives of the Communist Party of China, the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Addressing the rally, Peng Xiubin, Bureau Director General of the Communist Party of China’s International Department (IDCPC) said: “Six decades ago, your hands built the JVP. Over the years, you have kept fighting, making the JVP stronger and stronger, forming the National People’s Power. Eventually, last September, you won the presidential election, a new milestone in the history of Sri Lanka.

“Sri Lanka is China’s good neighbour, trusted brother, reliable partner. For 68 years of our diplomatic ties, we have worked hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, showing the world how our countries can thrive together. Now, with the JVP leading Sri Lanka, new opportunities arise for China-Sri Lanka ties.”

JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva said he hoped cooperation with China would help address rural poverty. “China has done tremendous work in this area and we want to get their expertise.”

State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) Binoy Viswam said that at last year’s May Day rally, Dissanayake predicted that “the next year when we celebrate the May Day, it will be a victorious May Day for the people and the workers of the Sri Lankan country. That day has come.”

AR Sindhu, Central Committee member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM) said: “We proudly tell the people that, yes, Kerala [where the CPIM leads the state government] will follow the Sri Lankan way. Not only Kerala, the entire India will be following the Sri Lankan way.”

A short clip of the rally may be seen here. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJHfSKcP ... g3YQ%3D%3D

Other political parties in Sri Lanka also held May Day rallies, including the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Communist Party of Sri Lanka and Frontline Socialist Party.

Following May Day, President Dissanayake paid a state visit to Vietnam, May 4-6.

The following articles were first published by the Press Trust of India (PTI) and Singapore’s Channel NewsAsia (CNA).

Communist parties of India, China represented at Lanka’s ruling dispensation’s May Day rally

The Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of China were both represented at the May Day rally held here by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s NPP on Thursday.

This is the first May Day celebration by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the mother party in the National People’s Power (NPP) broader front, after it came to power.

The party, founded in 1965, had led two rebellions to topple governments through armed revolution in the early 70s and late 80s.

Binoy Viswam of the Communist Party of India (CPI) pointed out how at last year’s May Day rally, Dissanayake predicted that “the next year when we celebrate the May Day, it will be a victorious May Day for the people and the workers of the Sri Lankan country. That day has come”.

Viswam said there were claims in the past that there is no alternative to capitalist system and that there is only one way, and that way is the way of the Americans, the way of the spoilers, the way of the capitalists.

“They said that’s the only way, no other alternative. They were wrong comrades, and we are right. Because we have proven that there is an alternative, and Sri Lanka has shown that way,” he said, praising the JVP government.

Peng Xiubin, Director General, Bureau of South and South East Asia Affairs of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said, “Six decades ago, your hands built the JVP. Over the years, you have kept fighting, making the JVP stronger and stronger, forming the national people’s power. Eventually, last September, you won the presidential election, a new milestone in the history of Sri Lanka”.

“Sri Lanka is China’s good neighbour, trusted brother, reliable partner. For 68 years of our diplomatic ties, we have worked hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, showing the world how our countries can thrive together. Now, with the JVP leading Sri Lanka, new opportunities arise for China-Sri Lanka ties,” he said.

Dissanayake also spoke on the occasion.

[Sri Lanka vows closer ties with China and India’s left

Sri Lanka’s government pledged closer ties on Thursday (May 1) with Communist parties in China and India, two regional powers competing for influence in the small but strategically important nation.

The leftist government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake held its first May Day rally with special guests from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Communist parties in India.

CCP official Peng Xiubin told the mass rally in Colombo that his party had been working closely with Dissanayake’s JVP, or People’s Liberation Front.

“We will make China–Sri Lanka relations even stronger,” the Chinese official said.

JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva said he hoped cooperation with China would help address rural poverty.

“China has done tremendous work in this area and we want to get their expertise,” Silva said.

AR Sindhu, a Central Committee member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which governs India’s southern Kerala state, said they were drawing inspiration from the JVP’s rapid rise to power.

“We proudly tell the people that, yes, Kerala will follow the Sri Lankan way. Not only Kerala, the entire India will be following the Sri Lankan way,” Sindhu said.

The JVP, which held just three seats in the previous parliament, went on to win 159 – just over two-thirds – in the 225-member assembly at the November elections.

With the leftist Dissanayake in office, New Delhi has been concerned about Beijing’s growing influence in Sri Lanka, which India considers to be within its sphere of geopolitical influence.

