RUSSIA, CHINA VS. USA: THE WINNER IS?

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin last week made it clear that the two countries shared a common interest in countering Western intrusion in their regions and promised to strengthen their alliance.
The Wall Street Journal pointed out that the countries did not always have such a close relationship, and—in 1969—were on the brink of war. But Putin said the alliance between the two has never been stronger and he hopes to meet Xi when he attends the Winter Games, which the U.S. is diplomatically boycotting.
Gordon Chang, the expert on China, wrote in The Hill that the news means the “three-decade-old nightmare of Washington policymakers has now come true: Beijing and Moscow have ganged up on America.”
Citing the readouts from their virtual call, Chang wrote that Putin came out in support of Beijing’s “legitimate position” on Taiwan, and Xi backed Russia’s call for assurances that Ukraine will never be admitted into NATO. 
He pointed out that Putin—for the first time—referred to China as an ally. He said Putin’s position on Taiwan should shock nobody. In 2016, the militaries from the two countries practiced “joint island-seizing missions.”
Putin said the countries have gotten closer because neither interferes in the other’s sphere of interest. Xi called out the “certain forces in the world” that have interfered in both countries’ interests. They did not say Washington by name but Xi said “efforts must be made to firmly reject hegemonic acts and the Cold War mentality under the disguise of multilateralism and rules.”
TRENDPOST: The Trends Journal has reported extensively on the challenge that China and Russia pose for the U.S., and the Biden administration’s attempt to counter them. See:

• “KREMLIN BLAMES UKRAINE FOR STOKING TENSIONS AT THE BORDER”

• “U.S. VOWS UKRAINE SUPPORT”

• “BLINKEN BELLOWS: U.S. COMMITMENT TO UKRAINE’S SOVEREIGNTY IS ‘IRONCLAD’”

• “CHINA WON’T STOP AT TAIWAN, SO WHERE SHOULD THE U.S. DRAW THE LINE?”

• “TAIWAN MILITARY RAMP-UP WILL NOT STOP CHINA”
• “BIDEN SAYS (AGAIN) U.S. WILL DEFEND TAIWAN IF CHINA INVADES”

TREND FORECAST: Gerald Celente, has said that the U.S.—despite having the largest and most expensive military in history—has not won a war since World War II and cannot even win against third-world nations, such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, etc. 
The U.S.’s disastrous withdrawal from Kabul has further negated America’s military’s reputation. By their deeds you shall know them, and considering the U.S. unbroken line of military defeats, Beijing and Moscow see the U.S. as a fading power.
TREND FORECAST: Beijing has long declared that Taiwan is part of its territory under its “One China Principle,” and it is the mainland’s territory under its Constitution. We forecast that just as Beijing has clamped down on Hong Kong protests and taken full control, so, too, will they take control of Taiwan when they are ready.
Despite condemnations when they do so, there will be no military forces from other nations that will challenge Communist China’s military might. 
The U.S. will not go to war with Russia over Ukraine and we forecast, minus a wild card event, Russia will not invade Ukraine. Furthermore, the military in Ukraine is no match against the Russians, and its only hope for security in the future is to become a member of NATO, which Blinken did not indicate is any closer today than it was before Russians amassed at the border.
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of NATO, has indicated that European defenses may not like it—but they certainly will not go to war to save Ukraine. He, too, vowed sanctions. 
The Financial Times reported that Putin has published a set of demands that would essentially end any chance of Ukraine becoming a full NATO member. 
The Russians have said that NATO states are increasing tensions in the region including the placement of weapons systems near Russia’s borders. He warned against putting similar missile systems that are already in place in Romania and Poland. He said Tomahawk missiles could hit Moscow in minutes. Putin is concerned about NATO’s move east, which included Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia being named member states.
Russia has demanded that NATO stops accepting former Soviet states into the alliance and any new base in a former Soviet state needs to be approved by the Kremlin.
“U.S. and NATO have aggressively escalated the security situation in recent years, which is absolutely unacceptable and extremely dangerous,” Putin said, according to the FT. The U.S. has denied the claim that Ukraine is picking a fight with its neighbor and said it is concerned about Moscow’s “increasingly harsh rhetoric.”
Robert Habeck, the German Economic Affairs and Climate Action minister, warned the Kremlin of—wait for it—“severe consequences” if there’s an invasion. He said blocking the Nord Stream 2 pipeline would be on the table. 
However, as we have reported, under pressure from the United States, the pipeline has not been approved despite rapidly rising natural gas prices. Yesterday, derivatives linked to TTF, Europe’s wholesale gas price, broke another record hitting €148.50 per megawatt hour.
Ukrainian officials said the construction of the pipeline could cost the country about $2 billion in “annual transit revenue” and “makes it more susceptible to energy extortion by Russia.”