Tag: china

Trump Says He Will Speak to Taiwan President, Prompting Panic in China

President Donald Trump told reporters that he would speak to Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te on Wednesday, downplaying the significance of such a conversation by adding, “I speak to everybody.”

Trump’s comment follows a visit to communist China just a week ago in which he claimed to have a positive personal relationship with genocidal dictator Xi Jinping. While the Chinese government attempted to describe Taiwan as an issue of significance in their conversations, the White House’s descriptions of the visit suggest that topics such as economic cooperation, the ongoing war with Iran, and Chinese students in American universities took priority over Taiwan.

Taiwan, formally the Republic of China, is a sovereign, democratic state off the coast of communist China. The Chinese government falsely claims Taiwan as a “province” that belongs under Beijing’s rule, disparaging its legitimate government as a rogue “separatist” entity. As a result of China’s outsized geopolitical leverage, Taiwan is routinely excluded from basic activities of normal states, such as participation in the United Nations or bilateral negotiations with almost all of the world’s countries, including America.

America’s recognition of China means that the United States does not technically recognize Taiwan as a country, a policy established by leftist former President Jimmy Carter in 1979. While Washington does sell weapons to Taiwan, no president has ever held a conversation with a Taiwanese president since Carter’s policy went into effect. The closest contact between a Taiwanese and an American leader occurred in 2016, when then-President Tsai Ing-wen held a phone conversation with President Trump, who at the time had yet to be inaugurated into the presidency.

Trump suggested on Wednesday that he could soon hold a conversation with Lai, Tsai’s successor, but offered no details.

“I’ll speak to him,” he said when asked while preparing to board Air Force One. “I speak to everybody… We’ll work ⁠on that, the Taiwan problem.”

Reuters cited a “person familiar” with the situation on Wednesday who said that no concrete plans for such a conversation had been formalized yet.

Lai issued a speech in Taipei on Wednesday defending the existence of his country and rejecting any foreign interference, first and foremost from China.

“Taiwan’s future cannot be decided by forces outside our borders, nor can it be held hostage by fear, division, or short-term gain. Taiwan’s future must be determined together by our 23 million people,” he said, according to the Taipei Times. “True peace can only be secured through strength.”

Lai was asked what he would say to Trump if he had the opportunity to speak to him.

“My government is committed to maintaining the status quo, and Taiwan is also a guardian of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” he responded. “Second, China is the one undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”

The Taipei Times observed that Trump last year approved $11 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, a record high sum that indicated high support for the country. Trump has since suggested that any future sales to Taiwan would depend on America’s relationship with both Taipei and Beijing. He noted that he has yet to approve pending weapons sales to the country, telling Fox News, “I’m holding that in abeyance, and it depends on China. It depends. It’s a very good negotiating chip for us, frankly.”

“I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down,” Trump added.

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How China Used the Green Scam to Win American Taxpayer Dollars

Former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, who also served as U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, joined The Patriot Perspective to discuss his new book, China’s War on Faith, and delivered a blunt warning about the threat Communist China poses to the United States, religious freedom, and Western civilization.

Brownback, who served as U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom during President Donald Trump’s first term, called the Chinese Communist Party “the most significant adversary we’ve faced in the last century.”

That warning should shape how Americans view one of the greatest policy scams of the modern era: the so-called green transition.

For years, the American people were told that solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and battery mandates were necessary to save the planet. Politicians framed green energy as a moral cause, not just an economic program. Anyone who questioned the agenda was accused of denying science, opposing progress, or standing in the way of a cleaner future.

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UK State Green Energy Project Refuses to Rule Out Use of Slave Labour

The left-wing Labour Party government in Britain has refused to confirm that it is not using slave labour in its publicly owned green energy project, despite having passed a law last year committing to do so.

The push in the UK to eliminate the use of fossil fuels and replace them with supposedly cleaner forms of energy may be coming with a hefty human toll, with it being unclear if the state-funded Great British Energy (GBE) project is using forced labour in places like China to prop up its so-called renewable sector.

