China Threatens Trump With "Big Sticks" If He Wages A Trade War

Zero Hedge ^ | 01/05/2017

[SeekAndFind]

In the latest not too subtle threat lobbed by China's official press aimed at Donald Trump, the mainland media warned the President-elect that he’ll be met with "big sticks" if he tries to ignite a trade war or further strain ties.

"There are flowers around the gate of China’s Ministry of Commerce, but there are also big sticks hidden inside the door -- they both await Americans," the Communist Party’s Global Times newspaper wrote in an editorial Thursday in response to Trump’s plans to nominate lawyer Robert Lighthizer, who has criticized Beijing’s trade practices, as U.S. trade representative.

The latest lashing out at Trump from a state-run outlet, noticed first by Bloomberg, followed others last month aimed at Peter Navarro, a University of California at Irvine economics professor and critic of China’s trade practices whom Trump last month named to head a newly formed White House National Trade Council. Those picks plus billionaire Wilbur Ross, the nominee for commerce secretary, will form an "iron curtain" of protectionism in Trump’s economic and trade team, the paper wrote.

The three share Trump’s strong anti-globalization beliefs and seem unlikely to keep building the current trade order, it said, adding that they will be more interested in disrupting the world trade order.

Concurrently, SCMP reported that China’s state media have lambasted US president-elect Donald Trump for commenting on and conducting foreign policy on Twitter. The state-run news agency Xinhua ran a signed commentary headlined “Addiction to Twitter diplomacy is unwise” late on Tuesday night.

The article came after Trump fired another salvo at China through Twitter on Tuesday, accusing Beijing of refusing to help contain North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

Trump first questioned in a tweet North Korea’s claims that it was in the final stages of testing a ballistic missile capable of reaching American soil. He later tweeted: “China has been taking out massive amounts of money & wealth from the US in totally one-sided trade, but won’t help with North Korea. Nice!”

The Xinhua commentary said Trump’s use of Twitter had aroused widespread concern among US politicians and academics.

For now China appears to have fallen off Trump's radar, and instead over the past few days the president-elect has been focusing on the ongoing Russian hacking fiasco as well as slamming "head clown" Chuck Schumer for the mess that is Obamacare.

[Windflier]

Would you prefer zipperhead?

Doubling down on bad behavior is a libtard thing. You're better than that.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Dollars for exported goods has propped up the Communist Party for decades. Without our dollars their unemployment would be 40%.

[CodeToad]

“if we count future liabilities, maybe 1000 percent?”

As was mentioned in previous posts, China probably doesn’t suffer from the promises of future payments in exchange for votes today that we have. Our “unfunded mandates” are killing us. Cities, States, and counties are coming up short. The once rock solid Muni bonds are now in jeopardy.

[CodeToad]

“Dollars for exported goods has propped up the Communist Party for decades. Without our dollars their unemployment would be 40%.”

Not when we only account for %18 of their exports.

China has over 600 million middle class. I HIGHLY doubt that 240 million of them work just to support the US.

[dp0622]

I know. It’s BAD. We shall see what happens.

No bailouts of states OR the fed in the way of borrowing increases.

No bailout of anyone!!

Who the #### bails me and you out when we’re ####ed?

Family and/or friends may help. Getting any job during any hours until we’re back where we want does too.

Govt doesn’t.

[Kickass Conservative]

>>>We import 5:1 compared to export to China>>>

Think about that. China has a Population of 1.375 Billion versus our Population of just 330 Million.

Almost five times the Market size yet we can only manage to crack 20% of their Exports to us.

Me thinks the game is rigged or we have all those $.99 Cent Stores to blame. I’m still waiting for a Domestic Company to manufacture the $.99 Cent Sunglasses I buy there.

[rb22982]

Yup - even worse - a lot of our exports to China is just raw material that is finished in China and then shipped back.

[bgill]

Someone in a strong position doesn’t have to threaten.

Exactly. Have we been lied to by the Administration and the msm, again? Something is up. They might have gotten by with insulting the current guy but they darned well better roll out a double wide, double long nice plush red carpet for Trump. Funny, they complain about Trump going straight to the people with tweets but they're still letting their comments be rewritten by the msm.

[DesertRhino]

So the alternative is to make them mad, OR do everything totally to their advantage so they don’t get mad?

Either way we get screwed.

[ConservativeMind]

Well, good for them.

I thought it was China that requested smaller-sized condoms for its people. Hearing that they've improved their health standards speaks well for them.

[ConservativeMind]

We can severely cripple a number of Muslim countries from becoming energy self-sufficient, or even a net exporter of oil. We do the same to China and Mexico with our excise taxes.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Watch it China or he will take those sticks away and play “Yankee Doodle” on your britches.

[cba123]

What are your sources, for those percentages?

I think they are far, far, far higher than 9% of our imports.

WAY bigger than that.

[prairiebreeze]

Probably by proxy-threatening their neighbors, I’d say. And calling in debt, perhaps...?

[Brown Deer]

[ROCKLOBSTER]

So China says don’t use twitter for diplomacy. But then uses the press for diplomacy?

Well...they're both communist control-freaks.