April 2024 | 153 comments (153 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

April 2024 Slava Big Israel (none / 1)

rfi.fr | The European Parliament will not agree on funding for the EU Council until Ukraine receives new Patriots

writes the publication European Truth, calling the deputies present at the meeting.
"A long-time MEP, former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt from the Renew faction proposed removing the approval of the European Council budget from the agenda until the member states can find the seven Patriot systems that Ukraine now urgently needs. Verhofstadt recalled the words of the head of European diplomacy that European countries have hundreds of Patriot systems, when Ukraine needs seven, " the article says.

EU Parliament delays approval of Council 2022 budget audit to press for military aid to Ukraine : "Verhofstadt's move is widely seen as parliamentary theatrics, since the legislature has no power to force the Council to provide weapons."

euactiv Below the radar

Case in point: The announcement that two dozen German soldiers arrived in Vilnius on Monday, with a further 150 due to join them later this year, barely made headlines outside Lithuania...."This is the first time that we have permanently stationed such a unit outside of Germany," German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said in Berlin at a farewell ceremony for the vanguard of Germany's Lithuanian brigade, according to German news agency dpa. Pistorius called it "an important day for the German army".

US intelligence finding shows China surging equipment sales to Russia to help war effort in Ukraine

["Two senior Biden administration"] officials discussed the findings as Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to China this month for talks.
ChatGPT CNN | China is giving Russia significant support to expand weapons manufacturing as Ukraine war continues, US officials say
Just this week Gen. Chris Cavoli, the commander of US European Command, told lawmakers that Russia has been "quite successful" at reconstituting its military since it invaded Ukraine more than 2 years ago, and its capacity has largely "grown back" to what it was before the invasion. US officials are now making clear that China is largely responsible for that rapid build-up.
Blinken is scheduled to travel next week to the Group of 7 foreign ministers meeting in Capri, Italy, where he's expected to raise concerns about China's growing indirect support for Russia as Moscow revamps its military and looks to consolidate recent gains in Ukraine.
dni.gov | Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community (05.02.24)
An ambitious but anxious China, a confrontational Russia, some regional powers, such as Iran, and more capable non-state actors are challenging longstanding rules of the international system as well as U.S. primacy within it.
[...]

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on April 12, 2024

At the invitation of Premier Li Qiang of the State Council, Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz will pay an official visit to China from April 14 to 16. At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Central African Republic Sylvie Baïpo-Témon will pay an official visit to China from April 14 to 16.
[...]

GT | Scholz to visit China in spite of 'de-risk' voices

by Cat on Sat Apr 13th, 2024 at 04:06:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Slava Big Israel messaging system (none / 0)

Between the US and a hard place, Germany's Scholz 're-engages' with China, 12 Apr yawn

In blunt language, German officials on Friday said Beijing's support and exports to Russia were enabling Moscow to wage a war of aggression in Ukraine and causing a "growing loss of reputation for China" in Europe and beyond.

730th time is the charm

In an interview with the taz newspaper, Scholz said he would press China to be a mediator to end the war in Ukraine.
"It is about China not supporting Russia in waging a brutal war against its neighbour Ukraine," he said. "China can also make it clear that this senseless imperialist war must end."

by Cat on Sun Apr 14th, 2024 at 04:07:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Slava Big Israel messaging system (none / 0)

one BoJo poison pill and a rubbished position paper too late, seven bilateral security guarantees on a Jeddah Hotel revolving bed and a Zelensk* amnesty scenario short

strana | How Beijing can change the course of the war in Ukraine with NATO + 1 ticket

Its outlines have been revealed literally in the last week.

lolno

by Cat on Mon Apr 15th, 2024 at 02:12:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Olaf Scholz in the Footsteps of Angela Merkel (none / 0)

Face of a Nation

Make America Great Again 2017-2021
AmericaFirst! 2021 to present

China and the CPC treasure its sovereignty and longs for its goal to reunite with Formosa by 2050.

