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Behind the Panda Mask, President Trump’s
Trade Strategy with China is Crushing Beijing

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Posted By: earlybird, 5/10/2025 3:45:58 PM

President Donald Trump is confronting the dragon behind the panda mask with precision. It’s very obvious the prior reconnaissance, trade probes and tariff tests of ’17, ’18, ’19, are paying dividends. President Trump has cut off the transnational shipping lanes by globalizing the tariffs against China. Beijing is in a forced holding pattern waiting to see the outcome of Southeast Asia and European trade agreements. Having spent some serious time in the field in advance of ‘Liberty Day’ all of my contacts have the same message; China is trying to find position.

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Reply 1 - Posted by: jeffkinnh 5/10/2025 4:47:41 PM (No. 1948106)
It sounds like China is trying to find a backdoor into the US under the cover of other nations that have negotiated reasonable tariffs. Even if this works, China will be selling these goods at fire sale pricing, so they will make little money. That loss in profit will eventually have to feed back into the manufacturing lines, reducing income for Chinese workers. So they will be working but getting slave wages. It is hard to see how this plays out well for China. It's not surprising because China doesn't truly understand or embrace capitalism. They have tried to fit it within their Communist structure but it's a round peg in a square hole. Of course Trump KNOWS this. China has NO way out of this mess. Accompanying the financial problems will be chaos and business HATES chaos because it makes it impossible to plan. If they can't plan, they can't project business and that makes investors very nervous. The only way out is to dump China as a business partner. The problem is that this could cause a massive collapse of the Chinese economy and impact the government. That's a big threat to the world at large. We are seeing companies investing in US manufacturing because of stability. Other countries that come to an accomodation with the US on trade will also quickly stabilize and be viable locations for manufacturing. Things will bounce around a bit for a year or two and then settle down. Except for those who refuse to play fair. At the core of this is the fundamental problem with liberal/Socialist/Communist governments; eventually they run out of other people's money. Their taking advantages of the US has left us $36 trillion in debt. Well, the party's over. We have peeled the SUCKER signs off our foreheads. Leftists don't know how to make their own money so they are in a canoe without a paddle.
45 people like this.

Reply 2 - Posted by: mifla 5/11/2025 4:24:20 AM (No. 1948202)
Xi is between a rock and a hard place. His presidency is in danger.
12 people like this.

Reply 3 - Posted by: Strike3 5/11/2025 7:14:09 AM (No. 1948234)
Fair play and cooperation is a strange concept to communist countries. We helped China get where they are today by moving our manufacturing there and giving them our technology. Instead of saying "thank you" they are using it against us. Now they are behaving like a spoiled child. Xi knows what he must do now to survive. His choice is to either lose face or lose his life when the Chinese people rebel.
11 people like this.

Reply 4 - Posted by: Rumblehog 5/11/2025 7:31:45 AM (No. 1948247)
Ever since Trump began calling into Rush Limbaugh's AM Radio show in the late 1990's he's been very outspoken on China's financial fraud on the world economy what with their currency manipulation and dumping of materials/products into the global marketplace.. As a seasoned sideline observer, I'd say Trump had long planned what to do with China, given the chance. My prediction is for Chairman Xi to not last into next year at which time he'll be permanently "retired" to some far off CCP "Leaders' Gulag" on the border of Tibet. /s
15 people like this.

Reply 5 - Posted by: Dodge Boy 5/11/2025 9:08:21 AM (No. 1948277)
FTA - "Having spent some serious time in the field in advance of ‘Liberty Day’ all of my contacts have the same message; China is trying to find position." Another source reported that Xi and his komrades are considering cashing in US treasuries as a way to "find position". This would whack the dollar rather bigly. Let's see if it is no more than an idle threat...or not.
6 people like this.

Reply 6 - Posted by: Zigrid 5/11/2025 9:58:55 AM (No. 1948299)
Here's the deal china...you play on the Trump field...and he's going up to the line with a long pass down the middle....you don't have a receiver that can handle that ball.....sorry for the football jargon ...I'm missing my Packards...I'm looking for a good season...for the Packarders ...not china....back to the subject at hand....china's only card to play is a stall and a shift in dialogue....America only wants china to play fair...
5 people like this.

Reply 7 - Posted by: Ashley Brenton 5/11/2025 11:53:16 AM (No. 1948340)
I get the impression Team Trump is not pursuing the negotiations with much of a sense of urgency. China is clearly meant to experience this for a bit. And to see just how quickly things can unravel when the orders stop coming in. I wonder if it has occurred to Beijing this is what will happen, only worse, if they attempt to steal Taiwan?
4 people like this.

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