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So it matters quite badly to at least two of the four wanketeers that the chinkies get countries to borrow money they can't afford at extortionate rates, then hand it back to chinkystan to build a bridge, road or airport that is solely for the benefit of the chinkies, if it's of any fucking use at all.Quote:
Originally Posted by sabang
Bit like them "chinks" 'eh 'arry- dunno whats good for 'em. Better bomb some sense into them 'eh.
And here's sabang to try and change the subject again (yawn).Quote:
Originally Posted by sabang
China, Islamic world ‘standing closer’ as Chinese FM attends OIC meeting for first time
By
Yang Sheng and Fan Anqi
Published: Mar 22, 2022 09:13 PM
"China and the Islamic world are standing closer with each other while the world is experiencing profound changes, as the Chinese foreign minister was for the first time invited to attend the foreign ministers' meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the biggest international organization of Muslim countries.
With recent signs such as progress in FTA negotiations between China and the Gulf Cooperation Council, and Saudi Arabia in "active discussions" with China to price some of its oil sales to China in yuan, many significant facts have shown that US efforts to hype rumors about Xinjiang have failed to split China and the Islamic world while the two sides have chosen to explore deeper cooperation, said Chinese analysts on Tuesday.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, Monday that China and the Islamic world have a strong desire to build partnerships for unity, justice and development.
During a joint press conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Wang said it is the first time for him to attend in his capacity as the Chinese foreign minister the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC in Islamabad.
The OIC is the second largest organization after the United Nations with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents of Asia, Europe, Africa and South America which covers almost all Muslim countries.
Wang noted that his presence at the OIC event reflects the strong desire of China and the Islamic world to further deepen their cooperation, saying the theme of the OIC foreign ministers' meeting - "Building Partnerships for Unity, Justice and Development" - bears special significance under current international circumstances.
Although China has not participated in the OIC events before, it has maintained friendly relations with the OIC member states, said experts. "Because China has a long-standing tradition of supporting Muslim countries to fight for their independence and their struggles against hegemony and imperialism since the Cold War, this makes China and the Islamic world more and more like-minded and share broad consensus on international relations," said Li Haidong, a professor from the Institute of International Relations of China Foreign Affairs University.
With the increasing cooperation in the fields of trade, sci-tech and energy between the two sides, China has replaced the US as the biggest importer of energy resources from many main energy exporters in the Islamic world. It's natural for China and the Islamic world to stand closer to jointly overcome the challenges and deal with increasing uncertainties around the world, said Li.
In January, major members of the OIC like Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey visited China, and Special Envoy of the Chinese Government on the Middle East Issue Zhai Jun visited Saudi Arabia from March 13-14 and met OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha.
"Since Pakistan, China's close friend, is the host of the foreign ministers' meeting this year, inviting China to the event is a collective decision which shows the strategic consensus shared by OIC members," Qiu Wenping, an expert on Islamic studies and a professor at Fudan University, said.
"The world economy is worsening with the ongoing pandemic, with a significant impact on industrial chains. On top of that, US hegemony on international and regional issues has made many in the world turn to China to defend themselves from harm brought by the US," Hua Liming, former Chinese ambassador to Iran and the UAE, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Since China has become a major power, more and more countries realize that they can and need to turn to China to solve their problems instead of the US, when a number of recent events have suggested how irresponsible the US could be - such as the hasty pullout from Afghanistan and its meddling in the Ukraine crisis that caused a direct military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Hua noted.
Ties between China and the Islamic world have not been undermined despite the US and its followers continually spreading disinformation and rumors on China's Xinjiang. This just further shows that the vast majority of Muslim countries do not fall into the trap set by Washington, and know that it was the US who brought chaos and disaster to their lands, experts said.
"Xinjiang is the starting point of the Silk Road Economic Belt, and the US has specifically targeted this region as it needs to contain the development of the region and to ruin the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative," and the vast majority of Muslim countries can see the US intention, Hua said.
