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Sunday, September 26, 2021

Major progress for China’s diplomacy as US heeds call from Chinese request list to release Meng Wanzhou

 https://youtu.be/9B7DybgHA1o 

 China Is Greeting Meng Wanzhou As A National Hero. How About Two Michaels?

 
https://youtu.be/IAwJbyqZ4_Y

 Meng Wanzhou waves to a cheering crowd as she steps out of a charter plane at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 25, 2021.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

Hard-won victory reflects legal, political wrestling; good for ties


When many Chinese woke up Saturday morning surprisingly learning that the return of Huawei's Meng Wanzhou to China became a reality, some said it was the best news in quite a while.

The high-profile case of Meng, which has become a political dilemma significantly affecting the global geopolitical landscape, has been settled through both legal channels and political wrestling, experts said, noting that China, the US and Canada have seen the best scenario with much compromise made by the Biden administration in resolving the matter. It also helped pave the way for the positive interaction between the world's largest economies in the near future amid strained China-US relations.

It was also one mistake of the US administration that has been corrected in line with the request of China, as China put forward two lists to the US during the bilateral talks in Tianjin in July, including the List of US Wrongdoings that Must Stop which urged the US to release Meng, showing that Beijing's US policies began taking effect and remaining mistakes of the US have to be corrected.

Meng Wanzhou speaks to media outside the British Columbia Supreme Court in Canada on Friday. Photo: cnsphoto

Meng Wanzhou speaks to media outside the British Columbia Supreme Court in Canada on Friday. Photo: cnsphoto

After being separated for more than 1,000 days, she finally reunited with her family and such an emotional moment also aroused reactions from ordinary Chinese people who firmly believe that the motherland will always be "on their back" and save them from crisis.

"The color red, symbolizing China, lightens the brightness in my heart," Meng said in a post shared on her WeChat moment on her fight back home, noting that she deeply appreciates the motherland and the leadership of the Communist Party of China, as without them, she would not have been freed.

An official report by the Xinhua News Agency said thanks to sustained efforts by the Chinese government, Meng left Canada on a chartered plane arranged by the Chinese government on Friday local time. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian also welcomed her return in a post on his personal Weibo account.

"Meng's return once again shows China's steadfast position in defending the rights and interests of Chinese citizens in its diplomacy with the US and overall foreign diplomacy," Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Saturday.

Such firm position is also being taken as the backbone for Chinese citizens and companies overseas, inspiring numerous Huawei staff amid the US-led severe crackdown on its 5G technologies and sanctions over the past three years. On her return, dozens of Huawei employees shared the moment on their personal accounts, saying that with the support of the government, they would never yield to any unilateral foreign sanctions or bullying.

Many ordinary Chinese cheered Meng's return, posting welcome notes on social media. Chinese netizens were also thrilled at the news. Topics related to Meng's return topped the search list of Sina Weibo for almost the whole day, with relevant posts being read more than 100 million times.

The Global Times reporter saw crowds gathering at Shenzhen Baoan Airport with Welcome Home banners, and they cheered on Meng's return. Some were family members and relatives of Huawei staff, and they hailed the senior executive as a role model in facing US hegemony and a national hero, while more than 30 million netizens watched her arrival on livestream.

The Ping'an International Financial Center, a landmark skyscraper in Shenzhen, was lit up on Saturday evening to welcome Meng's return.

Meng waves to the crowd after her arrival at the Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport.(Photo: Xinhua)

Meng waves to the crowd after her arrival at the Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport.(Photo: Xinhua)

Hard-won victory 
 
In a video seen by the Global Times, a GPS tracker ankle bracelet that Meng had worn for over two years was removed on Friday, leaving a bruise on her ankle that some Chinese netizens considered "an impressive memory" about US bullying and political persecution against a Chinese citizen.

It has never been an easy fight for the defense team of Meng over the past two years, who has been battling with the help of the Western legal tools against extradition to the US, and reached a "pretty good" result in the eyes of both Chinese and foreign legal experts after the marathon-like legal proceedings.

Meng appeared virtually in an American federal courtroom in Brooklyn on Friday, and reached a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) in a case of federal charges against her for bank and wire fraud. Under the terms of the agreement, Meng will not be prosecuted further in the US and the extradition proceedings in Canada will be terminated, according to a statement of William Taylor, one of the lawyers who represented Meng.

