Global Diplomacy

Helga Zepp-LaRouche Discusses China-EU Meeting on CGTN ‘Dialogue’

April 3, 2022by tobi in BRI - Belt & Road, China, General updates, Helga media coverage or interview, Helga Video, Media coverage of our activity, World Land-Bridge updates, World war danger updates

April 1 (EIRNS)—Helga Zepp-LaRouche was interviewed on CGTN’s broadcast “The Dialogue” this morning with host Xu Qinduo and a second guest Prof. John Gong, who frequently appears on CGTN’s shows. The discussion was on the EU-China meeting by videoconference today, which included President Xi Jinping (in what Xinhua dubbed “Xiplomacy”) and EU Council President Charles Michel and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

XU: That’s a good point, John. Helga, what do you think about this Ukraine issue somehow playing a part in the relationship between China and the European Union? Is there a way they can deal with the issue that will enhance or bring the two sides together? Is that affecting their relationship?

HELGA ZEPP-LAROUCHE: Obviously. The EU had on their website beforehand that they wanted to have the Ukraine issue practically the only issue. They want China to mediate and influence Russia. But I think it is very clear that China did not want to take a side. However, given the fact that EU economy is in free fall; as a matter of fact, the accumulation of COVID, the sanctions, Europe is not in a strong position at all. And I think China has a conception which I think lends itself to a mediation role, and that is President Xi Jinping’s idea of a shared future for a joint humanity. I think that is the most important conception right now, given the fact that we are in a situation strategically which is more dangerous than during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Therefore, what we really need, and I think China would be uniquely in a position to do that, is to propose a new international security architecture which would take into account the interests of every single country on the planet. Because the reason why we have the Ukraine crisis is because NATO expansion to the East for 30 years, which the West does not want to even discuss anymore. But the question is, how do we get out of it? We need a new security architecture, and I have proposed it to be in the tradition of the Peace of Westphalia, which ended the 150 years of religious wars in Europe. The situation today in face of the danger of nuclear war is much more dangerous than even then.

I think the Europeans, they totally are ignoring the fact that a new system is emerging, based on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BRICS, the Russia-India-China combination. India refused to be drawn into the camp of the United States, but wants to stay neutral, also. I think the only way how we will get out of this is if the Europeans—and finally also the United States—would understand that it is in their best interest to cooperate with the Belt and Road Initiative, in addressing the real issues which concern all of humanity: Which is, the pandemic is not over, we have a hunger crisis. I think one Chinese economist recently said that as a result of the sanctions against Russia, 1 billion people are in danger of dying of hunger this year. So, I think if China would play a mediating role, and say that all of these issues have to be addressed simultaneously. And then, Ukraine could become a bridge rather than being a geopolitical tool between the EU and Russia, it could become a bridge in the cooperation on the Eurasian continent.

XU: That’s a good point, Helga. China stressed very much cooperation, win-win cooperation. China also takes pride in being the source of peace and stability. When it comes to China-EU cooperation, we know the two sides are great civilizations, they are two of the largest economies. They represent the two largest markets. So, if you look at their cooperation against this background with emerging ascendity, even an emerging Cold War. How important it is, Helga, for the EU and China to further cooperate in multiple fields?

ZEPP-LAROUCHE: I think for the EU it is much more existential than they admit, because there are two possibilities. Either the EU finds a way of cooperating with China, and that way the conflict can be solved; or, there are some people in the West—especially in Great Britain and in the United States—who want a complete decoupling of the West and the so-called authoritarian regimes. In this case, I think the West would suffer, because their values are much more based on monetarist values, as let’s say China and the countries cooperating with the BRI, because they are putting much more focus on physical economy. So, if they would go for a complete decoupling, the West would suffer. Hopefully, the European Union understands that it is not in their own interest to go this way, even if Victoria Nuland was just there and told Europe to side with the U.S. completely.

