by Alexander Mercouris for The Duran
Chinese President Xi Jinping sends personal message of friendship to Russian President Putin on China’s behalf, scotching attempt by US to make trouble between them.
Russia’s President Putin has met in the Oval Hall of the Kremlin with Li Zhanshu, Director of the General Office of the Communist Party of China, and chief of staff of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The meeting was held directly after Li Zhanshu held talks with his Russian counterpart Anton Vaino, who is the head of the Russian President’s Executive Office and who is President Putin’s chief of staff.
I have previously explained who Li Zhanshu is, and why his visit is important, and the likely reason for his visit, which is the ongoing attempt by the Trump administration to cause trouble between China and Russia, and China’s and Russia’s concern to squelch any mistaken impressions which might be caused by that attempt.
That in turn explains the way the Chinese and the Russians – undoubtedly by pre-arrangement – used Li Zhanshu’s meeting with Putin to publicise a personal message from President Xi Jinping to Putin. The Kremlin’s transcript of Li Zhanshu’s words reads as follows
Before my departure, I went especially to see President Xi Jinping and asked him what he wanted to pass on to you. He told me to say that today, Chinese-Russian relations are going through their best period ever in our history.
Today, our relations are deservedly called an example of relations between great powers, characterised by cooperation and mutual benefit. Today, our relations are very solid, mature, and are distinguished by strategic cooperation and a lasting nature.
He also said that despite the serious changes in the international situation, we will continue to work with you unfailingly adhering to three constants, namely: regardless of the circumstances, we will not change our policy of deepening and developing our strategic partnership and cooperation; our policy, based on joint development and prosperity, will not change; and our joint efforts to defend peace and justice and promote cooperation in the world will not change. These were the words of President Xi Jinping.
(bold italics added)
The “serious changes in the international situation” of course refers to the change of administration in Washington, and the new administration’s attempt to make trouble between China and Russia. President Xi Jinping in his personal message to President Putin went out of his way to say that this attempt could not succeed, and that China’s strategic partnership with Russia “will not change”.
The message is of course primarily intended for the Trump administration. The Chinese and the Russians scarcely need to reassure each other about the depth of their relationship, which they are of course far more informed about than anyone else. However Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are anxious that there should be no illusions about it in Washington. Alas, given the chaos in Washington, it is doubtful whether anyone there is paying attention.
Reply from Vlad:
“Our S-500 is unbreakable, too!”
The fifth column and the central bank is sufficient to break Russia’s back. What good is S500 if the main enemy is within the gates.
I don’t think so
Not anymore
The fifth column isn’t strong enough to
Bring real danger to Putin
They were never strong. They just lie a lot.
To be fair, but there is no friendship between nations, and those that believe it needs to stop watching cartoons and live in the real world. Each country is a psychopath that only looks after its own national interests, no countries has friends.
The only responsibility a state has is to its own people, not to other states, if one state finds it beneficial to its people to make agreements with another states they will do so, but if a better agreement comes up from another state, they will throw the previous state under the buss. There is no friendship between states, the state loyalty is to its own people. At least, a functional state, EU will often talk about “friendship” with USA, and then act as the USA state wants against the interests of the EU peoples, but this is not the behavior of a functional state, this is the behavior of a corrupt state, a functional state will dump any other state if a agreement that would more benefit its people would show up.
And this is what Putin would do, he is not friends with China. And China is not friends with him. They have a several mutual beneficial agreements and they are both under a common threat so they work together.
For example Russia has thrown Iran under the buss several times, when Russia allowed USA sanctions to put on Iran, when denying to sell Iran S-300 missiles after USA made them a better deal, despite Iran and Russia already having signed the agreement, Russia just threw Iran under the buss as if it was nothing, in this case, it was quite literal as well, as Iran desperately needed those missiles to ward off an attack from NATO that could have killed millions of Iranians, but Russia saw a better deal and left Iran in the dust.. Another example is that Russia constantly allows IAF to bomb Assad, when they could step in a anytime and put an end to it. But Russia and IAF has made a deal behind Assad’s back. In this scenario, Russia is like a friend that has agree that it is ok for certain people to beat up her friends when they want.. As I said, states has no friends only interests.
It is also worth to note that while China talks of “friendship” they barely do anything, Russia is fighting NATO in Syria, in Ukraine, in Donbas, in Crimea, and China is barely able to say a support word as Russia fights for her survival.
Wrong….you seem to think of a state as a person. Like somehow a state makes decisions. No…it is people in power who have a vested interest who make decisions under cover of a state. The State is their cover, excuse, and savior when they screw up, and the mechanism they will use to get the citizenry to pay for their mistakes. It’s no different than how corporations are used and how a corporation has somehow morphed into a person. Where a corporation can be charged with a crime but the people who made the corporations decisions are innocent. Don’t be fooled into thinking that those in power under cover of a state actually care about the citizenry…they do not..at all care. Not one bit. Human nature is such that sociopaths and psychopaths are those that rise to power…there is not a leader in all of history that did not fall under one or both. There has never been a leader who killed for his people….only for the leaders own self interest and the interests of those who keep him/her in power…..Period…..it’s just the way we as humans are wired.