"She has not pleaded guilty and we fully expect the indictment to be dismissed with prejudice after 14 months. Now, she will be free to return home to be with her family," he said.

The senior executive of Huawei was arrested by Canadian authorities in December 2018 at the behest of the US, who remained under detention in Canada pending a Canadian judge's ruling on the US' extradition request for nearly three years. Meng and her defense team made the final push against extradition to the US, and the legal proceedings ended on August 18 without a decision.

A statement from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said that under the terms of the DPA, Meng acknowledged that she knowingly made false statement to a financial institution in Iran-related transactions, and agreed not to commit other federal, state or local crimes.

"It's a pretty good deal," Gary Botting, a Canadian legal expert and author of several books on extradition, told the Global Times on Saturday, noting that through the case, many believe that the US is in no position to lead the world like a "police," and hopefully, the US judge presiding over the prosecution of Meng will see that.

Some Chinese legal experts said that it's not accurate to  take a DPA as a guilty plea agreement, like some Western media reported, as any arrangement should be accepted by all parties. Without paying a hefty fine or admitting guilt in court is also considered a good arrangement, experts said, noting that the US would make much more compromise to "pull out a nail set by the US" in China-Canada and China-US relations.

Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times early Saturday that there are multiple factors driving the US to resolve this issue, including the consistent attitude of the Chinese government in urging the US and Canada to release Meng, and the mounting pressure that Canada has been facing as it clearly knows that if it insists on the extradition of Meng to the US, it would create irretrievable negative consequences on China-Canada relations, and also the unjustified procedures with the lack of evidence throughout the legal proceedings in Canada would further extend the legal battle many years.

Photo:Cui Meng/GT

Photo:Cui Meng/GT

Political wrestling

The day Meng flew back home, Canadian media reported that two Canadians - Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor - left China on a plane to Canada. Spavor was sentenced in August in China to 11 years in prison after being convicted of spying on China's national secrets. He was ordered deported from China.

Although some Western media outlets and politicians claimed the release of the two Canadians was an example of "hostage diplomacy," experts said Meng was a "political hostage" taken by the US and Canada, noting that mounting evidence throughout the legal proceedings during Meng's fight against extradition showed she was the victim of political prosecution.

"In Spavor's case, imposing the order of deportation means he may not serve his jail time in China but will be deported to Canada. It leaves room for indictment while unleashing a gesture of goodwill," Qin Qianhong, a constitutional law professor at Wuhan University, told the Global Times on Saturday.

Kovrig and Spavor were charged by the Prosecutor General's Office in China for crimes undermining China's national security in June 2020. Spavor was convicted of spying on China's national secrets and was ordered deported from China, a court in Dandong, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, announced on August 11.

Spavor was found to have taken photos and video of Chinese military equipment on multiple occasions and illegally provided some of those photos to people outside China, which have been identified as second-tier state secrets, a source close to the matter told the Global Times on September 1.

Chinese officials and diplomats reiterated that the incident of Meng is different from the cases of the two Canadians in nature.

China's position on Meng's case is consistent and clear, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Saturday. Facts have fully proved that this is an incident of political persecution against Chinese citizen, with the purpose of suppressing China's high-tech enterprises, she noted.

The accusation of Meng's so-called "fraud" is purely fabricated, she said, noting that even HSBC, which the US refers to as a "victim," has issued documents sufficient to prove her innocence. The actions of the US and Canada were typical arbitrary detention, the spokesperson added.

"There are flexibilities in legal proceedings around the world with different factors considered, which is sometimes embedded with the nature of humanity. Releasing the two Canadian citizens unlocks the bottleneck in China-Canada ties, which was expected," Lü said.

For Canada, which made a wrong political choice of being an accomplice of the US, it is still bearing the "bitter fruits." The deal can also help it ease strained ties with China, especially in trade, experts said.

He Weiwen, a former senior Chinese trade official, said Canada should make a further step if it wants to mend ties with China. "For instance, to show a positive attitude in China's participation in the CPTPP."

The deal indicates that the US has started to face up to the bottom lines China has drawn for further cooperation, and Washington is now "correcting mistakes it has made," experts said, noting that "it might be a turning point for China-US relations."

China in July put forward two lists to the US during talks in North China's Tianjin, one of which was the List of US Wrongdoings that Must Stop and the other the List of Key Individual Cases that China Has Concerns with.

