China-Zambia Ties - Li's ASEAN Diplomacy - G77-Global South Outreach - Aug. Economic Data - Wang-Sullivan Talks - Chinese-style Modernisation vs Western Modernisation - Zhong Sheng on Monroe Doctrine
Hi folks, before we get to today’s edition, I’d like to cover the visit of Zambian President to China. This was among the top stories over the weekend. As you read, you’ll realise why I thought this, particularly the structure of the joint statement, is important.
On Saturday lead story in the People’s Daily was about Xi Jinping meeting with his Zambian counterpart, Hakainde Hichilema. Xinhua reports that Xi pointed to the “traditional friendship” between the two countries.
“Xi said China has always viewed and developed China-Zambia relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, and stands ready to work with Zambia to transform the profound traditional friendship into a strong driving force for win-win cooperation in the new era and push bilateral relations to a new level. The Chinese president said China supports Zambia in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests and exploring a development path suited to its own conditions. He expressed China's willingness to strengthen inter-party exchanges and exchanges of state governance experience with Zambia. The two countries should support each other on issues related to their respective core interests and major concerns. The success of Chinese modernization shows the diversity of modernization models in the world, and China's high-quality development and modernization process will continue to bring new opportunities to all countries including Zambia, Xi said.”
The report also adds:
“Noting that the collective rise of developing countries and their increasing international influence have become an irreversible trend of the times, Xi said China and Zambia need to strengthen solidarity and coordination, practice genuine multilateralism, firmly uphold international fairness and justice, strive to increase the voice of developing countries, and safeguard the common interests of the two countries and other developing countries. Xi said China-Africa cooperation has become a pacesetter in South-South cooperation and international cooperation with Africa. The features of China-Africa friendship, including sincerity and equality, win-win cooperation, safeguarding justice, openness and inclusiveness, have never changed. China firmly supports African countries in pursuing independent development paths, and firmly supports African countries in becoming an important pole in the world politics, economy and civilization, Xi said. China is ready to work with Zambia and other African countries to implement the outcomes of the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue, including the Initiative on Supporting Africa's Industrialization, strengthen strategic alignment, deepen cooperation in various fields, support African countries in enhancing their capacity for independent development and realizing economic recovery and sustainable development, and jointly build a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era, according to Xi.”
If you are interested, do check out this video for the pomp and circumstance that Hichilema was greeted with. The report says that two sides signed a bunch of agreements covering BRI, green development, digital economy, investment cooperation, inspection and quarantine. Also, they issued a joint statement.
The joint statement (English text) is really interesting because it is structured very differently from other such statements. There are five parts to it. The first part is about operationalizing/implementing the idea of the community of shared future for mankind, the next four parts are about implementing BRI, GDI, GSI and GCI. This is the first time that we are seeing bilateral joint statements with China outlining specific actions that must be taken by two sides to implement GDI, GSI and GCI. Some key points are as follows:
Under building a community with a shared future for mankind, the document says:
The two sides reiterated their support for the UN authority, agreed that it is necessary to reform the UN and its Security Council to allow for a bigger role of the developing countries, support improved representation and a bigger say of Africa in the Security Council and rectify the historical injustice to Africa. The Zambian side reiterated the importance of the Ezulwini Consensus and thanked China for being the first G20 country to support the AU in joining the group.
The two sides recognized the importance of exploring their own paths to democracy suited to the needs of their people on the basis of their own national realities. The two sides agreed that human rights are a cause shared by mankind, and that countries should regard the right to existence and development as the most important part of fundamental human rights, and the countries should improve their human rights situation based on their own national realities and the will of their people…
“The Zambian side thanked the Chinese side for the key role it played in the Zambian debt restructuring process as Co-chair of the Official Creditors' Committee under the G20 Common Framework. They further expressed appreciation at the efforts that the Chinese side continues to make for a sustainable solution.”
The developed countries shoulder inescapable historical responsibilities over climate change, and should, therefore, take the lead in undertaking emission reductions obligations by a large margin and faithfully honor their commitment to the developing countries regarding financial, technical and capacity-building support.
They “agreed to step up consultations and coordination on FOCAC affairs…”
On BRI:
“The two sides will establish a green development strategic partnership and enhance cooperation on environmental protection, combating climate change, green economy, and emergency risk response mechanism, among others. The two sides will deepen mutually beneficial cooperation on renewable energy such as photovoltaic power, and electric vehicle industries to promote energy transition and ensure energy security.”
