Ukraine

[Typhoon]

Nikkei Asia | China's UnionPay shuns Russian banks as sanctions force caution [paywalled]

Bank card company forgoes new opportunities to maintain global connections

IORI KAWATE, Nikkei staff writer
April 29, 2022 00:26 JST

BEIJING -- Even as China continues to distance itself from Western sanctions, the measures are affecting business decisions by companies like China UnionPay that worry about potentially being caught in the sanctions net themselves.

The bank card services provider has refused to work with Sberbank, Russia's largest bank, and halted talks with other Russian financial institutions targeted by sanctions, forcing them to scrap plans to issue UnionPay cards, according to local media.

While UnionPay accounted for only about 1% of bank cards issued in Russia as of 2020, interest had surged after Visa and Mastercard halted services there in response to this past February's invasion of Ukraine. But the Chinese company has been reluctant to take the opportunity to expand.

The Chinese government has repeatedly asserted that normal economic and trade activity between China and Russia would continue, while criticizing the sanctions imposed by the U.S., Europe and others in response to the invasion of Ukraine. In an address last week to the Boao Forum for Asia, President Xi Jinping expressed China's opposition to the "wanton use of unilateral sanctions."

More than 80% of Chinese companies in Russia have continued business as usual there, according to a list compiled by Yale University. This stands in sharp contrast to Japan, the U.S. and Germany, where roughly 90% of businesses have exited, scaled back or suspended operations in Russia or postponed plans there.

But some in China have taken a more cautious approach. Bank of China and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China have restricted financing for Russian commodities.

"The U.S. is increasing scrutiny on Chinese financial institutions that step up business in Russia," an insider connected to China's State Council said. As Washington pushes Beijing to stop supporting Moscow, it is dangling the threat of economic consequences for companies that operate there.

Being cut off from international payments networks would be painful for Chinese banks. Nearly 80% of the world's cross-border transactions are handled in dollars or euros, with just 2% in yuan. These companies are likely weighing the potential profits from continuing or expanding business in Russia against the risk of sanctions -- and deciding it is not worth the possible costs.

Even if banks are not directly hit with Western sanctions, they could still face heavy losses in the event of protracted economic or financial turmoil in Russia. The China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank froze all activity related to Russia and Belarus in early March to "safeguard the financial integrity" of the institution.

Beyond the financial sector, drone maker DJI Technology said Tuesday that it would temporarily halt business in Russia and Ukraine pending a compliance review. The company has raised concerns about its drones, which it says are for civilian use only, being employed in combat.

China's state-run Sinopec Group has reportedly suspended talks with Russian petrochemical company Sibur on a joint venture, including discussion of up to a $500 million investment in a new petrochemical plant, amid sanctions-related risks.

[Typhoon]

279151800_305998188379307_4048064437454703910_n.jpg (186.56 KiB) Viewed 4997 times

[Heracleum Persicum]

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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... -visa-lure

Biden Seeks to Rob Putin of His Top Scientists With Visa Lure

Proposal would waive certain visa requirements for Russians

The Biden administration has a plan to rob Vladimir Putin of some of his best innovators by waiving some visa requirements for highly educated Russians who want to come to the U.S., according to people familiar with the strategy.

Nothing new .. US steals Chinese, Russian, Iranian, Indian scientist since long long time


[Mod note. Iran related stuff goes in the Iran thread.]

[noddy]

so what a does a "win" look like in Ukraine for Russia.

its all starting to smell like endless insurgace, European Vietnam.

unless they shut down the Polish border, the Ukraine is not going to run out of toys to harrass them with.

[Heracleum Persicum]

so what a does a "win" look like in Ukraine for Russia.

its all starting to smell like endless insurgace, European Vietnam.

unless they shut down the Polish border, the Ukraine is not going to run out of toys to harrass them with.

Russia a very big country, no need additional territory.

For national security reason, Russia will not allow and accept NATO at Russian borders, they said so.

Once Ukraine neutral and Russian speaking part separated, Moldova's Transnistria will be taken care of.

That is when NATO will get the message .. message is either new "European Security Arrangement" .. or .. "next one please" .. Baltics, here we come

Russia said will not accept "unfriendly forces" at it's border

And, don't be fooled by western PR, Russia already won
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[Nonc Hilaire]

so what a does a "win" look like in Ukraine for Russia.

