Canada, Greenland, Mexico, etc - USA Tariffs / Trade War commencing March 2025 #5

[Dotta]

From my country's MSM

"Trump demands urgent talks. ​

Beijing sets conditions.​

China has expressed its willingness to engage in trade talks with the US,
but under certain conditions.

Beijing expects the Trump administration to show more respect
and refrain from making disparaging remarks from Cabinet members.
JD Vance's statement, which described the Chinese as 'peasants'
was met with a sharp reaction from Beijing.

Beijing also wants
a more coherent US position on issues such as Taiwan.

In addition,
clear declarations are expected on technological development plans.
The United States is to prevent China from acquiring cutting-edge technology, which is one of the sticking points."


More in the link
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Trump żąda pilnych rozmów. Pekin stawia warunki

Prezydent USA ma nadzieję na zawarcie porozumienia z Chinami w sprawie taryf celnych. Domaga się pilnie rozmowy telefonicznej z Pekinem w tej sprawie. Chiny są otwarte na rozmowy handlowe z Waszyngtonem, ale...

wiadomosci.wp.pl

 

[Dotta]

"China has abandoned American LNG.​

Tariffs make it unprofitable.​

The trade war between China and the US is affecting the energy sector,
'Financial Times' reported.

China has not imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US for more than two months.

According to 'Financial Times',
the Washington-Beijing impasse could strengthen China's energy relations with Russia,
and thus cast doubt on the rationale behind the expansion of LNG terminals being carried out in the US and Mexico at a cost of many billions of dollars."

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Chiny porzuciły amerykański LNG. Przez cła jest nieopłacalny

Wojna handlowa między Chinami a USA wpływa na sektor energetyczny – pisał w piątek „Financial Times”. Już od ponad dwóch miesięcy Chiny nie importują skroplonegu gazu ziemnego (LNG) z USA.

energetyka24.com

 

[Lucy6226]

IMO this thread has gone off the deep end into hysteria. I do not think there is any comparison between strict border controls and gassing people in concentration camps, or literally starving people to death, and it disrespects the millions of people who have actually suffered that fate.

JMO

As others have already stated (far more eloquently than me) the historical pattern of totalitarianism can be seen in the actions of Trump. I'm sure no one thought it possible for the holocaust to happen, but it did, subtle steps led to a huge outcome. Those subtle steps are being used by Trump today. I'm sure white heterosexual cis-gendered people feel perfectly safe in the US. I doubt the rest who are being 'othered' feel the same.

When countries outside the US are issuing travel guidance regarding travel to the US. Especially those who identify as LGBT, PoC and those with negative views of Trump...advising on using a burner phone etc. It really doesn't feel like safe country imo.

I'd be running across the border to Canada if I was a US citizen right now!

All moo.

 

[otto]

From my country's MSM

"Trump demands urgent talks. ​

Beijing sets conditions.​

China has expressed its willingness to engage in trade talks with the US,
but under certain conditions.

Beijing expects the Trump administration to show more respect
and refrain from making disparaging remarks from Cabinet members.
JD Vance's statement, which described the Chinese as 'peasants'
was met with a sharp reaction from Beijing.

Beijing also wants
a more coherent US position on issues such as Taiwan.

In addition,
clear declarations are expected on technological development plans.
The United States is to prevent China from acquiring cutting-edge technology, which is one of the sticking points."


More in the link
Just click Translate

Trump żąda pilnych rozmów. Pekin stawia warunki

Prezydent USA ma nadzieję na zawarcie porozumienia z Chinami w sprawie taryf celnych. Domaga się pilnie rozmowy telefonicznej z Pekinem w tej sprawie. Chiny są otwarte na rozmowy handlowe z Waszyngtonem, ale...

wiadomosci.wp.pl

Canada had to give the USA the same ultimatum. The Prime Minister was unwilling to speak with Trump until Trump guaranteed that he would respect Canada's sovereignty, use the correct title of Prime Minister, behave professional and respectful, and refrain from profanity.

