China and the World Economic Forum - Shaping the Global Future

It is always an interesting exercise to cover speeches given by the world's most powerful leaders.  In the case of both Russia and China, comments by these leaders give the so-called "free world" a glimpse into the mindset of the multipolar world that already exists outside of the hive mind that is Washington. 

At this year's edition of the World Economic Forum's Davos Agenda, China's President Xi Jinping gave a keynote speech which is particularly pertinent given the recent release of economic data from the nation showing how strong its economy is as shown here:

...and here:

 

 

Xi opens his speech to the global elite with this Chinese proverb:

 

"The momentum of the world either flourishes or declines; the state of the world either progresses or regresses."

 

...and this:

 

"The world today is undergoing major changes unseen in a century. These changes, not limited to a particular moment, event, country or region, represent the profound and sweeping changes of our times. As changes of the times combine with the once-in-a-century pandemic, the world finds itself in a new period of turbulence and transformation. How to beat the pandemic and how to build the post-COVID world? These are major issues of common concern to people around the world. They are also major, urgent questions we must give answers to."

 

Xi has a four part plan for the world:

 

1.) Defeating the pandemic.

 

2.) Promote economy recovery.

 

3.) Revitalize global development.

 

4.) Discard the Cold War mentality.

  

Let's look at these in order.  Xi states that the world needs to act in harmony in order to defeat the pandemic and that confidence and cooperation represent the only "right way" to defeat the pandemic:

 

"Confronted by the once-in-a-century pandemic, which will affect the future of humanity, the international community has fought a tenacious battle. Facts have shown once again that amidst the raging torrents of a global crisis, countries are not riding separately in some 190 small boats, but are rather all in a giant ship on which our shared destiny hinges. Small boats may not survive a storm, but a giant ship is strong enough to brave a storm. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the international community, major progress has been made in the global fight against the pandemic. That said, the pandemic is proving a protracted one, resurging with more variants and spreading faster than before. It poses a serious threat to people's safety and health, and exerts a profound impact on the global economy."

 

He makes the following key observation in light of the recent release of emails showing that the Wuhan Institute of Virology (in affiliation with Fauci's NIAID) is responsible for leaking the SARS-CoV-2 virus:

  

"Holding each other back or shifting blame would only cause needless delay in response and distract us from the overall objective."

 

Xi's solution is to cooperate on the research and development of medicines, particularly vaccines, as a line of defense against COVID-19 and that China has already done the following:

 

"...China has already sent over two billion doses of vaccines to more than 120 countries and international organizations. Still, China will provide another one billion doses to African countries, including 600 million doses as donation, and will also donate 150 million doses to ASEAN countries."

 

Secondly, a steady recovery in the global economy is essential, however, the global industrial and supply chain interruptions are causing uncertainty particularly in light of rising global commodity prices and tight energy markets. Here's a quote with my bolds:

 

"The global low inflation environment has notably changed, and the risks of inflation driven by multiple factors are surfacing. If major economies slam on the brakes or take a U-turn in their monetary policies, there would be serious negative spillovers. They would present challenges to global economic and financial stability, and developing countries would bear the brunt of it. In the context of ongoing COVID-19 response, we need to explore new drivers of economic growth, new modes of social life and new pathways for people-to-people exchange, in a bid to facilitate cross-border trade, keep industrial and supply chains secure and smooth, and promote steady and solid progress in global economic recovery....

 

Countries around the world should uphold true multilateralism. We should remove barriers, not erect walls. We should open up, not close off. We should seek integration, not decoupling. This is the way to build an open world economy. We should guide reforms of the global governance system with the principle of fairness and justice, and uphold the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its center.

 

Thirdly, revitalization of global development is necessary to repair the growing North-South gap.  Xi states the following, even bringing climate change and the United Nation's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development into the equation, again with my bold:

 

"The Human Development Index has declined for the first time in 30 years. The world's poor population has increased by more than 100 million. Nearly 800 million people live in hunger. Difficulties are mounting in food security, education, employment, medicine, health and other areas important to people's livelihoods. Some developing countries have fallen back into poverty and instability due to the pandemic. Many in developed countries are also living through a hard time.

 

No matter what difficulties may come our way, we must adhere to a people-centered philosophy of development, place development and livelihoods front and center in global macro-policies, realize the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and build greater synergy among existing mechanisms of development cooperation to promote balanced development worldwide. We need to uphold the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, promote international cooperation on climate change in the context of development, and implement the outcomes of COP26 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Developed economies should take the lead in honoring their emissions reduction responsibilities, deliver on their commitment of financial and technological support, and create the necessary conditions for developing countries to address climate change and achieve sustainable development."

 

Fourth, and probably most importantly, Xi notes that the world needs to discard its Cold War mentality, pointing the finger directly at Washington:

 

"...we need to discard Cold War mentality and seek peaceful coexistence and win-win outcomes. Our world today is far from being tranquil; rhetorics that stoke hatred and prejudice abound. Acts of containment, suppression or confrontation arising thereof do all harm, not the least good, to world peace and security. History has proved time and again that confrontation does not solve problems; it only invites catastrophic consequences. Protectionism and unilateralism can protect no one; they ultimately hurt the interests of others as well as one's own. Even worse are the practices of hegemony and bullying, which run counter to the tide of history. Naturally, countries have divergences and disagreements between them. Yet a zero-sum approach that enlarges one's own gain at the expense of others will not help. Acts of single-mindedly building "exclusive yards with high walls" or "parallel systems", of enthusiastically putting together exclusive small circles or blocs that polarize the world, of overstretching the concept of national security to hold back economic and technological advances of other countries, and of fanning ideological antagonism and politicizing or weaponizing economic, scientific and technological issues, will gravely undercut international efforts to tackle common challenges.

 

The right way forward for humanity is peaceful development and win-win cooperation."

If you wish to read the entire transcript of Xi's speech, you can find it here.

 

When putting Xi's speech into context, we must always remember that China, unlike nations in the world which exist on a two- or four-year election cycle, are playing the long game.  The nation's economy has evolved from a relatively primitive state over the past twenty years, largely thanks its membership in the World Trade Organization, and has become the global economic powerhouse that we have today.  As this evolution has taken place, China has significantly threatened Washington's position as the sole global superpower, a fact that the ruling class in "The Belt" seem unwilling to admit.  

  

In closing, let's see what our self-appointed overlords have to say about the global future and the evolution of the hegemonic world.  Not surprisingly, the World Economic Forum has already declared that, by 2030, America's dominance will be over as shown here:

 

..and here:

 

....so it is quite obvious that the global elite want a quick end to America's global dominance.  Xi's speech to  the Davos Agenda crowd quite clearly states that exact intention.