Qiu told the Global Times that "based on the long experience of dealing with China, most Muslim countries have found China with high credibility, morality and responsibility, and the disinformation about Xinjiang cooked up by the West can't fool them while China invited many Muslims countries to send delegations to witness the development and improvement of people's lives in Xinjiang."
Especially with the US and its Western allies' role in the "Arab Spring" that caused a huge amount of instability and humanitarian crises, these US-promoted new "crusade" offensives made the Islamic world lose faith and a sense of security toward the West, Qiu said, noting that this makes Muslim countries believe that developing deeper ties with China serves their interests to withstand US and Western hegemonic acts.
Wang has also put forward four proposals on China-Pakistan ties, including deepening counter-terrorism cooperation and maintaining closer multilateral coordination.
Wang noted that the two sides should strengthen coordination on issues such as Afghanistan and Ukraine, jointly practice true multilateralism, oppose power politics, bullying and unilateral sanctions, and work to help the international order advance in a more just and reasonable direction."
China, Islamic world ‘standing closer’ as Chinese FM attends OIC meeting for first time - Global Times
Egypt opposes some countries for putting pressure on China over Ukraine issue, Egyptian FM said in meeting with Wang Yi
By Global Times - Xinhua
Published: Mar 23, 2022 10:32 AM Updated: Mar 23, 2022 10:29 AM
"Egypt opposes some countries for putting pressure on China and stands for strengthening cooperation rather than exacerbating conflicts, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the Ukraine issue during the foreign ministers' meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
It was the first time for the Chinese foreign minister to attend the foreign ministers' meeting of the OIC, the biggest international organization of Islamic countries.
Wang said China and Egypt enjoy profound friendship and solid mutual trust.
Last year, two-way trade between China and Egypt increased by 37 percent despite the pandemic, which fully demonstrates the highly complementary nature of the two economies.
The two countries have worked together to build Africa's first production line of COVID-19 vaccines, which demonstrated their traditional friendship and enriched the concept of their comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang said. China has always viewed relations with Egypt as a diplomatic priority in the Middle East and Africa, Wang added.
Wang and Shoukry also exchanged their opinions on the Ukraine issue, cooperation with the Islamic world, and climate change.
The two agreed to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries and commit themselves to a comprehensive solution to the current crisis. Shoukry said Egypt opposes some countries for putting pressure on China and stands for strengthening cooperation rather than exacerbating conflicts.
Egypt will host the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the end of this year. Egypt attaches great importance to China's crucial role and contribution and looks forward to strengthening coordination and cooperation with China in helping developing countries achieve their greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, he said.
Wang said China has always taken part in the global action on climate change with a responsible attitude and has made important contributions to reaching the Paris Agreement. China supports Egypt in making COP27 a success and ensuring that the global response to climate change moves in the right direction, Wang added."
Egypt opposes some countries for putting pressure on China over Ukraine issue, Egyptian FM said in meeting with Wang Yi - Global Times
Central bank bill issuance in HK 4.4 times oversubscribed amid growing interest in yuan assets
Investor enthusiasm demonstrates growing interest in yuan assets
By GT staff reporters
Published: Mar 22, 2022 08:19 PM
"The issuance of 5 billion yuan ($786.1 million) worth of central bank bills in Hong Kong on Tuesday was 4.4 times oversubscribed, official data showed, in a fresh sign of continued interest in yuan-denominated assets despite multiple uncertainties.
The People's Bank of China (PBC), the country's central bank, auctioned the six-month bills at an interest rate of 2.6 percent, read a statement on the PBC's website on Tuesday.
The auction was greatly appealing to overseas investors including banks and funds from the US, Europe and Asia, and international financial organizations, with more than 22 billion yuan in total bids, or roughly 4.4 times the planned issue, according to the central bank.
