As the flagship project under the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has become a main target of fierce slander by anti-China forces in the US, India and some other countries. Responding to the relentless attacks, a Pakistani official recently said that the US was "conniving in cahoots with India against the economic lifeline of Pakistan."
On the last page of his famous book The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, Paul Kennedy quotes Otto von Bismarck, the first chancellor of the German Empire, saying that, "all of these Powers are traveling on the stream of Time, which they can neither create nor direct, but upon which they can steer with more or less skill and experience." Kennedy's open-ended predictions about great power relations are being unveiled as the 21st century enters its third decade. The major powers are facing changes not seen in a century.
On October 13th, 2021, Macro Situation Forum (Fall 2021) with report release of “An Analysis of China's National Debt Level Using Two Leverage Ratios”, hosted by Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China (RDCY), co-organized by Global Governance Research Center at Renmin University of China and Jufeng Financial Research Institute, is held successfully. CCTV, Changan Street Zhishi, iFeng.com, Nanfang Metropolis Daily, Shenzhen TV, Security Times, Zhonghong.com, Financial News report the event.
“It feels like we are at the end of an era,” Bárbara Sepúlveda tells me on October 12, 2021. Sepúlveda is a member of Chile’s Constitutional Convention and of the Communist Party of Chile. The era to which Sepúlveda refers is that of General Augusto Pinochet, who led the U.S.-backed coup in 1973 that overthrew the popularly elected government of President Salvador Allende. During the Pinochet era, the military acted with impunity, and the left was assassinated and sent into exile—while big business (both Chilean and foreign) received all the blessings of the dictatorship. That’s the era that has slowly been sputtering to a halt since Pinochet’s removal in 1990 and since the Chilean people voted to throw out the dictatorship’s Constitution of 1980 and write a new one.
It is incredible that in the West, there is presently an escalation of the campaign to attack China and Russia as "autocratic systems" and the supposed contrast with the "alliance of democratic states," but the reality is almost completely mirror-inverted.
On Monday, Colin Powell, the first black US secretary of state, died from complications from COVID-19 at age 84.
China's launch of the second manned mission to the Tianhe module of the Chinese Tiangong space station has garnered great attention and many laudatory comments, particularly from the international space community. It could be said with some justification that China's decision to begin manned space exploration, and, in particular, exploration of the moon, our nearest neighbor, has launched a second wave of human space exploration.
President Xi Jinping’s introduction of the term “Common Prosperity” has led to an important discussion both inside and outside China. The aim of Common Prosperity is, of course, not at all limited to purely economic objectives. Its goals are far wider, including to ensure the rise in the living standards of the Chinese people, to increase social cohesion and political stability, and thereby to play an overall fundamental role in China’s national rejuvenation.
Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, Global Director of UN SDSN, has said that Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades’ initiative on climate change is of tremendous significance and pledged to offer full support for its implementation.
“In response to China’s recent domestic policies such as anti-monopoly and curbing the disorderly use of the capital, the Indian media has claimed that ‘due to China’s internal policy adjustments, the world’s investment in high-tech companies has gone to India’. In fact, this statement is fake news because most of the money that goes to India is hot money in the stock market, not real investment,” wrote Liu Zongyi, Secretary-General, China and South Asian Studies Center, Shanghai Institute of International Studies.
On October 8, a terrible blast struck the worshippers attending Friday noon prayers at the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque in the Khan Abad district of Bandar, the capital of Kunduz, one of Afghanistan's largest cities in its northern belt. This is a mosque frequented by Shia Muslims, who were referred to as "our compatriots" by Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid. Forty-six people died immediately in the blast, and local officials said that many more people were injured in the incident. Not long afterward, the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K), took credit for the attack on its Telegram channel. The suicide bomber was identified as Mohammed al-Uyguri by ISIS-K.
There is growing interest in the West about the present wave of reforms in China, which began with the defrocking of Ant, then the regulatory moves against the anything-goes behavior of the tech giants, and the more recent criticism of the glaring inequalities in Chinese society. The initial Western reaction was predictably negative, but this knee-jerk response has increasingly given way to a more thoughtful and curious response. For five years, Western attitudes toward China have been overwhelmingly toxic and hostile. This is the first respite. As such it is a moment of some significance. What is going on in the Western mind?
The blockbuster film The Battle at Lake Changjin was aired on-screen during China's National Day holidays with astonishing box-office numbers. It once again promoted the Chinese public's profound interest in the Korean War (1950-53). Online discussions about the war are particularly hot, reminding many people of current China-US relations.
In her key speech outlining the U.S. administration’s approach to trade with China, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai highlighted the crucial importance of China-U.S. bilateral relations using the keywords “durable coexistence” — in contrast with the new cold war advocacy of Donald Trump.
China has accused India of making unreasonable demands in their latest round of talks as the two neighbours continued to blame each other for the latest flashpoints on their disputed border.
A mosque packed with Shiite Muslim worshippers in northern Afghanistan was struck by a suicide bomber attack on Friday with at least 46 people killed and over 140 wounded. The Associate Press (AP) cited an Islamic State (IS)-linked news agency saying the bomber was identified "as a Uygher Muslim" and "the attack targeted both Shiites and the Taliban for their purported willingness to expel Uyghers to meet demands from China."
Educational exchange and technological advancements are paving the way for a new generation of global interconnectedness, with young people leading the charge. In the context of U.S.-China relations, this seemingly presents new opportunities to promote better mutual understanding. And yet, the overall relationship between the two countries is as tense and strained as ever.
Snapshot
Chinese authorities have said that they would “go all out” to boost coal production in a bid to tackle widespread power cuts, according to state media. Around 20 provinces around the country have experienced electricity rationing and blackouts over the past month due to a mix of factors, including power-production shortfalls driven by a lack of coal.