China's attitude toward the US and Meng's case has been clear: her release is a must, and it seems bilateral ties are moving forward based on the two lists China put forward, Gao Lingyun, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times on Saturday.

In the List of US Wrongdoings, China urged the US to revoke the extradition request for Meng among other requests.

In the list, China also urged the US to unconditionally revoke the visa restrictions over CPC members and their families, revoke sanctions on Chinese leaders, officials and government agencies, and remove visa restrictions on Chinese students.

In the other List of Key Individual Cases, China expressed serious concerns to the US on some key individual cases, including some Chinese students' visa applications being rejected, Chinese citizens receiving unfair treatment in the US, Chinese diplomatic and consular missions being harassed and rammed into by perpetrators in the US, growing anti-Asian and anti-China sentiment, and Chinese citizens suffering violent attacks.

Gao said the US' decision was obvious, since many things in the world such as climate change and the pandemic fight require China-US cooperation. And the US has been hurt from the deteriorating ties - inflation and debt - which made it urgent for the US to mend ties with China.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said she would seek to improve US business ties with China. Raimondo said she plans to lead delegations of US chief executives overseas, including to China, to hunt for business and discuss longstanding trade issues, though nothing has yet been put on the calendar.

The US also realizes that measures that aim to suppress and contain China are useless. In the end, the world's two largest economies must return to the right track of cooperation, Gao said.

Landmark buildings in Shenzhen exhibit giant slogans welcoming Meng's return.(Photo: Xinhua)
Landmark buildings in Shenzhen exhibit giant slogans welcoming Meng's return.(Photo: Xinhua)

Not to lose guard

Although the deal with the DOJ ended up with no crime and no punishment as Meng admitted wrongdoing but without a guilty plea, the agreement pertains only on Meng, Reuters said, noting that the DOJ said it is preparing for a trial against Huawei and looks forward to proving its case in court.

Huawei said in a statement on Saturday that the company expected Meng's return and reunion with her family. Meanwhile, the company will safeguard its interests in the lawsuit in the Eastern District of New York.

Some experts also warned that though the landmark progress of the incident created a positive atmosphere for China-US ties to return to the right path, Washington has created too much trouble over the past few years in confronting China, and some severely challenged Beijing's sovereignty. It will unlikely give up its plan of suppressing China's high-tech development.

"It will be difficult to see fundamental changes in the bilateral relationship in the next few years, unless the US takes more brave and active moves in improving ties," Li said.

Meanwhile, China-Canada relations have entered a period of debugging. Obstacles to the smooth development of China-Canada relations have been clearly removed. It also created conditions for Trudeau's China policy afterwards, he noted.

For Huawei, struggling on its track of transforming from a hardware maker to software provider amid the still tight US chip ban is still a long-term work, which has been gradually making progress.

"The transformation process is painful, since it's a transformation of the business model. But the good news is that we have gradually changed," Xu Zhijun, Huawei's rotating chairman, said during a roundtable interview Friday, noting that a frequent reshuffle of its senior executives is a reflection of how hard the transformation process is.

Key events in Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou's case. Graphic: GT

 
 
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 GT Voice: Meng's homecoming a rare chance to reset China-US relations

 

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Saturday, September 25, 2021

HUAWEI CFO Meng Wanzhou leaves Canada for motherland after sustained efforts by Chinese government

https://youtu.be/NFuqwFcvnco 
 
 

China Is Greeting Meng Wanzhou As A National Hero. How About Two Michaels?

https://youtu.be/9B7DybgHA1o
 
 
Meng Wanzhou Photo:AFP

Meng Wanzhou Photo:AFP


Huawei's Meng Wanzhou reached a landmark deal with the US Justice Department on Friday that allows her to return to China, under which the senior executive of the Chinese company has not pleaded guilty. It marks the end of Meng's nearly three-year detention in Canada, and may help ease the frozen China-Canada tie and frictions between China and the US, experts said.

Meng has been released after reaching the agreement.

Thanks to sustained efforts by the Chinese government, Meng Wanzhou left Canada on a chartered plane by the Chinese government on Friday local time. She will return to the motherland and reunite with her family, according to a report from the Xinhua News Agency.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said he welcomes the return of Meng in a post on his personal Weibo account.

