China Shrugs Trump’s Threats over its Russian Oil Purchases! Geopolitical Trends

Hello everybody and welcome to Geopolitical Trends, where truth matters. Excited to be with you once again. I have an interesting topic and this one has to do with China shrugging Donald Trump's barking orders of imposing the tariffs if China continues to purchase the Russian oil. So, so I'm going to be providing you my analysis about this because this goes beyond just oil transactions. Uh, there is also elements of geopolitical, uh, tensions involved in this. Uh, if you only know what the US just proposed to the province of Taiwan, that will put things in perspective for you. But before I'll do this, let's say hi to our wonderful community. As you know, when I have guests, I don't have an opportunity to do this, but when I'm by myself, I don't mind doing that. So George Kraft, good to see you. And you wrote, I answered your survey questions. Oh, regarding, uh, why the US, uh, uh, sort of, uh, is antagonizing China. So you're absolutely correct in that. I'm gonna be talking about that one in a minute here. Willie Holman, good to see you. Truth Seeker, Matt Becky, Timeline and Scene from New York City, good to see you. Uh, Taiwan Still as Always, uh, who is here? Uh, Uh, Hong, good to see you. Uh, Fred Ball, good to see you. Haven't seen you for a while, Fred. Hope all is well. Uh, uh, Say It Like It Is, good to see you as well. I didn't see you in the last few sessions here. Hope all is well. Davo 9B, uh, San, good to see you as always. And I Am Lohani, good to see you. Oh my gosh, look where you're joining us from. From Nepal. Oh my gosh, good to have you here. I enjoyed my time when I visited. It was a business related, not a tourism, when I was in Kathmandu. Wonderful, wonderful people there. I look forward to next time. So, uh, Abdel Fattah Haji, good to see you from Kenya joining us here. And Army with Harmony, Suzanne Jensen, good to see you. All right guys, let's, let's get into our conversation. First of all, I want to share some housekeeping items with you. Uh, uh, remember to join me. I'm gonna— I didn't set the date yet for my conversation once again with Dr. Ted Postol, so he will be here most likely next week. Uh, I just reached out to him yesterday and we're gonna coordinate, uh, the date regarding this. I am still coordinating with the office of Melissa Park. I was still waiting to hear a word from her, uh, office there, and we set the date for that conversation. Those are the upcoming interviews I'm gonna line up soon here. As I mentioned, today's conversation, we'll be talking about— it's almost like once again Donald Trump is barking, except that he's barking at the wrong tree. So, and this following sort of his threats to impose 100% tariffs on China for purchasing Russian oil. Well, wait a minute, who the heck are you to dictate to countries who they purchase oil from and who they want to enter into economic trades with and so forth? And second, if this is not enough, you know, Trump needs to think that China is not India. He can get away— meaning Trump can get away with that kind of threats on India, but he won't be able to get away with that with China. For many, many reasons. And this falls within the idea of that Trump— because it behooves us to ask the question, uh, will he succeed into all this? I don't think so. I don't think so, because at least in my opinion as an analyst, I am thinking in terms of where China is, and it just common sense suggests to me that happens to be my own opinion, sort of concur or confirms what other analysts from different think tanks and different parts of the world have been saying. And we all sort of converged on the idea that no, it's not gonna work against China. And you will think Trump will know it by now, or whomever is advising him. So, but all this, it falls within— really, this is what's important to understand, the big picture. And the big picture is that the international order as we see it is re— is, is sort of reemerging, the new order that is reemerging in a way that we do not see how it's gonna be shaped. No, because, uh, if you had— I had a chance to read an analysis by, uh, uh, by a director of a research, uh, Mr. Azedine Abdelmoula, very interesting analysis, and I couldn't agree more with his assertions regarding this aspect is that the world order that has been led by the United States after World War II has come to an end. It's not— it's coming to an end, has already come to an end. And yet we are wondering, you know, what kind of new world order are we going to be seeing? Because the new one is emerging as we speak. This is why I always say, consider yourself lucky to be alive to witness this change in history. Yes, like to those who've been around after World War II, they saw that change of the, the world order was going under the influence of the US. Yes, it might— the US might have embarked on some really good initiatives back then, but it became so corrupted, uh, especially after 1972, in my opinion. So the question for us within this context of what I'm going to be talking about. It has to do with, you know, the models, the forces that are sort of emerging, or even we may use the term competing in reshaping this direct— this direction. This is why those who argue that, and I disagree, disagree even with Professor Sachs, who mentioned one time that, oh, India is going to emerge as a major economic power. I, I, I respectfully disagree with that, you know. He might, he might have his own reasons for that, and that's up to him. I'll be happy to have him on the channel here and we'll debate that. But as far as saying that India is going to re-emerge as an economic power, I just