Meloni Back to China Begging for Economic Help (Part 1)!

All right, hello everybody and welcome to Geopolitical Trends, where truth matters. Very excited to be with you as always. Uh, I have an interesting topic for you today, and this has to do with the upcoming visit— there are no dates been set yet— for the Prime Minister of Italy, uh, none other than Giorgia Meloni. She's intent to go to China. So I'm seeing a trend here for all Western European leaders, so-called leaders, going to China. So, so this is what I'm going to be, uh, uh, talking to you about today, providing you my own assessment, my own analysis as to where I see things going and to why she is going there to begin with. So, but before we delve deeper, let me say hi to the community, whomever was here for Seymour Fact, good to see you. Crown On, good to see you. Paul Revere, Orchid, uh, Aitupa AI or L, uh, Chaz Van Vickren, Chia King Sam, good to see you. Rezneka James, uh, Balance, Balance 888, good to see you. Uh, Emma Vogel, good to see you. Uncle, good to see you. Wing Oy, Leon, good to see you. Uh, One Day We Will, good to see you. Nice screen name there. So Serbian Wolf Tiger, good to see you. And MZ Man 0806, uh, uh, Pong 401, good to see you. Cheesecake, Yan Harcore, Truth Seeker, Francis Kaman, uh, Francis Kamanga. Good to see you, John Smith. Good to see you all. And, uh, Hamed City, as always. All right guys, let's get in into this. There's a lot to cover, so today I'm not gonna do the headlines. I'm gonna get into, uh, the topic because there are a lot of moving parts. So I will be sharing, uh, the— it's just part of the big picture. You, you all know now how I do things here. In a live stream. So those parts, or the moving parts, that is, that form the big picture. So, so, for those who might not be familiar with the topic today or not aware of it, so I'm going to be talking about the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, which will be— she will be embarking, uh, uh, if I may use the term, a charm offensive trip to Beijing. Uh, as she looks now to sort of, uh, she's realizing what's going on. This is why she wants to go to China. And to me, basically the way I assess it is she's going to beg for economic assistance. And this has to do with what China just did with two countries in Europe, Serbia and Hungary. So, and I will detail all of this for you, but, uh, let's ask the questions that pertain to this aspect here. And the key questions are, if I can get to it right here: what is the main objective, uh, for her trip? Why is she going there for? Second, how does China perceive her, or perceive Italy in general? So, well, usually we deal with lead— with so-called leaders. Now, how does China perceive Giorgia Meloni, especially after flip-flopping So third question is, what will China do? Because here's the thing, and I'm starting to notice this, and some of you had made a comment also, and I'm start to see the, the logic of it. Uh, China is being too nice. I know it's part of the culture. I know China is not, uh, this type of into-your-face per se, because that's not part of the Chinese culture. But apparently the West is misinterpreting that. So is China being too nice? So that's what I'm asking. What will China do? And the fourth question, which is to me this is the key: is this trip, upcoming trip of Meloni, another signal that Europe is and wants to move away from the US and pivot east? So those are just questions for us to ponder about and consider, uh, within the big picture of what we're going to be addressing today. So, uh, I have one— one, uh, housekeeping item here. Uh, one of you guys, by the way, sent me, uh, uh, a comment about inviting, uh, Professor Qiu Jin I have a picture of her here, uh, right here. I have a picture of her. Uh, I did reach out, believe it or not, and her publicist, uh, responded to me by saying, and I quote, unfortunately Q's schedule is demanding over the next few months and she's unable to do this interview. Thanks again for your interest in having her on your program and look forward to staying in touch, end of quote. So that was kind of, of, of, of her office or publicist to really respond to me. That says a lot. That shows respect, and I respect her and her schedule and all that stuff for that. So instead of ignoring it completely. So, uh, uh, on the other hand, Professor, uh, uh, Lian— Yan— Yan Lian, she just confirmed with me that we're going to be doing the interview towards the end of this month. It will be on May 31st. I'll keep you updated and I'll post it for you once I set up everything. So, all right, let's get into our topic here. Now, Italian Prime Minister, as I said, she will be embarking on a trip heading out to, to China. No dates has been set yet, but all this is— to, to me, it's irrelevant. What's irrelevant is why is she going to Italy for? Uh, to China rather, not to Italy. Why is she going to China for? So there are some, and I read some articles, by the way, looked into some information, and one of them was disclosed by an anonymous individual during the meeting of the Chinese Commerce Secretary and the Foreign Minister of Italy. And I'm gonna share this with you. So now, one of the purpose of, uh, her trip to Italy— to China is to reset— pay attention to this, guys— is to reset the relations between China and Italy, especially after Xi made the decision to withdraw from the BRI last year. And of course, in Italy, it was announced as controversial, the controversial Global Investments Initiative, BRI. That's to me how I see. So this move, in my opinion, uh, comes as Italy— Italy now decided to leave that, right? But they are seeing where the trend is headed, especially as I mentioned earlier, after what China signed, the deal, economic or venture deals that it signs with the two main countries Serbia and Hungary. For France, it was just a, a visit to sort of make the French feel good. So now there is another issue with Meloni, why she was forced to pull out of— why, by the way, before I move forward, why do you think she pulled out of the BRI? Let me know your input. I always like to read your feedback. And by the way, thank you all for sharing your, your inputs on the community postings that I asked for your input there. So in your opinion, why do you think she left or she withdrew from the BRI? And I'd like to see your answers, uh, to, to that one, because it's very important to understand this. That put things in perspective for us. Okay, Taiwan still You said US forced her. Uh, the Wacky Monkey, the US pleasure. Uh, uh, Chaz, US pressure threatened. Caramel Crush, she threatened, uh, Hamad City to please, uh, the US. I couldn't agree more with your assertion, guys, because that is exactly what it was. And I'm gonna tell you why as I move forward with something that took place behind closed doors what Meloni told Biden during a meeting that took place of NATO. And I, I have the pictures, I have everything too. But I just wanted to get you involved into the conversation for you also to understand that this didn't happen in a vacuum, and for her now to realize where the Italian economy is headed despite what you hear and read. I read last night, and I have the link that I will share with you that the Italian economy is improving, uh, or it's, it's about incre— uh, growing by about 1.9%. I, I don't buy that. I don't buy that because if it were the case, that would be the same for Germany, that would be the same for other major economies in Europe. The