Trump just blew it with 'strongest adversary we've ever had': Ex-defense leaders Martin Pengelly May 15, 2025 https://www.rawstory.com/trump-china-tariffs-2672019128/ Donald Trump's decision to threaten massive tariffs on China only to retreat risks making the U.S. a “paper tiger” and encouraging Chinese aggression against Taiwan, a former U.S. ambassador to Beijing and a former CIA chief and defense secretary said. “We have a very tough, tough position on Taiwan,” said Nicholas Burns, who was ambassador to China under Joe Biden from 2021 to 2025, referring to U.S. support for the island nation whose independence Beijing does not recognize. “If [Chinese President] Xi Jinping concludes from a tariff negotiations that the United States is in essence a paper tiger, that it doesn't mean what it says, that it blinks first, that's not what you want to have in his mind on something even more serious, which would be Taiwan, for instance, and a cross-strait invasion by the People's Liberation Army. “You want the other person on the other side of the table to know that you are credible.” Burns was talking to One Decision, a world affairs podcast co-hosted by Leon Panetta, who was White House chief of staff to Bill Clinton and CIA director and secretary of defense under Barack Obama, and Christina Ruffini, a CBS correspondent. Trump has made tariffs the centerpiece of his economic and foreign policy, claiming a means to bend other countries to his will but in practice repeatedly retreating or allowing carve-outs. Earlier this week, Trump announced an agreement with Beijing under which US tariffs on Chinese goods will drop from 145 percent to 30 percent and Chinese tariffs on US imports will drop to 10 percent, while negotiations continue. Burns told One Decision: “War and peace negotiations end up relying more or less on that very difficult-to-explain concept that the other guy or woman is credible in these negotiations. And we may have lost that. “President Trump might be able to gain it back. But even before [Treasury Secretary] Scott Bessent got to Geneva [for talks with China], President Trump had announced he might reduce the tariffs to 80 percent. Why give them a concession before the talks have even started?” Trump named that figure last week. The White House said it was “a number the president threw out there.” Panetta said he also worried that “credibility problems that are being created,” but thought Beijing would “watch it closely and they'll take their time. “… It's Trump's position in other parts of the world too. I mean, he threatens, but then there isn't a real follow-through as a result of the threat. And I think that this image of a paper tiger is becoming prevalent. And if that's the case, it really does create a concern as to whether or not we'll be there.” Burns said: “Xi Jinping's China is a much more powerful economic, technology, and military adversary than even the Soviet Union was … now we're dealing with a power that is really, in a way, our peer technologically, our near-peer economically. And if you look at certain industries, steel, robotics, electric vehicles, lithium batteries, solar and wind power, they're actually exceeding us in effectiveness. “This is a major challenge for the United States. And they've got a leader who's very experienced, very intelligent, and he is focused on making China the strongest power in the Indo-Pacific, wants to surpass the United States. And you know, I left out … their cyber power, and their power in space … this is the strongest adversary we've ever had in both of those domains.”
Please describe how Trump retreated. In your analysis, please include what the net tariffs to The US or China were prior to Liberation Day. I eagerly await your response.
LOL. Trump caved so badly to China that the entire world is laughing at Trump with mockery. His tariffs threats are toothless and stupid. He can keep the chaos spinning -- it has become clear that Trump's sole objective with the tariffs is to get personal grift from the U.S. companies and countries that once exceptions to his his tariffs. This is simply going to create tariff cutouts for those who donate to Trump or somehow feed money into his businesses.
I'm reminding myself of the Yawn Hamas/Gaza thread and other political threads. No matter what proof is brought to the table, no one who doesn't want to know, wants to know. I could spend time replying to your question, I'd be wasting my time.
The same clowns endlessly insisted that widespread election fraud existed when Biden was elected, despite a mountain of evidence otherwise and dozens of failed court cases. Trump still shamelessly claims he won the election but seriously now what kind of dummy doesn't recognize he's a pathological liar ?