don't see that happening. It's because India does not have the necessary ingredients that will prompt a power or a country that is to emerge into that status. So that leaves us with that vacuum that exists right now. And this is where that competition of, of, or the forces that is of what those models will be consist of because they will end up shaping the future of the global order. And this is exactly not only from a geopolitical aspect, but from also political, from an economic and from even sort of social setting as well. So when you consider that the international system, uh, so the question will become is what kind of pillars this new international system or order is going to be founded on or depends on. It's because when you look at, for example, the indications as to where the trajectory is headed, you know, I just don't see India playing a role into that. As a matter of fact, India is hindering certain progress, especially when it comes down to the Global South. And I will talk about this soon because we have to bring India into the conversation regarding what's going on with Trump threatening China, uh, with, with this. And this is why it's very, very important to understand, uh, the idea of where are we leading towards. And what I mean by this, by forces and model, when you consider, for example, What happened to this individual here? Does anybody know who this is? Let me just see in the chat box first before I'll say my— give my answer. Anybody recognize who this lady is? And you should, you should, because she's been on the news frequently. Oh, Francisca Irene Z, you got it. It was Francisca Albanese. She was the UN— so, uh, she was the, uh, hold on a second, uh, she was the reporter of, uh, the UN regarding, uh, what's going on in Gaza. Why am I bringing this up within the context of this changing a global order. Why? It's because Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, even though unqualified for the position, when he announced that I am today— or today I am imposing sanctions on human rights— on the UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Franciska Albanesi for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt International Criminal Court against US and Israel's officials, companies, and executives. And of course, as you know, Albanese was the one that is calling for the halt to the massive starvation that is going on in Gaza. So once again, my point in bringing this up is to highlight to you this change within the global order. And now we see why China was right when it says the US is in no position to preach about human rights and freedoms and, and, and, and, and sort of, uh, oh, it's nothing but a hypocrisy. And here we are. This is just an example. So that was the reason why I wanted to bring this to your attention. And this is why I go back to the comment from I was first here. The, the comment from George Kraft regarding why is the US so hostile to the United— Dubai— to China. Well, of course, when I ask the question— and by the way, thank you for participating in the survey. I'm gonna open it here just to see the numbers exactly. 7% of you said because of paranoia. 62% of you said because of of being displaced. 26% of you said because of failure of the US economic system, and 5% say other reasons. So I put those in, in, in that order, knowing that there are other orders— of course there are other reasons, rather. We can't put so many of them, but I just wanted to highlight this to you, uh, to share it and understand where this is going. To pave the way into this conversation, now when it comes down to China, of course India is also experiencing the same, but we're not going to focus on India right now till later on. I'm going to be addressing that later. Suffice it to say that in the case of China, most analysts agree that the pressure from the US is not going to work because China is in a different position to so to speak, for the US to even influence any directions. And as I said, in the case of India, US may succeed in bending India backwards like we did in 2018, if I'm not mistaken. And what we did in 2018, we threatened sanctions on India if it does not stop importing oil from Iran. And guess what India did? They buckled down, they stopped. Now India is saying, well, we are not going to stop. We shall see. You know, I don't trust what Indian government is saying, knowing how they are. And this even brings more concerns now that Modi is planning on going to China. I was like, hold on a second, First of all, if I were to advise President Xi Jinping, I'm sure they have smart people, sort of, yes, you might welcome Modi, whatever, but do not allow for red carpet treatments and all that stuff. Why? Because the moment India gets a carrot from the US, it'll turn back and stab the Chinese in the back. I'm sure Chinese are smart enough to know. I have no doubt about it. And, and speaking of Chinese, by the way, while I'm thinking about this one, allow me to share with you a snap from, uh, or clip— not clip rather, but a statement from, or comment from someone who wrote the following, and I quote: David is the funniest China-funded spin doctor on YouTube. I enjoy watching his analysis at the end of a long day for pure comic relief, end of quote. By the way, the sentence was structured so poorly, and there are misspelled words, and it just grammatically— but beside the point. Yeah, that will be great if I get funded by the Chinese. Why not? Because at least I'll have an opportunity to increase the level of production of the channel. And second is the idea of still sharing the truth with the community. Because I will make it clear to China or anyone else who will be funding the channel, you