Category China A Clear and Present Danger

Apr 2 2023

Col Macgregor on the Neocons


Armstrong Economics Blog/Neocons Re-Posted Apr 2, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

Mar 28 2023

Tik Tok v WEF


Armstrong Economics Blog/WEF Re-Posted Mar 27, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

A lot of people have bought into the idea that Tik Tok should be banned because a Chinese guy started it. The argument seems to center on the idea that China can be tapping into everyone’s phone and somehow influence them against the government I suppose. While I find this a very ironic position when in fact the US does that and every APP the government has a backdoor. They are even arresting people based on APPs that tell them where people are right now.

But all that aside. There is an organization that is foreign and not American that is DELIBERATELY dividing the country and seeking to indoctrinate the next generation with their FOREIGN philosophy. It is Klaus Schwab and his World Economic Forum. This is FAR MORE dangerous than Tik Tok and it is INTENTIONALLY doing what the conspiracy theories about Tik Tok are claiming.

How About Banning All American Universities from being Subordinated to the World Economic Forum

Mar 27 2023

China – US – Claimed Territory – One China Policy


Armstrong Economics Blog/China Re-Posted Mar 26, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION:  China’s claimed territory??? So China can claim the entire Pacific as their territory and that means we can’t enter the Pacific???

DF

ANSWER: Whatever China claims is really irrelevant. Up until recently, we did not push the limits and China did not expand its claims. We all agreed to disagree but took no action. In this case, Beijing’s claim of its territorial waters in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands does not comply with international law.

Nevertheless, the real question is what has changed? You can support war all you want, but remember, this time it will be different. The Neocons are smart. Wrap whatever they do in the American flag and people will die for their claims as well. Wars are created by the elites, not the common people. We also need to examine who is doing what for whatever you thought you were creating for your future and that of your family will exist no more. Everything is changing.

You must understand the language of diplomacy. It may seem irrelevant but it is very critical. The point is that we seem to be deliberately provoking confrontation which is strange and we are abandoning the statement on the One China Policy which has actually protected Taiwan. Before the Neocons seized the White House, there was the agreement of a One China Policy, which tentatively accepted their territorial view of China despite appearing to be more nuanced and fiction rather than substantive.

I know international politics can be very confusing for people unaware that it is all about WORDSMITHING! Words matter and lives depend on those words. Back in January 2017, Rex Tillerson, who was Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to Taiwan, based on the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and the Six Assurances, at his Senate confirmation hearing. He also indicated that he is not aware of “any plans to alter” the U.S. “one China” policy.

Back in 1979, that is when the United States moved to recognize the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and de-recognize the Republic of China (ROC) (Taiwan). What the United States stated at that time was that the government of the People’s Republic of China was “the sole legal Government of China.” The use of the word “sole” meant that the PRC was and is only China. In those words, there was no consideration of the ROC (Taiwan) as a separate sovereign entity.

Now, against that statement on the surface, the United States did not yield to the Chinese demand that it recognize Chinese Sovereignty over Taiwan. The word “Taiwan” became the name preferred by the United States in the aftermath of the de-recognization of the ROC. So they no longer called it the Republic of China but switched to Taiwan.

This wordsmithing satisfied China and removed the threat of invasion of the ROC. Washington thereby acknowledged the Chinese position that Taiwan was part of China. For geopolitical reasons, both the United States and the PRC were willing to go forward with diplomatic recognition despite their differences on this matter. It became the wordsmithing compromise.

When China attempted to change the Chinese text from the original acknowledge to recognize, the Deputy Secretary of State at the time was  Warren Christopher who testified before the  Senate:

“[W]e regard the English text as being the binding text. We regard the word ‘acknowledge’ as being the word that is determinative for the U.S.”

That was all followed by a U.S.-China Communique on August 17th, 1982. It was there that the United States stated that it had no intention of pursuing a policy of “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan.” This is how diplomacy is carried out. I have to do the same in advising governments economically because it always hangs on a single word.