This indicates the allure of yuan-denominated assets and global investors' confidence in the Chinese economy, the PBC said, adding that the issuance of the central bank bills in Hong Kong on a regular basis enriches the portfolio of yuan-denominated investment products and the toolbox of liquidity management in the Hong Kong market, and also fosters the issue of yuan-denominated bonds by domestic financial institutions and firms in the offshore market.
The Tuesday auction followed the issuance of 25 billion yuan worth of PBC bills, with maturities of three months and one year, in Hong Kong in February, which resulted in a 2.4 times oversubscription.
The Tuesday issue took global investors' fancy amid the yuan's somewhat rocky ride, notably in the offshore market.
The offshore yuan weakened to 6.41 against the US dollar intraday on March 15, before trending stronger later and hovering around 6.37. The onshore yuan traded around 6.36 versus the dollar.
A weaker yuan over a matter of days since March 11 gave way to a course reversal in the wake of a key financial meeting in Beijing on March 16.
The optimism-reviving meeting was seen effectively reversing a slide that initially gripped US-traded Chinese stocks amid the US' regulatory toughening before the contagion spread to shares on the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong bourses.
In technical terms, the yuan's overall stability signifies the PBC's strong-mindedness despite swings on the offshore market, Tan Yaling, head of the China Forex Investment Research Institute, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
The central bank set the yuan's daily fixing at 6.38 against the dollar on March 16, according to official data, even though the Chinese currency underwent big fluctuations in the offshore market during the prior day.
Looking ahead, the US Federal Reserve's cycle of rate hikes is unlikely to have a material impact on yuan moves, Tan noted, citing different policy orientations between China and the US.
US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said on Monday that the US central bank is ready to raise interest rates more aggressively, if needed, indicating a rate hike of more than 25 basis points at a meeting or meetings.
Last Wednesday, the Fed announced a quarter-point increase in the fed funds rate, the first interest rate hike since December 2018, as the battle against surging inflation in the US apparently tops the Fed's priority.
With the consumer price index coming in at merely 0.9 percent in February, China's central bank appears to be prioritizing stability in economic growth.
Still, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, among other uncertainties, weighs on an almost one-way bet on yuan strength, according to Tan, putting the yuan's exchange rate against the dollar at around 6.6 by year-end."
Central bank bill issuance in HK 4.4 times oversubscribed amid growing interest in yuan assets - Global Times
^^^^, ^^^^^, and ^^^^^^
Looks like the chinkies are spending big to try and buy some good press.
Are you accusing Ms "Fuck the EU" Nuland of lying to the US Senate? Scandalous.Quote:
still plugging the "bioweapons lab in Ukraine" bullshit.
Any train spotters here?
https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qi...61370302ea9-lq
Looks an awful lot like what Russia doing in Ukraine
"Australia must be willing to invade the Solomon Islands and topple its government if that’s what is necessary to stop a proposed security pact between China and the Pacific nation going ahead", one commentator has argued https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/world/australia-must-ready-solomon-islands-invasion-to-stop-china-security-deal/news-story/d53d32a38e000a45a736df4fc7f8f38f https://twitter.com/couriermail/status/1507227019305943046/photo/1
What a larf. :smileylaughing:
I recently made Twitter history, and I'm wearing it like a badge of honor
Andy Boreham
I recently made Twitter history: I'm the first and only foreigner to be labeled "China state-affiliated media" by the social media giant. And I'm wearing it like a badge of honor.
There's no other option, really, since such a brandishing is decided by the powers that be and is not optional – it's either like it or lump it.
For those who disagree with me – including a bunch of US and Australian journalists and the minions at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute who reported me en masse, demanding Twitter add the label to my account – such a tag is a negative. They see it as a chance to silence my point of view, a point of view that they find increasingly inconvenient.
They probably collectively giggled with glee when it happened. They shouldn't have.
For me, and many around the world, it's wholly positive. A unique and highly coveted confirmation that I stand firmly against the Western mainstream media machine.