Following pressure from campaigners, after initially baulking at the idea of banning slavery from its key green initiative, the Labour government adopted legislation last year committing GB Energy to ensure its “supply chains are free of forced labour” as it seeks to build a “new energy infrastructure using ethical supply chains.”

However, this week, the government appeared to admit the reality that it is nearly impossible to guarantee that any large-scale purchases of solar panels and other green products are free from slave labour, given the dominance that Communist China has over the industry.

A government spokesman said, per the Daily Mail, that GB Energy has “strict procurement controls in place” for solar panels, but admitted that it could not make any guarantees, only saying that the measures will look to root out forced labour from supply chains “as far as possible”.

The tacit admission of continued reliance on slavery sparked backlash, with Britain’s independent anti-slavery commissioner, Eleanor Lyons, saying: “The race to net zero should never come at the expense of people forced to produce goods in horrendous conditions, working endless hours and under constant surveillance.

“The Government promised taxpayers their money would not fund products linked to forced labour. They should not abandon that commitment.”

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China Off-Balance-Sheet Debt Exceeds GDP of Most Nations

For decades, there have been claims that China had the fastest-growing economy, and that it would eventually overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest economy. However, the fastest-growing economies are always developing economies because mature economies do not have as much room to grow.

In other words, a country with a per-capita GDP of $80 per month, as China had in the year 2000, has far more room for rapid expansion than a country like the United States, where the figure now stands at around $7,000 per month.

There is also the concept of low-hanging fruit. When a country has no highways or rail infrastructure, building highways and railways causes GDP to skyrocket. But once all major cities are connected, building additional highways and rail lines has only a marginal impact on economic growth.

A case in point is China’s famous high-speed rail system. Once highways and conventional railways already existed in China, converting to high-speed rail represented a massive economic investment and a large accumulation of debt, while the resulting increase in GDP was relatively minimal. For one thing, high-speed rail cannot be used to carry freight.

While China is still building high-speed rail lines, linking small communities with other small communities, the world is moving toward a remote-work model, making the movement of people a smaller contributor to GDP. Moving freight, however, remains critically important. Despite having a population less than one-quarter the size of China’s, the United States operates approximately 220,000 kilometers of total rail, about 33 percent more than China’s 162,000 kilometers, the vast majority of which is dedicated to freight.

Along with this development boom in China came debt. Because of the centrally planned economy, the central government was able to order local governments to invest and develop by creating debt. That debt was financed largely through real-estate sales, as the Chinese government controls actual land ownership rather than simple lease arrangements, which is what individual “homeowners” in China actually possess.

In order to keep this debt from detracting from the appearance of investment and economic performance, large portions of the debt were kept off the balance sheet.

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Rep. Chip Roy Files Bill to BAN Chinese Communists and Radical Islamists from Buying American Homes

Rep. Chip Roy has introduced new legislation to stop Chinese Communist Party members, radical Islamists, and other designated foreign adversaries from purchasing homes and real estate in the United States.

In an announcement on Tuesday, Roy declared that American property should belong to American citizens, not to geopolitical foes who seek to undermine the country from within.

The bill would explicitly prohibit individuals affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, Islamist groups, or other designated adversaries from acquiring residential property.

“American homes belong to American families — not the Chinese Communist Party, foreign Islamists, or our geopolitical foes,” Roy told the Daily Caller. “While Americans struggle to afford housing, hostile regimes are buying up our land and neighborhoods.”

“This bill slams the door on foreign adversaries owning American housing and forces them to sell what they already control,” Roy added. “We’re putting America’s homes back in American hands.”

Housing affordability is a top issue for American families struggling with high prices and limited inventory, while foreign entities, especially from China, continue to snap up homes and farmland in strategic locations.

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‘ALIGNED INTERESTS’: Trump, Xi and Putin To Join Forces Against the Globalist ICC: REPORT

The big three against the ICC?

Today, a Financial Times report did the rounds, in which is alleged that Xi Jinping would have told Donald J. Trump during last week’s talks that Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘might end up regretting his invasion of Ukraine’.

That was called out as fake news both by the Chinese and by Trump himself.