Wrong! It’s just this belief that this is “the way we, humans, are wired,” that makes these things possible, and makes it possible for these things to regress further. A state really is like a person. The prevaling mores of each individual person and all the persons of the state make up the prevailing mores of the state. It works both ways. But a nation of fierce individualists and egoists will never get a government of angels who “care” for the people. A nation of insouciant, self-centred people gets a government that will manipulate these people unconscionably, while making sure they remain insouciant and self-centred. Etc. Ultimately it’s just like this popular adage goes: “everything depends on you.” It’s hackneyed but true
Generalized principles do not apply to statecraft, the ‘left’ constantly make such assertions about state policy as if it is uniform in every case. Much depends on the particulars of a state, there are obvious similarities & tendencies as there would be with any institution, but institutions of the same category – such as the family – differ in accordance with all the variables effecting them. So what motivates the government of Iran can not be said to be the same for the US, & then there are the internal divisions & factions. The Russia-China strategic partnership/alliance is a lot more than mere convenience or opportunism along the lines of my enemy’s enemy is my friend type of logic. It is clear that Russia & China share a vision of the world, they share a commitment to establishing a multipolar world order based on principles of adherence to international law. From that perspective, it can be said that theirs is a truly principled relationship, irrespective of all the cynical machiniations that both state’s governments are regularly hostage to. The Russian & Chinese leadership are obviously doing what they believe to be in the best interest of their respective societies, but it is clear that their mutual interest also happens to be harmonious & complimentary with the interests of the entire world at this point. That is how I would characterize it, it is not about holding hands & singling & dancing in a circle, but it can not be dismissed either as just momentary self-interest on the part of Russia & China to partner up at this time, because of the intensive pressure they are under from the West. Lavrov mentioned a post West world recently, well that world is not far off in the making & when it arrives we will see how the Russia-China strategic relationship evolves, that will be the test, when the external pressures are removed, will they continue on the same course? I believe they will, for the reason of shared long-term vision, China in particular has not short-term point of view, their perspective is always long-term.
Good comment Vor…….that’s how I see the Russian & Chinese relationship!
“Wrong….you seem to think of a state as a person. ”
-I think you should read the comment again, that is exactly what she is NOT doing, she is criticizing the usage of the term “friendship” as friendship is a term used to describe the relationship between two or more persons, not states.
Persons are friends, states are not friends.
It is worth pointing out that the article is speaking of the two leaders and the friendship that exists between them personally. read the first paragraph again.
You are right here about China
Unfortunately they will do only the minimum
necessary support for Russia to be friends with them
That could change though if China will be targeted by the US more aggressively
Than the Chinese may get really together with the Russians to fight of the Cabal
A fairly basic realist (from a Security perspective) interpretation of a state and the manner in which they conduct their relationships. The same realist point of view that has held US foreign policy in its trend for the last 50 odd years.
There are other methods that can be used to both inform and interpret the actions of a state in its inter-state actions.
Regarding one of the other responses, corporations didn’t ‘somehow’ manage to ‘morph’ into a person, rather the assets of a corporation had to be ‘reachable’ in the event some kind of restitution or damages was required for actions that went against the interests of the community or individuals with whom they came into contact with. An individual manager has little of value when compared to the damages that may be sought. It’s simply that one was followed by two then three that we ended up where we are now. We want individuals to be held criminally responsible for an action but when it comes to damages we want to be able to access a corporations assets. Can’t seem to have them both easily and it behooves some to dance the narrow line between the two.
When a discussion takes place that speaks of states as ‘friends’ it is a simplified use of language to explain that they share common interests and seek to work together towards a shared goal. As to how a ‘state’ can make a decision, it is by simply adhering to internal laws, regulations and norms that have been put in place by the apparatus of government and bureaucrats (civilian or military does not matter) the world over follow. Administrative Tribunals exist in many countries to ensure that these processes are followed as they are written. It is people making decisions, but doing so within very strict confines permitted by the state as it has been created in law.
the only psychopaths are the AmeriKKKlan.
thanks. it is good to see that at least one reader\commenter is awake. god bless you
Aye, each country is dominated by its plutocrats who may or may not see a mutual advantage to working with the plutocrats that dominate another country. Behind these oligarchs sits an even greater power holding entity of an international order that can advance one set of oligarchs and hold back another. This entity is of course an international cabal of the very few bankers who have commandeered the central banks of almost all nations of this world and own the omnipotent power to create money and credit as debt all owed to themselves. These bankers certainly own the central banks of All the major political powers as represented by their national oligarchy. While these bankers must tread lightly in some jurisdictions should their looting machine apparatus become so annoying that the local oligarchs nationalize this looting system for their own survival in other jurisdictions these bankers hold full power over the political and economy so that they have become unassailable except through a popular revolution.
Valentino you say:
“Each country is a psychopath that only looks after its own interests”.
How then does US ” look only after its own interests” by being so subservient to that ” little s–ty country”( phrase was used by French Diplomat Daniel Bernard) in the M.E?
Watch this video please, before responding. Thank you.
https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=fde_1493343945
Thats good !….. And All Good People Hope it is True …
Please dont use all caps – site policy – its screaming. Amended this one time. Mod
Surely you jest Sir.
Have you not seen with your own eyes the wonderful chemistry kindled between the trumpster and President Xi…?
You must have missed the chocolate cake.
If only you understood the meaning of chocolate cake.
I just can’t believe you missed the chocolate cake…
Have some chocolate cake.
What’s the celebration, is it your birthday?
No, it’s just chocolate cake.
Yes, but why are you offering me chocolate cake, it must mean something to you?
No, it’s just chocolate cake.
But people don’t go around offering other people chocolate cake without a reason.
No, it’s just chocolate cake.
Please tell me the meaning of this chocolate cake. Is it your birthday, your anniversary, your child’s birthday, did you get a promotion, are you leaving us?
No, it’s just chocolate cake – but what does it mean to you?
Well, now that you are asking me, will you also ask other people in the room as well?
Yes, but let’s start with you first.
Okay, well chocolate cake reminds me of when I was four or five. I had a chocolate cake as my birthday cake. We played with balloons, a clown did funny things and it was my best birthday ever.
Oh, so when you have chocolate cake you allow your inner child to emerge and remember, however fleetingly, what it was like to simply have fun and laughter, no responsibilities, no tears, only happiness. That’s nice to hear.
