On the heels of what has been a wild start to 2017, below is a shocking admission from Trump and one of China’s most important government officials.

Stephen Leeb:  “China, which has typically followed a course of craftily concealing its long-term intentions, evidently now feels sure enough of its position in Asia that it has abandoned cryptic nuance. On the question of which country – the U.S. or China – will dominate Asia’s economy and security, China is confronting U.S. bluster head on, as shown in a recent Chinese White Paper. Not surprisingly, given the widespread denial (and ignorance) here, the White Paper received little attention in the American press…

As reported in The Diplomat, an award-winning online publication that focuses on the Asia-Pacific region:

“In early January China’s Foreign Ministry published a White Paper on ‘China’s Policies on Asia-Pacific Security Cooperation’ signaling an intensification of China’s effort to establish itself as the dominant power in Asia and dislodge U.S. influence…Chinese authorities also regard divided leadership along economic and security grounds as unsustainable and as an impediment to growth.”

By divided leadership it is referring to leadership shared with America. In other words, if America wants to play in Asia, it will have to follow a playbook written in Chinese.

The White Paper’s concluding sentence was:

“The Chinese people are working hard to realize the Chinese Dream…China will bring greater opportunities and benefits for development and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.” 

Shocking Admission From One Of China’s Most Important Government Officials
For investors, the phrase that stands out is ‘Chinese Dream.’  You may recall that in a previous KWN interview I quoted from the Chinese secretary in charge of gold:

“For China, gold’s strategic mission is to support the internationalization of the renminbi and be a strong support for China’s goals of becoming an economic power and realizing the ‘Chinese Dream.’  Gold is the only product that holds properties of a commodity and currency; it’s the most trusty asset on which modern fiat currency can be based. From a historical perspective, gold has played an irreplaceable role in times of financial and geopolitical crises and in protecting a country’s economic security.  It is this unique nature and function of gold that give it a glorious and holy role to play during the revitalization of the greatness of the Chinese people and the realization of the ‘Chinese Dream.’’’ — Song Xin

It should be an automatic reflex: anytime you hear about Chinese domination of a major chunk of the world and anytime you hear the phrase “Chinese Dream,” think gold.

For some historical perspective I went back to a paper written by Zbigniew Brzezinski for Foreign Affairs in 1997 titled “A Geostrategy for Eurasia,” which summarized a book he’d written that year. It focused in part on what America’s role should be in Eurasia, which he cited as accounting for 75 percent of the world’s population, 60 percent of the world’s GDP, and 75 percent of energy resources. His premise was that “America’s status as the world’s premier power is unlikely to be contested for more than a generation.” America’s military, economic, technological, and cultural power meant the only alternative to American leadership would be “international anarchy.”….more here