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A few years
ago, Vladimir Putin mentioned Satanism and Pedophilia within politics,
and he hasn't been the first to do so. He expressed how there are
attempts to normalize these practices within society and make it global.
Reflect On:
Who
are we electing? Who are the people that've amassed so much power that
they practically control all resources on planet Earth? We do we
continue to elect corrupt politicians who don't have the will of
humanity at heart? What's going on inside?
What
is politics? It’s a realm where humanity gives its power over to others
who claim to be making decisions that best suit their country, and
humanity as a whole. At least, that’s what it should be. The political
realm should be filled with people who are service-to-others, but
unfortunately, it has become quite obvious that it’s full of people who
are simply serving their masters while filling their own pockets with
riches.
At the highest levels of
government, especially in the West, there is little to no concern for
the will of the people and the welfare of our planet, but rather the
illusion of it. Sure, major political figures meet every single year to
discuss things like climate change, for example, but does anything
happen? It seems as if we are relying on them, instead of looking inward
at ourselves.
These people have been gathering at
summits for decades, and what this actually does, is take the power out
of our own hands. We don’t recognize that WE are the means and tools for
change, not those who we appoint to take care of things for us.
Politics has become so corrupt, it’s riddled with corporate and
financial interests that completely dominate government policy.
Rise Of The Deep State
The “acquisition of unwarranted
influence” that Eisenhower warned us that the military industrial
complex was seeking has now occurred and has morphed itself into what we
refer to today as the DeepState or the secret government. These are terms that have been used by numerous presidents and politicians
who have tried to clue the public in on what has been going on behind
the scenes. Today, our opportunity to see this is clearer than ever,
because its domination has become evident.
We are talking about mass murderers who hurt and bomb their own citizens (9/11)
in order to justify the infiltration and takeover of other countries
for ulterior motives. While they do this, they slaughter innocent
people, like the millions that died in Iraq, for example, and those that
continue to suffer in Syria and other parts of the Middle East.
Vladimir Putin has said that this power has used “imaginary and mythical threats”
to impose their will on others. This isn’t Russian propaganda, it’s a
strategy that has existed since the inception of politics. It
represents psychopathic behaviour, but it’s masked by massive amounts of
propaganda and brain-washing, to the point where individuals with good
hearts join in because they believe they’re lending themselves to a good
cause.
We should think carefully about the reality of war. Most of us have been
conditioned to regard military combat as exciting and glamorous – an
opportunity for men to prove their competence and courage. Since armies
are legal, we feel that war is acceptable; in general, nobody feels that
war is criminal or that accepting its criminal attitude. In fact, we
have been brainwashed. War is neither glamorous nor attractive. It is
monstrous. It’s very nature is one of tragedy and suffering. – The Dalai Lama
Not only are many of these people
puppets of the Deep State, and slaves to their will, like the Clinton’s
for example, but they are actively engaged in crimes against humanity.
Putin & Russia
The past few years have really shed
light on what’s been happening for decades, the ‘powers that be’
have essentially put the blame on Russia regarding numerous accusations,
as I’m sure you know. I’ve written a number of articles that’ve been
labelled as Russian propaganda, articles regarding false flag attacks in
Syria, for example. Many uninformed people are quick to label something
as Russian propaganda, simply based on the information they’re taking
in from mainstream media. They don’t recognize that false flag
terrorism, even the infiltration of Syria, is not simply a Russian
claim, it’s a claim that dates back decades! It does not originate with
Russia, and it’s something many people in North America are now becoming
aware of.
The fact that Putin willingly and openly
labelled these events as false flag attacks and ones that are
completely fabricated simply caught the attention of those who were
already aware of this information prior to Putin’s admissions. We
already knew that pretty much every high ranking politician in the world
knows this, and we are waiting for those who are willing to use their
voice.
This is exactly why when Putin brought
up Satanism and Paedophilia a couple of years ago, it grabbed my
attention. Having been investigating the topic for a number of years,
it’s quite clear that those atop of this pyramid that dominates Western
politics are possibly involved even more psychopathic tendencies. Yes,
we must be cognizant of their upbringing and circumstances, most of
those who abuse others in such a way have had the same thing done to
them, and so the cycle repeats itself.
