EDITORIAL
A Race Between the New World Economic Order, and War
Sept. 6 (EIRNS)—The pace of major developments, both in the consolidation of the New Paradigm around the Belt and Road, and the contrary “pedal-to-the-metal” escalation by London networks for war with Russia, and Trump’s ouster to that end. “Exhibit A” is the stunning success of China’s just-concluded Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) of Sept. 3-4 in Beijing, unreported by America’s so-called “free press.”
Schiller Institute founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche in her “New Paradigm” webcast today contrasted the desperation of the British Empire and its allies to FOCAC’s “burial of colonialism.” Virtually every nation in Africa attended FOCAC. Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of South Africa, declared, “The golden age of China-Africa relations has begun,” and called “ludicrous” the line that China has lured African nations into a “debt trap,” concluding that Africa is now free, and can choose its own partners.
This has made the British faction flip its collective wig. The Empire has activated reliable agents such as the New York Times, which in an anonymous (!) op-ed, claims that Trump has people working all around him to undo his worst inclinations, at the same time “Watergate” journalist Bob Woodward released a new book, Fear: In the Trump White House, stating that Trump’s advisers constantly treat him with the lowest contempt behind his back. This has already been refuted by Defense Secretary Mattis and Chief of Staff John Kelly, whom Woodward claimed to be quoting.
Such an operation is typical, Helga LaRouche said, pointing to how the anti-corruption “Clean Hands” operation was used to dismantle all the parties in Italy.
At the same time, British Prime Minister Theresa May now claims that it is “proven” that the Skripals were targetted by two Russian GRU agents, whose details—such as names—have not been invented yet. Russia rejected this new accusation.
Simultaneously, the British are readying the filming of another “false flag” chemical attack on Idlib, with the White Helmets and a British private security firm ready to record the suffering of the “victims.” Former Congressman Ron Paul said that the forces sitting in Idlib, at least the terrorist element, are the same people who carried out 9/11 in the United States; how could anyone really want them to replace Assad?
Democrats who wish to impeach Trump are aiming to recruit some treasonous Republicans to impeachment, and otherwise defeat pro-Trump Republicans in November, to get a House majority who would agree to impeach Trump based on these lies.
Helga LaRouche pointed to wiser heads who lived through the last world war, who have issued stern warnings to today’s leaders against the folly of another war, aimed at Russia. Former Assistant Secretary Defense Minister Willy Wimmer of Germany and Paul Craig Roberts, former Assistant Treasury Secretary under Ronald Reagan have warned of the danger of nuclear war, with Roberts saying if Trump is ousted, the only people standing between the world and nuclear Armageddon may be Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Helga LaRouche urged that people not take this situation lightly, “just because war is not in the minds of many people, but [it is] the absolute determination of the British Empire, which Wimmer calls ‘the deep state.’ [B]ut as we know, it is actually the collusion between what they call the ‘deep state’ in the United States and British intelligence and the British government in the British Empire.”
STRATEGIC WAR DANGER
Willy Wimmer Argues Removal of Trump Would Trigger Third World War
Sept. 6 (EIRNS)—In an unprecedented, harshly worded Aug. 30 opinion piece on Zeitgeist Online and a similar piece for German RT on Sept. 3, former State Secretary of the German Defense Minister Willy Wimmer warns of a situation after Election Day on Nov. 6 in the United States, in which President Trump’s opponents would win enough races to remove him from office. This, Wimmer writes, would be the prelude to a (nuclear) war against Russia, the foremost enemy of the circles identified with the names of John McCain and Hillary Clinton.
“The hate potential of Anglo-Saxon global media, means that this is not going to be the normal or even escalated confrontation, but rather that it is the road to the annihilation of the assumed enemy of the U.S. war coalition. This gives you an idea of the power of the ‘deep state,’ ” (actually the British Empire—ed.) Wimmer writes.
The buildup for the confrontation has been assiduously pursued in Europe during recent years, so that the removal of Trump from office “would be the breaking of the dam that is keeping the fragile peace alive.” The obituaries for the deceased Sen. John McCain show “where the hearts of European heads of government beat, and there is also George Soros with his campaign against Trump, a campaign now pursued from his new European HQ in Berlin.”
All of that contradicts the lessons that Germans were supposed to have learned from two world wars, namely that only peace would issue from German territory in the future—that no war of aggression would be conducted from Germany. Instead, Germany is supporting Ukrainian fascist combat units moving against the Russian-speaking population in their own country, with billions of euros.
In a few months from now, the centennial of the end of World War I will be commemorated, Wimmer concludes. The year 2019 will commemorate the outbreak of World War II in 1939, but also the founding of NATO in 1949, all of which contradicts the principles of the Treaty of Westphalia of 1648. The year 2018, Wimmer warns, may be the last one in which Europe enjoys peace.
