The real reason why the US is trying to scuttle the Chinese are...

The real reason why the US is trying to scuttle the Chinese are the emerging rival cloud economies, which threaten the USD as the world's reserve currency.

China has its cloud system, which it provides free to its citizens, and unlike the US systems run by the tech oligarchs, such as Bezos, etc who charge users an arm and a leg.

I was only just thinking the other day that my accounting package, which includes cloud storage, now costs me about $500 a month as against the $200-$300 I used to spend on an off-the-shelf programme that I ran independently on my PC, and which only needed updating every 5 years or so.

The Chinese cloud system allows its citizens to buy and sell goods and services from their own digital wallet without involving third parties, such as banks.

China is now trying to sell its system to BRIC nations and others so they can circumvent the need to use USD in international trades.

This is a huge threat to the US because for 80 years the USD has been the World's reserve currency and most major commodities such as oil are currently denominated in USD.

The strength of the USD has allowed the US to borrow money from the rest of the world at rates far lower than anyone else to fuel its economy (hence the huge and growing US deficits) and also attracted investment in US Government bonds as a safe haven in troubled times.

Cheap money for the US economy is now under the dual threats of the rival Chinese cloud economy and President Trump trashing world trade agreements, which can only spur on disgruntled nations to look favourably at the Chinese system The recent hiccup with the US Bond market does show that the US is definitely starting to lose its safe haven status.

This is why the US, every so often, sabre rattles about Taiwan, trying to make the Chinese out as a predatory nation not to be trusted. Contrarily, he couldn't give a stuff about Russia invading the Ukraine, which he has basically thrown under the bus in preference to opening up new trade links with Russia. He knows he needs to break up the China-Russia bromance before it's too late.

The next 3 1/2 years under Trump are going to prove very interesting, and who knows how it's going to play out.