Would you like some chocolate cake?
No thanks, I’m watching my figure.
Why?
Because chocolate cake will go straight to my hips.
So what?
Well I need to keep looking slim.
Why?
Not that it is any of your business, but my partner likes me slim.
It’s not only my choice you know.
Why not?
Well I’m not getting any younger and I need to look good.
Would you prefer to feel good?
Of course, but I’d feel guilty if I ate chocolate cake.
Is feeling guilty better or worse for you than feeling good?
I’m scared to feel good when I’m really feeling guilty.
But it’s only chocolate cake – not poison. Ever thought about asking for a sliver of chocolate cake to make you feel good, one mouthful, without feeling guilty that it’s going to your hips?
Would you like some chocolate cake?
No thanks.
May I ask why not?
I’m sorry, I can’t explain, it’s too personal.
What can be personal about chocolate cake?
Well, it brings back bad memories.
But it’s just chocolate cake.
Well you see, when I was a child my mother baked a chocolate cake for my father’s birthday. I remember putting all the candles on the cake. My mother, my brother, my sister and I waited for my dad to come home from work. We waited and waited and waited. He eventually came home long after we children went to bed and I heard my parents screaming at each other. My father sounded drunk. He pushed my mother’s face into the chocolate cake and one of the candles that I had put on the cake went into my mother’s eye and blinded her for life.
I am so sorry. I did not think offering you chocolate cake would unearth such horrible memories.
Suddenly this chocolate cake took on a mirror effect. Was it a chocolate cake or was it peoples’ feelings about themselves being reflected in something as innocent as chocolate cake?
Why did the first person need chocolate cake to release their inner child and give themselves permission to have fun, laughter and happiness? What is stopping them from having fun, laughter and happiness, releasing their inner child, at all times?
Why did the second person feel guilty? Why do they feel guilty, about what – and who did this to them? How is this guilt being reflected in other areas in their daily lives?
Why did the third person take responsibility for the loss of her mother’s eye when she simply decorated a birthday cake for her father’s birthday? What else has she taken responsibility for in her life, unfairly, and how unhappy has this made her?
So, the bigger picture here is that, although it’s only a simple piece of chocolate cake, it has substantially different meanings to different people.
AlfaAlfalfa, So on topic, so today, so Korean Kremlin chocolate crenellated. . . .
Alexander Merocuris, we have been wondering what happened to you, and lo, you have returned with such glad tidings !
“Regardless of the circumstances, we will not change our policy of deepening and developing our strategic partnership and cooperation”
What could those “circumstances” be? War!
My interpretation of the statement: if any of the two countries goes to war, or is forced into a war, the other country will continue to support it economically and possibly militarily. It may very likely even increase its support in substitution of the international markets lost due to the war.
The Chinese know which way the winds are blowing. The idea that China, with all its aspirations which inevitably collide with American imperial resistance, would abandon Putin in this critical moment in history is fanciful to say the least.
Eurasia is a geopolitical certainty… the question for us all is how we will get there.
High speed trains. Chinese will build them. Even the Russians will build them.
Maybe Hyperloop.
Sit back and travel the smooth Belts and Roads of Eurasia.
Honest and noble leaders of great sovereign nations will always adhere to joint efforts in defending peace and justice and in promoting cooperation in the world at large with like-minded honest state leaders. China and Russia are two such noble and reliable countries and have earned the respect & confidence of people worldwide. Sincere thanks to you Russia and China. Best Wishes, anarchaos
I don’t know how noble and reliable they are but they definitely see blood in the water…
Good. Trump had a chance to avoid this. He had the political capital to start phasing out and pulling back. He falsely promised that he would reduce our aggression.
He broke the promise, and now he deserves whatever happens next.
What little political capital he had (having lost the popular vote and being a figure of intense hatred by millions of crazed progressives) was lost when he allowed himself to be coerced by an endless barrage of Russophobic hysteria perpetuated by the lying scumbags in the mainstream media and their deep state puppet masters. He also surrounded himself with bottom feeders and neocons and lo and behold he now finds himself trapped in a cage of his own making. MAGA has become a joke, another footnote in the great book of broken promises and abandoned ideals.
Sad!
Exactly. Unfortunately Trump turns out to be a windbag who has no control over the aggressive MIC of his “exceptional ” country. Exceptionally ……………….. Fill in your own term of complete derision, mine is unprintable
I think this column is basically nonsense. Xi wouldn’t have had to send this weak message of solidarity to Putin if there weren’t a real problem between them. China’s geopolitical turn around since meeting with Trump has been astounding. Xi’s attitude towards Obama seemed to be very challenging. His attitude around Trump and since meeting with Trump has appeared to be that of a vassal eager to please. I would say that Xi’s behavior has been even more embarrassing, far more embarrassing, really, than Medvedev’s puppy-like behavior when he met with Obama.
Need I even mention that Xi seemed to have sat there with a happy smile on his face while Trump informed Xi over desert that Trump was just then in the process of bombing Xi’s ally and his ally’s (Russia’s) ally, Syria? Not only did Xi show every sign of loving this demeaning treatment, but seemingly in response to it, he rushed home to do Trump’s bidding in terms of really sticking it to North Korea.
Xi was a bit of a mystery before his high profile meeting with Trump, just as Medvedev was before he met with Obama. No longer. The man has shown his character and it appears to be truly despicable. Say what you want about Putin, he does seem to have some guts. I would guess that no amount of ‘special’ messages sent from Xi to Putin will wipe away the stink of eager vassalage that Xi reeks of now. I’m sure Putin is nauseated by Xi at this point, but Putin remains, as ever, a deal-maker. If he can pretend to be best pals with Erdogan and Netanyahu, I’m sure he can do the same with Xi.
