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another escalation in an ongoing trade war....

The US is prepared to go to war with China if necessary, the Pentagon has announced, following Beijing’s threat of tariff retaliation in what marks another escalation in an ongoing trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clarified the US position early on Wednesday in an interview with Fox News, responding to the Chinese Embassy in the US, which said Beijing was ready to fight “any” type of war.

“We are prepared,” Hegseth said, adding, “Those who long for peace must prepare for war.”

He further stated that this was why the US was rebuilding its military and restoring “deterrence in the warrior ethos.”

“We live in a dangerous world with powerful, ascendant countries that have very different ideologies,” he said. “They’re rapidly increasing their defense spending, modernizing technology –they want to supplant the United States.”

Hegseth stressed that maintaining military strength was key to avoiding conflict. “If we want to deter war with the Chinese or others, we have to be strong,” he said.

The Pentagon chief also insisted that US President Donald Trump has “a great relationship” with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, and that cooperation and partnership would be pursued where possible. Hegseth emphasized however that his role as the secretary of defense was to ensure readiness for any potential confrontation.

China warned late on Tuesday that it would respond if the US pressed ahead with a trade or tariff war, following Trump’s decision to double them on Chinese imports, from 10% to 20%. Those levies came atop tariffs of up to 25% imposed by the Trump administration on some $370 billion worth of US imports from China back in 2018 and 2019.

READ MORE: Trump doubles China tariffs

“If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war, or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in a statement, which was also echoed by the country’s embassy.

In swift reaction to Trump’s measures, Beijing announced tariff hikes of 10%-15% on a range of American agricultural and food products. It also placed 25 US companies under export and investment restrictions, citing national security concerns.

Beijing has also filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization (WTO), asserting that US tariffs violate international trade rules, and has called on Washington to resolve the dispute through dialogue.

US-China trade tensions flared in 2018 during Trump’s first term, when he imposed tariffs on Chinese goods, citing unfair trade practices and intellectual property theft. The move triggered a tit-for-tat escalation that disrupted global markets and supply chains.

https://www.rt.com/news/613778-us-china-trade-war/

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

SEE ALSO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyJ4QS_n4gc

SEE ALSO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7LL0K88tC4

 

SEE ALSO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO_2PHUd_8M

U.S. pauses intelligence sharing with Ukraine

not interested....

 

Zelensky's New 'Ceasefire' Offer Shows He's Back to His Old Jokes

 

A 'Truce at Sea'

Such a truce was actually implemented during the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI) during 2022-2023.

Whereas Russia honored all of its BSGI commitments, the other parties to the agreement did not fulfil their part of the deal.

That ‘truce’ was in fact used by the West to ship weapons into Ukraine on vessels that were ostensibly meant to ferry Ukrainian grain to global markets.

In November last year, a proposal similar to the BSGI was made by Ukraine to Russia via Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The offer was reviewed by Russia’s Ministry of Defense and Foreign Ministry, but ultimately rejected due to being one-sided, with Moscow expected to make concessions but receive nothing in return.

 

No Attacks on Energy Infrastructure

Again, a similar offer was made to Russia before via Turkiye, former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu revealed last year.

Russia studied that offer carefully. President Vladimir Putin even postponed plans to launch a campaign of massed precision strikes against energy facilities that supplied power to Ukraine’s military-industrial complex, both because of such offers and due to humanitarian concerns.

Ukraine, however, proceeded to launch drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, achieving some of their goals. However, superior Russian strikes have now rendered inoperable about 70 percent of the energy infrastructure that provides power to the Ukrainian military and to Kiev’s arms industry.

Thus, it seems highly likely that Volodymyr Zelensky simply wants to use his old tricks to gain an advantage over Russia, and is not really interested in peace.

While Volodymyr Zelensky brazenly questioned JD Vance’s knowledge of Ukraine in the White House slapdown, Donald Trump and his veep may have already exposed all his corrupt schemes.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20250305/zelenskys-new-ceasefire-offer-shows-hes-back-to-his-old-jokes-1121619018.html

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

napoleon 0.01....

 

Live: Europe can’t ‘live off dividends of peace’, Macron says in speech calling for major rearmament

 

French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation on Wednesday amid uncertainty over the transatlantic partnership after the US paused military support to Ukraine. He announced plans to hold a meeting of all European army chiefs in Paris next week, insisting on the need for independent military defence. Follow our liveblog for all the latest. 

 SUMMARYan hour ago Russian missile strike kills 1 in Ukraine's Kryvyi Rig

A Russian missile strike on the city of Kryvyi Rig in central Ukraine killed one person and wounded three others, local authorities said.

 

"Unfortunately, one person died in Kryvyi Rig. It is a 53-year-old man. Three people were wounded. All of them are hospitalised," Sergiy Lysak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, said on Telegram.

  

Macron issues ‘strong’ message to mobilise the French 

Reporting from the Élysée presidential palace shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron’s address to the nation, FRANCE 24’s James Andre says the speech focused on the “need for independence and sovereignty when it comes to European defence”. 

 

It was also “a message to the French people” to underscore the fact that an era of transatlantic cooperation was ending, says Andre.

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20250305-live-trump-says-zelensky-ready-to-work-on-talks-with-russia-and-us-minerals-deal

 

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

blackrock canal.....

After significant pressure was exerted by President Donald Trump, Chinese company CK Hutchison has agreed to sell its two ports on the Panama Canal to U.S. investment company BlackRock per a Tuesday announcement. This move comes after Trump's allegations of excessive Chinese influence over the strategic waterway and his threats to reclaim U.S. control.

The deal also encompasses an 80% stake in CK Hutchison's global port operations, spanning 43 ports across 23 countries. Trump's administration had expressed concerns over China's potential military use of the canal and its growing influence in Latin America, prompting demands for Panama to reduce Chinese presence.

The Panama Canal, managed by the Panama Canal Authority since its transfer from U.S. control in 1999, has become a focal point in Trump's efforts to counter China's global influence.

 

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/blackrock-to-buy-chinese-ports-on-panama-canal/

 

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

 

panama....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL5DExKQY6I

US Oligarchs Celebrate BlackRock's $23 Billion Panama Canal Takeover with the Direct Backing of US

 

Noted French entrepreneur Ferdinand de Lesseps led the initial attempt (1880–1889) to build a sea-level canal, as he had previously achieved in the building of the Suez Canal (1859–1869). A concession to build the canal was obtained from the Colombian government, at that time the possessor of the Panama Isthmus.

 

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.