The EU has lost its bearings and has been usurped by NATO to become a client state.

Scholz's China visit bears certain resemblances to the Merkel era, underscoring efforts to elevate bilateral relations to the previous course: observers | Global Times |
The schedule is richer than the previous visit in November 2022, which shows that the Scholz government looks to maintain and enrich pragmatic cooperation with China. There are discussions on certain similarities between Scholz's trip and the previous China visits paid by former German chancellor Angela Merkel, especially in terms of the level of engagement with Chinese localities," Cui Hongjian, a professor with the Academy of Regional and Global Governance with Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Sunday.
Cui said that this is a very positive signal since China-Germany relations reached a new height in the Merkel era, and it could indicate that Scholz is looking to stabilize and elevate bilateral relations to the previous course, despite a profound shift in the overall environment.

Xi Jinping: As two major countries with great influence, China and Germany should work together in times of change and instability and contribute more to global peace and development | 4 Nov 2022 |

5000 years of bloodshed compared to 1000 years 🩸

Have a peaceful cultural summer

by Oui (Oui) on Mon Apr 15th, 2024 at 06:52:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Olaf Scholz in the Footsteps of Angela Merkel (none / 1)

Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz arrived in Chongqing on Sunday, kicking off his three-day visit to China at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang. #OlafScholz @CCTV_Plus pic.twitter.com/013m8ZeZH4
— Zhang Meifang (@CGMeifangZhang) April 14, 2024

Französische Postkarte: Olaf Scholz is greeted by Zhang Guozhi, Vice Mayor of Chongqing City, alongside Wu Ken, China's Ambassador to Germany at Chongqing Airport in China on April 14.

chinadaily | German Chancellor Olaf Scholz begins three-day China visit, 14 Apr

On Sunday morning, he visited Bosch Hydrogen [!] Powertrain Systems (Chongqing) Co Ltd. The company, a joint venture between German engineering and technology company Bosch and Chongqing-based premium commercial vehicle manufacturer Qingling Motors, was set up in 2021 to develop, assemble and sell fuel cell systems in China.

GT | China, Germany expected to strengthen green cooperation; 'De-risking' means missing out on opportunities in China, 15 Apr

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday arrived in Shanghai, an important city that has a large amount of accumulated German investment, and where he said that Europe is open [!] to Chinese cars....

[INCONTINENCE ALERT]
US media smears China for Western failure to defeat Russia, June Peace Conference RSVP

by Cat on Mon Apr 15th, 2024 at 05:26:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Olaf Scholz in the Footsteps of Angela Merkel (none / 1)

cppcc.gov.cn | Xi meets German chancellor, calls for achieving mutual success, 17 Apr non-market mechanism photo ops

[...]
Xi noted that the industrial and supply chains of China and Germany are deeply intertwined, and that the markets of the two countries are highly interdependent. Mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Germany is not a "risk," but the guarantee for a stable bilateral relationship and an opportunity for the future.
There is huge potential to be tapped for pursuing win-win cooperation in both traditional sectors such as machinery and automobile, and new areas such as green transition, digitization and artificial intelligence, Xi said. It is important for the two sides to promote the win-win features of their relations and enable each other to succeed, Xi said, adding that China's export of electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products has not only enriched global supply and eased global inflationary pressure, but also made important contribution to the global response to climate change and the green and low-carbon transition.
[...]

eruonews | Scholz's visit to China: Balancing distance and diplomacy, 19 Apr non-market mechanisms

[...]
It appears that Germany, despite hesitancy on the competition front, is still keen to maintain trade operations with China. During his visit, Scholz notably pushed for more market access on behalf of German companies in the Asian nation. Critics have suggested that the move diverges from Brussels' more hostile stance, arguing that Germany is prioritising short-term financial gain over long-term security.

by Cat on Fri Apr 19th, 2024 at 04:07:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

April 2024 | 153 comments (153 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)