Xi’s China Trip to Europe: Strategic Move or Canny Bid to Divide the West?

All right, hello everybody and welcome to Geopolitical Trends. Very excited to be with you on this May 9th. So I got an interesting topic. This is a follow-up, of course, what's going on with the presidency's trip to Europe. Uh, there is a lot of facets that needs to be covered, and I kind of been read up on it yesterday just to follow up on each country. And what I found very interesting is that how each country received the Chinese president. So, and that in itself, it's a message right there. And this is what I'm going to get into today. It's not about the protocol of the receptions and so forth, even though I am going to share with you images and footage and so forth. But it is the substance of the trip, and this is what I want you to get out of this live stream, these discussions we're going to have. It's what, what I want you to get out of it is how you start to decipher messages when it comes down to a global level, because this is exactly what President Xi is doing. That's a big message to the Western world, to the US, you name it, because things are changing. And this is what we're gonna— so just prepare your, uh, your questions and I will answer some of them at the end. But first, let me, as I always like to say hi, to see who's here. Uh, Marciandor, your first one here from Chicago. Good to see you. ET Bush, good to see you. That's interesting comments. Right decisions as a counterpart to left decision. Interesting. Willie Homan, good to see you as always. Uh, Master V, or Master 5, that is. Cam35, good to see you. Uh, uh, Truth Seeker, good to see you. Hamad Sifi, uh, Renata Eden from Sweden, yeah, good to have you here. First time I see your name here, maybe I missed it before, but good to see you here. So John Smith in New Zealand, as always. SK Wong, good to see you as always. And you're right, the relationship with Serbia and Hungary will only get better. And you're right, because I'm gonna be detailing some stuff about that. Wong Casey, good to see you as always from Malaysia. Sentang, uh, uh, uh, Tak Duen, good to see you. Farhad Razavi, as always. Francis Tango, Courage Sadiki, good to see you as always. Alistair, and, and many, many, many. Army with Harmony, good to see you, and thank you for buying me coffee, man. You bought me more than one cup of coffee this morning, so I wanted to acknowledge that. So, all right, let's get into our topic here, at least to give you an idea, to those who might not be familiar with what's going on, just to give you an idea here. So, so basically, President Xi's trip to Europe, which today he's in Hungary, I think it's going to be concluded today or tomorrow, somewhere around there, uh, the idea of it, and what I'm gonna be focusing on is completely different from what Western media is focusing on. One thing I'm going to be focusing on, among others, is that France— France did not take well the reception that President Xi received in Serbia and in Hungary. Of course, as you all know, President Xi made a stop in France first, but you will find out why France is pissed off, and rightly so. And who cares? Rightly so or not. Who cares what France is pissed off about? But here is the thing, because to France this is sort of was a, was a slap in the face that President Xi, given the power of China economically, is making a trip to two Russian allies, Serbia and Hungary. And France seems not to like that. Well, who gives a damn about what France thinks? Or the US, or the EU for that matter. Okay, and here is where the importance of this— and the importance of it also to understand within the concept of the questions. And I prepared those questions for you like I always do. You all know how I run things here. Here are the questions, guys, and those are worth asking, you know. Does Xi, President Xi, aim at dividing Europe? It's worth asking. We're not judging here. We provide analysis, we provide argument, we hear both sides of the argument because this is exactly what the West, Western media, is saying. However, saying it or not, it's beside the point. It's worth asking the questions, and, and, and I'll get to the answer to this later on. Second, would those countries be swapping Russia for China? Because remember, Serbia and Hungary are sort of, uh, uh, uh, a client of, of, uh, of Russia, but they are also client of China, or allies of Russia but now clients of China. Would he swap them? What do you guys think? Third question is, is Europe screwed? When I say Europe, I am not referring to Eastern Europe, I am referring to Western Europe, the usual Germany, UK, France Italy, Spain, Portugal, you got the idea. Is Europe screwed? And the last question is, what will the US do? If you think— and here's the thing, guys— if you think that the US ain't gonna react to this, you're mistaken. There is already— I've already read certain statements, and I'm going to share them with you— that tells me I see, uh, beyond the horizon, as we say. This is why— what will— I ask the question, what will the US get into today? But before I delve deeper into that, I have one headline to share with you. To me, it's disturbing, very disturbing. Of course, you won't hear much about it. You're not going to know who this guy is here, guy. And I read this in Arabic language, uh, this is what they call the This is the, uh, chief executive officer of the Saudi Machinery Company. Okay, it's very concerning. Why is it concerning? This guy, his name is Amit, Amit, Amit Meda. You know, he's the head of the machinery company, uh, in, uh, in Saudi Arabia, which falls under, by the way, falls under Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, PIF. Just, uh, it's called Al-Alat, which is a semiconductor and artificial intelligence company. Here is where the problem is. You know what the problem is? This is that this guy said that he will withdraw its investments from China if asked by the United States to do so. That is troubling for a company to say this. Chief Executive Officer, this guy will not say this, will not say it publicly without the approval of the monarchy, the royal family there. This is troubling to me. Why is troubling? It's because of the BRICS. And like I said before, Are you going to trust the Saudis? Let alone China had to work years and years and years behind the scenes to bring it into arrangements with Iran. This is why Arabs and, and, and, and my sort of— if I have Arab people watching this, no offense to you, but the governments can't be trusted. They wishy-washy, the flip-flops. So to me, this, which by the way is not covered here in the West, I found that overseas, I read it in Arabic, for them to say that they will withdraw the investments from China if the US said so, that tells me the story right there. Saudis are playing both sides. That is why they are cooperating with Israel. So is United Arab Emirates, so is Jordan, and I would even go as far as Egypt. So You can't trust the Arabs or Muslims for that. Governments, not a people, government, that is. Anyway, that's all I have to share about the headline for that. So let's get into our, uh, conversation about the ongoing trip of President Xi to Hungary. Now this is last leg of the trip. This is a picture