AssassinsMace
Lieutenant General
I guess they believe the US blew up Nord 2 which if you do I guess you think the US would also be capable of stirring chaos in the Middle East just to stop Saudi Arabia from joining BRICS.
BRICS & New World Order Thread
- Thread starter Strangelove
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I guess they believe the US blew up Nord 2 which if you do I guess you think the US would also be capable of stirring chaos in the Middle East just to stop Saudi Arabia from joining BRICS.
In4ser
Junior Member
I'm curious about MBS' plan if the West decides to blockade the Strait of Hormuz or steal oil like they've been doing with Syria and Iran. It might also be an excellent opportunity for China to sell some missiles and show them off without needing to use them over Taiwan.
Yuan clearing service officially launched in Argentina, advancing internationalization
By Global Times Published: Nov 09, 2022 11:34 PM
Photo:VCG
A yuan clearing business was officially launched in Argentina on Tuesday, local time, which is expected to inject new momentum into bilateral economic and trade cooperation and facilitate the use of yuan in cross-border transactions, officials said.
With the launch of the yuan clearing service, Chinese and Argentinian enterprises and financial institutions can use yuan for cross-border transactions, a mechanism that is vital for the economic development of Argentina, said Miguel Ángel Pesce, governor of the Central Bank of Argentina, China Media Group reported.
"Cross-border transactions between the two countries will be easier without having to go through a third currency, so we are very happy about that," he said.
He said that the move is very important for Argentina's domestic economy and it will also boost the confidence of Chinese companies who want to invest in Argentina.
China is Argentina's second-biggest trade partner. In 2021, bilateral trade increased by 28.3 percent year-on-year to $17.83 billion, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said in a press conference in February.
China is ready to work with Argentina to advance the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and further promote practical economic and trade cooperation in various fields, especially investment in emerging areas such as the digital economy and green development, so as to continuously upgrade bilateral economic and trade cooperation and improve the well-being of the two countries, MOFCOM said.
In a separate move, China and Pakistan have recently signed a memorandum on yuan clearing in Pakistan. The arrangement will help enterprises and financial institutions in the two countries conduct cross-border transactions using yuan, according to a statement from the People's Bank of China (PBC).
China has been steadily advancing the yuan's internationalization.
Cross-border yuan receipts and payments in non-banking sectors hit a record high of 36.6 trillion yuan ($5.1 trillion) in 2021, up 29 percent year-on-year, according to the 2022 RMB Internationalization Report released by the PBC in September.
By the end of 2021, the PBC had signed bilateral local currency swap agreements with 22 central banks or monetary authorities along the BRI, and had established yuan clearing arrangements in eight countries along the BRI.
supercat
Major
12 more countries want join BRICS+
14 countries queuing up for BRICS+
9 are countries with an Islamic majority, that is, with great possibilities for population growth and all are still in development, which opens the possibility for great economic growth in the long term. I won't even mention the geopolitical weight of the new future members.
China, Cuba eye deepening BRI cooperation; US’ scheme of marginalizing China in Latin America ‘failing’
By , and Published: Nov 25, 2022 11:20 PM
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, holds a ceremony to welcome Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and Cuban president, prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov 25, 2022. Photo:Xinhua
China and Cuba on Friday vowed to deepen practical cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation plan, firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests, strengthen coordination in international and regional affairs as well as jointly build socialism with local characteristics, during a meeting between Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, and Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and Cuban president.
The two leaders witnessed the signing of bilateral documents regarding inter-party exchanges, BRI cooperation and a consultation mechanism between their foreign ministries.
The two sides also issued an 18-point joint statement on deepening China-Cuba relations in the new era. Cuba reiterates its firm position of unconditionally abiding by the one-China principle, stressing that Cuba firmly opposes any attempt to use the Taiwan question to interfere in China's internal affairs.
China firmly supports the Cuban people in their just struggle to defend national sovereignty and oppose external interference and blockades. China supports ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba, according to the joint statement.
The two sides agreed to deepen high-quality BRI cooperation and strengthen cooperation in areas such as biotechnology, renewable energy, health, economy, trade, finance and cyber security, and China will continue to provide support and assistance to Cuba within its capacity, the statement said.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, holds a ceremony to welcome Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and Cuban president, prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov 25, 2022.Photo:Xinhua
Chinese observers said Diaz-Canel's visit came amid recent frequent visits of leaders from socialist countries, showing that these countries are deepening exchanges in theory and practice, and as they are also developing countries, the exchanges also let the world hear stronger voices from developing nations, which is conducive to promoting a world order that is fairer and more just as the US and West attempt to split the world through bloc confrontation and ideology.
