Ukraine counter offensive

[wellyfish]

Set against that is the where China derives its' income. With very much the greater part of the world' wealth, and it's wealthiest consumers in North Americs, Australasia and Europe, can China actually afford to hack off it's' biggest customer base, especially in the light of increased competition from its' Pacific Rim neighbours and the first murmerings of unrest amongst the Chinese populace at home about wages and working conditions? I read something about this recently in some of other magazine, maybe the Economist, not sure (but I know it was a printed publication, not on line)

China has decided to pursue mercantile policies and has 'pegged' it's currency to $. The Chinese government holds around 1 trillion in us treasuries so they won't be short of dollars any time soon.

Also, as the article says, China has a near monopoly on rare earth metals. USA currently gets 80% of the rare earth metals it needs from China. It can't really get them from anywhere else in the quantities it requires.

So, I suppose the countries you listed could impose sanctions on China but you only have to look at Europe to see what happens when you cut your nose off to spite your face.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

The EU aee begging Britain to restart negotiations on an agreement that they said was non negotiable.

EU offers to reduce NI border controls to ‘couple of lorries a day’

GB-NI trade border can be almost ‘invisible’, says European Commission VP in bid to restart talks

www.independent.co.uk

Not if you read past the headlines.

 

[Vinty]

From your link

Mr Sefcovic said the EU was willing to compromise, but Brussels’ proposals to cut protocol checks set out last October should be the basis for resuming talks

According to the perceived wisdom of some, international agreements cannot be renegotiated.
There is no way the EU will want a trade war with the UK while Putin is at large in Ukraine.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

So, I suppose the countries you listed could impose sanctions on China but you only have to look at Europe to see what happens when you cut your nose off to spite your face.

Well, I don't see mass starvation or rioting in the streets in the EU. Do you? Most of the EU has surpassed the 80% reserves marej=k required by November, they are going to build more LNG berthing facilities in short order, and renewables plus nuclear are getting one hell of a boost, so just what can Russia do in the future?

 

[JohnD]

According to the perceived wisdom of some, international agreements cannot be renegotiated.
There is no way the EU will want a trade war with the UK while Putin is at large in Ukraine.

No, international agreements cannot be torn up by one party, without consequences.

You think dUK will benefit from a trade war? You are barmy.

 

[JohnD]

'behind the Russian invasion stands the world’s manufacturing capital – China. As the US begins to expend more and more of its stockpiles to keep Ukraine in the war, China has yet to provide any meaningful military assistance to Russia. The West must assume that China will not allow Russia to be defeated, especially due to a lack of ammunition. '

Interesting to see that welly believes China will join in Putin's clusterflick as his military supporter.

Putin hopes so.

China has expressed its displeasure at his incompetent own-goal

 

[JohnD]

https://www.ft.com/content/76953b49-d7d8-48f7-9ab2-56e81ca2330a

"At the Samarkand summit, Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, publicly chided Putin, telling him that “today’s era is not of war”. The Russian leader was reduced to promising that: “We will do our best to stop this as soon as possible.”

At the UN General Assembly last week, India joined 100 other countries in voting to allow Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, to give a virtual address. Just six countries joined Russia in opposing the speech. China abstained."

 

[JohnD]

"China’s friendship with Russia looks like an embarrassment, not an asset."

"As well as weakening China’s most important international partner, the war in Ukraine has engineered a revival of the western alliance. US leadership looks confident and effective once again. American weapons have helped to turn the course of the conflict. New countries are lining up to join the Nato alliance. The Chinese state media love to stress the inexorable decline of the west. But, suddenly, the western alliance is looking rather sprightly."

 

[gant]

Sounds like you can sleep safe in your bed johnboy

 

[JohnD]

One reader commented "If he were planning anything that could win him the war, he'd have done it half a year ago. Putin's bankrupt. He's lost."

And half a year ago, he was not reduced to dragging 1960's tanks out of storage.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Just six countries joined Russia in opposing the speech. China abstained."

Let's see, at a guess Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Venuzuela? (and that is a guess)

 

[Deleted member 174758]

One reader commented "If he were planning anything that could win him the war, he'd have done it half a year ago. Putin's bankrupt. He's lost."

And half a year ago, he was not reduced to dragging 1960's tanks out of storage.

Well, the T-62s sort of make sense - if all you intend to use them, as is equipment for the "cannon fodder" (i.e. the Luhansk and Donetsk "volunteers"). TBH they make sense in another way - they don't use high tech, foreign-made components, and the Russians have an awful lot of them, but they are extremely vulnerable, being susceptible to even 60 year old TOW missiles, So maybe not a good working environment

 

[motorbiking]

One reader commented "If he were planning anything that could win him the war, he'd have done it half a year ago. Putin's bankrupt. He's lost."

And half a year ago, he was not reduced to dragging 1960's tanks out of storage.

hmmm.. I'm not so sure, the fact that Biden is warning Putin not to use tactical Nukes, suggests there is one option he has yet to use.

 

[IT Minion]

Tactical nukes wouldn't be much help here. They're good for large groupings of troops or bottlenecks like crossing points, or dug in troops that you want to reduce. The Ukrainians aren't bunched up that much. Using a nuke to kill a battalion of tanks is a bad look. And there arent any river crossings big enough to merit a glassy finish at the moment.

There isn't likely to be many good targets until/unless Ukraine tries to take back Crimea.

 

[motorbiking]

Its not about destroying targets, it's about destroying everything. "Rapid dominance is a military strategy based on the use of overwhelming power and spectacular displays of force to paralyse the enemy's perception of the battlefield and destroy their will to fight". i.e. Shock and awe, Hiroshima-style.

Putin may wish to test the west. He has after all used radioactive and nerve agents on Nato countries he's not at war with.