Trump and China, Another Step in a Much Bigger Picture (long)

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Today the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) formally designated Chinese’s Huawei Technologies Co and ZTE Corp as posing as posing national security threats to the United States. This designation and declaration blocks U.S. firms from tapping an $8.3 billion government fund to purchase equipment from either company.

This is an important step toward eliminating Huawei 5G data risks within U.S. telecommunication networks. Additionally, the designation will have the forward impact of restricting U.S. allies from linking networks if they use Huawei/ZTE components.

This is another policy alignment from the Trump administration toward the ongoing confrontation with China. Beijing will not be happy; and this follows only a day after the Trump administration removed the ‘special trade status’ afforded to Hong Kong.

President Trump and all executive branch offices are strategically targeting China from multiple simultaneous angles. The scale of the strategy is very comprehensive.

This FCC position today aligns with the Commerce Department (Wilbur Ross) setting up new advanced chip manufacturing in the U.S. which will facilitate further decoupling from China. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) announced in May they will build an advanced chip manufacturing facility in Arizona. A manufacturing facility for advanced 5 nanometer chip manufacturing is a steep investment decision costing around $10 billion.

Economic decoupling by a thousand paper cuts.

President Trump has been methodically advancing an economic position for several years that showcases a remarkable duality.

On one hand President Trump demands that China increase purchases from the U.S. to offset the trade imbalance; this approach is Trump using a deliberate panda mask and includes praise each time Beijing responds positively. China expected this approach.

However, on the other hand President Trump has been removing the tentacles of Chinese economic influence both in the U.S. and globally. This approach deconstructs the One Belt – One Road plan of Beijing; this approach is Trump using the dragon strategy. China did not see this part coming.

The duality of the panda mask and the dragon strategy is very unique for Beijing to confront because it is the exact same strategy used by China. By expressing a public panda mask, yet concealing the underlying dragon moves, President Trump’s policy to China is a mirror of their own economic plan.

Historic Chinese geopolitical policy, vis-a-vis their totalitarian control over political sentiment (action) and diplomacy through silence, is evident in the strategic use of the space between carefully chosen words, not just the words themselves.

Each time China takes aggressive action (dragon) China projects a panda face through silence and non-response to opinion of that action;…. and the action continues.

The CCP dragon has a tendency to say one necessary thing publicly, while manipulating another necessary thing privately. The Art of War.

President Trump is the first U.S. President to understand how the CCP dragon hides behind the panda mask. He has now exposed that historic playbook to the world.

First President Trump got their attention with tariffs. Then… On one hand President Trump has engaged in very public and friendly trade negotiations with China (panda approach); yet on the other hand, long before the Wuhan virus, Trump fractured their global supply chains, influenced the movement of industrial goods to alternate nations, and incentivized an exodus of manufacturing (dragon result).

It is specifically because he understands that Panda is a mask that President Trump messages warmth toward the Chinese people, and pours vociferous praise upon Xi Jinping, while simultaneously confronting the geopolitical doctrine of the Xi regime.

In essence Trump is mirroring the behavior of China while confronting their economic duplicity.

There is no doubt in my mind that President Trump has a very well thought out long-term strategy regarding China. President Trump takes strategic messaging toward the people of china very importantly. President Trump has, very publicly, complimented the friendship he feels toward President Xi Jinping; and praises Chairman Xi for his character, strength and purposeful leadership.

To build upon that projected and strategic message – President Trump seeded the background by appointing Ambassador Terry Branstad, a 30-year personal friend of President Xi Jinping.

To enhance and amplify the message – and broadcast cultural respect – President Trump used Mar-a-Lago as the venue for their first visit, not the White House. And President Trump’s beautiful granddaughter, Arabella, sweetly serenaded the Chinese First Family twice in Mandarin Chinese song showing the utmost respect for the guests and later for the hosts.

All of this activity mirrors the duplicity of China. From the November 2017 tour of Asia to the January 2020 China phase-1 trade deal, President Trump has been positioning, for an economic decoupling and a complete realignment of global trade and manufacturing.

Remarkably, at the same time… inch by inch… President Trump has been able to keep the international financial markets stable while he has moved to completely reset global trade.

For those who follow carefully, you can see President Trump advancing public positions against China at strategic times that keeps the multinational corporations on the U.S. stock exchange from major losses. Forward policy, then pause. Forward policy, then pause. Within this process the financial markets pull back, then regain… pull back, then regain.

This very strategic approach keeps the overall wealth (value) within the U.S. market, while the decoupling is fundamentally taking place. Smart U.S. corporations have made, and/or are making, shifts in their forward business decisions to offset the inevitable end.

It is quite remarkable to stand back and watch how the Trump administration is accomplishing the reversal of decades of exfiltration of wealth, and returning jobs and manufacturing back to the U.S through the America First agenda. No other person could have ever accomplished this.

Unfortunately, this success also explains the opposition. Those who have aligned their personal affluence by selling the wealth of the U.S. are fighting like hell to stop President Trump from Making America Great Again.

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