The Zambian side invited Chinese mining businesses to continue active participation in the mining sector. The Chinese side encourages Chinese businesses to invest in Zambia's new-energy battery value chain development…
At the request of the Zambian side, the Chinese side is ready to support the upgrade and renovation of the TAZARA Railway in line with market and commercial principles.
On GDI,
“The Zambian side commended China for the great achievements made in the past 10 years of the new era, and recognized that Chinese modernization has created a new model of human advancement which has provided a new option for other developing countries to independently pursue modernization and explore diverse paths towards modernization. The Zambian side stands ready to learn from China's successful experience in its modernization endeavors…”
Both sides talked about supporting each other’s core interests; Zambia committed to the one-China principle. “The Chinese side reaffirmed its relentless support for the Zambian people's independent choice of development path suited to its national conditions, and for Zambia's efforts to safeguard national independence, sovereignty, security and development interests.”
The Chinese side welcomed Zambia's new membership in the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative…The two sides agreed to designate 2024 as the Year of Business Cooperation…
On trade cooperation, “the Chinese side will invite Zambia to continuously participate in the China International Import Expo. The Chinese side will actively explore the possibility of providing market access to more Zambian products and provide facilitation for holding trade promotion events in China.”
“The two sides agreed to establish an investment cooperation working group mechanism to promote investment cooperation in areas such as digital economy and green development. The Chinese side encourages more Chinese businesses to invest in Zambia's manufacturing sector through partnerships in order to create more jobs and fulfill social responsibilities…The two sides will strengthen the development of economic cooperation zones, support the upgrading of those economic cooperation zones in Zambia into industrial chain and supply chain cooperation demonstration zones…”
“The Chinese side encourages Chinese businesses to participate in cooperation throughout the industrial chains of agricultural products and invest in production of fertilizers, pesticides and agricultural machinery in Zambia.”
“The two sides will also create a favorable policy environment for promoting settlements in local currencies and support a greater role of the Chinese Renminbi (RMB) settlement bank in Zambia.”
On GSI:
The two sides agreed to commit to protection of the safety and lawful rights and interests of each other's citizens and institutions on their territories.
The two sides will further strengthen exchanges and cooperation on peace and security, intensify high-level exchanges between their military forces, and strengthen cooperation in the areas of personnel training, combating transnational crimes, military medicine, equipment and technologies, etc. China will continue to send military medical expert teams to Zambia.
On Ukraine: “The two sides agreed that dialogue and negotiations are the only viable solution and that all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be encouraged and supported. The two sides call on the international community to jointly address the spillover effects in food, energy, finance, transportation and other fields, and reduce the negative impact of the crisis on the developing world, especially on African countries.”
“The two sides support the cooperation in addressing climate change and maintaining stable and smooth supply and industrial chains, and avoid the politicization and weaponization of energy and food security issues, so as to maintain smooth supply and price stability of energy and food.”
On GCI:
“The ruling parties of the two countries will strengthen party-to-party exchanges and cooperation based on the principles of independence, complete equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs, by carrying out experience sharing activities in the field of party building and governance.”
The two sides applauded the cooperation results between the two countries in culture, tourism, education, public health, youth, think tanks, media and sports, and agreed to enhance cooperation in these fields. The two sides also decided to designate 2024 as the Year of Culture and Tourism.
The two sides will strengthen health cooperation…The two sides look forward to the opening of direct flight routes on an early date to further facilitate personnel exchanges.
SCMP’s report on the visit adds some further context:
“Before arriving in Beijing on Thursday, Hichilema started his six-day trip to China in Shenzhen, meeting officials from Chinese electric carmaker BYD, internet giant Tencent and technology firms Huawei and ZTE. Zambia signed a memorandum of understanding with Huawei that, according to Hichilema, “will see Zambia fully digitised to benefit our citizens, especially our rural communities”. A similar agreement was signed with ZTE to set up a smartphone assembly plant in Zambia.”
On debt, the report informs: “Zambia became the first African country to default on its external debts in 2020 due to Covid-19 and applied for debt relief under the G20 Common Framework. In June, China and other bilateral creditors restructured Zambia’s $6.3 billion in loans, of which $4.1 billion is owed to China. Under the deal, China – as Zambia’s largest bilateral lender – has the biggest burden by agreeing to restructure its share – with France, Britain, South Africa, Israel and India providing the rest. Zambia is still negotiating the finer terms of the debt restructuring with individual lenders.”