with, uh, the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić. Uh, and that's what I'm going to be addressing today. So we'll start with Serbia first, then I'll move into Hungary, and we'll conclude with some overall, uh, uh, uh, comments regarding this one here. So, well, here is what I found interesting. It was a comment— it was an article rather from Western media, uh, and the ones I found, an AP, uh, Associated Press, read, uh, written by— I give credit to the two authors, Dusan Stojanović and Giovanna Ghez, or Ghez, whatever the name is, how pronounced. So I gotta give them credit because I'm reacting to their, uh, uh, article, which by the way I found again the manipulation of the wording. So I'm gonna read the first paragraph to you and you tell me where is the manipulation there. It says, and I quote, China and European Union candidate Serbia signed an agreement on Wednesday to build a shared future, making the Balkan country the first in Europe to agree on such document with Beijing, end of quote. Where is the manipulation there? Can you guys point it for me or answer it in the chat box? And I know you could because by now you can You can read between the line. You can read between the line. So let me see what you guys, uh, wrote down here. Francis Tango, good to see you. Hi Bill, good to see you. Timeline Dunkley, good to see you as well. All right, let me see what you guys come up with here on that first sentence. China and European Union candidate Serbia signed an agreement on Wednesday to build a shared future, making the Balkan country the first in Europe to agree on such document with Beijing, end of quote. And again, it's, it's to me that just part of where that manipulation is. Let me see here. Threat to Serbia, okay. All right, it takes a while for this to show up here, so I'm gonna have to move on, uh, with this one. So here is the, the keyword there, the, the, the key manipulative word is the European Union candidates. Yes, Serbia is in talks, but the talks with the EU has been since 2014. If there was any interest in, in admitting Serbia, the EU would have done it before, way back. Here is the reason why it was worded this way. This way, the EU as a whole will take credit also that, yes, we are cooperating with China, when in reality it is not. You all know the trade tension between the EU— not Serbia— the EU and China. You all know that Ursula, the, the liar Ursula von der Leyen, wanted to put more tariffs on the Chinese EV because of the access to to the European market. So for them to start the article saying that China and European Union candidates, it's manipulation right there. You could have said directly China and Serbia, because they, they— Europe, in European Union in this case, do not want to see this rapprochement, economic bilateral ties between Serbia and China. That is the reason why. So, well, here is the thing, because right after the meeting between President Xi and President, uh, Vucic, okay, it was one particular announcement, and that announcement stated the following, and I put it in quote: both countries, China and Serbia, in quote, will— would deepen and elevate the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Serbia. Additionally, it will build a new era of a community with a shared future between China and Serbia, end of quote. Vučić, the, the head of— the president of Serbia, went as far as saying, and I'm quoting here, We are moving from strategic relationship through— I'm sorry, from strategic relations through which we had managed to raise our bilateral ties to the joint ventures of our two countries. Well, of course it is very important to understand this dynamics, why such thing will be stated. And if you compare this to the meeting that took place in Paris between President Xi and Ursula von der Leyen, you just look at the picture and you can sense, you can feel the energy is so low. Even President Xi doesn't even— feels like doesn't want to be there because he knows the two clowns sitting in front of him can't be trusted. They are manipulative, and what they gonna tell him and smile to his face, they're gonna stab him in the back. You know, she's, she is with such arrogance, she's sitting there, Ursula von der Leyen, after saying what he's saying about, well, we're gonna impose tariffs because of the spyware that's going through their, uh, the EVs. Yeah, he is going to be spying on the Europeans. Now she's pushing for— we want to know the health risk of TikTok in Europe. And yet she has the audacity to sit right there. And you can just see in comparison to— look at this one here, energy. This is what I always talk about, guys. Positive energy. You can sense it. You can even— for you, in your average day, when you talk to someone, you can feel whether these individuals have positive energy or negative energy. We all are. So that just gives you an idea right there as to where the things are. So now the question— and, and this is why I saw the manipulation with the article, and I decided I'm gonna react to it, and I will provide you the link, by the way, for you to read it on your own. And of course, when this starts with the European Union candidates, but if we are to think about the EU, European Union doesn't even know how to react now to Serbia because they don't know how to react to it because Serbia is getting closer to China. This what led me to the question is Serbia is going to become a client of China, and Europe will be worrying. Well, who cares? Serbia is looking at it for its own interest, strategic and economic, and rightly so. So, and this is why, uh, you're talking about the, uh, uh, the EU wanted to think about, well, Because here is what I'm thinking about right now. You know what I'm thinking is that I won't be surprised by the end of this year— and again, could be wrong, but this is my hunch— I won't be surprised that by the end of the year, the EU will extend the invitation to, or, or reach an agreement with Serbia just because of the trip of President Xi. They will want to pull Serbia away from developing any further economic ties with, with the, with the China. I can warn Serbia enough not to do it, not to be linked to EU. Look where Hungary is, because what's going to happen is the moment they're going to bring in Serbia into the EU, they're going to put pressure on Serbia, because once you are in the club You have to obey by the rules of the— look what they did to Hungary when Hungary refused to accept immigrants. It's their country. It's not like our own borders that are wide open. I live in Texas, I'm aware of what's going on. And when Orbán pushed against the EU for the immigration, they threatened— yeah, the European Union in Brussels headquarters threatens to sink Hungary's economy. So Serbia will be wise to learn from this. And this is why you see the manipulation for them to be saying, oh, European Union candidate will agree with China. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, you playing here. You are— you meaning the individuals who wrote this in, in, in, in, in the West. So, but here is what's interesting. All you always, guys, when it comes down to, uh, meetings of head of states and so forth, you read the statements directly from them, not, not the narrative that is composed by, uh, writers and all that stuff later on, because the wording can change. Here is what, uh, Alexander Voskhozek said, and I quote: I told him, meaning I told President Xi, I told him that as the leader of a great power, he will be met with respect all over the world, but the reverence, meaning the respect, the reverence and love he encounters in our Serbia will not be found anywhere else. And of vote. And that speaks volume because I'm gonna share, uh, this is the reception. This is just when they arrived there, but I have images and I'm gonna share them with you from a footage, uh, just for you. Uh, this is what they did for the streets with the Chinese and Serbian, uh, uh, uh, flags. The entire— as a matter of fact, Belgrade came to standstill there was nothing there because the reception. So here is the image I want you to see. Now I'll ask you a question: did we see the same reception in France? I'll let you decide. I'll let you decide. It is another reception at the airport. And by the way, those are the, the, the, uh, the, uh, folkloric or the national heritage dances of Serbia. There, I'm, I'm very familiar a little bit with both the one in Serbia and the one in Hungary, because in Hungary it was the same reception as well. That says a lot about the cultural aspects they wanted to show, and they wanted to share with the Chinese their culture. That's what it is. So So, and that tells you right there about the reception. It's all a message. It's right there, just in the reception first, before we get into the nitty-gritty of all things. But remember one thing, the term, it was used by the Chinese. As a matter of fact, it was used by the Chinese back about 10 years ago. Because what happened 10 years ago? What happened in 2013? Does anybody remember? So when President Xi mentioned the term, and I put this in quote, community for shared future. So because to the— as an analyst, for me as an analyst, the way I read this Yeah, to some it might not mean a thing. To me it means a lot. You know why? Because something like this will underline the significance. Yeah, the significance of this rapprochement between Serbia and China. That is what the keywords— keywords sometimes can go the positive direction or it can go the negative direction. So, and remember Yeah, let me see your— let me, let me see your answer, guys. Yeah, OBOR, you got it. You know, this is part of it. And why the European Union now, it's gonna be— this is how I see it, and again, I could be wrong. Give it till the end of the year, and the moment you hear Serbia has been admitted, or agree, or the EU agreed to admit Serbia, I can advise Helena, it will not bode well for Serbia. They'll be better off without that. They'll be better off without that. So, so the idea that, uh, uh, uh, uh, if you think about it, if you think about it, guys, about 10, 8 or 10 years ago, yeah, around that time, China and Serbia, what did they end up doing? They end up agreeing to a strategic partnership. Actually, it was the first one for China with an Eastern European country. That's what it was. It's with Serbia. And today Serbia is the first country to build that community, that presidency mentioned back then. So you can just see, you can just see the strategic thinking into this. And now this takes us to the original question that I asked you in the previous video I did about when I, when I mentioned to you about the upcoming trip of the presidency. What is the strategic significance of the trip? Right here, that's what you're seeing, because this is now is a reflection of this strategic, uh, uh, sort of partnership or special link between Serbia and China for economic reason. And these bilateral relations will only grow stronger once again with the assumption that Serbia does not get sucked in into the EU, because EU is useless. I'm here to tell you, EU within the next decade Given where the economy of Europe is going right now, because we the one that putting it on that path, it's by design. So it behooves, it behooves Serbia to think twice once again about not getting into the EU. Because if you are to think, and I'm going to ask you a question, guys, if you are to think about which economic block around the world that you will see the future with? This is question for you. If you can type in, in, in a chat box, please. Oh, hi Boone, good to see you. And Fight Back, good to see you as well. Which one do you think? Which economic, uh, uh, economic, uh, block? Now what is this, uh Now, who's this person here? Doc, are you on drugs? How about if you be respectful a little bit? So here is what we're gonna do. I'm gonna put you in a timeout because you don't deserve to be here once you learn how to speak, okay? Because we don't need someone like you. Here. And guys, I give you my permission, if you see someone like this, just raise a flag because those people don't belong here. All right, what was I asking? See, those are the waste. This is what I do not like. That's because they kind of just nuisance. Anyway, let's, let's go back to our— Hamad, see, do you see BRICS? Uh, yes, to a degree. There is another bloc, another economic bloc that is major. It's moving into that direction, assuming it plays its strategic right. ASEAN, Rostan Oro, you got it, you got it. ASEAN— no, not this one— SCO also. But, but my, my, my thinking was about about ASEAN, and it's only because you'll remember I did a video about a year ago in which I, I argued back then that with the ASEAN dumping the dollar, dumping the Japanese yen, and dumping the euro, the euros, the euro currency, it tells me right there where things are going. So when you see something like this like this, as far as the rapprochement between Serbia and China, and why the EU will want to pull Serbia into its orbit, is to prevent any further expansion of economic prosperity. Why? Because we in the United States wanted to keep Europe down economically. That's what's at the heart of it. And I want you to understand the significance of this. This is why it's very important. Now comes the question about, uh, uh, what will the US do? Well, let me share something with you. US Envoy to the, uh, Balkans already— his, his name is Gabriel Escobar, you know— he already mentioned, and I quote, he said Xi's visit to Europe, his first in 5 years, was intended to drive a wedge among the European states. Well, hold on a second. Let me go with the assumption that even if this is true— this is the high— we just, we're just going along with it, and, and, and, uh, indulge me for a second here. Even if this is true, at least China is not doing it through conflict, is doing it through economic. And I rather have the economic prosperity that even it creates wedge, at least my country is prospering economically, than being sucked in into a conflict. Look what happened in Iraq, look what happened in Afghanistan, look what's going on in Gaza. Look what's going on in Ukraine. You got the idea. Look what's going on in Philippines now, which, speaking of Philippines, I will be doing a, a live stream for you. I just came across a recording that the Chinese government released as to why Philippines was, was, uh, sending its boats to the Shoal Islands or whatever. I'm gonna be— I, I I'm waiting for one confirmation before I'll go online with that one. So, but this is what I'm saying now. The US is