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DriftTheory
2 hours ago
China blasts US for its computer chip moves and for threatening student visas....

China blasted the U.S. on Monday over moves it alleged harmed Chinese interests, including issuing AI chip export control guidelines, stopping the sale of chip design software to China, and planning to revoke Chinese student visas.

“These practices seriously violate the consensus” reached during trade discussions in Geneva last month, the Commerce Ministry said in a statement.

That referred to a China-U.S. joint statement in which the United States and China agreed to slash their massive recent tariffs, restarting stalled trade between the world’s two biggest economies.

But last month's de-escalation in President Donald Trump’s trade wars did nothing to resolve underlying differences between Beijing and Washington and Monday's statement showed how easily such agreements can lead to further turbulence.

The deal lasts 90 days, creating time for U.S. and Chinese negotiators to reach a more substantive agreement. But the pause also leaves tariffs higher than before Trump started ramping them up last month. And businesses and investors must contend with uncertainty about whether the truce will last.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the U.S. agreed to drop the 145% tax Trump imposed last month to 30%. China agreed to lower its tariff rate on U.S. goods to 10% from 125%.

The Commerce Ministry said China held up its end of the deal, canceling or suspending tariffs and non-tariff measures taken against the U.S. “reciprocal tariffs” following the agreement.

"The United States has unilaterally provoked new economic and trade frictions, exacerbating the uncertainty and instability of bilateral economic and trade relations,” while China has stood by its commitments, the statement said.

It also threatened unspecified retaliation, saying China will “continue to take resolute and forceful measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”

And in response to recent comments by Trump, it said of the U.S.: “Instead of reflecting on itself, it has turned the tables and unreasonably accused China of violating the consensus, which is seriously contrary to the facts.”

Trump stirred further controversy Friday, saying he will no longer be nice with China on trade, declaring in a social media post that the country had broken an agreement with the United States.

Hours later, Trump said in the Oval Office that he will speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping and “hopefully we’ll work that out,” while still insisting China had violated the agreement.

“The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US,” Trump posted. “So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!”

The Trump administration also stepped up the clash with China in other ways last week, announcing that it would start revoking visas for Chinese students studying in the U.S.

U.S. campuses host more than 275,000 students from China.

Both countries are in a race to develop advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, with Washington seeking to curb China’s access to the most advanced computer chips. China is also seeking to displace the U.S. as the leading power in the Asia-Pacific, including through gaining control over close U.S. partner and leading tech giant Taiwan.
DriftTheory
9 hours ago
Ukraine War Prompts Young Germans To Gun For Defense Jobs As Russian Invasion Sends Shockwaves In Europe.

In a country with strong pacifist traditions due to its dark World War II history, German student Mika Scheid had never considered working in the arms industry — until Russia invaded Ukraine.

That was a “personal turning point,” said the 25-year-old studying at the prominent Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, who was spurred into becoming an armed forces reservist and now wants to work for a military equipment manufacturer.

“People are beginning to understand that the Bundeswehr (the German armed forces) is now clearly focused on defending the country,” and NATO, said the engineering student during a job fair organised by the institute in western Germany.

He was among young Germans at the event expressing interest in the defence sector, a sharp break from the past amid growing hostility from Russia as well as concerns about US security commitments to Europe under President Donald Trump.

For the first time ever this year, German arms manufacturers — which are some of the world’s biggest but had in the past kept a relatively low profile — were among exhibitors at the fair as they hunt for staff to meet surging demand.

There were some signs of unease, with Germany’s biggest weapons maker, Rheinmetall, pulling out after a handful of students voiced anger at the presence of arms manufacturers.

Still, there is a sense that the long-running stigma surrounding the sector has eased since the outbreak of the Ukraine war. And the opportunities in the industry may be welcome at a time when Germany’s economy is mired in a downturn.

The European defence sector employs about 600,000 people and is expected to grow strongly, including in Germany, where new Chancellor Friedrich Merz plans to greatly ramp up military spending.

“The political discourse we have had since 2022 has led Germans to change their way of seeing things,” said Eva Brueckner, a consultant from the headhunting firm Heinrich and Coll, which helps defence companies find staff.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine over three years ago, candidates have expressed fewer ethical and moral concerns about defence sector jobs, she said.

Another student at the fair, Nico Haenelt, was enquiring about an internship at the stand of industrial giant Thyssenkrupp’s submarine-making unit.