stats that I looked at which came out of Brussels, I think they wanted to sugarcoat the data. You know why? Because they are realizing that Eastern Europe, the likes of Hungary and Serbia, are moving forward with the, in, with the investments with China. And if we are to think about who just visited China few months ago— German Chancellor, right? Who else went to China from Western? Tony Blinken, of course. Janet Yellen. Of course. So you got the idea, you got the idea. All Western, especially in Europe now, they are moving to that direction. And all this is because one of the deals that Hungary got with China has to do with the EV plants, the electric vehicle plants. Italy realized that he is now holding the end of the stick. And that is one of the reasons why she's going there. And I'm gonna detail more after I'll talk to you about the geography and history, because it is important to understand this part of the world. All right, let's start with— excuse me— let's start with geography here. Let me share the map from the World Atlas. And by the way, if you noticed, uh, World Atlas sometimes uses different terminology for certain countries. I'll give you a quick example here. Last time when I did the, uh, uh, South China Sea and so forth, and I put the map there, and he showed that is still named Myanmar. Some have argued that supposed to be Burma. So even for political maps, the wording can be very different. You look at it with Taiwan how they carving out like an independent, which is not. So, but nonetheless, I still use, uh, uh, the World Atlas. But again, just to use the map, you reach your own decision and conclusion regarding this aspect. So, so Italy is located in the south-central Europe on the Apennine Peninsula. It is positioned both in the northern and eastern hemispheres of the Earth, of course. Italy shares its borders with Switzerland and Austria in the north, with Slovenia in the northeast, and with France in the northwest. Of course, you got the two main, uh, uh, enclaves. The Vatican City and San Marino are the two enclaves, sovereign states. In other words, they are independent from within. The Vatican is like an independent— it's by itself, has its own army, has its own whatever. And we all know what the Vatican is known for, right? There is a dark side there to that, uh, uh, uh, uh, entity in Vatican, without getting into the detail of that. With its southern boundaries extending into the Mediterranean Sea, the boot-shaped Italian peninsula is bordered by the Adriatic Sea in the east The Sea of Sicily in the south, the Ionian Sea in the southeast, the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea in the southwest. The two largest Mediterranean islands are Sardinia, which is located in the west, and Sicily, which is in the south of Italy. Let me screen down here. Yeah, there is Sardinia right here. Okay, and you have the, uh, the other, uh, one is, uh, Sardinia and Sicily. Yeah, Sardinia right here and Sicily in the south. Where is the— I have to scroll up here for you to see. So, all right, let's move on to history, and it's very, very important for you to know a few things about history. There's something I just learned, I'll admit it. I did not know and I just learned it. And that's one of the purpose of why I always like to do a history here for you guys. So, so in many ways, uh, the history of Italy is the history of the modern world. And yes, don't jump to conclusions that when you think about Italy you think about Roman Empire. There is more into that. So, so many pivotal moments in the collective past of Italy. And of course, this is why Italy is considered the cornerstone of the European historic, uh, uh, uh, landscape. Yeah, there is no doubt about that one. So, and I'm gonna just do brief stuff here with you guys because it's very, very long. I will provide you the link and you can read up on it later on should you choose to do so. So, uh, uh, we go about, uh, 500 BC. So, so during 5, uh, at the year 500 BC, a number of people— and here is the key to how Italy started— a number of people of different ethnicities and origin shared Italy. You got small Greek colonies dotted in the southern coast and the island of Sicily, okay? You have also the Gauls or Gauls. This is where the French— former French president Charles de Gaulle— de Gaulle, that's where it comes from. It's his ancestors. So Gauls, ancestor of today's modern French, roamed the mountains north in Italy. Then you have— this is, to me, was the surprising one— you have the Etruscans. Well, the Etruscans is group originally hailing from somewhere in western Turkey, and those settled in central Italy and established a number of city-states, including what is known modern-day Bologna. Little is known about the Etruscans except that they thrived for a time, creating a civilization that would pass down a fondness for bold architecture. That includes stone arches, paved streets, sewers, and so forth, to its successor, the Roman Empire. This is why it's important for you to understand. Then you fast forward to, uh, when Rome was founded on April 21st, 753 BC, by Romulus and Remus, the twin brothers. Yeah, those are twin brothers who claim to be sons of the war god Mars and to have been raised as infant by the she-wolf. Okay, move forward to when Rome went through 7 kings. Yeah, that's how many kingdoms they had. 7 kings, uh, that's how many kings they had, uh, 7 kings until 509 BC. When the last king was overthrown and the Roman Republic was formed. Then Rome became, uh, ruled by the two elected officials known as the consuls, a Senate made up of wealthy aristocrats, okay, and the lower assembly that represented the common people. This is why you see in The models in Britain, like with the common house, the Lord of House and the common house, or the upper house and lower house, the same thing we have in the US with the Senate and the House of Representatives. All of them traces their roots back to this. And this format of government worked well at first, but as Rome expanded beyond the mere city-state, uh, to take over territory not just in Italy but overseas as well, the system of government came under severe strain. Okay, now by the 1st century BC, Rome was in crisis, and that's when you remember— I'm sure you heard in history about Spartacus. Spartacus was a slave, led the common people in a revolt. That's why I always say, guys, power is with people. So when you have corrupted government, it's up to the people to set that government straight. And I'm talking about my country here in the US. So, so what happened with Spartacus? Uh, he led the revolt, popular revolt against the rule of the aristocratic, uh, people or, or elected, uh, individuals. Rome was able to put down the rebellion but at a great cost. As the Republic dissolved into a series of military dictatorships that ended with the assassination of Julius Caesar. Move to, uh, 29 BC. After a long power struggle, Julius Caesar's nephew Octavius seized power and declared himself Emperor Augustus. So the Roman Empire was born at that time. For the first 200 years, Rome thrived, ruling over a vast territory stretching from Britain and the Atlantic coast of Europe into the north and west, to North Africa and Middle East in the south and the east. So, uh, I'm gonna move forward to, uh, 410 AD. And by the way, during, uh, during the era of 180 AD, that's when Christianity became one and the only official religion in, in, in, in Italy at that time. And by the end