will not dictate the terms to me. Simple as that. But like I wrote for this individual, poor soul, it just— sorry, I wrote back, while you are entitled to your opinion, you happen to be very wrong as my channel is not funded by China. But rather the support of a wonderful community. So, well, anyway, we are not gonna— it just crossed my mind. And also, while at it, I know so many of you enjoyed seeing me and Larry wearing the Hawaiian shirts. So, and Larry was right, this kind of life is too short. You kind of just enjoy it. So maybe the whole community one day will wear Hawaiian shirts. Why not? It's a new trend. If we doing the geopolitical trends, we may as well do the fashion one as well, as one of you commented. So anyway, I just wanted to share this with you. It was, it was, it was quite, uh, uh, interesting. So let me go back to my arguments, uh, on a serious note regarding, uh, for why the US is pressuring now both India and China regarding the Russian oil imports? Well, because, because one of the reasons, at least for China, I can't speak for India, but at least for China, we prioritize international— I'm sorry, energy security rather. They will prioritize that. And of course, the economic independence, which it's already at it. So this is why China is in a— has the upper hand. We don't. So we can get away with it with India because India does not have that leverage. What will India offer? And even that, for the trip, the upcoming trip of Modi to India— to China, rather— what value India has to offer China? None. Zero. For what? Except for one thing, and that thing is the border dispute. They can negotiate that, even though the way I look at it, this is an opportunity to put, as we say, the dots on the letters once for all regarding the border issue, but also will allow some neighboring countries like Bhutan and like Nepal and Bangladesh to completely free themselves from the shackles of the, what's going on with India. Because that is important to understand. How this— the— so the possibility of TRIP, yes, it could work out, but I don't see anything of value that India will, uh, will bring to the table. And that's why when I did the survey for you guys with the question, should Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal be free from Indian influence and forge their own path, 90% of you said yes. 4% said no, and 6% say I don't know. And, and, and, and sort of the numbers don't speak here, guys, uh, because that was your vote. And that's the argument I'm making here. So despite the— now the tariffs that, uh, Donald Trump is threatening, which by the way some of them start today on the 7th, uh, he said between 7th and the 9th it won't matter. Suffice it to say, in the case of China You know, it's just not going to work. And here is where you see the discrepancy and the double standards of the US. All this comes against the background of a recent meeting that took place in Switzerland between the US and China. That's the meeting that took place between Bassett, which is the finance— the finance— Treasury Secretary, rather, I'm sorry, not Switzerland, it's in Stockholm. That's where the meeting— the meeting took 2 days of high talks, trade, uh, in, in, in Stockholm. But here is what's concerning about this is the statement by the Treasury, which I don't buy it. Of course you can't trust what the US government is saying, any, any press reports, any— don't, don't buy into that. My advice to you, listen to it Check it out, but don't, don't consume that, because here is what, uh, what Trump is saying right after the meeting, that he will substantially raising the tariffs paid by India to America, accusing the country of buying a massive amount of Russian oil and selling it for a big profit. He's saying this about India but also referring to China as well. Well, China doesn't sell that, doesn't need to. India might need to because their, their, uh, their poor economy. So they're gonna need to find a source of income one way or another. One way is doing it. And, and do you blame India for that? No, no, let's, let's be fair, guys. Let's be fair. We don't blame them for that. It's just the way they're going about it, it's their business. My big concern has to do with how they are paying Russia for that oil.. And that's something Russia will have to decide on. But the idea of China, mainly India to a degree, once again, India will be just following the trends per se. China will lead. And I'm going to talk about China in this case, the defiance of China for this, because China already stated that, you know, they shrugged it. Oh, that's just Trump barking again. That's literally how it's— so to China, it's because this sort of reaction to Donald Trump's arguments is that it reflects a broader trend that not only includes China but includes other countries. Especially when it comes down to BRICS nations. Why? Simple reason: the BRICS are seeking an alternative to the dollar. But remember, remember, it was India that blocked about a year and a half ago. Remember when China introduced the idea of let's think about some sort of, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, financial instruments by which— and China and India objected to that. Don't forget that. That's what I'm saying. You have to look at the big picture into all this. So, and this is why the US, when the US now is urging— and that's the keyword, urging— China to halt its purchase of oil and gas from Russia, and then issue in that language of threat, we're threatening you that we're gonna impose 100% tariffs. Once again, I don't know who's advising Trump, but for us American citizens, consumers, do we have any idea if really China shut the door completely? Yes, of