When Olaf Scholz and his coalition government published Germany’s first ever comprehensive China strategy in mid-July i had written that the much touted "de-risking" was just an euphemism, that actually the US wanted its European vassals to de-couple from China, regardless of the economic and social cost of damaging mutually beneficial trade relations between China and Europe. Now an article published by the European Council on Foreign Relations, an Atlanticist think tank that was set up with Soros' money, admits that "de-risking was supposed to ease minds; it was supposed to serve as the less sinister sounding little brother of the decoupling monster that has spooked German businesses since US voices inserted it into the global China conversation." Germany, like the rest of Europe, is caught in a double bind: on one hand it is expected to follow the "green transition" path, on the other hand that transition is predicated on the import of technological products from China. Replacing those products with more expensive European or American ones will make that transition too costly for the country and would require massive investments to expand its industrial capacity. Problem is... Germany has been forced to do without an affordable source of energy, Russian gas, and has no nuclear power plants. Good luck. @LauraRuHK https://ecfr.eu/article/the-end-of-germanys-china-illusion/

Someone asked me why these days i seldom post on X/Twitter and Facebook. Here you have the answer. In 3 days this tweet was seen by 129 people out of 5,700 subscribers because i am shadow banned. What is the point of wasting my time on these rigged platforms? Even a post about Russian wine was hidden from view! @LauraRuHK

Meanwhile conflicting interests are causing a very serious problem in Brussels. Ukraine will sue Poland, Hungary and Slovakia over their refusal to drop a ban on Ukrainian agricultural products.

The bans by the three Central European countries are intended to protect their farmers. Poland's ruling party is especially keen to stem the flow of Ukrainian agricultural products as its fortunes in an election on October 15 are closely tied to a rural support base. @LauraRuHK https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-will-sue-poland-hungary-and-slovakia-over-agricultural-bans/

I nodi vengono al pettine. Interessi contrastanti stanno causando un problema molto serio a Bruxelles. L'Ucraina intende fare causa a Polonia, Ungheria e Slovacchia per il loro rifiuto di accettare prodotti agricoli ucraini.

I divieti applicati dai tre Paesi dell'Europa centrale mirano a proteggere i loro agricoltori. Il partito al governo in Polonia è particolarmente interessato a contenere il flusso di prodotti agricoli ucraini, poiché le sue speranze di rielezione nelle consultazioni del 15 ottobre sono strettamente legate al mantenimento di questa politica agricola. @LauraRuHK https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-will-sue-poland-hungary-and-slovakia-over-agricultural-bans/

Radio France Internationale (RFI), France's state-owned international radio news network: "As the recent G20 summit in India showed, the world order is increasingly fractured - a rift is deepening between the West and the rest of the world, despite appearances of consensus. Are we witnessing the emergence of a new world order? The answer is yes. On the strength of its victory over the communist system in the USSR, the West believed that its time had come. In the 90s and 2000s, it tried to impose its model by force, convinced of its superiority.
Its hubris led the West to believe that people in other parts of the world were only waiting for the advent of Western-style democracy, without seeing that, in doing so, Western countries were increasingly perceived as intruders and economic predators - they delivered grand speeches about the benefits of democracy, but resorted to political and military force and economic domination to protect their own interests. And gradually, a gap has developed between the West and some major emerging powers – China, Russia, and other countries in Africa, Asia and South America – which resent the West's postcolonial attitudes. The war in Ukraine served as a catalyst to accelerate this process. Europe and the United States are fighting to defend their values and interests, Russia justifies its intervention by NATO expansionism. This narrative resonates with many countries of the Global South as we say today. Hence the result of the G20 in India: Western countries can no longer impose their will, especially with regards to the war in Ukraine.
Things are moving at high speed on the international scene. And those who try to build bridges have a hard time making their voices heard." @LauraRuHK https://www.rfi.fr/fr/podcasts/le-monde-en-questions/20230915-la-fracture-entre-l-occident-et-le-reste-du-monde-m%C3%A8nera-t-elle-%C3%A0-un-nouvel-ordre-mondial