To this day, the U.S. “one China” position has stood until the Neocons have seized the Biden White House. stands: the United States recognizes the PRC as the sole legal government of China but only acknowledges the Chinese position that Taiwan is part of China. Thus, the United States maintains formal relations with the PRC and has unofficial relations with Taiwan. The “one China” policy has subsequently been reaffirmed by every new incoming U.S. administration. The existence of this understanding has enabled the preservation of stability in the Taiwan Strait, allowing both Taiwan and mainland China to pursue their extraordinary political and socioeconomic transitions in relative peace.

The Washington Post wrote:

“The one-China policy is only a symbol of the long-standing, tacit agreement between the two countries to leave the Taiwan question unresolved. It’s a policy worth saving, if possible. But it’s not an agreement the United States can uphold alone. Right now, the one-China policy looks fragile, but it’s Xi — not Biden — who will decide whether the policy and the peace it preserves will survive.”

Because we have now put Taiwan in the face of China with politicians flying there for support, we have guaranteed that China must NOW take Taiwan. The One China Policy has been tiorn up and that means lives must now be lost and the future will never be the same from here on out. The question is WHY?

Blinken is a Neocon. In diplomacy, you DO NOT threaten China publicly. You do that in private phone calls and meetings. When you do that publicly, you are effectively insuring that they then MUST take action or they will appear to be weak. What is Putin said publicly the US must stop sending weapons to Ukraine, and Biden then says, gee, we will stop sending weapons to Ukraine. The American people will call him a puppet of Putin.

The is a HUGE difference in diplomacy between public and private. The fact that Biden has done everything publicly is a slap in the face to china and ensures that they must now confront the USA. This is all being orchestrated and it will be Americans who die for these deliberate acts of the Neocons who have created every war since Vietnam. I seriously doubt that Biden is even aware of who is now running our Foreign Policy. They just want ware and will get it.

The Neocons have no problem sacrificing your children on their altar of geopolitical power. Peace – is no longer an option. Open your eyes. This is intentional – not stupidity!

Mar 15 2023

Russia Shoots Down US Drone, Escalating Fears of Hot War. Plus, David Sacks Argues SVB “Bailouts” Averted Financial Meltdown | SYSTEM UPDATE #55


By Glenn Greenwald Posted Originally on Rumble on Mar 14, 7:04 pm EDT

Mar 13 2023

The West Threatens China for Conspiring with Moscow


Armstrong Economics Blog/War Re-Posted Mar 13, 2023 by Martin Armstrong

China has maintained neutrality throughout the 13-month conflict between Russia and Ukraine/the West. Yet, Western powers continue to threaten China and allege they are conspiring to send aid to Russia. The heightened attacks on China make one question if Western powers are deliberately instigating a fight. CIA Director William Burns said he is “confident” China is CONSPIRING to send military aid to Russia, although there is no evidence of “actual shipments of lethal equipment.”

White House National Security Advisor and Neocon Jake Sullivan has had harsh words for China in recent appearances. Sullivan boldly stated that aiding Russia would be “a bad mistake” for China, and that the US plans to send China “a strong message.” Again, China has done nothing wrong. There is no evidence of China supplying aid to Russia, and even if they did, that is not a crime, as Ukraine is not a NATO member.

(Imagine above: William Burns, right, at the Kremlin in 2005 with Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, whom he describes as 'an apostle of payback' © Reuters)

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told the US that China would not heed to coercion. “On the Ukraine issue, China has been actively promoting peace talks and promoting the political settlement of the crisis. The US is in no position to point fingers at China-Russia relations. We do not accept coercion or pressure from the US,” Mao said. China will not support the West’s proxy war with Russia, but it seems that they are insisting China proves its innocence by ostracizing Russia.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang expressed outrage over sanctions placed on China for merely conspiring (i.e., no crime was committed) with Moscow. “[China] has not provided weapons to either side of the conflict. Why on earth are there blame and sanctions on China? This is absolutely unacceptable,” Qin said. “There seems to be an invisible hand pushing for the protraction and escalation of the conflict. Ukraine crisis is a tragedy that could have been avoided.”

