China: Measures announced Monday are mild, exercised restraint so far

when checkmate

Beijing still playing careful, Dec. 15 still remains the time!

Here is an essential fact for understanding the situation: all the Politburo members are heavily invested in "The West". Education for Commie princelings at top Universities, luxurious property in British Columbia, California, Sydney, weddings at French Chateau's. Assets exported out of reach of the Party Disciplinary Committee's long hand (the primary means Xi has for disciplining them) or just stashed away for a rainy day.

They have no interest in a tit-for-tat escalation, particularly the adoption of a Magnitsky style anti-CCP law targeting the higher echelons of The Party. Whereas one part of the Legislation signed by Trump last week does resemble this type of law, it is still quite mild and restricted in scope. More of a warning, really.

The more the conflict grows and becomes entrenched in the political and military realm, the higher the risk of anti-CCP measures with a true bite adopted by US Congress. The Party upper apparatchiks do not fear tariffs, they are not the ones paying the tariffs. The Chinese serfs have little choice but to swallow the tariff impact that is not absorbed by US persons and companies, who at least have the recourse of the election ballot.

China has actually exercised a lot of restraint towards the Trump administration so far. When the exercising of restraint ends it will not be pretty

And why are they exercising restraint on the US but not other countries that cross their path?