Xi Expresses Hope For Reset In US Relations Under Trump In "Very Good" Call: TikTok, Trade, Taiwan Discussed

Incoming President Donald Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, three days before his inauguration Monday. Tensions between Washington and Beijing have only escalated since Trump was last in the White House, and the Pentagon and US intelligence have named China as a top global threat.

Still, Trump hailed the "very good call" he had with Xi, which was on the occasion of the Chinese leader wishing Trump well on his second term in office. Trump posted on his Truth Social account, "I just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China. The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately."

Via Associated Press

The statement continued, "We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!"

On the Chinese side, the readout said, "Xi congratulated Trump on his reelection as President of the United States. President Xi noted that they both attach great importance to their interactions, and both hope for a good start of the China-US relationship during the new US presidency."

"President Xi expressed his readiness to secure greater progress in China-U.S. relations from a new starting point," it added.

The words were unexpectedly warm and welcoming considering the fact that during Trump's first term in office he was an outspoken China hawk, also piling up sanctions and tariffs on Beijing.

But it was Biden who directly increased military and diplomatic support to Taiwan, with the single biggest escalation coming when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the self-ruled island, triggering the largest Chinese military encircling exercises up to that point.

The Chinese statement on Friday's Trump call continued, "Xi pointed out that it is natural for two big countries with different national conditions to have some disagreements. The important thing is to respect each other’s core interests and major concerns, and find a proper solution."

It added, "The Taiwan question concerns China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The US side needs to approach it with prudence."

A further positive sign that American-Sino relations have the potential to thaw is that the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that Vice President Han Zheng will be attending Trump’s inauguration on Monday.

The Vice President's high rank in government is significant, and he's not a mere lower or mid-ranking official...

China to send Vice President Han Zheng to Trump inauguration

Han Zheng one of core Beijing officials - has met Putin one-to-one before, attended King Charles coronation

Usually China sends lower-level officials to inaugurations

China making an outreach effort pic.twitter.com/ISoH2wGc4U

— RT (@RT_com) January 17, 2025

Political analyst Dylan Loh,assistant professor at the Nanyang Technological University, was cited in Business Insider as saying, "Han's attendance is significant, and even though the vice president does not really wield political power, it is still consequential, and he certainly will be able to play the role of an interlocutor and a channel of communication."

"Symbolically, the presence of Han for Trump's inauguration is also important to underline that political communication and cooperation is possible despite the campaign rhetoric and threat of tariffs," Loh added.

Also significant is that the chief executive of TikTok plans to attend the inauguration and is expected to sit in a position of honor on the dais. "The invitation to the executive, Shou Chew, went out from the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the inauguration on Monday," NY Times writes. "Mr. Chew will join Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk on the dais, along with other tech executives at the event, according to two people with knowledge of the planning."

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Xi Expresses Hope For Reset In US Relations Under Trump In "Very Good" Call: TikTok, Trade, Taiwan Discussed

The Burning State

Authored by Steve Gruber via American Greatness,

The Golden State looks like a failed state, due to the failures of Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass. Because of these two, California is a mess and Los Angeles an inferno. Because of a blue wave of incompetence, the state is in the midst of one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. Because of decades of one-party rule under Democrats, our most populous state is in chaos, and our second-most populist city in flames. The fires continue to burn, with at least 16 dead and over 23,000 acres destroyed. The fires are evidence of gross negligence, mismanagement, and irresponsibility, in the face of a preventable tragedy. The fires are also evidence of absentee leadership—of zero leadership—in the face of mass suffering.

The evidence is in the hills and streets of Pacific Palisades, where the fire still burns.

The evidence is in Newsom’s response to the fires, a nonresponse of denial and deflection. The evidence is in Bass’s refusal to respond to questions about the fires. The evidence is visible and irrefutable, with lives lost and livelihoods decimated. And yet, despite everything, despite the downpour of ash and debris, despite the loss of more than 10,000 homes and other structures, Newsom continues to say nothing of substance and Bass continues to do nothing. The two continue to indict themselves, for they are unfit to serve and unable to govern. The good news is that we are four days from Inauguration Day, with President Trump back in the White House.

