Back in the day the theory went that if China became an economic actor engaged commercially with the West, then the country would ultimately evolve into a liberal democratic society.

It was naive but that was the thinking.

Not only did that trajectory fail to materialize, it is increasing clear that Europe and the United States are the ones who shifted in terms of state governance and have become more like the Chinese system.

Exhibit A ….. VPNs

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/insight/lawmakers-warn-vpns-may-erode-us-privacy/gm-GM508CF833?gemSnapshotKey=GM508CF833-snapshot-1&uxmode=ruby

Today’s CNBC interview linked below.

Source: CNBC https://share.google/e7V2bTojKpNXnJ0C0

You may not like the message, but after last Monday’s social media post by President Trump the entire calculus fundamentally changed.

Oh, and just now we have China going back into retaliation mode. Investigation into US trade practices.

I would add that throughout this week have had a number of conversations. The through line is a conviction that Trump bluffed on Monday with his post about “constrictive talks with Iran”.

My takeaway from those meetings was an interest for the Chinese to press the advantage. This move here, late on a Friday afternoon before American markets open, is a perfect example.

https://en.bloomingbit.io/feed/news/108753

Well, it would appear as though Japanese investors yeeted out of the JFB 10Y at the end of Asian trading.

Anyone out there remember the massive popularity of the Datsun B210 from the 1980s?

Demand was a complete response to the oil shock of the 1970s.

Same thing hold here. Only question is how long the American domestic moat can hold before the proverbial damn breaks.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/some-us-car-buyers-envy-what-they-cannot-have-affordable-chinese-evs-2026-03-23/

Quick note. If the nexus to any talks is Islamabad then know that there are Chinese fingerprints all over that decision.

And given recent reports of Wang Yi, China’s Foreign Minister, reaching out to Tehran that makes the movement now being discussed all the more credible.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/pakistan-positioning-itself-intermediary-us-184439678.html

Just watched the latest interview with Sec Bessent. Not his best performance. He truly seemed to be at wits end.

But it was his comment about how Treasury can monitor who is buying the now unsanctioned Iranian oil. If transacted in USD and done through the SWIFT network of correspondent banks in New York, then yes. Correct.

If, however, done with Renminbi and processed through China’s CIPS network then Treasury has zero visibility.

I’d wager it is the later and, critically, those shipments will have final settlement in gold.

After a relatively longer than expected wait, Unitree was approved to IPO late on Friday afternoon.

Widely expected and the company is even already profitable. Now comes the rapid deployment of scale. The company produced and sold 5,500 units last year. Growth is now set to compound.

As I’ve stated on numerous occasions, China will do to humanoid robotics what it did to the EV marketplace. And it’ll be done in a matter of a few years.

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/03/20/unitree-plans-shanghai-ipo-testing-interest-in-humanoid-robots.html