of the 4th century AD, the Roman Empire split into two: the East, based out of the newly built capital of Constantinople, uh, Constantinople, which is now modern Turkey, which is— it thrived, eventually became the long-lasting Byzantine Empire. Rome, capital of the West, continued to decline at that time. And in 410 AD, Rome itself was sacked by barbarians, hordes— they called them at that time barbarians. So the Eastern Empire invaded but failed to restore order and had to withdraw. So what happened after that? The Roman Empire in the west completely collapsed by the end of the 5th AD century, and for the next thousand years, Italy once again became a patchwork of city-states, with Rome, home to the Catholic Church, being the most powerful And this long period for quite stagnation was known as the Dark Ages. And this is where religion took hold, the Catholic Church in this case in Italy, and it became the, the norm around the world. And again, no offense to Catholics here if there are Catholics in our community here. I respect all religions. I just don't believe in, in stuff anymore, religion whatsoever. So, but we can't just think about the dark side of history. When it comes down to Italy, you also have to think about when things evolved. And I move you quickly to the 14th century. It's very, very important to understand this. Uh, uh, uh, there is a documentary out there if you ever get a chance to watch it. It's called the, uh, the, uh, the Medici, uh, Medici rather. It's called Medici, the family Medici that established the bank in Florence. So Well, why is this important to understand the history of it? Because prosperity didn't return to Italy till about 14th century in none other than the city-state of Florence, one, then Milan, then Pisa, then Genoa, and finally Venice. Why Venice? Because it became a center of— all those, by the way, not just Venice, all of those became centers for trade. So the influx of wealth and increased trade— and once again, did you see how they flourished back then? Because of economy or economic, uh, ventures, not conflicts. Even back in history, you will think we will learn something from it. So, so the influx of wealth and increased trade, contact with foreign lands transformed Italy into Europe's premier center of culture. And this was funded, was funded by wealthy patrons, the likes of— and I have pictures here for you guys— Leonardo da Vinci. Let me share a picture, uh, with you here. What, what is Leonardo da Vinci known for? Can anybody type in, in the chat box, guys? What is Leonardo da Vinci is known for? There is one particular thing that is known for. Mona Lisa, that is correct. Or in French, they call it La Joconde. Well, guess what, guys? I do have original one from, uh, uh, a museum that I bought, so I'm going to share it with you. And I have it in my house right here. This is from— I bought it in, uh, it was an exhibition, so it was quite pricey back then. So I saved it. And you know how— why is this important, right? Because sometimes that's how you store your wealth, in painting. That's what the millionaires and billionaires— I'm not a millionaire— that's where they put their money. But for me, it was just the idea of, uh, it's, it's a piece of art, this is history. And I decided, you know, why not? I'm gonna just buy it. I don't intend to sell it, by the way, so I will not. All right, Leonardo da Vinci. Let me bring back this map here for you. Uh, I'm sorry, the Leonardo da Vinci, uh, he's one. The second one is, uh, who was another guy that was known during that era? Do you guys know before I say his name? He's known for— he did something major in a church. Uh, Raphael, that's one, that is true. Uh, Machiavelli, that's one. But the ones who did— oh, Michelangelo, that is correct! I have a picture of, uh, Michelangelo. Did you guys know that his full name— uh, Michelangelo is the first name and the last name is Boranotti. That's his full name, Michelangelo Boranotti. Yeah, he's known for the Sistine Chapel, of course. Then you have, after Michelangelo, you have the Italian poet. His name is Dante Alighieri. He's known as the Italian poet. He was, uh, it was very, very, uh, what's the word I'm saying? Uh, it's a poet, well known, well known in, in, in, in Italy. And the last one, of course, during that era was none other than Niccolò Machiavelli. So you all know his history for that one. So yeah, there's a, there's a lot, a lot of history about, uh, uh, let me bring the map here because we're going to be— I'm going to be mentioning few things here as far as the, uh, the series. So this way it'll make more sense to you as you listen to what I share with you here. So anyway, those individuals— and of course we can't forget Galileo and others, there are many, it's just I can't— as I said, I'm gonna put the link for you guys to see. So what happened with those individuals? They revolutionized the field of art, literature, politics, and even science. So you think about— oh, which of course we can ignore historically speaking— who went to the East at that time? Can you guys type in? And you should be familiar with this. Who went to the East and discovered a lot in the East? When? Now. You got it, Seniza. You got it, sir. Marco Polo. You can't ignore that one because What he discovered and shared about the Eastern culture meant a lot for the Europeans at that time. Then, of course, Christopher Columbus, and all of them introduced Italy and Europe to the rest of the world. Marco Polo for the East, Christopher Columbus to the, uh, for, of course, the, the American continents and so forth. So then Italy remained at that time a center of power until the 16th century. And what happened in 16th century? The trade route shifted away from Mediterranean, and the Protestant Reformation resulted in the Catholic Church, which was based in Rome, of course, losing influence over much of Northern Europe. Now you see why back then it was— anytime a king will be appointed in whatever He has to have the blessing of the Pope because the Pope was selling that idea of I am God's representative on Earth, which to me it's nonsense anyway. But I respect their culture. That's their culture. I respect it. But it was just to highlight to you even today the influence of the Catholic Church in Rome. Did you guys know that it was John Paul II that got involved in, uh, sort of, uh, uh, the, the fall of the Soviet Union? Yeah, John Paul II. You know, he was a nice man, he was a nice guy, nice man of God, whatever term you want to use. Why would he get involved in— but just to highlight to you the influence, why not, why not, you know, that's just part of it. So, so what happened at that time? Weakened, the various Italian city-states became vulnerable to the conquest by none other than Spain at the time, France, and Austria. And that's why Italy remained a patchwork of principalities controlled through proxies by the European powers until the 19th century. And what happened? Who was in charge in 19th century in Europe? Not entire Europe, but it was a, it was a major figure. Can you guys type in, in the chat box when? Now, from— I'll give you a hint here— from France, because it's very important to understand all this. Oh, you got it! Uh, uh, uh, Basil Woo, Basil Woo, you guys got it! Napoleon! Matt Backy, you got it! Napoleon! Muslim revert, you got it. Napoleon, because Napoleon supported the unification of Italy as a way of creating a buffer state against his enemies. So in other words, he