China prepares to launch large drone ‘mothership’ By Allegra Mendelson May 20, 2025 — 3.30pm https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/c...h-large-drone-mothership-20250520-p5m0mw.html China is preparing to launch a new drone-carrying mothership capable of releasing 100 kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at the same time. The Jiu Tian, which means “high sky”, is a high-altitude long-range UAV that can transport China’s first aerial mothership, Jiutian SS-UAV, is scheduled for its maiden flight in June. It can cruise at 15,000m high carrying over 100 small drones or 1,000 kg of missiles, with a range of 7,000 Over the weekend, state media reported that the fourth prototype had completed its structural assembly and was undergoing installation and testing. It will set off on its maiden flight next month as China looks to boost its air force capabilities. The Jiu Tian was developed by Shaanxi Unmanned Equipment Technology and was unveiled at the Zhuhai air show, the largest in the country, in November. The vehicle has a 25-metre wingspan and can fly for 12 hours, with a maximum range of 7000 kilometres. It has a take-off weight of 16 tonnes and a transporting capacity of six tonnes, which could be used to carry anything from surveillance technology to ammunition. The most noteworthy part of the new aircraft is its ability to launch large quantities of drones at once, making it difficult for a defender to respond. Video footage released by state media replicates what this could look like. Jiu Tian, or “High Sky” in Chinese was unveiled at an airshow last year.Credit: X Drone swarms can be hugely beneficial for intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance, which would be important in the event of an escalation in conflict between China and Taiwan. The aircraft can also carry cruise missiles and medium-range air-to-air missiles, such as the PL-12E. Its ability to reach high altitudes means it would be harder to detect from ground-based radar systems and could fly above many of the defence systems operational around the world. Drone warfare has become increasingly important in recent years because of its central role in Russia’s war in Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine’s production of drones – specifically first-person view (FPV) drones, which are capable of destroying tanks – has surged. Pat Harrigan, a member of the US House of Representatives, said last month that FPV drones were responsible for 80 per cent of Russian casualties in Ukraine. Ukrainian troops prepare to launch a Kazhan heavy drone in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine.Credit: AP Ukraine has also developed a growing fleet of long-range drones, capable of hitting military bases and weapons storage facilities deep inside Russia. China already has a large drone capacity. It tested the TP1000, the first unmanned transport aircraft capable of carrying more than one tonne of goods, this year. The country has also previously operated long-endurance drones, such as the WZ-7 drone and the TB-001 Scorpion drone, around contested islands in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. The development of the Jiu Tian could be the latest in China’s effort to expand its aerial capabilities to rival those of the US. Experts have said that the drone-carrying mothership will be a probable competitor to two American carriers, RQ-4 Global Hawk and the MQ-9 Reaper. Neither the RQ-4 nor the MQ-9 are capable of the swarm strikes that make the Jiu Tian a noteworthy addition to China’s arsenal. The Telegraph, London
How the US plans to fight off Chinese invasion of Taiwan Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, has warned that any attempt by China to conquer Taiwan “would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world”. A Land Sword II (TC-2) ground-to-air missile is launched during military exercises in Taiwan last month. AP Memphis Barker and Julian Simmonds Jun 1, 2025 https://www.afr.com/world/asia/how-...ff-chinese-invasion-of-taiwan-20250601-p5m3v4 A soldier careens into the briefing tent of Cross Functional Team (CFT) Taiwan, barely able to catch his breath. “Attention on the floor!” he shouts. “Sorry to barge in, sir, but you’ll want to hear this.” Chinese ships have begun to cross the Taiwan Strait “with full intention to invade”. Chaos breaks out in the command centre, where specialists have been outlining recent operations. Sirens blare, soldiers pick up rucksacks, plastic chairs are pushed aside. Over the tree line, hostile drones whirr into view. As troops hustle a visiting congressional delegation to an evacuation point, they swoop overhead and drop munitions. Ear-splitting explosions send plumes of smoke into the air. People fall by the side of the road, screaming. So begins the long-feared war between the world’s two largest militaries – or at least, a drill simulating the event at the 25th capability exercise of the US Special Forces at Fort Bragg army base. A hint of slapstick lingers in the air. Called upon to help the wounded, visitors fiddle with their lanyards, while fake blood soaks the clothes of gurgling actors. The scenario, however, is head-poundingly serious. Pete Hegseth, US secretary of defence, attends the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Bloomberg Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, has ordered his military to be ready to “reunify” the self-governing island of Taiwan with the mainland by 2027. An extraordinary build-up is under way. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) now boasts 1 million troops more than the US, as well as the world’s largest navy, vast supplies of ground-based long-range missiles and a galloping nuclear arsenal set to hit 1000 warheads by 2030. In satellite imagery, a mock-up of central Taipei, including the president’s office, can be seen near a desert PLA base. Beijing also has home advantage: its resources are all closer to Taiwan than the US bases in the Philippines, Japan and Guam. Any movement of US forces would immediately be spotted by China’s extensive sensor network. Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, warned on Saturday that the threat from China was real and a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could be imminent. He added that any attempt by China to conquer Taiwan “would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world”. “Beijing is credibly preparing potentially to use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific,” Hegseth said in a speech to the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defence forum, in Singapore. In March, Hegseth issued a classified memo that prioritised efforts to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, leaving Europe to “assume risk” in facing down Russia. “China is the Department’s sole pacing threat, and denial of a Chinese fait accompli seizure of Taiwan – while simultaneously defending the US homeland is the Department’s sole pacing scenario,” he wrote. The memo lifted sections almost word-for-word from a report by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington-based think tank. “If I had to bet they are laying the groundwork now to begin large swings of forces out of lesser-priority theatres to the Indo-Pacific in around six months,” says Rob Peters, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, who co-authored the report. In Fort Bragg headquarters, a briefing video opens with the sound of a clock ticking ominously. Chinese lettering fills the screen. Three red stars mark the years 2014 (Russia’s seizure of Ukraine), 2022 (the invasion of Ukraine) and 2027 – the year China could strike Taiwan. The impact of a Chinese invasion on the lives of ordinary people would make that of the COVID-19 pandemic “pale in comparison”, says Lieutenant General Jonathan Braga, the commander of the US Army Special Operations Command. It would disrupt the supply of the microchips that power crucial technologies, “from I can’t buy a car, a refrigerator, a cell phone… all that stuff”. “We need people … to think about this because it is by exponential means the greatest threat we have,” Lieutenant General Braga says. Battles will be fought in the skies and at sea What role ground troops would play is open to question. About 500 US military trainers are currently based in Taiwan, teaching the local forces how to operate advanced weaponry. The first test with the long-range HIMARS was carried out last month. Special forces would likely enter Taiwan surreptitiously in the weeks before an invasion; army units might join, but public deployments could inflame the situation. The defenders’ goal would be to “turn the Taiwan beaches into the beaches of Normandy”, says Peters. Failing that: “box them in like Anzio”. A Chinese fighter jet takes off from an aircraft carrier near Taiwan. AP But the fiercest battles will be fought in the skies and at sea. The US is preparing a “hellscape” of drones, mines and unmanned ships to slow down China’s crossing of the 160-kilometre Taiwan Strait. The PLA Navy will form a blockade around the eastern flank of the island, preventing the US from reaching or resupplying the Taiwanese. Spectacular dogfights would erupt: US F-35s, bombers and stealth B-21 raiders attempting to sink the warships, as China’s 3000 aircraft fight back. To stand a chance, the US will need “a metric s--- ton” of long-range anti-ship missiles, in particular the new Tomahawk, which has a range of 1500 miles, says Peters. “I cannot stress this enough,” he says, the arsenal is currently “way, way [too] low”. One goal of the special forces – however many they number – would be to try to open up air corridors onto the island. Out on a Fort Bragg training range, a dozen camouflaged soldiers creep through the trees towards a Russian-made Scud missile and nearby command-and-control centre, which form part of China’s