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Ralph Winnie Jr. with the Mongolian President

Ralph Winnie Jr. with the Mongolian President

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Saturday, April 29, 2017

China courts region as Trump pulls back on free trade




Is it the end of free trade as we know it? After a campaign where he promised the return of jobs lost abroad, Donald Trump announced that on day one of his presidency he'll scrap the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Will US workers be better off with it or without it? Russia and China, both left out of TPP, see reason to smile. Could this lead to a new era of protectionism or even a trade war? 

Original Link: http://www.france24.com/en/20161122-debate-trump-trade-tpp-china-part-one 

China’s Xi arrives in Florida ahead of ‘difficult’ talks with Trump

President Donald Trump opens a high-stakes summit Thursday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the threat of nuclear North Korea and trade on the agenda for the first meeting between the leaders of the world's two largest economies.


The leaders were arriving in South Florida separately Thursday afternoon for the summit at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, a location the White House said was selected to give the two days of discussions a more relaxed feel.
Xi landed in West Palm Beach, Florida, and was greeted by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Trump and Xi, joined by their wives, were slated to attend a welcome dinner Thursday night, followed by policy discussions on Friday.
Both as a candidate and president, Trump has taken an aggressive posture toward China, labeling Beijing "tremendous problem" and arguing that lopsided trade deals with China shortchange American businesses and workers. Last week, the president predicted in a tweet that his meeting with Xi would be "very difficult."
The White House has downplayed expectations for a breakthrough on issues like trade and tariffs, insisting that the 24-hour summit is mostly an introductory meeting for the two leaders. And within Trump's administration, there are still divisions over how to approach China.
According to U.S. and foreign officials, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and economic adviser Gary Cohn are leading the charge for boosting bilateral relations with China and exploring the potential for greater economic cooperation. But economic adviser Peter Navarro, author of the book "Death by China: Confronting the Dragon - a Global Call to Action," prefers trying to isolate China, in keeping with Trump's "America First" mantra.
Patrick Cronin, a China expert with the Center for a New American Security, said the Trump administration does not have "a reconciled trade and economic policy yet, and the differing views on China in the White House underscore that."
Ahead of the summit, Trump signed a pair of executive orders focused on reducing the U.S. trade deficit. The moves appeared to be a shot at China, which accounted for the vast bulk - $347 billion - of last year's $502 billion trade deficit. Chinese exports to the U.S. totaled some $388.1 billion last year.
Anthony Ruggiero, an East Asia expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said China may be may be more willing to accommodate Trump on trade and economic issues than on regional security issues, including North Korea. Xi, a shrewd political operator, is unlikely to want to rock the boat ahead of a Communist Party conclave later this year that will install new leadership.
The urgency about North Korea is expected to be at the forefront of the leaders' discussions. A senior White House official said this week that the "clock has now run out" on Pyongyang, though officials have not detailed what steps Trump is willing to take to halt North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
Like his predecessors, Trump is pressing China to exert more economic pressure on North Korea, though there is no sign he will be any more successful than past American presidents. In an interview last week with the Financial Times, Trump said that if China doesn't take a tougher stand, the US is prepared to act alone.
Xi is also expected to seek assurances that Trump will not interfere in the territorial dispute over the South China Sea or question the "One China" policy by reaching out to Taiwan's leader again, as he did during the transition. The move infuriated Beijing, leading Trump to eventually reiterate his commitment to the decades-old policy.
Previous White Houses have held China accountable for its human rights record, something this administration has made very little mention of, whether in China or elsewhere. It also remains to be seen whether the Obama administration's deal with Beijing to curb Chinese cybertheft for economic gain and its hacking of U.S. companies will be addressed.
Original Link: http://www.france24.com/en/20170406-china-usa-meeting-trump-xi-florida-talks-trade-north-korea 

Ralph Winnie discusses highlights from Xi Trump meeting


Ralph Winnie discusses Shanghai Free Trade Zone


Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Ralph Winnie, Jr. interview on Sputnik News Regarding Mueller Investigation

   07:12 04.11.2017                                                                                                           © AP Photo/ J. Scott Applewhite
https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201711041058805730-mueller-brings-down-trump/Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller is following the pattern of the Watergate investigation that eventually brought down President Richard Nixon in his legal strategy of forcing testimony from lower level aides to implicate their superiors including President Donald Trump, analysts told Sputnik.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On Friday, a US Judge set May 7 as the trial date for former Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort and his Deputy Richard Gates, who were indicted for allegedly money laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent in work for the Ukraine government.
The indictments came as part of Mueller's investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US election.
In a parallel investigation that is also focused on Russia, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page testified in a closed Congressional hearing on Thursday that he notified Attorney General Jeff Sessions that he was traveling to Russia during the presidential campaign. Page’s testimony contradicts what Sessions told the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this year.
 University of California Emeritus Professor of Law Beau Grosscup told Sputnik that Mueller's tactics to build cases against lower level officials echoed the pattern of the investigation that eventually forced Nixon to resign in 1974.
"This is the beginning of the drip-drip that brought down Nixon," he said.
However, Mueller is an experienced and successful prosecutor who would move carefully to make sure each step of his probe was airtight, Grosscup said.
"Mueller and his team have to be cautious and have their 'ducks in a row' as they go after the President," he explained.
Grosscup said the indictments this week against three former Trump campaign officials including Manafort were examples of this strategy being successfully applied.
"Mueller is intent on flipping the 'little fish' to go after higher-ups. I expect him to focus on the financial ties between the Trump campaign personnel and eventually Trump himself," he said.
Grosscup observed that the indictment was meant to threaten Manafort with the prospect of serving years in jail unless he cooperated with Mueller against Trump.
"According to analysis of the 12 part indictment, the [charges] are all serious, meaning significant jail time," he said.
Eurasian Business Coalition Vice President Ralph Winnie told Sputnik that Manafort's indictment and Page's testimony put the spotlight on Sessions, which is all part of the Mueller plan.
"Mueller’s strategy is to look at the whole picture," Winnie said.
Mueller likely had the next steps in his grand strategy already planned and might announce more indictments rapidly in his efforts to put pressure on Trump's advisers, Winnie remarked.
"It is still an open question where these indictments will lead. We are going to see what happens over the next couple of weeks," he said.
Moscow has repeatedly refuted allegations that it meddled in the election. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the accusations "absolutely groundless" and that Russian government never had contacts with the Trump campaign team.