Here are the key reports and articles that I found noteworthy from the People's Daily's edition on Monday, September 18, 2023.
Page 1: The top article on the page is about Xi Jinping’s affection for the disabled. There are two broad points that the article makes.
The first of these is a message that I guess everyone can get on board with: “the Chinese Dream is the dream of the nation, the dream of the country; it is the dream of every Chinese person, including those with disabilities.” 中国梦，是民族梦、国家梦，也是包括残疾人在内的每一个中国人的梦.
The second, and the dominant message, is about the cult of personality around Xi Jinping. The angle in this is about Xi being an all-round good guy, who has always cared for those with disabilities. Some of the stories in there are really poignant.
For instance, there’s a story about Huang Daoliang, vice chairman of the Disabled Persons Federation of Minqing County, Fujian Province. When he was young, he lost both his arms. But Huang taught himself to write with his feet. He went through school with sheer determination, but despite taking college entrances, he wasn’t being admitted by colleges. In 1990, Huang’s father wrote to Minjiang Vocational University, sharing his child’s story of determination. Xi was then Fuzhou Party Secretary and the President of the Minjiang Vocational University. Owing to his “concern and coordination”, Huang was admitted. Huang later says in the article: “‘In the eyes of General Secretary Xi Jinping, disabled individuals are equal members of the broader societal family’, as he believes that people with disabilities should enjoy the benefits of economic and social development just like their able-bodied counterparts…”
Now the above is a real feel-good story. But while individual interventions of someone in power can make for those and build a cult of personality, what matters is for policymakers to shape policy that engenders an environment in which one doesn’t need discretionary intervention by someone in power. To be fair, to that effect, the article does mention the Barrier-free Environment Creation Law, which was passed in 2023. This law calls for the “creation of barrier-free environments, supporting persons with disabilities and elderly persons equally, fully, and easily participating in and being included in public life.”
Moving on, there’s an editorial congratulating the China Disabled Persons Federation hosting its 8th National Congress.
The editorial says:
“Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee, since the Seventh National Congress of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation, disabled persons’ organisations at all levels and workers with disabilities have carried forward their fine traditions, earnestly performed their functions of ‘representation, service, and management’, united and led the the vast number of disabled individuals to listen to the Party's words, feel the Party’s benevolence and follow the Party, writing a glorious chapter of positive progress and self-improvement in the new era and on the new journey.” 在党中央坚强领导下，中国残联第七次全国代表大会以来，各级残联组织和残疾人工作者发扬优良传统，切实履行“代表、服务、管理”职能，团结引领广大残疾人听党话、感党恩、跟党走，在新时代新征程上谱写了积极进取、拼搏自强的光荣篇章.
Next, there’s a report on Li Qiang’s speech at the 20th China-ASEAN Expo. Li’s full speech is available on Page 2 (English text). In it, Li praised China-ASEAN growth and development. He said that:
“Our combined GDP as a share of the global total surged from 6.1 percent in 2002 to 21.5 percent last year, and our two billion-plus people are significantly better off. We have upheld win-win cooperation, made breakthroughs in connectivity, and steadily advanced regional economic integration and economic and trade cooperation. Trade and investment between the two sides has grown despite a weak global economy. Our trade grew by 16.8 times over the past 20 years, and we have been each other's largest trading partners for three years running. Two-way cumulative investment has surpassed USD 380 billion.”
He then added:
“We, in this turbulent and complex world, are faced with many difficult issues and challenges that require a collective response. Against the backdrop of unprecedented global transformation, we must size up the situation and adapt to the overall trend. More importantly, we need to bear in mind the essential principles that remain constant despite the myriad of changes in the world, and the overarching vision that guides us to where we are today. The sound relations between China and ASEAN we enjoy today are the hard-won result achieved through our years-long concerted efforts. In my view, the essential principle and vision that made this feat possible are the insightful proposition of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness (“亲, 诚, 惠, 容”) put forth by President Xi Jinping. As a fundamental guideline of China's neighborhood diplomacy, these four words represent the right approach to build friendly ties with neighbors and hold the key to our shared endeavor for a brighter future. We need to make greater efforts to practice the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, foster an environment conducive to development, prosperity, peace and tranquility, and bring more benefits to neighboring countries and people in the region through our own development.”
Li then offered four suggestions:
First, he focussed on “亲”, calling for deepening emotional integration. China is willing to expand cooperation with ASEAN in the fields of culture, tourism, training and youth to enhance the mutual understanding and friendship between their peoples.
