Trump is brokenhearted after seeing his significant other holding hands with someone else, as if they had gone to the prom and then posted pictures of themselves making out on Truth Social. No wonder dissed Donny flipped his lid.
View attachment 62319
Image-wise, it looks like Trump has dropped a clanger. He imposes his 50% tariff on India, allegedly because they are buying Russian oil and gas. China then steps in to take up the slack and supports India with a favorable trade deal. Who wins, who loses? I suppose the market will tell.
China's big 80th end-of-WW2 celebration makes the United States look rather small, especially with the huge military parade showcasing hypersonic rockets, electronic weapons, and underwater drones. If I have read it correctly, it looks like China has "trumped" Trump's tariffs with its ban on rare earth exports—pardon the pun. North Korea supplying manpower and artillery may also tip the balance in the Russo-Ukrainian war, as both sides grind each other down.
And then there is Taiwan. In terms of growing rice, they cannot be beaten, but the real importance lies in semiconductor manufacturing. They seem to hold the number one position in the world. How long can that last? It would be in their best interest to maintain it for as long as possible, especially for security and financial reasons.
Recently, the UK, France, and Germany have been trying to cobble together a response to help Ukraine, with some success. But with Trump playing nice with Vladimir Putin, how will things play out? It is conceivable that by the time a Trump-Vance presidency has run its course, the old Soviet Union could be back and China may have taken Taiwan. If that happens, who ends up with Taiwan's technological know-how?
For my part, I hope Ukraine prevails and Taiwan keeps its independence, but the outlook is not encouraging.
China's population: 1.4 billion
India's population: slightly larger
Russia's population: 140 million
North Korea's population: about 30 million, if I recall correctly
Even economically, this is formidable. It does not seem like a smart move to push India into the other camp.