This report seems timed to coincide with Putin’s arrival in Beijing for a state visit.

However, in this same report we find a nugget that seems much more plausible, and that has not, so far, been denied by any party.

“During his summit with Xi, Trump also suggested that the US, China and Russia should join forces to combat the ICC, saying their interests were aligned, according to the people familiar with the talks. 

The White House declined to comment on the ICC comment. But the Trump administration has previously voiced strong opposition to the ICC, which it accuses of engaging in politicization, abuse of power, disregard for US national sovereignty and illegitimate judicial over-reach. Some officials have described it as an instrument for so-called lawfare against America.”

News9 Live reports:

“Trump argued that the three major powers had shared interests in opposing the Hague-based court. His administration has long accused the ICC of overreach and politicisation.

For anyone watching global politics, this is one of those moments where the room matters as much as the words. A US president, sitting with China’s leader, reportedly floating a common line with Russia against an international court. That is not a small diplomatic footnote.”

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Trump Wants Veto Power Over Chinese or Russian Investments in Greenland in Bold National Security Move

Trump is working to curtail outside influence in our hemisphere.

Back in November 2025, the Donald J. Trump administration released the new National Security Strategy, and we could understand a little better how the protection of the Western Hemisphere has become central to US efforts.

We read there: “The United States has achieved success in rolling back outside influence in the Western Hemisphere by demonstrating, with specificity, how many hidden costs—in espionage, cybersecurity, debt-traps, and other ways—are embedded in allegedly ‘low cost’ foreign assistance. We should accelerate these efforts, including by utilizing U.S. leverage in finance and technology to induce countries to reject such assistance.”

So, when it comes to the Arctic Island of Greenland, this whole security architecture applies there, too.

We have reported how Greenland Leader Admits US Military Presence on Island Is Part of Negotiations ‌With Washington.

But the security is not limited to establishing a number of air bases and other military assets there.

There’s also the question of curbing the outside influence from major powers.

So, it’s not at all surprising that reports arise today that Trump is demanding a ‘veto’ power over any future Chinese or Russian investments in Greenland.

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The EU’s sanctions fever: From Russia to China, a crisis expands

The European Union has taken yet another step in its long-running confrontation with Russia. But what now stands out is not only the scale – it is the restless, almost reflexive expansion of sanctions as a default instrument of policy.

In April, EU authorities unveiled their 20th round of sanctions targeting Russia and Belarus, while pointedly extending their reach toward China.

Sanctions spiral

What was once framed as a targeted response now resembles a sanctions regime without clear geographic or strategic limits. By including 56 designations tied to Russia’s military-industrial complex – 17 of them in China, the United Arab Emirates, Belarus, and Central Asia – the EU has effectively dissolved the boundaries of its own confrontation. Another 60 entities now face tightened export controls tied to alleged contributions to Russia’s defense sector.

For the first time, even a Chinese state-owned entity has been targeted by anti-Belarusian sanctions. In Brussels, this is justified through the language of “dual-use” goods. But outside Europe, the perception is of a growing tendency toward economic coercion that stretches legal authority across borders, fueled by an escalating appetite for pressure.

China’s response was swift: officials condemned what they described as “long-arm jurisdiction,” rejecting the EU’s attempt to discipline Chinese firms operating far beyond European territory. More importantly, Beijing read the move as a signal of the EU’s shifting posture toward China itself.

Within a day, China placed seven European entities on its control list over arms sales to Taiwan, imposing restrictions that mirror the EU’s own extraterritorial reach. These measures prohibit the transfer of Chinese goods to the targeted firms, extending the ripple effects well beyond those directly sanctioned.

The list includes one German entity, two Belgian firms, and four Czech companies – including military industrial manufacturers Omnipol and Excalibur Army, all deeply embedded in supply chains connected to Ukraine.

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CIA Whistleblower: Fauci Led Multi-Agency Cover-Up of COVID Lab Leak Evidence

A CIA whistleblower today told the U.S. Senate that Dr. Anthony Fauci intentionally helped cover up evidence showing that COVID-19 emerged from a Chinese laboratory that worked with U.S.-funded scientists — some of whom were involved with gain-of-function research and coronaviruses months before the pandemic.

