Friday, January 27, 2017

Trump Blows it with China

As many of you know, I live in China. I read the Chinese news every day. I speak to nationalistic Chinese. I speak to [Communist] Party Members. The TPP was a shot against "over the bow" of China who (perhaps rightfully) is seeking dominance in many areas, especially in the pacific region. The TPP excluded China, and this pissed China off and directly threatened their dominance in trade. They have tried to come up with alternative arrangements to compete with the TPP. Yes, it was a trade deal, and "trade deals" have gotten a bad, and partly undeserved, partly deserved, reputation. But this deal was very different, especially as it gave the USA some added leverage over China.