Putin stated:
The excesses of political correctness
have reached the point where people are seriously talking about
registering political parties whose aim is to promote paedophilia.
People in many European countries are embarrassed or afraid to talk
about their religious affiliations. Holidays are abolished or even
called something different; their essence is hidden away, as is their
moral foundation. And people are aggressively trying to export this
model all over the world. I am convinced that this opens a direct path
to degradation and primitivism, resulting in a profound demographic and
moral crisis. (source)(source)
Clips of him making these statements can be found all over YouTube as well.
This information is hitting the mainstream like never before, one example would be the NBC news report that implicated Hillary Clinton in covering up a massive pedophile ring in the heart of the State Department, another would be multiple ex-high ranking political officials claiming that both of the Clinton’s engage in sex with minors, pointing towards their close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein (who also has Royal Family connections). Epstein is now a registered sex offender. When it comes to the Vatican, there have always been disturbing acts known to be going on. Right now, the Pope’s right-hand man, George Pell, is
in court for sexual assault, and a massive pedophile ring has been
exposed where hundreds of boys were tortured and sexually abused, Pope
Benedict’s brother was at the forefront of that controversy. You can
read more about that here.
As far as the military industrial complex goes, Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney grilled
Donald Rumsfeld on DynCorp about a private military contractor with
ties to the trafficking of women and children. Years later, a top U.S.
General who was the liaison between DynCorp and the U.S. Military was implicated in the sexual assault of teenage girls. Let’s not forget about PizzaGate…This
list is a long one, and the trafficking of women and children is
something the Trump administration has announced publicly that their
working on exposing.
As far as Satanism within politics, as
well as within the Vatican, that seems to be just as, if not more well
known. You can refer to the linked articles below if you’d like to learn
more.
Hugo Chavez has also alluded to Satanism
within Western politics at the United Nations, that clip is all over
YouTube when he said the podium smelled like sulfur after George Bush
spoke there.
Normalizing Pedophilia
You may think that this type of thing
was normal in ancient Greece, and accepted, but not everybody agreed
with it, and many people spoke up against it. That being said, it’s not
like these children were being subjected to torture, murder, and a life
full of horrid circumstances. We must understand that pedophilia within
the realm of politics in the goes far beyond just that, it goes into
ritual abuse and Satanism. It’s just politics, it’s Hollywood too. You
can find it in many places that have people who have amassed massive
amounts of power.
Weird connections have always been
observed within, take the Obama administration (an example among many).
When he appointed Kevin Jennings as Assistant Deputy Secretary of the
Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the US Department of Education.
He’s a proponent of NAMBLA (North American Man/Boy Love Association) in
the form of supporting Harry Hay, who is, in turn, also in support of
NAMBLA. This is more than a decade ago, but this strange connection
exists all over within the political sphere.
Another sign of normalizing pedophilia
are strange happenings like the fact that the UK government and the
Catholic Church for example, have come under public scrutiny for
claiming that victims of child sexual abuse can “consent” to their
rapes. They did this in order to avoid compensating the victims. The
Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) establishes which
victims get compensated, and they do so by determining whether or not
the victim gave consent, even if that victim is a child…You can read
more about that here.
Then we have the world of Hollywood, an
industry that seems to be leading the charge. Constantly dressing up
young girls in inappropriate sexual attire, and more. These efforts are
brought in slowly, subtly, but there are many examples, one being Millie
Bobby Brown, who has gained fame for her role in Stranger Things, and according to a story from W Magazine, the 13-year-old is one of the “proofs that Television has never been hotter” and “sexier.
”
These ideas become so prominent within
the mainstream that they label it as a “conspiracy theory,” or “fake
news” when anyone brings attention to it and in doing so, completely
disregards all of the evidence of it.