Broadcaster and former British politician George Galloway recently called it "the ultimate accolade," adding: "Wear it like a badge of honor, Andy!"
My follower count shot up by thousands on the day of my knighthood, and I received hundreds of messages of support. Even I was surprised by how many people around the world are turned off by Western media's skewed and unfair reports aimed at maintaining the current US-led hegemony, a status quo that places the West and their allies at the top of the pecking order.
Joe Biden mentioned recently that we are heading toward a new world order, and he is desperate to remain in first place. But that's looking more and more unlikely as countries outside of what the United States calls "the international community" – which is, in fact, just the West and a small bunch of their allies – continue to decouple from the current order and forge their own alliances based on fairness, mutual benefit and respect.
The US president knows his country faces its biggest challenge in decades, and so does the Western media who have gone into overdrive over the past few years producing increasingly desperate reports aimed purely at portraying China and other "threats" as barbaric, backward and evil.
The US and the West in general have this fundamental belief that everything they stand for, every part of their way of life, is intrinsically virtuous and moral and right. They find it increasingly difficult to comprehend why others would dare hold different points of view, organize society in different ways, or – Bob forbid – refuse "help" from the West.
China, and any other country forging their own way into a global future using their own morals, beliefs, cultural contexts and set of conditions, are evil by default. Why? Because the West, unfortunately, translates the vast complexities of this world into a binary. Everything is black or white. Good or bad.
If a country doesn't embrace a "one person one vote" electoral system, it is automatically evil. If a country doesn't allow positive COVID-19 cases to walk free in the community, it is automatically evil. If a country decides to trade with someone other countries don't like, it is automatically evil. If a country doesn't allow its billionaires to influence politics and society, it is automatically evil.
I hope that, as a New Zealander who has lived in and strived to understand this country for nearly a decade, I can use my voice to educate people around the world – and especially in the West – about the fact that the world isn't black or white. It is complicated and varied and diverse.
As someone who works for "China state-affiliated media," I feel like I'm in a unique position to do so. That's despite having my Twitter account now severely limited in its reach – many don't realize that those stamped with "state-affiliated media" tags are non-searchable, can't take part in wider discussions, and are otherwise stymied. So much for freedom of speech, eh?
Contrary to the binary and stereotypical views many in the West hold around China and its media, I have never, ever been told what to say, and only ever profess views and opinions that are my own. A decade in China and a master's degree in Chinese language and culture is nowhere near enough to understand this massive country and its long history, but it's a start.
Many "haters" online love to tell me that I'm "on the wrong side of history," a charge I can only laugh at.
It takes but a quick glance at history to see that China and the Chinese people are peaceful and peace-loving. It takes an even quicker glance at the past four decades to see that China's re-emergence – which has seen hundreds of millions lifted from poverty and a rise to the second-largest economy on the planet – has been achieved without bloodshed, without violence, and without a single bullet fired.
Can you say the same thing about the West?
I recently made Twitter history, and I'm wearing it like a badge of honor - SHINE News
Heh, well that sure backfired. Anyway, Sir Andy Boreham writes for the Shanghai Daily, and I guess you could say is a proud sinophile/ wumao. :)
If you want to follow him on forbidden twitter- https://twitter.com/AndyBxxx
They should label all these chinky brown nosers. Then people can ignore their propaganda bullshit.
He lives there, you don't. :chitown:
Awwww are we sticking up for our fellow chinky brown noser? How cute.Quote:
Originally Posted by sabang
Meanwhile, the camel jockeys are sticking it up you. That must suck. :)
I would say "try and keep up" but with a fucking moron like yourself it would probably be pointless.Quote:
Originally Posted by sabang
:rofl:
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhOh
Visit by ASEAN ministers shows willingness to cooperate with China rather than serving US interests
By Zhang Changyue Published: Mar 28, 2022 11:41 PM
"The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday that foreign ministers from Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar will visit China from Thursday to Sunday at the invitation of State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
The upcoming visit of the four foreign ministers from members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) not only reflect China’s intimate relations with its neighboring countries, but the high expectation from all sides to promote China-ASEAN cooperation, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin at a regular press conference on Monday.
