Lacessit

Do you realize the Chinese middle class is bigger than the entire population of the USA? China can get its food from other countries. It can also buy Airbus aircraft. America needs China far more than China needs America.

When they develop a vaccine that protects against stupidity, I am happy to donate mine to the OP. He needs it desperately.

I stay off the scooter during Songkhran, travel in a closed car.

Trump is like a kid playing with matches in a house. If America is lucky, he won't burn the house down. The sofa is already on fire in the stock and bond markets.

Who is going to take you to hospital in a medical emergency?

The question is whether an online degree is recognized, irrespective of the university of origin. IMO a degree from the National University of Samoa won't have the same cachet as Oxford.

IMO it would be better to get a TEFL in Thailand than a Bachelor's degree from the Philippines. If I was a Thai school principal, I would be questioning why a white-skinned Czech chose the Philippines to get a degree. The OP also might want to check out his accent with other English speakers. I remember a Latin teacher from Cumbria, northern England. It took us 6 months to understand what he was saying in English, let alone Latin.

I can't believe you seriously wrote that, given the number of masked Thais with no helmets or even eye protection riding scooters on Thai roads.

I have never seen the point of holidaying in discomfort, watching every cent/baht/kip etc. when I can do so in comfort. I saw a lot of the world on the company dime. If not, I saved the money, then spent it. Perhaps the OP is bemoaning the fact he is running out of places where he can backpack safely. Be that as it may, AFAIK there are still plenty of backpackers and hostels for them in Chiang Rai.

Economics assumes endless growth is feasible. It takes no account of the pollution we generate. IMO it is inevitable the number of humans on the planet must decline, in which case it's better to be well off.

Chinese state media announced on April 11 that President Xi Jinping will pay state visits to Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia from April 14-18, aiming to deepen “all-round cooperation” with neighbouring countries. Notably, all three Southeast Asian nations were targeted with now-paused reciprocal tariffs by the Trump administration – 49 per cent on Cambodian goods, 46 per cent on Vietnamese exports and 24 per cent on products from Malaysia. On April 8, the president of the European Commission held a call with China’s premier, during which both sides jointly condemned US trade protectionism and advocated for free and open trade.

You sound like a creationist arguing for intelligent design. Nothing businesses like more than unpredictability. Here's a straw in the wind for you. China, South Korea and Japan are holding tripartite trade talks. This is after decades of US diplomacy getting Japan and South Korea as a counterbalance to China in Asia. It just demonstrates what a blithering idiot Trump is. Pray continue with your delusions, they are amusing.

I take some things seriously. I've seen enough dead helmet-less Thais here to do so.

The US evacuated from Afghanistan in 2021, after fighting the Taliban for 20 years. The Taliban is the government of Afghanistan. Do try to keep up.

It doesn't account for unfunded liabilities either.

Most of the USA unfunded liabilities are SS and Medicare. Also federal employee pensions. Trump promised he would not cut either. Yeah right.

They are selling to whoever will buy them. The Treasury itself will probably step in to support the price, much like the Russian Central Bank has supported the ruble. It affects the USA because bond yields go up in response to a bear market in them. That yield increase means America has to pay more to service its debt.

So why are investors selling US bonds along with shares? That did not happen even in the Great Depression. Bond yields are spiking. Trump wants to give tax cuts to billionaires, I doubt you would be welcome in his circle of advisors.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-13/trumps-tariffs-destroying-americas-exorbitant-privilege/105164676

It shows how low you have sunk as a poster when you attack the messenger. On ignore.

The US has been able to sustain its debt levels due to trust in the USD as a reserve currency, and the safe haven of US Treasury bonds. It was servicing said debts at lower than market interest rates, compared to other countries. That trust has evaporated in just two months of a Trump presidency. Investors are seeking other safe havens. China is selling off its US bonds. Countries that were allies have been alienated. Why deal with a country that puts tariffs on you, when there are tariff-free markets elsewhere? The problem with trust is it takes much longer to get it back than it does to lose it.

The USA produced about 680,000 tonnes of aluminium in 2024. Demand for aluminium in the same year was 5 million tonnes. Trump's tariff of 25% on imported aluminium commenced early in March. Aluminium production needs bauxite, and cheap electricity. The US has limited supplies of bauxite, and expensive electricity. The bauxite it has is used in making abrasives. So a US manufacturer of aircraft, or pots and pans, can swallow the cost of the tariffs, or pass those costs on to end users. As an example of sheer economic dumbf***kery, that takes some beating. I just wonder how the MAGA's on ASEAN justify this BS.

The floggings will continue until morale improves.....

What's your perspective? Who is stupid, China or Trump?