Paul Craig Roberts Agrees with Willy Wimmer
Sept. 6 (EIRNS)—Paul Craig Roberts, who was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy under President Reagan, wrote an article on his Institute for Political Economy site Sept. 4 with much the same argument as Willy Wimmer’s, although Wimmer’s is crucially directed to Europeans’ thinking. In his article, Roberts said:
“Donald Trump was the only candidate for president who emphasized the necessity of normalizing relations with the other major nuclear power. The military/security complex saw this commitment as a threat to their massive budget and power and orchestrated ‘Russiagate’ in order to prevent President Trump from normalizing relations with Russia.
“The CIA-led attack on President Trump has had the full support of the Democrats and the liberal-progressive-left who are agitating for the impeachment of President Trump, thereby removing the only politician with enough wits to see the danger in the extremely high tensions between Washington and Russia.
“If the propaganda campaign against Trump succeeds, whoever follows him in office will have to show hostility toward Russia or suffer the same fate. Therefore, it is a reasonable conclusion that at this present time the only persons who stand between us and nuclear Armageddon are Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.”
U.S. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC
House Republicans Urge Trump To Declassify Key Russiagate Documents
Sept. 6 (EIRNS)—Fox News reported today that 12 House Republicans of the Freedom Caucus, which supports President Trump against the current coup attempt, held a news conference to call on the President to declassify an application for a renewed FISA Court surveillance warrant against former Trump campaign aide Carter Page, and 12 FBI reports on interviews with Justice Department official Bruce Ohr. Speaking for the group, Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) told reporters that he was confident that the reports, called 302s, “contain critically important information that should have been provided to the FISA court, but wasn’t.”
Zeldin also asked the President to declassify documents given to the so-called “Gang of Eight”—bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate and their intelligence committees—which he said had “exculpatory evidence regarding Carter Page and others.”
On Sept. 5, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), another of the Congressmen in today’s news conference, had asked the Justice Department Inspector General to review Ohr’s contacts with Christopher Steele. Meadows wrote that Ohr had testified to multiple contacts with Steele after the FBI had fired Steele, a “former” MI6 agent, as a confidential source.
During recent days, President Trump has mentioned several times that he may have to declassify such documents, an action which the President is legally entitled to do.
The Freedom Caucus does not list its membership, believed to number about 34. The 12 at today’s press conference also included Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL).
NEW WORLD ECONOMIC ORDER
French Press Covers China-Africa Summit in Beijing
PARIS, Sept. 6 (EIRNS)—The major French daily Le Monde gives a full page of coverage today to the Sept. 3-4 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Beijing, in article by Frederic Lemaître. Under the main title “Xi’s Charm Offensive Toward Africa,” the accompanying blurb reads “The Chinese President [Xi Jinping] put forth, before the 53 African heads of state, the difference in his approach compared to the West.” And the coverage is quite objective.
Lemaître reports how stark the contrast was in China’s relationship to African countries, compared to Western nations, saying “the African leaders were received like real princes in Beijing.” The African leaders and their spouses were received by a Guard of Honor of dancers in traditional costumes, and later treated to a banquet organized in the Great Hall of the People, hosted by President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan.
“The Africans had another reason to be in heaven. Some hours before, Xi Jinping had given a speech, as pleasant to their ears, as it was unpleasant to those in the West. ‘We follow a “five-no” approach in our relations with Africa’ said the Chinese President, involving “no interference in African countries’ pursuit of development paths that fit their national conditions; no interference in African countries’ internal affairs; no imposition of our will on African countries; no attachment of political strings to assistance to Africa; and no seeking of selfish political gains in investment and financing cooperation with Africa. We hope this “five-no” approach could apply to other countries as they deal with matters regarding Africa.’ ”
And China is generous towards Africa, says Lemaître: “As in [the last FOCAC summit in] 2015, its aid will reach $60 billion for the next three years, and Xi Jinping was precise: a total of $15 billion of aid without conditions, of loans without interest and of preferential credits, a line of credit of $20 billion for the financing of development, and a special fund of $5 million for the financing of imports coming from Africa and encouraging Chinese companies to invest at least $10 billion on the continent in the three coming years.”
Beijing is even cancelling the debts of the poorest countries, reports Lemaître. According to the China Africa Research Institute of John Hopkins University, he writes, there are only three African countries whose China debt pose a problem: Republic of Congo [Brazzaville], Zambia, and Djibouti.
FOCAC Update: More Bilaterals, Deals and Momentum in Africa-China Cooperation
Sept. 6 (EIRNS)—The African press continues to give broad coverage to the Forum on China Africa Cooperation, reporting on the bilateral meetings, economic agreements and the momentum FOCAC has created and which is already being felt in Africa.