So, I think that a lot depends on the initiatives proposed by China, because China right now has the only policy which is a way out: And that is the shared community of the one future of humanity. And I think more and more people realize that.

……

XU: Helga, to further cooperation, we know there is a very important trade agreement, a comprehensive investment agreement between China and the EU. So, are we going to see any headway during the summit, or after the summit? Should we probably re-energize that kind of cooperation?

ZEPP-LAROUCHE: I think obviously it is an agreement which would benefit both sides, so it should be pushed. But I’m not so hopeful that, given the geopolitical tension right now that that will be accomplished at this summit. However, I think the fact that the trans-Atlantic financial system is collapsing—look at the hyperinflation; this was there long before the Ukraine crisis erupted. So, the question of a new financial system, a new credit system maybe in the tradition of the New Bretton Woods system, should be put on the agenda; because there is the danger of a repetition of the 2008 crisis, but much larger. The Federal Reserve does not dare to increase the interest rate much to fight the inflation, because of the indebtedness of the whole system. So, a new credit policy should be put on the agenda, and in that context, then you can increase the EU-China trade agreement, and that will all be beneficial. But I think the problem is much more fundamental than it even can be addressed through that agreement.

XU: Well, many thanks to you, Helga.

Putin Calls for Comprehensive Strategy to Develop a ‘Greater Eurasian Partnership’

May 28, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in Cultural renaissance updates, Economic development updates, General updates, Global Diplomacy, Russia

May 26 (EIRNS)— “It is time to draft a comprehensive strategy for developing large-scale Eurasian partnership,” conceived as a “civilizational project” which can secure stability and prosperity from one end to the other of this continent, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to the plenary session of the Eurasian Economic Forum today. He pointed to the expressed interest of BRICS members such as China and India, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, ASEAN, and others, in creating a Greater Eurasian Partnership with the EAEU.

Putin dismissed any idea that Eurasian integration is a reaction to Western sanctions. Rather, it arose from the recognition years ago that the center of world economic development is shifting towards the Asia-Pacific region, he said. It offers a broader vision:

“Greater Eurasia is a big civilizational project. The main idea is to create a common space for equitable cooperation for regional organizations. The Greater Eurasian Partnership is designed to change the political and economic architecture and guarantee stability and prosperity on the entire continent – naturally, taking account of the diverse development models, cultures and traditions of all nations.”

He acknowledged, naturally, the attempts to cut off Russia, and its Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) partners, from advanced Western technologies and the world economic system. Western sanctions are intensifying global crises, creating chaos and economic upheavals, and ruining the economies of those imposing them (and stealing other’s reserves), but they are “unrealistic… There are many countries that want to and will pursue an independent policy and their number is growing. No world policeman will be able to stop this global process. There will not be enough power for this and the desire to do so will evaporate due to a host of domestic problems in those countries. I hope they will eventually realize that this policy has no prospects whatsoever,” Putin said. Western countries’ belief that they can “delete from the world economy, politics, culture and sports,” anyone who has their own point of view and is ready to defend it, “is nonsense.”

Russia, for example, is not merely focused on import substitution, or worried about those who will insist on importing their luxury Mercedes S 600’s. “For the country, … engineering centers, scientific centers that are the basis of its development are what is important. This is what we should think about, and what she would work on both within the Eurasian Economic Union and in a broad sense with our partners – those who want to work with us.”

Putin reported that the EAEU “roadmap for industrialization” has over 180 projects with a total investment of over $300 billion and a program for agricultural development, with more than 170 projects worth $16 billion. Already, 75% of the trade between EAEU member states is done in national currencies, and work is ongoing to interlink national payment systems and bank cards. Dialogue on “transitioning from SWIFT to direct correspondent contacts between the banks of the friendly countries” should be expedited, and cooperation with key lending and financial centers in the Asia-Pacific Region strengthened, he urged, amongst other ideas.

