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.

[Rennes Templar]

Hey China, telling Trump “Addiction to Twitter diplomacy is unwise” is unwise.

[LibWhacker]

Wet noodles is more like it.

[left that other site]

I have been waging my very own personal “Trade War” with China for many years.

I look at EVERYTHING I buy. If it is “MADE IN CHINA”, I will probably realize i don’t really need it.

that is the best way to go about it. Just dry up the market.

[kabar]

There is already an ongoing trade war against the US by China. The US has only used “flowers” in response. It is now time to use our “sticks.” The US has all the leverage. China needs our consumers more than we need their goods, much of it financed by the West.

[lodi90]

Trump is definitely focused on the Chicoms. This issue will get interesting. Guaranteed.

[ichabod1]

Trump is going to poke and prod and goad the Chinese. They better get used to it. I can remembering him slamming the US-Sino trade relationship 10-15 years ago, talking about what he’d do if he was in charge. This is good. The Chinee like to think they’re the big badasses when it comes to negotiating, like not bringing a stairs to Obama’s plane, but Mr. Trump will gladly play that game, and you know what Mr. Trump does - WINNING!

[patriotspride]

The Chinee like to think they’re the big badasses when it comes to negotiating, like not bringing a stairs to Obama’s plane, but Mr. Trump will gladly play that game, and you know what Mr. Trump does - WINNING!

---

Well stated. We are about to see the real “ Art of The Deal” not the wimpy Johnny Ketchup, or world traveler Hilly version...

[ichabod1]

Sort of reminds me of “!I ain’ payin’ for no f*ckin’ wall!”

[CodeToad]

“Yeah, they’re rocking right along with TWO HUNDRED percent Debt to GDP.”

Fact is, we’re there too. Our GDP is NOT $17T. That only adds up if things are counted twice. (We wouldn’t have ANY unemployment at $17T GDP) It is about $10T and our debt is now $20T.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Start with a threat to President Trump.
That’ll win you friends...

[Grimmy]

And if they do threaten war, they don’t have the logistics capability to do anything outside their own borders.

CNN would be reduced to using vidoes made from Battlefield 2 to show the mighty Chinese army victorious in battle over evil running dog Americans.

[CodeToad]

“F**k you, China. China is the biggest IP thief the world has ever known.”

I agree, but that’s OUR fault.

1. US Companies send manufacturing to China. China not only steal the plans to produce as their own, they also sell the same US products out of the same Chinese plant under different names.

Our fault for thinking some other country will protect our IP the same as we have it here in the US. We also allow our State Department to allow China to import those goods because we demand cheaper prices.

2. We hire Chinese under the H-1B program at US companies. They take both company and knowledge back to China. They are heroes in China for it.

Our fault for being so damned cheap to think we were saving money on cheap Chinese labor.

3. Our jobs are lost as all that moves to China.

Our fault because we demand Wal-Mart, et al., to sell cheaper and cheaper products not focusing on the fact that we are cutting our own throats.

4. China has strengthened, not dumbed down, their education. We think making college easier is good because more people will go and get a “college” education.

Our fault. We’re stupid that way, thinking dumbing it all down means “college” level still applies.

5. China promotes hard working, successful people. We promote idiots who kiss our ass.

Our fault because we have dropped our standards to mean getting along is better than getting things done. We joke around and want to feel loved and happy instead of successful. Lose our job? So what, we’ll get another. Our boss was an asshole anyway.

[Vaquero]

BIG STICK??...

......China do you really want to expose you ‘short comings’??

[VideoDoctor]

It's China who can LEAST afford a trade war.

The dogs bark.. but the caravan moves on.

[for-q-clinton]

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

[CodeToad]

“And if they do threaten war, they don’t have the logistics capability to do anything outside their own borders.”

Probably so, but they do have nuclear weapons. Besides, we’d have one hellofa time stopping a billion Chinese from doing anything. What could the western States muster, 100 millon, maybe?

My view is that China has zero interest in war. Some old guards do, but the country is run by many who could care less about war. They want commerce. They didn’t go to college to fight a war.

[Grimmy]

However many of them there are is meaningless.

They can’t do anything with them. Period.

As to nukes, yeah. They have them. So do we. So again, meaningless threat.

China is a castrato with no arms or legs in terms of deployable military.

[ichabod1]

I think you’re being too hard on us. It’s rational economic behavior to seek the lowest cost, acceptable quality item. Moving jobs out of country and still selling in country is essentially stealing, because you’re taking money out of the economy, but you have also removed the means of paying for it. Consumer economy only works when people work to build product and then people can purchase what each other has produced.

Lincoln said capital follows labor. Without labor there is no capital. Interesting.

[volunbeer]

China is not interested in war outside their own hemisphere. They are very interested in conquests around their border and we would be hard pressed to do anything about it militarily - they would have the advantage.

The main deterrent for China is that they need us (and the West) economically - they cannot survive without their customers financially.

There is another deterrent that is growing in strength. China is increasingly viewing itself as a player on the world stage - a major citizen of the world. This represents a dramatic shift for an isolationist culture so being viewed as a bully would make some of them uncomfortable.

The factions in the Chinese government are battling for control and they have different worldviews - will be interesting and important to see who emerges on top and much of that will be decided by the health of their economy. China will be the toughest negotiation of Trump’s life and it comes with major risks because the hardliners still instill fear in the more moderate Chinese.

[TWhiteBear]

Too bad the Chinese are exporting this Chopped Phooey.
TWB