spidermike007

I am no fan of the CCP and the Chinese government, quite the opposite, and in no way shape or form am I saying that China is not a bully. However Trump provoked them, and they are simply responding at this point, and what you don't want to admit is that they have a much stronger hand in this game. They could crush Trump and the US.

It was a satirical reply but you're so caught up and partisan division and hatred that you cannot even recognize humor. Do you understand the extent to which politics has poisoned your heart and soul? Do you get that even for a nanosecond?

Trump spectacular lack of understanding of globalization and the inherent manufacturing ecosystems is a stunning thing to witness. He very well could blow this entire thing up with his stupidity and arrogance. China has a winning hand in these negotiations and he's such a terrible poker player he doesn't even get the fact that he's holding threes and fours. I'm really hesitant to call him a dunce, because I really don't want to insult the dunces of the world. Intellectually challenged? One sandwich short of a picnic? Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.

Right now tornado Trump is doing such a great job of shooting himself in his own foot I doubt if he will even last the rest of this term. There is a good chance he'll be run out of Washington within 24 months.

This thread could have only been started by a major devotee of the fake master. China is in a tremendously advantageous position, they can afford to hold out, America cannot. America needs the rare earth materials, America has invested trillions in manufacturing in China, which controls 95% of the shipping container market and more than 50% of the shipping market worldwide. The Chinese people are likely far more capable of sacrifice than the American people, who are quite soft and unaccustomed to living without their creature comforts. This whole Tornado Trump tariff crusade could turn around and bite Trump in the butt so hard, he has to flee Washington within 24 months. A third term? I doubt if he will finish this term. And nobody's even discussing China's mastery of hacking, they could literally cripple the US overnight if that was their end game.

For Putin serial killing of women and children is like a hobby, he gets up in the morning and just looks forward to reports about more mothers getting slaughtered. That's just who he is.

It's definitely time for them to focus all their attention on Democrats, they are the dangerous ones, they are the ones that are drinking the blood of babies in the basement of pizza parlors. Conservatives are very mild-mannered, and very few are capable of violence.

America go home! That is a great mantra. Love it.

There is a reason why he's been publicly avoiding medical exams for so many years, he likely has a multitude of diseases, and you can just look at his face and see that he's quite sick, both in the body and the mind.

This is the way to win a trade war against the bully and a man possessing spectacular levels of ignorance. And a terrible poker player to boot. China is holding all the cards in this game and Trump does not get the fact that he's playing with fire. China could truly cripple the US on so many different levels. And they just might.

Well I think that no doubt what you're saying is true, society does seem to be declining. I think in general mankind is declining and civilization has started moving backwards towards the 2nd Cro Magnan era. But there still are some quality tourists out there .Thailand just doesn't seem to be attracting very many of them, especially Phuket and the ever infamous Pattaya. Has Pattaya now become the world center for derelicts, lowlifes, ladyboys, and drunks?

By lowering the standards dramatically in a desperate bid to drive up the arrival numbers the government has shot itself in its own foot, and created a lot of problems, no question about that. Thailand is attracting a lower quality of tourists these days than it used to, and there are a dozen good reasons why affluent and wealthy tourists tend to avoid Thailand. But it's still a very nice place to live for most of us who have a reasonable income stream, it's quite affordable compared to many other spots, and the quality of life is quite high.

I think as a general of thumb it's best to avoid driving a motorcycle when you're drunk and after you've been stabbed.

Closer to 8%. Way to go big Don.

Great job Don. How to make America less relevant, lose the support of trusted allies, shrink the economy, lose jobs, raise inflation, and diminish trust. That's what his supporters hired him to do, right?

I would vote for Mylie Cyrus over Trump. Or Shai Lebeouf. Or Cory Booker. Anyone but Trump.

Trump can barely negotiate his way out of a paper bag. And he is a poor businessman. He bankrupted five companies, and 17 others failed. Most of his fortune was stolen or grifted. He is headed for a bruising. He severely over estimates his ability to bring manufacturing back to the US. He is stuck in a state of nostalgia about what the US used to be. Not gonna happen again. Not making America great, he is too busy making America more irrelevant. A true, unstable ignoramus.

Yes. It is barely a factor. Too many other great aspects to focus on.

They could shut down US trade if they wanted to. They hold a far stronger than than the US does. Trump is like a little boy playing with fire. He could get severely burned, and take down America in the process. Dumb and dumber.

