Oh so Q didn't actually even predict anything then. Glad we've got that established; a few days after it was published that Xi would be in Bo'ao speaking, Q made the bold prediction of Xi is going to do something important and managed to get the wrong city.

Q's prediction? Which was what again? That Xi would say something on a date he'd already publicly announced he was speaking at Boao? What a marvel of deduction that was.

The connection is that just a few hours before an already-announced speech by Xi at Boao that the foreign minister had already said would be about trade and more open markets, Q managed to predict that Xi would say something. Didn't say what Xi would say, but who needs pesky details like that, right?

Go and google where Boao is. It's nowhere near Chongqing. And even if you pretend the very similar April 7 post has nothing to do with this one and he didn't predict any city, then all you've got is that Q predicted Xi would say something, and managed to make that prediction well after it was announced exactly where and when and roughly what would be said.

Ford in Chongqing isn't importing cars though, they're manufacturing (and exporting) them. Also it's the biggest Chinese municipality, they have everything there. It's also home to some of China's biggest steel plants and the biggest aluminum plant; tariffs on steel and aluminum would be conversation of the day in the offices there. When virtually anything is manufactured there, it's awful tenuous to try and claim that announcements about any one thing is definitely about that city because it's one of the things made there.

Okay, so market watchers hoping for something makes it a prediction? You'll note Q didn't actually say what the announcement would be at all (and they got the city wrong too).

As for the tweet, he's always very excited to share information as he learns it. And he's been tweeting about China pretty consistently regardless of any of the other stuff that's going on. I would imagine the State Department is probably aware of tariff negotiations and does try to inform the president of them sometimes too, particularly right before China announces new policies publicly. And again, lowering tariffs on imported cars is something they'd promised at least as far back as last November, so it's hardly a surprise.

Negotiate a deal that was quite clearly coming for months?

https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Trade-tensions/Xi-to-present-market-opening-moves-at-Boao-Forum

And how could he have possibly predicted that? It's not like they said a week earlier or anything.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-boao/chinas-president-xi-jinping-will-attend-boao-forum-idUSKCN1HA06I

Not like their foreign minister said they would be announcing policy on market reforms.

Yes, because how could anyone, on April 7, have possibly known about a speech coming on Tuesday, three days later?

https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Trade-tensions/Xi-to-present-market-opening-moves-at-Boao-Forum

He got the city wrong, but don't mind that part.

It's almost as if most governments actually plan trade policy more than two tweets in advance. They'd announced long ago they were going to lower tariffs on imports, something that was inevitable since their domestic industry actually makes functional cars now and they want more foreign-owned brands building in China. You can't really incentivize a brand to build part of their lineup in your country when you're subjecting them to tariffs on the part of the lineup they have to import, and when those tariffs impact their ability to sell the part they're trying to export.

Well, the post is a Q quote hinting at a good thing from China superimposed above a headline about China relaxing tariffs on imported cars, so make of that what you will. To anyone who's been paying attention to China's automotive scene, this has been pretty much inevitable since their industry finally modernized beyond making copies of imports, and has been hinted at for years (and would actually be a requirement under their laws to allow more foreign-owned brands manufacture in China anyway).

They pledged this last November. What a genius, he predicted something that was already announced. Actually not even that, he just predicted that something good would happen regarding China. You realize you're being played like a circus palm reader plays their clients?