“As important ASEAN members, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar are China’s friendly neighbors and important partners in promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. China has kept in contact with ASEAN members to deepen cooperation on anti-pandemic measures and development restoration since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Wang emphasized.
Earlier in March, the planned special summit between the US and ASEAN from March 28 to March 29 was reportedly postponed.
To visit China while delaying the meeting with the US shows ASEAN’s willingness to talk with China rather than the US, experts said.
“While the former truly and sincerely helps them boost economic development and solve practical problems through win-win cooperation, the latter doesn’t really care about their current situations but just wants to use them to contain China without bringing them tangible benefit. Obviously, ASEAN members know that,” Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Monday.
Wang talked about China’s expectations for the visit, saying China wishes to work with ASEAN to implement the results and common understanding reached last year at the special summit of the 30th anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations and to promote global development initiatives.
“China will also fully exchange views with the ministers on the current regional and international situation, infusing more positive energy into regional stability and world prosperity,” Wang added.
Experts also mentioned that ASEAN tried to avoid the meeting with the US partly because of the Ukraine crisis. “ASEAN doesn’t want to choose the US side on the Ukraine crisis, which it believes would only add more tension that could escalate the situation,” Qian added."
Visit by ASEAN ministers shows willingness to cooperate with China rather than serving US interests - Global Times
China to host meeting of Afghanistan’s neighbors to tackle humanitarian needs, urge US return Afghan assets
By Liu Xin
and
Liu Caiyu
Published: Mar 28, 2022 09:16 PM Updated: Mar 28, 2022 09:30 PM
"Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will host the third Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan's Neighboring Countries in China on March 30 and 31. Analysts said the meeting will focus on humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people and call on the US to return the Afghan people's assets.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced on Monday that foreign ministers or representatives from Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are scheduled to attend the meeting in Tunxi, East China's Anhui Province.
Wang Yi will host the meeting, and acting foreign minister of the Afghan interim government Amir Khan Muttaqi will attend. Foreign ministers of Indonesia and Qatar will also be invited to join as special guests, according to Wang Wenbin.
The news came after Wang Yi wrapped up his trip to Afghanistan on Thursday, a trip that many foreign media described as "surprising," while analysts noted China's role in easing the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Observers noted that one of the major themes of the regional visit is to communicate with involved parties to prepare for the meeting among foreign ministers of countries neighboring Afghanistan.
The meetings among foreign ministers of Afghanistan's neighbors come at a time when international attention has largely moved to the Ukraine crisis from the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The meetings in China will call on the world to continue to assist Afghanistan and pool resources for the war-torn country, Zhu Yongbiao, director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies in Lanzhou University, told the Global Times on Monday.
The neighboring countries may also call on the US to fulfill its responsibility to Afghanistan, unfreeze the assets of the Afghan people and help with its rebuilding, Zhu said.
More than 421,800 netizens have signed an online petition launched by the Global Times demanding the US unconditionally return the life-saving money of Afghanistan frozen in the US as the US' theft has sparked outrage.
In response to China's expectation for the upcoming meetings, Wang Wenbin told a press conference on Monday that the Afghan situation is at a crucial period and the Afghan people are facing many internal and external challenges and in need of more support and help from outside.
China hopes the meeting could help the international community know more about the Afghan people's problems and needs, passing the neighbors' care to them, promote it to build an inclusive government, and call on the US to take its main responsibility in economic rebuilding in Afghanistan, Wang Wenbin said.
Aside from topics on humanitarian assistance, the meetings will also focus on urging the Afghan Taliban interim government to honor its promises on building an inclusive government, protecting women's rights and fighting terrorism, Zhu said, noting that neighboring countries may also talk about plans to build trans-national or trans-regional routes and pipeline projects as neighboring countries are deeply concerned.