My colleague here at Collective Evolution, Richard Enos, covered this
in greater detail, you can refer to these articles linked below to
check that out:
Even the casual observer will note that there has been a sudden
explosion of information and complexity in our society around gender
identity and sexual expression. While there is some obvious value in a
growing acceptance of different forms of self-expression within
individuals, it seems that these particular movements of consciousness
have been highjacked and used to promote an environment of confusion,
not only around gender, but more specifically around sexual preference
and sexual desire. And this confusion seems to be directly targeting our
children.
– Richard Enos
So, when Putin said what he said, this
is why some of us in the alternative media community paid attention.
It’s rare for a politician to speak up about such things without
disappearing shortly after. It reminds me of Hugo Chavez accusing the
United States of using geoengineering to create the Haiti Earthquake for
their own ulterior motives. Putin has spoken up about not only the
topic discussed in this article but also of the Deep State and the men
in “dark suits” that meet with the president and tell them who their
boss is, false flag terrorism, and more. This does not mean he is
“innocent” but it is interesting to those in the alternative media
community because we know that this is clearly not “Russian propaganda”
or mere “conspiracy theory,” the discussion around this began long
before Putin ever decided to chime in…
The Takeaway
The takeaway here is to be cognizant of
what the mainstream refers to as “Russian Propaganda,” and how when
something is labelled as “Russian Propaganda” it is, in fact, a method
of western propaganda. It can be hard to see no doubt, but when it comes
to these topics, instead of having an instant reaction of disbelief,
perhaps keep an open mind until you’ve done a worthy amount of
investigation and research for yourself.
“The problem of fake news isn’t solved
by hoping for a referee, but rather because we as citizens, we as users
of these services, help each other. We talk and we share and we point
out what is fake. We point out what is true. The answer to bad speech is not censorship, the answer to bad speech is more speech.
We have to exercise and spread the idea that critical thinking matters,
now more than ever, given the fact that lies seem to be getting more
popular.”
–Edward Snowden (source)
Are these the people we want to continue
electing? Is politics, and the corporate and financial stranglehold
over it something we want to continue supporting every four years?
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A Finnish political economist and
author highlighted predicaments of nations that refused to adopt
strategies of resistance against US unilateralism, saying Ukraine, for
instance, became “the poorest” country in Europe after succumbing to
Washington’s bullying.
“Look
at Ukraine; they succumbed to USA bullying and propaganda and now their
country has become the poorest in Europe although it used to be the
industrial powerhouse of the Soviet Union,” Jon Hellevig said in an
interview with the Tasnim News Agency.
“And look at Germany,
France, and the whole European Union. Subjugated to the USA, they are
being ruined with a stagnant economy for more than a decade and deep
social and cultural crises,” he added.
Jon Krister Hellevig is
a Finnish lawyer and businessman who has worked in Russia since the
early 1990s. Hellevig was a candidate in the European parliament
election in 2014. He is the managing partner of the Moscow-based law
company Hellevig, Klein & Usov. Hellevig has written several books,
including Avenir Guide to Russian Taxes (2002, 2003, 2006 English and
Russian editions); Avenir Guide to Labor Laws (2002, 2003, 2006 English
and Russian editions). Expressions and Interpretations, a book on the
philosophy of law and the development of Russian legal practices;
Hellevig takes actively part in public discussion of current affairs and
social structure contributing with articles and commentary in the
media. He regularly lectures at international seminars on various
topics.
Following is the full text of the interview:
Tasnim:
International developments are full of examples of how regional and
trans-regional countries have successfully adopted strategies of
resistance against oppression and unilateralism that have borne good
results. As you know, countries like Iran, Syria, Yemen, Venezuela, and
Palestine have protected their national sovereignty against foreign
threats and achieved many gains through this strategy. In contrast, some
countries have adopted a strategy of appeasement or reconciliation when
being hectored and bullied by world powers. Given the experiences of
these resistance countries, what do you think about their approach and
the concept of resistance?
Hellevig:
Naturally, resistance is the only choice, come what comes. At the same
time, the resistance strategy must be smart and strive to build bridges
to other countries outside the enemy. Tasnim: Do you think
countries that currently toe the line of major powers like the US ought
to emulate these experiences of resistance countries to protect their
independence and stand against unilateralism?