Observers stressed that China-Cuba cooperation and China-Latin America cooperation benefit both sides and do not target any third party, and the steadily growing bilateral trade between China and countries in the region showed that the US is failing in its attempt to push aside China in the region that Washington long deems as its "sphere of influence" for geopolitical aims.
Xi, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, said to Diaz-Canel, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and Cuban president, that Diaz-Canel is the first Latin American and Caribbean head of state received by China since the 20th CPC National Congress held last month, which fully demonstrates the special friendship between the two countries and parties.
"Cuba is the first country in the Western Hemisphere that established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. Our ties have become an example of solidarity and cooperation between socialist countries, as well as an example of sincere mutual assistance between developing countries," Xi said.
Li Haidong, a professor from the Institute of International Relations at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Friday that the "special friendship" between the two countries and two parties mentioned by Xi was embodied in the long-term friendship of the two socialist countries since the two established diplomatic ties, as Cuba was the first country in the so-called "backyard" of the US in Latin America to establish diplomatic relations with China, which laid the foundation for other Latin American countries to establish diplomatic ties with China, and the two sides enjoy a friendship forged by the older generation of leaders, which has become a precious legacy of the two countries that should be cherished and consolidated.
The two parties in China and Cuba have united and led their peoples to withstand various negative influences from the international and domestic environment, overcome risks and challenges through great struggles, and can also support and coordinate with each other to defend fairness and justice in multilateral and international affairs, showing the strong vitality of the Marxist party and the socialist system, Pan Deng, executive director of the Latin American and Caribbean Region Law Center of China University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times.
According to Cuban news agency Prensa Latina, Diaz-Canel travelled with several senior officials, including Deputy Prime Ministers Ricardo Cabrisas and Alejandro Gil, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, and Ministers Rodrigo Malmierca (Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment) and Vicente de la O (Energy and Mines).
Cuba's delegation includes several senior officials from different sectors, which showed that Cuba wants to comprehensively boost ties with China, analysts said.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, holds a ceremony to welcome Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and Cuban president, prior to their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov 25, 2022.Photo:Xinhua
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Russia-led free trade bloc seeks joint payment system with BRICS
Such a move could help cut dependence on Western financial infrastructure, Izvestia reports
A cardholder inserts a VTB MIR credit card into an ATM slot, in Yerevan, Armenia. Armenia has stopped using the Russian MIR payment system. © Sputnik / Andranik Ghazaryan
The Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) is interested in setting up a common payment system with BRICS nations, the newspaper Izvestia reported on Monday. The Russia-led free trade bloc aims to cut reliance on the Western monetary system.
The EEU was founded as the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. It was established in 2015, and was later joined by Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. In 2016, Vietnam became a free trade partner with the EEU. The union is designed to ensure the free movement of goods, services, capital and workers between member countries.
According to the report, citing the EEU’s regulatory body, the plan also envisages the issuance of a single payment card within the two trade blocs. That would unite the national payment systems of its member states, including Russia’s Mir, China’s Union Pay, India’s RuPay, Brasil’s Elo and others.
Vladimir Kovalyov, an adviser to the chairman of the Eurasian Economic Commission, said the EEU is currently focused on establishing a joint financial market, with priority on developing a common “exchange space.”
“We’ve made substantial progress and now the work is focused on such sectors as banking, insurance and the stock market,” Kovalyov was quoted as saying by Izvestia.
According to the official, a regulatory body for the proposed joint financial system of the EEU and BRICS would also be established as part of the new infrastructure.
The EEU, which brings together countries in the post-Soviet space, has been increasingly looking for ways to deepen cooperation with the BRICS group of emerging economies. That bloc consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, accounting for more than 40% of the world’s population and nearly a quarter of global GDP. Efforts have already been made among some BRICS members to trade in local currencies in order to reduce dependence on the US dollar and euro.