course China wants to have access to the American market. I'm not denying that, but just think about where price is going to be if China shut down. Nike won't be able to sell the shoes for $240. Some, some electronics, Apple and all that stuff, it won't work. This is again where the idea of, uh, even, even as I said earlier, the meeting between, uh, Bassand, uh, in, uh, in Stockholm and the Chinese vice premier, he lay Lifeline. So all this became now to displeasure of Washington about what China is doing. Well, who gives a damn about what Washington thinks or wants? Because that era is gone. This is what I'm saying. There is now this vacuum. There is a new order that is emerging regarding the global order, and they are the models and the forces that's going to be shaping it. That is what's important to understand. So the, the idea is that even, uh, the US side, during this meeting that took place in Stockholm, you know what Bessant was complaining about? He was complaining about China sales of over $15 billion worth of dual-use technology goods to Russia. Duh, how ridiculous. For this is again why the US is having a hard time accepting China's rise. We don't want to see that. We're like, good luck with that, because China's moving on. And that's the idea of it. So, and what for me personally, what makes me even shake my head, be beyond belief is the statement by Bessant when he said, and I quote, the Chinese take their sovereignty very seriously. We don't want to impede their sovereignty, so they would like to pay 100% tariffs, end of quote. Let me repeat that, because if you really read between the lines It is again what Bessin said: the Chinese take their sovereignty very seriously, we don't want to impede their sovereignty, so they would like to pay 100% tariffs, end of quote. Well, first of all, Bessin, China is not going to pay 100%, and second, this idea of sort of Because this is a condescending language coming out of the US administration. Oh, we know that China takes their sovereignty very seriously. Well, which country that doesn't? You know, you might consider Philippines in that case, you might consider Japan, you might consider South Korea, Australia, some European countries, but not China. I mean, they just— the statement in itself reflects the absurdity, literally, and the level of what's coming out of Washington. So we don't want to impede on their sovereignty. How the heck would you even be able to impede on the sovereignty when knowing what China's capabilities are? And once again, that's the importance of understanding what's going on between the lines when certain aspects is said. And this is the same argument that's been making, uh, since, uh, uh, sort of, uh, what Trump's saying is, uh, this truce of trade with the Chinese will end on August 12th, which is 5 days from today. So And right after that, Donald Trump will decide whether to extend the deadline. Well, who cares what you think? And who cares whether you extend it or not? And you all remember what Trump said, because his argument is that when China purchase oil from, uh, from Russia, when India purchase oil from Russia, they all— the both countries, India and China, contributing to the war in Ukraine. Well, hold on a second. Aren't you the one, Trump, that said, oh, I vow to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours of becoming president? Where, where are we now today? So, so here is what Trump stated himself. Here is what he said on March 14th of this year. He admitted, and I quote here, that he said, I was being a little bit sarcastic, end of quote. Being sarcastic, meaning when he said he could end the Ukraine war within a day. You all remember. So I was just, I was just shaking my head because, you know, I know it's Trump, you know, I'm aware of the guy for the last, you know, 30 years or so. You know, he's, he's, he's, he's, he's a showman. It's all about big ideas and all that, when in reality there are no substance into all this. And all this comes in a time when there is now an oil and gold rise, because it's exactly what the OPEC decided now to go ahead and increase the production, which means what in a simple language is that China will not stop purchasing the Russian oil, whether the US likes it or not. Liking this video so far? Don't just be a watcher. Go ahead and hit the like, share, and subscribe button. And don't forget to tap the bell so you will not miss any of my videos or live streams. This way you will be supporting a channel that stands for the truth and objective reporting. The choice is yours. Thanks for your support. So let me share with you my own analysis thinking, or my own analysis rather, as to really how this is gonna move forward. And again, I happen to concur with some analysts from different think tanks that I read their own publications, for the last 48 hours, just to have an idea. And it became clear that all the analyses converge on one reality, and that reality is China is not going to bow to what the US is saying, no matter what. So here's the idea that despite this pressure from the US on China with the threat, with the, the threats of tariffs, China will not stop is unlikely to stop the buying oil from Russia. And I'm gonna give you a few reasons, just like 3 or 4, at least the way I'm thinking about it. First of all, you have to think about— when you think about energy, you have to think about it in terms of a strategic aspect. This is why when you think about— and I'm gonna take you to something completely different to make a point here. When you think about, uh, not this one, it's right here. Why is China considering the, uh, the, uh, the, the tunnel or bridge with, with Thailand? To avoid