China and Russia Go Public with Partnership

China joins Russia in a “rock solid” partnership after Blinken screws up. [The Rude Awakening] February 23, 2023 [WEBSITE]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( China and Russia Go Public with Partnership - Anthony Blinken should be removed from his post. - He clearly needs to learn how to deal with the Chinese. - China now publicly backs Russia; Zelensky is now afraid of WW3. [Could this deliver a DEATH BLOW to the Dollar?]( [Click here to learn more]( Joe Biden just dropped a BOMBSHELL that could send shockwaves through the U.S. economy… And deliver a DEATH BLOW to every dollar in your bank account. Thankfully, we have a “man on the inside” who’s been following this development very closely… And in [his latest MUST-SEE presentation]( he reveals exactly what Biden just did… Why every dollar you own could be in serious jeopardy… And how to protect yourself from the potential fallout. [Click here now to learn every important detail before it’s too late](. [Click Here To Learn More]( [Sean Ring] SEAN RING Happy Thursday from a warm morning in Northern Italy! When I woke up, Singapore Nancy (formerly Hong Kong Nancy) texted me about the rock-solid relationship between Russia and China. She’s concerned about geopolitical instability, and I don’t blame her. The mistakes our “elites” are making are needless. Whenever I read the news, the idiocy accompanying the so-called “adults in the room” continues to stagger me. Because I spent a lot of time in Asia, I know there are certain things you just don’t do to the Chinese. Mainland, or part of the ethnic diaspora, it doesn’t matter. Rule Number 1 is never to make a Chinese lose face. Rule Number 2 is always to remember Rule Number 1. What that imbecilic Secretary of State of ours did was to take the Chinese out behind the woodshed publicly. A Chinese delegation showed up in Moscow the following week proclaiming their “rock solid” partnership with the Russians to demonstrate how much they appreciated Blinken’s stern talking to. It’s one of those unforced errors that anyone else working for a private company would’ve been fired for. But Blinken will carry on. With no accountability. Like most people who work in government. In this Rude, let’s look at what happened, why, and what may happen down the line. Blinken Is a Policy Wonk, not a Diplomat. Don’t, for one second, think Blinken is on the hot seat. Like [Mayor Pete]( his job is safe. Not because he does it well, but because Biden needs him. The same applies to Blinken. But Blinken has a far, far more impressive resumé than Buttigieg. It’s not that Blinken attended Harvard University and Columbia Business School that impresses me. (The number of morons those institutions turn out nowadays is sad.) It’s that he’s lived abroad. After Blinken’s parents divorced, his stepfather, mother, and he moved to Paris. Blinken attended one of Paris’s most selective schools and spoke French fluently. Later, he returned to work in Paris, as well. So you’d think he’d be a good fit for the country’s chief diplomat, which is the Secretary of State’s role. The problem with being a diplomat is the give-and-take. And if you’re a nerd and people don’t like your ideas, you get frustrated. I see it in a lot of bankers as well. They hate negotiating. They’d rather you just do as you’re told. So when Blinken lost his composure with the Chinese last week, his frustration showed. Now that may have been choreographed. It may not have been. Whatever it was, it was a mistake. As a result, Blinken succeeded in publicly pushing China and Russia closer together. Why did all this happen? From [The Guardian]( The US has said it believes China may be about to provide lethal aid to help Russia in the war in Ukraine, prompting a direct warning against doing so from the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, to China’s top diplomat. Blinken made the warning to the Chinese state councilor Wang Yi on Saturday evening at a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich security conference during which he also rebuked China over the use of an alleged spy balloon over US soil. In a blunt meeting, he also urged China to stop helping Russia evade the impact of sanctions. China’s trade with Russia is increasing, and it has been buying Russian oil, but probably below the US$60 per barrel price cap imposed by the EU and G7 group of states. Warning. Rebuked. Blunt. All words you don’t want to use when chatting with the Chinese. It’s plain silly. There’s one playbook everyone needs to have read before dealing with the Chinese. It’s The Art of War. I’ll summarize it in one word: Lie. Here are a few more: Subterfuge. Deception. Misdirection. That’s how they do things. This straightforward stuff is a Western invention they want no part of. Because as a Western diplomat scolds a Chinese one, you can rest assured that the Chinese diplomat is working out how to screw his opposite number behind his smile. This brings us to Moscow. [Warning: Will “Bidenflation” Destroy Your Retirement?]( [Click here to learn more]( If you’re like most Americans, you’ve worked hard for decades to build your financial legacy. And now, as a result of Biden’s disastrous money printing policies, that’s all at risk. According to one top retirement expert, “Bidenflation” threatens to destroy your retirement and make your hard-earned savings worthless. That’s why you must take action right away to protect yourself… [Click here now to get the simple, step-by-step actions to survive “Bidenflation.”]