Guo He Ping: US to Blame for Global Food Crisis - China-Cook Islands Ties - 'Steady Decline' in COVID Cases - CPEC Media Forum
Today’s is the holiday edition. So instead of going page-wise, I am just sharing the stories that I found interesting. Do not miss out on the final piece bylined 国合平 Guó Hé Píng on the food crisis.
First, a report discussing the COVID-19 situation across the country. This is based on the State Council’s Joint Defense Mechanism’s press conference. NHC’s Lei Zhenglong informed that there has been a “steady decline” in caseloads across the country. Since May 30, the number of new cases across the country has dropped below 100 for three consecutive days. But small fluctuations remain in some areas. Lei added that 218 million Chinese aged 60 or above, or 82.66 percent of the elderly, have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Second, there’s a report about the new notice on strengthening supervision over nucleic acid testing agencies. This comes amid recent scandals. CGTN’s English report informs:
“According to the document, agencies with a professional medical background and experience, a good practice record, and registered capital consistent with their actual investment will be given priority for approval. The rules also ask the agencies that carry out COVID-19 tests to meet the requirements of biosafety level 2 and above and PCR laboratory conditions. The staff who conduct COVID-19 tests also need to be trained before taking their post. Companies that administer mass COVID-19 tests should comply with related regulations and not have been subject to administrative penalties in the past two years. The management of sample collection, preservation and transportation should also be standardised, including the training of personnel, it said, noting that routine supervision should also be ramped up to continuously improve testing quality. The document also puts forward specific requirements for the supervision of large-scale nucleic acid testing, nucleic acid testing resources and the exit mechanism for testing institutions.”
The PD article says that the document also calls for random spot checks of testing agencies, monthly audits, and installation of video surveillance equipment in labs to monitor the entire process.
Third, a report on Yang Jiechi’s call with Kim Sung-han, director of the National Security Office of South Korea. Xinhua reports:
“Under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk-yeol, China-South Korea relations had a smooth start since the establishment of the new South Korean government, Yang said. The senior Chinese diplomat noted that China is willing to work with South Korea to well implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, maintain close communication at all levels, deepen practical cooperation, strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, jointly safeguard genuine multilateralism, properly handle sensitive issues, so as to improve and upgrade the two countries’ relations toward a stable and long-term development. Kim said the new government of South Korea attaches great importance to developing relations with China, and is ready to work together with China and take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to open a new era of bilateral cooperation. The two sides also exchanged views on the affairs of the Korean Peninsula and other issues of common concern.”
Fourth, Wang Yi’s chat with Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown. This meeting was held via video link while Wang has been in Papua New Guinea. Xinhua reports:
“Wang noted that China is willing to discuss plans for next-step cooperation based on the development needs of the Cook Islands, and both sides can expand cooperation on tourism, infrastructure, sub-national programs and education to facilitate the country's economic recovery. China is also willing to build on the experience of past success to explore more tripartite cooperation...”
“Brown thanked China for its long-term and huge support for the development of the Cook Islands, and its selfless assistance to his country's fight against COVID-19 despite its own tough anti-pandemic tasks. He spoke highly of the positive contributions made by Chinese enterprises and local governments to the infrastructure construction and improvement of people’s livelihood in the Cook Islands…The Cook Islands cherishes its relations with China and firmly believes that its future is closely linked with China, Brown said, noting that the island country stands ready to work with China to push for greater development of bilateral relations in the next 25 years. Brown said that his country supports strengthening tripartite cooperation, especially on large-scale projects.”
The report adds:
“China will remain a good friend and partner of Pacific island countries to jointly address challenges, seek common development and build a community of a shared future between China and Pacific island countries, he added. Wang stressed that any attempt to smear China-island countries cooperation with the outdated mindset of geopolitical rivalry will find no support among the friends of island countries and thus will go nowhere. Believing that Pacific island countries have the wisdom and capability to overcome temporary difficulties and regain vitality, Wang expressed hope that Pacific island countries will strengthen solidarity and uphold open regionalism. The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation in Chinese language education and encourage young people of the Cook Islands to learn Chinese, so as to train more envoys of friendship.”
Fifth, there’s a report about the 7th CPEC Media Forum. Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari spoke at the event. He said that the construction of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Gwadar Port has achieved fruitful results, and Pakistan-China relations have a bright future. Pang Chunxue, Charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, said that media in the two countries play a unique and important role as the explainers and disseminators of information about CPEC. The PD report is very limited. This APP report is worth noting instead.
As per APP, this is what Pang also said:
“false propaganda and disinformation on CPEC were on the increase. Hostile forces are trying to undermine the development of CPEC, as well as unity and mutual trust between both countries. Thus, she hoped that media of China and Pakistan could continue to adhere to the principle of objectiveness and fairness, use fact-based reports and comments to expose and refute lies, and show the world the truth of win-win cooperation and high-quality development in CPEC.”
Also, one must appreciate this reminder to Beijing that Pakistan does think about its commitment and reliability.
“Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chairman Pakistan-China Institute made a welcoming remark, saying that in the last few years, the first phase of CPEC has been completed; 75,000 Pakistanis got jobs; about 10,000 megawatts electricity was added to the national grid. CPEC has united Pakistan through infrastructure development and industrial development and it also led to women's empowerment and changed the lives of marginalized people of the poorest area, he added. Nevertheless, he noted that there are certain voices coming from some western countries which talk of containment of China. ‘We reject such talks and mindsets. Journalists in both countries and other journalists should unite to promote the truth about CPEC’.”
Finally, there’s a piece bylined 国合平 Guó Hé Píng, talking about the global food crisis.
TLDR: The piece pushes back against criticism of China with regard to hoarding food supplies and not contributing enough to the World Food Programme. Instead, the author attacks the US as being responsible for the food crisis. Basically, US policies are responsible for high food prices; they have exacerbated the anxieties of developing countries, leading to export controls, and American corporations, in the meantime, are making windfall profits owing to their dominant market position.
Anyway, the author begins by saying that “forces with ulterior motives have tried to link the food crisis to the narrative of the China threat theory. They claim that China has exacerbated global food shortages by snapping up and hoarding excess grain from the global markets; China’s contribution to the World Food Programme last year was less than one-thousandth that of the United States; ‘Only China can solve the problem, but its willingness to help is questionable’; etc.” 近期，全球热议“粮食危机”，一批别有用心的势力趁机企图把“粮食危机”生搬硬套进“中国威胁论”叙事。他们声称：中国在全球市场抢购并超量囤积粮食，加剧全球粮食短缺；中国去年向世界粮食计划署提供的资助不及美千分之一；中国面对“粮食危机”无动于衷，“只有中国才能解决问题，但它是否愿意帮助存疑”；等等.
The author basically pushes back against all these points.
He argues that China has done well in terms of its grain production and there is no need for it to hoard. The author also argues that China is an important strategic partner of FAO’s South-South cooperation. “In recent years, China has donated $130 million to the FAO South-South Cooperation Fund, and has also sent a large number of experts and technicians to countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean along with Pacific Island countries…Since 2016, China has continuously provided emergency food aid to more than 50 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, benefiting tens of millions of affected people.”
In another paragraph, the author argues that over the decades China has helped “countries improve agricultural production capacity and food security.” In this context, he talks about hybrid rice development-related assistance.
Finally, he argues that “in the field of global food governance, China has also been campaigning for the interests of developing countries. China has been working hard to implement the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, calling on all countries to keep the global food trade open, urging the lifting of unilateral sanctions, and maintaining the stability and smoothness of the global industrial chain supply chain. China has been firmly upholding the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, calling for more policy space for developing countries, and demanding that developed countries to reduce excessive subsidies that distort agricultural trade.” 在全球粮食治理领域，中国也一直在为广大发展中国家利益奔走鼓呼。中国一直在努力推动履行世贸组织《贸易便利化协定》，呼吁各国保持全球粮食贸易开放，敦促取消单边制裁，维护全球产业链供应链稳定畅通。中国坚定维护广大发展中国家正当权益，呼吁给予发展中国家更多政策空间，要求发达国家削减扭曲农业贸易的超额补贴.
The author then says that it’s worth examining whether there is a food crisis at present, and if so, then what are the reasons behind it.
He argues that there is “no doubt” that the Russia-Ukraine conflict has hurt the global food supply chain, particularly in terms of the supply of wheat. But he adds that it is important to note that “the deep-seated cause behind the Russia-Ukraine conflict is that the United States pushed NATO to expand eastward, fought a proxy war and sold arms.”
Then the author argues that in terms of production, there’s really no shortage because data show that other suppliers are filling the gap that’s emerging due to the war. For instance, while Ukrainian wheat exports are expected to fall from 19 million tonnes last year to just 10 million tonnes, “in March, Russian wheat exports increased by 60% year-on-year. In April, Russian wheat exports are likely to have risen three-fold compared with the same period last year. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that in 2022, Russia’s total grain output could likely reach 130 million tonnes, and its wheat output will hit a record 87 million tonnes. Canada’s wheat output will increase by 8.5 million tonnes and the EU’s by 5 million tonnes. Global wheat exports are likely to be around a total of 205 million tonnes, basically unchanged from 202 million tonnes in 2021-2022. 有关数据显示，俄乌冲突引发的粮食短缺将很快被其他粮食出口国“补缺”。根据美国农业部5月12日公布的预测数据，2022/2023年度乌小麦出口预计将下降到1000万吨，较2021/2022年度的1900万吨下降约一半。但同时，3月俄小麦出口同比增长60%，4月俄小麦出口可能是去年同期的3倍。俄总统普京表示，2022年俄粮食总产量可能会达到1.3亿吨，小麦产量达8700万吨，创历史纪录。预计下一农业年俄粮食出口也将增加。此外，加拿大2022/2023年度小麦出口量将增加850万吨，欧盟将增加500万吨。全球小麦总出口量将达2.05亿吨，较2021/2022年度的2.02亿吨并未出现根本变化。
The author then argues that it’s not a shortage in terms of output that’s the problem for the “food crisis” but rather the problem is that prices have spiked significantly. While this is partly due to the global economic downturn, the shortage of workers and the rising logistics costs owing to the pandemic, “human manipulation and market panic has become the ‘catalyst’ and ‘amplifier’ of the above factors.