 

[Lilibet]

That set the stage for convincing the USA population that they are victims that need government intervention for protection.

the USA population already believed themselves to be victims of outside forces

Excellent post @otto. My only point of disagreement is your generalization about the USA population. Because it is not being covered by the mainstream news, you may not be aware of the constant protests by citizens throughout the country. The only MSM commentator who is paying attention to this opposition is MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow who covers it nightly, showing these protests in towns and cities large and small.

The huge protests in all 50 states on April 5 were initially relegated to back pages of The NY Times, Washington Post and LA Times. We shall see how they cover the next nationwide protest tomorrow April 19, the 200th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution. I grant you that these protests comprise a small portion of the US population, but they represent the feelings of many more.

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Create change in your community. Find events, petitions, volunteer opportunities, and fundraisers in your local area, organized by charities, campaigns, political organizations, grassroots groups, and other volunteers! Together, we'll help make the world more just, inclusive, and democratic.

www.mobilize.us

Map and list of nationwide anti-Trump protests on April 19

The 50501 group is planning a series of nationwide protests against the president this weekend.

www.newsweek.com

As always, thank you for your knowledgeable posts.

 

[Cedars]

IMO, everything is being blown up by social media. Trump posts stupidly on it and everybody reacts in the same way. That's exciting for lots of people, it gives them all a little button to press, that they imagine causes a big reaction in other people...

To me, it's all melodrama. The USA is not like Germany after WWI, etc.

Certainly, never take the safety and security you have for granted, but be real.

JMO

 

[Lilibet]

IMO, everything is being blown up by social media. Trump posts stupidly on it and everybody reacts in the same way. That's exciting for lots of people, it gives them all a little button to press, that they imagine causes a big reaction in other people...

To me, it's all melodrama. The USA is not like Germany after WWI, etc.

Certainly, never take the safety and security you have for granted, but be real.

JMO

We are being real @Cedars. Those of us who are remaining alert to the danger the US is facing are not listening to what Trump says on Truth Social, but are paying attention to what he and his lackeys such as Elon Musk are DOING. And it is certainly NOT melodrama.

Totalitarianism does not require the same conditions that followed WWI. There have been many totalitarian regimes that arose since WWII and even quite recently. It CAN and IS happening here. It must be nice to sit in the comfort of Canada and lob criticism at Americans who are watching their country’s safety and security disappear daily.

Please try to keep up.
Olga Lautman is an approved source on WS.

Trump Tyranny Tracker: Day 88

April 17, 2025

trumptyrannytracker.substack.com

JMO

 

[SouthAussie]

IMO, everything is being blown up by social media. Trump posts stupidly on it and everybody reacts in the same way. That's exciting for lots of people, it gives them all a little button to press, that they imagine causes a big reaction in other people...

To me, it's all melodrama. The USA is not like Germany after WWI, etc.

Certainly, never take the safety and security you have for granted, but be real.

JMO

You might want to read up on the opinions of 2 historians and a philosopher who have moved to Canada.

Timothy Snyder, Marci Shore, Jason Stanley.

Eg:
Snyder and Shore both specialize in Eastern European history and each has drawn parallels between the fascist regimes they have studied and the current Trump administration.
Shore wrote that she believes many of her colleagues will consider relocating due to the current political climate, which she deemed an “American descent into fascism.”

Three prominent Yale professors depart for Canadian university, citing Trump fears

History department power couple Timothy Snyder and Marci Shore and philosophy professor Jason Stanley will begin teaching at the University of Toronto’s renowned Munk School in fall 2025.

yaledailynews.com

A Yale professor who studies fascism is leaving the US to work at a Canadian university because of the current US political climate, which he worries is putting the US at risk of becoming a “fascist dictatorship”.
Stanley told the Daily Nous, a philosophy profession website, that he made the decision “to raise my kids in a country that is not tilting towards a fascist dictatorship”.

Yale professor who studies fascism fleeing US to work in Canada

Jason Stanley, who says grandmother fled Berlin with his father in 1939, says US may become ‘fascist dictatorship’

www.theguardian.com

 

[Himako14]

IMO, everything is being blown up by social media. Trump posts stupidly on it and everybody reacts in the same way. That's exciting for lots of people, it gives them all a little button to press, that they imagine causes a big reaction in other people...