Second, he talked about “诚”, assuring that “China is ready to work with ASEAN countries to honour commitments and carry out cooperation in various fields. China will remain committed to its fundamental state policy of opening up, deepen institutional opening up in rules, regulations, management and standards, and step up the protection of intellectual property rights. China will make every effort to protect and promote fair competition, and create an enabling business environment that provides a safe, secure and pleasant experience to investors from all countries.”
Third, he talks about 惠, saying that “China will continue to import more specialty products from ASEAN countries, and scale up trade in intermediate goods with ASEAN. We need to fully leverage the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor to upgrade regional connectivity. We need to develop various types of demonstration parks of cooperation, expand cooperation in emerging areas such as green and low-carbon development and the digital economy, and build a more stable and smooth regional industrial and supply chain system based on comparative strengths, to consolidate and raise the overall competitiveness of our region.”
Fourth, he mentioned 容, saying that “theAsia-Pacific is big enough for all countries to develop together. As the global recovery remains rocky and growth across countries is under strain, it is all the more important for us to uphold openness and inclusiveness and strengthen solidarity and coordination. China will continue to firmly support the ASEAN-centered regional cooperation architecture, better synergize the Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategies of other countries, and help ASEAN countries realize their development goals. China will work with ASEAN countries to advance regional economic integration, ensure good progress in the implementation of the RCEP, and accelerate negotiations on the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement 3.0, to further liberalize and facilitate trade and investment.”
The article ends with this:
“Leaders of ASEAN countries said in their speeches that ASEAN member states have a high appreciation for the principles of amity, sincerity, inclusiveness and mutual benefits proposed by China, and for China's important contributions to promoting regional peace and prosperity. They expressed willingness to strengthen cooperation with China to open markets further, enhance connectivity and interdependence, advance cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, enhance supply chain resilience, oppose protectionism and the politicization of trade and investment, and jointly address global challenges such as food security and climate change.”
There is a long, long article talking about the Chinese economy, which I am not breaking down. But let me cover the August data that was shared by the NBS on Friday. I am combining from the NBS release and CNBC’s report:
Value-added industrial output increased by 4.5 percent year-on-year in August, higher than a reading of 3.7 percent in July.
“the value added of mining increased by 2.3 percent year on year, manufacturing went up by 5.4 percent and the production and supply of electricity, thermal power, gas and water grew by 0.2 percent. The value added of equipment manufacturing went up by 5.4 percent year on year, 2.1 percentage points faster than that of the previous month; the value added of high-tech manufacturing grew by 2.9 percent, 2.2 percentage points faster.”
“In terms of products, the output of solar cells, service robots and optoelectronic devices went up by 77.8 percent, 73.7 percent and 29.9 percent year on year respectively. In the first eight months, the total value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size went up by 3.9 percent year on year. In August, the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index stood at 49.7 percent, 0.4 percentage points higher than that of the previous month
Retail sales grew by 4.6% in August from a year ago, beating expectations for 3% growth forecast by a Reuters poll. The increase was also faster than the 2.5% year-on-year pace in July. NBS said that “in August, the total retail sales of consumer goods reached 3,793.3 billion yuan, up by 4.6 percent year on year, 2.1 percentage points faster than that of the previous month, or up by 0.31 percent month on month.”
Fixed asset investment, however, grew by 3.2% year-on-year in August on a year-to-date basis. That missed expectations for a 3.3% increase and was slower than the 3.4% pace reported as of July. Private, non-state investment fell by 0.7% in the first eight months of the year from a year ago — worse than the 0.5% decline in the first seven months of the year. Investment in infrastructure grew by 6.4 percent year on year, that in manufacturing grew by 5.9 percent, and that in real estate development dropped by 8.8 percent. The floor space of commercial buildings sold was 739.49 million square meters, down by 7.1 percent year on year; the total sales of commercial buildings were 7,815.8 billion yuan, down by 3.2 percent…The investment in high-tech industries grew by 11.3 percent year on year, of which the investment in high-tech manufacturing and high-tech services grew by 11.2 percent and 11.5 percent respectively.”