Voters will note the contrast between President Trump and Newsom. The contrast is even greater with Bass, who makes Newsom look like a professional.

Take, for example, this clip of Bass staring ahead and not responding to a reporter’s questions. Either Bass thinks she is a celebrity—that she is famous rather than infamous—and does not have to speak to the press, or she thinks the press should not speak to her. Does she think her job is ceremonial, that she owes the public nothing more than her presence? Does she think her job is to smile and wave and sign autographs? Is it too much to ask her to tell us what she plans to do—if she even has a plan—concerning the Palisades Fire? Does she think silence is sound, that she inspires confidence, or projects strength?

When Bass does speak, the effect is anything but reassuring. She says the city has been through tragedies before, including “civil unrest” in 1992. Too bad the unrest was a riot, resulting in 63 deaths, 2,383 injuries, and 12,111 arrests. The riots also caused more than $1 billion in property damage, affecting 3,767 buildings, due to arson and looting. Bass ignores these facts, just as she ignores the fact that a riot is different from a natural disaster. The only thing that connects the two—the one thing both have in common—is that Democrats made them worse. Democrats were in charge then, and Democrats are in charge now. Los Angeles was a Democrat town then, and Los Angeles is a Democrat town now. But Los Angeles may not be as reliably blue much longer.

The same is true for the governorship, where Gavin Newsom is out of touch and out of his league. Here he is complaining—about President Trump. Here he is attacking the “weaponized grievance” of President Trump. Here is Newsom, the governor of California, acting like a spectator, here he is talking like a bystander—an observer—instead of a leader. He says more about President Trump than he says about the fire. Newsom says nothing about efforts to contain the fire, or what he intends to do when the fire stops, because—surprise!—he has nothing to offer.

Newsom would rather attack President Trump than provide a plan of attack. Here, again, Newsom would rather complain about President Trump than speak to voters’ complaints about his failures as governor. Newsom would rather say California’s reservoirs are full than take responsibility for failing to guarantee that the reservoir in the Palisades was full. Newsom would rather blame President Trump, who is not in office, than take the blame for his many and ongoing failures while in office in California.

Here, in contrast, is President Trump saying the fire is a true tragedy. Here is President Trump saying more in two minutes than Newsom has said in over seven days. Here is President Trump saying we will rebuild, in spite of Newsom’s assertions to the contrary. Here is leadership—by President Trump—on behalf of residents of California. Here is plain speaking, by President Trump, in the spirit of Harry Truman and the style of Teddy Roosevelt. Here is a Republican who appeals to Democrats, telling an antidemocratic hack like Newsom to get out of the way.

California may soon follow President Trump’s lead.

The Golden State may soon reject Newsom and Bass.

If the state is to be great again, if it is to rebuild and recover, Californians must reject Newsom and Bass.

If California is to be the place where the future happens, if the state is to be healthy and strong, it has no choice but to reject Newsom and Bass.

Let a real leader change things for the better.

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The Burning State

What If Tech, The Market, & The State Are No Longer Solutions?

Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,

If we study the problems outside the force-field of mythological beliefs, we find that there are no systemic solutions, there are only partial, local solutions.

The status quo rests on a foundational belief that all problems, regardless of their nature, can be solved by technology, the market or the government (i.e. the state), or some combination of these three.

Which one is the paramount solution depends on the specifics of the problem, of course, but what's proposed as a solution also depends on which of the three has gained our primary loyalty: to true believers in technology, there's always a tech fix. To true believers in the market, unleashing the market will fix any problem. To true believers in the power of the state, the Savior State is always the go-to solution.

These solutions transform from practical toolboxes into mythologies when they become simplified belief structures, in effect articles of faith populated with heathens, heretics, true believers, taboos and excommunication. The limits of each toolbox are set aside in favor of a belief in the unlimited magical powers of the tools.

We know we've entered the realm of mythologies when expressing doubts about the efficacy of tech, the market or the state unleashes an infuriated indignation that the gods of tech, the market and the state are being questioned, even as the proof of their powers are everywhere.