the Malacca Strait. Why? For the strategic reasons, just in case there is a blockade. For energy is the same argument. So to China is a strategic energy supply because Russia is a vital source of energy to China. You know, of course, China imports oil from Iran, Saudi Arabia, and some other sources, but the quality— the quantity, rather, that China imports from Russia are massive. So, so the idea of securing a stable— this is the key words here— stable and affordable, because what China is, it's a business transaction. They're gonna— they are not, or they are not paying the market price. They're getting a discount on it because remember, China is doing favor for Russia, but also China is benefiting from it. A win-win situation, which is usually how the Chinese approach business transactions. And the idea of this stable and affordable supply is a strategic priority to Beijing. That is why Russia became China's top crude oil supplier last year, and it's gonna— I think it's gonna maintain. India is importing a lot too, but not in comparison to China. And to my, to my knowledge, it was about the record of 108 million tons, or 19.7% of China's total crude import comes from Russia. Second thing, like I mentioned earlier, discounted price. Because remember, Russia has an abundance of oil. This is why the Europeans shot themselves in the foot, and this is why we pressure them with the tariffs, only in one condition, that they will buy energy from us, which means gas, which means we're going to charge them 10 times the price. India is charging them— I don't know, it's not the regular price, I know this for a fact— maybe 3 times the price or so, discounted price. So China has been able to purchase Russian oil significantly discounted, and again, it's because the market conditions the geopolitical landscape, the tensions with the US. And also because of the sanctions by the West, headed by the US, has sort of limited the access of the Russian oil into the global market. You are left with one big, huge market, China. And this is exactly the— well, one of the analysis that I read came from the Economist Intelligence Unit. Couldn't agree more with them on this aspect. So, and this presented an advantage to China, independent refineries. The third element is the geopolitical alignment. In this aspect, when you think about the oil trade, it's not just a business transaction, it's also a reflection of the reinforcements of the strategic partnership between China and Russia. This is how you need to look at it, because, you know, oil to China is a strategic commodity. We may as well strengthen the strategic partnership in other, uh, uh, dimensions as well. So, and this is why when you think about what China's providing Russia— what are they providing them— is a crucial revenue financial stream, that is, because now the sanctions are useless against Russia by the West. This is why sanctions are, you know, we abused it beyond. And that's again takes me back to that point earlier about the emergence of this new model of the international order. And there are some competing forces from within. The US is part of that competition, but the US at least knows it won't be able to influence it. And this is why when you consider this geopolitical alignment is the idea that the energy— China energy security is diversified, even though with the main sort of imports from Russia. The third element It has to do with the pushback by the Chinese against US pressure because it is publicly, no, stated Beijing has publicly stated that is openly rejecting US demand to cease purchasing oil from Russia and Iran. Unlike India has caved in, in the case of Iran. So far they are not caving in, in the case of Russia. We shall see, you know. One thing I know for sure about India, knowing that we dealt with them when I was still in Washington, DC, we dealt with them at a certain level, you know. You can't trust what they're saying. The moment you leave a meeting, things could change, you know. They look at you, shake your hand on whatever, But you always sense, are they being truthful? So this is where I see the difference between India and China. So in the case of China, he made it clear openly. I know India is also openly said, we refuse this. We shall see. And the idea that Beijing has also made one other key element that is known, publicly. And you know what? The emphasis of this idea of coercion and pressure tactics will not work, will not work at all. Once again, it's because China has the upper hand economically, technologically, and financially. Because remember, China holds so much of our debt. I'm not gonna— I'm not saying they're gonna just dump all the debt because that won't be good for China either. They know that. So the only thing that I see moving forward, which brings me to my fourth point, is that the idea of could this lead to another friction between China and the United States? And the answer is yes. So, because this US threats of tariffs will suggest, in my opinion as an analyst, is that China will view this as a potential negotiating tool. Why? Because the US wants to secure concessions. As I said earlier, US will succeed in doing this with India, but not China. It's not going to work. So, because remember, it is worth sort of highlighting that the recent data for 2025, even though it indicates a slight decline in China's crude oil import from Russia, which was in the early months of 2025, about the first quarter or so. And this also had to do with the impact of the sanctions of the US on Russia, not on the China. Because of that in itself, it led to a decrease in the global oil prices. So however, the idea that China is going to completely stop purchasing oil