The weekend delivered a jolt from Beijing that underscores a theme Chris Meyer and I have explored across multiple podcast discussions: Xi Jinping’s regime can look strong yet be brittle.
China’s Defence Ministry says it has opened investigations into senior military figures including Gen. Zhang Youxia, a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission—an escalation that is shaking the top ranks of the People’s Liberation Army and fuelling fresh questions, inside and outside China, about whether this is an anti-corruption purge, a political power struggle, or both. […]
Chris and I also discuss the obvious: Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new strategic engagement with Beijing, already questionable to many critics of China’s hybrid warfare efforts in the West and especially targeting Canada, now looks increasingly dubious as questions hover over the stability of Xi’s regime.
More: China just took over a Canadian gold mining company in a $5.5 BILLION deal.
Reports of a coup attempt on X
https://x.com/visionergeo/status/2015515946283143480?s=20
Interesting. If true (and successful), the killing question is ‘Is the new boss same as the old boss?’
Of note: the 3K military members (+/-).
That means even the little fish aren’t safe, let alone the big ones.
Let’s reflect.
Not that long ago China was subverting our Democracy (Canada) together with a bunch of other unfriendly actions, but now we’re best buddies. Thx Carney for the pivot! Then perhaps another pivot? Elbows Up/Down/Around!
Wasn’t Canada concerned that the Indian (not indigenous) government was possibly involved in some targeted murders in Canada (not that I care about Indians killing Indians), and diplomatic relations were frosty? Also there are numerous reports of New Canadians (from India) participating in drugs, car theft, extortion etc (all documented)? So now Carney is going to India to improve trade relations and pivot from ‘Orange Man Bad”.
I hear he gave a great speech in Davos. Just like a Liberal, all talk, no action, or ‘it’s in progress, starting in 2040’. Meanwhile our previously great country continues to circle the bowl.
And people continue to vote for this demonstrable garbage?? Ford sucks too!
Xi Jinping has been purging top military leaders (and corporate CEO’s btw) without any public acknowledgement for the last three years. They just disappear from public view. And, here’s the important part. These purges are of military leaders and corporate leaders that HE PERSONALLY originally installed into their positions based on their loyalty.
China isn’t, exactly, teetering just yet. But, it’s definitely leaning.
Looks like just another purge of people Xi thinks have gotten powerful enough to cause him trouble. Standard Operating Procedure for any Chinese leader.
Too bad. Would have been fun to watch it unfold.
Stalin conducted massive purges of his officers before WW 2. This debilitated the Russian army, leading to huge losses of men and territory early in the war. The quality of officers improved as the war wore on, but it took a few years.
The current crop of Chinese officers are going to be more concerned with covering their ass than leading an army. Should they attempt to invade Taiwan, that weakness will hurt them. They might still be successful given the massive size of the Chinese military, but they might not.
As people age and start suffering senility, they often become more fearful and paranoid. This may be a sign of Xi’s mental deterioration.
It might.
In other words, you accuse your enemy of being what you are, and Xi Jinping is the senile dodderer on the throne currently descending into a paranoid world of his own, where everyone else with any power at all is a threat to his rule, that President Trump and even Vladimir Putin are said to be.
You’re *this* close to putting two and two together, KM.
Well that was incoherent.
Trump isn’t senile or crazy.
Xi Jinping is senile AND crazy.
People lie and say Trump is senile or crazy and a danger to humanity.
They say that because they don’t want you to realize that Xi Jinping is senile AND crazy, and a serious danger to humanity.
Is that clearer now or do I need to use words of one syllable?
Trump is as mad as a box of frogs.
The last box of frogs I saw was quite calm and sensible. Of course I probably hang with a better class of frog.
People are often in awe of China’s massive population and growing economic might, but at least two things will prevent it from reaching its full potential:
1. Its population is aging quickly and is beginning to decline. In fact, its decline might be quicker than statistics show, as the Chinese government undoubtedly lied about its COVID fatalities. The last few years especially have seen a huge baby bust, which means that its populations of military-age and economic-age people will fall precipitously.
https://www.populationpyramid.net/china/
2. Its political and economic systems suck. Individual and economic freedom are huge drivers of prosperity, and China does not have that. Its totalitarian government means that serious problems are often neglected. An example is how late the Chinese were to remove its one-child policy.
Does this mean the Muslim Fifth Columnists are going to take charge of Canada instead?
If there weren’t so many assholes trying to control everybody else, things could be pretty good here on planet earth for just about everybody.
It would.
Unfortunately, it would involve putting the “assholes” in prisons or lunatic asylums with little hope of coming out alive, unless someone finds a treatment for what’s wrong with them that isn’t euthanasia.
The “assholes” would sooner start a global thermonuclear war, just to make sure that when the meek inherited the earth, there’d be nothing left on earth worth inheriting, than to give up their power over the rest of us, no matter how quickly that might heal the world. If they can’t rule the world, nobody else can have it. The dog in the manger was less petty.
That pettiness is one reason why they tried to murder Donald Trump (just for starters).
Ha! OMG
Carney just gave China Canada’s gold???!!!
Let me guess, this will get few replies, like the initial “New. World. Order.” comment.
I’m thinking Canada no longer has a pulse.
“Allied Gold Corporation (TSX: AAUC, NYSE: AAUC) is an international gold mining company with a diversified portfolio of long-life assets that have significant near-term growth upside. These assets, which include both producing and development stage properties, are located in African jurisdictions supportive of mining, including Mali, Côte d’Ivoire and Ethiopia.”
Or at least so it says here:
https://alliedgold.com/overview/
In other words, the gold is in Africa, not Canada. Any Chinese investment in actual Canadian mines would be wiped out in any future police action by the United States to enforce the Monroe Doctrine on their northern frontier.
Africa is assumed by Bay Street to be in China’s sphere of influence, so the former owners of Allied Gold were probably happy to cash out, fearing (not unreasonably) that the same police action would make them a US-based company, and at risk of expropriation by their African hosts at the insistence of Beijing. So it’s no surprise that they’re quitting while they’re ahead.
I do wonder what they’ll invest the money in instead.
My guess: US Treasury bonds, which have a higher yield than Canadian bonds and aren’t going to go to zero the minute US troops show up on Bay Street.