In a video footage seen by the Global Times, a GPS tracker ankle bracelet that Meng had worn for over two years has been removed, and she addressed the public after the hearing, expressing gratitude for the Canadian judge and court upholding the rule of law. She also thanked the Chinese embassy in Canada, her defense team and her colleagues. Although it has been a very difficult time, there's always hope, Meng said.

Meng appeared virtually in an American federal courtroom in Brooklyn on Friday, and reached a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) in a case of federal charges against her for bank and wire fraud. Under the terms of this agreement, Meng will not be prosecuted further in the US and the extradition proceedings in Canada will be terminated, according to a statement of William Taylor, one of the lawyers who represent Meng.

"She has not pleaded guilty and we fully expect the indictment will be dismissed with prejudice after fourteen months. Now, she will be free to return home to be with her family," he said.

It's exciting news that the US and Meng have finally reached an agreement, which would also be a landmark deal that may help ease frictions in the China-US relations, Chinese experts said.

At the request of the US government, the Canadian government, based on so-called accusations of fraud levelled by the US, on December 1, 2018 illegally detained Meng, who is also the daughter of Ren Zhengfei, founder of Huawei.

Meng and her defense team made the final push against extradition to the US, and the legal proceedings ended in mid-August without a decision. The judge was supposed to convene a case management conference on October 21. During the conference, she would indicate a date when the decisions will be given, according to a court note the Global Times obtained at the time.

The earlier-than-expected deal with the US made all the following process "unnecessary." On the same day, the Canadian court also signed off on a discharge order for Meng, withdrawing the US extradition order and allowing her to return to China.

Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times early Saturday that there are multiple factors driving the US to resolve this issue, including the consistent attitude of the Chinese government in urging the US and Canada to release Meng, and the mounting pressure that Canada has been facing as it clearly knows that if it insists on the extradition of Meng to the US, it would create irretrievable negative consequences on China-Canada relations.

Over the past years, Chinese diplomats and experts have urged the Trudeau administration many times to correct its mistake of serving as Washington's willing accomplice that has dragged China-Canada relations to freezing point.

The souring bilateral relationship has also disrupted the once stable trade relations between the two countries, and some Chinese businesspeople have been looking for a "plan B" over the past two years to diversify their import sources other than Canada.

"Canada has been persuading the US to drop the case. For the Biden administration, it has been evaluating US-China relations from the position of strength over the past eight months, and it understands that if it drops the charges against Meng, such progress would meet the expectation for improving bilateral ties," Lü said.

On the same day Meng flew back home, Canadian media outlets reported that two Canadians - Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor - left China on a plane back to Canada. Spavor was sentenced in August in China to 11 years in prison after being convicted of spying on China's national secrets. He was ordered to be deported from China.

Although some Western media outlets and politicians claimed the releasing of the two Canadians was an example of "hostage diplomacy," experts said Meng was indeed a "political hostage" taken by the US and Canada, noting that mounting evidence throughout the legal proceedings during Meng's fight against extradition showed she was the victim of political prosecution.

"In Spavor's case, imposing the order of deportation means he may not serve his jailtime in China but will be deported back to Canada. It leaves certain room for indictment while unleashing a gesture of goodwill," Qin Qianhong, a constitutional law professor at Wuhan University, told the Global Times.

Kovrig and Spavor were prosecuted by the Prosecutor General's Office in China for suspected crimes undermining China's national security in June 2020.

Kovrig was accused of using an ordinary passport and business visa to enter China to steal sensitive information and intelligence through contacts in China since 2017, while Spavor was accused of being a key source of intelligence for Kovrig.

Spavor was found to have taken photos and videos of Chinese military equipment on multiple occasions and illegally provided some of those photos to people outside China, which have been identified as second-tier state secrets, a source close to the matter told the Global Times on September 1.

Chinese officials and diplomats reiterated that the incident of Meng is entirely different from the cases of the two Canadians in nature.

Another factor behind the resolution of the matter is that Canada and the US can't ignore the strong public call to release Meng, experts said. Her release has been widely considered as the best scenario among China, Canada and the US, as the incident of Meng has become a dilemma that froze China-Canada relations and dragged China-US ties into a spiraling downturn over the past few years.