from Russia, is nonsense. China is unlikely to completely stop purchasing, uh, the Russian oil. Yeah, the volume might change, which is normal, and that's also based on two conditions. One is the market conditions, and second is the geopolitical development, and we all know what's going on with this, and that is will lead me to talk about the idea. By the way, remember, China plans to buy Russian oil, uranium, palladium, and chemicals from Russia, you know, at the same time the US is threatening tariffs. So, and if this is not enough, consider what China is preparing by 2028, which is to acquire its first 1,000 nuclear warheads. Yes, you heard me correct. By 2028, China is planning on achieving this quickly. And they will. I have no doubt. I have no doubt. This is why it's very important to understand these dynamics. Suffice it to say that this China and Russia partnership is of a strategic nature. And of course, aimed at the enemy. You know, they both have a common enemy. But when you consider the amount of trade between these two countries, as of the last one I remember seeing, it was in 2020. 22 or 23, somewhere around. Don't, don't quote me on this because I don't— I'm just trying to remember. It was about $230 or $240 billion in either '22 or '23. I think '23. So when you consider why is China wants to move forward with the buildup of 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2028, because that would be a game changer. And that's, by the way, it's not China saying this. It's also the report that I had a chance to read from the DOD, Department of Defense, here in the US. So, and I will share the link with you. Uh, if I am to recall, 2022— that's why I wasn't sure about that number— uh, Russia state-owned oil company Rosneft signed at that time in 2022, and I'm going to provide you a link for this an $80 billion, 10-year deal to supply China's National Petroleum Corporation with 100 million metric tons of oil, or about 200,000 barrels of oil on a daily basis. This is why when Trump is saying, oh, China should stop, no, they signed the contract. Chinese will not back down from their commitments. And this is again, China is not India. I can see India flipping if it's given some other alternative. I don't see China doing that, at least based on my understanding of not only the history of China, but its dealings in the business world. And that is why when you have that oil coming to China via— from Russia via Kazakhstan to refining plants in Xinjiang Province. Why is this important? Once again, you all remember the lies about Xinjiang, what was going on, had nothing to do with the truth. That's my point. You, you, you think about the big picture. So, and the idea of this 10-year deal— actually, let me, let me put a link for you. In the chat box so you, you can read it later on should you decide to do that. I like to just provide you all the sources of my, my information. And that's why I am convinced Trump's gonna now try to say we reached a deal with China. It just— it bluffs a lot. Trump doesn't have anything of substance because that's first of all not how you negotiate with countries. And second, this language of threats and all that, it just doesn't cut it. The world has changed. You might get away with it back in the '70s, '80s, also when China wasn't where it is today. China of today is not China of 30 years ago. And this leads me to talk about India briefly here. So I'm going to talk briefly about it because, as I said, I'm going to do an analysis for you about the upcoming trip of Modi to China. Um, it really concerns me, big deal. Now China can play this both ways. They can roll out the red carpet for Modi, but again, Chinese are smart enough to know because there have been incidents. Use history as your guide. We're gonna give them a carrot, meaning to the Indians, and they will flip. Mike, my word on it, we've done it before. But also you need to remember within this whole context that India in itself has been a roadblock in so many organizations they are involved in, like for example the SCO, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which I don't even know why China— why India is part of that. In BRICS, especially this, I did a video for you a year and a half ago or so, when I argued that when India did not want to join China, when China wanted a united Global South, instead what did India do? Gravitated towards the United States thinking Trump was their mate. However, the relationship quickly soured. I just— and I have nothing against India. When I say India, I'm referring to the government, not the people. It just— I can't trust, for the life of me, I can't trust their government. I don't care whom I'm talking to within their government. Can't trust. People are different story. So, and that's the idea of— then there is the bigger picture of all this. And the bigger picture of all this has to do with the financial aspect, because the transactions between China and Russia regarding the oil is not going in the US dollar. No, it's used— it's, it's, it is using the yuan instead of the dollar. So even the BRICS itself has set up now a payment system by which to bypass the SWIFT. Of course, India had to, um, some sort of create hurdles for whatever reason, thinking that its currency— once the rupees does not have any stand on the global stage, it's common sense, it's pragmatism. When your currency doesn't have that much, uh, power, why would you want to use it? Because nobody's going to use it. But the United States is gambling on one specific aspect, and this one has to do with Taiwan, as I mentioned, because US thinks it might have the leverage on this one. And this has to do with the United States forcing