Mary Jane Freeman

China’s Overview of the Program of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation

August 19, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in Africa, Agriculture, China, COVID-19, Economic development updates, General updates, Global Diplomacy, Healthcare, Power & Energy, Railway projects, So. Africa

China’s Overview of the Program of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation—

Aug. 18, 2022 (EIRNS)–The FOCAC (Forum on China-Africa Cooperation) Coordinators’ meeting to follow up on FOCAC program implementation, took place Aug. 18. In anticipation of the meeting, Li Zhigang, Chargé d’ Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa, wrote an overview of these programs, which appeared in the Independent Online (IOL) Aug. 17.

One project of especial interest: “The two sides have set up a China-Africa RMB [renminbi] center to explore RMB settlement for China-Africa trade, logistics, and industrial cooperation.”

The nine broad points are presented here in brief:

The medical and health program: China has provided more than 250 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Africa, covering almost all African countries, and launched joint production of COVID-19 vaccine in Egypt, Algeria and Morocco. China has made constant efforts to pair up Chinese and African hospitals for cooperation, and the African CDC headquarters project (Phase I) is expected to be completed in early 2023. China has also been helping with control of malaria, schistosomiasis and AIDS.

Poverty reduction and agricultural development program: China has provided emergency food aid and other humanitarian assistance to the Horn of Africa and other regions. China has offered locust control insecticides, irrigation equipment, and technical assistance. The first four “China-Africa joint centers for modern agrotechnology exchange, demonstration and training” have been set up to train professionals in the fields of tropical crops, aquaculture, biomass energy and dry farming.

Trade promotion: From January to June this year, China-Africa trade volume registered U.S. $137.38 billion, up by 16.6% year-on-year, of which China’s exports to and imports from Africa increased by 14.7% and 19.1% respectively. China has opened “green lanes” for faster export of African agricultural products to China. As a result, products such as Rwandan stevia, South African fresh pears and soybeans, and Zimbabwean citrus have gained access to the Chinese market. China has signed agreements with Togo, Eritrea, Djibouti, Guinea, Rwanda, Mozambique, Sudan, Chad and Central Africa, among other LDCs, on expanding the scope of zero-tariff treatment to 98% for products exported to China, covering 350 kinds of African products.

Investment promotion program: From January to June this year, China’s industry-wide direct investment in Africa amounted to U.S. $1.74 billion, growing by 1.5% against all the odds. The turnover of Chinese enterprises’ contracted projects in Africa amounted to U.S. $18.32 billion, an increase of 8.4% year-on-year. The two sides have set up a China-Africa RMB center to explore RMB settlement for China-Africa trade, logistics and industrial cooperation. China has continued to provide aid in the form of grants, interest-free loans and concessional loans to help African countries achieve independent and sustainable development.

Digital innovation program: To expand Silk Road e-commerce cooperation, China and Africa have jointly made a success out of the “Quality African Products Online Shopping Festival” to market African products in China. Fifteen China-Africa science and technology cooperation projects have been initiated.

Green development program: China has completed the construction of hydroelectric power stations, photo-voltaic power stations, and water supply projects. China participates in the “Great Green Wall of Africa” initiative, and strengthens cooperation with Africa in desertification control.

Capacity-building program: China provides vocational skills training for local youths where there are Chinese enterprises in Africa, and give the graduates jobs in these enterprises. China helps African students who have completed study courses in China to find jobs in Chinese enterprises in Africa.

People-to-people exchange program: The first Conference on Dialogue Between Chinese and African Civilizations and the 11th Meeting of the China-Africa Think Tanks Forum were successfully held, contributing to the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future.

The African Film Festival project: It has introduced well-made African films and TV shows to the Chinese audience. The “2022 China Culture and Tourism Month” has served as a window for African friends to learn and understand more about China.

The peace and security program: At the second China-Africa Peace and Security Forum, the two sides agreed to maintain strategic communication, strengthen cooperation in equipment and technology, expand maritime exercises and training, and enhance exchanges in professional fields. Chinese peacekeeping troops to Africa have performed to satisfaction, and the 25th batch of Chinese peacekeeping troops sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo was awarded the United Nations “Peace Medal.”

The full text of Li Zhigang’s article is here.