And just as Medvedev showed Obama how eager to please Obama he was by going along with the assault on Libya, Xi seems to want to show Trump how eager to please Xi is by going along with some sort of assault on North Korea.
Xi, we hardly knew yee.
Smile doesn’t mean he approves of US action. Maybe he was keeping his emotion under control.
Trump may have thought he got Xi boxed and Trapped. But in truth Trump has proven to Xi that he is not trustworthy. China will formulate a new stratagem to deal with him in the future.
Don’t be naive to believed just from 1 meeting and a dinner they have got the Chinese on their side. In fact it’ll make China more vigilant in future dealing with Trump.
Fairly clear that Russia and China have a mutual defense pact in the event the “balloon goes up”
Interestingly it seems that China and North Korea also have a mutual defense treaty.
http://www.greanvillepost.com/2017/04/27/china_nokoreadefensetreaty/
The danger is that, whereas Kim and Xi both have control over their military, Trump does not.
Oh come on, China wont even raise its voice as Trump fires missiles at Russian troops in Syria, you think China is going to engage in a war and lose hundreds of millions of its citizens for Russia? Not a chance. The best thing Russia could hope for would be some covert support. Indeed, China might even relish the prospect of Russia and China exterminating each other in a thermonuclear war, that would leave China as the worlds new power.
Did you mean the USA there? Thermonuclear radiation and fallout has a nasty habit of not staying within geographical borders, messing up the weather, reducing populations that buy stuff and generally interfering with business.
Trump is an American. He was elected president in America. As an American I understand the difficulty that imposes on him to ever stand apart from the American world view. This view sees all countries as rivals and if any nation is not beholden it is treated as enemy. It’s the American way of life. This view is ingrained in us all from childhood and reiterated daily with media slanting and obfuscation. Our national mind set and resultant negative actions will lead to A. atomic exchange or B. drift to second world status.
http://robertmagill.wordpress.com
If you are referring to the United States of Amnesia ,i’m sure you are right on that account. It appears that pax-americana is looking more like the Rocky and Bullwinkle show. It only works for their domestic audience, and their vassal states. Any other country is no longer paying any attention. Old Slavic saying threats are more signs of weakness than strength.
So much for Trumps feelings of “chemistry” with Xi…
Apart from Kremlin transcript, have Chinese official channels puplished anything?
Hi Serbian girl
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published on its website an article about Putin meeting Li Zhanshu:
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/web/zyxw/t1457207.shtml
It is in Chinese. I suppose they’ll soon publish translations in English and other languages – the website is in five languages.
The article contains sentences that are very close to the transcript quoted above.
TNY, brilliant, thanks for sharing!
TNY, brilliant, thanks for sharing!
Here’s a Yandex translation of the Chinese article linked above:
Local time in 2017, 4 on 26 May, Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow Kremlin to meet with the CPC Central Committee and the Politburo, the Central Secretariat Secretary, Central Office Director Li gauntlet.
Mr. Putin invited Mr. Li to convey his on President XI Jinping’s sincere greetings and good wishes, and said that the current Russia-China high-level exchanges closely, each of the areas of mechanisms of exchange steadily, economic, cultural, local and other cooperation, the increasingly in-depth.
The two sides in major international regional Affairs, communication and coordination fruitful. The Russian side on bilateral relations development and the two sides mutual trust and cooperation to achieve the highest level of satisfaction. The Russian side actively respond to the Chinese“one belt and one road”initiative.
I look forward to 5 months of China to attend the“one belt and one road”international cooperation summit Forum and with President XI Jinping to meet.
Mr. Li conveyed President XI Jinping to President Putin’s cordial greetings and good wishes, and stressed that China-Russia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the history of the best period, is to win-win cooperation as the core of the new national relationship model.
Sino-Russian relations is Mature, stable, maintain a high level of development. Regardless of the international situation changes, both sides adhere to consolidate and deepen the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership approach will not change, committed to achieve common development, revitalization of the target does not change, work together to defend International Fair justice and world peace and stability determination will not change.
President XI Jinping look forward to Mr. President 5 months in China to attend the“one belt and one road”international cooperation summit Forum.
Mr. Li pointed out that the CPC Central Committee and the President of Russia Executive Office of the cooperation mechanisms in the two countries respective foreign exchanges are unique, reflecting the relations between China and Russia high level and specificity.
We would like to join the Russian side together, and jointly promote the two the Office of the exchanges and cooperation carried out in-depth, the better the service the two heads of state diplomacy and the Sino-Russian relations development the overall situation. Parties to be involved in each other’s core interests and major concerns continue to support each other, on the existing basis of further deepening the areas of cooperation, the implementation of the strategic large projects, promote bilateral pragmatic cooperation to a comprehensive, wide-ranging, high-level and constantly move forward.
On the same day, Li gauntlet with the Russian President, the Office of the Director of the watts Eno talks, and met with Russian President environmental, ecological and traffic Affairs, the Special Representative of Ivanov, will strengthen their exchanges and cooperation in-depth communication, and of common concern international and regional issues exchange of views.
It’s a bit stilted as machine translations are, but the content is very comprehensible.
The official English translation of the article is now available.
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjdt_665385/wshd_665389/t1457647.shtml
Translated version:
Dear Mr Trump. We know that without the US dollars as the world’s reserve currency your empire crumbles. We know in Eurasia that we can do business without it. We are not going to subsidize your military so it can conquer us. Have a nice day.
Messages to TrumpHillary in the White House.
They made some speech about Russia’s isolation at the UN – stating that not even China will support them.
The White House announced this as an achievement of TrumpHillary 100 days.
Well after this statement from Xi, the USA has achieved even greater cooperation between Russia and China.
The great deal maker has failed again.
