Miscellaneous News

[Helius]

Garbage right-wing US media but they got a point here

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I am ever the optimist but I cant see how China will be getting the nod by Japan and Australia to join CPTPP

Yes, but the point is that it's unlikely China and CPTPP will reach a consensus on the rules.

CPTPP's current position is that the organisation is not an a la carte menu - you sign up to everything or you don't get in.

China doesn't like external organisations or other countries deciding how to run its economy. CPTPP has lots of rules including regarding state aid and SOEs - in short you must allow a level playing field between SOEs and private companies. The whole point of CPTPP is to go beyond standard agreements to remove tariffs and quotas, so there's not really any scope to change the rules to suit China because then CPTPP's benefits would start disappearing.

Even if China says it will abide by those rules, it's likely to be blackballed if even one member thinks it's being insincere. And given the CCP is planning to intervene in the economy even more heavily than it has done until now, it's difficult to see China getting in.

I think that China wants to follow these rules because it’s going to be good for them and they are moving in this direction anyway.

Me reckon China doesn't care if it gets in or not. The Chinese are fully prepared for Japan and Australia to veto. If they say 'yes' then great. Either way works fine for China because the timing of the application makes this more of a political manoeuvre as a direct response to recent developments rather than a genuine desire to play by CPTTP's rules.

Just look at how cheeky Morrison is being with his "invitation" to Xi. Xi throws it back to his face and forces the whole of Australia (and Japan for that matter) to take a side right in front of their neighbours and "allies" - do they want economic prosperity, or do they admit to being a belligerent power?

This is straight out of the Chinese playbook. As the proverb goes - 你有张良计，我有过墙梯 You have a clever strategy, I have a cleverer strategy than yours.

 

[escobar]

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[siegecrossbow]

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[Andy1974]

Me reckon China doesn't care if it gets in or not. The Chinese are fully prepared for Japan and Australia to veto. If they say 'yes' then great. Either way works fine for China because the timing of the application makes this more of a political manoeuvre as a direct response to recent developments rather than a genuine desire to play by CPTTP's rules.

Just look at how cheeky Morrison is being with his "invitation" to Xi. Xi throws it back to his face and forces the whole of Australia (and Japan for that matter) to take a side right in front of their neighbours and "allies" - do they want economic prosperity, or do they admit to being a belligerent power?

This is straight out of the Chinese playbook. As the proverb goes - 你有张良计，我有过墙梯 You have a clever strategy, I have a cleverer strategy than yours.

Well if the end result is this…

1. China gets a free trade deal with USA (via CPTPP)
2. China adopts good global rules which suit her, and which she is already planning on implementing anyway, because of common prosperity.
3. UK gets a free trade deal with China and the USA
4. China normalizes relations with AUS (after a suitably groveling apology…. yet to come)

Isn’t that a major win?

 

[AndrewS]

Yes, but the point is that it's unlikely China and CPTPP will reach a consensus on the rules.

CPTPP's current position is that the organisation is not an a la carte menu - you sign up to everything or you don't get in.

China doesn't like external organisations or other countries deciding how to run its economy. CPTPP has lots of rules including regarding state aid and SOEs - in short you must allow a level playing field between SOEs and private companies. The whole point of CPTPP is to go beyond standard agreements to remove tariffs and quotas, so there's not really any scope to change the rules to suit China because then CPTPP's benefits would start disappearing.

Even if China says it will abide by those rules, it's likely to be blackballed if even one member thinks it's being insincere. And given the CCP is planning to intervene in the economy even more heavily than it has done until now, it's difficult to see China getting in.

Well, China does have 3x the population of the CPTPP and has a significantly larger economy.

So let's see how the negotiations work out.

 

[Helius]

Well if the end result is this…

1. China gets a free trade deal with USA (via CPTPP)
2. China adopts good global rules which suit her, and which she is already planning on implementing anyway, because of common prosperity.
3. UK gets a free trade deal with China and the USA
4. China normalizes relations with AUS (after a suitably groveling apology…. yet to come)

Isn’t that a major win?

Exactly why either outcome works in China's favour.

If it gets vetoed, this sends a clear message to the whole world that military alliances like the Quad and now AUKUS take precedence over trade deals like the CPTPP, and the intentions of the parties involved are laid bare that this goes beyond posturing and they're out to 'get China' at the expense of free trade and economic development in the region and the world at large.

Of course, the added bonus being China basically doing the ASEAN a favour by lifting the veil on countries like US and Australia, if the bloc still wants to deal with them either at arm's length or at their own peril.

 

[Bellum_Romanum]

Greece eager to attract investments from China

Greece continues to maintain close ties with China, despite EU and US concerns. Athens is eager to attract Chinese investors, who are just as keen on putting their money into Greece.

China, primarily its state-owned shipping giant COSCO, jumped into Greece when the company took over running the port of Piraeus and has been expanding it into one of the most used in the EU and one of the best after decades of mismanagement.....


In another sign that Greece wants to maintain close relations with China, Mitsotakis accepted an invitation to attend the 2022 Winter Olympics, to be held in Beijing.

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[LawLeadsToPeace]

Looks like Iran is officially part of the SCO

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[Kaeshmiri]

Greece eager to attract investments from China

Greece continues to maintain close ties with China, despite EU and US concerns. Athens is eager to attract Chinese investors, who are just as keen on putting their money into Greece.

China, primarily its state-owned shipping giant COSCO, jumped into Greece when the company took over running the port of Piraeus and has been expanding it into one of the most used in the EU and one of the best after decades of mismanagement.....


In another sign that Greece wants to maintain close relations with China, Mitsotakis accepted an invitation to attend the 2022 Winter Olympics, to be held in Beijing.

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Greece is the biggest success of BRI in Europe. Piraeus port is today one of Europes largest and most critical port. Not a surprise they would want further cooperation in other areas.
The data is pretty clear that when unopposed and not riddled in controversy, BRI projects always succeed in their objectives.

 

[windsclouds2030]

US global military dominance is trough its "alliances". That is how US constraint its adversaries, and PLA hate it.
Then saying alliance is a rubbish strategy because alliance could always be destroyed is not what RU and PLA experiment daily.

Do you realize that it took a second World War, which was grander than the first one, to make such order or setup possible, under the extraordinary conditions that CONUS was undamaged at all with all the infrastructure and industrial base intact and while Asia and Europe were having severe destructions? Then this special condition was further enhanced with the WRC + Petrodollar scheme. The "alliance" is only made possible under the extraordinary circumstance. And the alliances last for it's more like vassalage relationship. When the master can still strike the vassals dare not to leave. Need a bit longer to watch.