Hellevig:
Obviously they should. It’s a question of both the material and moral
well-being of the people and their very existence in the long-term. Look
at Ukraine; they succumbed to USA bullying and propaganda and now their
country has become the poorest in Europe although it used to be the
industrial powerhouse of the Soviet Union. And look at Germany, France,
and the whole European Union. Subjugated to the USA, they are being
ruined with a stagnant economy for more than a decade and deep social
and cultural crises. The traditional way of life of those European
countries is rapidly being destroyed with their social structures torn
apart. In fact, the very existence of those nations is now at risk.
Tasnim:
In an op-ed article written for Tasnim, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme
National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, warned the European countries
of the risks of inaction regarding the US administration’s unilateral
policies, saying the current EU leaders will be held accountable for
Europe’s future challenges. Shamkhani criticized Europe for becoming an
unimportant and passive actor that accepts humiliation at the hands of
the US and has to live with the destructive effects of Washington’s
unilateralism that have affected several international treaties. What is
your take on that? Isn’t it better for the EU to stand up to US
bullying and unilateralism?
Hellevig:
The European Union and its main constituent countries are not
independent nations as they have been taken over by US-led globalists.
Their armies belong to the US umbrella organization NATO, their
intelligence services are CIA branches, their media is owned by the
globalists, their capitalists are totally at the mercy of the US market
and its bullying terms, etc. Given these circumstances,
independent-minded politicians do not have a chance to come to power,
not in the individual states nor the totally undemocratic European
Union.
The problems are fortunately building up in the European
Union and with President Trump’s erratic policies the relationship is
becoming increasingly fraught. But things must get much worse before the
European people will mature to free themselves from the globalist yoke.
I am afraid, it will take an enormous financial and economic crisis to
bring that about. But this crisis will come for sure, sooner or later.
Paradoxically, an attack on Iran might be the final trigger for that.
And this is what holds the Americans at bay from Iran, at least for the
time being. On the other hand, the US economy is so bad with enormous
asset bubbles in every field of the economy, stock markets, housing
etc., massive budget and trade deficits and skyrocketing debt.
Therefore, there might be some people in the USA who could possibly
consider war and ensuing financial crisis as a means to extract the
country from those problems, to let everything crash and start the
global economy anew from ground zero.
“You know, I’m just at a loss, it’s very hard to explain it all”.
An exchange between two speakers on one of Russia’s largest
television shows illustrates how people in eastern Europe are completely
bewildered by the west’s obsession with identity politics.
The dialogue took place during a discussion on Russia-1, a state
owned channel with the second largest viewership in the country.
The host and his guest were talking about Russian President Vladimir
Putin’s meeting with outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa May at the
G20 when the conversation suddenly veered into the bizarre.
“These days in Scotland, a 17-year-old schoolboy was suspended from
school for 3 weeks….for saying that there are only two sexes, male and
female, there is no in-between,” said the guest, referring to a real story that happened.
“I expected it to provoke a backlash in society, at least somewhere,” he added.
The host then said that he only knew of male and female and asked his
guest to provide a description of a third, fourth and fifth sex.
“I just tried to make you feel what’s going on here,” responded the guest.
He then went on to describe a recent story about how staff at London
zoo had placed a banner in the penguin enclosure that reads, “some
penguins are gay, get over it” (this also actually happened).
“You know, I’m just at a loss, it’s very hard to explain it all,” said the guest as the host looked on bewildered.
“Do gay penguins take offense if somebody mistakes them for straight penguins?” quipped the host.
“Of course, it’s absurd, but it perfectly reflects the insanity in politics,” concluded the guest.
The clip was posted to YouTube by Vesti News under the title ‘Does
Theresa May Dislike Putin Because She Believes in 64 Genders and He
Doesn’t?’
It’s interesting to note that the discussion almost seemed like it
was about the behavior of an alien species on a different planet, not
another country on the same continent.
Last month, Vladimir Putin remarked on a similar topic, asserting that liberalism was in its death throws thanks to forced multiculturalism.