( [Click Here To Learn More]( Meeting in Moscow "Our relationship has withstood pressure from the international community and is developing very steadily." -Wang Yi, Foreign Minister of China to President Putin The Chinese have memories like elephants. They always remember everything. And if revenge takes 5,000 years to exact, you can be sure someone’s descendants will oversee it. So that was the only surprise for me here. It only took a week for Beijing to flip America the bird. From Canada’s [Globe and Mail]( This apparent show of support for the Kremlin comes after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this week that China was “considering providing lethal support” for Russia’s war in Ukraine, something European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said would be a “red line” for the bloc. Beijing has sought to build stronger ties with the EU, even as the war has made this increasingly difficult. China has hotly denied it ever planned to provide weapons to Russia, with Foreign Minister Qin Gang saying Tuesday that Washington was “pouring oil on the fire.” Mr. Qin, a former ambassador to the U.S., was speaking at an event in Beijing where he presented a paper on the Global Security Initiative, a concept put forward by Mr. Xi. Again, from [The Guardian]( Putin described the international situation as “quite complicated” and said Sino-Russian cooperation was “important for stabilizing the international situation”. Wang said, “a crisis is always an opportunity” and that the Sino-Russian relationship was “never dictated by any third parties.” Both leaders emphasized the importance of “multipolar” approaches to international affairs – a worldview that rejects what China describes as the US’s “unipolar” approach to dominating global leadership. This is much farther and deeper than the Chinese needed to go with Russia. And they did this to show America just how much negotiating leverage it has. Will a formal alliance be announced? There’s really no need. They can just team up when they need to. Wrap Up Antony Blinken committed a massive unforced error by talking to the Chinese like they’re some tinpot South American dictatorship. America needs to reassess its methods when speaking with different opponents. Not all with kowtow to America when bidden to. And China? They’re too big and potentially divisive to mess with. All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening P.S. Look out for this morning’s Morning Reckoning, where I talk about Roald Dahl’s censoring. In Case You Missed It… Mercurial Markets and a Merry Mailbag [Sean Ring] SEAN RING Happy Hump Day from overcast Asti! The Rude’s good friend and Paradigm’s Director of Customer Experience, Dustin Weisbecker, sent me a few emails you sent that I’ll address further down the newsletter. As a reminder, I love hearing from you. So please write whenever you feel like it. But first, I will dive - not too deeply - into recent market movements. We’ve got our Monthly Asset Class Report next week, so I don’t want to drown you in charts yet. The news is this: our rally is in peril. But it’s not doomed. This is what Manchester United’s legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson used to call “squeaky bum time.” [Squeaky bum time]( is the tense final stages of competition when your butt crack is sweaty. It’s the time when you’ve got to keep your nerve. When you see the charts, you’ll know why. So let’s dive into it. What’s the Worst Thing That Can Happen? Good traders ask themselves, “What’s the worst thing that can happen?” When I posed this question a couple of weeks ago, my answer was “the dollar whipsawing.” Well, we’re now into a month of the USD rallying: [sjn] We’re right at a significant level of 104.16. Above there, it’s anyone’s guess. Why has the USD rallied? From today’s [Journal]( [SJN] It seems like Mr. Market is getting a bit more rational. Chairman Pow is all about legacy. We’ve mentioned that loads of times. From the same Journal piece: Although inflation has fallen from its recent peak, it remains high. The unemployment rate has fallen to a 53-year low, and retail sales are growing at a healthy clip. That combination has led investors to expect the Fed to continue raising interest rates and then keep them elevated for longer. It’s really what we’ve been saying all along. The Stock Market. All this has put pressure on the stock market. Yesterday, we were down about 2.00% across the board. [SJN] We’ve been stuck between 3,800 and 4,100 for four months now. The SPX is also still above its 50-day moving average, which has just crossed above its 200-day moving average. So, while we’ve been stalled for the past month, we can still make a bullish case. Deep breath. Steady as she goes… for now. That’s it for my market update. Let’s turn our attention to the mailbag. [You may get angry, offended, and shocked]( Jim Rickards just went live with the Biden administrations’ diabolical plot to turn the stock market into a political landmine. [Click here to discover...]