Putin Discusses Primacy of International Law and UN Charter at St. Petersburg Legal Forum

July 1, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in General updates, Global Diplomacy, Russia

June 30, 2022 (EIRNS)—In a pre-recorded video message, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the Tenth St. Petersburg International Legal Forum today, contrasting the “generally accepted principles of international law and the UN Charter,” which underlie an emerging multipolar system of international relations, with the “unjust unipolar model” based on an “order based on rules and other questionable concepts which try to control and direct global processes at their own discretion.” The U.S. is guilty of such conduct, Putin asserted, unable to accept that it is losing its supremacy on the world stage, even while advocating its own exceptionalism.

Rejecting the notion put forward by some radicals, that international law is being dismantled, Putin admits that undoubtedly “the system of international law needs to be further developed, but we should not confuse cause and effect. Crises happen not because the law is faulty, but because of attempts to replace law with dictate,” or when certain states or groups of states try to replace international standards with their own national jurisdiction. This, he stated, “is a deliberate refusal to follow essential legal principles—justice, conscientiousness, equality and humanity. These are not just legal ideals, but values that reflect the diversity of our civilization.”

The Russian President warned that the multipolar world of the 21st Century “is an irreversible process; it is happening before our eyes…this democratic, more just world order should be built on the basis of mutual respect and trust, and, of course, on the generally accepted principles of international law and the UN Charter.” In this new, multipolar world, there is no room for discrimination against states or people. Russia, therefore, “speaks for the practical realization of the pivotal international legal principle of the sovereign equality of states and the right of each state to pursue its own development model. I am confident that by consistently following international law and joining our efforts, it is possible to resolve the most difficult problems that the world is facing and to provide for the stable, sustainable and progressive development of all states.” Access to President Putin’s speech is here.

Germany: New Appeal for Ceasefire in Ukraine Published in Die Zeit

July 1, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in General, General updates, Geopolitics updates, Germany, Global Diplomacy, Ukraine, World war danger updates

Germany: New Appeal for Ceasefire in Ukraine Published in Die Zeit —

June 30, 2022 (EIRNS)–A list of 21 prominent Germans and two international signers (Richard Falk and Jeffrey Sachs) published in today’s Die Zeit a new appeal to Western governments for an all-out and immediate effort to achieve a quick, negotiated solution to the Ukraine conflict. Among the German signers is Gen. (ret.) Erich Vad, former military advisor to Angela Merkel. An immediate reaction from Andrej Melnik, Ukrainian Ambassador to Berlin followed.

The signers call for a “diplomatic full-scale offensive” as the only way to get out of “the present dead-end,” referring to military experts, who consider victory for Ukraine—with a return of all occupied territories including Donetsk, Lugansk, and Crimea—unrealistic. They question continuing weapons deliveries and demand, “An immediate cease-fire,” the title of their call. “Continuing the war to achieve full victory of Ukraine over Russia leads to thousands of further victims of war, who die for a goal that does not seem realistic.”

In an immediate reaction to this, Ukrainian Ambassador and attack-dog in Berlin, Andrej Melnik, had a fit on twitter: “Not again, what a bunch of pseudo-intellectual losers you all Varwicks, Vads, Kluges, Prechts, Yogeshwars, Zehs & Co. [names of some signers] should finally go to hell with your defeatist ‘advise’. Bye.” Andrij Melnyk zu Augstein, Precht und Co.: Schert Euch zum Teufel! [Go to hell!]

The letter was signed by Jakob Augstein (publicist), Richard A. Falk (professor of international law), Svenja Flaßpöhler (philosopher), Thomas Glauben (professor of agricultural economics), Josef Haslinger (writer), Elisa Hoven (professor of criminal law), Alexander Kluge (filmmaker and author), Christoph Menke (professor of philosophy), Wolfgang Merkel (professor of political science), Julian Nida-Rümelin (philosopher), Robert Pfaller (philosopher), Richard D. Precht (philosopher), Jeffrey Sachs (professor of economics), Michael von der Schulenburg (former UN diplomat), Edgar Selge (actor), Ilija Trojanow (writer), Erich Vad (retired Gen, former military advisor to Angela Merkel), Johannes Varwick (professor of international politics), Harald Welzer (social psychologist), Ranga Yogeshwar (science journalist), and Juli Zeh (writer).

Xi Jinping in Hong Kong To Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Its Return to China

July 1, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in Britain, China, Economic development updates, General updates, Global Diplomacy

June 30, 2022 (EIRNS)—Chinese President Xi Jinping spent the first of a two-day visit to Hong Kong today to help its citizens celebrate the momentous 25th anniversary of July 1,1997, the date on which Great Britain returned Hong Kong to China. Imperial Britain occupied Hong Kong on July 25, 1841, during the Opium War and following China’s defeat in that war, it was forced to cede the territory to Britain in the Treaty of Nanking on August 29, 1842. The anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China carries great political and emotional significance for the Chinese people.

Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, arrived by high-speed rail at Hong Kong’s West Kowloon train station in the afternoon today, where they were greeted with much fanfare by the police brass band, flag-waving citizens, and a lion dance. In a short speech after his arrival, Xi stated that he and the central government have always felt concern for Hong Kong and held its compatriots in their hearts, understanding that it has had to overcome many difficult challenges and tests. He emphasized that as long as the principle of “one country, two systems” is always upheld, Hong Kong will have a bright future and will make great contributions to China’s rejuvenation.

Prior to attending a banquet at the official residence of Carrie Lam, the outgoing chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)—Hong Kong’s government—Xi met at the local convention center with 160 officials, including senior government officials, heads of law enforcement agencies, and members of the chief executive’s cabinet. He also visited the city’s very impressive science park, which is home to 1,000 high-tech companies. Also attending the banquet was John Lee, Carrie Lam’s successor, whose inauguration tomorrow Xi will attend. Xi spoke very highly of Carrie Lam, praising her for firmly implementing the “One country two systems” and China’s Basic Law in Hong Kong and for guiding it through a period of chaos in 2019-2020 when violent “pro-democracy” protesters sought regime change in the HKSAR, and overseeing its transition to the current period of peace and order.

An Idea Whose Time Has Come

June 28, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in Activity of the Schiller Institute, General, General updates, Helga media coverage or interview, Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Media coverage of our activity

June 25 (EIRNS) – Schiller Institute founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche has issued a “Call for an Ad-Hoc Committee for a New Bretton Woods System,” which is now circulating and gathering signatures from prominent leaders around the world, and will shortly be made public. In it, she calls for the “immediate convening of an emergency international conference which mandates: First: The reorganization of the bankrupt world financial system and replacing it with a New Bretton Woods system. The declared goal of this new credit system must be overcoming poverty and underdevelopment in the entire world, but above all raising living standards in developing countries, making it possible for all people on this planet to fully develop their potential capabilities.”

Other crucial points follow, but that first point summarizes the central idea of the document, an idea whose time has come.

The June 18-19 Schiller Institute international conference elaborated on the strategic situation which cries out for such a solution, and presented the essential features of the LaRouche policies in economics, science, culture and statecraft that must be taken up around the world. It is of note that China’s CGTN issued a Tweet yesterday with a two-minute video clip from Zepp-LaRouche’s speech at that conference, which they also made available to millions upon millions of viewers on Weibo (China’s Twitter-like online networking tool).

In it, Zepp-LaRouche states:

“According to Duma President Volodin, the Emerging G8, of Russia, China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Iran, and Turkey, already has bypassed the G7 in terms of the GDP. Other organizations and nations are working toward a new model of a global order, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, ASEAN, and many nations in the Global South. “What all of these countries are aiming at, is the wish for common poverty alleviation, real development of their physical economies, national sovereignty, the right to choose their own model of social and economic development, and cooperation in their mutual interests…

“So, the `democracies’ are really only the U.S., Great Britain, the EU (which, however, is divided), Japan, Australia, and South Korea. So when, at the end of this month, the annual NATO Summit meets in Madrid to present a plan for a Global NATO and a new security doctrine, without a real economic development plan, naturally, which it certainly will not have, it will fail to address the actual needs of a world faced with famine, pandemic, and economic chaos. It will have a big posture, but it will be a colossus on clay feet.”

The just-concluded BRICS summit also discussed ideas of how to construct a new international economic system to replace the current bankrupt trans-Atlantic colossus, as seen clearly in Russian President Putin’s remarks at that event. The key to the strategic situation remains whether sufficient forces for sanity, development, and war-avoidance can be rallied within the United States, to bring the U.S. into a working relationship with China, Russia and other great powers, as Lyndon LaRouche repeatedly called for. That specific task will be taken up this coming July 3, at 1:00 p.m. EDT, when Helga Zepp-LaRouche will be joined by Diane Sare, LaRouche Party candidate for Senator from New York, to celebrate the true meaning of the U.S.’s July 4 Independence Day, and thereby catalyze a return to the best tradition of American System economics of George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Lyndon LaRouche.