“The ruling elites have broken away from the people,” Putin told the
Financial Times, adding that the “so-called liberal idea has outlived
its purpose” and some western leaders had acknowledged that
“multiculturalism” is “no longer tenable”.
The Real Clear Politics report claims Mueller's team relied on a 'private contractor for the Democratic National Committee'; reaction from Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, Republican member of the House Judiciary Committee, and former Watergate prosecutor Jon Sale.
I
had today a stopover at a small provincial town in Northern Finland.
They were having their annual fair. After having enjoyed a fantastic
street stall portion of crispy fried vendace, I strolled around. I then
spotted the official Finnish protestant state church (yep, no separation
of state and church here) had their stall there, too. That prompted me
to ask a question, I long had in mind.
I approached the
representatives of the church and asked why the Finnish state church had
engaged in a propaganda campaign to support the jihadist terrorists of
Aleppo. From 12th to 24th of October 2016 the Finnish churches were
every day ringing their church bells “in support of the victims of
Aleppo bombings” by the Russian and Syrian forces. I asked those people
whether they knew that it was all the other way around and that the
Russians and Syrian government forces were liberating the people of
Aleppo from the brutal rule of the US sponsored terrorists. – They did
not know it.
“The church is engaged in various campaigns from
time to time,” I was told. – That I know, I said, and added that the
most recent campaign was that of being the official sponsor of the
Helsinki Pride sodomite pervert parade. ‘The church wants to live with
the times,” the young church official replied, and continued “that’s why
the church went in there as a business partner of the pride march.” –
BUSINESS PARTNER, I exclaimed. How can the church possibly be a business
partner of anything. What kind of business is this church engaged in?!?
“The church changes with the times,” my interlocutor said as three fat
women colleagues looked on. I was mighty surprised to hear that. I said,
how can the church which supposedly bases its faith in God’s immutable
words change. Are you then saying that the bible isn’t for real? And do
you mean the church was lying 100 years ago, or 50 years ago, when it
professed another opinion on sodomy? Or are you lying today? Which way
do you want to have it, I inquired?
I continued that line of
discussion and then eventually left with the note that I was happy that
so many people are leaving that fake politicized church. Membership used
to be some 90% of the population when I was young, and now it is down
to 60% and sinking.
I am not against sex in any consensual form
between willing adults performed in privacy, but I am against this NWO
globalist campaign of public perversion aimed at breaking down the
fabric of society by means of this devilish campaign.
This
perversion and its sister gender hoax is right up there with the climate
hoax as key means of the globalists to destroy family and national
values in order to break down society and make people more malleable for
one world government rule. Naturally, the population replacement
program by means of mass migration serves the same cause.
So I am still thinking about this Chernobyl special, which somehow
managed to touch a nerve. A lot of people, far from politics, were very
moved by the way it was shot, with coloring reminiscent of Tarkovsky's
Stalker. Grim Soviet reality that somehow looks cool and artsy when shot
through specially tinted lenses. Tarkovsky, apparently, wanted this
look, and had to ostracize a lot of people when he decided to re-shoot
Stalker, because the original tape was defected by his standards.
In any case, the director, Craig Mazin, must be a talented dude. Yet,
the film was obviously more that an artistic project. There must be some
CIA/MI5 money involved. Like they do in all other stupid projects of
theirs, especially when they feel that it is time to counterbalance
Russians. So let's pour money into White Helmets, and all sorts of
propaganda films. But why stop there. If the plight of the free world is
at stake, let's give money to Armstrong, and Pollack, and Faulkner, and
Elton John, and all other important western artists who should promote
western values.
And the artists do take money and keep on doing
their art! Should we condemn them? All these modernists who were on the
CIA take? But if we don't condemn them --these greats of the XX
century --why do we condemn the Soviet artists, who took money from
their government: Shostakovich, and Eisenstein, and Sholokhov and so on?