used Italy. And with the backing of France, Italian nationalist at that time, his name is Garibaldi, led the popular movement that took over much of Italy. In 1861 that will end in 1870 with the fall of Rome and complete reunification of the country. That is what's important for that. I'm gonna fast forward to 1919. Of course, that's the, uh, plagued by the internal division that existed and the devastation of the economy. Once again, why am I highlighting all this for you guys? It's just to show you historically when the economy collapses, the end is there. We are witnessing this. I'm witnessing this in my own country here throughout history. That is why it's important. Sadly, uh, Western countries are not willing to learn from history. And this is exactly what happened to Italy at that time. Internal political division, which what we are witnessing here in my country, for example, and the devastated economy by war. So what happened? The new Kingdom of Italy was no Rome Empire anymore. And in 1919, frustrated that Italy has received few gains despite having been a victor, victor in World War I, and that's when a figurehead came on. And I'm going to show you the picture and I want you guys to tell me who that person is. You should recognize this quickly. If you can type in, in the chat box, please. I don't want to see your answer there. Oh, Sinisa, you got it! Bézévu! Mussolini, indeed! And that is when he launched a movement that called for the restoration of Italy as great power. And in 1922, of course, impatient with the electoral politics, Mussolini led his supporters, known as the Fascisti— you all know what it is— and on march to Rome to seize power directly through coup. And, and that's— the rest is history. As we say. Fast forward to 1930, because why I moved quickly here to this era, because it was during 1930, this is when Mussolini during that time dreamed of leading a new Roman Empire. And of course you all know the history of that era, and in 1930 Mussolini himself endorsed in a dream of conquest by invading Ethiopia and Albania at that time. And when the Second World War broke out, Italy remained neutral at first. However, once it appears through the fall of France that Germany will win, Mussolini eagerly joined Adolf Hitler at the time, uh, fellow fascist at the time and a longtime ally. And then, and the history— the, the rest was history. Of course, Mussolini saw himself losing control of North Africa later on, and the Mediterranean, Mediterranean, and eventually his very own country to the Allies. That's how he lost the era. So, and after Second World War, Italy abolished the monarchy and declared itself a republic. With the strong support of the United States, Italy rebuilt its economy through loans from the Marshall Plan, joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and became a strong supporter of what is now known as the European Union. Today, Italy is one of the most prosperous and democratic nations in Europe. Uh, I won't— I have to disagree with that full statement. It is one of the 10th economy in the world, but it's not this what you may think about the most democratic and so forth. So, uh, one thing I was gonna say, uh, no, I forgot it while I was thinking about it regarding Italy. Uh, I forgot. It'll come to me. It'll come to me later also. So, and again, just to highlight to you guys the importance of understanding history, and this will make more sense, uh, uh, you wish that Western leaders will sort of apply the lessons from history, but unfortunately they don't. So that's just the stupidity of, of how it is. So now let's get back to our conversation about the fox. Yeah, I call her the fox. You know why? And I have no respect for— respect as a human being, of course, but I have no respect for her as a political leader. Anytime a political leader flip-flops quickly, that's to me, that's it. It's like you can't take stand. And this is exactly what we're saying. Why am I saying this? I'm saying this because when she was running for office, she was against the sanctions against Russia. She's saying we don't need energy from Russia. She's saying we need to establish diplomatic, uh, we need to establish economic ties with China and move forward into that direction. And all of a sudden, flipped, flip-flopped quickly as soon as he took power. And that tells me right there, you can't be trusting these individuals like this. So that's why I use the term fox, and I was being nice in my wording. So now the idea of her going to, to, uh, to China— what for? Of course she wanted to reset— this is the key word— reset the country's relations with China. Why would you— what made her think that China will be— would just open its arm to it and say, sure, we'll pick off where we left off? Because to me, and this is where I agree with some of you who put a comment about maybe China is being too nice, and I can see that, I can see that. But again, I fall back into the history of China, that throughout its history, and when you go over 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 years of history and you look at the patterns, China was never this aggressive personality. It come into your face, here I am, and China is not about that. So it's still till today maintaining that aspects of its culture. But the West seems to be taking advantage, wants to take advantage of that, you know. First you had the German going there, you had the French, you had now the, uh, the Italians. Well, it tells you right there what do three countries share in common: Germany, France, and Italy. What do they share in common? They are like the heart of the EU. When you think about Greece in the EU, no offense to the Greece, but the Greek economy is no comparison to Germany or France or Italy. So for that matter, uh, uh, and, and this is where when she's saying, well, I'm gonna go to China to reset the relationship, what made her think that the Chinese will be just open to her suggestions, especially after the controversial withdrawal, which most of you mentioned, and I couldn't agree more. He was under pressure by the US to withdraw from the BRI. So, and this is where, uh, to me, I won't buy what she's saying. Yes, of course Italy is considered the 10th largest economy in the world, the 4th largest economy in Europe, You know, and one of the main export countries worldwide. Of course, they known for certain, uh, sporty cars and all that. But again, all that is great, but if you have an average citizen— which, by the way, when the sanctions were applied and Italy joined the EU in the sanctions, guess what happened to the energy prices in Italy? I saw video with my own eyes. Italians in, I think, the, the, the island of Sicily. They were burning the electricity bills when they got the— they said, I ain't gonna be paying the bills for this. And they all got together and put a pile and burned these bills. Said— it's like almost got the finger to the city hall saying, go fuck yourself. Yeah. So to me, when they're saying, well, uh, its GDP per capita is about €27,000. All that doesn't mean a thing if an average Italian is struggling, which is the case. That's why I didn't buy the arguments for what Brussels has released, the economic data suggesting that Italy's economy is moving in the right direction. No, it's a lie. It is a lie. Europe is done for. Economically speaking. And Europe now— when I say Europe, I'm referring to the EU countries— are seeing what China just did with Hungary and Serbia. This is why