Glazyev at EAEU Meeting on ‘Eurasianism’ and a ‘New World Economic Order’

May 28, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in Economic development updates, General updates, Global Diplomacy, New financial order updates, Russia, World Land-Bridge updates

Glazyev at EAEU Meeting on ‘Eurasianism’ and a ‘New World Economic Order’—

May 26, 2022 (EIRNS)–The economy today is becoming more and more humanitarian. This was stated today, May 26, during the thematic session “Eurasianism as an Idea to Unite People. A Look into the Future” of the Eurasian Economic Forum 2022, by EEC Minister for Integration and Macroeconomics Sergey Glazyev. According to him, the new technological mode is different from the previous one, as the leading areas of the economy are health care, education, science, culture and art. The meeting is in Kyrgyzstan.

“The economy today is becoming more and more humanitarian. We must admit that issues of humanitarian cooperation and culture are not given enough attention in our Eurasian construction. We are passionate about building a customs union, discussing customs tariffs, customs and technical regulation, and forming a common labor market. And at the same time, we constantly face problems of people’s correct perception of the idea of Eurasianism,” explained Glazyev.

The Minister believes that it is difficult to achieve economic success without a common understanding of where the “Five” countries of the EAEU are moving in humanitarian directions. “The classics of Eurasianism foresaw the difficulties of reintegration of our space, saw the threat of nationalism and Nazism, which today, unfortunately, we are also facing,” Glazyev added.

Despite the difficulties now the union countries, according to the minister, are building partnerships with the brotherly CIS countries, building preferential trade regimes with India, creating free trade zones with Serbia and Iran, signed a large-scale agreement with China. “This is how the work is done to form a new world economic order,” Glazyev said.

First Eurasian Economic Forum Took Place in Kyrgyzstan May 26

May 28, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in Belrus, Economic development updates, General, General updates, Global Diplomacy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia

May 26, 2022 (EIRNS)–The first Eurasian Economic Forum (EEF) took place today in Bishkek and online, on the theme, “Eurasian Economic Integration in the Era of Global Shifts: New Investment Opportunities. The heads of state of the five Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) nations are participating live or online, and 2,500 people are attending from many sectors in the region, with multiple sessions on energy, transportation, industry, finance and digital cooperation. The EAEU members are Russia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Kazakhstan. The forum was timed with the meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council (SEEC) of the EAEU.

Today’s plenary session was addressed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Another EEF session was addressed by Sergey Glazyev, Russian Minister for Integration and Macroeconomics at the Eurasian Economic Commission, the executive body of the EAEU.

Lavrov: US/NATO Already Waging “Total War” Against Russia

March 27, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in Color Revolutions, General updates, Geopolitics updates, History, Russia, Sanctions, World war danger updates

Lavrov: US/NATO Already Waging “Total War” Against Russia —

March 26 (EIRNS)–Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during a meeting of the Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund in Moscow, charged that the US/NATO/EU combination is already waging a hybrid war on Russia and that its objectives are no different from those of Hitler in 1941. “Today we have been declared a real hybrid war, a total war,” he said, adding that the latter term “was used by Hitler’s Germany” and “is now voiced by many European politicians when they talk about what they want to do with the Russian Federation.” The goals are not hidden, they declared them publicly – to destroy, break, exterminate, strangle the Russian economy and Russia as a whole, he remarked.

Lavrov lashed out at the “sanctions spree” against Russia pointing out that it is becoming clear that all values that those in the West have been preaching to Russia, like freedom of expression, a market economy, the sanctity of private property and the presumption of innocence, are not worth a red cent.

In this environment, the Kiev regime is being encouraged to continue to behave badly. Lavrov charged that the Kiev regime, in fact, has been getting away with bad behavior for years, with complicity of the Western corporate news media, particularly with respect to its crimes in the Donbas region. “All throughout these years, when the Ukrainian leadership evaded its obligations under the Minsk Accords, nationalists were openly wiping out civilian facilities, schools, hospitals. It was well-known and all facts were regularly reported by our mass media but were swept under the rug by the Western media,” Lavrov said. “It included the slaughter of civilians, and you may all know well that the death toll among the population exceeded 10,000,” he noted. “No one in the West cared at all about the inhumane economic, trade, transportation or food blockade of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.”