"Brave" Solzhenitsyn had a nerve to condemn Eisenstein in his
"One day," decrying the "pseudo" genius, who condones violence on the
cue from the tyrant. Implying -- following Pushkin - that a genius --
can't serve evil. But didn't he see the irony? Didn't he imagine
himself a genius, while being on the take from the west, serving the
American imperialism and getting western money in the forms of prizes,
and contracts and all other accouterments? So if you take western
money, you are OK, if you take Soviet money, you are a sell-out? A new
doctrine and strange!
How are we to judge? Should we use this
criteria (where the money are coming from) or should we just convince
out selves, that we are following art?
I think the source of
money is important, yet, it does not really matter to me, where they are
coming from: east or west, communists or capitalists, Arabs or
Zionsists, and so on. What should matter is who is an underdog!
If Craig Mazin, or White Helmets take money from the bullying and
controlling regime, which is ready to kill for the sake of its hegemony,
they are serving the devil. If the money are coming from an underdog,
fighting for its independence or existence, that's a different story.
There is a moral responsibility, but it is unrelated to a story, while
directly related to who is using the story. If the Jews in Polish Ghetto
hired me to tell their story and paid me with gold that they've
collected, it is one thing. If the Nazis hellbent on destroying them,
are paying me with the gold, this gold sucks. And so is the story!
The Russian president claims his country's attitude "to the LGBT community is absolutely calm and unbiased".
Vladimir Putin has responded to criticism from Sir Elton John on the
Russian leader's attitude to LGBT rights by saying the singer is
mistaken.
Sir Elton accused Mr Putin of duplicity after the
president criticised the West for emphasising lesbian, gay, bi-sexual
and trans culture over "traditional family values".
Mr Putin told a news conference: "I deeply respect him, he is a
musical genius and we all love his performance, but I believe he's
mistaken."
Sir Elton and the filmmakers of his biopic Rocketman
have hit out at a Russian distributor's decision to censor scenes from
the new movie featuring gay sex and drug use.
The Russian
president said his country's ban on what he called LGBT "propaganda" was
aimed at protecting children from aggressive proselytising by the LGBT
community.
"Let a person grow up first before making a choice," Mr Putin said. "Let the children in peace."
Dear President Putin,
I was deeply upset when I read your recent interview in the Financial Times.
I
strongly disagree with your view that pursuing policies that embrace
multicultural and sexual diversity are obsolete in our societies. pic.twitter.com/wNG3imaR2r
He claimed: "Our attitude to the LGBT community is absolutely calm and unbiased.
"This part of the community aggressively enforces its point of view on others," he added.
The
music legend said he was "deeply upset" by Mr Putin's interview with
the Financial Times in which the Russian president said liberalism "must
not be allowed to overshadow the culture, traditions and traditional
family values of millions of people".
Addressing Mr Putin directly, Sir Elton wrote on Twitter: "I strongly
disagree with your view that pursuing policies that embrace
multicultural and sexual diversity are obsolete in our societies.
"I find duplicity in your comment that you want LGBT people to 'be happy' and that 'we have no problem in that'.
"Yet
Russian distributors chose to heavily censor my film Rocketman by
removing all references to my finding true happiness through my 25 year
relationship with David and the raising of my two beautiful sons.
"This feels like hypocrisy to me."
Human
rights groups have said Russia's laws targeting the LGBT community have
increased the hostility members face and made it more difficult for
them to seek support.
One part of Russia, the mostly Muslim
republic of Chechnya, saw a crackdown in 2017 during which more than 100
gay men were arrested and subjected to torture, with some of them
killed, according to activists.
Earlier this year, human rights
activists said Chechnya was carrying out a new crackdown in which at
least two people died and about 40 people were detained. Authorities in
Chechnya denied the claims.
The "worst case" trade war scenario was avoided in Osaka on Saturday when Trump agreed to restart trade talks with Xi, holding off new tariffs on Chinese exports, and signaling a pause in the trade hostilities between the world’s two largest economies; Trump added that while existing tariffs would remain in place the
US president eased restrictions on Huawei as part of what is now the
second ceasefire between the two superpowers in two months, removing an
immediate threat looming over the global economy even as a lasting peace
remains elusive.