Wang Yi met with Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra in Tunxi on March 20 and will soon host meetings with neighboring counties and Afghanistan. Zhu Weilie, director of the Middle East Studies Institute of the Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Monday that Tunxi has become a main diplomatic place for China to play a more active role in regional issues or take the initiative in helping solving tough issues.
Zhu Weilie noted that the upcoming meetings also involve complicated geopolitical factors, and each party has its own focus. But China's main purpose is to mediate and give priority to the livelihood and humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
Zhu Weilie noted that the Afghan Taliban has also attached great importance to the upcoming meeting as neighboring countries are also important to it not only for the country's rebuilding but also for its efforts to seek international recognition.
The international community has a consensus that maintaining engagement with the Afghan Taliban is very important to help with the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, and urging the Taliban to fulfill its promise is very important. But there is still a long way for the Taliban interim government to be recognized, analysts said. "
China to host meeting of Afghanistan’s neighbors to tackle humanitarian needs, urge US return Afghan assets - Global Times
China's main purpose is to get its grubby hands on whatever resources it can. Chinky parasites at it again.Quote:
China's main purpose is to mediate and give priority to the livelihood and humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
No matter which way China presents it, funds for terrorism will not be returned to the Taliban. China cannot seriously expect to extend its belt and road project, and expect the west to pay for it!
The chinkies can afford to pay off the Talitubbies. But as I said, some of that money will inevitably make its way back to Chinkystan in the form of arms for the muslims the chinkies are so keen to fuck over.Quote:
Originally Posted by Switch
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s Regular Press Conference on March 28, 2022
"Xinhua News Agency:
What is China’s expectation of the third Foreign Ministers’ Meeting among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan under the current circumstances?
Wang Wenbin:
The Afghan situation is now in a critical transition from chaos to order, with the Afghan people still facing multiple challenges from within and outside that need to be addressed with more support and help from others. By hosting the third Foreign Ministers’ Meeting among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan, China looks forward to pooling more consensus on the Afghan issue from neighboring countries, discussing ways to jointly stabilize the Afghan situation and support and help the Afghan people, and share our voice with the rest of the international community as neighbors of Afghanistan. By hosting the “Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan Plus Afghanistan” Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue, we hope to further understand the Afghan people’s difficulties and needs, convey neighboring countries’ concerns on the Afghan issue, and work on the Afghan side to build an open and inclusive political structure, follow moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies and earnestly combat terrorism. In the meantime, we also expect the international community to give greater support to Afghanistan and call on the US to shoulder the primary responsibility for Afghanistan’s economic reconstruction in real earnest.
Xinhua News Agency:
What is China’s expectation of the third Foreign Ministers’ Meeting among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan under the current circumstances?
Wang Wenbin:
The Afghan situation is now in a critical transition from chaos to order, with the Afghan people still facing multiple challenges from within and outside that need to be addressed with more support and help from others. By hosting the third Foreign Ministers’ Meeting among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan, China looks forward to pooling more consensus on the Afghan issue from neighboring countries, discussing ways to jointly stabilize the Afghan situation and support and help the Afghan people, and share our voice with the rest of the international community as neighbors of Afghanistan. By hosting the “Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan Plus Afghanistan” Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue, we hope to further understand the Afghan people’s difficulties and needs, convey neighboring countries’ concerns on the Afghan issue, and work on the Afghan side to build an open and inclusive political structure, follow moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies and earnestly combat terrorism. In the meantime, we also expect the international community to give greater support to Afghanistan and call on the US to shoulder the primary responsibility for Afghanistan’s economic reconstruction in real earnest.
The Paper:
What is China’s consideration behind its inviting of the four ASEAN countries’ foreign ministers for a visit? Does China have any expectation for this visit?