To me, it's all melodrama. The USA is not like Germany after WWI, etc.

Certainly, never take the safety and security you have for granted, but be real.

JMO

Americans living in the US are being real. While the situations between post WWI Germany and current US aren’t the exact same, there are some similarities that frighten those of us that have studied post WWI Germany.

Trump and his administration are giving MAGA a population of people that they blame for a majority of the problems in the US, immigrants. Hitler did the same thing, only with Jews (in the beginning). The book bans that are being pushed by local and state governments are books that don’t match the current administration ideology. While it’s not the same as book burning, an act that Nazi Germany performed, they are similar.

 

[Cedars]

You might want to read up on the opinions of 2 historians and a philosopher who have moved to Canada.

Timothy Snyder, Marci Shore, Jason Stanley.

Eg:
Snyder and Shore both specialize in Eastern European history and each has drawn parallels between the fascist regimes they have studied and the current Trump administration.
Shore wrote that she believes many of her colleagues will consider relocating due to the current political climate, which she deemed an “American descent into fascism.”

Three prominent Yale professors depart for Canadian university, citing Trump fears

History department power couple Timothy Snyder and Marci Shore and philosophy professor Jason Stanley will begin teaching at the University of Toronto’s renowned Munk School in fall 2025.

yaledailynews.com

A Yale professor who studies fascism is leaving the US to work at a Canadian university because of the current US political climate, which he worries is putting the US at risk of becoming a “fascist dictatorship”.
Stanley told the Daily Nous, a philosophy profession website, that he made the decision “to raise my kids in a country that is not tilting towards a fascist dictatorship”.

Yale professor who studies fascism fleeing US to work in Canada

Jason Stanley, who says grandmother fled Berlin with his father in 1939, says US may become ‘fascist dictatorship’

www.theguardian.com

Surely it's too late to pretend that contemporary US universities are ideologically neutral organizations where scholars set aside their personal political opinions in order to reach something like 'wisdom'...

But I see more clearly where all this talk of 'fascism' comes from...

IMO, it's the culture war, rather than anything to do with actual real people and their actual, real lives.

I mean, if you really believed T2 was a threat, wouldn't you stay and fight side by side with other Americans, instead of escaping to a foreign ivory tower?

JMO

 

[ilovewings]

Really not such a stretch. Hitler didn't start by gassing people....that's just what it led up to.

The American in me says that there is no way in hell the USA could become what it once (not that long ago) fought so hard to help abolish. The human in me, however, sees an America that I've never seen before. Not just the reigning government of the day, but the percentage of the populace that are okay with it.

The conditions inside the infamous El Salvador prison where deported migrants are held

The U.S. has sent hundreds of people to the notorious mega-prison in El Salvador known as CECOT. William Brangham discussed conditions inside that facility with Noah Bullock, the executive director of Cristosal, an international human rights group based in El Salvador.

www.pbs.org

"And according to our investigations, those prisons may even have more adverse conditions than the ones that are depicted in the CECOT. We have documented systematic physical beatings, torture, intentional denial of access to food, water, clothing, health care. And the combination of both the physical abuse and the denial of basic needs has led to the death of at least 368 people, according to our investigations."

Really not such a stretch at all.

It was a gradual slide towards National Populism and related consequences. The USA has been divided into two distinct groups for 10 years (or more). On the one hand, there are the gun toting nationalist make-me-richer Republicans. On the other, there are Democrat wokesters who opened the Southern USA border to everyone. That opened the door for a big divisive argument: migrants. I think that most countries agree that open borders was a mistake.

As soon as one open-border migrant committed rape or murder, Republicans generalized to claim that the open border was filling the country with raping, murdering, pet-eating criminal migrants. That morphed into the statement: all migrants are criminals. Propaganda at its best!

The Republican scapegoat was formally defined: migrants. Republicans can declare that because someone was deported to El Salvador, they must be a criminal and a migrant. People no longer ask: is that deported person a proven migrant or criminal? They accept that because the person was deported, and migrant=criminal, no further discussion required and due process is unnecessary.