In August, the total value of imports and exports of goods was 3,588.7 billion yuan, down by 2.5 percent year on year. The decline narrowed by 5.8 percentage points compared with that of the previous month. Specifically, the total value of exports was 2,038.4 billion yuan, down by 3.2 percent; the total value of imports was 1,550.4 billion yuan, down by 1.6 percent. The trade balance was 488.0 billion yuan in surplus. In the first eight months, the total value of imports and exports of goods was 27,083.3 billion yuan, a decline of 0.1 percent year on year. Among that, the total value of exports was 15,466.7 billion yuan, up by 0.8 percent; the total value of imports was 11,616.6 billion yuan, down by 1.3 percent.
Surveyed urban unemployment rate dropped by 0.1 percentage point from July to 5.2 percent in August
In August, the consumer price index (CPI) went up by 0.1 percent year on year, while that of the previous month was down by 0.3 percent.
Page 2: There are reports on Li’s meeting with Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. But there were other meetings also, which I will cover too.
First, Xinhua’s report on Li’s meeting with Anwar Ibrahim says:
Li said that “the two sides in March reached an important consensus on the joint construction of a China-Malaysia community with a shared future -- a milestone in the history of bilateral relations. Li observed that next year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties. He said that under the guidance of the consensus, China will take the anniversary as an opportunity to work with Malaysia to pass on and deepen the friendship from generation to generation, enhance the level of political mutual trust, and make overall plans for the next stage of bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields. Such cooperation will continuously bring tangible results and benefits to the two peoples, and make greater contributions to regional stability and prosperity. Li expressed China's willingness to enhance the synergy of Malaysia's development strategies and its own, and to continue working together to build a high-quality Belt and Road and implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement. China is ready to work on flagship China-Malaysia cooperation projects such as the Two Countries, Twin Parks’ and the East Coast Rail Link, he said. It is willing to work with Malaysia to create new growth points for cooperation on new energy vehicles and the digital economy, promote the continuous expansion and upgrading of bilateral cooperation, and strengthen exchanges in education, scientific research, cultural tourism and local areas, he added. China stands ready to coordinate and cooperate more closely with Malaysia, work together to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, safeguard the ASEAN-centered regional cooperation framework, and advance the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 negotiations to facilitate regional economic integration, Li said. Anwar said that Malaysia has a high appreciation for China's Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative, and is willing to further close exchanges with China at all levels and strengthen cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, the digital economy and green development. He said Malaysia stands ready to enhance exchanges and mutual learning between the two civilizations, strengthen coordination and cooperation on international and regional affairs, and strengthen Malaysia-China relations. Malaysia supports China's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, he added.”
Second, Li’s meeting with Indonesia's Vice President Ma'ruf Amin. Xinhua reports:
“Li said China is willing to further align its development strategy with Indonesia, promote the deepening of high-quality cooperation in the Belt and Road Initiative, and foster more high-standard and sustainable projects that deliver benefits to the people, to bring more win-win results in cooperation. The two sides should enhance exchanges and cooperation in the fields of education, culture and tourism, youth and sports, to cultivate people's friendship, said Li, adding China is willing to strengthen multilateral cooperation with Indonesia, jointly safeguard ASEAN's unity and centrality, safeguard the correct direction of East Asian cooperation, and inject more stability and positive energy into regional and global development.”
Li’s meeting with Laotian Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone. Xinhua reports:
“Li said China is willing to continue to work with Laos to jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality and promote the continuous upgrading of China-Laos cooperation. He also urged the two sides to give fuller play to the role of China-Laos railway in promoting the development of the two countries. China is willing to strengthen cooperation in various fields and import more quality products from Laos, Li said, adding the two sides should strengthen cultural and people-to-people exchanges to promote mutual understanding and amity between the two peoples. China supports Laos in assuming the rotating presidency of ASEAN next year, and stands ready to work with Laos to advance the building of the ‘Five homelands’ and the China-ASEAN community of a shared future, said the premier. For his part, Sonexay Siphandone said Laos thanked China for its strong support for Laos' economic and social development and spoke highly of the fruitful results of bilateral cooperation. Laos firmly abides by the one-China principle and firmly supports China in safeguarding its core interests. He added Laos is willing to strengthen exchanges of experience in party and state governance, promote pragmatic cooperation in such fields as the Belt and Road, economy, trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges, strengthen coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs, jointly safeguard strategic interests, and promote the upgrading of China-Laos community with a shared future.”
Moving on, there’s a report on Wang Yi’s talks with Jake Sullivan in Malta. This is the only of Wang’s meetings in Malta that has been covered in the paper. But there were others too.