the Chinese province of Taiwan to do what? To purchase almost 49% stake in Intel company. You know, the Intel company here. And what is this? To save the sinking company right here. And also the US saying, yeah, if you do that, we will reconsider, uh, securing tariff relief. So, well, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. First of all, let me share a post with you because it was— it came through my, uh, my, uh, X feed, Twitter, that is, because you need to see this. I know the US media is not addressing this openly for a reason, because they don't want the masses to know. Is when you consider these desperate measures, and here is the idea. The new report out of Taiwan has revealed that the current US administration is tying the reduction on trade— of trade tariffs on Taiwan to significant TSMC investments in the US. These investments include 49% stake in Intel. And the post, by the way, was posted by America— yeah, Americanos. So I just wanted to share this with you, which makes perfect sense. And first of all, why are you negotiating with Taiwan? You have to negotiate with Beijing. Taiwan is part of Beijing, uh, part of China. Simple as that. And once again, The US is trying this kind of leverage just to see how far it can go with this. Then there is another element, and this one has to do— beside the 100% tariffs on all countries that purchase the Russian oil, our corrupted Congress decided on calling— the Senate, that is, is calling now on a 500% tariff on goods from countries that keep buying Russian oil and gas. This is what our corrupted Congress is doing. I don't know if you saw the picture of— I wish I had it, I don't— of the members of Congress. All of them took a trip to Israel. What a— what a— you know, I don't know what's going to make the Americans stand up and said, you know what, the government's been lying all these years and we are just like zombies just watching the idiot box and believing what's coming out of the White House, what's coming out of Congress, and at the same time they are working for another government. That just doesn't make sense. And if you speak the truth, you become the enemy. Well, be it. At least in clear conscience, you are stating the facts. And that is, again, the big picture and the big concern I personally have regarding all this bravado about we're going to sanction this, we're going to impose this, you know, especially in the case of China. China is a superpower. Simple as that. No, and I thank whomever that person who made that comment that I have the channel funded by the, by Benjim. Yeah, I wish, I wish. So at least you will, you will get, you will see me traveling around the world for you to bring you the truth, and that's exactly what I will do. Now, and I am not going to get into talking— as I said, I will deal with the issue of India at some other point, because like I always say, you don't put India and China on the same level. It's just because they're not. So, uh, suffice it to say is that with the upcoming trip of Modi to China I am really, really having second thoughts about what will China do as far as— is it state visit? Because if it is state visit, that's a different level. Is it going to be rolling the red carpet for India? We know what India did to China when 5G was rolled out. And by the way, China now is launching 6G. Uh, I, I recall seeing, uh, let me share it with you right here. Yeah, hold on a second, please. Yeah, I have it. I, I saved a copy for you here. Not a copy, rather, uh, on a screen. I want to share it with you so for you to see right there. It's, uh, uh, not this one. Rather this one here. Yeah, that's the one. And it's right there. China Mobile launched world's first 6G network, record 200 gigabytes per second. Per second. And that's again, it leads me back to my original argument, especially with this upcoming visit of Modi. What, what kind of value India has to offer China. You know, we pressured India but not allowing 5G, and they said, yes sir. We pressured India but not purchasing oil from Iran, we said, yes sir. But on the other hand, we can't, we can't just think in these terms. We have to think on the other side of the argument also. For me personally, I see it as an opportunity if this trip could address the border issue between India and China once for all, because if it does, then that's going to limit the influence of India on country like Bhutan, country like Nepal and Bangladesh, which by the way, Bangladesh yesterday celebrated the 1-year anniversary of the fleeing of the corrupted Sheikh Hasina, who is in India. Sri Lanka, I don't know much about, I'll admit it, so I don't pay attention much there. I might need to do that. But I am concerned with those two countries, Bhutan and Nepal, but mainly Bhutan, because Nepal has already made the forward steps into freeing itself from the shackles of India. Bhutan has not yet. It's because also the treaty they signed with India, which is subject to revision if it reaches its, uh, its conclusion date or year, uh, and so forth. And, and I will be addressing the issue of India for you in due time. I hope you got— you enjoyed this. Let me see if there are any super stickers. And yes, there are. And by the way, truly appreciate you for your support for the channel, for your support for my upcoming Asia trip, which, uh, by the way, I made decision, uh, I will be leaving the country, uh, on the 26th. So I'm hoping, uh, we can at least reach a level of at least 50% of that. Uh, we're still at 41%. I just saw someone that bought me coffee. In support of the channel, uh, whether this person wants me to use that funding for the trip or keep it just for, uh— I have to log in into— hold on a