It is because Russia and China are the adults in the game and don’t let themselves swayed by the infantile tantrums of clueless morons.
Hello Saker
Listened to you interviewed by Bonnie Faulkner on Guns and Butter
Will you be discussing this further good points made
“Chinese President Xi Jinping sends personal message of friendship to Russian President Putin on China’s behalf, scotching attempt by US to make trouble between them.”
-That is certainly a interpretation, but if you want to talk of messages, the fact that China didn’t even condemn USA illegal strike against Syria would be a much greater message.
The message being “We support you Trump, we are submissive, you can to others as you please, we wont even raise our voice”
This is the latest from TrumpHillary
Here is this news again, but as reported Moscow in English on the TASS English service:
“President Trump has stood up to countries that have threatened our national security after years of failed diplomacy. During his first 100 days, the President has sent a message to the world with his swift and decisive order to strike the Syrian air base that launched a horrific chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians”,the White House press service said in a statement.
According to the statement, Trump “further isolated Syria and Russia at the United Nations through successful diplomacy with President Xi Jinping of China”.
In addition, Trump “imposed sanctions on Syria” and “worked to isolate North Korea”.
See: White House boasts it ‘isolated Russia’ at UN
April 28, 6:07 UTC+3
The Latest from Rex Tillerson
U.S. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson has said during an interview with radio station NPR that during his visit to Russia in April, 2017, Moscow and Washington had failed to resolve any issues and no further meeting had been arranged.
According to Tillerson, Russia needs to decide if she wants to become a “positive part of the global world order, not its undermining”.
The meeting achieved nothing as the USA are basically saying Russia has to do what they want. And Russia said no at the highest level
Where do we go fro here?
Russia needs to do a lot better at presenting a credible case.
The Sarin gas attack is a good example. The most obvious culprit is the Syrian Gov, they were bombing the area, the opposition was killed and the Gov clearly has the ability to produce the gas. It is therefore on the Russian /Syrian side to produce some evidence to the contrary. There was a scenario put forward that a warehouse storing gas was hit and this warehouse was being used to
transit the gas between Syria and Iraq. Great so they know all about it. Wheres the evidence? No evidence whatsoever was given and so how can China possibly back that scenario?
Really Trump did the right thing by bombing Syria. The school of hard knocks. Maybe next time Russia/Syria will get their story straight.
“The Sarin gas attack is a good example. The most obvious culprit is the Syrian Gov, they were bombing the area”
The Syrian government are far from the most obvious culprits. First off they have no motive, the consequences would have been entirely predictable and obviously contrary to their interests. Secondly it has not been demonstrated they currently even possess chemical weapons. Thirdly, there has been at least one similar attempt to frame them. Fourth, there is expert evidence that demonstrates that the incident did not happen as advertised. Lastly the US government says the Syrian government did it, and based on the events of the last few decades, the chances that they are telling the truth are vanishingly small. True there are probably a few insignificant lies that they somehow omitted to tell but nobody is infallible.
The other side clearly had means (it is known they possess and even regularly use chemical weapons) motive (they were losing and wanted to get the US involved) and opportunity (they control the area)
I can accept all that, but what really happened?
Putin tells us that the Syrians hit a rebel warehouse filled with Sarin. Assad debunks this theory and says it was all faked, never happened and no one was gassed.
The Western public is not going to easily believe that the rebels gassed themselves.
This event has huge media attention. Everything is at stake here. If the Russians have any intel or evidence this is the time to bring it. No use hiding behind not wanting to revel how they collect their information.
@bobnz; are you being deliberately naive? With the MH17 incident, for example, Russia had done precisely as you suggested, and volunteering it’s evidence which was basically disregarded by the inquiry. When did Russia ever hide behind the -not wanting to reveal how it collects it’s information- ploy? Surely, that particular stratagem is a USA- specialty.
Recall the ghouta episode where the US couldn’t wait to place blame on Assad, reminding people how it had a ‘high degree of certainty’ and how evidence was ‘mounting’. In the end, however, what did the experts conclude? That the existing evidence pointed to it having been the work of the rebels, not Assad.
In the illegal attack on Iraq of which certain western nations so anxious to initiate, when was the evidence of Hussein’s WMD ever presented? The grounds for that attack was based on the US’s ‘high degree of certainty’ that such weapons existed and were on the brink of being used by Hussein. The world then came to see what that ‘high degree of US certainty’ really amounted to. A pack of lies.
The notion that the rebels wouldn’t kill their own to advance their greater goals is akin to wearing horse blinders. That the west prefers to label these animals as ‘moderates’ in some twisted attempt to justify it’s support for them in the eyes of the public, does not change their basic bestial nature, of which we have seen ample examples.
The huge media (MSM) attention to which you refer is western agenda contrived.
Of course the US tells lots of lies and their military adventures have been an absolute disaster. The general public know this and that’s why Russia has such a good opportunity to show a clear alternative.
I think the Russian information on the MH17 crash remains very unclear. Was it shot down by an SU25 or a Buk missile?
The crash site is only 20km from the Russian border, so it’s a near certainty that the Russians immediately knew exactly what happened.
Really? The right thing to violate international law and create destruction in a sovereign nation, based on absolutely no evidence? Syria is guilty because they didn’t scream loud enough that they are not? None of the western leaders would listen anyway.
The true entities violating the law are the US and Israel. Any argument presented by them can automatically be considered obfuscation and mis-direction. None of their actions are noble, and none of their concerns are sincere.
” Russia needs to do a lot better presenting a credible case”.
Really? Is that right?!?
I am going to present you with what US should do.
USA needs to once and for all stop meddling in every nation’s business and finally mind it its own.
