Brief News 4/6/25
Most of this will speak for itself. A fair amount is simply informational.
Kinda like our checklist in Yemen, which was probably developed from decades of experience with forever wars:
Israel’s war crime checklist:
1. We didn’t do it
2. Okay, we did it but they were Hamas
3. Okay, not Hamas but they were suspicious
4. Okay, they were clearly civilians but it was an accident, we’ll investigate
5. Our investigation found no wrongdoing
For perspective (these are 2024 numbers):
China's exports are 19.7% of GDP, down from 36% in 2006.
US is at 11%.
Japan is at 21.8%, Israel at 30.6%, UK at 31.7%, Turkey at 31.9%, Italy at 33.7%, France 34.3%, Spain 38.1%, Germany 43.4%, south Korea 44%, Vietnam 87.2%, Netherlands 88.5%.
World average is 29.3%.
Just as important, of course, is who imports from China, because while China is well below average as an exporter (on a percent of GDP basis), exports are still very important to the Chinese economy. Unsurprisingly, the US is far and away the largest trading partner for China in terms of exports:
United States: US$524.9 billion (14.7% of China’s total exports)
So, any way you slice it, China - US trade is very important—for both countries.
More perspective on China—these are mind boggling numbers. Perhaps related to commenter Joe’s recent paste job comparing working conditions for Chinese vs. US auto workers:
Baron of the Taiga @baronitaigas
And THIS is why China is secretly planning to... colonize Siberia?
Well, at least that's what neocons keep telling me.
Quote
Michael A. Arouet @MichaelAArouet
Wow, it’s not a demographic crisis in the Northeast and East of China, it’s a demographic collapse, even worse than what is happening in South Korea and Italy. There will be massive geopolitical and economic consequences. Will they turn it around?
The Sirius Report @thesiriusreport
Many Americans will come to understand that the vast majority of what they believe wrt China is completely incorrect.
They will also come to understand that US policies wrt China are implemented based upon these wholly incorrect assertions.
Propaganda will always end up being crushed by reality.
I’m not as optimistic as Sirius. History is full of examples of propaganda crushing reality. Try again, Sirius:
The Sirius Report @thesiriusreport
When the West says globalisation is over they have finally accepted that financialisation of their economics has failed as has their ritual abuse of the Global South.
OK—totally agree.
Tony @Cyberspec1
Iran has issued notices to Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey and Bahrain that any support for a U.S. attack on Iran, including the use of their air space or territory by U.S. military during an attack, would be considered an act of hostility.
Now, here’s a 9 minute video for people who are into military stuff. I picked it up from Larry Johnson:
Love your subjects, your excerpts and your analysis.
Wanted to say that whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu (former nuclear technician) reported that Israel had 400 nuclear weapons back in 1986. For which he spent 18 years in jail. So he was probably correct. Likely they have more now.
Setting aside all other benefits from trade with China, I thought this interesting, perhaps before one becomes so reliant on a specific product, one may want to find alternative source(s)
eg: hard to get by without medicine
No business does not have a reliable backup/alternative source
no business puts all eggs in one basket
So its pretty much voluntary and self inflicted.
And of course - one must ask US ' and you want to go to war with China '
China provides certain critical product:
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs): China supplies 70–80% of U.S. APIs (per Connecta Network, 2024), the building blocks for drugs like antibiotics, painkillers, and generics. In 2023, pharmaceuticals and chemicals from China hit $11.95 billion (Trading Economics), critical for healthcare access and cost control.
Rare Earth Elements: Over 60% of U.S. rare earth imports come from China (USGS, 2024), used in magnets, batteries, and defense tech (e.g., F-35 jets). These are indispensable for high-tech and military applications.