It is now generally accepted that migrants (foreigners) must be distrusted. Not only are they criminal invaders, but they are unfair cheaters. Slap those foreign countries with tariffs! That will stop their criminal cheating. Violate the privacy and civil rights of tourists! That will reinforce the belief that the USA government is protecting the USA from foreign criminals.

Travelers to the USA are stripped of rights, detained and imprisoned, and no one in the USA blinks. People who are legally in the USA are detained and imprisoned, some are deported to foreign prisons. The silent majority believes that it would not happen without good reason. That's where they are mistaken. When it happens to them, then they will understand, and not sooner.

Meanwhile, they believe that they will be rich after short term pain - who cares how they get there. The pot of gold is sitting at the end of the rainbow just out of sight. Trump said so.

Trump is a disaster but If you face reality, Biden's open borders gave Trump a lot to talk about, allowing him to twist facts ---- I believe Biden's poor handling of immigration engendered tremendous anger and is a,big reason Trump won the election

 

[Stunned]

Rubio seems to me to be desperately unhappy, getting more paranoid, getting that shark-eye look of detachment.

He's right in center of the connecting web of Trump's increasingly fascist actions. Ukraine manipulations, EU detachment, threats of Greenland takeover, threats of Canada takeover, detention and expulsion of unbelievers, lies and expulsions of dissenting aides and government employees, the lies behind the Signalgate scanals, the lack of ability of Hegland, the corruption of National Security and Intelligence positions, and on and on.

I get the impression he thought he'd get the VP position, but now realizes he is the intentional fall guy for all of the Trumpian schemes. He must realize how much Trump really wants to humiliate him, and can. Little Marco, indeed.

I think he's a man who is losing his soul and can see how the US can collapse, but can't find his way out.

Do you think he thought he could save us being VP?

 

[aceofswords]

Surely it's too late to pretend that contemporary US universities are ideologically neutral organizations where scholars set aside their personal political opinions in order to reach something like 'wisdom'...

But I see more clearly where all this talk of 'fascism' comes from...

IMO, it's the culture war, rather than anything to do with actual real people and their actual, real lives.

I mean, if you really believed T2 was a threat, wouldn't you stay and fight side by side with other Americans, instead of escaping to a foreign ivory tower?

JMO

If you did, you'd probably get sent to CECOT on a "clerical error," then told by Bukele that you were never leaving.

 

[Lyanna]

Trump Administration Advances First Wave of Critical Mineral Production Projects

Today, the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) announced increased transparency, accountability, and predictability for

www.whitehouse.gov

 

[otto]

Excellent post @otto. My only point of disagreement is your generalization about the USA population. Because it is not being covered by the mainstream news, you may not be aware of the constant protests by citizens throughout the country. The only MSM commentator who is paying attention to this opposition is MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow who covers it nightly, showing these protests in towns and cities large and small.

The huge protests in all 50 states on April 5 were initially relegated to back pages of The NY Times, Washington Post and LA Times. We shall see how they cover the next nationwide protest tomorrow April 19, the 200th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution. I grant you that these protests comprise a small portion of the US population, but they represent the feelings of many more.

Volunteer Opportunities, Events, and Petitions Near Me · Mobilize

Create change in your community. Find events, petitions, volunteer opportunities, and fundraisers in your local area, organized by charities, campaigns, political organizations, grassroots groups, and other volunteers! Together, we'll help make the world more just, inclusive, and democratic.

www.mobilize.us

Map and list of nationwide anti-Trump protests on April 19

The 50501 group is planning a series of nationwide protests against the president this weekend.

www.newsweek.com

As always, thank you for your knowledgeable posts.

Thank you! That's great news - it's encouraging to hear that although protests are not in the news, they are happening. If there are any live protests streams, please link. I'm curious to see how they are managed and whether there is police interference in peaceful protest.

The only way to stop what is coming is to make a lot of noise. Granted, I sometimes lean towards a dystopian future, but it's hard to see even a glimmer of utopia in the USA today.