For starters : jobs’ creations, stop taxing the workers and home owners to death, fix healthcare, fix the poisoned water in Michigan, nation’s roads, bridges, the gang violence growing in cities, prison system, militarized police, the deep and all encompassing corruption in the Congress, courts of laws, lying media, destruction of the Middle Class, the vulgarity of Hollywood movies, the useless SJW being spit out of universities by the thousands,the black hole that is the national debt, the infestation and infiltration of the dual citizens in Congress whom are all Israel Firsters….and so on and on and on.
Honestly!!! what IS IT in the North American psyche that feels entitled to be putting its nose ( hook nose to be exact) in every country’s domestic business. Really, what IS IT?
The USA can be likened to as a dangerous washerwoman. Psychotic meddlesome hag with nuclear heads in her purse. Always, always in somebody’s business and arrogantly obnoxious to no end.
And God have mercy! the blatant hypocrisy. Oh yes, because Americans are so worried about “Assad gassing his own people”. Really? Really?!?! What of the bombs you have dropped on children in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan? Syria ring a bell?.
Spare us people in the world your ” Russia needs to present a better case of evidence”, when it is YOUR government murdering children left and right for centuries! Investigates yourselves first.
As God is my Witness it baffles me to no end, how regular Americans still do not get, after so many wars its government instigates ( and loses) , the World’s old and constant phrase of : Yankees go home!!!!
Yes. Go home US! Do you not see how the entire world pinches its nose from your stink whenever you show up? Even the Israeli Jews whom you support, laugh at you. Go home and stay home.
You are asking the US to give up Empire, i.e. global raping, plundering, looting, and murdering (mass and individual).
If the OO1% were to do that, (or if the stupid Golem army drawn from the huge ranks of hopeless deadbeats and dead-enders were to) how could they go on existing in the style to which they have become accustomed?
I’m waiting for them to mention a Norwegian Blue parrot in one of their news releases. It’s getting harder to differentiate Trump’s spin doctors from Monty Python sketch writers. They both make jokes but only one is not cursed at the end. And it’s this one.
Enjoy.
This I read between the lines:
“Our friendship is unbreakable of course on our terms, which are to do with free access to last unspoilt landmass and it´s pristine nature and resources.
We´ll build whatever infrastructure you like, and by doing that, we will spread our sphere to all Russia.
That is our big price. While we do this, we gladly call you our “big brother” and “greatest friend of all”.” China is boa constrictor…
The chabad lubavitz cult of kushner/ivanka that got trump to bomb Syria, which even bibi was unable to do despite sarin/missile false flags actually believes their turkic-slav khazar rebbe schneerson was the MOLIECH (ie the Messiah, instead of Jesus Christ) and that he will be coming back during these end times. Sephardi Rabbid Ovadia dismissed shneerson as an old jew not a messiah but we have a deluded messianics all over Israel. Putin has removed their first strike delusions by simply making it clear their tribesmen in israel,NY,SF and Golders Green,London (approx 70%) will be FIRST to be targeted if their chucktodds,mahers,blitzers,madcows,etc in the owned MSM ever starts ramping up a first strike against Russia.
You may be right. Rabbi Shlomo Dovber Pinchas Lazar, the Chabad chief in Russia is a ‘personal friend’ of Putin and an ‘Italian Jewish Orthodox’ might have whispered something to the ears of the Lubavitcher in charge with the Offal Orifice.
This is correct. It’s actually quite amusing. The Lubavitchers have been transformed from a Jewish cult into a Christian cult.
This was a message (warning?) for Trump, not Putin. Why otherwise publicize a supposedly personal message?
I first went to Zhongguo, aka China, in autumn 2002 to Shandong, Wei Fang, Shouguang. A small city but important in flower and vegetable production. So important that there is an annual flower and vegetable expo every year. I was then the first native English teacher ever at the prestigious Shouguang Yi Zhong (Yi = No. 1, Zhong = middle) Yi Zhong is the No. 1 Middle School. When I arrived it was the 1st day of the 42nd anniversary of the school and I was given a royal reception because I was the chosen companion, during the whole week of the anniversary celebration, of the Secretary of Shandong. The Supreme leader of the province
that had, and still has, the 2nd highest GDP of the whole of China. That school had produced many party higher officials over many years in Beijing.
That city like many cities I visited as guest of numerous officials, in the years of 2002/2003, had many Russians there too. The Russians were very conspicuous but their numbers dwindled throughout the reign of Hu Jintao. Even when Xi ascended the throne of Emperor very few Russians were around. Even in recent times in my travels up until l left in September 2017 Russians were not so common. I lived and traveled in China continuously from September 2002 to September 2017. However the Russian people most famously known during the rule of Emperor Hu were criminals that took over Sanya on Hai Nan Island. Yet it was Emperor Hu that enforced Mao’s doctrines on the whole of the ‘party’ and Russians , other than the gangs were very inconspicuous, being quite quiet tho’ still there. Emperor Hu gave the people the right to borrow from banks thereby ending the repute of the greatest savers on the planet.
We know that the Remin Ying Hang, the Peoples’ Bank, was previously run by Rothschilds of the ilk if the current Central Bankers but somehow they got deposed and replaced by Rothschilds breakaways as was the case in Russia. In fact it seems that the Rothschilds progressives in Moscow took the Peoples’ Bank with them.
I suggest that is the underlying situation between the two emerperors, Putin & Xi. I could be very wrong but having lived there and mixed it up with many chinese business people and officials over a decade and more thru the reign of 3 emperors that’s my conclusion.