“A Dialogue For Peace” Concert – June 26

June 24, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in Activity of the Schiller Institute, Cultural renaissance updates, General updates, Our cultural events, Our musical events

“A Dialogue For Peace” Concert – June 26—

EIRNS, June 23—The Schiller Institute NYC Chorus presents to the world, this Sunday, June 26, at 5 p.m., a concert dedicated to, “A Dialogue For Peace.”

Encourage all to attend and spread the word. This classical music concert is also a celebration of all cultures with songs from around the world in keeping with the ideas and solutions presented at the just-concluded June 18-19 Schiller Institute conference, “There Can Be No Peace Without the Bankruptcy Reorganization of the Dying Trans-Atlantic Financial System.” A flyer is linked above. The concert is “live” in NYC, and virtual for those around the world.

The flyer reads:

“Our national strength matters; but the spirit which informs and controls our strength matters just as much. When power narrows the areas of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses, for art establishes the basic human truths which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment. I see little of more importance to the future of our country and our civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist.”

John F. Kennedy, October 26, 1963

It contains the address for the live concert in NYC; tickets for virtual viewing start at $5 and are available at: https://www.musae.me/sinycchorus/experiences/1285/dialogue-for

The program features works of Russian, Polish, Spanish, African-American composers as well as selections from J.S. Bach’s sublime Mass in B Minor.

South African Foreign Minister Tells Blinken: We’re Sovereign, and We’ll Do Things Our Way

August 10, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in Economic development updates, General updates, Geopolitics updates, So. Africa, United States

Aug. 9, 2022 (EIRNS)–Americans, and others in the West, could take a lesson from African leaders, who are not taking orders from arrogant elites demanding capitulation. South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told reporters on Monday, with Secretary of State Tony Blinken sitting next to her, that she objected to “patronizing bullying” coming from the West: “Because when we believe in freedom – as I’m saying, it’s freedom for everybody – you can’t say because Africa is doing this, you will then be punished by the United States…. One thing I definitely dislike is being told `either you choose this or else.’ When a minister speaks to me like that … I definitely will not be bullied in that way, nor would I expect any other African country worth its salt to agree to be [so] treated.”

Blinken is on a three-nation trip to Africa, a trip widely billed as aimed at countering Russian and Chinese influence in the area. Playing “Mr. Nice Guy” did not score Blinken points in South Africa. In the joint press conference given by Blinken and Pandor after holding the first U.S.-South Africa Strategic Dialogue in nearly eight years, Pandor made three key points, in addition to her refusal to join geopolitical blocs:

On China and Africa: “Countries are free to establish relationships with different countries. African countries that wish to relate to China, let them do so, whatever the particular form of relationships would be. We can’t be made party to conflict between China and the United States of America, and I may say, it does cause instability for all of us, because it affects the global economic system. We really hope that the United States and China will arrive at a point of rapprochement, where all of us can look to economic development and growth for all our countries, because that’s extremely important for all of us. These are two great powers, the two biggest economies in the world. They’ve got to find a way of working together to allow us to grow.”

On Blinken’s push for “democracy,” one of the four U.S. priorities in the administration’s “Sub-Saharan Africa Strategy,” Pandor recommended:

“If your tactic is to approach African countries and say that, `listen, you must be democratic either and use our model, it works,’ I think it’s bound to lead to some failure.” All countries and peoples deserve the right to exercise their civil and political rights, but how that should be approached is the issue,” she said. She noted that “there has been a lot of external interference in Africa [which] has fueled conflict in many African countries, has fueled instability and supported opposition groups against liberation fighters and so on,” much of that stemming from foreign interest in “Africa’s rich mineral wealth.”

And, Pandor spoke eloquently against the war and “apartheid” in which Palestinians are forced to live, as an example of the double-standard often played by those who say they are defending the principles of the UN charter: “Just as much as the people of Ukraine deserve their territory and freedom, the people of Palestine deserve their territory and freedom. And we should be equally concerned at what is happening to the people of Palestine as we are with what is happening to the people of Ukraine.”

Sanctions Crippling the Syria that Was Once Proudly and Steadily Growing

August 10, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in Economic development updates, General updates, Geopolitics updates, Helga statement, article, transcript, Sanctions, Syria

Aug. 9, 2022 (EIRNS)—The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released a study, “Syrian Arab Republic: Access to Electricity and Humanitarian Needs,” in March 2022, documenting meticulously, respecting Syria, what Helga Zepp-LaRouche contends in her July 12, 2022 statement, “Lift Sanctions Against Russia Immediately!”: that sanctions are a “brutal form of warfare” that kill, and must be lifted everywhere they are currently enforced.