Integrated Air Defence System (IADS). To the south of their position, a drone operator, robot dog and two armoured vehicles mounted with M240b machine guns wait for the signal. Snipers watch from behind camouflage. “Open fire,” the commander orders over the radio. A drone whizzes overhead, dropping a bomb near the Scud. The M240b gunners spray the guards, providing cover for the soldiers to race out of the trees and eliminate those left alive. The Scud is disabled with a flamethrower (its unique fuel makes explosive detonation tricky). Then comes the most novel element of the exercise: as Chinese drones launch a counter-attack, an Anduril electronic warfare system breaks the link between the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and their pilots. The special forces team survives and a “temporary air corridor” is opened. Whether Beijing’s real drones would be so simply overcome is another question. “There is an assumption that China has been observing [the war in Ukraine, where Chinese drones have been used en masse] and that their ability to ramp up capacity now appears to be better than the US and Nato’s ability to produce these systems,” says Colin Smith, a Rand Corporation researcher and Marine veteran. It can be difficult even to train with the systems on US soil. Electronic warfare systems interfere with nearby residents’ garages. On Camp Pendleton, in California, Smith’s team was unable to practise with the jammers they used in Afghanistan “because of the electromagnetic spectrum limitations”. “Those are things that the Department of Defence is trying to work through on certain bases,” he says. Golden dome Homeland defence is the most pressing problem. China’s intercontinental ballistic missiles can now strike the US mainland. In May, US Air Force Brigadier General Dough Wickert warned locals around Edwards Air Force Base that a Pearl Harbour-like scenario could hit their Californian homes. Donald Trump’s solution is the Golden Dome, a network of space-based interceptors he claims – unrealistically – could be finished within three years for a cost of “just” $US175 billion ($272 billion). In war games on Taiwan, China does often hit the US mainland, says Smith. “What if they want to hit the West Coast and get the American population thinking, ‘why are we doing this again’?” Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel and senior advisor at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), ran a 2023 war game on an amphibious invasion. Over 24 run-throughs, the US managed to prevent China capturing the island most times, but at the cost of dozens of ships, hundreds of aircraft and tens of thousands of service members. The US still needs to decide its position on how and when ground troops will enter the fray, Cancian says. “When you talk to the services, to the Marine corps, they say ‘well of course we’re going to be on Taiwan when the war begins’. But the state department says ‘there’s no f---ing way’, as that will precipitate the conflict we’re trying to avoid.” In one round of the war game, a player tried to fly a US brigade into Taiwan. But they turned back after they lost a battalion to air defences. “After four, five weeks of combat, when the Chinese fleet has been chewed up, [perhaps] then you can start doing things,” he says. Sometimes, nuclear war erupts. Such hypotheticals are above the pay grade of the soldiers who will be called upon to fight in Taiwan’s jungles, cities and beaches should war break out. On an urban training village in Fort Bragg, two Chinook MH47 helicopters fly a platoon of elite Rangers into battle. The soldiers rappel down ropes onto the roofs, while the helicopters rattle out machine gun rounds. Doors are stormed through, flash-bang grenades thrown as the unit rapidly clears the buildings. High above their heads, a single Himars missile streaks through the sky. Here, it will land safely on a patch of Fort Bragg, guided to within one metre of the intended target. The US hopes it will never come to war with China. Xi may well think twice, wary of a long and costly conflict. If he does gamble, however, the Green Berets will no longer be practising on the fields of North Carolina – and those HIMARS missiles will be raining down on an army tasting its first real combat. The Telegraph London
we are not going to fight for taiwan, the place is irrelevant. semi chips would be cut off long before any shooting, hopefully we get those twenty thousand engineers to the factories first.
A temporary reduction in tariffs is designed to make the negotiations on both sides, more conducive to coming to a trade deal. If not, the same tariffs can be raised again and reimposed on China.
you are high again? they don’t need anything from us at this stage of the game, perhaps ever again. the things they want to buy are already on the restricted list. the problem we are facing is triffin's dilemma, penciled in 1960s, nothing to do with china or any other countries.