I wish to ad something I’ve not seen shared in any news media about China. What outside China people mostly don’t know is that if a start up company employs people and contributes to the local economy for a few years they receive a Zero tax bill. They must submit their monthly report to the local tax office but no tax payment is required. Not only that but their local government will promote and pay for that business to attend national expos. My friend in shenzhen who makes computer software and hardware, employs 10 people, has been sent to a huge expo in Shanghai, all expenses paid by the Shenzhen government for the 2nd year in a row. He’s there now. But the government sends him, all expenses paid, to all the major expos in China as they do for all businesses including the biggest such as Huawei and Tencent. In fact the big names don’t pay tax either nor do they need to pay for real estate, and more. Just thought you’d be interested to know.
Emperor Xi needs Putin’s audacity for OBOR plus the gold and all, just as Mao needed them, full circle. The last year or so the Russians were becoming conspicuous again as China’s folly with the west began to wane. I taught in a big scam university there last year and there were more Russian teachers coming each year. Scam university is where students who fail the annual university entrance exam can pay a large sum to get past their failure. The university is a subsidiary of a famous university run as a business by the famous university’s faculty. Such campuses are the new big biz in China internal education. Yet to be a foreign teacher in China no such chicanery is allowed, well Beijing and Shanghai are exceptions. Basically China has to have people from many countries that can actually do what they trained for because the locals who studied in China can’t.
I agree!
1. I prefer the exceptional america way: Hiring cheap labor from oversea, and hiding tax off shore. Hell to the local population. America has wall street to produce finical products, and has art of making people hate each other overseas so its sell killing machines are hot items for export. Chinese should do same.
2. I also prefer American colleges charging arm and leg (some over $60,000 a year), or local community colleges who has a no drop policy to any one who passed GED (a test that eastern Europeans and east Asians can pass in their sleep), But I agree Chinese should not provide the youth who fell to pass official entrance examine a college education for a fee.
3. I agree only exceptional American can hire talent overseas to do things the can not do, but Chinese should not resort to the same practice…
There is a prediction I slightly remember: “When China sends Troups [for support?] to Russia the end of the known World is near.”
Never thought this can come true and the more less I thought this troups can be a friendly support from China to Russia.
Good clarification following Trumpet’ s ‘ chocolate cake’ idiocy.
It seemed pretty clear to me that Xi was deflecting from, not endorsing Trumpet’ s action in Syria.
Of course Trumpet, ever one to brag, spun it in his favour.
A transcript of an AP interview with Trumpet is revealing on a number of issues:
https://apnews.com/c810d7de280a47e88848b0ac74690c83
Some of those are:
Trumpet has the vocabulary and delivery of a third-rate actor with ADD – nowhere more evident than on the subject of foreign policy.
( He has ‘ great chemistry’ with just about every foreign leader – except NK’ s bad- boy and Assad. But maybe that will change…)
He is at his most coherent when discussing ‘ deals’ which result in ‘ savings’ in the domestic sphere. A subject he is.most comfortable with and which is arguably his only ‘ expertise’. How that translates into overall welfare is far from clear…)
He uses this area of familiarity to self- promote.
He is obsessed with ‘ bad PR’ : again, much more articulate on the MSM’ s hostility. ( And losing no.opportunity to question the failure of investigative agencies to pursue lines of enquiry on the DNC/ Clinton.)
One glimmer of shrewdness beneath the bombast: the noting of the FBI – supposedly operating in ‘ national interest’ using the services of a private firm ( Crowd strike), run by a ‘ rich Ukrainian’. So indicating that when it comes to attacks on his own credibility, he is not quite so ‘ inattentive.’
Overall, I get the impression that foreign policy is something of ‘ nuisance’ , to be dealt with only because of its interference with his domestic agenda.
Let’s hope he becomes disabused of that notion soon, or the neocons/ pay- for- players will continue to use state- apparatus for their own murderous ends.
This is all good observation. I agree with your thought that Trump is a domestic president with little patience or taste for the international sphere. But it is said that a thing always happens to presidents and other national leaders, namely that the allure of the international is so strong, and it’s so easy to grandstand and make popular points in this sphere, that they all become seduced away from their domestic focus.
I continue to think that Trump’s style is to surround himself with people who have ideas and schemes, and throw them all at the refrigerator, as one can with pasta to see if it’s cooked. Whatever sticks to the fridge is a winner, whatever slides down to the floor is not.
Currently of course we’re witnessing the entire foreign policy of the United States sliding down to the floor. If we survive the experience, a useful education may occur. But I’m dismayed to find Trump apply this method to global security. His naivety seems as outsized as everything else about him.
We Quakers often say, “Speak truth to power.” That used to have some effect. But things have changed for the worse. I cannot speak on behalf of Quakers, but it seems to me that power is not listening, so speaking truth to it is no more effective than speaking truth to a brick wall.
You might not be surprised to learn that most of the Quakers are not what they used to be either. What a corrupt world this is.
The more I hear Assad speak, the more my respect for this man grows.
Trump is puppet of US ‘deep state,’ has no ‘own’ foreign policy – Assad
https://www.rt.com/usa/386395-trump-us-puppet-assad/
“Trump pursues “no own policies” but only executes the decisions made by the “intelligence agencies, the Pentagon, the big arms manufacturers, oil companies, and financial institutions,” the Syrian leader said in an exclusive interview with TeleSUR.
“As we have seen in the past few weeks, he changed his rhetoric completely and subjected himself to the terms of the deep American state, or the deep American regime,” Assad added.
He referred to the fact that Trump came to power on a political platform promising a departure from the interventionist policy of the previous US president, Barack Obama, but soon forgot his promises and ordered a missile strike against the Syrian air base following a chemical weapons incident in Syria’s Idlib province.
The Syrian president also said that it is “a complete waste of time to make an assessment of the American president’s foreign policy” as “he might say something” but what he really does depends on “what these [US military and business] institutions dictate to him.”
He also added that it “is not new” and “has been ongoing American policy for decades.”