going to be issuing statements. You're going to be hearing something like this, and I quote, we caution all of our partners and all of our interlocutors to be very aware of China's agenda in Europe and China's agenda with regard to the European community. And end of quote. You guys can read between the lines. It's because the objective is we wanted to keep Europe down. We don't want Europe to prosper anymore economically because they were, they were going up economically. Look at the German economy where it was when it was getting free energy from Russia— not free, rather cheap I'm sorry, not free, cheap. You know, Serbia and Hungary too were getting energy. They depend a lot on Russia. That's why they were caught in the middle. And Russia understood, because for Hungary being part of NATO, now they're saying, you know what, you guys do whatever you want to do, but for us, we want to maintain our relationship, economically speaking, with China. Because they're also seeing the role of where China is headed. This is where things are moving forward. So now, and also why statement like this come from the US, uh, uh, uh, envoy to the Balkans is because China maintaining its neutrality regarding the Ukraine conflict. We were trying to pressure China to change his stance by saying Well, we're not going to support Russia with whatever. And China said no, we're just neutral, we don't get involved. And they're not getting involved. Now, are they helping Russia, whatever? Why not? It's the same thing we are doing to Ukraine. So what makes that different? What makes it right for us and wrong for them? This is what I always say, why we have lost credibility. We say one thing and do the opposite of it. And China said, no, we're gonna claim and maintain our neutrality. So, so, and that in itself says a lot. And this is why, as I always say, when you think about, uh, the idea of receptions, and I'm going to show you a footage here, share it with you briefly. And this, I got it through my Twitter feed, by the way. Screen, let me play it for you guys so you can No, some say, oh, stage one. No, stage or not, it's right here. Picture, that says it all. And that's nothing but a reflection of the appreciation. They understand. Both leaders understand. So, and this is why it's important. So what the US is going to be saying now, we're all going to be, you know, but it won't matter. Why? Because we are— you are, you are— we all of us witnessing history in front of us. That's exactly what it is. We are witnessing history. So Uh, now the, the key, which I already talked about last time, I'm not going to repeat myself on that regarding, uh, Serbia's role in the BRI, the Belt and Road Initiative, you know, because, uh, with Serbia's geographically where it is, it will increase— there's no doubt about it— it will increase China's influence in Europe, but that influence not through conflict is the, uh, is the economic aspects of it. That is the whole reason for it. And countries wants to prosper economically. This is exactly what I mentioned yesterday when I talk— or the day before when I talked about Africa, the economic opportunities that lies ahead in Africa if they only get their act together, get rid of the corruption and so forth, and move the continent as a cohesive— cohesively into, uh, further progress. But Western imperialism would not want it. And by the way, I didn't forget last time to mention the history of Portugal inside Africa also. We can't ignore that. I didn't mention it, it just overlooked it, but that doesn't mean it didn't exist for over almost 500 years or so. So, so the one thing about Serbia, while we're talking about it briefly here before I move into Hungary, is is the idea that, uh, as you know, and I mentioned this, that the, the Chinese companies, uh, managing one of the biggest steel companies in, uh, in Serbia. So now there is one thing that I need you to know, and again, you reach your own conclusion. I'm just gonna share it with you here. So the investments in projects were about over $2 billion. That is expected to be completed by 2026, which means 2 years from today. And this was started in about 2015 or so. Yeah, all this project. And in 2022, right following the, the Russian military operations in Ukraine, Serbia took some sort of semi-secret— it was some— I looked into it. Yeah, it was a semi-secret delivery of a sophisticated Chinese anti-aircraft system. The interesting thing about it, it was flown in using the airspace of two NATO countries. That's it. But again, the Serbia can buy weapons from whomever he wants. This is why I warn, if Serbia gets involved into, uh, uh, the EU, it will be handcuffed. And they have to think twice about it. They have to think twice about it. Uh, what else I have to share here before I move into, uh— and by the way, the, the meeting between, uh, I have a picture here. Yeah, right here, uh, the meeting between President Xi and President Vucek, uh, sort of both of them reaffirms, reaffirm, uh, the agreements of some, uh, some, uh, economic, uh, arrangements that is going to be. And this one has to do with that, that's how the talks concluded, uh, with the signing of a joint statement on two things: deepening and elevating the comprehensive strategic partnership and building China-Serbia community with a shared future in a new era. And, and you can just see where this is moving forward. And you're talking about this cooperation, this is not about, uh, basics. We're talking about infrastructure, We're talking about energy, we're talking about innovation, and we're talking about even cultural exchange. That's the importance of it. And by the way, we give, uh, a credit to that picture to Reuters. That's what it was. Now, one thing interesting that President Xi didn't do, and some might find it very unusual, he didn't go to the, uh, site where, uh, uh, NATO bombed back in 1999. And the real— in my opinion, again, I speak for myself— what, what you're looking at there, guys, it's the, the Chinese visitors lay flowers at a memorial to those killed in the embassy bombing. And I give credit to, uh, Orange Wang, uh, that's his picture there. Uh, the reason presidency didn't go, it's not that he didn't care, which you and I know it's not, not the case. They moved on. That doesn't mean they forgot. Chinese will never forget what happened there, but they moved on. Why? Because there are much bigger issues to address with, with the Serbian president when they were— they was there. And sometimes there is a message into something like this without saying a word. So presidency sent the message without words. He didn't go there. So the West will be— because already, already the West— and I read one, I, I wish I can find it, and I'll, I'll keep, uh, uh, yeah, yeah, I kept it here, uh, Bloomberg Bloomberg News is saying, oh, President Xi skips visit to the bombed embassy. That's what they say. But in reality, Chinese never forget, and they will never forget, no matter what. It's just at this moment, ain't worth it. Ain't worth it to give the West more fuel, per se. That, that's how I interpret it. And again, I could be wrong, but that, that's how I feel about that one. Uh, now let me move into, uh, Budapest, and I'll share the picture with you right here. This is the meeting of the