In 2011, the European Union enforced sanctions against Syria with the intent to overthrow the country’s President, Bashar al-Assad, following the Bernard Lewis Plan overthrow and eventual killing of the leaders of Iraq and Libya. Britain, the U.S., and other nations joined the sanctions regime, and the range of sectors of the Syrian economy against which they were applied was expanded. The U.S. and other nations carried out military intervention in Syria in 2011, first using proxy terrorist groups, then directly.

Syria’s electricity sector was brutally targeted. The OCHA study reports, “Two of the country’s 13 major power plants were fully destroyed: the Zeyzoun Power Plant in Idlib governate (487 MW installed capacity) and the Aleppo Thermal Power Station (1,065 MW installed capacity).” The World Bank reported that six other power plants were partially destroyed.

“As a result of this damage, the country’s electricity generation capacity fell from 5,800 MW in 2010… to 4,000 MW in 2018.” The further tightening of sanctions caused Syria’s installed electricity generation capacity to fall to 2,000 MW in 2021, a collapse of 63%! Obtaining replacement parts and maintaining the surviving plants, due to sanctions, has become even more acute. Whereas, in 2010, “93% of the country had access to electricity,” that is sharply down today. Compared to 2010 standards, today’s Syrian population consumes 85% less electricity per capita, twelve years later. Thirty percent of Syria’s population has access to electricity for only 2 hours per day. That slashes electricity to industry, and households, and all the equipment that goes with that.

But electricity is the source for powering all other features of society. Around 2010, “access to safe drinking water in Syria was estimated at 92% in rural communities and 98% in urban centers. Seven major water systems serve the country’s eight largest cities…. However,” the study emphasizes, “by 2019 annual public water production in Syria had fallen by 40% relative to pre-crisis levels (from 1,700 Mn cubic meters in 2010 to 1,020 Mn cubic meters in 2019.” But to use water from groundwater and springs, or most rivers, requires continuous electricity to pump water and distribute it, a commodity Syria now lacks as the study highlights.

The lack of electricity (and water) also means there is sometimes insufficient power to run medical facilities and health clinics. Because of damage to infrastructure, Syria runs its schools on two shifts. In the second shift, in particular, often there is no clean water in the bathrooms, and not enough electricity to heat the schools. Some students study at home by candlelight.

The OCHA’s ReliefWeb website reported March 12, 2022, “this year, 90 percent of Syrians live below the poverty line, and more than 80 percent are food insecure. Families say they are eating less, cutting meals, and going into debt to meet their basic needs.” {Emphasis added.}

As Zepp-LaRouche says in her July 12 statement, sanctions “are a brutal form of warfare against the respective populations of the sanctioned states with the aim of making their living conditions so intolerable that they rise up against their respective leaderships, and overthrow them. But the victims are always the people.” It is past time to lift them in Russia, Syria, and everywhere.

German Farmers Will Take to the Streets Again

August 9, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in Agriculture, Economic development updates, General updates, Germany

German Farmers Will Take to the Streets Again—

Aug. 8, 2022 (EIRNS)–Farmers in Germany are expected to take to the streets again, protesting against their own government’s and EU’s policies. A big national rally will be staged in Berlin on August 26. Organizers regard it as a “365 day” demonstration, if nothing is done. Among farmers’ key issues, is the one pointing to the lethal mix of green policies, and the EU and government’s inaction against the ongoing fertilizer/diesel price inflation, a main cause for the drop of grain harvest by 60 (!) percent in Germany this Summer. A lot of shelves in the supermarkets right in the middle of Europe will be empty this coming Winter season.

Greek Amb. Chrysanthopoulos Scored the Ukraine Blacklisting of Schiller Institute on RT TV

August 9, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in Counterintelligence, General updates, Geopolitics updates, Greece, World war danger updates

Aug. 8, 2022 (EIRNS)–Greek Ambassador Ad Hon., and member of the Schiller Institute, Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos presented the blacklisting of the Schiller Institute by the Center for Combating Disinformation (CCD) of Ukraine, in an interview this week on RT television. While being interviewed on the recent Amnesty International Report denouncing the Ukrainian military’s use of human shields, the Ambassador went into a full briefing on the blacklisting, referring directly to the Schiller Institute. He declared that conducting this blacklist operation exposes the fascist nature of the Ukrainian regime. The Ambassador is also a signatory to the Schiller Institute petition denouncing the blacklisting. The entire interview can be seen here.

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