中南海肥脸

Pedro Sánchez starts his fourth trip to China in four years with Spain running a record trade deficit of about €42 billion with Beijing. Foreign investment into Spain fell 21.8% in 2025. This government confuses diplomacy with dependence, and photo ops with strategy.

@GuoxinLi4 @DesmondShum You master Xi doesn't think it's bullshit x.com/i/status/20429…

@xjp_no1 @DesmondShum That is bullshit. Strengthening China is more prioritized than weakening the west. They may overlap on some topics But sometimes, can be win win. At the end of the day, they are not the same .

Iran Is Where Xi Decides Whether He’s a True Believer What should China do about Iran? On one hand, applying the Ukraine playbook against the United States looks like a dream scenario for Beijing. Dragging the U.S. into a prolonged conflict over the Strait of Hormuz would strain American military stockpiles, divide the West, and weaken its manufacturing competitors (like Vietnam, India, etc) — all major strategic wins from China’s perspective. On the other hand, China’s economy remains heavily reliant on exports at a time when its domestic consumption is weak and investment growth is slowing. Provoking a broader recession among its main customers would backfire badly. This isn’t really a balancing act. It’s a revealing test of what Xi Jinping truly believes. If he is truly committed to his vision of “changes unseen in a century,” he should be willing to accept economic pain for strategic gain. That would mean going all in on Iran — with advanced military aid, satellite intelligence, economic lifelines, and a sustained effort to use Tehran to erode American power and influence. This is less a policy dilemma than an ideological test: how much pain is Xi willing to absorb to force the changes he says history demands?

China plans to deliver air defense systems to Iran during fragile cease-fire deal: report trib.al/3A3Mrny

Teens suspected of murdering congressional intern linked by DNA on shell casings, prosecutors say trib.al/OZ86NN7

Also a turn of view towards Iran perhaps. Beijing was reportedly disappointed at the latter the last two years as Iran failed to react when the Houthis got bombed by the U.S. or Assad crushed. Now, it might be impressed that Iran seems to have found balls.

Xi Jinping is gonna do all he can to weaken the West

France barely has an economy. The national and local government spending is over 57% of the economy. France is near Greece levels of financial chaos. However France is nearly 10x larger than Greece. France is too big for Germany to bailout.

Who remembers Robbie Knievel jumping the Grand Canyon in ‘ 99'? Iconic or crazy?

US intelligence indicates China preparing weapons shipment to Iran, CNN reports reut.rs/4mpVolC reut.rs/4mpVolC

Iran Jihadists’ “Ceasefire” Is Really Cease-and-Fire I like to learn from Israelis in the region. They know better. Here’s an episode I found illuminating. youtu.be/ToV2fJ4rzDQ?si… Here are the key points: •Hudna Jihad Strategy: The Iranian regime’s “ceasefire” (Hudna) is not a step toward peace but a tactical pause in jihad — a temporary lull to rearm, regroup, and prepare for the next round of fighting. In the Middle East context, it is viewed as another phase of jihad, not a path to permanent peace. •Survival as Victory: For Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and similar groups, mere survival after conflict counts as victory. Lack of decisive defeat by Israel/US is interpreted as divine blessing and proof that “infidels” cannot destroy them, inspiring other Islamist groups. •Ideological Drivers: The current Iranian regime is more extreme than Khomeini’s, influenced by Hojjatia and figures like Mesbah Yazdi/Ahmadinejad. It seeks to accelerate the reemergence of the Shiite Mahdi through apocalyptic events (Gog and Magog/Armageddon), with Jews/Israel first on the target list. Core goal: export the Islamic Revolution globally via proxies. •Proxies and Continued Fighting: Iran retains strong influence over Hezbollah, Hamas, and Houthis. Even during “ceasefire,” proxies continue attacks (e.g., Hezbollah firing at Israel). Ceasefires allow rearming while Iran claims no control when convenient. •Western Misunderstanding: The West sees ceasefires as momentum toward peace and stability. This ignores that these groups reject Israel’s (and often America’s) right to exist, label them “Little Satan” and “Big Satan,” and treat the conflict as existential jihad until victory or martyrdom. Past ceasefires with Hamas repeatedly enabled rearmament and led to escalated attacks. •Perception and Psychological Warfare: Victory celebrations in Iran and continued proxy actions create a perception of Iranian strength and US/Israeli failure. This boosts Islamist morale across the Arab/Muslim world and undermines confidence in Western resolve. •Arab/Gulf States’ Reluctance: Saudi-led Gulf countries hesitate to confront Iran militarily due to fear of domestic backlash (seen as aiding “aggression” against a Muslim country), preference for backing the “strong horse” (want decisive victory), and uncertainty about US/Israeli commitment and long-term outcomes. •Achievements vs. Remaining Threats: US/Israeli actions in the ~40-day conflict degraded Iran’s navy, air force, missile production, proxies, and leadership through assassinations. However, significant capabilities remain (30-40% missiles/launchers, drones, mines), proxies are still operational, and the jihadist ideology/mindset is untouched. Nuclear program status is unclear. •Need for Decisive Action and Patience: True victory requires uprooting the regime and its radical jihadist ideology, not just military degradation. Ideology needs territory, weapons, and military power to thrive — weakening these undermines it (lessons from al-Qaeda/ISIS). This demands long-term patience, determination, and follow-through, rejecting short-term ceasefires that allow regrouping. •Broader Implications: The conflict is part of a larger struggle to reshape the Middle East. Leaving the regime/proxies intact risks continued instability, terrorism, and Iranian influence spreading. Opportunity exists for US/allies to achieve a “new Middle East” through sustained pressure; otherwise, jihadists will fill the vacuum. Regime change and ideological confrontation are ultimately necessary. Leaving aside the long term desired outcomes, if that reading is correct, then what we have now is not steps toward the end of the war. It is simply the end of one round. Iran will regroup, the U.S. will be pulled back in. Then, the world economy is in deep trouble. Investors will pay the price for every illusion sold as peace.

据CNN报道，美国情报显示中国正准备向伊朗运送武器装备。

@DrewPavlou probably not

I wonder if this account is a family member of Xi. They have a lot of childhood photos of him on here lol.

Just in time for a weekend

So eastern Europe will have no game

won't believe it

just send her to Gaza, if she really wants to be Hamas

China's plan is to de-industrialize the West. Why bother boosting consumption if it makes the objective harder to achieve

How do Europe cope with the fact that they don't have top AI models?