The report says that Wang and Sullivan held “multiple rounds of meetings in Malta on Saturday and Sunday.”
The report adds: Wang “emphasized that the Taiwan question is the first red line that must not be crossed in the China-U.S. relationship and the U.S. must abide by the three China-U.S. joint communiques and honor its commitment to not support ‘Taiwan independence.’ The two sides conducted candid, substantive and constructive strategic communication on stabilizing and improving China-U.S. relations. Wang said China's development has strong endogenous driving force and follows inevitable historical logic and it cannot be stopped. The Chinese people's legitimate right to development cannot be deprived, he added. The two sides agreed to continue to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state during their meeting in Bali, maintain high-level exchanges, hold consultations between the two countries on Asia-Pacific affairs, maritime affairs and foreign policies. They discussed measures to further support and facilitate personnel exchanges between the two countries. The two sides also discussed the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, Ukraine, the Korean Peninsula and other international and regional issues.” — Comment: The maritime affairs bit is interesting. Does that mean we are likely to finally see talks between Chinese and American defense officials?
The White House’s readout said:
“National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met on September 16-17 with Chinese Communist Party Politburo Member, Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malta. This meeting was part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication and responsibly manage the relationship. The two sides had candid, substantive, and constructive discussions, building on the engagements between President Biden and President Xi in Bali, Indonesia in November 2022. This meeting follows on recent high-level engagements, including between National Security Advisor Sullivan and Director Wang Yi in May in Vienna as well as meetings between Secretary Blinken, Secretary Yellen, Special Envoy Kerry, Secretary Raimondo, and their counterparts in Beijing over the last several months. The two sides discussed key issues in the U.S.-China bilateral relationship, global and regional security issues, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and cross-Strait issues, among other topics. The United States noted the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The two sides committed to maintain this strategic channel of communication and to pursue additional high-level engagement and consultations in key areas between the United States and the People’s Republic of China in the coming months.
Wang, meanwhile, is travelling to Russia next, where he will be part of the 18th round of China-Russia strategic security consultation September 18 to 21. The timing of the Wang-Sullivan meeting in this context is interesting.
Anyway, while in Malta, Wang met with Maltese Foreign Minister Ian Borg. Xinhua reports:
“China and Malta have always respected and treated each other as equals, which has set an example of friendly cooperation between countries of different sizes. With strong political mutual trust and solid public support, the two countries have maintained a momentum of healthy and stable development, Wang said. Noting that China appreciates Malta's repeated affirmation of its firm adherence to the one-China principle, Wang said that China, as a friend and partner, also firmly supports Malta in safeguarding its legitimate rights and interests. China welcomes Malta's serving as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2023-2024 term, and is willing to strengthen multilateral cooperation, jointly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, and defend international fairness and justice, Wang said. China-EU cooperation outweighs differences and the two sides are partners instead of rivals, he emphasized, adding that they can fully appreciate and learn from each other. China has consistently supported the EU's strategic independence and European integration, he noted. Since China and the EU established a comprehensive strategic partnership 20 years ago, the scope and depth of cooperation have been continuously expanded, Wang said, adding that both sides should continue to maintain an open attitude, firmly support free trade, reject protectionism, and achieve the positive effects of China-EU cooperation. Wang said he hopes Malta would continue to play a positive role in the development of China-EU relations.”
“Borg noted that Malta-China relationship is strong and enduring. Malta cherishes its friendship with China and consistently adheres to the one-China principle, which is a firm and clear position, he added. He said that Malta looks forward to attending the China International Import Expo (CIIE) to be held in Shanghai, seizing opportunities in the Chinese market and further expanding Malta-China cooperation. Malta agrees that the EU and China are partners, not rivals, and is willing to work together to promote EU-China cooperation and jointly address global challenges, said Borg.”
Moving on, there’s a report in the paper on the G77 meeting in Havana, which led to a joint declaration. The report says that the declaration said that:
The challenges brought about by the current unfair international economic order have had a serious impact on developing countries. The international financial structure is in urgent need of reform, and developing countries should strengthen solidarity and cooperation and enhance their representation in global decision-making bodies.
All parties should commit to achieving global development and win-win cooperation based on consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits, promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.
The declaration calls for strengthened North-South and South-South cooperation, improved opportunities for developing countries to access technology, and the development of technology capabilities, as well as the establishment of an open, fair, inclusive, and non-discriminatory environment for technological development.