Sri Lanka lies just south of India and is located at a halfway point along the main east-west international shipping lane, making it a strategic location in the Indian Ocean.

Dissanayake has been trying to balance relations with the two regional superpowers.

His first overseas visit was to India after coming to power following the September presidential election.

He then travelled to China, which is also the island’s largest single lender.

Beijing was the first to restructure its loans to Sri Lanka after the country declared a sovereign default in April 2022, following an acute shortage of foreign exchange that triggered an unprecedented economic meltdown.

India extended credit lines to help salvage the Sri Lankan economy after it declared bankruptcy three years ago.

https://socialistchina.org/2025/05/07/c ... -together/

[blindpig]

Results of Geneva Trade Talks
Karl Sanchez
May 12, 2025

Here’s the Joint Statement on China-U.S. Economic and Trade Meeting in Geneva:

The Government of the People's Republic of China ("China") and the Government of the United States of America (the "United States"),

Recognizing the importance of their bilateral economic and trade relationship to both countries and the global economy;

Recognizing the importance of a sustainable, long-term, and mutually beneficial economic and trade relationship;

Reflecting on their recent discussions and believing that continued discussions have the potential to address the concerns of each side in their economic and trade relationship; and

Moving forward in the spirit of mutual opening, continued communication, cooperation, and mutual respect;

The Parties commit to take the following actions by May 14, 2025:

The United States will (i) modify the application of the additional ad valorem rate of duty on articles of China (including articles of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macau Special Administrative Region) set forth in Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025, by suspending 24 percentage points of that rate for an initial period of 90 days, while retaining the remaining ad valorem rate of 10 percent on those articles pursuant to the terms of said Order; and (ii) removing the modified additional ad valorem rates of duty on those articles imposed by Executive Order 14259 of April 8, 2025 and Executive Order 14266 of April 9, 2025.

China will (i) modify accordingly the application of the additional ad valorem rate of duty on articles of the United States set forth in Announcement of the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council No. 4 of 2025, by suspending 24 percentage points of that rate for an initial period of 90 days, while retaining the remaining additional ad valorem rate of 10 percent on those articles, and removing the modified additional ad valorem rates of duty on those articles imposed by Announcement of the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council No. 5 of 2025 and Announcement of the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council No. 6 of 2025; and (ii) adopt all necessary administrative measures to suspend or remove the non-tariff countermeasures taken against the United States since April 2, 2025.

After taking the aforementioned actions, the Parties will establish a mechanism to continue discussions about economic and trade relations. The representative from the Chinese side for these discussions will be He Lifeng, Vice Premier of the State Council, and the representatives from the U.S. side will be Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury, and Jamieson Greer, United States Trade Representative. These discussions may be conducted alternately in China and the United States, or a third country upon agreement of the Parties. As required, the two sides may conduct working-level consultations on relevant economic and trade issues. [My Emphasis]

A reduction in tax rates but not an elimination of the tariffs. A good first step and much better than no reductions. The top headline at Guancha: “The results of the China-US economic and trade talks have far exceeded expectations and are a very good starting point.” Financial market players clearly liked the news with rallies happening almost universally. However, “Analysts believe that the trade issue between China and the United States should not be expected to be easily resolved, but the consensus reached between China and the United States has eased trade tensions and created a good starting point for follow-up engagement.” The following observation is key:

While the market reaction was positive, some analysts warned that this was only a temporary result, and that the two sides had not yet found a solution to the differences and frictions in the Sino-US economic and trade relationship. However, analysts also believe that the economic and trade talks in Geneva have created a good starting point for subsequent engagements….

While the situation is no longer as bad as people think, that doesn't mean it's back to before Trump took office, with a 90-day moratorium, and the 10% "base tariff" announced by the United States still in place, "There is still a great deal of uncertainty about how these tariffs will be resolved, and their impact on world economic growth and central bank policy." [My Emphasis]

The Trade War’s intensity was diminished but there clearly is no end that can yet be seen as Bessent said in a press conference. Goods entering the Outlaw US Empire from most of the world will still cost more fueling inflation and lowering living standards. From what we now see with the massive gash being applied to medicare in Trump’s budget proposal so Trump can give the Billionaires more billions, the Class War continues and will only further make Americans More Angry. This move by Trump is essentially a replay of what he tried in 2017 and Congress rejected. None of what Trump’s done has halted the Empire’s decline and many who know say he’s pushed it further to the brink.

https://karlof1.substack.com/p/results- ... rade-talks