Hardball the Only Effective Strategy Against the US

Thursday 16 May 2019

Hardball the Only Effective Strategy Against the US

By Stephen Lendman
Source

Both extremist right wings of the US war party don’t negotiate. They demand, why diplomatic outreach to Washington doesn’t work.

The only effective strategy is giving its ruling authorities a taste of their own medicine. Iran, Venezuela, and China understand, not Russia.

The US considers Moscow its existential enemy. In response, Kremlin officials call Washington its “partner,” its top officials “colleagues,” ignoring reality.

The US has been hostile toward Russia for over 100 years, with interregnum periods during WW II to defeat Nazi Germany and at the end of the Reagan era alone.

Bilateral relations today are more dismal and dangerous than any other time in modern memory, risking confrontation and possible nuclear war, polar opposite what partnerships are made of.

Despite everything the US has thrown at Iran and Venezuela, their governments refuse to bend to its will, to their credit.

The same goes for China. Since Trump’s March 2017 executive order calling for tariffs on Chinese imports, his meeting with Xi Jinping a week later at his Mar-a-Lago, FL estate, his August 2017 probe into alleged Beijing intellectual property theft, initial tariffs imposed in January 2018, others to follow, and 11 rounds of trade talks with no agreement, China refuses to bend to unacceptable Trump regime demands.

They’re all about wanting Beijing’s aim to become an economic, industrial, and high-tech powerhouse undermined, about wanting its sovereign rights subordinated to US interests, about wanting the country marginalized, weakened, contained and isolated.

It’s how Washington treats all other countries, wanting them colonized and controlled, its allies and adversaries alike.

That’s what the scourge of imperialism is all about, why global war with nuclear weapons is possible, maybe inevitable.

Humanity’s fate hangs in the balance because of Washington’s rage to dominate other countries by whatever it takes to achieve its objectives, preemptive wars its favored strategy, along with other hostile actions, flagrant international and constitutional law violations.

On Monday, China’s People’s Daily, its official broadsheet, said Beijing “will never bow to any extreme pressure,” adding:

After the Trump regime increased tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports from 10 – 25%, threatening 25% duties on all its exports to the US, Beijing “declared its decision to take necessary countermeasures,” adding:

“China…will never yield to the extreme pressure from the US, or compromise on matters of principle.”

“The US wielded the tariff stick once again because of its misjudgments on China’s strength, capability and willpower,” — calling its actions a “reckless leap in the dark,” a futile effort to bully its leadership.

China’s Global Times made similar comments, on Sunday saying “maximum (US) pressure policy is useless,” adding:

“We have prepared ourselves for various scenarios. Arrogant of its strength, Washington provoked the trade war, believing tariffs are enough to crush China…and force (its authorities) to accept an unequal deal…”

The Trump regime’s gamble is wrongheaded. China won’t yield to unacceptable demands. Has self-styled master deal maker in his own mind DJT met his match?

The jury remains out, but failure after 11 rounds of trade talks, pushing Beijing to accept what some of the country’s analysts call unconditional surrender to US demands hasn’t worked.

Nor is it likely to ahead, no matter how many more rounds of talks are held and if Trump orders further toughness on Beijing.

Its ruling authorities have lots of cards to play, including an unlikely but possible dumping of a substantial portion of its $1.1 trillion in US Treasuries, roiling credit markets if it chooses this option in retaliation for Trump regime actions it won’t tolerate.

Greatly depreciating the yuan against the US dollar to offset increased tariffs is another possible option, keeping its products competitive in the US market.

Beijing can also impose 25% duties on all US imports, an option it may choose, especially if and when 25% tariffs on all Chinese exports to the US take effect.

Clearly a tough response is coming. It should be clear to Trump regime hardliners that Beijing won’t roll over to their demands.

Its authorities haven’t so far and won’t likely ahead. A statement by China’s Commerce Ministry urged the US to “meet us halfway and work with us to resolve existing issues through cooperation and consultation.”

Its Foreign Ministry stressed that Beijing won’t “surrender to foreign pressure.” Former Commerce Ministry vice minister Wei Jianguo said China has the “willingness to…fight a prolonged war,” adding it’s able to “deliver a deadly punch at the end.”