The declaration opposes unilateral sanctions against developing countries. Participants in the summit's general debate urged the United States to end its illegal sanctions against countries such as Cuba and Venezuela, and called for solidarity among developing countries to safeguard their development rights and interests.
宣言说，当前不公正的国际经济秩序带来的挑战，给发展中国家造成严重冲击。国际金融结构亟须改革，发展中国家应加强团结合作，提升在全球决策机构中的代表性。宣言指出，有关各方应在共商、共建、共享基础上致力于实现全球发展和共赢合作，推动构建人类命运共同体。围绕本次峰会的主题——“当前发展面临的挑战：科学、技术和创新的作用”，宣言指出，科技和创新对推动发展中国家可持续发展具有重要意义，要加强南北合作、南南合作，提高发展中国家获取科技的机会和发展科技的能力，建立一个开放、公平、包容、非歧视的科技发展环境。宣言将9月16日定为“南方国家科学、技术和创新日”。宣言反对对发展中国家实施单方面制裁。多国与会人士在峰会一般性辩论中敦促美国结束对古巴、委内瑞拉等国的非法制裁，呼吁发展中国家团结争取发展权益.
Li Xi represented China at the G77. His full speech is available on Xinhua. Some excerpts below:
“The world is undergoing changes on a scale unseen in a century. Developing countries are becoming stronger. A significant shift is taking place in the international balance of power. And South-South cooperation is growing significantly in both quantity and quality. Emerging markets and developing countries have contributed as much as 80 percent of the world's economic growth in the past 20 years, and now account for more than 40 percent of global GDP, up from 24 percent 40 years ago. South-South cooperation is playing an increasingly important role in driving the momentum of collective rise of developing countries and in sustaining the continued global economic growth. At the same time, however, unilateralism and hegemonism are becoming rampant. Some countries are resorting to such practices as unilateral sanctions, erection of ‘fences and barriers,’ decoupling, and disruption of industrial and supply chains, seriously undermining the legitimate development rights and interests of developing countries and our space for development…China is the world’s largest developing nation and a natural member of the Global South. We are ready to work with Cuba and other G77 members to open a new chapter in South-South cooperation in quest for greater development through stronger solidarity, build a Global South community with a shared future, and usher in a new era of common development.”
Then he made a few proposals:
First, stay true to original aspiration: “Now, more than ever, we need to stay true to the G77 founding mission. We must uphold the common values of humanity. We must reject bloc confrontation and the Cold War mentality. We must seek to resolve differences and disputes between countries by peaceful means. And we must join hands to maintain world peace and tranquility, and foster an international environment favorable to development.”
Second, advocate equity, justice and inclusiveness: “We must continue to make our voice heard loud and clear at the UNGA and other major international fora and events. We must speak up for justice, and see to it that items on the agenda of the United Nations meet the development interests of developing countries…We must call on the entire international community to place development front and center on the international agenda. And we must urge developed countries to deliver on their development assistance commitments. We must strengthen the voice and representation of developing countries in global governance based on the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits.”
Third, pursue development, revitalization and win-win cooperation: “it is important that the G77 and China, as the mainstay of South-South cooperation, work in synergy to revitalize the global development partnership and strengthen coordination on macro policies. We need to foster new drivers for our own development, focusing on cooperation in areas of food security, poverty alleviation, industrialization, green development, digital technology and artificial intelligence. We need to develop a win-win, cooperative division of labor based on our comparative advantages so as to secure a place in global industrial, supply and value chains to our advantage. China remains committed to building an open, inclusive and mutually beneficial system for South-South scientific and technological cooperation.”
He then said this before briefly mentioning BRI, GDI, GSI and GCI:
“China is the largest developing country in the world. No matter what stage of development it reaches, China will always be part of the developing world and a member of the Global South. South-South cooperation is always a high priority in China's cooperation with other countries. This is our strategic choice, and it is not a stopgap measure.”
At this point, let me plug an article that my colleague Bharat Sharma and I have written today for the Hindustan Times, contrasting India’s and China’s approaches to the Global South.
Finally, there’s a report on the page about a CCP delegation from Hubei attending the fête de l'Humanité in France. Another report informs of the expected visit of the President of the Central American Parliament Amado Cerrud’s visit to China from tomorrow. This comes after the Central American Parliament ended ties with Taiwan recently.
Page 6: Today’s article from Face-to-Face with Chinese-style Modernisation is about how Chinese-style modernization is key to promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. As usual, this is available to paid subscribers below. Today’s is really interesting, particularly in terms of the very harsh language that is used to contrast Chinese-style modernisation with what it says is Western modernisation.