"We had a very good meeting with President Xi of China, excellent, I
would say excellent, as good as it was going to be," he said. "We
discussed a lot of things and we're right back on track and we'll see
what happens", Trump told reporters after an 80-minute meeting with
Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a summit of leaders of
the G-20 major economies in Osaka, western Japan.
Trump said while he would not lift existing import tariffs, he would refrain from slapping new levies on an additional $300 billion worth of Chinese goods - which would have effectively extended tariffs to everything China exports to the America.
“We’re holding back on tariffs and they’re going to buy farm products,” he said vaguely at a news conference, without giving any details of China’s future agricultural product purchases. “If
we make a deal, it will be a very historic event.” He gave no timeline
for what he called a complex deal but said he was not in a rush. “I want
to get it right.”
Whereas Trump and top admin officials alleged that Beijing had
reneged on provisions of a tentative trade deal, it was not immediately
clear if Xi agreed to return to previous agreements as part of the new
truce.
Trump, however, did relent on one of the major sticking points, saying U.S. firms would be allowed to sell components to Huawei, the
world’s biggest telecom network gear maker, where there was no national
security problem. The president said the U.S. commerce department would
meet in the next few days on whether to take it off a list of firms
banned from buying components and technology from U.S. companies without
government approval.
"I like our companies selling things to other people, so I allowed
that to happen," Trump said. “We’re talking about equipment where
there’s no great national security problem with it.” In recent months,
the Trump administration has been lobbying allies around the world not
to buy Huawei equipment, which the U.S. says could be used for Chinese
espionage.
Huawei was delighted by the news on its verified Twitter account:
“U-turn? Donald Trump suggests he would allow #Huawei to once again
purchase U.S. technology!”
Predictably, China also welcomed the step. “If the U.S. does what it
says, then of course, we welcome it,” said Wang Xiaolong, the Chinese
foreign ministry’s envoy for G20 affairs.
Trump said he had not yet decided how to allow U.S. companies to
continue selling to Huawei or whether to remove the tech giant from the
Commerce Department’s entity list. He said he would meet with advisors
next week to determine how to proceed.
U.S. microchip makers also applauded the move. “We are encouraged the
talks are restarting and additional tariffs are on hold and we look
forward to getting more detail on the president’s remarks on Huawei,”
John Neuffer, president of the U.S. Semiconductor Association, said in a
statement. Recently, Broadcom warned of a broad slowdown in demand as a
result of Huawei sanctions and slashed its revenue forecast.
And yet, it was not clear how long the exemption would last. Trump
said he had agreed with Xi to wait until the very end of trade talks to
resolve broader issues around Huawei, including Washington’s lobbying
campaign against allies buying its 5G equipment.
“Huawei is a complicated situation,” Trump said. “We’re leaving Huawei toward the end. We’ll see where we go with a trade agreement.”
The concession will likely draw criticism in Washington where
national security hawks have urged Trump not to ease any pressure
against Huawei. The company has long been the target of concern at the
Pentagon and intelligence agencies in part over what the U.S. claims are
its close ties to the Chinese military.
Huawei is one of few potent levers we have to make China play fair on trade.
If President @realDonaldTrump backs off, as it appears he is doing, it will dramatically undercut our ability to change China’s unfair trades practices.https://t.co/rja8CDs2T4
By agreeing to weaken restrictions on #Huawei, Trump not only undermined his own government, he undermined the entire argument #Huawei is a real national security threat. #facepalmhttps://t.co/BzuM8QA0Na
In exchange for his Huawei concession, Trump said Xi Jinping had promised to buy “tremendous” amounts of U.S. agricultural products. “We’re
going to give them a list of things we’d like them to buy,” Trump said
at a news conference following the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan.
However, as Bloomberg notes, the first indications the second fragile
truce will collapse soon is that the Chinese official media reports said
only that the U.S. president hopes China will import more American goods as part of the truce, without an actual confirmation it will do so.