Chinese model offers an alternative from Western model with more certainty and quicker decision-making
By Global Times Published: Dec 06, 2022 07:29 PM Updated: Dec 06, 2022 07:10 PM
A scene of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. Photo: VCG
Editor's Note:
For Chinese people, the past decade has been epic and inspirational. The country, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, has made great endeavors in boosting its economy, deepening reforms, improving the rights of its people and acting as a responsible global power.
“The Chinese model has proven itself in lifting hundreds of millions from poverty and therefore looks appealing to many. The Chinese model offers less uncertainty, fewer constraints and quicker decision-making,” Gal Luft (Luft), co-director of the Washington-based Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, said in an interview with the Global Times (GT) reporter Lu Yuanzhi.
GT: How do you see China’s development over the last decade? What changes have left you the deepest impression?
Luft: It is no secret that China’s development has been the fastest and most impressive of any nation in modern history. It was not the kind of post-war boom we have seen in other countries and regions but an organic and responsibly choreographed boom. I visited China numerous times and each time I saw more prosperity, quality infrastructure and overall high level of optimism and dynamism in Chinese society. What impressed me the most was the success in the war on poverty, especially the connection of rural communities to modern transportation and communication systems and the sustainable manner in which all of this development has taken place. Many of the people of my generation still remember the feeling of hunger. But their children no longer know this sense. I have also been impressed with the achievements in the war on pollution. In my first visits to China there were days that the air was so polluted that one couldn’t be sure if it’s daylight or evening. Those occurrences are increasingly rare nowadays.
GT: In an interview, you said you wish any country, certainly in the West, have a “kind of leadership that China right now has in terms of its stability and execution power.” What does this feature of Chinese governance mean for the world today?
Luft: The West, particularly the US, is trying to frame the international development as a choice between democracy and authoritarianism, with liberal democracy being presented as the most effective form of government and as the one most conducive to human prosperity and peace. The Chinese model challenges this narrative. Throughout the world developing countries are looking at China and at the West and are asking themselves which model is likely to deliver better results for their people. The Western-led system has been successful for quite some time, in part by relying on exploitation of poor countries, but there is now a growing sense that it is failing to deliver satisfactory results not only to their own people but also to poor countries trying to emulate the model. The Chinese model has proven itself in lifting hundreds of millions from poverty and looks appealing to many. The Chinese model offers less uncertainty, fewer constraints and quicker decision-making. But it is still not clear whether or not this model can be replicated outside of China with similar success. Time will tell.
GT: Western societies are also facing increasing challenges and uncertainties. Are there any advantages of China's governance that Western political systems can learn from?
Luft: The problem in most liberal democracies today is the ability of the government to execute long-term plans and fulfill promises to voters. Western democracies are belabored with webs of bureaucratic red tape which makes execution very difficult. We hear a great deal of rhetoric and promises which are not matched by deliverables. A major reason for the failure is hyper-partisanship and lack of policy continuity. The US, for example, changes between Republican and Democrat administrations produce sharp shifts in policy on almost every topic. Presidents regularly undo their predecessors’ policies, including entering and withdrawing from international treaties. In other countries like the UK, Italy and Israel we have seen frequent leadership changes that bring to power leaders who were not elected by the majority of the voters, sometimes they are not elected at all but come to power thanks to arcane laws and bizarre political configurations. The Chinese system on the other hand may not offer the same right of dissent but it offers continuity, stability, long-term planning and execution. I’m not suggesting that the Chinese system is superior on every level, but that the weaknesses and dysfunctionalities exhibited by the democracies suggest that there is growing curiosity about alternative systems.
GT: Washington announced to hold the second Summit for Democracy in March 2023. What’s your take on the US’ attempts trying to contain China by creating cliques, based on the “democracy versus autocracy” stunt?
Luft: The attempt to divide the world according to democracies and autocracies is poorly conceived and self-defeating. As mentioned, too many democracies are a mess today and many autocracies get high grades for delivering for their people and improving people’s lives. The pandemic has been an interesting test case. It was the first time in history in which all countries of the world regardless of their form of government were met with the same challenge at the exact same time. Interestingly, more than 80 percent of the people who died from COVID-19 lived in democracies. When it comes to the ultimate role of government – to defend its people – democracies fared poorly. US attempts to isolate China based on its non-democratic designation is both immoral as well as impractical. Immoral, because it fails to respect the thousands of years of political, social and cultural trial and error the Chinese people have experienced in the process of selecting the system best fitted to their unique needs. At the same time the West is trying to delete from the collective memory the dark history of slavery, colonialism, exploitation, wars, invasions and other form of abuse which brought the West to its present status, which is impractical, because no one like to be lectured by the US and its post-colonial Western allies and no one is willing to accept their self-proclaimed moral high ground. Leaders of developing countries have urgent needs. They want schools, roads, electricity and clean waters – not lectures about democracy or bizarre ideas about gender reaffirmation.