second, please. Sometimes it logs me out completely and doesn't let me in, which is a good thing to have. I'd rather have that and deal with it so I can see who the person is and give credit to the person. So bear with me, please. Okay, the person that just bought me coffees in support is Asmami. Thank you so much for buying me, uh, uh, many cups of coffees in support of the channel. So now here is where we are as far as the, uh, as far as the, the Asia trip. Uh, I will greatly appreciate if you feel like supporting and have the means to do it, please do not go out of your way. I won't feel good about it if somebody goes out of his way to do this. No, I, and I don't like that. I don't like that. If you have the means to do it, by— yes, I will be grateful. If you don't, I understand where your heart is, and I'm very, very grateful. I'm gonna put the link for you in the chat box should you decide to do that. Now let me say thank you to Mike R. Zigerzor corridor agreement with Trump tomorrow. Much appreciate your super, super sticker and appreciate you sharing this with the community. Greatly appreciate you, Mike. Thanks again. Noel, as always, once again, Noel's been an avid, uh, really a supporter of the channel financially per se. This is why I didn't get the argument, the comment from that person who's saying, oh this channel is funded by Beijing. Yeah, that would be great if it is possible, and I, I, you know, why would I shy away from saying that? But I also will put the conditions and all the terms on the table that this is in service of the community. Simple as that. So thank you so much, Noel. Appreciate you. Kevin Baptist, as always, an avid supporter of the channel, has been for a long time. Very grateful to you, Kevin, for your support. You wrote, Dr. O, what are your thoughts on a nation collectively refusing to pay their loans back to the IMF and World Bank? Also interested in what chat thinks. Yeah, that will be, uh, interesting if, if you, uh, the community can really contribute to this conversation by sharing your opinion. The way I see it, first of all, they cannot default on this because Those loans are— have to be guaranteed one way or another. And this is what the danger of getting a loan from the IMF or World Bank. They will get it one way or another. And usually if the country— look what happened to Sri Lanka. Why do you think Sri Lanka collapsed even though the Western think tanks were saying it was China that put him in a debt trap? It's a lie. China did not. China entered into some agreements with them. As a matter of fact, I did find out some countries in Africa, China had to renegotiate the terms with those countries. Tell me, when was ever the IMF or the World Bank did that? And China did not put austerity measures as a conditions for the loan. Russia has forgiven some debts to some, uh, African countries. So the idea of those, if nations collectively refuse to do that, they will have to be— that's like for us with the massive debt we have, we owe other countries. It's just you have to repay that debt one way or another. It will become chaos financially, but also that will precipitate the immigration— the migration rather, not immigration. Migration from even considering US dollar for any future, uh, business undertaking. So once again, thank you, Kevin. I truly appreciate you, and I hope the community can answer that also in the chat box, and I'm going to look into it shortly here. Francis Tango, another avid supporter of the channel, has been for so long. Uh, thank you so much, Francis, for your kind support for the channel. Hi, Dr. O. I think India get big welcome Lost soon. Yeah, I'm, I'm not in favor— on a serious note, I am not in favor of India— of China rolling the red carpet for India because that will legitimize its position, meaning India's position. And what is India's position right now on a global stage? It's standing alone. And you know why? Because of its double standard, the back and forth, standing on both sides of the fence. That's not a way of conducting business with the rest of the world. You can't be cherry-picking when it's convenient for you. And again, the best example I can give you is what I stated earlier. And this regarding how, how, how India rejected the proposal by China regarding BRICS. You remember when, when India did not want to join BRICS? When China initiated earlier in the last year, wanted to unite the Global South. And this is why you had media in India, which I know they were lying. As a matter of fact, one of them, what's her name? Sharma. Which, by the way, I did send her an invitation to come here and we'll debate, you know, in a civil manner, but she never responded. And I think she was lying when she said, oh, now India is the speaker for the Global South. That's nonsense. It is nonsense. That's what I'm saying. It's, uh, so I see your point, Francis, uh, that, uh, uh, China really will have— and I'm sure they're smart enough, uh, to know how to handle, like what the way they handled the European the EU, Ursula von der Leyen, when she was recently in China, and they put her on a bus, no red carpet and nothing else. Marvin Vargas, thank you so much for your super sticker. You wrote, appreciate you, Dr. O, my country belong from Russia. Now truly appreciate you for your support, and we're very grateful to all of you. As I said earlier, just to wrap this up, I am going to be digging even more into the upcoming visit of Modi to China, and hopefully I'll do that before I leave the country. Once again, appreciate you, and I look forward to seeing you next time. As always, remember, geopolitics impacts your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time, bye-bye.