For now, however, the second truce, after a similar ceasefire was
announced on December 1 at the Buenos Aires G-20 summit, has been
achieved, offering relief from a nearly year-long trade standoff in
which the countries have slapped tariffs on billions of dollars of each
other’s imports, disrupting global supply lines, roiling markets and
dragging on global economic growth.
In a lengthy statement on the two-way talks, China’s foreign ministry
quoted Xi as telling Trump he hoped the United States could treat
Chinese companies fairly. On the issues of sovereignty and respect, Xi
said that "China must safeguard its core interests."
“China is sincere about continuing negotiations with the
United States ... but negotiations should be equal and show mutual
respect,” the foreign ministry quoted Xi as saying.
Trump had threatened to extend existing tariffs to almost all Chinese
imports into the United States if the meeting brought no progress on
wide-ranging U.S. demands for reforms.
The return to the negotiating table ends a six-week stalemate that has unnerved companies and investors, and
at least temporarily reduces fears that the world’s two largest
economies are headed into a new cold war, which they still are but only
after the current stalemate ends allowing the S&P to rise above
3,000 in the the meantime. Because, as Bloomberg notes, it’s
unclear how they can overcome differences that led to the collapse of a
previous truce reached at the G-20 in November.
* * *
While Trump and Xi were all smiles at their press briefing, the bad
blood between the two leaders behind the scenes is clearly still there.
Xi spent much of the summit’s first day Friday promising to open up the
Chinese economy, and attacking the U.S. (without naming it) for its
attack on the global trading system. As Bloomberg reported, Xi took a
"not-so-subtle swipe" at Trump’s “America first” trade policy in remarks
to African leaders on Friday, warning against “bullying practices” and
adding that “any attempt to put one’s own interests first and undermine
others’ will not win any popularity.” Xi also called out the U.S. over
Huawei and said the G-20 should uphold the “completeness and vitality of
global supply chains.”
For now, however, there is optimism.
“Returning to negotiations is good news for the business community
and breathes some much needed certainty into a slowly deteriorating
relationship,” said Jacob Parker, a vice-president of China operations
at the U.S.-China Business Council. But "now comes the hard work
of finding consensus on the most difficult issues in the relationship,
but with a commitment from the top we’re hopeful this will put the two
sides on a sustained path to resolution,” he said.
Others were more skeptical, and warned the pause - just like the first ceasefire - will not last.
“Even if a truce happens this weekend, a subsequent breakdown of
talks followed by further escalation still seems likely,” Capital
Economics said in a commentary on Friday, quoted by Reuters.
The United States says China has been stealing American intellectual
property for years, forces U.S. firms to share trade secrets as a
condition for doing business in China, and subsidizes state-owned firms
to dominate industries. Meanwhile, China has said the United States is
making unreasonable demands and must also make concessions.
The talks collapsed in May after Washington accused Beijing of
reneging on reform pledges. Trump raised tariffs to 25% from 10% on $200
billion of Chinese goods, and China retaliated with levies on U.S.
imports.
The U.S.-China feud had cast a pall over the two-day G20 gathering,
with leaders pointing to the threat to global growth. In their
communique, the leaders warned of growing risks to the world economy but
stopped short of denouncing protectionism, calling instead for a free,
fair trade environment after talks some members described as difficult.
* * *
Finally, global markets will breathe a sigh of relief on news of the
resumption in U.S.-China trade talks, even as an official deal remains
elusive, and there is no indication of how the two countries will bridge
the most difficult aspect of a feud that has emerged beyond simple
trade and now affects most aspects of US and Chinese life.
The flip-side is that with trade talks back on, the Fed will feel far
less pressure to ease in July, and since in June stocks exploded higher
on hopes that the Fed will cut rates as much as 50bps next month, such a
reversal in US-China relations could potentially prevent Powell from
capitulating, and leave the Fed on hold, an outcome which would lead to a
sharp drop in US capital markets. Indeed, in recent weeks, the S&P
has returned to record highs, treasury yields have tumbled to their
lowest level in years. The Japanese yen, a traditional beneficiary of
flight to quality, has gained, while the U.S. dollar has slipped across
the board, including against China’s yuan.