With Donald Trump’s call with the president of Taiwan, the China issue is front and center with the new Trump administration as we all expected. There are many different reactions to this call, but the key here is that Trump is going to challenge this relationship, but most of us have no idea where this can go. He will push them on trade, and we have the North Korea issue, and now he is tweaking the Chinese government about Taiwan. Expect chaos . . .

President Xi Jinping’s wants to exert maximum control of Chinese culture as he tightens his grip on power and tries to leverage nationalist impulses in China. His latest national security law is another step in that process.

But in the long run he will weaken China, as this tightening of control makes the country less attractive to foreign investment. That may not matter much now, but in the future the bill on China’s many mistakes will come due, and this effort to control everything will likely backfire.

People in Hong Kong are getting restless. Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents protested China by marching through the streets to push for greater democracy. People in Hong Kong are angry over Beijing’s claim that it has ultimate authority over the southern Chinese financial center. Let’s see how far China will push back – the entire region is starting to hate the bully.

This excellent interview from CNN addresses the issue, as some in China are starting to realize that they will never be respected in the world as long as they support this rogue regime.

This article offers some interesting insights on where China is investing in foreign markets, particularly in places like Libya and Iraq.