Tag: Competition

Blinken’s Visit to China Confirmed After Call With Chinese FM

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)1 Comment

The State Department confirmed on Wednesday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be visiting China, making him the highest-level Biden administration official to make the trip.

Blinken’s Visit to China Confirmed After Call With Chinese FM

Global Times:

Blinken visit still ‘opportunity’ amid mutual low expectations

Shortly before Blinken’s visit was confirmed by China, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang had a phone call with Blinken at the latter’s request. During the phone call, Qin expounded on China’s firm stance on core concerns such as the Taiwan question.

Ramaphosa arrives in Poland ahead of Russia-Ukraine Peace Mission

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Warsaw Airport in Poland ahead of the Peace Mission to Russia and Ukraine by seven African leaders.

Ramaphosa arrives in Poland ahead of Russia-Ukraine Peace Mission

Video via 2nacheki

Related:

African leaders to propose ‘confidence building measures’ to Russia, Ukraine

Those measures could include a Russian troop pull-back, removal of tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus, suspension of implementation of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant targeting Putin, and sanctions relief.

Unexpected: Studies Suggest That Rather Than Killing Jobs, AI Could Revive The Middle Class + More

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

We’ve certainly been talking a lot about the “AI Doomers” who insist that AI is all too likely to destroy humanity. However, even people who aren’t fully on board with the existential threat of AI do often say that, at the very least, it’s going to destroy jobs for most people, potentially creating huge problems. For years now, people have been arguing for universal basic income, in large part, because they think that automation and AI will take away everyone’s jobs. I mean, it was a core plank of Andrew Yang’s silly run for President.

Studies Suggest That Rather Than Killing Jobs, AI Could Revive The Middle Class

Related:

[2017] “Another kick in the teeth”: a top economist on how trade with China helped elect Trump

David Autor believes both these things to be true: one, that Donald Trump’s diagnosis of trade with China as the source of woe for countless American workers was both accurate and a crucial part of his appeal on his march to the White House. And two, that Trump’s plan to help those workers by cracking down on trade is likely to backfire.

How much did Trump-era tariffs on China cost Americans? New US findings confirm ‘self-inflicted harm’

Anti-junta parties dominate Thai elections but may struggle to form government

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

The Move Forward Party and the Pheu Thai Party emerged as the largest parties in the parliament. However, pro-junta parties still have a better chance of forming the government

Anti-junta parties dominate Thai elections but may struggle to form government

People’s Dispatch is oblivious to the fact that the US is behind the Move Forward Party. Sounds like the White House’s man, Pita Limjaroenrat, might be out of luck unless they bribe a few more politicians.

Related:

US Proxies Win Thai 2023 General Elections – Thai-Chinese Relations at Risk, Instability Looms…

Pita Limjaroenrat (groomed by the US?!):

After graduating from secondary school in New Zealand, he went back to Thailand and pursued a bachelor’s degree in finance from the Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy in Thammasat University where he graduated in 2002 with first-class honors and got a scholarship to study at the University of Texas at Austin. He later on received an international student scholarship from Harvard University, becoming the first Thai student to do so. He completed a joint Master of Public Policy degree in the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University and a Master of Business Administration degree in the Sloan School of Management of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

[2020]: Would China Invade Taiwan for TSMC?

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Our previous article explained the importance of the Taiwanese firm TSMC as a critical link in the global semiconductor supply chain. Although it is not the only firm with the ability to manufacture cutting-edge logic chips, TSMC is the only viable choice for chip design companies in many situations, and under normal market conditions is likely to remain so for years to come. Control of TSMC’s foundries in Taiwan might thus appear a decisive factor both in Beijing’s readiness to risk attempting unification through force, and for other states deciding whether to take a strong stance against this.

Would China Invade Taiwan for TSMC? (archived)