While the 19-year-old says his parents had quite a pacifist worldview, recent geopolitical upheavals have shaped his own outlook.

“If the world were more peaceful, I would probably also look in other areas,” said Haenelt, who studies mechatronics, which mixes elements of engineering and computer science.

To attract talent, defence companies are offering perks ranging from paying for relocation costs to gym memberships, according to accounts given to AFP.

Diehl, whose products include ammunition and missiles, even offers scholarships to young people to fund their studies, with the hope that they will subsequently apply for jobs with the company.

Conservative Sector
With the German economy struggling, some hope the improving fortunes of the defence sector could provide a boost.

There are already signs that arms makers might throw a lifeline to some troubled companies.

Rheinmetall, whose profits have soared since the start of the Ukraine war, last year struck a deal to hire workers from Continental as the ailing auto supplier cuts thousands of jobs.

Still, beyond the traditional reluctance of young Germans to work in the defence sector due to the country’s past, there are other challenges in recruiting for the industry.

“The sector is very conservative, and people who don’t come from this background may have difficulty integrating,” said the headhunter, Brueckner.

And not all the students at the job fair were rushing to find jobs in the arms industry.

Niklas, a computer science student who only gave his first name, said his priority was to find a job with “meaning”, such as in the fields of health or sustainable development.

As for the arms industry? “Never”, he insisted.
siec
2 days ago
DriftTheory
2 days ago
China-CCP...Are you listening to your students in America?
Chinese students say they’re questioning their decision to study in the U.S. after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the federal government will attempt to “aggressively” revoke their visas.

Rubio said that Chinese students “with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields” would be targeted.
Chinese students who spoke to NBC News on Thursday said that they came to the U.S. for freedoms they felt they did not have back in China but that now the Trump administration is starting to resemble the strict regime they left behind.

“USA stands for freedom. It stands for democracy. … That’s why we come here to chase our dreams,” said one Chinese Ph.D. student at a New Jersey university, who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation. “In China, the government can control education, high schools, colleges, universities. We thought that the USA could be different.”
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DriftTheory
22 days ago
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has voiced concern about the safety of the country's growing nuclear power plant industry in the event of a future conflict. The country has 102 commercial nuclear reactors that are either fully operational or currently under construction. That makes China's atomic energy sector the largest in the world.

In April, Chinese government approved the establishment of 10 new reactors along the coast. Some of these are to come up in geopolitically sensitive areas like the Taiwan Strait or the South China Sea.

China is also home to what has been touted as the world's largest reactor, the 12.5 billion kWh Qinshan Phase III nuclear plant, which became functional in March of this year. The country is rapidly scaling its nuclear energy capacity as part of its efforts to reduce reliance on non-renewable sources and meet climate goals.

However, according to a new PLA study, some sites, especially coastal ones, could become strategic liabilities in wart
siec
1 month ago
DriftTheory
1 month ago
The New York Times issued a firm rebuke of President Trump after the president threatened the news outlet with legal action over reporting on the litigation in which he is locked with Paramount Global.

“President Trump’s post follows a long list of legal threats aimed at discouraging or penalizing independent reporting about the administration. The law is clear and protects a strong free press and favors an informed American public,” the Times said.

The outlet was referencing a social media post by Trump in which the president accused Times journalists of having “TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, possibly to the point where the Times’ interjection makes them liable for tortious interference, including in Elections, which we are intently studying.”

The Times laying out an effort by lawyers for the president and Paramount Global to secure a settlement in connection with the lawsuit he filed over an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris on “60 Minutes,” a CBS News program.
DriftTheory
1 month ago
China restated its case that COVID-19 may have originated in the United States in a white paper on its pandemic response released on Wednesday after President Donald Trump's administration blamed a lab leak in China.

The White House launched a COVID-19 website on April 18 in which it said the coronavirus came from a lab leak in China while criticising former President Joe Biden, former top U.S. health official Anthony Fauci and the World Health Organization.

In the white paper, released by the official Xinhua news agency, China accused the U.S. of politicising the matter of the origins of COVID-19. It cited a Missouri lawsuit which resulted in a $24 billion ruling against China for hoarding protective medical equipment and covering up the outbreak.

