Free Republic

So mainland commentator Ren Yi – otherwise known as Chairman Rabbit – hath spoken. The people of Hong Kong were wrong to vote overwhelmingly in favour of pro-democracy candidates in the district council election last weekend. They should have voted in favour of the pro-government candidates of course – can’t they see that this is the only way they will get the civil and political rights, the democracy and the high degree of autonomy they were promised under the Basic Law? The message here seems to be that only if you vote the way you are expected to will you...

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The US Air Force's frequent activities over the South China Sea might not attract the same attention as the US Navy's, but they still played an important role in negotiations with China, according to American air force officers. Gen. Charles Brown, commander of US Pacific Air Forces, said US warplanes — including bombers, U-2 reconnaissance aircraft and RQ-4 Global Hawk drones — regularly conducted "freedom of navigation" operations over the disputed waters despite China's deployment of air defence facilities on artificial islands and reefs in the area. "We've been flying in and around the South China Sea for really about...

President Donald Trump declared a “big deal” with China to be close in a comment that sent stocks higher on Thursday ahead of a looming deadline for new tariffs. ‘BIG DEAL’As he was reportedly set to meet with his top trade advisers, Trump tweeted: “Getting VERY close to a BIG DEAL with China. They want it, and so do we!” On Sunday, tariffs on $160 billion on Chinese goods are set to kick in. There has been question if Trump will delay or cancel those tariffs if a deal isn’t reached by then. U.S. stocks jumped after Trump’s tweet, with...

On December 7, North Korea claimed to have conducted a “very important test” at its Sohae Satellite Launching Station that “will have an important impact on changing the strategic position of the DPRK.”[1] The North Koreans did not describe what was tested, but prior open-source imagery suggests it was a static (ground) test of a large liquid-propellant rocket engine.[2] It remains to be seen what rocket system the engine was associated with: a previously launched intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), intermediate-range ballistic missile, space launch vehicle, or a new system. In any case, the static test could be the precursor to...

As negotiations with China over a “phase one” trade deal continue, the critical 15% December 15th tariffs on about $165 billion of Chinese imports (covering products like iPhones, apparel, and toys) near. While it certainly seems financial markets are rooting for President Trump to postpone the tariffs, this ongoing conflict with China is more important than a few Dow points. And despite all the doomsday proclamations, the stock market is near an all-time high while over $350 billion of Chinese imports face tariffs. That is why Trump should feel no pressure to strike a deal and should implement these tariffs.Ultimately,...

Riot police fired tear gas and beat protesters after hundreds took to the streets in southern China on Thursday and Friday over plans to build a crematorium in the area. Residents of Wenlou in Guangdong province – about 100km (60 miles) from Hong Kong – said several hundred people tried to march to the township government offices on Thursday after they found out that a crematorium would be built on land they thought was set aside for a park. But police stopped the marchers before they reached the township offices, with witnesses claiming that a number of people, including teenagers...

Seems counterintuitive. Are we or are we not in the middle of a protracted trade war between the U.S. and China engineered by the president? For years, American politicians talked tough about making China pay for its unfair trade practices and did next to nothing to actually stop them. Trump was different. He’s not beyond putting pressure on China on human rights either, as we saw just 48 hours ago. And of course he’s unpredictable, even to his own advisors. It can’t help but unsettle the east’s rising dominant power that the west’s dominant power is led by someone who’s...

Kwon Goohoon of Goldman Sachs discusses the impact of the trade war on Asian economies. He says the dispute may not be fully resolved, but he doesn’t see further escalation in 2020. (Please see link for video)

China’s hand in cementing a phase one trade deal with the U.S. keeps getting weaker even though many American media outlets keep reporting otherwise because they seem to like Chinese President Xi Jinping better than President Donald Trump, CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Monday. (Please see link for full article)

President Trump is Hong Kong’s sudden hero. Hours after he signed two bills to support human rights in Hong Kong, angering Chinese government officials, pro-democracy protesters in the beleaguered city held a “Thanksgiving Rally” Thursday night to commend him for taking the action. And front and center at the rally were printouts of the president’s Wednesday tweet showing his head on Rocky Balboa’s chiseled body.