The Kiev regime’s bad behavior has extended into the Russia-Ukraine talks as well. Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation at the Russia-Ukraine talks, accused the regime of seeking to drag out the talks. “They are in no hurry, obviously thinking that time is on their side, and say it openly that they have many decision-making centers they have to agree on these or those solutions with. This is the reality we are in,” he said, reported TASS. “Regrettably, as far as we understand – they make no secret of it, they are limited in making independent decisions. So, the current state of things inspires little optimism,” he stressed, adding he doesn’t share the Ukrainian delegation’s optimism, when it speaks about “great progress.” Further he said that “So far, there is no progress on matters of principal importance that the Russian side insists on.”

India Receives Chinese Foreign Minister; Rejects UK Parliamentary Delegation

March 27, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in Britain, China, General updates, Global Diplomacy, India

India Receives Chinese Foreign Minister; Rejects UK Parliamentary Delegation —

March 26 (EIRNS)–The Guardian reported on Thursday that a high ranking delegation of ten UK Parliamentarians which had planned to visit India was suddenly informed that the invitation had been withdrawn. According to the report, covered by RT, the bi-partisan delegation, led by House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, was called off at the last moment by the Indian authorities. This follows by only a few hours a previously unannounced visit to India by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, a meeting very well received by the Indian government, with both sides agreeing to improve their troubled relations.

The unstated but clear cause of the snub to the UK politicians is that they had made known that they intended to lecture India on why it had to join in the denunciation of Russia and join in the sanctions warfare. Not only did India refuse, but they are advancing plans to expand their trade with Russia on the basis of Rupee-Ruble deals, avoiding the toxic U.S. dollar, now widely recognized as a tool by the degenerating regime in the U.S. simply to impose sanctions, or even to steal foreign nations’ reserves deposited in their banks, as they did with Afghanistan and Russia.

RT notes that on Tuesday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke by phone with Indian PM Narendra Modi. Johnson lectured Modi that India must follow their lead in attacking Russia — which certainly rankled the Indians, who can never forget the degradation and genocide of their people at the hands of their former British colonial masters.

Schiller Institute Petition Quoted on DataBase Italia TV

March 26, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in Activity of the Schiller Institute, Economic development updates, Europe SI activity, General updates, Global Diplomacy, Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Italy, Italy SI activity, Media coverage of our activity, Our initiatives (petitions, etc)

MILAN, March 22, 2022 (EIRNS)—Three VIP signers, from Italy, of the Schiller Institute petition for a new security architecture, Alessia Ruggeri and journalists Luca La Bella and Gianmarco Landi, were on a program of DataBase Italia TV last night, entitled “The End of Globalization.” After describing the present situation in Ukraine as very different from how the mainstream media portray it, including the use of hypersonic missiles by Russia, which can put a quick end to the war and destroy the military potential of the neo-Nazi militias, host Landi quoted Helga Zepp-LaRouche and the Schiller Institute petition for a new security architecture as the only alternative to the danger of a general war, and asked Alessia Ruggeri to talk about it, as she had already in a recent interview on the Schiller Institute petition published by DataBase Italia.

Alessia Ruggeri explained that it is a very important petition, which was signed by thousands of citizens and many VIP signers from all over the world, and which calls for the principle of the Peace of Westphalia to put an end to the geopolitical confrontation policy and the failed economic policies which led to this war. She emphasized that what is being shown on TV is not the real situation, and that people are not aware of the severe consequences of the boomerang sanctions which are hitting Italy, and other countries, much worse than the Russian economy. For example, she quoted the shutting down of all McDonalds restaurants in Russia, which was quickly converted into a Russian brand to save jobs.