arrival of President Xi and meeting with the, uh, Prime Minister Orbán, Viktor Orbán. And I give credit to AFP, uh, for this picture there. So, and this, uh, meeting is today, by the way. It was morning here, so morning over there rather. So, and this, as I mentioned earlier, this will mark the final leg of the presidency's, uh, uh, trip to Europe, to those three countries. Now, once again, what's important about this trip here? Oh, it's very important. Very important, like I mentioned last time, remember, uh, uh, Hungary. Uh, well, actually, I'm gonna ask you to tell me why is important in your opinion. Well, what will Hungary be taking over in few months? And I didn't talk about this one before. I just want to see if you guys remember. Let me see. I, I know it takes a while here for this to show up. Uh, Hamad, you got it. It will take the EU presidency as for 6 months regarding the decisions, and this is why it was a strategic of President Xi to pick those two countries. Now As I said, many in the West will interpret it as creating wedge, but at the same time, if we are to think logically— and I'm not ruling that out, and even if it is the case— at least China is doing it strategically. Yeah, I'd rather do it this way than going through conflicts, because conflict brings what? Destruction. This at least brings some economic incentives. So, and if it is the case, be it. But it shows at least this smartness of diplomacy, something we lack, at least on our part, we lack. So, so when, uh, uh, uh, President Xi decided on Hungary, Hungary also because he's playing a role into the BRI, and it makes perfect sense, makes perfect sense to do so. I, uh, I did see, uh, I'm gonna share it with you once again, show you the arrival of, uh, President Xi to, uh, airport just briefly here, guys, and I'm gonna, uh, fast forward it to where it needs to be. Okay, what am I not in this one. Let me hide this one here. Here we go, and I'm gonna play it for you guys. Well, I wanna play— whatever. Here is the key. I'm gonna fast forward to the arrival. As you know, it landed there, and let me just move forward because there's just, uh, here's the key right here. Continue to see. Now just compare this to President Xi's trip to France. That's a sign out of respect. Here is the dance. This is a traditional in, in, in, in Hungary. And that's also an emphasis about the cultural aspect, which for us we, we ignore completely. So, so this is what's important to understand, uh, these aspects of Hungary. So now for, uh, uh, for, uh, uh, the trip to Hungary, of course it was a full military honor to that, which is a big deal, of course. Beside all this, there is one particular aspect, is that this year, this year marks a specific anniversary. Does anybody know what it is? If you guys know, please type in, in the chat box. There is a specific anniversary between two countries. If you can just type in, in the chat box, uh, uh, if you guys, uh, are aware of it. I mean, Years of the Dragon, there is something, uh, uh, Victory Day. Yeah, that was on, on a different aspect of it, which is true because the Russians were celebrating today. The embassy Uh, no, that was in Serbia. I'm talking about Hungary and China. There is a specific thing— specific anniversary, I'm sorry, not thing. So, all right, let's, let's move on here. It's the 75th, 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Hungary is this year. So now you see also the reason why President Xi end up going to Hungary instead of, let's say, Norway or Sweden, or which they all— we know how those countries are. So, but also because of something like this, highlight— it really highlights and underscores the milestone between those two countries, how far they've reached in their partnerships. So, because remember, uh, Hungary became a crucial player when it comes down to China's BRI. In Eastern Europe. I used to make the argument, guys, believe it or not, I made the argument way back, way back in 2015 or so, and I said back then Poland will be smart to get involved in a BRI because of geography. It didn't. Look where Hungary is now. Now, speaking of Poland, did you guys know that Poland now might be allowing US nukes on its territory, which is crazy? But anyway, uh, go back to Hungary. And the reason why is because, as I said, Hungary has become a very, very key player to China's investments in that part of the world, Eastern Europe as a whole, because also part of the BRI. And this is why China made over the years massive investments. Of course, the West will have to, will have to categorize that as a debt trap. That's the keyword we've been hearing. I mean, come on, we don't know what IMF is doing, we don't know what the World Bank is doing, At least— and I've been saying this before, I've said this before, I'll say it now— at least China put in the terms on the table for the countries to decide for themselves. As a matter of fact, to my knowledge, China has, uh, sort of renegotiated its debts with some African countries. Now, when was the last time the IMF renegotiated its debt, or the World Bank for that matter. But the key that I want you to know here is that the reason why Hungary is— because Hungary has to deal with automotive industry. We're talking about EVs manufacturing inside Hungary, more jobs. Eastern Europe, that Eastern European country will flourish. This is something that we wanted to prevent Europe from doing, moving up economically. And you will thank the leaders of Germany and France and UK. They are useless. And I, you know, I, I, I say it, I don't shy away from it, they're useless, you know, because Chinese investments, it's very clear, it's open right there. You go to Budapest or, or some other parts of Hungary you see the investments there, because this one has to do for the establishments of certain businesses that's been launching since— that have been launched since 2022, including infrastructure, that is. So on the other hand, to Hungary, because there's also— there is a benefit for Hungary. Hungary is looking at this as a strategic goal Why? Because he wants to become the regional economic and logistic hub. And it makes perfect sense economically, especially if Hungary succeed, and he will succeed. That's going to be the bridge between the East and the West. What a perfect position to be, economically speaking, and strategically, of course. This is why Hungary is maintaining It's good relations with Russia and now developing, even strengthening its economic ties with China. It's a win-win for both. China thinking about it in terms of Hungary is going to take over the presidency of the EU and have to deal with the trade issues because they have to look after its own interest as well. So There is another aspect, and this one has to do with foreign policy. China understands very well that Budapest's foreign policy is at odds with Brussels, is at odds with NATO, because you'll remember Hungary was the only country that is pushing hard enough against more funding for Ukraine. Because they said, how can we take money from our, uh, hardworking people and just hand it to corrupted system? And, and to me, that's what a leader does for his own people. And the EU threatened to shut down his economy because he wanted to do what's right for his country, unlike the, the, the, the