I can't warn enough Serbian government not to join the EU. If they do, they're gonna be handcuffed. Mark my word on it. Hungary now is handcuffed. To a degree. And this is where, uh, uh, uh, the whole idea of now all of a sudden she's going to, uh, she's going to China. What for? So, and of course this conversation started a few weeks ago. I was aware of a meeting that took place between Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, and, uh, he met with the Chinese Minister of Commerce. Let me get a picture here. I got the picture for you guys for, uh, Mr. Wong. I hope I pronounce it correctly. Wong Guangto. He's the Chinese Minister of Commerce, and when he met with the foreign— the foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, here is his picture right here. So when they met, that's when the conversation was about the idea of, well, maybe Meloni needs to go to meet, uh, with President Xi personally. I don't know. Once again, I find myself asking the same question that I asked you back then when Tony Blinken was about to go. Once again, I'm going to ask you the question: do you think, in your opinion, should President Xi grant Giorgia Meloni audience? Yes or no? If you can type in, in the chat box, please. In your opinion, after what she did pulling out of the PRI, should President Xi grant Giorgia Meloni audience? In other words, sit down with her and have a conversation, or just let her meet with the Commerce Secretary, uh, Mr. Wang, or Mr. Wanyi, or whomever else? What do you guys think? Let me see. Teresa Leong, you say no. Johnny, you say no. Paul Hamid, you say yes. YT, conditionally, uh, okay. Hamid CV, you say yes, should grant her an audience. Dominic Chen, you say no. Uh, Giftful God, Star North, you say no. Our Star, you say no. Duarte, you say yes. Uh, well, yeah, again, I respect your opinion. Of course it's your opinion, you're entitled to it. It's just to me, I don't see the reason why President Xi will grant her the audience when it's almost like be looking at her and say, well, how can I trust you? Because Because sometimes, uh, one act is enough for you to see where things are headed. The moment she pulled out of the BRI under pressure from the US, it tells me the story right there. Why? What, what should I trust? And not just her, for that matter, all Western leaders. They are incompetent, that's one. They have no shame, that's second. And third, they just have no diplomatic skills in in understanding how to deal with other nations, because that superiority mindset— oh, I am— what for? What for? All that stuff is no need for it. So, but here is what happened during that meeting between the Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani and the Chinese Minister of Commerce, Wang, Mr. Wang Wentou. And the meeting took place, I do remember, a few weeks ago. It was in, in, in Verona, if I'm not mistaken. And I'll find the link for you guys and, and share it with you. So, but here is what, what at that time the foreign minister of Italy said, and I quote: We want to start— just listen carefully, guys— we want to start a new phase in the relations between Italy and China and invest in the bilateral partnership, end of quote. What can you decipher from this statement, guys? I'm gonna reread it again for you, and I quote: We want to start a new phase in the relation— in the relations between Italy and China and invest in bilateral partnership. What do you make out of statement like that? Because by now you should be able to decipher in one word or two what do you make out of a statement like that. Let me just see, uh, what you guys wrote. Uh, yeah, they having second thought. To start. That is correct, they want to start it again. And what made them think that the Chinese will agree to that? And again, to, to me, that's— if I were advising President Xi, I'll say you'll be better off with a market where you can increase your investments. Yes, Italy is one of the key players in the EU and so forth, but if I am even to go that route I'll go with Germany. But even with Germany, I'll have question marks because all of them in Europe under the thumb of the US. So what makes Chinese think that the moment they cut a deal with, with these European countries, they're gonna honor it? Look at Italy, it didn't honor that one. So, and, uh, and the other key in this quote is the bilateral partner invests in the bilateral trade partnership. What am I referring to here? I am referring to the deal that's going to be now expanded in Hungary regarding the EV manufacturing. You all remember, because Hungary leads in Europe when it comes down to the investments of the Chinese EV in Europe. And by the way, I have an interesting clip I want to share it with you, of, uh, Hungarian students fluent in Chinese. I mean, it was mind-boggling when I saw it, so I thought of you right away, guys, and I wanted to share it with you if you permit me. Okay, where is— where is it? It's right here. Let me share it with you. Present. And the students, by the way, had a chance to meet, believe it or not, she met President Xi. So take a listen, and I'm gonna make sure you can hear the sound. Please give me a thumbs up if you can hear. All right, yeah, uh, uh, yeah, thank you guys. Uh, Francis Tango, thank you for giving me thumbs up, guys. So, so just to highlight to you, so the, the reason why I wanted to share this, uh, not about the video itself of course, which was very, very, uh, so impressive, that's the word I can say, is the idea that Italy now is seeing where things are moving with these investments with Hungary and Serbia. And they're saying to themselves, we are seeing where the European economy is headed. There is inflation in countries like UK, Germany, France, even Italy itself, despite what the record or the, or the, the data is stating coming out of Brussels. And I provide you the link and you reach your own decisions or conclusions for that. So, but there is another reason to all this besides the economic aspects, is political. The reason why Meloni wants also to go to China, because she's thinking, I can use the Chinese to claim a political victory. So, and this is what I'm saying, if I were advising President Xi, I'll say let her meet with the Commerce Secretary or the even the Foreign Minister Mr. Wang Yi, and that's where it ends. So, because here's the thing, her trip go to, to China, from a political perspective, it will be perceived like, okay, I want a victory here on one end, but I also want an economic one by sort of maintaining trade with China, which are important to the business community in Italy, that is. But the political aspect comes from keeping her promise to none other than Brothers Italy party. Because what was the, what was the promise there? Is to withdraw from the BRI. So, but again, this is where I say Western leaders have no shame. How can you go, you meet with a head of state, you know, no shame. I can't do it. I can't do it, it's not in me, I can't do it. When you are wanted to pull, which what you did, pulling out of the BRI, and yet going to China and saying please help us with some investments in bilateral level, that's to me where the, the hypocrisy is. But also Italy is seeing what Germany did and France did separately Because remember, what's her name, Ursula, she was in Paris like a third wheel, always there. She was— I don't know how she ended up sitting there, because France wanted to have sea to itself, to cut a deal, because Germany went in. If you