I have long despised Xi, and the CCP and their policies. However Trump is doing something very unexpected. He's driving up the prestige and the amount of respect that Xi and China have around the world, by forcing people to side with China. Nobody likes a bully, nobody likes an arrogant fool, and nobody likes schizophrenic economic policy conducted by an insane fool, who has no idea what the end game looks like. I suspect it's not going to be pretty for America. China can hold out as long as they want, the Chinese people will tolerate a simple lifestyle. Americans will not and cannot. Americans have no idea how to deal with deprivation nor do they have any concept of what the word sacrifice means. Xi may play the long game, which means the US loses in a huge way. Just how vulnerable is the US to China? In 2000, the United States was the top trading partner for over 80 percent of countries. As of today, this figure has shrunk to 30 percent, while China has now become the top trading partner for more than 120 countries. China is South America’s top trading partner, and it is Africa’s largest trading partner in terms of total volume, dwarfing U.S.-Africa trade by a factor of four, according to the United States Institute of Peace. Within this context, China has significantly invested in the Maritime Silk Road (MSR) to increase trade route options and bypass choke points, posing a significant challenge for U.S. trade. In 2013, Chinese president Xi Jinping unveiled the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an ambitious political-economic infrastructure initiative to link East Asia and Europe through land, sea and air under China’s leadership and with the backing of its resources. The twenty-first-century MSR is responsible for the BRI maritime routes that connect China to Europe and the Arctic Ocean via the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. President Xi has repeatedly emphasized that economic powers must be maritime and shipping powers. As China now positions itself as the world’s top exporter, top shipbuilder, and largest trading nation, with around 95 percent of its international trade carried out through sea-lanes, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will soon dominate global maritime trade. The Indo-Pacific is a major hub of global commerce and will continue to be the main target for China’s maritime control. The 10 busiest container ports in the world are located along the shores of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The Indian Ocean hosts 80 percent of China’s imported oil and 95 percent of China’s trade with the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. China also has a strong presence in port construction in the developing world: it operates or has ownership of 91 active port projects across the globe where military use is a possibility, providing it with a foothold in every continent except Antarctica. These projects are part of the MSR network, which, according to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) State Council Information Office, has reached 117 ports across 43 countries, mostly in the Global South. China’s position of control and influence over the majority of port infrastructure globally poses a significant economic and military security threat to the United States. Simply put, China could use its power to interfere with operations that rely on port access—including military and economic operations—and are vital to U.S. interests. In terms of overseas ports, the United States severely lags China, as the United States does not manage or own any commercial ports outside its territories. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), however, is beginning to invest ports. A bit late in the game? Never before has the humble ocean shipping container been this important to American business. If you can’t get one, you can’t move your international cargo — and supply has never been tighter. The cost of global trade is now contingent on how many containers exist, where they are and where they aren’t. How many containers exist is controlled by China. Virtually every ocean shipping container in the world is built there. Just three Chinese companies account for the majority of production, with Chinese factories now building more than 96% of the world’s dry cargo containers and 100% of the world’s refrigerated containers, according to U.K. consultancy Drewry. Carl Bentzel of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said earlier this month, “I am concerned that this equipment is controlled by a state-owned enterprise and that we’re completely reliant, and I have questions about whether or not there’s been market manipulation of what is potentially a monopoly.” https://www.csis.org/analysis/responding-chinas-growing-influence-ports-global-south

There are a dozen good reasons why consumer confidence is lower than it's been in decades, the largest among them is The Saboteur in Chief, who's insane seesaw and schizophrenic policies are driving the world crazy. Economics, trade, and consumers need stability, and Trump might be the least stable man in America. He thinks he's negotiating when all he's doing is destroying.

I assume you must have left already. I can't think of many more things in life that would be more terrible than hating the place that you're living. Some of us are fortunate enough to absolutely love it here. Contentment is a beautiful state of mind. Fight for it like nothing else matters.

I didn't mean that the Chinese are dumb. I just meant that they like those big gargantuan Marvel type films, but then again so do Americans.

It's one of those silly bait type questions, and if anybody asks it, there's certainly no point in answering it. You obviously don't live here, and if you do live here you likely living in Pattaya or Phuket, the two worst spots in the country.

There's no question that the US is number one when it comes to military bases around the world, nobody is even a close second. However if China shuts down global trade through shipping, the US is pretty much out of business. Trump doesn't seem to get that.. Xi has an infinitely stronger hand than Trump's, and Trump is going to have to give in to him. He has no choice, China will fight this to the bitter end. They can afford to fight this, the US simply can't. If China dumps US bonds, American debt spending is over.