weak, incompetent, uh, Sunak Unlike the weak and incompetent Olaf Scholz, unlike the sleazy Emmanuel Macron, unlike the, the, the, the flip-floppers, uh, what's her name, Georgina Meloni of Italy. You got the idea, guys. Now you add— I will even add, and I don't shy away— I even add the leaders of Sweden into this, onto this bunch. I'll add the leaders of Finland into this bunch. Denmark. You, you got the idea. Netherlands, for that matter. So, and this will give you an idea as to why now the strategic— the whole idea of the strategic, uh, uh, uh, goal of the trip and the selection of those countries for specific reason, long term. As we all know, I mean, you guys know this by now, If you look at the Chinese history, they've always looked at very far down the road. What President Xi did and is doing with his current trip is not for today, it's not for next year. We're talking about the next 10, 15, 20, 25 years, uh, down the road. And this is why I said, like I said earlier, consider yourself lucky to be alive in witnessing history in the making before your own eyes. The world is changing in front of you. So, and, and to me, that's, uh, uh, uh, I am left to wonder what my country is going to do, you know. Do you either cooperate or drag everybody into, into some major conflicts, which it looks to me we are going that direction. Why? Because we have no foreign policy We have no strategy. We have nothing left to stand for. I mean, even now we are threatening the ICC, the International Criminal Court. I mean, you know, how low can we get? But again, I am not just blaming the government here, my government. I'm blaming the people. If people wake up— Americans are so distracted. You know, keep feeding them poison, keep feeding them, uh, uh, uh, modified food, keep feeding them whatever that doesn't allow for, for, uh, sort of thinking, doesn't allow for good health, doesn't allow for so many other things. So, and that's, that's where the importance of something like this. I mean, I was thinking I wasn't gonna do this for today, guys. But I figured, no, no, no, no, the community here needs to know because you guys now are beyond being an average. And I'll say it, and I'm not making— I'm not saying it to make you feel good. That ain't my personality. If you screw up, I will tell you straightforward. It is. No, that's, that's just how my personality is. It's like this idiot who puts in, in, in the chat box that I'm on drugs or whatever. What an idiot. So pathetic. So pathetic. So, uh, is the idea of you guys beyond now? I don't consider you on average now. Every city, yeah, we are all average as far as, you know, our, uh, lifestyle, whatever. We all— I'm talking about intellectually here, which matters. This is the problem here in the US. Intellectually, everybody's getting dead. They can't think for themselves. They want to have the CNN, the Fox, the CNBC, ABC, and all those networks doing the analysis for them and reaching the conclusion for the people. All they want people to do is sit, lay down, or recline on the recliner with the chips and just flip the, the, the— what you call them? I haven't drawn a blank because I don't watch TV, surf the, the, what you call them. I, I draw a blank on it. Yeah, that's all it is. And that's why I'm saying it. And again, not to be nice. No, no, no, no, no. Because that's who you are. You are now intellectually responsible for yourself to now differentiate and decipher Facts from fictions. Understand, when you come across an article, you know how to read it, you know what to spot on right away, and you reach your own conclusion. You will never allow anyone else to reach a conclusion for you. That's the way I say it. Uh, KPK, you're right, drugs also. And that's another, uh, topic I'm gonna talk about on the other location. I'm gonna do that, and I'm gonna do academia on the other location. I didn't forget that, so I'm going to do that right there. So the idea of, uh, uh, it's just how it is, how it is. And when you speak the truth, you become the enemy. Well, since when? If we are to say that our country was standing on ideals, the principle of freedom of expression, the principle of you know, criticizing the government, uh, logically, of course. We're not talking violence here. We're not— no, no, no, you don't need that. You know, all you need is ideas. This is what the government fears the most— when the people become knowledgeable. That is where the concern is. So, all right guys, I'm gonna, uh, I am gonna take some questions from you. Block Copper KPK, thank you for mentioning that. Let me see, uh, yeah, okay, it was put in timeout. Thank you, thank you for mentioning that. And I think I hit some other one Copper. Yeah, yeah. And all those that's coming over here just saying this nonsense, uh, just this nonsense is, is, is— there we go. All right, let me, let me, uh, take a question from you guys and we go from there. And by the way, once again, I extend my sincere Appreciation to all of you. For those who supporting the channel, of course it goes without saying, to those who buys me coffee on a regular day and on a, on a basic— they are, they are Osiris, one of them, Casey Kwan, one of them. There are others, I just— the list is so long. One day I might just do this shout out to everybody. So I'm, I'm very, very grateful to all of you for your continued support. There are those who started with me Jennifer Lee, Boone, uh, uh, Harry Lokel, uh, uh, Salim, many, many of you, Francis Tango, many, many of you guys. So I'm very, very grateful to you. All right, let's take a question or two from you guys and we just go from there. I'm gonna go finish up the, uh, uh, work on the Philippines because I'm gonna read through this recording that the Chinese government released and reach out to some of my contacts to confirm certain aspects. And if it's confirmed, I am gonna share it with you. Uh, speaking of confirmation, remember the video I shared with you guys about the Chinese hitting this? I couldn't confirm it, could not confirm it. And that tells me, uh, that's why I didn't want to jump to conclusions. Nonetheless, I'll share it with you to be aware of how things can be manipulated. Is the same setup that was done for Xinjiang. You'll remember how it all started, right? Turns out to be a lie. So, uh, yeah, you're right, Chanel, and I, I blocked the guy, you know. And thank you guys for keeping an eye on this, you know. I can't see all— I'm, I'm doing this, uh, one of the avid supporter, uh, wanted to support me in doing, uh moderating this chat. Just his timing, uh, I have to work out the details with him. So, and again, I am not against people expressing their opinions. You know, you criticize me, you disagree with me, by no means, as long as it's done respectfully and as long as you do not respect my community here. That's all I'm saying. You know, as to you telling me, whomever that is, well, I disagree with you, Dr. Yeah, perfectly. Please explain to us. I might learn something from you. But to be saying this kind of nonsense— I, I, I never smoked in my life, never drank alcohol in my life, so I'm on drugs? Come on. It just shows how low they are. But anyway, it's not worth the energy. Remember, guys, always positive energy, always. All right, let me scroll down here