Win for Russia is steal the central banker’s gold, put a buffer zone on the Black Sea region and secure the gas pipeline. They don’t need to control a gorillion hectares of sunflowers.

[Heracleum Persicum]

so what a does a "win" look like in Ukraine for Russia.

Win for Russia is steal the central banker’s gold, put a buffer zone on the Black Sea region and secure the gas pipeline. They don’t need to control a gorillion hectares of sunflowers.

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Yes

and

Donbas Ukraine's industrial heartland, produces 20 percent of gross domestic product and about a quarter of Ukraine's export volume.


https://www.dw.com/en/the-significance- ... a-17567049


The rest of Ukraine is "sunflower(oil)"

and

All Black Sea region in Russian hand, Ukraine become landlocked.

That is what Russian plan is ..


Odessa Airports bombed today

https://www.aviation24.be/airports/odes ... an-strike/

https://politiko.al/english/bota/shpert ... in-i459023
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[noddy]

what stops Poland (helped by NATO) from sending over non stop low level insurgency .

[Typhoon]

.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... -visa-lure

Biden Seeks to Rob Putin of His Top Scientists With Visa Lure

Proposal would waive certain visa requirements for Russians

The Biden administration has a plan to rob Vladimir Putin of some of his best innovators by waiving some visa requirements for highly educated Russians who want to come to the U.S., according to people familiar with the strategy.

Nothing new .. US steals Chinese, Russian, Iranian, Indian scientist since long long time


[Mod note. Iran related stuff goes in the Iran thread.]

If "steal" means providing an environment for immigrant scientists to thrive, then yes.

[Heracleum Persicum]

what stops Poland (helped by NATO) from sending over non stop low level insurgency .

That "insurgency" scam cuts both way .. notion, Poland (and others) send stuff and Russia just looks on, naive.

Russia, China could start doing same what CIA (and friends) are doing, destabilize West.

World has changed, this not Vietnam times that US carpet bombs Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and things stay there .. world is now a village.

It is not in western interest to drag this on military .. in Ukraine, militarily, Russia is in much stronger position, Ukraine just next door, not 10,000 miles away (like Vietnam or Afghanistan), same people, everybody speaks Russian or is half Russian (many mix marriages) etc etc .. easy for Russia to integrate things into Russia or Russian friendly.

And Ukranians would be fool to die for American geopolitical reason, once Zelenskyy and Ukraine oligarch realize game is over and further bloodshed not in Ukraine national interests, they will fold their hands.

In that case, fighting will change to "economy" .. West will try to weaken Russia economically .. that could boomerang and do the opposite, as all economic and financial tools West misusing will be sidestepped and alternative tools already taking shape .. in that process, West itself can weaken.

Economically, financially , world has changed too .. western GDP falling as % to world GDP ..

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/2000-y ... one-chart/

share-of-gdp-history1070.jpeg (689.5 KiB) Viewed 4929 times

Look 1950 .. look 2017 .. and now 2022 probably much worst for west

West loosing the power to twist arms .. India, Saudi , Iran demonstrated
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[Heracleum Persicum]

If "steal" means providing an environment for immigrant scientists to thrive, then yes.

Main (and sole) reason scientist migrate is availability of better equipment and tools and higher budget for them to conduct their science.

West, US , so far offered that

But

Now "others", for science field the country is interested and wants to promote, they offer comparable facilities and budgets.

That is why no Chinese scientist migrate to US, and many Iranian scientist after gaining experience in West, RETURN

https://irangov.ir/detail/366317
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[noddy]

I dont think the west cares that much if Russia and China team up, good for China to get cheap petrol.

Russia is a dying ghost of a country, using decades of softpower to get invited to the party, just so it can do a big poo in the room and call it a victory.

its months later and they cant decisively capture the edge of Ukraine next to Russia, and no, their is no stopping constant insurgency on that border.

even your beloved Germany has joined the insurrection - they dont care about war anymore, they are bored with Russia.
.
https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-german-la ... a-61618357

[noddy]

If Russia keeps all the land, and the sanctions go away, then Ill call it a Russian victory and the complete castration of the Europeans will move from theory, to reality.

at this stage however, its not 100% apparent the proxy war via Poland has any reason to stop - in this case, the Russians will run out of mischief before the entire of NATO does.


or it escalates and its nuclear war....

the Ukrainians will suffer, of course, but this was never about them.

