THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019 Volume 6, Number 46 EIR Daily Alert Service P.O. Box 17390, Washington, DC 20041-0390

• A Phase Change Is Upon U.S.-The New Paradigm Is Emerging, But the War Party Is Frantic To Stop It
• Russian Ambassador Antonov Finally Allowed To Speak in Washington
• Schiff Hires Former U.S. Attorney Goldman To Investigate Trump, Who Insists Trump Is Guilty
• Wall Street Journal: You Can’t Impeach the President for Doing What the Constitution Allows
• Dershowitz Argues, Witch Hunt Worse Than McCarthyism, Congress Is Breaching Constitution
• Is High-Level U.S. State Department Official Kimberly Breier Juan Guaidó’s Handler?
• Military Utopians Demand Stepped-Up Efforts Against Russian and Chinese ‘Aggression’
• Secretary Pompeo Uses Iowa Farm Bureau Appearance To Bash China Belt and Road
• Philippines Defense Secretary and President Demand on Review of Defense Treaty With U.S.
• City of London’s Financial Times Beside Itself Over Italy’s Joining Belt and Road
• Geraci Rebuffs Financial Times Critique of Italy For Joining Belt and Road Initiative
• China Counters U.S. Attack on Italy For Becoming Part of One Belt, One Road
• Greek Foreign Minister in Beijing To Discuss Intensifying Belt and Road Cooperation

EDITORIAL

A Phase Change Is Upon U.S.—The New Paradigm Is Emerging, but the War Party Is Frantic To Stop It

March 6 (EIRNS)—The mass-strike momentum against the bankrupt economies and cultural decay in the Western world is picking up steam daily. The Italian government announced today that they will sign an MOU to join the Belt and Road Initiative with China when President Xi Jinping visits Italy on March 22-23. This wonderful news of international cooperation in major infrastructure projects, as well as joint projects in Africa, was greeted with absolute horror by theFinancial Times, the voice of the City of London, and by Garrett Marquis, a spokesman of the U.S. National Security Council under John Bolton. The FT rants that China is building a “Trojan Horse” in Eastern and Central Europe to divide and undermine the EU, ordering Italy to cease and desist. The FT quotes Marquis that he and his neo-con associates believe the BRI to be “made in China, for China,” and that it will not bring any “sustained economic benefit to the Italian people, and it may end up harming Italy’s global reputation in the long run.”

While President Donald Trump continues to insist that the U.S. should be friends with Russia and China, praising China as a great nation and Xi Jinping as a great leader, his Secretary of State Pompeo is ranting today in Iowa that China’s “state-led set of economic practices … threaten the health of the American agriculture industry,” and that “there are better alternatives than doing some of these deals with China.” Is there any clearer sign that Trump is surrounded by people who want to sabotage his peaceful intentions, who would rather go to war?

Are China and Russia undermining “Western values” and threatening the world through their “aggression,” as both the Republican neo-cons and the Democrat neo-liberals insist, and as repeated ad nauseam in the U.S. and European press? China has lifted 700 million people out of poverty using methods of “directed credit” which once were properly called the “American System of political economy,” discovered by Alexander Hamilton, and championed by Abe Lincoln, FDR, and Lyndon LaRouche. Together with Russia, China is taking that concept of infrastructure-based development, through the Belt and Road Initiative, to the former colonized nations of Africa, Asia and Ibero-America, which have been kept in a state of poverty and backwardness by the neo-colonial system centered on the IMF.

We in the United States lost that American System following the death of Franklin Roosevelt and the assassination of John F. Kennedy, as the British model of “free market” control over government by the international banking system in London and Wall Street, and neo-colonial wars in Asia and the Middle East, turned our nation into the “dumb giant on the British leash.” Now, as admitted by many of the leaders of that failed system, the entire “global casino” is set to explode, far worse that the collapse of 2008.

The LaRouche movement today faces an historic responsibility. Helga Zepp-LaRouche spoke with the U.S. members of that movement today, warning that the American people must be brought to understand that the “unipolar world” no longer exists, and that those clinging to this dead model can only bring about a war—a nuclear war which no one can win. “The world cannot survive,” she said, “if the unipolar world is being defended. President Trump doesn’t want it, but as long as the hysteria against China and Russia continues, he is not in full control.”

