re: #52 wheat-dogg

Just about everything Trump says in this one little snippet is a lie. I know you are all surprised.

bbc.com

The One China policy has been in place for 40 years, following the normalization of relations with the PRC by Nixon and Kissinger. It was not undertaken lightly, and I am quite sure Trump knows shit about about the whys and wherefores behind it.

As for making a “deal” to maintain the policy, WTF? This kind of statement boggles the imagination. You don’t suggest to a major adversary, one with a yoooge army and nuclear weapons, that you intend to turn diplomatic relations into some kind of confidence game. This is coming from the same guy who was saying we should “surprise” ISIS and not advertise our troop movements in the area.

It makes perfect sense if you assume that Putin is pulling his strings. A trade war between the US and China only helps Russia by creating a ready market for Chinese goods, as well as offering them a wealth of energy resources from Russia’s own supplies. Plus Putin could make entreaties to our regional allies, hurting their confidence in us and possibly turning local opinion against us. If Trump provokes a shooting war, then our allies find themselves in danger of Chinese aggression. If he abandons Taiwan to Beijing, then our allies begin to question if they can really count on our help when Beijing starts moving into their waters.