Page 15: On the international page, there’s a Zhong Sheng commentary. This builds on the recent declassification and release of President’s Daily Briefs related to Chile from September 8, 1973 and September 11, 1973. The article says that these documents “irrefutably prove that the United States was the mastermind behind the Chilean coup 50 years ago.” “This once again shows that the US has long regarded Latin America as its ‘backyard’, practised ‘hegemony’ in the name of ‘the Americas’, wantonly carried out military intervention and economic plunder against Latin American countries, and caused heavy disasters to the people of Latin American countries.” 近期，美国政府应智利要求解密了两份文件，这两份文件及此前美方公布的解密文件均无可辩驳地证明，美国是50年前智利政变的幕后黑手。这再次表明，美国长期以来视拉美为“后院”，以“美洲之名”行“霸权之实”，肆意对拉美国家进行军事干预和经济掠夺，给拉美国家人民造成了沉重灾难。
The article adds that 50 years on, the scars left by the coup in Chile have not healed…However, the US government has so far shown no remorse, let alone offer an apology. In a statement released a few days ago, the State Department even boasted that the declassification of the documents “was consistent with our joint efforts to promote democracy and human rights in our own countries and around the world.” How does the US ‘promote democracy and human rights’ in Latin America? In 1823, the US issued the ‘Monroe Doctrine’, claiming that the 'Americas (美洲) are for the Americans (美洲人),' effectively treating the entire Americas as its exclusive ‘backyard’. Former US President Theodore Roosevelt openly declared, 'In order to uphold the Monroe Doctrine, the United States must exercise the power of an international police force.' Over the past 200 years, the 'Monroe Doctrine' has been used as a pretext for the United States to exploit natural resources in Latin America, undermine the economies of Latin American countries, interfere in their internal affairs, leading to economic decline, social turmoil, and increased inequality in these nations. A study by Harvard University shows that in less than 100 years from 1898 to 1994, the U.S. government planned and implemented at least 41 coups in Latin America, equivalent to once every 28 months. To this day, the legacy of Monroe Doctrine still exists. The US frequently imposes sanctions on "disobedient" Latin American countries, and also attempts to use Latin American countries as pawns in camp confrontation and force them to take sides. Professor Gabriel Merino of the National University of La Plata in Argentina pointed out that Latin America and the Caribbean have suffered greatly from US hegemony.” 美国究竟是如何在拉美“促进民主和人权”的呢？1823年，美国发表“门罗宣言”，声称“美洲是美洲人的美洲”，实际上是把美洲当作美国人独占的“后院”。美国总统西奥多·罗斯福曾公开宣称：“美国为了奉行‘门罗主义’，不得不行使国际警察的权力。”“门罗主义”提出200年来，美国采取各种手段攫取拉美自然资源，破坏拉美国家经济，干涉拉美国家内政，导致拉美国家经济衰退、社会动荡、不平等加剧。哈佛大学的一项研究表明，在1898年至1994年不到100年的时间里，美国政府在拉美地区策划和实施了至少41次政变，相当于每28个月就有一次。直到今天，“门罗主义”遗毒仍在。美国对“不听话”的拉美国家动辄制裁打压，还企图将拉美国家当作阵营对抗的棋子，强迫其选边站队。阿根廷国立拉普拉塔大学教授加布里埃尔·梅里诺指出，拉美和加勒比地区深受美国霸权伤害.
The next paragraph basically says that at the 9th Summit of the Americas, the United States tried to use its home field advantage to reshape its leadership position in the Americas. But this did not work out as the US refused to invite the leaders of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.
The final paragraph says:
“At present, as a collection of emerging market countries and developing countries, the ‘Global South’ is gaining a growing voice and influence in international affairs, and Latin American countries are also constantly taking new steps towards unity and self-strengthening. The US should recognize the general trend of the times, earnestly respect the sovereignty of Latin American countries and the rights of their people, and earnestly abide by the basic norms of international relations. Only in this way is it possible to establish normal relations with Latin American countries.” 当前，作为新兴市场国家和发展中国家集合体的“全球南方”在国际事务中的话语权和影响力不断提升，拉美国家也不断迈出团结自强的新步伐。美方应认清时代大势，切实尊重拉美国家主权与人民权利，切实遵守国际关系基本准则，只有这样才可能与拉美国家建立正常关系.