ZH: Bannon And Bass: "China Is Most Significant Existential Threat The US Has Ever Faced"
Bass, who just the other day distributed his first investor letter in three years warning about a coming blowup in Hong Kong's balance of payments, argued that the immense pressure for Trump to strike a deal isn't coming from voters, but from Wall Street and corporate America, who have abetted Beijing in its efforts to maintain the status quo on trade - selling out their country in the process.As I wrote in February 2018: Russia Collusion Narrative Dead, Long Live Chinese Collusion!
...For years, Beijing has sought to curry favor with individual companies and industries by granting them piecemeal concessions, mostly in the form of market access. And since the start of the trade war, Beijing hasn't been shy about calling in favors, which is why most of the American business and financial community just wants Trump to end the trade war, even if it means settling for a deal that achieves none of Washington's objectives on 'structural reform', kicks the can on enforcement to Trump's successor, and touts promises for purchases of billions of dollars of agricultural goods instead of meaningful changes.
The Russians sowed discord mainly by being present, allowing the creation of a false Trump-Russia collusion narrative. Basically, they got America to shoot itself in the face. The return on investment is incredible, particularly if FBI and DOJ officials eventually get indicted for turning government agencies against a political opponent and sitting president.Nationalism has a way of cutting through the left-right divide and nationalism is still in its infancy. It will eventually dominate politics again.
Now with Russia collusion out of the way, make way for Chinese collusion and trade war. Instead of an intrapolitical battle, Chinese collusion will be a bipartisan effort.
I'm very mixed on President Trump and a trade deal because I believe he is all in on the DJIA as a metric for his presidency. If it wasn't for that, I would bet on no deal (certainly would bet that way in the market based on risk/reward) because in the zero-sum game of geopolitics, no deal is the American victory scenario.
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