The difference between a toolbox and a mythology is every tool has limits, where mythology has no limits. If we're trying to drive nails with a handsaw, we're not going to find much success. We're forced to admit the tool isn't going to solve the problem.

But once we're embedded in a mythological structure, then we see play-acting as a legitimate solution. So a diesel-fueled robot that roams the fields zapping weeds with lasers is the "solution" to food insecurity. See, there's a tech solution to every problem. But the robot--AI!--can't make it rain, or stop the windstorm that destroyed the harvest, or nurture the depleted soil. The robot is a phantom solution, a "solution" that meets the requirements of the mythology--there must be a tech solution--but doesn't actually solve the problem of food insecurity, which is complex, structural and systemic.

Here is a Venn diagram of the status quo understanding of problems and solutions all problems exist within the loving embrace of tech, the market and the state, and therefore all problems can be solved by applying various mixtures of these three elixirs.

Here is the real-world situation, stripped of mythology and play-acting: the majority of the core problems are either made worse by tech, the market and the state--Anti-Progress writ large-- or they're beyond the reach of these conventional tools.

This Venn diagram causes howls of protest and shrieks of agony: how dare you! Of course there are tech solutions, market solutions and government solutions to every problem under the sun. What else is there?

What's missing from this faith in mythologies is the recognition that the conventional solutions must comply with implicit rules that limit their efficacy. Any "solution" must not disrupt the status quo's power structure, which has been over-optimized to the point of extreme fragility, a dynamic I discussed in Six Dynamics That Will Shape Our Future.

In other words, any "solution" must leave existing profit streams untouched and the power pyramid as-is. Given this constraint, and the fragility created by over-optimization, the only "solutions" that are acceptable to those at the top of the pyramid are play-acting "solutions", proposals presented as magical fixes that actually fix nothing, or create new problems--the definition of Anti-Progress.

To state this out loud is deeply offensive, for we've been trained to worship at the altars of technology, the market and the state. It's considered good sport to deride the limits of state solutions, but it's anathema to question the limits of technology or the market.

Markets only "solve problems" via infinite substitution of scarcities. OK, so we wiped out wild fisheries, the fix is fish farms. We bulldozed the native forests, the solution is tree farms. That each substitution isn't actually a functional substitute, and is a much lower quality that the original, is taboo.

That "the market solution" to declining profitability is monopoly (eliminating competition and transparency), addiction and reducing quality is also taboo.

What "problem" did social media solve? Or is social media now another "problem" that has no solution? But now that social media has created trillion-dollar enterprises, it can't be questioned as a "good thing." There are tech solutions, market solutions, state regulations--of course we can "fix" social media's Anti-Progress.

As with all "solutions" satisfactory to the system, all these "solutions" are play-acting: they sound good, everyone can click "like" or "heart" the "solution," but nothing actually changes.

If we study the problems outside the force-field of mythological beliefs, we find that there are no systemic solutions, there are only partial, local solutions that we put in place ourselves. Rather then expect tech, the market and the state to "fix" healthcare, we're better off accepting the system has no solutions because the profit streams and power structure are sacrosanct and cannot be touched, even though they're the source of the problem.

The only real, non-play-acting solution is to get healthy and reduce our dependence on "healthcare" to an absolute minimum. This approach applies to every problem in the red circle in the diagram above.

* *  *

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What If Tech, The Market, & The State Are No Longer Solutions?

Houthis Again Target US Carrier In Red Sea Just As Gaza Truce Deal Announced 

Yemen's Houthis have once again announced that military forces have targeted American warships in the Red Sea. The Pentagon has not offered confirmation, however, and rarely admits to coming under such direct attacks.

The Wednesday statement said missiles and drones were launched against the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier and other US warships patrolling the Red Sea. It's unknown whether direct hits resulted, or if all projectiles were intercepted.

Carrier Harry S. Truman, via US Navy

"The missile force and the drone air force of the Yemeni Armed Forces … carried out a joint military operation targeting the American aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and a number of its warships in the northern Red Sea with a number of winged missiles and drones, during their attempt to carry out operations to target Yemen," the statement reads.