Gal Luft. Photo: Courtesy of Luft
GT: Today, the US political systems seem to be increasingly kidnapped by fierce partisan disputes. What is your opinion on the polarization of US politics? Can US-style democracy get rid of serving parties’ self-interests and strive for the interests of the majority of Americans?
Luft: The divide between liberals and conservatives in the US is more cultural than political. The two camps agree on almost nothing because they hold very different cultural, ethical and religious worldviews. They do not agree on the role of government in people’s lives and on how resources should be allocated. The gaps are unbridgeable and the country is in what can only be defined as a “cold civil war.” Because there are more guns than people in the US and this dangerous situation could easily develop into a hot civil war. I’m not the only one concerned about the future of the American democracy. Polls show that roughly 50 percent of Americans feel that the country is on the path to a civil war within the next decade. One of the causes for this divide is what we call the “post-truth era.” In the past, we used to say “you are entitled to your own opinion but not to your own facts.” Today, we can no longer agree on basic facts, like what is a woman? what is marriage? when does life start? how many genders are there? etc. Without agreement on the most basic building blocks, society cannot function and politicians build on the hatred and fan the flames in order to reap short term political gains. I don’t believe this is a resolvable problem. America was there in the 19th century and will probably have to go through similar ordeal. I guess it’s part of its growing pains.
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As BRI integrates with Saudi Vision 2030, Chinese firms expect a new peak in cooperation following Xi’s visit
Chinese firms aim at grasping opportunities by better integrating BRI, Saudi Vision 2030
By and Xing Xiaojing in Riyadh Published: Dec 08, 2022 12:30 AM Updated: Dec 08, 2022 12:26 AM
Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia Photo: VCG
Projects involving Chinese enterprises are seen in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East. From the Mecca light rail in the kingdom to the magnificent Lusail Stadium, which is now the center of global attention as a venue of the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, these iconic projects are a microcosm of the involvement of Chinese companies in the region. As Chinese President Xi Jinping is going to attend the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-GCC Summit in Riyadh and pay a state visit to Saudi Arabia from Wednesday to Saturday, the demonstration effect of Chinese enterprises will surely radiate to the entire Arab world.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday that China and Saudi Arabia are comprehensive strategic partners, with shared focuses in our development strategies, similar visions for development and mutually complementary development strengths, which makes two countries natural cooperation partners. Mao added that President Xi's state visit to Saudi Arabia will be his first visit to a Middle East country after the successful 20th CPC National Congress, and will elevate the China-Saudi Arabia comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level.
Fruitful results under BRI
Since 2010, the Mecca light rail, constructed by China Railway Construction Corp (CRCC), has provided pilgrimage transport service to hundreds of thousands or even millions of pilgrims every year, facilitating their pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, and greatly easing traffic congestion on the roads during the Hajj. The light rail line, which extends for 18.25 kilometers and includes nine stations, is Saudi Arabia's first light rail and the first of its kind built by a Chinese company in the Middle East.
Wang Lei, general manager of CRCC (Saudi Arabia), told the Global Times that it only took 16 months to complete the rail project and since it was put into service in 2010, it has successfully completed eight missions and carried a total of more than 20 million pilgrims.
Energy cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia is also advancing steadily. When President Xi visited Saudi Arabia nearly seven years ago in 2016, he and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud attended the launching ceremony of the project of Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Co (YASREF), jointly established by China Petrochemical Corp (Sinopec) and Saudi Aramco.
Lian Mingxiang, general manager of Sinopec's Middle East branch and head of the Contact Office of Chinese Companies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, told the Global Times that the YASREF refinery as a joint venture has witnessed pleasant and smooth cooperation between Sinopec and Saudi Aramco. He expects Xi's visit this time will further strengthen political relations between the two countries, so as to better promote bilateral economic and trade exchanges.
