JOHN CHUCKMAN COMMENT: SUGGESTION CHINA USE ITS TRADE-WAR "NUCLEAR WEAPON," ITS VAST HOLDING OF AMERICAN T-BILLS - HOW CHINA APPROACHES ITS STRATEGIES - THE OPPOSITE OF TRUMP - CARE, CAUTION, STUDY, TEST - WHEN YOU COMMIT IT'S VERY SERIOUS - AMERICA WILL REGRET WHAT IT HAS STARTED - BUT SO MIGHT THE WHOLE WORLD

John Chuckman



COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE BY MARKO MARJANOVIC IN CHECKPOINT ASIA



“Supposed “Nuclear Option” [disposing of its vast stock of American T-bills] for China in the Trade War Is Just the Common Sense Thing to Do

“There is absolutely no downside for the Chinese, there is nothing "nuclear" about it for Beijing

“Goodbye Petrodollar”



China is very cautious and pragmatic in committing to any big action.

It doesn't take a huge effort to decide not to buy American soybeans, an act whose impact on Trump's political base is clear enough, although I'm sure all available alternative sources were sounded out first.

The Chinese are virtually the opposite of Trump's rash, boisterous approach in the steps they take.

They analyze. They offer hints. They put out suggestions. They observe reactions. Action is taken only after much care, but then the action is decisive, never wavering or half-hearted. Completely unlike Trump's approach, which so often involves deafening noise that disappears in a week or two.

Actually, their approach in many things resembles Putin's, which makes them very suitable partners.

A trillion is a very big number, even in this day of a billion here, a billion there, and things with big numbers have big consequences.

I'm sure the Chinese have shrewd people assessing the possibilities on the T-bills.

Look at the "rare earths" weapon, potentially quite a powerful one. The subtle approach has been, so far, just having Xi visit a rare-earths plant, knowing full well the action will be microscopically examined in the West.

The Chinese approach has the added combat value of inducing anxieties and fears in the opponent well ahead of any physical act.

The old stuff about Chinese water torture has more than a little truth in it.

Again, these are people who learn and use one of the world's most difficult languages in their affairs.

They invented one of the world's most difficult board games, Go.

They are now, with their large stock of intellectually-gifted people, producing scientists and engineers and analysts in numbers unheard of in the West.

And last, their centuries and centuries of experience living in a densely populated society have evolved subtle ways and psychological patterns a Trump cannot even imagine.

If any country is in a position to teach America an important lesson, it is China.

I am pretty confident that America will come to much regret what it is doing to its relations with China, just as it will regret its many other new impulsive, mercantilist trade policies and its open aggression through economic sanctions, ignoring all rule of law.

The trouble is that perhaps the rest of the planet will come to regret America's behavior, too.