She also reported many mail messages she receives about hoarding of pasta and oil in Italian supermarkets, noting that people believe that wheat is produced in Italy but is not—it comes from Russia and Ukraine. She reminded viewers (around 3,000 last night) that as a result of the failed economic policies of the West, many businesses are shutting down, but as a mother of two children and a trade unionist she called on small entrepreneurs, like the ones in Southern Italy, “not to give up hope, there is a possibility for a change.” The full program is available here.

‘Youth Development in an Uncertain World’: Interview with Helga Zepp-LaRouche

May 21, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in Activity of the Schiller Institute, China, Cultural renaissance updates, Economic development updates, General updates, Geopolitics updates, Green New Deal, Helga media coverage or interview, Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Media coverage of our activity, World war danger updates

May 18 (EIRNS)–CGTN conducted an interview on May 17 with Helga Zepp-LaRouche on the centenary of the Communist Youth League. The video with a short description by He Yuhan is available here. {Here is the transcript:}

Q: What is the youth’s role in the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation?

HELGA ZEPP-LAROUCHE: Well, yes, I was for the first time in China in 1971, and this was in the middle of the Cultural Revolution. The situation was so different. People were poor, they were not happy, they lived in a tremendous tension all the time. But even then, people were telling me how much improved the situation was compared to before the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Now when I was there, it was just announced that Henry Kissinger had arrived. This was a big, big news, and as we now know, this led then to the historic visit of President Nixon one year later. The situation was, there was not much development. Thousands of bicycles for one car; people were still travelling over dirt roads. I went to Beijing; I saw the Summer Garden painted all in red color by the Revolutionary Guards. Because I saw China as it was then, and I was able to speak to a lot of people also in the countryside. Around Shanghai and Xintao, there were a lot of people who either spoke German or English. But since I had this experience, I think I can say with my own experience, I can testify to the enormous development China has made, which in one sense is unparalleled in the whole world. I think this is very important, because what counts for the identity of a person, especially also a young person, is not so much the condition as you have it at that moment, but it is the vector of development. If the vector of development is upward, then people become optimistic. I can say that also because I see certain parallels to the situation with the German economic miracle which was the reconstruction of Germany after the Second World War, which is why the generation which grew up then was and is still much more optimistic than many of the young people in Germany today.

But in China, because there was this extremely successful development, I have found that young people have been incredibly optimistic, and therefore, when I ask people, “What do you want to become?” They say, “I want to become an astronaut,” or “I want to go and help to build up Africa.” So, I think this is really a very good condition, and I think that therefore the young people in China have a very important historic mission.

I mean at that time, naturally China was very closed, and when I as a young journalist had the opportunity to make this visit, I was all enthusiastic, and I think that curiosity is something I would wish that every young person should have. Because if you want to explore the world when you are young, that’s really the best time to do it. I’m so grateful I did that, because it did shape the rest of my life in so many ways, because one of the experiences of this trip was also that I saw in other countries the under-development of Africa, of certain Asian countries. That motivated me greatly to do as much as I can to get to a new more just world economic order.

Q: What are the unique characteristics and attributes of China’s contemporary youth?

ZEPP-LAROUCHE: I think it’s the environment which is very favorable to the development of young people in China, because when the society gives you the idea that every newborn child is welcomed, and is welcomed because it has a unique creative potential which enriches the common good of society as a whole, this has a very important impact on the formation of the personality. I’m contrasting that, for example, with the Green ideology in Germany, which is not the same like being careful for the environment in China, but in Germany it’s a complete negative ideology. You have the idea that every child and every person is a burden on nature, and therefore, the fewer people there are, the better. There are even books in Germany which say it’s better for the environment not to have any children at all. Now that’s naturally leading to the end of society pretty quickly. But fortunately, in China it is not like that, and I have seen that both in 1971 when I visited, I went to a lot of these children’s palaces, which were devoted to the education of younger children. They were learning how to dance, ballet, sports, gardening, agriculture. I think that that idea, that the aim of education is excellence, I have seen on the many visits I have made to China ever since. I think the result is that China has become an enormously productive society, and I think that speaks for itself.