[Heracleum Persicum]

even your beloved Germany has joined the insurrection - they dont care about war anymore, they are bored with Russia.

https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-german-la ... a-61618357
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https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/sc ... 022-05-01/


https://olxpraca.com/german-chancellor- ... g-ukraine/


https://www.rt.com/news/554819-scholz-u ... s-caution/

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Berlin would not take the lead in sending heavy weapons and equipment to Ukraine. Under pressure from officials in Kyiv and within his government, Scholz insisted that he would not tolerate any “hasty action” this could lead to an expansion of the ongoing conflict.

German, Scholz, European interest far away from American, British or (15000 miles away) Australian

and

Germans no more as fool as been not long ago.

Any expansion of war will hit their security and interest FIRST.

Putin just waiting for an excuse to call NATO's bluff, probably slapping Poland. In that case NATO has either put up or shut up.

Scholz no fool to give this excuse to Putin


All the reasons Russia will invade Moldova
Russia has long sought to keep Moldova in its post-Soviet sphere

There is growing concern that Moldova and Transnistria could be dragged into Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Both Transnistria and Moldova are directly west of Ukraine. Transnistria, a small, breakaway region of Moldova, is sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine along its southwestern border.
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https://www.usnews.com/news/world/artic ... n-into-war

"Russia has lost 25.0000 troops, 10 generals, 1000 tanks, 8 ships, 200 planes and 1600 trucks."

"And Nato?"

"They haven't arrived yet."

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was right choice to post this "Levitas" , joke, thread

noddy, all #s you read re Ukraine incursion in Western media, are fabrication, zero truth to it

Not yet seen any lies in (most accurate) Bangladesh media re Ukraine war

.

[Typhoon]

The reality is that what was supposed to be a lightening occupation, with the Ukrainians greeting the Russian occupiers as "liberators from fascism" has bogged down into a war of attrition.

Baghdad_Bob_has_a_new_job_as_Lavrov.jpg (14.87 KiB) Viewed 4870 times

[Typhoon]

what stops Poland (helped by NATO) from sending over non stop low level insurgency .

That "insurgency" scam cuts both way .. notion, Poland (and others) send stuff and Russia just looks on, naive.

Russia, China could start doing same what CIA (and friends) are doing, destabilize West.

World has changed, this not Vietnam times that US carpet bombs Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and things stay there .. world is now a village.

It is not in western interest to drag this on military .. in Ukraine, militarily, Russia is in much stronger position, Ukraine just next door, not 10,000 miles away (like Vietnam or Afghanistan), same people, everybody speaks Russian or is half Russian (many mix marriages) etc etc .. easy for Russia to integrate things into Russia or Russian friendly.

And Ukranians would be fool to die for American geopolitical reason, once Zelenskyy and Ukraine oligarch realize game is over and further bloodshed not in Ukraine national interests, they will fold their hands.

In that case, fighting will change to "economy" .. West will try to weaken Russia economically .. that could boomerang and do the opposite, as all economic and financial tools West misusing will be sidestepped and alternative tools already taking shape .. in that process, West itself can weaken.

Economically, financially , world has changed too .. western GDP falling as % to world GDP ..

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/2000-y ... one-chart/



share-of-gdp-history1070.jpeg



Look 1950 .. look 2017 .. and now 2022 probably much worst for west

West loosing the power to twist arms .. India, Saudi , Iran demonstrated
.

"Making predictions is difficult, especially about the future."

~ Danish proverb

The reality is that such linear extrapolations into the future rarely, if ever, come to pass.

[Typhoon]

The reality is that what was supposed to be a lightening occupation, with the Ukrainians greeting the Russian occupiers as "liberators from fascims" has bogged down into a war of attrition

Baghdad_Bob_has_a_new_job_as_Lavrov.jpg

.

Russia Incursion into ex Ukraine ( ) not a war in traditional sense .. This not a war or occupation Western style ..

