Dean of the Chongyang Institute of Renmin University Wang Wen wrote an opinion piece in China’s Global Times, “The West Should lListen to Putin and Pursue Dialogue,” about his attendance at the Oct. 24-27 Valdai Discussion Club annual meeting, and the plenary discussion with President Vladimir Putin. He noted how Putin, after a 45-minute keynote presentation, courageously took questions for three more hours, unscripted, even after the moderator tried to shut it down several times and despite several nasty questioners. Wang reported that Putin “conquered” the audience through his thoughts and words, and that that is something that Western leaders need to acknowledge. (http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/69695 )
Wang pointed out how the very real substance of Putin’s words and positions stands out, against the degeneration of Western leaders: “To put it frankly, the leaders of the whole Western world have entered a period of mediocrity, from Boris Johnson and Liz Truss in the U.K. to Donald Trump and Joe Biden in the U.S.” As this has happened, their rhetoric has become more impotent—and that is only underlined when contrasted with Putin’s dialogue. Therefore, Wang says, “the West should accept the proposals put forward by Russia and realize a dialogue between Western leaders and Putin as soon as possible, so that the world can see the hope of sincerity, peace, and cooperation.”