Nearly 15 million netizens from over 100 countries and regions including major allies of the US, such as the UK, Australia and Canada, signed a petition launched by the Global Times on August 18, and an open letter was sent to Canadian Ambassador to China Dominic Barton, demanding Meng's immediate and unconditional release, and protesting the ugly acts of the Canadian government.

On her flight back home, Meng said in a public note that she deeply appreciated the motherland and the leadership of the Communist Party of China, as without them, she would not have been freed. "The color red, symbolizing China, lightens the brightness in my heart," she said.

 
 
 

China's national power ensures Meng's different outcome from Alstom executive: Global Times editorial

It is China's national power that shaped this final result. A country will be surrounded with more troubles as it gets stronger, but only a strong country can enable us to deal with those troubles with dignity. Whenever we encounter a challenge, we neither have to risk it all in the fight, nor do we need to compromise our dignity.

 

Image
 
 
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That sinking feeling from Down Under: Australia, United Kingdom and United States (Aukus) pact

AUKUS: a blunder follows a mega mess - New Age:  

US president Joe Biden speaks on national security with British prime minister Boris Johnson and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison in East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on September 15. — Agence France-Presse/Brendan Smialowski -

 

US President Joe Biden, in announcing on video the Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States (Aukus) pact

What does the Aukus deal for Asia?

The Aukus military alliance essentially signals to the world that money spent on real war is preferred to money spent on social justice at home and concerns for people and planet.

LAST week, US President Joe Biden, in announcing on video the Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States (Aukus) pact, called Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison “that fellow from Down Under” in what appears to be a senior moment.

Considering that the military alliance has upset a lot of people from China, France and even their own commentators should not have been surprising.

Has Australia, one of the four advanced Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development or OECD countries from the Asian region (Japan, South Korea and New Zealand) seriously thought through Aukus implications on her Asian neighbours?

First, do eight nuclear submarines by 2040 make serious military sense for Australian security?

We can understand that a maritime power in the South Pacific with lots of coastal waters to patrol needs a strong navy.

But as former Prime Minister Paul Keating rightly pointed out, China is a land-based power and being over 3,200km away from Australia, does not present a military threat to Australia.

Assuming that the nuclear submarines will be similar to those planned by the United States, which will acquire 12 of the Columbia class nuclear submarines for US$128bil (RM535bil) by 2030 (the US Government Accountability Office), Australia may be paying at least US$85bil (RM355bil) for equipment that may be obsolete by the time they come onstream.

By 2040, even the US director of National Intelligence has admitted that China’s gross domestic product or GDP (22.8% of world GDP) would outclass the United States (20.8%). Twenty years is a long time to improve defences against submarine attacks.

Submarines have at best deterrent effects under conventional warfare, but their real threat comes from carrying nuclear missiles. But even the potential of carrying such missiles would invite enemy nuclear retaliation.

This is exactly why Asean countries like Malaysia and Indonesia showed serious concern that the Aukus deal may become a catalyst to the nuclear arms race.

If that is the case, Australia would lose her status as a haven for nuclear-free living, something that New Zealand cares seriously about, which is why she distanced herself from the deal.

Second, which businessman would spend nearly the same amount of money that he earns to point a gun at his best customer?

China imported US$100bil (RM418bil) in 2020 from Australia, with the latter earning a trade and service surplus of USS$55.5bil (RM235bil).

Then to spend US$85bil (RM355bil with likely huge over-runs based on past experience) on defence against your top trading customer defies business logic.

Third, the Anglosphere military alliance created a split with Europe, already sore after Brexit and Kabul. France is not only the first foreign ally (helping in the US Independence War against Britain) of the United States, but also has serious Indo-Pacific interests with 93% of her maritime economic exclusivity zone (10.2 million sq.km) – the second largest in the world – located there.

Fourth, you have to ask whether Australian military intelligence is an oxymoron when it recently ordered 70-tonne US Abram tanks that are too heavy to carry by train across Northern Territory bridges nor by road to defend the northern Australia coast.

Climate change

Her Asian neighbours would be much happier if Australia took the lead in the Asia-Pacific region on climate change, rather than spending on arms.

Amongst the rich countries, Australia has the highest per capita emission rate, similar to the United States.

But out of 200 countries, Australia ranks fifth or sixth as the biggest global emitter, so her voice on fulfilling the requirements of the Paris Accord matters.