The bills support the democracy protesters in Hong Kong and threaten China with possible sanctions on human rights. On Thursday the Hong Kong Democracy protesters honored President Trump by carrying his picture — shirtless. HONG KONG, CHINA – NOVEMBER 28: Pro-democracy protesters hold posters of US President Donald Trump during a Thanksgiving Day rally at Edinburgh Place on November 28, 2019 in Hong Kong, China. Protesters gathered to say thank you to the United States after US President Donald Trump signed legislation supporting the Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters, with new legislation requiring annual reviews of Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms....

Thousands of demonstrators in Hong Kong staged a “Thanksgiving” rally on Thursday evening in response to President Donald Trump signing two bills in support of the city’s pro-democracy movement. Demonstrators took to the streets shortly after the president signed the legislation. Some draped themselves in U.S. flags and expressed gratitude for the administration’s support. “The rationale for us having this rally is to show our gratitude and thank the U.S Congress and also President Trump for passing the bill,” student Sunny Cheung, 23, told Reuters. “We are really grateful about that and we really appreciate the effort made by Americans...

President Trump signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act on Wednesday, reaffirming U.S. support for the city's autonomy after months of pro-democracy protests. Why it matters: The bill, which was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House, serves as a major rebuke of China at a time when Washington and Beijing are engaged in critical trade talks. China has warned that it will take retaliatory measures if the bill becomes law. Between the lines: Even if Trump had declined to sign the bill, it would still likely have the two-thirds support in Congress...

In a region where the subtlest of signals sends shockwaves, this one looks like a tsunami. Talks between the US and South Korea broke down earlier today in a remarkable show of public acrimony, with the Trump administrationÂ’s negotiator accusing Seoul of acting in bad faith. At issue is the bill that the White House wants South Korea to pay for our military protection, which quintuples SeoulÂ’s current contribution: The United States broke off talks with South Korea on Tuesday over how to share the cost of the two nationsÂ’ military alliance, injecting fresh tension into the relationship over...

President Donald Trump on Friday hailed a breakthrough in his drawn-out trade war with China, saying the two sides reached an initial deal that included a surge in purchase of American farm products. With the agreement -- which also covers intellectual property, financial services and currencies -- the White House will hold off on a massive tariff increase planned for next week, and as negotiations progress new tariffs planned for December also could be called off, US officials said. The interim bargain could allow both economic powers to claim success, while averting damaging escalation in the trade war and leaving...

President Trump announced today a “phase one” trade agreement with China. Part of the deal includes a dramatic increase in agricultural products to be sold to China, ramping up from around $16 billion worth per year at its highest historic mark to $40-$50 billion per year moving forward. Current levels are estimated at around $8 billion. While announcing it, the President said farmers should immediately “buy more land and get bigger tractors.” The deal is expected to be written and signed in three to five weeks. It was negotiated on China’s behalf by Chinese Vice Premier Liu He. Both...

China poured cold water on hopes for a trade deal, signaling it would retaliate against the U.S. threat to put Chinese tech companies on a blacklist, just two days ahead of the highly anticipated trade talks in Washington. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang on Tuesday said “stay tuned,” when asked whether China would retaliate for the blacklist over alleged human rights violations against Muslim minorities. “We urge the U.S. to immediately correct its mistake, withdraw the relevant decision and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs,” Geng said at a news conference according to a transcript on the Foreign Ministry’s...

The Chinese Communist Party is using its economic leverage to exploit global corporate power for its own ends, and American firms are helping. We shouldnÂ’t suppose the NBA-China affair is something new or strange. In many ways, it was entirely predictable, right down to the simpering apologies and walk-backs. But we should understand that blow-ups like this are going to happen more frequently unless U.S. policymakers, American consumers, and major corporations work together to reconnect strategic national interests to economic activity.There are two reasons for this. The first is growing Chinese aggression abroad and despotism at home, fueled by BeijingÂ’s...

China’s major commercial banks have a funding issue outside Beijing’s control: They’re running low on the U.S. dollars they need for activities both at home and abroad. The combined dollar liabilities at the big four commercial banks exceeded their dollar assets at the end of 2018, their annual results show—a sharp reversal from just a few years ago. Back in 2013, the four together had around $125 billion more dollar assets than liabilities, but now they owe more dollars to creditors and customers than are owed to them. Bank of China is by far the greatest contributor to the shift....