China shared relevant information with the WHO and the international community in a timely manner, the white paper said, emphasising that a joint study by the WHO and China had concluded that a lab leak was "extremely unlikely".
Dedication Buzz
1 month ago
We are Defined by Our Actions-
We do not need to proselytize
either by our speech or by our writing.
We can only do so really with our lives.
Let our lives be open books for all to study.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi
DriftTheory
1 month ago
The United States and Iran reported progress in their latest round of nuclear talks on Saturday and agreed to meet again next week as they pursue a deal that could help ease soaring Middle East tensions.

A US official called the talks "positive and productive", and Iran's top diplomat said the two sides will study how to narrow their differences on a range of subjects before next week's fourth round.

The highest-level contact in years between the long-time foes is targeting a new deal that would stop Iran developing nuclear weapons -- an objective Tehran denies pursuing -- in return for relief from sanctions.

"There is still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal," the senior US official said on condition of anonymity, adding that the next talks would be in Europe.
DriftTheory
1 month ago
China's President Xi Jinping pledged "self-reliance and self-strengthening" to develop AI in China, state media reported on Saturday, as the country vies with the U.S. for supremacy in artificial intelligence, a key strategic area.

Speaking at a Politburo meeting study session on Friday, Xi said China should leverage its "new whole national system" to push forward with the development of AI.

"We must recognise the gaps and redouble our efforts to comprehensively advance technological innovation, industrial development, and AI-empowered applications," said Xi, according to the official Xinhua news agency. Xi noted policy support would be provided in areas such as government procurement, intellectual property rights, research and cultivating talent.
siec
1 month ago
DriftTheory
2 months ago
China just fired its heaviest shot yet in the trade war: a blanket tariff hike to 125% on all U.S. imports. The move came after Trump jacked up duties on Chinese goods to 145%a level so high it essentially makes trade between the two economic superpowers nonviable. Tesla, Apple, and other multinationals with deep China exposure are suddenly looking at a world where their supply chains and end markets may be toast.

But here's the twist: Beijing says this is it. No more tit-for-tat. No more playing Trump's tariff numbers game. China's calling the strategy a joke, refusing to retaliate further, and instead pivoting to diplomacy. Xi Jinping is already rallying global alliesEurope, ASEAN, the Gulf nationsand restarting talks with Brussels over long-frozen trade spats. Meanwhile, Hollywood films, U.S. travel, and even study abroad in Ohio are getting caught in the crossfire. This isn't just a trade dispute anymore. It's a full-spectrum economic standoffgoods, services, people, culture.
DriftTheory
2 months ago
China issued a travel advisory Wednesday for citizens visiting the U.S.
The warning comes as a trade war has escalated between the nations, and as more scrutiny is being put on foreign nationals holding visas in the U.S.

“Recently, due to the deterioration of China-US economic and trade relations and the domestic security situation in the United States, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism reminds Chinese tourists to fully assess the risks of traveling to the United States and be cautious,” China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism Government released in a statement.

Officials also urged students planning to study abroad in the U.S. to be cautious of safety risks.
“The U.S. is seeking hegemony in the name of reciprocity, sacrificing the legitimate interests of all countries to serve its own selfish interests, and prioritizing the U.S. over international rules. This is typical unilateralism, protectionism and economic bullying,” Lin Jian, China’s Foreign Affairs
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Dedication Buzz
2 months ago
Prepare for the unknown by studying how others in the past
have coped with the unforeseeable and the unpredictable.
- George S. Patton
DriftTheory
2 months ago
💡 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 = 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬! 🔥
A problem-oriented mindset is not about seeing obstacles—it's about finding solutions. 🚀
🔍 Instead of reacting emotionally, leaders & teams analyze situations from different angles, unlocking hidden opportunities.

💡 A shift in strategy often leads to greater clarity & better outcomes.
### 📌 The 5-Step Structured Approach to Problem-Solving:
✅ Define the Problem – Clearly identify the issue.
🔍 Study the Problem – Gather data & understand the impact.
🔎 Find the Root Cause – Identify the "why" behind the issue.
🛠 Identify Corrective Actions – List effective countermeasures.
🔄 Apply Solutions (PDCA Approach) – Plan, Do, Check, Adjust.

This framework works repeatedly across all life situations—yet, most people give up at Step 1, blaming fate instead of evolving.

🔥 Success comes to those who don’t stop at the first hurdle, but keep searching...

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