notice, they go individually. You don't get the whole European entity going there. No, They go individually because they want to cut a deal for themselves. But why using China for that? Why didn't she— why doesn't she come to the US? Why Olaf Scholz didn't come to the US? Why Macron didn't come to the US? It tells me right there the story. So then comes, uh, another interesting aspect, which why I decided to they call her a fox, because what happened with the fox? You can't trust the fox. I'm gonna share picture with you here, guys, and I am gonna tell— give you, uh, uh, uh, my insights about, uh, uh, in reference to what— well, this one here was during— you all remember that NATO Summit, right? And it was her first meeting there. This, by the way, uh, this picture uh, which we give, uh, a credit to Chiara Albanese. She's the one, the author of this. This is during the NATO summit that took place in July last year. You all remember. So it's not about that, it's about what took place behind closed doors. What did Meloni— you know, to me that's what it's about. What did Meloni told Biden behind the scenes. You know what I told him? He told Biden privately that Italy plans to break with China. And that's where the first thing that came in as a response— yeah, get off BRI. So that is what took place behind closed doors. Because that decision, you go back and check when it was made, okay? And that's the reason why Biden at that time wanted to include Meloni into the call regarding Ukraine. That just tells you the story right there. So Italy, in my opinion, she is playing, uh, uh, she's a fox. I won't trust her. I won't trust her. And once again, if I am to say why President Xi will grant her an audience— no, not again. It's, it's a Chinese decision. They have to decide on that one. What's at the heart of the matter is that Italy now is realizing that it's holding the end of the stick economically speaking, and it needs uh, it needs, uh, a supporter. And the— in her opinion, well, China. No. And if you again, you notice the pattern, European, the so-called the EU key players, they're not coming to the US, they're going to China. Yeah, China of course will have to play it safe and strategic. You know, there are those who say China shouldn't even welcome her. No, diplomatically it's not good, doesn't look good, the optics of it. But China also will have to think strategically about it. Meet with her, not at the highest level, even though she's a prime minister. The equivalency of president in Italy is the prime minister, that is the, the head of the government. The president is just a formality. Same thing with Germany, with Steinmeier. Steinmeier is just a figurehead, but the chancellor— same thing in UK, even though the incompetent Sunak wasn't elected, was appointed. Uh, uh, that just gives you an idea. Italy is realizing, you know, the EVs from China are coming to Europe whether they like it or not. This is why President Biden now is moving forward with the 100% tariffs, and I'm gonna do a video for you guys. I found some information that you need to know. I'm gonna do a video, uh, livestream for you about this one. Why is it important? And it's, uh, the US is moving quadrupling, uh, certain, uh, uh, sanctions on chips and the 100% tariffs, uh, on the— but China has an alternative, and there are two countries here in the, uh, Western Hemisphere. Two main countries that can play a role into this EV market. Can you guys guess which two countries are right here on my side of the world? Two main countries. And China is already thinking this is a Plan B in case— I mean, I, I know why we are putting ahead on tariffs even though Uh, the government saying— our government, uh, our incompetent government is saying, oh, it's to, to, to protect the jobs. And it's nonsense. It's nonsense. We don't produce anything here. I mean, the auto manufacturing CEOs, when they went to China and saw, they were lost. So when we hear government saying, it's nothing but a fat lie. So which of the two countries will, uh, oh, you got it. Two of you guys got it. Caramel Crush, you said Brazil, which is true. And Free Danelle Dorante, you said Mexico, which is true. There's two countries can play a role when it comes down to this EV. So the US can, can do all he wants, put the tariffs 100%, big markets in, uh, in, uh, in, in, in, uh, Brazil and in Mexico. As a matter of fact, most of our parts, uh, some parts of, uh, making cars or whatever, it's not done here in the US, it's done in Mexico. So it's going to benefit Mexico. Just to tie it back to Italy, this is what Italy is seeing, especially in Europe. Hungary is going to move forward, Serbia is going to move forward, and I won't even be surprised that Germany might even loosen up certain, uh, uh, uh, trade regulations or whatever that is. But Europe is so weak, certain countries in Europe. And that's once again, I am really wondering, uh, why, uh, for example, uh, Hungary still tied to the EU. Of course, you can't just leave the EU willy-nilly. Doesn't work that way. There's a procedure, there's a process by which to, uh, uh, leave the EU. But again, I take a step back and, and ask myself, well, what is the EU doing to— for Hungary, Hungarian people? If it weren't for their leaders that is fighting for the people, when he disagreed about sending more money to Ukraine, the same argument Giorgia Meloni made prior to becoming prime minister. Arguing for no need to sanction Russia because we get energy from the Russians cheap. All of a sudden, the moment she won elections, flipped. The BRI— Italy was part of it. And what Italy doesn't realize is that the economic impact it's going to have and the lost opportunities that it's gonna miss, because the BRI is moving forward whether Italy is in it or not. And you got plenty of others they will consider, they will love that opportunity. And this is where that problem for Italy that it's not, uh, that, that, that, that is exposed now. The strategic thinking, zero, doesn't exist. Because they only, as they say, they look at the end of their nose. They don't look very far. She didn't think long, far, hard enough about that decision of pulling out of the BRI. She didn't think about how it will be perceived when pressured by another country, and the whole Europe for that matter. When I say whole Europe, you know which countries I'm referring to. And that is the reason why I am thinking in terms of why she wants to go. She wants to go to beg for, uh, uh, economic assistance from Chinese, straightforward investments. And China will have to decide. Uh, uh, like I said earlier, if I were advising President Xi, I would say no, no meeting. But again, is the culture of the Chinese. They don't have that in-your-face attitude. Europeans are kind of misinterpreting that, and that's a problem. And I think time has come, in my opinion, time has come for China to, as we say, put the ducks on a row, or put the dots on the letter, as the saying goes. Enough of this nice talk with the West. It's because we are— we are not respectful of that, okay? We are not, uh, curious enough when we sit with the Chinese When I say we, collective West, because we come into any negotiations with this high attitude of "heire meirei" when we're not, you know, and the thinking that we're still looking at China as it was some 50, 60, 80, 100 years ago, which is not the case. And we're not willing to accept or admit that. Well, Get lost if you don't want to admit that one. So why the Chinese