China's Invasion
I had a business partner with me one time ask, “ How can you know things without doing the DD?”
He forgot that the most important form of DD is discernment.
Specifically in the realm of human nature or the ability to spot inversions.
By the time he saw what happened, it was too late.
The local communist had pulled a fast one.
He would call daily in exhausting calls telling me about what the local communist was and had been doing.
I already told him the end game.
Because I knew the end game and I knew of his limited ability to understand, I would let father time exposed all to him.
After that, I swore never to allow others to drag you into their drama specifically when you know what the end game already will play out as.
Remember it was Bessent who eased up on China.
This is where all the highest intelligence agencies are, and every resource at your disposal leads you to conclude.
It is ridiculous to pause and then to cite how you have been bamboozled.
Very elementary, overly dramatic and a waste of time.
It does nothing for sympathy, empathy and only allows the opposition to progress their plans even further.
Over the weekend, several news wires have highlighted China’s maneuvering.
Despite years of tariffs and trade negotiations, China continues to maintain an annual surplus in the range of $500 to $800 billion ex US, depending on the accounting method used (goods vs. goods and services combined).
When analyzing geopolitical developments—especially the West’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—it raises a critical question: Can China get away with a similar move in its own sphere of influence?
I’ve been arguing for some time that the precedent set by Russia may signal to Beijing that large-scale geopolitical maneuvers can be tolerated—so long as they are done methodically, with economic buffers in place and calibrated narrative control.
The most likely timeline for such a strategic escalation would be after the end of the Trump administration. However, even the discussions of trade restructuring, decoupling, or strategic containment could accelerate China's internal timeline for action.
It’s important to recognize that this is no longer about traditional borders. China’s playbook is increasingly about cultural and economic alignment—and thus the most vulnerable targets are those nations that are already culturally, economically, and digitally enmeshed with China. These include countries within the BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) framework, those dependent on Chinese capital markets, or those politically influenced by Chinese media narratives and investment incentives.
In short:
Geoeconomics has replaced geography.
Alignment—cultural, digital, financial—is the new frontline.
And China is already entrenched across this line in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Africa, and parts of Eastern Europe.