“This is what characterizes American politicians: they lie on a daily basis… That’s why we shouldn’t believe what the Pentagon or any other American institution says because they say things which serve their policies, not things which reflect reality and the facts on the ground,” Assad told TeleSUR.
He went on to say that the US continues to pursue its age-long policy aimed at establishing and maintaining a global hegemony by turning all countries that oppose it into war zones.
“The United States always seeks to control all the states of the world without exception. It does not accept allies, regardless of whether they are developed states as those in the Western bloc or other states of the world,” the Syrian leader explained.
He also added that “what is happening to Syria, to Korea, to Iran, to Russia, and maybe to Venezuela now, aims at re-imposing American hegemony on the world because they believe that this hegemony is under threat now, which consequently threatens the interests of American economic and political elites.”
Assad expressed similar views in an interview with Russia’s Sputnik news agency about a week ago. “The regime in the United States hasn’t changed,” he said, adding, “since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States has been attacking different countries in different ways without taking into consideration the Security Council or the United Nations.”
He also said that for the US, “the end justifies the means, no values, no morals at all, anything could happen.”
This immense vital message tells uss how USA has played China, Russia and Iran very close to each others. These three have now common interests. It’s quite the same when Hitler pushed Churchill, FDR and Stalin to co-operate. Do you really believe that Marshal Mannerheim of Finland was great admirer of Hitler? Heck no. He actually was looking forward to have military alliance with USSR before Finno-Russo Winter War. What’s even more amazing Mannerheim told to General Talvela in 1941: “Remember that Germany is our greatest threat”.
So there are always short-term alliances. What never dies out is geopolitics. On the other hand China is so immense super power and Confucianism way of focusing world that i won’t see it as “new America”. They understand the idea of multilateralism and multipolar global future. Last 5 000 years of history are backing my idea. For me China is stabilising power world really needs.
Without China’s political and monetary support, Russia would not be able to confront the US/EU at the same time.
Just because you don’t hear or see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.
China’s basically FINANCING Russia’s front in Syria and Ukraine. Don’t underestimate this.
“China’s basically FINANCING Russia’s front in Syria and Ukraine. Don’t underestimate this.”
Is there documents confirming that claim? I tend to agree with you but missing real clear evidence too.
It “could” be bad news coming out of the UN. They are “debating” further sanctions ,on probably the most sanctioned country on earth,North Korea. As I read in a comment on anther article,”unless they are sanctioning water and air,what is left for them to sanction in North Korea”.
Will Russia and China (once again) fall for the West’s trick of using sanctions. We shall see,but the track record isn’t very good for them. A “rule of thumb” that Russia and China should think of is, “if a UN resolution favors the West in any way. Its a bad one for you to support”.Just how many times have Western powers (especially the US) used sanctions against the interests of Russia and China. The list is almost endless. And for a country herself under idiotic Western sanctions (she would be under UN sanctions ,but for Russia and China having a UNSC veto power),Russia voting for sanctions on another country is worse than foolish.
An abstention by Russia and China isn’t enough in this case.If a vote is called on more sanctions they should veto that vote. Do the UN countries “really” expect sanctions to convince North Korea to give up their only protection against US aggression. Is the level of ignorance that great in the UNSC. Russia and China if they want to vote for a UN Resolution,they need to purpose one themselves that calls for negotiations between the two sides to find a peaceful solution to the nuclear weapons question.
Did Russia and China not learn anything from the UN sanctions against Yugoslavia,against Libya,against Iraq,against Syria,against Iran,and those already against North Korea. I hope they have. But we shall see,I’m not very confident about that.
China actively supports neoliberal globalisation and cannot be trusted. It has deep interconnected trade and investment relations with USA. It is highly unlikely that China will ever move against Multinational corporations or against USA.
The Chinese economic “miracle” happened because of the Multinational Corporations which invested in China. MNCs reduced their manufacturing costs and increased their profits by selling these products in western markets. As China offers low cost labour and has a repressed workforce, many MNCs took advantage of it.
I don’t know how likely it is for China to move against the US, but Xi Jinping certainly knows that the US is moving against China. Here are a few examples.
1. The US is deploying the THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea.
2. The US has sold arms to Taiwan for decades.
3. There was a toned down version of a colour revolution in a part of China, in Hong Kong, to be specific. Actually, I’m not sure it is over.
Whatever you think of Xi and the other Chinese leaders, they aren’t so dumb that they can’t see these things.
I thought this statement by Xi Jinping was in response to the fact that Mr. Trump shot missiles at a Syrian air base manned by Russians while Xi Jinping was visiting him at Mar-el-Lego. That was
provocative, no?
THE feel is – China is too self-centered to be truly ‘a partner’, all she wants is the know-how to make what you have, & leave you in the dust .. I don’t see peaceful rise, rather to dominate just like Uk, US, Germany did when it was their time .. her selfishness in SCS to border issues to water sharing with neighbors is self-evident .. also, the rail building in Africa is on par with British India railroad system – export resources, sand, oil, cobalt, copper, etc., .. only differences I see is less of wars IF compare to US (but is unknown as her military lacks domination) .. I’m also seeing India, Russia, Brazil, Indonesia, Iran following similar path but lesser scale .. we need 5.5 billion random deaths to truly have 3 years of peace!!
Despite this, I still prefer China rise IF compared current hegemony, enough misery/killing caused by US, & multi-polar world is just another ‘few’ controlling most
While US & Clients obsess with $Trillions for surrounding Russia & China, those Nations enact Policies for disassociation from US & Clients except on their own terms, building alternates to every Global infrastructure dominated by US & Clients.
Facts support that US functions on a War Economy with Allies as primary financiers, and the result is dumbing-down of all subject to US dysfunction. My proof is with US & Clients continuing to recruit Highly Trained workers from those very Nations they pretend are more backward.