The doings at the two just-concluded meetings of units of the emblematic institutions of the Western “rules-based order"—the European Union Foreign Ministers meeting in Sweden, and the Group of Seven Finance Ministers meeting in Japan, displayed the venal dissociation from reality that constitute circumstances for both world danger of war and economic chaos, and an opportunity—if our intervention succeeds—for a shift to a new world framework that serves the good of nations and peoples.
At both meetings, Global NATO advocates pushed for commitment against Russia and China. But in neither gathering did lockstep agreement take place.
In Japan, today’s concluding declaration after the three-day meeting had the obligatory commitment to backing Ukraine until “as long as it takes,” but no mention of China as adversary. Earlier sessions heard denunciations of China for “economic coercion” of G7 and other nations. Then the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a well-documented identification of the United States as the most economically coercive nation in the world, citing the thousands of instances of U.S. sanctions against persons, entities and nations. So the final communiqué had no mention of China at all.
In Sweden, a paper was circulated—not publicly—against China, demanding that the EU take “de-risking” measures from China, a favored phrase of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. However, the pushback by several of the 27 EU member nations led to even super-ideologue Josep Borrell having to admit defeat at EU unanimity. Count on him for a turn of weird phrase: He said that while there was disagreement within the EU over the “words” of what to do against China, there was agreement on the “music.” The Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabriellus Landsbergis went further, saying, “It is desirable to hear the EU27 choir singing in unison, but on this China paper, it seems that we are still a few octaves apart.”
At the same time, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang offered Europe his own advice what to do about “de-risking” from China. He spoke today in Norway—the last stop on his three-nation trip to Western Europe. If an EU nation wants to lower its “risk” with China, just increase its exports and trade with China. That’s how to increase your nation’s “sureness” with China, then you don’t have any risk.
That is exactly what the rest of the world is doing with China. This and other points are likely in the messages brought personally to the trans-Atlantic at present, in the surge of Chinese diplomacy. Wang Yi, Director of the CCP Central Committee Foreign Affairs Department, was in Europe this past week. In Vienna he met with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan May 10-11. This Monday, May 15, China’s special envoy Li Hui will be in Kiev, then go on to Poland, France, Germany and Moscow.
The backdrop is the dramatic breakdown in the physical economic condition of the trans-Atlantic, even as the war-economy measures are imposed in the name of backing Ukraine. This week in the U.S. and Canada, an electricity blackout warning was issued for the summer, by the monitoring agency North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), because of the inadequate generation volume, and decrepit distribution grid. Today in the U.K., railway and maritime workers are striking because of the impossible wage levels and staffing practices, given the hyper-inflation there, and union members have voted to continue strikes.
In Germany, amidst similar economic breakdown circumstances, the largest-to-date pledge for Ukraine was announced this week of €2.7 billion of arms, vehicles and other matériel. On May 14, Zelenskyy is expected in person in Germany, to meet with the President and Prime Minister, and receive the Charlemagne Award for European Unity, after today, Zelenskyy met with Pope Francis for 40 minutes.
These dynamics cannot “continue” as is. In a breaking development today, reports are out that Zelenskyy has repeatedly wanted to target and “take territory” inside Russia, though he has publicly eschewed that. That account comes from more leaked U.S. intelligence documents from the Discord platform, as reported this afternoon by the Washington Post.
Either the end result of these extreme military geopolitical moves is the break-out of direct major power warfare—either by accident or deliberately—and nuclear annihilation, or we can force a shift, and change course.
The momentum to change course was seen in February and March, in the mass anti-war actions in North America and Europe. Millions more people now are potentially “seeing the light.” Now is the time to escalate.