“Dr. Fauci’s role in the cover-up was intentional,” said James E. Erdman III, a senior operations officer for the CIA. Erdman testified during a hearing organized by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, chaired by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

Erdman, who worked for the federal Director’s Initiatives Group (DIG) between March 2025 and April 2026, leading its investigation into COVID-19’s origins, said this position exposed him to evidence that Fauci, the CIA and other elements of the U.S. intelligence community actively covered up evidence of a COVID-19 lab leak.

He said a “small circle” of scientists was involved in the cover-up and helped promote the theory that the SARS-CoV-2 virus had a zoonotic — or natural — origin. Fauci then referred investigators from various U.S. intelligence agencies leading an interagency probe into the virus’s origins to the same scientists, Erdman said.

Erdman said the scientists were linked to gain-of-function research, which increases the virulence or transmissibility of viruses and is used in vaccine development.

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Musical Chairs

Yesterday, Trump spoke with Xi in Beijing. While markets kept a watchful eye on any headlines about the war in Iran, palates were left dry as only tepid announcements dripped out, such as that China “offered help” on Iran and “pledged not to send weapons.” What they did not manage to evade was a conversation about Taiwan. During the two and a half hour conversation with Trump, Xi underscored that US intervention in Taiwan could trigger a “highly dangerous situation.” While Rubio underscored that the topic of American arms sales to Taiwan wasn’t a major focus of discussion, it likely will be when Congress’ approved USD 14bn arms sale to Taiwan lands on Trump’s desk, and again when Xi visits the White House in September.

While the US and China are stalled in the geopolitical arena, the financial scene seems to be bearing fruit. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent announced that conversations around the creation of a “Board of Investment” were underway, and that tariffs would be reduced or removed for products that the US doesn’t plan on reshoring, like fireworks. China also agreed to buy 200 “big” Boeing planes, according to Trump, which would mark the first significant Chinese purchase of Boeing jets since the last time Trump went to Beijing in 2017. China also hinted that they may intend to buy more US energy to compensate for flows disrupted by the war.

Though Iran didn’t appear to produce much in the way of headlines, the Strait is still closed, and Brent crude oil is still trading above $100/bbl at $106/bbl at the time of writing. According to Reuters, the IRGC announced that some 30 vessels have crossed the Strait since Wednesday (with Tehran’s permission), and transit is being permitted for “some” Chinese vessels.

US Treasury yields closed higher after hotter-than-expected trade price data for April printed, with import prices up 1.9% m/m and export prices up 3.3% m/m. These were the fastest monthly price index increases since early 2022 for both. However, the import price index, excluding petroleum, registered more modest gains of only 0.7% which, while hotter than the expected print of 0.5%, is cooler than levels seen as recently as January and February of this year. USD was the best performing G10 currency yesterday on a one day view. Yesterday afternoon saw a surge in yields across the board, absent a clear driver in sparse news flow, as the 2 year closed 3bp higher, above 4.00%.

Warsh was recently voted in as Fed Chair by the US Senate, but this creates a game of grown up musical chairs for the Board of Governors. There can only be seven Governors on the FOMC, and with Powell not giving his seat up just yet, if no one steps down, we have eight. However, Stephen Miran has announced that he would be stepping down as Governor and has submitted his resignation, effective upon Warsh being sworn in. Miran also assured that while he believes it’s important that the Fed only have one chair, Powell could help Warsh through the transition.

Bloomberg’s Anna Wong hit Powell with an uncomfortable reality check: “if Powell’s Fed had been more active in getting its own house in order following a massive miss on inflation, outsiders would have had less motive and opportunity to attack.” Powell’s Fed was criticized for its slow response to the inflationary pressures which led to “the Great Inflation.” Wong summarizes that “[Powell’s] limited push for accountability, such as a thorough review of Fed’s forecasting framework, opened the door to the nomination of a more aggressive outside like Warsh, who has vowed to ‘break some heads’ at the Fed. The moral of story: Get your own house in order or someone will do it for you.”

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