The government-linked Chronicle of Zimbabwe published an editorial entitled “Sino-Africa Relations To Scale New Heights after FOCAC.” After disproving the lie that China is forcing Africa into a debt trap, they write, “However, contrary to this assertion, China’s assistance to Africa is actually yielding tangible results, and instead of trapping African economies in debt, China-Africa co-operation under the framework of China’s Belt and Road Initiative is intended to target the continent’s major development bottlenecks so as to realize tangible benefits for both peoples…. On a continent where more than 600 million people still have no access to electricity, 40% of the Chinese loans go for power generation and transmission. Another 30% seek to modernize Africa’s transport infrastructure.”
Gambia’s attendance marked its officially becoming a member of FOCAC. In an official statement, President Adama Barrow has said that Gambia’s membership will help the country attain the goals of the National Development Plan (2018-2021).
Zambian President Edgar Lungu and team of ministers negotiated trade and economic deals that would contribute to the completion of the country’s Seventh National Development Plan. Some of the agreements and MOUs that have been signed included a $30 million grant for the Lusaka East Multi-Facility Economic Zone and another $30 million interest-free loan for the reconstruction of Mulungushi Conference Center, in readiness for the African Union heads of state summit in 2022.
FOCAC has furthered the transformation of the Horn of Africa, which is rapidly moving from being a region of poverty, terror, piracy and migration, to becoming a region of economic development on the New Silk Road. This process was initiated by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, who normalized Ethiopia’s relations with Eritrea in June.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met for talks with Abiy in Beijing on Sept. 3, at which he stated Ethiopia is an important partner of China in Africa, and took note of the China-Ethiopia comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership. Prime Minister Li also said China and Ethiopia will expand human resources development and cooperation, and promote construction of transportation infrastructure and supporting projects.
The Somalian President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo—whose nation is also on the Horn of Africa—in his address to the forum gave fulsome praise to the role China is playing in the development of Africa through the Belt and Road Initiative. As for Somalia, he said that the fact that China has lifted 700 million people out of poverty “holds lessons for Somalia.” He stated: “Somalia’s coastline has historically been key to facilitating trade between China, Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Now, with the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, and our reserves of untapped resources, Somalia has the potential of becoming a driving force for regional connectivity and prosperity.”
The day after returning from Beijing, Abiy and Farmajo arrived in Asmara, Eritrea for a tripartite summit with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki. Until only weeks ago, the three countries were experiencing tense relations, and this was the first summit of all three leaders. They agreed to initiate dialogue to resolve a border dispute between Eritrea and Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa. Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh attended the FOCAC summit.
On the sidelines of the FOCAC, the Egyptian state-owned Banque Misr announced that it had signed a deal Sept. 5, to establish a Chinese-African consortium of banks between the China Development Bank and 15 African financial institutions. According to Egypt’s state-owned Middle East News Agency (MENA), the deal was signed by chairman of Banque Misr Mohamed el Etreby, and “comes as a result of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held on Monday and Tuesday.”
Japan Can Be Crucial To Reaching Belt and Road Objective, States Global Times Op-Ed
Sept. 6 (EIRNS)—In an op-ed in Global Times today, authors Ren Yuanzhe and Zhu Rongsheng—one a professor and the other a PhD candidate at China Foreign Affairs University—write that China and Japan are inseparable partners in business, and point out that “several Japanese companies have boarded the Belt and Road train. Nippon Express set a very good example. It has been using the Eurasian rail route to carry cargo from China’s east coast through Central Asia to Europe, giving Japanese companies an opportunity to sell their products to the world,” they write, referring to the numerous high-speed rail routes that now go from eastern China, transitting Central Asia and Russia, to Duisburg, London, Lyon, Madrid and others.
“Japan is also attaining her relative advantage by promoting negotiation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement in cross-regional economic integration. However, working with China and jointly promoting BRI will definitely give new impetus to enhance Japan’s position in Asia in the future, and even in the global geopolitical and geo-economic landscape, and increase opportunities for Japanese companies to extend their business in Asia,” the authors say.
The breakthrough in Japan’s willingness to be a contributor to China’s BRI came about when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in a Tokyo speech on June 5, 2017, declared that Japan is ready to extend cooperation with China’s BRI. A month earlier, the Abe government had sent the Secretary-General of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, Toshihiro Nikai, to the May 14-15 Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. In comments made during his meeting with Nikai, Chinese President Xi Jinping had welcomed Japan’s endorsement of the initiative, explaining that “the Belt and Road Initiative can be a new platform and an ‘experimental field’ for China and Japan to achieve mutually beneficial cooperation and common development,” East Asia Forum quarterly reported on July 10, 2017.
Kim Jong-Un Affirms Commitment to Denuclearization of Korean Peninsula
Sept. 6 (EIRNS)—North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un once again reiterated his commitment to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the North Korea KCNA news agency said today. Kim Jong-un made a statement to this effect at a meeting with a South Korean delegation that visited Pyongyang to organize another Korean summit between him and South Korean President Kim Jae-in.