Wang Wenbin:
Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar are important ASEAN members and China’s friendly neighbors and important partners for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. Since COVID-19 broke out, China has maintained regular exchanges and communication with ASEAN countries in a flexible manner, continuously deepened cooperation on COVID-19 and economic recovery, stood together to overcome difficulties and seek common development. The upcoming visit of the four foreign ministers again demonstrates the close and friendly relations between China and its ASEAN neighbors and the high importance all sides attach to advancing China-ASEAN cooperation.
This year marks the starting year of the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership. Through this visit, China hopes to work with all parties to ensure the sound implementation of the outcomes and consensus of the ASEAN-China Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations last year, promote the materialization of the Global Development Initiative in neighboring countries first, and jointly build a peaceful, tranquil, prosperous, beautiful and friendly homeland. China will also have in-depth exchanges of views with all parties on the current regional and international situation and contribute more positive energy to regional peace and stability and global prosperity and development
MASTV:
In response to the security cooperation agreement signed by China and Solomon Islands, some officials of the US and Australia have expressed their concerns, saying they don’t believe China’s police forces need to be exported and claiming that it may undermine the current security cooperation mechanism in the Pacific region and may do no good to the island nations. What is China’s comment on this?
Wang Wenbin:
I stated China’s position on this issue last week. Normal law enforcement and security cooperation between China and Solomon Islands, two sovereign and independent countries, is consistent with international law and customary international practice. It is beyond reproach as it is beneficial to social stability and lasting security of Solomon Islands and the common interest of regional countries. I also noted that the government of Solomon Islands issued a statement which elaborated on the country’s security strategy and cooperation with other countries, expressed gratitude to the support and assistance of all development partners, and emphasized the country’s need for expanding diverse cooperation. Relevant countries should earnestly respect Solomon Islands’ sovereignty and its independent decisions instead of deciding what others should and should not do self-importantly and condescendingly from a privileged position.
Why are some individuals concerned about China-Solomon Islands cooperation when the government and the people of Solomon Islands genuinely welcome it? Who has been sending military aircraft and vessels right to others’ doorsteps and flex muscles for years that severely threaten relevant countries’ sovereignty and security? Who has been forming military circles that bring nuclear proliferation risks to the Pacific Ocean? And who has been deliberately hyping up tension and stoking bloc confrontation that cast a pall on regional peace and stability? The international community can make a fair judgement, and the people of Solomon Islands and other Pacific island countries can see this clearly. Any attempt to disrupt and undermine mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Pacific island countries is doomed to fail.
Shenzhen TV:
When meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on March 27, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas stressed that the Biden administration needs to fulfill its commitment to Palestine, including its commitment to a two-state solution on the Palestine-Israel issue. On the current events in Europe, the US has shown blatant double standards, and the international community should not be silent about what’s happening in Palestine. Do you have any comment?
Wang Wenbin:
The Palestinian question should not be marginalized or forgotten, and the injustice lasting for over 50 years should not continue. Guided by the four-point proposal on the Palestinian question put forward by President Xi Jinping, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi came up with three specific approaches for implementing the two-state solution. China will continue to stand firmly with the Palestinian people.
I want to stress that the international community should not adopt double standard on the Palestinian question and other international and regional hotspot issues.
It is unacceptable double standard to sympathize with refugees in Ukraine while turning a blind eye to refugees from countries in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
It is unacceptable double standard to call acts harming civilians in Ukraine war crimes, while allowing harm done to civilians in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria to go unpunished.
It is unacceptable double standard to say the attacks on Ukraine undermine the principle of respect for sovereignty, while claiming the attacks on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria are legitimate and lawful.
It is unacceptable double standard to stress that sovereignty is inviolable on the Ukraine issue while claiming that human rights precede sovereignty when it comes to issues related to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Iraq.
The sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected. The purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be observed. The legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously. Only when double standard is discarded can regional hotspot issues be addressed in a just manner and the enduring peace achieved in Europe and other places of the world."