Unfortunately, given the huge influence of the mining lobby, Australia may not even achieve her Paris agreement to cut emissions by 26% to 28% below 2005 levels by 2030, let alone improve on that commitment by the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties or COP26.

Australia may be rich enough to mitigate against her own risks of climate warming, but the effect of climate change on her neighbours, particularly the Pacific Islands is going to be devastating.

In 2019, Pacific island nations such as Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Timor Leste and Tonga declared that by 2030, their land could become uninhabitable by rising seas, water salination, reef destruction and more natural disasters.

Biodiversity decline

The latest World Bank model suggests that the global decline in biodiversity and collapse in ecosystem services such as wild pollination, food from marine fisheries and timber from native forests could result in US$2.7 trillion (RM11 trillion) decline in global GDP by 2030.

The injustice is that the poorest countries, including those in Asia-Pacific will bear most of such eco-system and GDP losses.

In particular, many indigenous people who depend on nature will bear the costs of loss of habitat and livelihood.

Why are we not surprised that on Sept 13, 2007, when the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by 144 member countries, the four votes against were the Anglosphere countries of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States? In all four rich countries, the record of treatment of the indigenous people have been shameful, such as the unmarked graves of indigenous school children in forced assimilation schools in Canada.

Human rights

According to Human Rights Watch, aboriginal and Torres Islander people comprise 29% of the Australian adult prison population, but just 3% of the population.

In the United States, states with large native populations have incarceration rates for American Indians of up to seven times that of whites.

The Aukus military alliance essentially signals to the world that money spent on real war is preferred to money spent on social justice at home and concerns for people and planet.

Who really profits from the nuclear submarine contract?

Look no further than the exclusive submarine suppliers such as General Dynamics (from the United States) and British Aerospace.

The Aukus deal confirms essentially that Australia opts to sink or swim with their rich Anglosphere few, rather than the global many.

Who said the world was fair?

Andrew Sheng writes on global issues from an Asian perspective. The views expressed here are the writer’s own

.Andrew Sheng | South China Morning Post

Tan Sri Andrew Sheng (born 1946) is Hong Kong-based Malaysian Chinese banker, academic and commentator. He started his career as an accountant and is now a distinguished fellow of Fung Global Institute, a global think tank based in Hong Kong.[1] He served as chairman of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) before his replacement by Martin Wheatley in

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Thursday, September 23, 2021

Xi emphasizes inclusiveness, rejects zero-sum game match his thoughts, while Biden’s speech plays with words and ideas at UN

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Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday addresses the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video, calling for jointly addressing global threats and challenges to build a better world for all. Photo: Xinhua 

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday addresses the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video, calling for jointly addressing global threats and challenges to build a better world for all. Photo: Xinhua

Speech injects confidence, showing China eyes greater good: expert

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday addresses the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video, calling for jointly addressing global threats and challenges to build a better world for all. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed a Global Development Initiative in his speech at the 76th general debate of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), injecting confidence and calling to jointly address global threats and challenges to build a better world for all.

In contrast, US President Joe Biden, who spoke before Xi at the same event on Tuesday, focused his remarks justifying US acts that have intensified the tensions worldwide and triggered concerns of a new cold war.

Xi made the remarks via video from Beijing on Tuesday New York time, as the world is facing the combined impacts of changes unseen in a century compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. In his speech, Xi talked about the fight against the pandemic, economic recovery, international relations and global governance, and proposed a series of new initiatives and measures.

Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China to the UN, told media that after Xi's speech, many countries' representatives to the UN spoke highly of the speech, "as they consider the remarks… brought confidence and strength, and also showed China's courage and sense of responsibility as a responsible major power."

Observers said when the world is facing serious challenges and needs major powers to play a more responsible role, China is eyeing the greater good for humanity, multilateralism and responsibility, but the US is trying to whitewash problems and mistakes it made that harmed many countries worldwide, including its allies. It is attempting to force the world to accept its problematic and arrogant "leadership."

"The keynote of Xi's speech is moderate and calm in general. China has no intention to spark conflict with any country or alliance formed by multiple states, and China is not interested in having furious debates with any country on international order," said Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of China Foreign Affairs University.

China will never exploit the UN platform to accuse others or lecture them, and the message China sent is about positive, inclusive and farsighted initiatives that are able to respond to common challenges and concerns shared by the majority of the international community, Li said.