should bend backward for you? And this is what I'm saying, China will have to take stand firmly with countries like that, make it clear, you know, you want to do business, you're gonna honor your commitment. The problem for us is we don't honor our commitment— commitments. So what makes us think that now if China will agree to something with Italy, and next year Italy will say Sorry, we're not going to do that. That's a waste of time, resources, and credibility. Why? Go with the countries that can sort of, uh, uh, hold their end of the bargain. I mean, you look at— I give the example with Hungary, you know. Do I agree with Mr. Orbán on everything? No, I don't. But at least the guy has been taking stands since he came to power. Regarding, for example, the immigration issue. Others flip-flopping. Look at the German chancellor, look at the, uh, UK, France, Italy, uh, Sweden, Finland, Denmark. You, you, you know, you got the idea. And this is where I see that there— so the Chinese will have to think hard as to whether their president, President Xi, will grant her the audience or not. So, and it's all about Italy does not want to lose any economic opportunities. Well, you already lost it when you pulled out of the BRI. Fair enough. So, all right guys, I am going to, uh, actually I'm going to share something with you. I decided to be doing this from now on. Each time I will pick one comment from the community here, uh, to share it with all of us because there are a lot of you guys that contributing, uh, to the intellectual conversation here. We're talking about contributing something to the conversation and because that's what we're all here for. We're here to learn from each other. So it doesn't go one way here. I've said this many, many times. So, so I will be doing this towards the end of every session here. We do this. Uh, just to remind you, I am going to be reaching out to Carl Zah for our monthly conversation here, and I will be preparing our community conversation. That's no geopolitics on that. Uh, I know the last of this month is going to fall on Friday the 31st, but that Friday I think that's when I will have the interview with Professor, uh, Yan Liang. Uh, I think the 31st not confirmed, but I'll figure out whether to do the community conversation on the 26th, the last Sunday of the month, or wait till the 2nd of next month. We'll, we'll see. Anyway, let me share, uh, this, uh, one with you here. And this is from Ron Burgundy 1475, uh, and I share it as is, so I put it in quote. It says, and this about my, uh, recorded video I did for you about the analysis regarding South China Sea. He wrote, and I quote, thanks Dr. O for video. The tighter an empire grasps onto the past, the more its influence shrinks, like trying to tightly hold sand instead of scooping it. History tells us of the last 12 empires in history, only 2 had ceded, or ceded rather, dominance without dragging influenced nations. UK was ceded relatively peacefully to the US after World War II, aside from the Boston Tea Party, uh, and the US Civil War. So with this knowledge, I pray world citizens don't just do what temporary leaders try to force on them, because the odds of many more Ukrainians is sadly not historically on the side of peace versus throwing vassal nations at the new rising power. History is a greater teacher, something our politicians know and choose to ignore, or simply just don't know because they are stuck with gigantic egos thinking they are all powerful when they eat poop, have kids, and die just like the rest of us. Excellent video, Doc. End of quote. Wow, thank you so much, uh, Ron. Truly appreciate you. And that's why I figured I will be doing this, guys, once in a while, just share it with all of us. So, all right, I'm gonna take a question or two from you because I go— before I leave and go work on The backyard. I got some work to do and I'll show you the images of the garden, the stuff are growing and all that. So, all right, and thank you for being here. Thank you for keeping the conversation civil here. Truly appreciate you all. Oh, oh, let me share the, the link for, uh, the support should you decide to support the channel. There's the— that's the PayPal over there, and this is the Buy Me a Coffee should you decide to do that. All right, let's take a few questions here from you. And the community conversation, by the way, I will be talking to you about some health issues— or topics rather, not issues, topics. That you need to be made aware of. All right, let me see. Teresa, enjoy your lunch. I don't eat lunch. There is— I only eat 2 meals a day, that's it. All right, uh, Jack Robert, good to see you as always. Do you think after economic problems from Russia and the rest of the world will make Europe change policies with China? Well, uh, no, sort of yes and no. Uh, yes in a sense that, well, which country is going to be left from the It's not some European countries, the likes of Germany, France, whatever, because this— they will be under the thumb of the US till they stand on their feet independently. When I say stand on their feet, I'm referring to their independent foreign policy, and I am referring to their independent security. For now, those two are tied to the US. Where you're going to see the change from this toward China is coming from the Global South. And when you think about it, the size of the Global South will dwarf that of the, of the European Union. I mean, look at just ASEAN, give you just quick, or RCEP, compare them to the EU. Yes, the EU still holds, uh, the lead so far, but give it another 5 years, see where things going. Look at BRICS, give it another 3 years or 4 or even 5 especially with what I believe it's going to be coming in the summit in October in Russia, in Kazan, about BRICS. That will be where the break is going to be from the Western-dominated global economy to the new order, economic order, that is. And I, and I am looking into it as I speak right now. I am looking into, uh, starting to get an idea of where things are headed reaching to some of my contacts, and once I get the info, I'll share certain things with you. So yeah, Global South is going to be moving to, uh, uh, China— East General, we say East General, because East is headed by China. But you have countries in mainly Eastern Europe. I was thinking Poland will be one of those. Poland lost the opportunity because Poland also allow itself to be under the thumb of the US. This is why now there are demonstrations inside Poland. They are not agreeing with what their government is doing. So, so for Europeans, uh, but the like of England, uh, Germany, France, Italy, no, no, they can't do nothing. I just don't see them changing course. They will try to get something, uh, one-on-one with China, but it behooves China to think twice before engaging with them because you can't trust them. Simple as that. You can't trust Western leaders anymore. So, uh, we say one thing and do another. That's just— that's not a way to do business. Uh, yes, Hamad Sivi, thank you. Yes, guys, please hit the like button. I would really appreciate it. Uh, uh, Muhammad, Muhammad Abdullahi. Yeah, I know, sure, you share your knowledge, why not? No questions about a little remark. When you list the Western countries, you and other give Netherlands way too little mention. Uh, it is, it is bad in the Netherlands as well, you know. I have family lives in Netherlands. I speak, I talk to them, you know. What the Netherlands government is doing is horrible, what