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s Regular Press Conference on March 28, 2022
Stop repeating yourself OhOh. You posted this Chinese bias already. It may surprise you to learn that we are not all slavish sycophants like you!
China on Monday issued "The Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in 2021."(henceforth called “the HR Report”). Before looking at its content, an important observation about “whataboutism” needs to be made: whatever one may think about human rights in China, that doesn’t mean the accusations in the HR Report aren’t correct and shouldn’t be taken seriously. The US has for years, even decades been vehemently accusing China of human rights violations, but such accusations by the US do not make the US immune against foreign criticism.
The US democracy is in a severe crisis, and the HR Report makes the observation, that only 7 percent of surveyed Americans viewed the United States as a "healthy democracy," and 52 percent believed that the American democracy is either "in trouble" or "failing." To reply by pointing at the state of democracy in China is not just deflecting with whataboutism, it also ignores actual research findings: according to the Democracy Perception Index by the “Alliance of Democracies” – an organization founded by ex-NATO general secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen – about 70% of Chinese respondents say, China has the right amount of democracy, while 14% would hope for more democracy in China. In the USA a meagre 49% find there’s enough democracy, with 28% demanding more. This question does not take into account, how people define democracy when answering the question. But it is ultimately for each country’s own population to decide, whether they consider their own system democratic or not, irrespective of why.
But things get worse for those who thought US democracy superior to Chinese democracy: how many people think their own government only acts in the interests of a minority? In China that’s just above 10%, while in the US around 60% think so. A democratic government by definition must act in the interest of the people. If the people think the government only serves a minority, then democracy has a problem. Especially if that is not just a perception, as in the Democracy Perception Index, but also provable by statistical analysis:
Harvard Professor Lawrence Lessig makes the case that our democracy has become corrupt with money, leading to inequality that means only 0.02% of the United States population actually determines who's in power, in a TEDx talk from 2015. Those are the 0.02% with enough money to make substantial donations during primaries in the US Democratic and Republican Parties. He cites a Princeton study, which found a strong correlation between the opinions of economic elites and special interest groups with the actual outcomes of the governing processes, while the opinions of the general population had no statistical influence on the outcome of policy decision making. Let me repeat: in the US, statistically proven, the opinions of the majority of the people has no influence on the outcomes of government decisions whatsoever.
And nothing indicates that things would have improved since 2015, on the contrary as the HR Report emphasizes: In 2021, 49 states in the United States introduced more than 420 bills that would restrict voting. These bills either reduced the amount of time voters have to request or mail in a ballot, restricted the availability of drop-off locations, imposed stricter signature requirements for mail-in voting, or enacted new and stricter voter-ID requirements, which made mail-in voting and early voting harder and built barriers for the elderly, disabled, minorities and other groups to exercise their voting rights.
Moreover, while one may disagree with the statement, one should be very well aware, that according to repeated studies by the University of Massachusetts, a vast majority (about 75%) of the opposition Republicans are convinced their current president isn’t legitimate. The very purpose of democracy is to give legitimacy to the government. Even when objectively no evidence of fraud was found, in the eyes of the supporters of the US opposition, the current government is not legitimate, and this perception has not shifted over the course of the first year of Biden’s presidency. The HR Report quotes a study by Pew Research finding that only 22 percent (of US Americans) said they can trust the government to do what is right "most of the time."
China has never claimed to be a perfect democracy, in fact the government has made the improvement of socialist democracy in China an increasing priority over the last years, as democracy is included as one of the 12 core values of Chinese socialism. China has over the decades shown great ability in learning from other countries, be it market economy, governance, or other aspects of a political system. But given all the findings about the current state of the US democracy, it is inconceivable why China would even want to learn about democracy from the US in 2021. The question must be asked, what the US can learn from China, to increase its government’s legitimacy and the confidence of the people in their country’s democracy.
(Contributed by Harald Buchmann, Intellisia Senior Research Fellow, for Guangming Online)
China has every reason to worry about the state of democracy in the US
_Guangming Online