 

[Dotta]

"China has put the US in a position of leverage.​

China has the key resources and technology to target the US economy with precision.

Export restrictions on strong magnets and key rare earth metals are already a lever that keeps manufacturers in a chokehold,
from LEDs to chips, engines and weapons.

'China has a powerful arsenal in the form of rare earth metal exports and their refining.
It is not known to what extent they are able to follow up.

This conflict is escalating.

The question is how far Trump will go and whether America will have enough determination when Beijing reaches for the nuclear option' -
an analyst at the Centre for Eastern Studies points out.

Deng Xiaoping,
one of the most important Chinese politicians of the 1970s,
stated that just as the Middle East has its crude oil,
China has rare earth elements (REEs).

China has dominated their refining and today controls the market.

The U.S. has relied on imports of rare earth compounds and metals for years.

70 percent of imports come from China,
13 percent from Malaysia,
6 percent from Japan,
and 5 percent from Estonia.
Other destinations total 6 percent.

Some U.S. companies have been stockpiling rare earths for years in anticipation of a trade war,
but it is unclear how long those stockpiles will last if China halts exports.

That is why Trump is pushing so hard to sign a deal with Ukraine.

On Thursday
the US and Ukraine signed a letter of intent to conclude an agreement on the US exploitation of Ukrainian mineral deposits.

Moreover,
it is not only Ukraine that the Trump administration is considering as a potential region for American mining operations.
The Americans see a similar role in the lands of Greenland."

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Chiny założyły USA dźwignię. "Pytanie jak daleko posunie się Trump"

Chiny mają kluczowe zasoby i technologię, aby celnie uderzać w amerykańską gospodarkę. Ograniczenia eksportu silnych magnesów i kluczowych metali ziem rzadkich już stanowią "dźwignię", która trzyma w klinczu...

www.money.pl

 

[otto]

IMO, everything is being blown up by social media. Trump posts stupidly on it and everybody reacts in the same way. That's exciting for lots of people, it gives them all a little button to press, that they imagine causes a big reaction in other people...

To me, it's all melodrama. The USA is not like Germany after WWI, etc.

Certainly, never take the safety and security you have for granted, but be real.

JMO

I don't use any social media, I live in a foreign country, and I can see what's going on in the USA by reading Canadian, EU, UK and Australian news: journalism. The USA declared war on Canada a couple of months ago. That's not normal. It is the new reality. The war is ongoing. The USA wants to destroy the Canadian economy - according to the USA president. The same USA president wants to rob Greenlanders of their country, of the very land they stand on. Perhaps that sounds like social-media hysteria in the USA, but outside the USA it is the new normal.

Even though it may seem like the USA war against Canada is happening in a faraway land, Canada and the USA had an 80 year long mutual respect and trade agreement. That has ended. It's finished because the USA president violated law and the agreement that he signed.

The USA claims that they don't need anything from Canada. We'll see how that works out when Canadian hydroelectricity is diverted to Canada, and oil is sent to new overseas markets. It will take time, but it can happen. The USA can make-up with China and plead for rare earth elements. Canada has plenty, but the president said the USA does not need Canada rare earth elements. Great news for Canadians! More new trade partners overseas.

The USA is following the path of pre-WW2 Germany.

 

[otto]

Trump is a disaster but If you face reality, Biden's open borders gave Trump a lot to talk about, allowing him to twist facts ---- I believe Biden's poor handling of immigration engendered tremendous anger and is a,big reason Trump won the election

Absolutely. Opening the border without first ensuring that people had a place to live was foolish. It created a huge mess for many communities.

 

[otto]

Trump Administration Advances First Wave of Critical Mineral Production Projects

Today, the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) announced increased transparency, accountability, and predictability for

www.whitehouse.gov

I don't have a handy link, but I read that it took at least a decade to set up critical mineral processing facilities in China because they must be pristine sterile and run by specialized engineers. Where is the USA going to find that?

It will take 10 years for similar facilities to be operational in the USA.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

It will take 10 years for similar facilities to be operational in the USA.

I think they might mean snatching minerals from other countries.