“Noting that our firm position and his [Kim Jong-un’s] is to completely do away with the threat of an armed conflict and war horrors on the Korean Peninsula and turn it into a cradle of peace without nuclear weapons, free from nuclear threat, he said that North and South must continue efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula,” KCNA said, according to a report from TASS.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s special envoy Chung Eui-yong, who led the delegation, said on Sept. 6 that it was also agreed that the third intra-Korean summit will take place in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang on Sept. 18-20. Chung also said that the sides had agreed to open an intra-Korean communications office in the city of Kaesong ahead of the summit.
In high-level preparations for the summit next week, Chung explained, the sides will discuss the implementation of the Panmunjom declaration, with practical aspects of establishing lasting peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and its denuclearization. Chung Eui-yong also handed Kim Jong-un a letter from the South Korean President on his trip, TASS reported.
In its coverage, Sputnik reported that South Korean Embassy Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) Director General Kim Jong-kyung said North Korea could enter the European market via Russia. “North Korea will get an opportunity to enter, for example, to European markets through cooperation with Russia. And that would be very good. But this is a political issue, and I cannot say within what time frame it can be resolved,” Kim told the annual Eastern Economic Forum-2018 magazine, prepared each year for the EEF conference in Vladivostok by the Roscongress Foundation. The foundation is organizing the exposition for the Sept. 11-13 Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
“North Korea is making relevant changes to its policy, as evidenced by the recent meeting between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump. But North Korea still remains under sanctions and in some sort of economic isolation. If joint projects make it possible to supply Russian gas to South Korea through North Korea, this will significantly improve cooperation between the three countries.
Russia’s Putin and Japan’s Abe Schedule Talks for Sept. 10
Sept. 6 (EIRNS)—Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters on Sept. 5 that the Russian President and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold bilateral talks on Sept. 10 on the eve of the Sept. 11-13 Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok, TASS reported. Before their meeting, Putin and Abe will visit the Mazda engine plant in Vladivostok.
Ushakov also said the agenda will include such issues as pursuing a peace treaty between Russia and Japan, and current international and regional issues, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole.
TASS quoted Ushakov that trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Japan is growing. He said “for the first time in the last few years the bilateral trade entered a growth trajectory,” and increased by 13.9% to $18.3 billion. In the first half of this year, the trade grew by 20% year-on-year.”.
African Development Bank President Denies Debt Crisis, Rebuts ‘Debt Trap’ Lies
Sept. 6 (EIRNS)—Speaking to the reporters on the sidelines of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit in Beijing on Sept. 4, and addressing the Western propaganda that China is drowning Africa with debt, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Dr. Akinwumi Adesina said: “Let me be very clear that Africa has absolutely no debt crisis; African countries are desperate for infrastructure.” He continued: “The population is rising, urbanization is there, and fiscal space is very small.” African countries “are taking on a lot more debt, but in the right way,” Adesina said, reported Xinhua yesterday.
Scoffing at the international campaign that the China-imposed debt has begun to cripple Africa, Adesina pointed out that whereas Africa’s overall debt-to-GDP went up from 22% in 2010 to 37% last year, that ratio is markedly lower than the 100% or 150% of many higher-income countries, and over 50% among emerging economies.
COLLAPSING WESTERN FINANCIAL SYSTEM
Wall Street Fears Argentina Out of Control
Sept. 6 (EIRNS)—Some of Wall Street’s biggest investment funds —BlackRock, Templeton, Allianz, plus a number of big banks—are fearful that the Argentine situation is completely out of control and that President Mauricio Macri isn’t capable of managing it. One Argentine suggested to this news service that Macri is in fact looking for a way to “transition” himself out of office before next year’s elections, and that discussions on this are underway. Labor leader Hugo Moyano of the powerful teamsters union told El Destape, “I’m told Macri wants to throw in the towel. He doesn’t know what to do.”
Be that as it may, these investment funds hold the bulk of Argentine bonds—domestic fears these will be dumped are widespread—and as the daily Ambito Financiero reported today, they are all highly skeptical of recent cabinet changes and other steps taken by Macri to “instill confidence” in the markets. As the representative of one of these funds told Ambito, “we think that Argentina’s current negotiations [with the IMF] have bought some time, but not much.”
Rumors are rampant that even if the IMF agrees to accelerate $29 billion in disbursements for next year, this won’t be enough to cover debt payments. Hence the reports that Finance Minister Nicolas Dujovne is negotiating a $5-$10 billion credit line with the U.S. Treasury. Before leaving Washington yesterday, where he had met with the IMF, he met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs David Malpass. IMF spokesman Gerry Rice told media yesterday that the possibility of more funding being made available is “being actively discussed at this moment.”