What is required is a new way of thinking, globally—there is no solution within the United States alone. Only if the U.S. joins in the New Silk Road, not only in cooperative infrastructure projects around the world, but also in the collaboration of the U.S. with the great civilizations of Eurasia—Russia, China and India—to replace the moribund British Empire, the bankrupt British financial system, to be replaced with a new model embracing the original American System and the spirit of the New Silk Road.

Had Lyndon LaRouche’s extensive proposals for global development, formulated over the 1970s and ’80s—an International Development Bank, the transformation of Asia, Africa and Ibero-America through massive infrastructure policies formulated by LaRouche and his associates, a full-scale War on Drugs aimed at the banks which controlled it—had these been adopted at that time, the disaster facing humanity today would have been avoided.

The potential for that transformation of the human race is within grasp again today, but the short-term alternative this time is global war and a new Dark Age. The extraordinary outpouring of profound respect and appreciation for the mind and actions of Lyndon LaRouche from leading figures around the world since his death on Feb. 12, demonstrates that the potential for achieving his vision is possible, as well as absolutely necessary. Preventing the war, building a new creditary system, making the Belt and Road a truly “World Land-bridge”—all this is expressed in the singular idea of the exoneration of Lyndon LaRouche, keeping alive and realizing his global vision of man bringing dominion over the universe.

U.S. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC

Russian Ambassador Antonov Finally Allowed To Speak in Washington

March 6 (EIRNS)—Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov, who has been forced to literally plead for an opportunity to speak at events in Washington, was given one hour at the Stimson Center on March 4. He made very clear that the “burning issue” was the mounting danger of a nuclear war due to the U.S. pulling out of the arms control agreements and ignoring the framework of international law established through the UN after World War II. He had to do combat with his host, Stimson Center President Brian Finlay, who tried repeatedly to change the subject.

Antonov reviewed the announcement by President Vladimir Putin on March 1, 2018, regarding the new weapons systems that Russia was forced to develop when George W. Bush abolished the ABM Treaty, which “destroyed the strategic stability between the U.S. and Russia.” On the U.S. pull-out from the INF Treaty, Antonov said that the Russian Federation was “very concerned that the U.S. might deploy intermediate-range missiles in Europe,” describing this as “a burning issue.” He had brought a map with him of Europe, showing the Russian cities which would be within range of such missiles, and the European cities which would be in range of the missiles Russia would have to deploy as a counter. “Who is the loser?” he asked. “Europe, as well as Russia.” He said “we cannot allow a return to 1987, before we signed the INF.” He said we have not had war since World War II, “because of MAD [Mutually Assured Destruction], with the understanding that nobody can win a nuclear war.”

He presented a book on U.S.-Russian cultural exchanges to the Stimson Center, stressing: “Culture, outer space, the Arctic, these are areas of cooperation. Not much, but a base for improving relations.” He complained of the U.S. refusing visas to sports teams, artists, and even members of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

He praised the cooperation between the militaries in Syria. He humorously took note of the fact that when he was in the Defense Department he had tried to “persuade our American colleagues to conclude a special agreement on potential cooperation between our armed forces” in fighting the common terrorist enemy in Syria. “But I failed—it is prohibited by your Congress—that is why your generals came up with the word ‘deconfliction.’ I don’t know what it means, but it seems your generals use it so they do not go against your Congress.”

Antonov praised Trump’s special representative on Syria, Jim Jeffery, whom he said he had met several times, as “very smart and professional, and he will help to speed up this process.”

He called for reviving 2+2 talks between the foreign affairs and defense ministers as a necessary step, and said that the meeting between Chiefs of Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov and Gen. Joseph Dunford taking place now was very important.

Schiff Hires Former U.S. Attorney Goldman To Investigate Trump, Who Insists Trump Is Guilty

March 6 (EIRNS)—Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, announced yesterday that he had hired Daniel Goldman to be in charge of the Committee’s investigation of President Donald Trump. Goldman is a former U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York (SDNY), the jurisdiction in which numerous cases against the President have been filed.