"This targeting of the carrier is the sixth since its arrival in the Red Sea," it added. The Iran-backed group has clearly remained committed and defiant as it blocks Red Sea shipping, despite several rounds of US-UK-Israeli bombing campaigns.

The timing of this attack is interesting given that widespread reports of Hamas and Israeli having achieved a peace deal have persisted over the last 12 hours. President Biden as well as Donald Trump are hailing the deal, which still has to be voted on by Israeli lawmakers, which is set for Thursday morning.

The Houthis have consistently demanded that for it to halt its Red Sea attacks there must be full Israeli military withdrawal from the Strip. 

The Houthi statement said it remains "ready for any American or Israeli escalation and will continue to perform its duties towards the oppressed Palestinian people," and that "operations will not stop until the aggression stops and the siege on the Gaza Strip is lifted."

If the promised hostage exchange happens by week's end, the Houthis might halt these attacks or at least dial them back. Recently several ballistic missiles have been launched on central Israel.

If the Yemeni operations do persist, it could complicate or damage efforts to keep the peace in the Gaza Strip, as it's already sure to be an extremely delicate and fragile truce. 

The Houthis are claiming that they attacked the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group again. This is the sixth such claim. Here's what I find interesting: First, this is the first time I've seen a consistent campaign about targeting an American CSG. https://t.co/l3AVnd8SEW

— Heather Mongilio (@HMongilio) January 15, 2025

Still, many hurdles remain, and the details of phase 2 are still to be hammered out in phase 1. This leaves the potential for Hamas-Israel fighting to be sparked once again. So far a fragile truce in Lebanon with Hezbollah has held.

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Houthis Again Target US Carrier In Red Sea Just As Gaza Truce Deal Announced 

Biden Pens Farewell Letter To Americans

Authored by Emel Akan via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

WASHINGTON—As his presidency comes to a close, Joe Biden penned a farewell letter to the American people, reflecting on his four years in office and his decades of public service.

President Joe Biden delivers a speech about his foreign policy achievements in the Ben Franklin Room at the State Department's Harry S. Truman headquarters building in Washington on Jan. 13, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

“It has been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years,” Biden wrote, marking the end of a political journey that brought him from Scranton to the Oval Office.

“Nowhere else on Earth could a kid with a stutter from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, one day sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as President of the United States,” Biden wrote. “I have given my heart and my soul to our nation. And I have been blessed a million times in return with the love and support of the American people.”

Biden is also scheduled to deliver a farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office on Jan. 15 at 8 p.m. ET.

[Any bets on what he'll say?]

Ahead of Biden’s farewell speech, the White House released a fact sheet outlining the Biden-Harris administration’s record, highlighting a long list of actions, starting with efforts to combat the pandemic.

“Four years ago, we stood in a winter of peril and a winter of possibilities,” Biden wrote in his letter.

“We were in the grip of the worst pandemic in a century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War,” he said, referring to the January 6 Capitol breach.

“But we came together as Americans, and we braved through it. We emerged stronger, more prosperous, and more secure.”

Biden explained that he ran for president four years ago because he believed “the soul of America was at stake.”

“The very nature of who we are was at stake. And, that’s still the case,” he said. “America is an idea stronger than any army and larger than any ocean. It’s the most powerful idea in the history of the world.”

In his letter, Biden also highlighted key accomplishments, offering a preview of his upcoming farewell speech.

“Today, we have the strongest economy in the world and have created a record 16.6 million new jobs. Wages are up. Inflation continues to come down,” he wrote.

“Manufacturing is coming back to America. We’re leading the world again in science and innovation, including the semiconductor industry.”

He also mentioned progress in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, expanding health insurance coverage, and actions on renewable energy and gun safety.

“History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands,” Biden said before ending his letter.

“We just have to keep the faith and remember who we are. We are the United States of America, and there is simply nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together.”

Biden and first lady Jill Biden will attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

The outgoing president has indicated that he will continue to work on domestic policy matters after leaving office.

“I’m not going to be out of sight or out of mind,” he jokingly told reporters on Jan. 10.

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Biden Pens Farewell Letter To Americans