First, he argues that multinational giants Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Bunge, Cargill and Louis Dreyfus - ABCD - monopolise more than 80% of the global grain trade. Three of these companies are American. The author argues that “at the time of high international food prices, the four major grain traders, relying on their global monopoly position and strong capital strength, are calling the shots in the grain futures market, buying low and selling high, and are wantonly harvesting the grain wealth of different countries.” 国际粮价高企之际，四大粮商凭借全球垄断地位和雄厚的资本实力在粮食期货市场上呼风唤雨，低买高卖，大肆收割各国粮食财富. “In April this year, the stock prices of ADM and Bunge were up by more than 50% and 40%, respectively, compared with January. Cargill family members’ net worth has grown by 20% this year. Louis Dreyfus expects profits to increase by 80% this year.” 今年4月，ADM、邦吉股价相比1月分别上涨逾50%、40%。嘉吉家族成员今年身家暴涨两成。路易达孚预计今年利润增长80%.
Second, “Western countries, led by the United States, are using the food situation to consolidate hegemony and make political ‘gains’.” The US has taken advantage of the panic among the international community, especially the food-deficient developing countries, to make the superficial argument that the Russian war in Ukraine is the root cause for the ‘food crisis’ and demanded imposing economic and ‘moral’ sanctions on Russia. The US has sought to weaponise the ‘food crisis’ in order to incite hatred among developing countries towards Russia and incite resentment among them against China. It has also sought to encourage the investigation of Russia’s ‘war and famine crimes’, and engaged in geo-strategic and camp confrontation.” 第二，以美为首的西方国家以粮固霸，捞取政治“实利”。美国利用国际社会特别是缺粮发展中国家的恐慌，把“粮食危机”根源表面化，单纯强调战争对危机的影响，对俄进行经济和“道义”制裁；把“粮食危机”武器化，煽动发展中国家对俄仇恨和对中国的怨怼，鼓动追究俄“战争饥荒罪”，大搞地缘战略和阵营对抗.
The author then argues that while some countries and corporations are making “windfall gains,” many developing countries that rely on the import of agricultural products are struggling with famine anxiety and panic. “As of mid-May, at least 35 countries and regions around the world have implemented more than 50 export control measures for agricultural products.” Anxiety about high food prices and concerns over stability of supplies at home have led them to prioritise domestic demand. Panic-triggered export controls and bans have stimulated the prevalence of trade protectionism, further pushing up the global grain futures prices, and even triggered riots in many countries, forming a vicious circle. 少数国家和企业的“暴利”“实利”刺激很多依赖农产品进口的发展中国家卷入饥荒焦虑和恐慌。截至5月中旬，全球至少有35个国家和地区实施50多项农产品出口管制措施，其基本逻辑都是对高粮价不安情绪的持续积聚，担忧国内农业供应不稳定，因而优先保障国内需求。恐慌引发的粮食出口管制和禁令又刺激贸易保护主义盛行，进一步推高全球粮食期货价格，甚至引发多国骚乱，形成恶性循环.
Towards the end, the author attacks the US, which is the world’s largest food exporter, as being “mainly responsible for the current ‘food crisis’. “The United States not only contributed to the root cause of the crisis, but has also skirted responsibility/sought to distract from the core issues (顾左右而言他)” through “superficial” efforts to earn a “cheap moral advantage” like offering “one-thousandth of its grain monopoly profits as food aid” while “consolidating the unfair global food trade order” that it dominates. 作为全球第一大粮食出口国，美国对当前“粮食危机”负有主要责任。美国不但对产生危机的根源推波助澜，还顾左右而言他，拿出其粮食垄断利润的千分之一作为粮食援助，做足表面功夫，赚取眼球和廉价道义优势，企图转移、扰乱国际社会对危机根源的关注，进而巩固美主导的不公平的全球粮食贸易秩序.
Then the author cites the controversy around USAID’s wheat seeds supply to Syria. He writes that sampling by Syrian officials found that “40% of the 3,000 tons of wheat seeds provided as aid by USAID to Syria contain nematodes, making them not only unsuitable for planting, but harmful for local agricultural production…At the same time, the US military stationed in Syria sent 40 trucks to smuggle local wheat, in what appears to be a modern version of the national policy of ‘borrowing raw food, returning dead food’.”叙利亚农业部门通过抽样检验发现，美国国际发展署向叙援助的3000吨小麦种子中，四成含有粒线虫病，不仅不适合种植，还会对当地农业生产带来巨大危害，破坏叙粮食安全。与此同时，驻叙美军却派出40辆卡车偷运当地小麦，上演了一出现代版“借生粮、还死粮”的灭国策。
“The international community is committed to ending hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition globally by 2030. China has made and will continue to make unremitting efforts to this end. In his recent speech on China policy, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that differences between the US and China should not be allowed to stand in the way of advancing priorities that require bilateral cooperation, including addressing the food crisis. The US has always been duplicitous, and China has always listened to its words and watched its actions. The door for food aid cooperation with China has always been open…Now it is time for the US to do the right thing.”