Radio France Internationale (RFI), emittente radiofonica di proprietà dello Stato francese: "Come ha dimostrato il recente vertice del G20 in India, l'ordine internazionale è sempre più fratturato - una spaccatura si sta approfondendo tra l'Occidente e il resto del mondo. Stiamo assistendo all'emergere di un nuovo ordine mondiale? La risposta è sì. Forte della vittoria sul sistema comunista dell'URSS, l'Occidente ha creduto che fosse giunto il suo momento. Negli anni '90 e 2000 ha cercato di imporre il suo modello con la forza, convinto della propria superiorità.
Questa arroganza ha portato l'Occidente a credere che le popolazioni di altre parti del mondo stessero solo aspettando l'avvento della democrazia occidentale, senza rendersi conto che, così facendo, i paesi occidentali venivano sempre più percepiti come intrusi e predatori economici - facevano discorsi altisonanti sui benefici della democrazia, ma ricorrevano alla forza politica e militare e al dominio economico per perseguire i propri interessi. Gradualmente si è creato un divario tra l'Occidente e alcune grandi potenze emergenti - Cina, Russia e altri Paesi dell'Africa, dell'Asia e del Sud America - che non sopportano l'approccio postcoloniale dell'Occidente. La guerra in Ucraina è servita da catalizzatore per accelerare questo processo. L'Europa e gli Stati Uniti combattono per difendere i loro valori e interessi, la Russia giustifica il suo intervento puntando il dito contro l'espansionismo della NATO. Questa narrazione trova ascolto in molti Paesi del Sud Globale, come si dice oggi. Da qui il risultato del G20 in India: i Paesi occidentali non riescono più a imporre la loro volontà, soprattutto per quanto riguarda la guerra in Ucraina.
Le cose si muovono molto velocemente sulla scena internazionale. E chi cerca di costruire ponti fatica a far sentire la propria voce". @LauraRuHK https://www.rfi.fr/fr/podcasts/le-monde-en-questions/20230915-la-fracture-entre-l-occident-et-le-reste-du-monde-m%C3%A8nera-t-elle-%C3%A0-un-nouvel-ordre-mondial

⚡️The State Security Service of Georgia announced that a coup is being prepared in the country - plotters would follow the typical color revolution scenario, such as the one that led to regime change in Ukraine in 2014.

"A group of people operating on the territory of Georgia and abroad plans to organize destabilization and civil unrest, the ultimate goal of which is regime change by violent means. Protests and riots are likely to begin in October-December" the press service of the State Security Service said in a statement.
Behind the plan, Georgy Lortkipanidze (deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs during the presidency Mikheil Saakashvili), former Saakashvili's bodyguard Mikhail Baturin and commander of the "Georgian Legion" in Ukraine Mamuku Mamulashvili. The moment chosen for the beginning of the protest is scheduled to coincide with the publication of a EU report on Georgia. The report will announce whether Georgia is eligible to become a candidate for EU membership or not.
According to the agency, members of the group have worked on several scenarios. One of them is to set up tents in the centre of Tbilisi, barricade government buildings, and then detonate a bomb in one of the tents so that civilian casualties would spark riots in the city. The State Security Service claims that the criminal group is also considering a scenario similar to Euromaidan in Ukraine, where snipers shot protesters. (Source: RIA Novosti) @LauraRuHK

Due to the erosion of their sovereignty, European countries have become poorer and are rapidly fading into irrelevance in the global arena. They could regain some clout only by shaking off the US yoke and cooperating with China and Russia, their natural Eurasian partners. But to do so, they first have to kick out their corrupt political, economic and cultural elites. @LauraRuHK