US indiscriminately bombed Iraq and Libya and Serbia, bombing first the sewer system, the water system, the electricity system wiping out all the civilian infrastructure and later topped that with killing civilians .. West, Americans has no human feelings for Libyan or Iraqi, they different, like killing red Indians


But

Russia not bombed any civilian infrastructure , sewer system , water system, electric system , civilian infrastructure , civilians etc etc

Mod note. The above claim is a blatant lie.

Investigative Group Publishes Map Of Destroyed Civilian Targets In Ukraine

Map of civilian targets in Ukraine

Russia task is not war on that territory but "reintegration" into Russia.

"Reintegrating" a sovereign independent nation that has less than zero interest in being "reintegrated".

Hence the prolonged and ongoing fierce Ukrainian resistance to the unwelcome foreign invaders.

That is why Russia going softi softi, yes, things dont proceed fast, and must take casualty, but end result (hopefully) good .. unexperienced military and political commentators thinking Russia too weak to wipe out Ukraine

An amusing rationalization for failure.

Rather the usual Russian organizational, operational, and technical incompetence is on full display.

[Mod note. Again, this thread is about Ukraine. Whataboutism will be summarily deleted.]

[Heracleum Persicum]

The reality is that what was supposed to be a lightening occupation, with the Ukrainians greeting the Russian occupiers as "liberators from fascims" has bogged down into a war of attrition

Baghdad_Bob_has_a_new_job_as_Lavrov.jpg

.

Russia Incursion into ex Ukraine ( ) not a war in traditional sense .. This not a war or occupation Western style ..

US indiscriminately bombed Iraq and Libya and Serbia, bombing first the sewer system, the water system, the electricity system wiping out all the civilian infrastructure and later topped that with killing civilians .. West, Americans has no human feelings for Libyan or Iraqi, they different, like killing red Indians


But

Russia not bombed any civilian infrastructure , sewer system , water system, electric system , civilian infrastructure , civilians etc etc

Mod note. The above claim is a blatant lie.

Investigative Group Publishes Map Of Destroyed Civilian Targets In Ukraine

Map of civilian targets in Ukraine

At the moment, any post from western or Western leaning (Switzerland used to be neutral now in bed with West) sources is "worthless", not only zero truth to it but rather fabricated PR and lies. Out of respect to Moderator, I don't post news from RT or other Russia leaning media.

Sure there civilian casualty or Nazi hiding in hospital or school and being hit.

But, that is not what I am getting at

What I say is, even before one bullet is fired, West, NATO , war plan is FIRST hit all civilian infrastructure , sewer , water, electricity, and and and , to destroy the "civilian infrastructure" .. this no secret, this said openly .. and later .. hit the civilian targets with big civilian casualty

Why so ?

Because NATO not into winning heart and mind of Libyans or Afghan, rather to steal libyan Oil was and is the goal .. anybody knows who in charge in Libya and gets the money for oil in Libya ? NO .. nobody knows .. neither metered nor paid for .. things so ridiculous that even Turkey wants "free Libyan Oil" saying why not Turkey

Not the case in Russian incursion into Ukraine

Russia is not conquering Territory populated by 95% Ukrainian .. Russia freeing those territory where vast majority are Russians. Ukraninian Nazi killed 14,000 Russians there and Minsk agreement thrown into toilet

Russia task is not war on that territory but "reintegration" into Russia.

"Reintegrating" a sovereign independent nation that has less than zero interest in being "reintegrated".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI8J3tfH5HY

EI8J3tfH5HY


Russian separatists celebrate in Donetsk


and


These are the bad guys


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMMXuKB0BoY

wMMXuKB0BoY



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi575J_wYdM

fi575J_wYdM

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[Heracleum Persicum]

.

lesson learned :

To be respectable, efficient, and trustworthy , one must be JUST .. no matter where chips fall

Issue not whether one loves or hates Russia or China or America .. one must be faire and just

That is how Persia lasted 5000 yrs and all others disappeared

.

[noddy]

Wagner group has been operating in Eastern Ukraine since 2014 - so what we have in REALITY is 2 slavic ultranationalist groups having low level war with each other, which everyone turned a blind eye too because Putin was building up troops and causing mischief, you use dogs to fight dogs.

only the Putin bots claim russian innonence in all this and say nobody understands the NAZIS's in ukraine - everyone understands why.