Hunger, Poverty at Catastrophic Levels in Haiti, as Humanitarian Aid Declines

March 26, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in Economic development updates, General updates, Geopolitics updates, Haiti

March 24 (EIRNS)–As occurring with Yemen, Afghanistan and other impoverished nations, UN agencies report that funds for humanitarian aid in Haiti are far below what’s needed, resulting in a rise in hunger and poverty levels. As reported in a March 22 UN News release, World Food Program personnel in Port-au-Prince warned in a briefing to media in Geneva that lower-than-expected humanitarian food assistance, combined with the fallout from the Aug. 2021 earthquake, has created a situation where “hunger levels are rising unabated, as persistent political instability, growing inflation and recurrent disasters continue to conspire against the people of Haiti.” It is projected that this year, between March and June, 45% of the population will be in severe hunger, and of those, 1.3 million are estimated to be in the “emergency phase” of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). On World Water Day March 22, the International Action for Human Rights (IAHR) organization reported that 45% of the Haitian population of 11 million people has no access to drinking water.

The backdrop to this disaster is the dysfunctional government of discredited “interim” Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who remains in office only because the Biden administration wants him there–despite the fact that he is implicated in the assassination of president Jovenel Moise in July of 2021, the investigation into which is completely paralyzed. Refusing to come to any agreement with civil society opponents who propose setting up a two-year provisional government to give the country time to stabilize, Henry is insanely insisting on holding elections this year in an out-of-control security situation, where kidnappings by armed gangs target citizens from all walks of life, snatching doctors from hospitals, teachers and students from classrooms, an epidemic that has only worsened over the past several months.

According to Le Nouvelliste March 4, gang control of key roads has cut off four departments (provinces) of what is known as the Great South from the rest of the country, making transportation of food and other necessities into that area highly risky if not impossible. Even before the Ukraine/Russia crisis, inflation was rampant but now it’s worse, with food and fuel prices soaring, making these products unaffordable. Haiti imports most of its food and fertilizer. Senior Program Manager of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Patrick David pointed to the impact of the Ukraine crisis, in terms of worsening food insecurity in Haiti, as the higher prices of imported food and fertilizers from Ukraine will contribute to even higher inflation. Haiti imports wheat mainly from Russia but also from Canada, David reported. “So if the wheat flour is going up, you will see a problem and the price has already multiplied by five in two years. So, we can only expect that it will multiply again.”

Wang Yi Visits Kabul–BRI on the Agenda; China Hosts Meeting Next Week

March 26, 2022by Mary Jane Freeman in Afghanistan, China, Economic development updates, General updates, Global Diplomacy

Wang Yi Visits Kabul–BRI on the Agenda; China Hosts Meeting Next Week —

March 24, 2021 (EIRNS)–This morning, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a surprise visit to Kabul, where he met with Afghan Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar. A statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry reports that China welcomed Afghanistan’s active participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, and in particular, China expressed favorability to extending the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan. Wang Yi also expressed China’s hope that Afghanistan will fulfill its stated commitment to prevent any external forces from using its territory for action against the security of other nations.

Next week, Beijing will host its third meeting of Afghanistan and neighboring countries, to further regional stability and connectivity.

Wang’s visit follows directly his time in Islamabad, where he was an honored guest at Pakistan’s national day ceremonies, which this year marked the nation’s 75th anniversary. He was also on hand at the time of the weekend’s meeting of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, whose agenda included support for Afghanistan. This was a topic of Wang’s bilateral talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The Chinese read-out of their discussion reported, “The two sides fully recognized the positive role of the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue and the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the Afghan Issue Among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan. Imran Khan said, China-Afghanistan-Pakistan cooperation is conducive to stability in Afghanistan and its role as a hub in regional connectivity. Pakistan is ready to work with China to jointly advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan.”

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