( - WHO is really pulling the levers of power in America - WHY these people are trying to destroy your wealth - WHAT you can do to protect yourself Jim revealed everything during his [COUNTERSTRIKE SUMMIT](. Due to the controversial nature of this event, viewer discretion is advised. [Click this link now, if you feel prepared to hear the truth](. [Click Here To Learn More]( The Mailbag Let’s check in with the mailbag and see how we’re doing. Sean, As you may well know, there are 46 active volcanoes worldwide! And these charlatans want us to believe that we can control the environment? Worthy of some consideration and discussion, don’t you think? Neil C. Neil, I often wonder what our descendants will think of us 300 years from now. “If you think that’s stupid, remember, 300 years ago, scientists thought cow farts caused global warming!” But according to NASA, [human activities produce 100x the carbon dioxide that eruptions do](. With that said, you’ve got to believe carbon dioxide harms us. You’ve also got to understand China, India, and Africa will determine how much of that stuff will get into the air over the next few years. I’d also hasten to add we don’t do enough work on the sun cycles and how they affect our climate. Too many of the ESG crowd don't care about a company's financial viability, product innovation, or other factors important to investors or customers. In part, this is because those issues are beyond their ability to understand and, in part, because the welfare of investors and customers doesn't matter to them at all. That the largest investment vehicles, such as BlackRock, have adopted this approach suggests that market manipulation will only increase with dire consequences to just about everyone. Mark F. Mark, I think you’re spot on. I’ve written before that Larry Fink, BlackRock’s CEO, is a custodian of over $10 trillion in assets. He’s not the owner. And his shareholders must hold him to that principle. But as one of my friends is wont to say, “You can ignore the laws of economics, but the laws of economics will not ignore you.” Hopefully, the mistakes will hurt profitability enough to force a course correction. Sean, very much enjoy your morning presentations. Wonder if sometimes you could elaborate on what exactly Egypt’s domestic issues are. Is it just their massive debt? And if so, can’t Europe then assist in resolving that since they want to need the LNG? Even though you’ve been away from New Jersey for a while, I suspect you still have that New Jersey can-do attitude! Neil C. I’d like to think so, Neil! As for Egypt, I learned how to scuba dive in Sharm El-Sheikh back in 2006. While on the Sinai Peninsula, I also visited St. Catherine’s Monastery and saw the Burning Bush (though it wasn’t burning then). I haven’t gone to the mainland yet. But now that I’m back on this side of the world, I’m keen to return there. Egypt is a victim of its geography, politics, and economics. Here’s a list of its problems, as far as I can see: - Political stability: The country has had a history of political unrest and instability. The 2011 revolution that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak, followed by the military coup in 2013 and subsequent crackdown on political dissent, has left the country with a volatile political environment. - Economic challenges: The Egyptian economy faces several challenges, including high unemployment, inflation, and poverty. - Infrastructure: The country's infrastructure needs significant improvements, including in areas such as transportation, housing, and sanitation. - Education: While there has been some progress in recent years, the Egyptian education system needs help, particularly in rural areas. - Human rights: Egypt has been criticized for its poor human rights record, including restrictions on freedom of expression, arbitrary detention, and torture. - Terrorism and security: Egypt faces threats from domestic and international terrorist groups, which have targeted civilians and security forces. - Water scarcity: The country faces significant challenges in managing its water resources, including water scarcity and pollution of water sources. - Healthcare: The healthcare system in Egypt faces challenges in terms of access, quality, and affordability. Sean hit the nail totally on the head. Excellent writing and I am sharing it with everyone I can. My company was started by my grandfather in 1938, and I am the third generation at the helm. We are located about 30 miles from East Palestine. We are a small company of 40 employees and have survived a lot of worthlessness from the government over the years. I am so tired of the direction our country is heading and the lack of real leadership by the government for our country and our citizens. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated this column. Thank you very much. Keith G Keith, thank you. My thoughts and prayers aren’t worth much. But I genuinely feel for you and your community. I couldn’t imagine my President running off to Europe without even a visit. I don’t expect the Biden Administration to fix things instantly. But the Administration seems both tone-deaf and oblivious to the suffering in your part of the world. I hope you and yours get through it as quickly and painlessly as possible. Wrap Up That was so much fun! Keep writing in. I love to hear from you. And if there’s anything specific you want me to cover, let me know. Until tomorrow. All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening [Paradigm]( ☰ ⊗ [ARCHIVE]( [ABOUT]( [Contact Us]( © 2023 Paradigm Press, LLC. 808 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore MD 21202. By submitting your email address, you consent to Paradigm Press, LLC. delivering daily email issues and advertisements. To end your Rude Awakening e-mail subscription and associated external offers sent from Rude Awakening, feel free to [click here.]( Please note: the mailbox associated with this email address is not monitored, so do not reply to this message. We welcome comments or suggestions at feedback@rudeawakening.info. This address is for feedback only. For questions about your account or to speak with customer service, [contact us here]( or call (844)-731-0984. 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