ASIA: Beijing has ordered the closure of a US consulate in south-western China, in a move that will escalate tensions between the two countries to a new level. On Friday, China’s ministry of foreign affairs said it had ordered the US consulate in Chengdu, in Sichuan province, to cease all operations. Authorities notified the US […]

QUESTION: You’ve written about the collapse of communism in Europe 30 years ago and the looming collapse of socialism in the west. In Russia and Eastern Europe, most of the deaths occurred in the first 30 years of communism and few deaths occurred when it collapsed. Is it possible that for western socialism the vast majority […]

ASIA: China has criticized the Trump Administration’s order to shut the Chinese consulate in Houston as an attempt to shift the blame for its failures ahead of the November election, according to state media editorials published on Thursday. China’s foreign ministry, which is threatening “countermeasures,” the Chinese Embassy in Washington said, “We urge the US […]

ASIA: The US has ordered China to close its consulate in Houston, Texas, by Friday — a move described as “political provocation” by Beijing. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the decision was taken because China was “stealing” intellectual property. China’s foreign ministry condemned the move on Twitter, saying its embassy in Washington had […]

ASIA: China has warned the UK that it will “bear the consequences” if it continues to go “down the wrong road” on Hong Kong after the UK suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong over a new security law that gives Beijing more power. A Chinese ambassador in London said, “China has never interfered in […]

  I had a professor who once said that two people were standing on top of the World Trade Center and a gust of wind blew them off the roof. The pessimist immediately starts praying to be forgiven for his sins. The optimism, as he is passing the 4th floor says, “So far so good!” […]

ASIA: China is considering retaliating against the Chinese operations of two major European telecommunication-equipment manufacturers, Nokia Corp. and Ericsson AB, should European Union members follow the lead of the US and UK in barring China’s Huawei Technologies Co. from 5G networks, a major online news agency reported. China’s Ministry of Commerce is mulling export controls […]

ASIA: China has accused the Trump administration of being “very pathetic” amid reports that Washington is considering a sweeping visa ban on Communist party members. Donald Trump is reportedly reviewing a proposal to refuse entry for all members of China’s ruling party – which encompasses a who’s who of the political and business elite in […]

COMMENT: Dear Martin, Thank you for spending your precious time to compose such a detailed blog post. The gems within your answer truly clarify this seemingly impossible situation for me. We *are* all connected and cycles are clearly human nature playing out. Greed, as you noted, is part of that equation. Socrates is the most […]

ASIA: China’s economy returned to growth in the second quarter after a deep slump at the start of the year, but unexpected weakness in domestic consumption underscored the need for more policy support to bolster the recovery after the shock of the coronavirus crisis. Gross domestic product (GDP) rose 3.2% in the second quarter from […]