On Geoeconomics Geopolitics #15
China’s socialism; China-North Korea; Brazil international strategy; China and MENA; Madani foreign policy; sanctions & fractionalisation; International Peace; food for thoughts
Articles and repostings in my other websites during the week, covering:
1] At the launching of Carlos Martinez’s book The East is Still Red, Tuesday 6 June 2023, Rocío Maneiro Gonzālez, Venezuela’s ambassador to China (2004- 2013), talked about CHINA SOCIALISM as a succesful system.
2] CHINA-NORTH KOREA RELATIONS
From 2018 to 2019, North Korea's leader visited China on multiple occasions. Since then, while relations between North Korea on the one side and the US and South Korea on the other have broken down, the China–DPRK ties have become even stronger.
“If [China] can help support [带得动] a country with a population of over 100 million such as Russia, it will naturally be able to do the same with a country of over 20 million such as North Korea. Thus, it would be reasonable to expect that, like the visits of senior Russian officials to China over the past year or two, the North Korean leadership might also bring officials and business delegations from various fields with them to China. If a visit of this scale were to occur, it would mean that both sides would no longer be playing small [小打小闹] and that the deeper cooperation that would follow could have a far-reaching impact on the long-term power contrast [势力对比] in the entire region.”
Further,
North Korean leader expresses support for Russia, hopes for victory
"Justice will always prevail and the Russian people will continue to glorify the history of victory," the North Korean leader added.
3] BRAZIL'S INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY
relates to present Brazil’s vision of the world is compatible with China where both countries diplomatic tradition and values are characterised by multilateral cooperation.
The importance of Brazil to China is elaborated by members of the CASS think-thank team.
4] MADANI AND MALAYSIA FOREIGN POLICY is explored by Aliran as the geopolitical situation in Southeast Asia is geostrategically dynamic, and the Malaysia leadership role and responsibility in ASEAN need to be re-examined.
5] Ye Yan (叶研) - senior economist at the international R&D arm of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and an adjunct professor at China’s Southwest University of Political Science & Law - expanded on ways by which international community can do to counter ECONOMIC SANCTIONS, followed by my contribution to the Collective on Geoeconomics an article regarding to deglobalisation, de-risking and dismantling of the world trading system:
FRACTIONALISATION in GLOBAL TRADE -Geostrategic implications to countries
6] At The INTERNATIONAL PEACE COALITION zoom meeting with over 25 representatives of peace organizations from a dozen nations, held on June 2, with the aim of bringing the diverse peace movements around the world together to counter the rapidly escalating threat of a U.S.-NATO full-scale war with Russia and potentially also China.
7] PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT VISIT TO CHINA has great implications for the Middle East on the issue of normalization between some Arab countries and Israel, and the implications it pose to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Unpacked are analyses by Dr. HE WENPING - Professor and Research Program Director at the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies (IWAAS) at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), on China’s role in MENA mediation effort
and
WU SIKE who has served as China's Special Envoy to the Middle East, and as its ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, on Palestine-Israeli relationship.
China’s United Nations Ambassador, Geng Shuang, spoke forcefully about the “irreplaceable” need for a “comprehensive and just solution”, that is based on ending Israel’s “provocations” in Jerusalem and the respect for the right of “Muslim worshipers” as well as the “custodianship of Jordan” in the city’s holy sites, (Ramzy Baroud).
8] FOOD FOR THOUGHTS on promoting grassroots food sovereignty, in this final part of the series, we learn about the Pueblo a Pueblo organisation’s effort to distribute food to schools and its links with the Chávez and Bolívar Commune in Latin America.
The other parts I, II, and III of this four-part piece in the Communal Resistance Series, are accessible.
Meanwhile in Europe, the Oakland Institute report “War and Theft: The Takeover of Ukraine’s Agricultural Land,” reveals how oligarchs and financial interests are expanding control over Ukraine’s agricultural land with assistance from Global North financial institutions.
The total amount of land controlled by oligarchs, corrupt individuals and large agribusinesses is over nine million hectares – exceeding 28% of Ukraine’s arable land (the rest is used by over eight million Ukrainian small farmers).
The largest landholder includes the sovereign fund of Saudi Arabia. A number of large U.S. pension funds, foundations and university endowments are also investing in Ukrainian land through NCH Capital — a U.S.-based private equity fund which is the fifth largest landholder in the country.
Read also The corporate takeover of Ukrainian agriculture (Third World Network, 2015, a year after the US-backed coup); and Sowing the seeds of plunder (Dissident Voice, May 2023).
9] On the 75th anniversary of the socialist magazine, Monthly Review, an archived editorial statement is accessible HERE where in United Kingdom & Eire a group of Malaysian and Singaporean activists subscribed to, and built a library with, MR - more than 60-year odd years ago - for the arising consciousness cohort of progressive students abroad; read their enduring stories in the new left malaysia.
9] The Ukraine cross-border geostrategic heavy fires continue, but tactically has changed since blow up of the Novakovka power station incident; and the Ukrainian decision to use Western weapon for counter-offensive in the Zaporozhye direction is explained, not forgetting The resurgent Nazism in Ukraine poses a threat to all of Europe (Manlio Dinucci).
Other ongoing tactical maneuverings and recent geostrategic positionings are accessible in:
MOMENTUM #151
and
FRIDAY FILES 16/06/2023
We meet again next Saturday - cheerio!