La geografia non e' un'opinione, alcuni studiosi la definiscono un destino. I flussi dell'informazione digitale possono trascurare la materialita' del territorio. La logistica dell'approvvigionamento di materie prime e della movimentazione delle merci invece no. Chi fa esplodere gasdotti russi e cerca di imporre ostacoli alle importazioni dalla Cina sabotando la Via della Seta (BRI) ottiene come risultato l'impoverimento e indebolimento dell'Europa, cosa che in realta' fa molto comodo per mantenere il dominio su di essa. Ma fino a quando gli atlantisti non avranno trovato il modo di farci vivere di sola aria e ideologia, il destino dei paesi europei sara' intrinsecamente legato alla loro posizione geografica. Ignorare e addirittura pretendere di cancellare la realta' non puo' che causare sanguinosi conflitti, come quello attuale in Ucraina e quelli che l'hanno preceduto in Afghanistan e Medio Oriente. Fino a quando gli europei non avranno cacciato le loro élite politiche, economiche e culturali, totalmente corrotte, colonizzate e manovrate da Washington e Londra, riconquistando cosi' la loro sovranità, non potranno che continuare a subire le conseguenze dell'inevitabile crollo economico, del declino sociale e culturale. Privati della loro sovranita' politica stanno rapidamente perdendo importanza sulla scena internazionale. Potrebbero riacquistare un certo peso solo scrollandosi di dosso il giogo statunitense e cooperando con la Cina e la Russia, i loro partner naturali in quell'unica massa continentale conosciuta come Eurasia. @LauraRuHK

Loss of sovereignty is the main cause of Europe's woes and decline - Geography is not an opinion, some call it a destiny. Digital information flows can overlook the materiality of the territory. Logistics, which is energy-intensive, and supply chains cannot. Sourcing raw materials and components, moving them to production, then transporting the finished products to a distribution center doesn't happen in a vacuum. Those who blow up Russian pipelines and try to impose obstacles to the trade with China by sabotaging the new Silk Road (BRI) achieve one result: the impoverishment and weakening of Europe. Until the Atlanticists find a way to make us live on air and ideology alone, the fate of European countries will be intrinsically linked to their geographical position. Ignoring and even pretending to erase reality can only lead to bloody conflicts, such as the current one in Ukraine and those they caused in Afghanistan and the Middle East. Unless Europeans kick out their political, economic and cultural elites - which are corrupt, dependent on and manoeuvred by Washington and London - and regain their sovereignty, they will continue to suffer the consequences of their inevitable economic, social and cultural decline. Deprived of their sovereignty, they are rapidly losing importance on the international stage. These countries could only regain their importance by shaking off the US yoke and cooperating with China and Russia, their natural partners in that single continental mass known as Eurasia. @LauraRuHK

China and Russia should continue to coordinate policies to tackle challenges from re-emerging unilateralism and hegemony, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Monday.

Stressing the independence of their own policies, Wang said cooperation with Russia “does not target third parties, is not subject to interference by third parties, and will not be influenced by third parties”, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.
“In the face of the rising counter-currents of unilateralism, hegemonism and camp confrontation, China and Russia should … demonstrate their role as great powers, fulfil their international obligations, continue to strengthen their strategic coordination so as to advance the process of multipolarity in the world.”

In a separate statement, Russia’s foreign ministry said “the closeness of the positions of the parties regarding US actions in the international arena, including those of an anti-Russian and anti-Chinese nature, was noted”.

Wang briefed his Russian counterpart about “the content of negotiations” he had with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Malta over the weekend, while Lavrov “talked about major results of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s official visit to Russia”, the Russian ministry said.

The two sides also agreed to continue to coordinate policies in the ongoing United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, as well as the coming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit, and “many other high- and top-level meetings”, Lavrov said in opening remarks.

According to Beijing and Moscow, Wang and Lavrov also discussed the war in Ukraine, with Wang saying China would “play a constructive role in its own way for a political solution to the crisis”.

Lavrov said a settlement without Russia’s participation was “impossible”.

Wang, a Politburo member who leads the general office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, arrived in Moscow for a four-day visit right after two days of meetings with Sullivan in Malta, during which the two sides discussed US-China bilateral ties as well as the Ukraine war and Taiwan.

Wang was expected to join Nikolai Patrushev, the head of Russia’s Security Council, for strategic security talks on Tuesday, before holding trilateral talks with Mongolian officials, Reuters reported, citing Russia’s Interfax news agency..

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit Beijing next month to attend a Belt and Road Initiative summit, a mega infrastructure and investment programme endorsed by Xi that aims to boost China’s trade connectivity and international influence.

Meanwhile, China’s total trade with Russia in the first eight months of this year jumped 32 per cent from a year earlier to US$155.1 billion, while trade with the US dropped by 8.7 per cent year on year to US$420 billion, with Beijing blaming the Washington tariffs and export controls for the decline. (Source: SCMP) @LauraRuHK