to see if there are, uh, question from any of you guys. And now we go. So, uh, Master 5: Is the EU fracturing or is it still solid? Orbán seems to think that it can be transformed for better, but it is so? No, no. What Orbán's saying, he's hoping, and I can understand where he's coming from. In my opinion, Orbán is not a geopolitical analyst. Orbán is a politician. There is a big difference, you know. To me personally, as one who's been dealing with this field for over a decade, okay, I don't see the sign of what Mr. Orbán thinking about EU transforming to a better. No, it won't, because they don't have the independence to do so. Away from the US. We are having them under our thumb. Look just what's going on in Europe right now, you know, economically speaking. Look where the inflation is in England. Look what the energy bill in Germany— businesses are shutting down. So what makes us think down the road— so Orbán is hoping, but I ain't gonna work. I was thinking at some point that Orbán will say, I am done with the EU. That once they suck you in, it is, you know, once you break off from the EU, it's very challenging. But again, it's his decision, I can't decide for him. But I don't see, I don't, uh, the way I see it, it is fracturing. That's why ASEAN is going to do better down the road. BRICS, if it gets its act together with who they gonna be inviting here, BRICS is another a nightmare that they need to think strategically about. You can't just invite whomever just because Global South is saying, well, we want to be done with the West. And no, it doesn't work that way. You have to be strategic in your movements. So, so, so the short answer is yes, the EU is fracturing, and especially now where the economy of Europe is moving into, it's going to even get worse for them. That's the way I see it. All right, let me see another question. Uh, oh, Boycott, we need moderators, Doc. You can revoke if they misuse the power. Just pick some of the older supporters who have been here for a while and understand you well. Oh, I will do that, Boycott, and I'm gonna I'm gonna put, uh, yeah, I'm, I'm going to do so. I just have to make sure, uh, that the person is willing to do this, uh, uh, because it's time consuming and I got to be respectful of that time. Thank you, thank you for mentioning this, truly appreciate it. All right, let me see another question from you, uh, all right, question from Control Demolition. Question: Did China try to help France just after losing the Niger uranium? Not to my knowledge. Not to my knowledge. What was, uh, what I was aware of is that some form of talks regarding civilian nuclear technology was, but nothing moved forward to my knowledge. And second, to me, it will make more sense. Why will China consider that, uh, because you can't trust— you can't trust the West. So it behooves Chinese to think very hard about who they can do business with in Europe. Europeans are gone. So the one thing that's going to come out of, uh, a presidency trip to France, for France, is about cognac, no more, no less. But guess what? Serbia can sell its— it's, uh, pardon me, I knock this one down here. Uh, Serbia can sell its, uh, its wine to China. So who cares about what the, uh— yeah, that's the, the way I see it. That's the way I see it. So, uh, let me see another question here. Is this a question, FLE? Because it is, it is happening right now. Yeah, free speech is dying here in America. Straightforward. So that, that's just, uh, it's dying, and that's a sign for the end is coming. Right. Uh, Abel, good to see you as always. How does the world perceive America's economic prowess? Well, the, the world, if, if we are to talk a very— most leaders around the world, those that— the weak ones. I'm not talking the like of Orbán, I'm talking about the likes of, uh, Sunak of, of, uh, Britain. I have nothing against them, it's just they're weak. I'm talking the like of, uh, even Macron himself, Olaf Scholz, uh, dictator Trudeau, uh, uh, uh, Albo of Australia, the Philip— the Philippine president, South Korea, Japan, even New Zealand, whatever, those will not be able to tell the Americans straightforward that, hey, you are going down and we don't want you to drag us with you. They won't be able to say that. They don't have the guts to do it. And that's the rest of the world, that's how they perceive. This is why it is quietly here in the US that the gold is leaving the United States quietly. Quietly. And my advice to Americans, if you are an American watching, if you have money in the bank, take it out. That's my advice to you. So it's perceived that the beginning of the end is here. That's how the world is perceiving it. And, uh, and, and it's a, it's a fact. We have to move forward with sort of Uh, a lot of Americans now are considering moving out elsewhere. The world is big, so I'm one of those. Uh, Francis Tango: Dr. O, does Russia simulated nuclear strike after options out of nuclear test bed? Uh, not to my knowledge, they didn't do that, but, uh, the recent decree by Putin to conduct exercises of tactical weapons. There, there's a big difference between the strategic and the tactical. That hints to me it will be moving into this direction. And the— what I know about the test ban, especially the NFT, is that now Russia moves forward with deploying whatever it wants because the Americans didn't honor whatever And if we know anything about how Russians are far ahead of the Americans regarding this, this is why we don't have the capability the same as the Russians or the Chinese regarding hypersonic. Even Iran now has a hypersonic. That is why we and the Israelis never will attack Iran, because we know the consequences. So So the simulation in itself, I, I wasn't aware of that. I was aware of the statements by the Ministry of Defense as far as building the next generation of certain types of missiles that used to fall under the agreement or the treaty of the NFT. All right, let me take one more question, guys, and I am going to sign off to go, uh, uh, finish up, uh the, uh, Philippines, because it's worth you knowing what's going on with that and why the Chinese fire cannon water, or water cannon rather, uh, on, on the Filipinos. Uh, there is a reason for that. There is a reason for that. So, uh, uh, Johannes Dharma, question. Uh, uh, have you seen Australian news about Australia helicopter versus Chinese? Yes, I did see that. Uh, Australians sound like Stormy Danny. I did see that. It just, you know, the Australians, uh, the Australians going to be happening to them the same way India happens with Quad. And now we're seeing the Philippines going to be the same position as well. Uh, Australians are— it's done for. It's done for. They had no clue what they were digging— what they did. They didn't know what they were digging themselves into. But again, like I said earlier, there are not enough strong leaders to come forward and say to the Americans, you know, used to be in Germany, and you might disagree with me about this, Angela Merkel. Now some will disagree about this, but Angela Merkel was at least strong enough to tell the Americans no. She was the one who said to the Americans, no, we are moving forward with Nord Stream. I mean, can you see Olaf Scholz doing that? No way, no way. And this is why, again, just