Germany has really got into action of late.

not only have they sidelined the pro russian stooges and started shipping heavy artillery, they have also massively escalated the de-russification of their energy.

https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/energ ... 264f6ce1e8

Dependence on Russian oil has fallen from around 35 percent last year to 12 percent most recently, and the import share of Russian gas from 55 percent to around 35 percent. In the case of coal, this rate has fallen from 50 percent to around eight percent since the beginning of the year. The EU recently passed an import ban on Russian coal with a transitional period.

"Ending dependence on Russian crude oil imports by late summer is realistic,"

Together with efforts by companies and private households to reduce the use of gas through energy efficiency, energy saving and electrification, the share of Russian gas supplies in consumption can be reduced to around 30 percent by the end of 2022, they say.

According to the report, several floating terminals for liquefied natural gas (LNG) are to be put into operation on the German coast in 2022 and 2023. Further LNG terminals are being planned.

[noddy]

.

lesson learned :

To be respectable, efficient, and trustworthy , one must be JUST .. no matter where chips fall

Issue not whether one loves or hates Russia or China or America .. one must be faire and just

That is how Persia lasted 5000 yrs and all others disappeared

.

gibberish.

they bombed the country next to the because they feel they are a great power and got upset that nobody treats them that way.

the Germans have been trying to integrate them into Europe the whole time, NATO was dying because most europeans wanted nothing to do with American adventures in the middle east and that made NATO pointless.

yet, the durian Putin decided he was too special to be just another European country, and smashed all that - now the whole of Europe is Pro NATO again.

their is no win for Putin - even if he takes all of Ukraine and keeps it - Russia is now a garunteed north korea type place, asking China for permission to live.

[Heracleum Persicum]

.
If Putin had sinister thought re Ukraine long ago, why he pushed for Minsk agreement ? and signed on dotted line ?

Who, including West European "guarantors" France, pored Minsk into toilet and flashed ?

it was not Putin

Meaning not Putin but Victoria Nuland might have "had other plans"

And

What is the story about all the Bio stuff that Biden son was pouring millions of $$ and Victoria Nuland hopes do not fall in Russian military hand ?

Above from US C-Span


There some rumor, very scary evidence coming to light that Russia presenting in UN, "apparently" some western scientist captured by Russians.

Don't know true or not
.

[noddy]

obviously all the western media is lies - war time media is always lies, from both sides, the russian media is also lies, the independant media is also lies.

its about promoting strength of porpoise and unity , its never about the facts, which are irrelevant at such times, for the independants its about latching onto the narrative and pushing your own agenda on the disaster.

doesnt matter, its a silly argument.

the only truth is who can maintain the attritional warfare on the border the longest.

NATO has more resources than RU does, Ukraine has more angry young men wanting to fight than RU does.

Putin is going to have to escalate soon, declare full war, draft the entire russian economy into this, before the counter offensive using all the new weapons pushes back on that border.

its going to get uglier.

[Heracleum Persicum]

obviously all the western media is lies - war time media is always lies, from both sides, the russian media is also lies, the independant media is also lies.

its about promoting strength of porpoise and unity , its never about the facts, which are irrelevant at such times, for the independants its about latching onto the narrative and pushing your own agenda on the disaster.

doesnt matter, its a silly argument.

the only truth is who can maintain the attritional warfare on the border the longest.

yes

NATO has more resources than RU does, Ukraine has more angry young men wanting to fight than RU does.

Putin is going to have to escalate soon, declare full war, draft the entire russian economy into this, before the counter offensive using all the new weapons pushes back on that border.
.

Ukraine just next door to Russia, and same people, culture and history .. and .. territory Russia taking is majority populated by Russians.

NATO in "disadvantage" in many fields .. what if Russia starts hitting Weapon deliveries inside Poland close to Ukraine border ? is NATO going to start a war with Russia ? or look the other way .. my bet would be look the other way

International law permits Russia hitting weapon deliveries .. same as US started bombing Cambodia and Laos arguing Ho Chi Minh trail

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_trail

Things not as simple as looks

"Initiative" is in Russian hand, to put NATO in a situation of Zugzwang

its going to get uglier.
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Yes
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[Heracleum Persicum]

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