they've been doing to the farmers. And now I'm watching What did they do to the pro-Palestinian demonstrations? No, Netherlands is another one. As a matter of fact, now the right-wing, uh, uh, parties are going to form a government in Netherlands now. So, so thank you for— and I'll be happy to start mentioning more, uh, about Netherlands or even do a video on it. Uh, question, uh, uh, Africa Unite 27: How can Europe stay alive? Well, Europe can stay alive by becoming independent from a security aspect and from foreign policy and follow its own. The problem in Europe is it's not following its own. I mean, where— who's in a right mind will go against his or her economic welfare? Like, they— my, my reference is to Germany. Why on earth will Germany support sanctions that the US mentioned or initiate against Russia. Why? Shooting itself in, in the foot, economically speaking. So yeah, yeah, Europe can stay alive, Europe can thrive if they can free themselves from the shackles of the US. That is where it's going to be. So that's, that's, that's the way I see it. That's the way I see it. Other than that, we're just going to be seeing a recycling of— you, you saw how the leaders are European, they are incompetent, you know, they are not even working for their own people. And when I say they, I'm referring to ours as well right here, you know. I got an incompetent president and the next one that wants to be president is even worse, you know, you know. I don't shy away from criticizing that, you because it's the truth. It's my country, I care for it, but I ain't gonna change by itself, you know. And this is anywhere, even in your life. Change doesn't happen if you don't make it happen, you know. To those who say, well, God will help me— come on, put God aside, leave that aside. Let's, let's get realistic here. Change doesn't happen on its own if you don't initiate it. If if you don't make it happen. No, that's just, that's just the way I see it. So, uh, so Europe can survive, but, uh, but Europe is too late for it. Look what's going on in Africa right now. Africa's waking up. Europe was depending on African resources 100% for cheap. Did you know what, uh, what's his name, Ibrahim Traoré, the head of, uh, Burkina Faso? You know what he just purchased recently? Can you guys guess? Can you guess what he just purchased recently? I want to see in the chat box if you can, if you guys can, uh, uh. I know it's a long shot, but, but I just, you know, I just want to get nuclear reactor? No. S-300? No. Not even weapons? No, no. You know what he purchased? He purchased 400 tractors for agriculture. Yeah, you got it, you got it, Africa Unite. He purchased 400 tractors. That to me says a lot. The guy cares about bringing his country up from the ground. How do you do that? You strengthen the economic base. How do you strengthen that? Is by helping people build that economic agriculture or agricultural, uh, landscape by providing assistance. He didn't go and buy some luxury cars. He didn't go and build some palace that, you know, waste some money. Look at the Arab leaders or whatever, the kings or whatever that is. Look where the waste is. So, and this why Europe is, uh, Africa is waking up. Africa has potentials. I always said this. And now, because Africa made the decision to break away from the West completely, Europe can do the same. Europe can do the same if it can free itself from the United States. The question is, does Europe have the will, determination to make it happen. And for now, or as of now, I don't see that because the leaders in charge— not all of them, of course, I do not generalize— are so incompetent. That's the way I see it. So, uh, Hong Wong, good to see you as always. Do the Americans Uh, no, that Biden tariffs increases impact on daily Americans. No, they don't. They don't, they don't understand Americans. Sad to say, for my fellow countrymen, some of us have no clue what is going on. They don't understand this, the reason being because they are being kept busy by design. They don't want people to think. Because once you start to think, you start asking key questions. The government doesn't want that. They don't want that. The social media don't want that. So, and I intend to address this on the other platform soon, you know. This is why they don't understand. And these tariffs ain't about jobs, you know. Go back in history and learn from what happened to Japan in the '70s, and you'll find out. Omar, Omar Grant, thank you so much for your super sticker. You wrote, China should not speak to Meloni. I'm for it, I'm for it. You know, I don't think emotionally, but for something like this, why Why grant her the— why President Xi should grant her the audience? And, and the indication for you is going to be like, uh, for, for her it's shameless. She got no shame. I, I can't do it if I were in her position. I can't, you know, I'd pull out of an agreement and all of a sudden I'll come to you and said, hey, can you help me out please? You know, I have no, no shame. And I won't do it. So, but again, European leaders, that's Western, the collective West in general, that's how we are, or that's how they are. So, so, so thank you so much for your, uh, Super Sticker, Omar. Yeah, yeah. So Europe can do it, but whether they have the political will and determination to make it happen, that's where the difference is, and I don't see it at this time. I don't see it at this time. So it behooves the likes of Africa, the likes of Latin America, including, uh, even including Brazil— uh, I'm sorry, Argentina— which, by the way, I just read yesterday, you know where the inflation in Argentina following the policies of the idiot and incompetent Javier, Javier Milei? It's at 268% inflation. Yeah, so maybe it was good that BRICS did not bring in Argentina. Yeah, because again, it's the issue of trust. But again, how did Javier Milei came to power? We propped him for it, you know. And this, by the way, Argentina still dealing with the loan from the IMF that they get back in the '80s. Yeah, you know, by the way, Burkina Faso was approached— FYI, guys— was approached by IMF for loan, and Ibrahim Traoré said, no thank you, we're not interested. So, and this is where— and again, it's, uh, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm seeing a pattern here of the European leaders going to China And, and to me, I won't trust them because what just took place for the last few years, I won't trust. I won't trust them at all, even in my country here, which, which the, the one you shouldn't trust. Saddens me to say it because not all of us Americans are that way. I'm talking about government, you all know. You know how it is. And I am an example for you guys that there are Americans, good Americans out there. Not all is bad. It's like every parts of the world, but it's the damn government. Pardon my language. So it's, it's, it's, uh, that, that's just the way I see it. So, all right guys, I am going to sign off here because I have to go do a few works and also prepare something briefly. I might do a live stream for you tomorrow. Am I not? Not sure yet, but I intend to, uh, finalize certain information about the tariffs that Biden has mentioned and, and provide you a much bigger picture as to what's going on. So, okay, once again, I truly appreciate you all being here, guys, and thank you so much for your continued support. As always, remember, geopolitics impacts your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time, bye-bye.