This conflict could have been completely avoided had the Minsk Agreements been based on good faith. The war is a deliberate plot to usher in a new world order to eliminate energy-rich Russia from the global economy. The Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany estimated that $152.7 billion was provided to Ukraine as of January 15. The US has sent more aid than any other country but accuses its top trading partner of flaming the fires of international war. This is why there are no true diplomatic discussions with the current failing crop of politicians. The current agenda is to demonize Beijing as they did with Moscow to force it out of neutrality.

Mar 11 2023

Week in Review: Bipartisan Populists Unite Against War in Syria, China Brokers Historic Iran/Saudi Arabia Peace, & More, w/ Michael Tracey | SYSTEM UPDATE #53


By Glenn Greenwald Posted originally on Rumble on: March 8, 2023 at 7:01 pm EST

Mar 7 2023

Manufacturing Indexes Continue Downward Trend as Consumers Leery of Big-Ticket Purchases


Posted originally on the CTH on March 6, 2023 | Sundance

Coming out of the pandemic related disruption, the larger story of U.S. manufacturing has been an odd blend of good data and bad data depending on the sector.  While some manufacturing was growing as a result of clearing supply chains, other sectors of manufacturing remained soft.

In total, the full supply chain rebound should have completed around the end of the third quarter, beginning of the fourth quarter of 2022.

However, simultaneous with the correction within the supply chain(s), consumer purchase activity began contracting.

The consumer pullback led to very weak holiday sales last year, and a combination of increased inventories of finished goods.

Keep in mind that Maersk overseas shipping noted significant drops in orders for the movement of material in the third quarter of last year.  Considering the lag, the previously noted inventory buildup in combination with the drops in unit sales of durable goods, would generally mean lower manufacturing purchase order activity Q4 (’22) and Q1 (’23).   This reality is reflected in the actual data as reported by The Wall Street Journal:

(Via WSJ) – […] New orders for manufactured goods contracted for the sixth straight month through February, according to surveys by the Institute for Supply Management. Manufacturing output is down 1.7% from its postpandemic peak in May 2022, according to a three-month moving average of Federal Reserve data. And the Commerce Department’s measure of civilian capital equipment orders, excluding aircraft—the building blocks of business—was down 3.4% in January from its recent high in November 2021, after adjusting for inflation.

[…] Production of appliances, furniture and carpeting was down almost 15% in January from the previous year, according to the Fed. That coincides with sales of previously owned homes falling for 12 straight months. Consumers often buy furnishings after they move.

Production of steel, iron and other primary metals was down 3.6% and machinery production fell by 1.8%. Output of plastics, food, beverage and tobacco products, and computers and electronics, also fell during that period.

[…] Business inventories swelled in the fourth quarter of last year, when consumer spending cooled. The ratio of inventories to sales for durable goods was higher in November and December than at any point since 2009, with the exception of April and May 2020, when pandemic-related lockdowns froze commerce.

Pat Weiler, chief executive of paving-equipment maker Weiler, said inventory levels are up more than 50% over the last two years. (read more)

Unfortunately, the U.S. doesn’t really manufacture much any longer.  Manufacturing only accounts for around 11% of GDP.  However, if purchase orders for inbound component goods are down for six straight months, we can generally infer the absence of downstream consumer demand.

I fully expected a recession statistic in the fourth quarter last year and was quite surprised we didn’t see one.  The scale in the drop of imports was statistically the majority reason for the outcome.  Imports are a deduction to GDP.  However, that said, there is nothing visible in the consumer purchasing side to indicate why durable good manufacturing is even as strong as it is.

We are in a very weird economic environment that is not helped by the financial punditry pretending that things are going swimmingly.

Feb 28 2023

Shooting Down the Chinese Spy Balloon


Watch the spy balloon get shot down by two American Jets on February 4, 2023