to tie it back to our topic of today, you have to always think in terms of strategic objectives of any diplomatic, uh, initiative, be it a trip be it state visit, be it an agreement, whatever. Always, always, because what matters to any country is national interests. Straightforward. So, all right, let me see one more question. And thank you guys for keeping the chat civil here. I truly, truly appreciate you for that. And thanks for helping me out with keeping an eye on— yeah, I can't believe that. I really can't believe that. Oh, oh, Ahmed K, I want to say thank you very, very much. Appreciate your support, it means a lot. Uh, you wrote, America has lost its roots and the cooperate— and the corporations have taken over like an octopus envelops its victims. I, I couldn't agree more. This is something I'd like to address on the other platform. And I will, especially when it comes down to food and drugs and you name it, you know. But you are absolutely correct, Ahmed. It's sad, it pains me. It's my country, no matter what, it's my country. Uh, but I won't shy away from criticizing my country when it does wrong. To me, there is nothing in between right or wrong. It's either right or wrong, simple as that. There's nothing in between. And, and, and for what? But again, This wasn't the product or the result of just yesterday or last year or the year— there was the products of the last 40 years, the amount of corruption that's been in, in sort of intertwined with our system. The system, the system in itself has been fundamentally wrong from its init— from its beginning. It was set by individuals that were looking for their own interests. It just now we moved far beyond because now it's in the open. I mean, when we are gonna go now threatening the ICC— and I'm not saying you'll be scared of the ICC, uh, what I'm saying is the observation of the rule of law. If we are to say we stand for the law, but again, that says a lot. So, so thank you so much, Ahmed. Truly appreciate you. Uh, let me see one more thing here. Controlled. I usually don't talk much about my private life, but, but yes, there are some Hawaiian aspects to all that, but it's, it's— I'm a mixed— my race is very, very, very mixed. Uh, you know, we, we got like at home we have about 6 languages. So don't ask me what are they. So, uh, uh, yes, it is some, some, but that's way, way, way, way back in time because I, I, I, I would not know where even to start. Uh, I did was one time I was in, in Hawaii, uh, and I went to Honolulu to the archives and I asked the individuals and, and and he put out some records. The closest one I saw for the spelling of my last name was with the W, not an OU. Now whether an OU changed over generations, I don't know. But if you look at the names in Hawaii, like, uh, Wahoo, like Honolulu, like Waikiki, uh, even my first name in Hawaiian is Kawika. That's just, uh, I may Maybe there is something there, I don't know. All right, one last question here. Dr. O, how long do you think before China's patience will run out in South China Sea, especially with all the provocations like Australia latest antics? Yeah, you know, but China, uh, China will never strike me as one who will lose patience. Yeah, that doesn't mean they are weak. And this is the mistake the West makes. They're interpreting that as weakness, you know. So, uh, uh, I, I just don't— I don't, uh, I don't see China doing that. China will move strategically, and sometimes that's the best way. That doesn't mean— because sometimes you have to meet force with force, and I am in favor of that. You meet force with force. That's like you with someone who's bullying you. You say, yeah, please stop. You say it nicely the first time, you might say it the second time, but third time you're gonna take matters into your own hands. Otherwise, the person will never get it. And I think, which I couldn't agree more with, Larry Johnson said the same, till we are hit hard When are they going to learn? And I'm concerned about that because us being hit hard, being hit hard, that means complete destruction. So, so Chinese are trying to show really diplomatic maturity. That's how their dealings are, and especially in South China Sea, it's becoming— and again, I've been voicing my concern for the last 6, 7 years. Of what I'm seeing over the horizon coming into Southeast Asia in general, South China Sea, Southeast Asia, Asia in general term. And, and what confirmed this for me was the statement by NATO about opening an office in Tokyo. That was the nail in the coffin for me. And, and I am, I am very concerned about that. I am very concerned. I'm very concerned. So I hope some cool heads will prevail. I mean, to me, what's hard about live and let live? Let other people live their lives. Why, why are we obsessed with dominating the— yeah, we had our share of power. We had— maybe cooperation will be better. Maybe win-win is better. And it's not maybe, it is. You know, why this? But again, this is when you realize corruption has taken hold of the system in itself. So any— believe it or not, I was in Washington. Believe it or not, there are voices of reason inside that Beltway there. You just don't have the power. That's, that's the sad part. That is the sad part. So, uh, let me see something here. Yeah, and, and again, I hope the West doesn't misinterpret China's patience as being weak. They're not. China as of today is not a China of 40 years ago. Yeah, that, that, that's just the way I see it. That's the way I see it. VK, will Turkey ever become a— you know, they giving them a lip service. They will never. They would have done it. This is why I am— if there is anybody from Serbia watching this, and, and you, since you, whomever speaks, uh, the, uh, Serb language, can tell their government, tell them Dr. O advised not to be part of the EU. Being part of the EU will not— I am here to tell you— will not serve the interest of Serbia long term. It will handcuff Serbia because any arrangement Serbia will be making with China will have to go through Brussels, and we all know what it means. That's what I'm saying. And, uh, it wouldn't work. It wouldn't work. So, so I hope they, uh, they can thank, uh— Wacky Monkey, you said thank you. You're most welcome. You're most welcome. All right, guys, I'm gonna sign off here. I'm gonna go, uh, get, uh, the work on. Like I always say, that's what I— I get off here, take short break, go work on my stuff for tomorrow for you. Because that's why I wanted to, uh, uh, bring you analysis of that would be of use to you to understand. And I feel comfortable enough to say now, you guys, now we are in a community where I consider us intellectually different than average people. No offense to others, I'm not saying— we all are smart in our own way. It's just intellectually, by now, we— I feel comfortable saying this about all of And, and don't ever think, guys, don't ever forget, please, I am here to learn from you as well. It goes both ways. So you are teaching me also some stuff, uh, some things I don't know. Sometimes I make mistakes and all that stuff. I'm, I'm— I, I truly want you to know this one. It goes both ways. As always, uh, oh, Francis Tango, bye! As always, guys, remember, geopolitics impacts your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time, bye-bye.