Sinopec in August signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Aramco covering multiple areas of potential collaboration between the parties in Saudi Arabia. According to Aramco, Mohammed Y. Al Qahtani, Aramco senior vice president of downstream, believed the collaboration would help to further advance the Saudi oil company's strategic relationship with Sinopec into key areas of mutual benefit within the Kingdom. Lian said that Sinopec and Saudi Aramco are exploring the cooperation model of integrating the upstream, midstream and downstream.
"Saudi Arabia needs a stable demand for oil while China needs a stable oil supply as the Chinese economy keeps developing, therefore, strengthening energy cooperation is of great importance to China and Saudi Arabia, whether it's from the perspective of supply and demand or each country's own development.
Cooperation with Chinese companies is also flourishing in the Middle East region outside Saudi Arabia. Lusail Stadium, which is set to host the most important final match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, was constructed by the CRCC together with Qatari company HBK Contracting in a joint venture. It's another symbolic project of Belt and Road cooperation. The biggest stadium in Qatar is featured on the country's 10-riyal ($2.66) banknotes. It's fair to say through in-depth integration with local needs, the Belt and Road Initiative has continuously borne fruit in various fields.
Popularity of Chinese firms
Regarding oil trade and the Chinese presence in Saudi Arabia, some Western countries tend to make political interpretations, portraying China's economic activities as an attempt to vie for influence with the US in the region. "Western media reports often deliberately distort facts for certain political purposes," Lian said. He emphasized that there is only normal economic and trade cooperation, which has nothing to do with politics in the process of doing business with Saudi partners. "Not only Chinese and US companies, but also firms from Japan, South Korea and other countries come to Saudi Arabia to fully compete in the market, giving full play to their respective advantages," Lian said.
As a matter of fact, Chinese enterprises have received a warm welcome from local people. Meshari Abahusain, a Saudi Arabian who is working as investment director of Saudi Silk Road Industrial Services LLC, a Chinese-Saudi joint venture that provides investment services in Saudi Arabia, told the Global Times that he is expecting President Xi's visit will be followed by more diverse investments from China.
"I have been waiting for this moment so long, I remember the last time when President Xi came [in 2016], we got a lot of business opportunities," he said. Saudi Arabia has set a target of attracting around $100 billion a year of foreign direct investment by 2030 as it looks to diversify its economy.
"This offers a golden chance for Chinese investors and companies," Abahusain noted. He also believes that with the smooth development of China-Saudi Arabia relations and the realization of mutual benefit and reciprocity between the two countries, bilateral ties will have a demonstration effect on other Arab countries.
Graphic: Tang Tengfei/GT
Compared with companies from other countries, Chinese enterprises have obvious advantages in the Middle East. Wang said the biggest advantage of Chinese enterprises lies in their good reputation in the global market. Local people acknowledged that once an agreement is reached and a contract is signed, Chinese companies will show a strong capacity to fulfill the contract, Wang noted. He also added that Chinese companies attach great importance to cultivating local talent.
"We must show respect for local people's religious beliefs and customs," Lian stressed when talking about communication skills with the Saudi side. He noted that it's basic to set up prayer sites for local employees regardless of the size of the project and whether it's in offices or open-air construction sites. "Equal dialogue is very important, and there are a lot of good points that Chinese firms could learn from their Saudi partners," Lian said.
New peak for win-win cooperation
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has vigorously promoted economic diversification and transformation under the framework of Saudi Vision 2030. Wang told the Global Times that frequent high-level interactions between China and Saudi Arabia have strengthened the mutual trust between the two countries and could help Chinese firms to participate in local projects more smoothly. He expects the two governments could reach more cooperation intentions during Xi's visit, especially in areas such as smart city construction, green energy, energy conservation and environmental protection, in which Chinese enterprises are greatly interested.
Lian said he is very confident in the bright prospects of Chinese enterprises in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Vision 2030 pays attention to the development of the industrial and manufacturing sectors, where Chinese enterprises have advantages. In the future, the Chinese companies need to clearly understand where their advantages are, accurately analyze local demand, and grasp the opportunities by better integrating the Belt and Road Initiative and the Saudi Vision 2030.
After President Xi visited Saudi Arabia in 2016, economic and trade cooperation between the two countries witnessed a series of major results. Lian believes Xi's visit this time will bring about a new peak in bilateral economic and trade exchanges, and point out the direction for the two countries to deepen cooperation in the future.