Comparing the speeches delivered by the two leaders from China and the US, we can find many differences between the two countries' political systems and cultures, said Wang Yiwei, director of the institute of international affairs at the Renmin University of China.

"China can make long-term, certain and verifiable promises to the world as its political system is stable and reliable, but when the US promises something, other countries will definitely question Washington's credibility, because the political system in the US will bring huge uncertainties," Wang noted.

"Some voices from the US might want to hype that China and the US had a war of words at the UN, but it was not the case. Comparing the words and deeds of China and the US, it's obvious who's safeguarding and who's undermining world peace and development," Li told the Global Times

Responsibility

The COVID-19 pandemic that is still raging globally must be addressed with global efforts. "We must beat COVID-19 and win this decisive fight crucial to the future of humanity," Xi said, voicing confidence that "we humanity will surely overcome it and prevail" despite the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic may appear overwhelming.

Biden also mentioned the pandemic in his speech, but somewhat awkwardly. He said "Indeed, today, many of our greatest concerns cannot be solved or even addressed through the force of arms. Bombs and bullets cannot defend against COVID-19 or its future variants."

"Who uses bombs and bullets to fight COVID-19? This strange thinking could only emerge in the mind of American elites like Biden," Lü Xiang, a research fellow and an expert on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

This shows that the Biden administration has no proper plan to handle the pandemic. Everyone knows the US has done the worst job of containing the pandemic, with the most deaths and infections in the world, "but still, Biden repeatedly says the US will lead the world to fight COVID-19. It's truly a joke," Lü noted.

United States COVID - Worldometer  Coronavirus: 43,404,877 Cases and 699,748 Deaths

China COVID: 95,894 Cases and 4,636 Deaths - Worldometer

Xi, in his speech, called to put people and lives first, take a science-based approach in origins tracing, enhance the coordinated global COVID-19 response and minimize the risk of cross-border virus transmission. Noting that vaccination is a powerful weapon against COVID-19, Xi said the pressing priority is to ensure fair and equitable distribution of vaccines globally.

Xi reiterated the pledge that China will strive to provide 2 billion doses of vaccines to the world by the end of this year. "In addition to donating $100 million to COVAX, China will donate 100 million doses of vaccines to other developing countries in the course of this year."

"We should care about the special needs of developing countries. We may employ such means as debt suspension and development aid to help developing countries, particularly vulnerable ones facing exceptional difficulties, with emphasis on addressing unbalanced and inadequate development among and within countries," Xi said.

Vulnerable nations must include countries like Afghanistan, Lü said, stressing the country has been occupied by the US for 20 years when it experienced serious internal chaos. The coming winter will be a challenge for Afghan people. The expert said China offers hope for this kind of vulnerable countries to find a new way when the West, especially the US, failed to help, instead leaving them in turmoil.

Xi's pledge on Tuesday that China will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad is seen by observers as a sign that Beijing is devoted to curbing global warming with the "firmest determination and greatest efforts," in order to achieve its green commitment on schedule and build a better future.

In contrast to Biden's hollow promises on climate change, COVID-19 and global unity, on which the US hasn't contributed much or, in some cases, even sabotaged progress, experts hailed Xi's remarks and said they show a devotion to solving humanity's most crucial issues.

Multilateralism

Biden, the president chanting the slogan "America is back," did not mention the word "multilateralism" in his speech while Xi mentioned it four times and stressed China's stance to uphold this core value of the UN. Biden apparently prefers the word "allies," mentioning it eight times, even as it just betrayed one of its core allies France with the AUKUS deal.

President Xi said "the year 2021 is a truly remarkable one for the Chinese people", as it marks the centenary of the Communist Party of China as well as the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations, a historic event that China will solemnly commemorate.

Xi said "we must improve global governance and practice true multilateralism. In the world, there is only one international system, i.e. the international system with the United Nations at its core. There is only one international order, i.e. the international order underpinned by international law. And there is only one set of rules, i.e. the basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter."

Biden said in his speech the US will cooperate with multilateral institutions like the UN, but the word "multilateralism" in the White House vocabulary has a different definition compared to the Chinese one, said experts, as the international system that the US prefers is one with "the US at the core," but the one that China advocates is "with the UN at its core."

As long as the US keeps its exclusive alliances that target other countries, there will be no real multilateralism in US diplomacy and strategy, and even within the US-led alliances, the US will still harm and cheat its allies, Lü said.

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 Speeches of Xi, Biden show different patterns of China, US: Global Times editorial


Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video, in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua
Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video, in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a vital address by video on Tuesday at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). As US President Joe Biden had made a speech to the UNGA just hours earlier, in comparison, Xi's speech reflects the broad-mindedness of the Chinese top leader, and his fairness and reason when he discussed issues and challenges. The two speeches demonstrated the different political thinking and working logic between China and the US, as well as the different values of the two countries' foreign policies.

Xi's speech was based on the idea of a community with a shared future for mankind. From its theme to the specific initiatives, it focused on the common interests of mankind and the world. The Global Development Initiative, which Xi proposed, is for all countries. To promote the initiative, Xi called for staying committed to development as a priority, a people-centered approach, benefits for all, and result-oriented actions. Xi also highlighted the importance of innovation-driven development and the harmony between humanity and nature. They are universal and do not contain any political exclusion. They are a true practice of strengthening international solidarity and meeting challenges together.

Biden also mentioned the phrase "all people" a lot in his speech. But this was more like the sentimental "rhetoric" part of the whole speech. The actual subject of Biden's speech is the US, together with its allies and partners. From making rules to seeking benefits, it all revolves around this chain of subjects. Other countries are either foils or the challengers of the US that Biden did not name.

President Xi stressed in his speech that the world should embrace civilizations of various forms, and must accommodate diverse paths to modernization. He then emphasized that democracy is not a special right reserved to an individual country, but a right for the people of all countries to enjoy. And military intervention from the outside and the so-called democratic transformation will entail nothing but harm. In the speech, Xi promotes the common values of humanity and rejects the practice of forming small circles and zero-sum games. Such claims either vividly reflect various practices of countries or summarize some important lessons from today's world. For instance, while defending the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the Biden administration has admitted that it is impossible to remake other countries through large-scale military operations.

Biden's speech not only distinguished its allies and partners from other countries. Disregarding the fact that the US just encountered the fiasco of democratic reconstruction in Afghanistan, Biden continued to blaze the dichotomy which divides the world into "democracy" and "authoritarianism." He gave some of the worst turmoil and wars a fancy label of "democratic vitality." Joint development is the main thread for China to drive global change, while that of the US is to engage in a "democracy movement." China advocates construction, but the US incites contradiction and destruction. The victims of destruction are the vast majority of the developing countries, while the US and the Western world have benefited from it.

Xi's speech is backed and followed up by China's solid actions. For example, China is responding to the UN climate action. It is accelerating the transition to a green and low-carbon economy, and all Chinese people can feel this change. In his remarks, Xi also promised that China would not build new coal-fired power projects abroad. This is widely seen as the latest major commitment China has made.

The incumbent US government is keen on "leading" the global climate action. It has announced its "grand" targets of emissions for 2030 and 2050, and used them to force other countries to take actions. But it's highly uncertain whether the US will accomplish its own goals. The previous Trump administration even pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement. If the next US administration is again a Republican one, the promises Biden made will be very likely rescinded. Even if another Democratic administration is elected, what kind of confidence and resources will it have and use to honor its emissions reduction commitments?

China's deeds match its words, while the US says one thing but does another. A promise made by China is worth a thousand ounces of gold, but the succeeding US government often doesn't admit what its predecessor said and it dares to say anything in order to win an election. This has become an increasingly stereotyped and prominent distinction between China's international images and those of the US.

Neither the Chinese leader nor the US leader named the other's country and capital in their speeches at UNGA. But Biden mentioned "Xinjiang," an autonomous region in Northwest China. By comparison, the contents of both addresses can be widely interpreted as "targeting China" in the speech of the US was greater than"targeting the US" in the speech of China. Biden said the US isn't "seeking a new Cold War," but it's obvious that Washington is on the offensive that launches an all-round crackdown on China. The US has kept advocating suppressing China. Although the latest remarks by Biden have shown some restraint, the content still conveyed the often-seen US aggressiveness.

Justice naturally inhabits man's mind. The heads of state of China and the US both addressed the UN at this special occasion. It's believed the world has the ability to judge who the true defender and promoter of peace and development is, and who the instigator and initiator of division and confrontation is.

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