According to Politico, Goldman was second-in-command of the SDNY’s organized-crime unit, with particular experience in prosecuting Russian organized-crime networks, money-laundering and racketeering. As the Washington Post reported March 5, Schiff’s choice of Goldman suggests that Schiff intends “to scrutinize Trump’s finances and foreign contacts as he investigates whether Trump colluded with foreign governments to sway the 2016 elections.”

Goldman told Politico that under Schiff’s leadership, “we intend to run a professional investigation designed to uncover the facts and the truth.” Professional? Impartial? Goldman, who also worked most recently as a legal analyst for NBC and MSNBC, told the MSNBC “Morning Joe” broadcast on Dec. 14, 2018 that “we already now know that the President has committed a felony in order to obtain the office of the Presidency.”  Also in an interview with the British dailyIndependent last December, Goldman said he would “feel comfortable charging the President with felony campaign finance fraud based on what we know now.” The only caveat, he added, “so long as [former Trump lawyer] Michael Cohen could be used as a witness, and if the President could actually be indicted.” Goldman boasted, “We’ve had some kindling and now we have real smoke—but we’re not yet at a bonfire, though that certainly seems to be the direction were heading.”

Wall Street Journal: You Can’t Impeach the President for Doing What the Constitution Allows

March 6 (EIRNS)—In its lead editorial today, the Wall Street Journalpoints to Rep. Jerrold Nadler’s (D-NY) “subpoena swarm,” and his claims that President Trump obstructed justice. This won’t be easy to do, the editorial warns, because “based on the public evidence so far, Mr. Trump hasn’t obstructed justice in any of the examples Mr. Nadler cited. Mr. Nadler wants to turn the President’s exercise of his normal constitutional powers into impeachable offenses.”

The Journal goes on to cite Attorney General William Barr and other legal experts, who point out that a President can only obstruct justice in office “if he is committing a per se illegal offense … if he suborns perjury or destroys evidence, or commits any act deliberately impairing the integrity or availability of evidence.” But, he can’t obstruct justice “when he takes actions that are consistent with his Article II powers under the Constitution. That includes in particular firing inferior executive-branch officers such as Mr. Comey,” the former FBI director.

And, the Journal warns, if the President commits a legal act, “but can be accused of a crime because of his motive, then any Presidential action can be called into question based on an accusation of motive. This would open a Pandora’s box that would leave any political officer vulnerable to charges of obstruction. That would include an Attorney General who declined to prosecute someone whom Members of Congress wanted him to indict. Congress could essentially rule the executive branch.”

As for Nadler’s attempt to criminalize Mr. Trump’s charges of a witch hunt, “try selling that to the public,” the Journal challenges. Further, the editorial writes, the statements by Nadler and other Democrats saying they will expand the scope of their investigations, even beyond Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ambit, suggest they expect to be disappointed by Mueller’s final report. “Democrats seem hell-bent on impeaching Mr. Trump, and most of the media will be cheering them on. We’ll wait to see all of the facts they assemble. But the legal bar should be high, the crimes real, and the Constitution protected if they want to steal, er, reverse, an election.” The word “steal” refers to Nadler’s Freudian slip on Sunday, when he admitted it will be tough to convince Trump’s base of his guilt, as his voters might think the Democrats are trying to “reverse the results of the 2016 elections.” Nadler first said the word “steal” then quickly corrected himself to say “reverse.”

Dershowitz Argues, Witch Hunt Worse Than McCarthyism, Congress Is Breaching Constitution

March 6 (EIRNS)—Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz appeared on Fox News March 5, angrily denouncing the hysterical Democratic Party flight forward against the President of the United States.

“Congress has a legitimate oversight function to perform,” Dershowitz said on the Fox News broadcast “Hannity.”  “But it has to make sure it doesn’t go too far. It can’t use that oversight function, which is really designed to help get legislation through, in order to prevent a President from finishing out his term…. They’re interfering with the executive branch if they do so.

“The framers didn’t intend for Congress to become yet another prosecutorial branch, yet another investigative branch. They’re supposed to pass laws. And so it seems to me these investigations look like they’re going too far.”

He compared this to the McCarthy witch hunts run through the House of Representatives in the 1950s: “If you go back to the cases in the 1950s, the courts sometimes did say, ‘Look, Congress, you’ve gone too far. This is not within your legitimate function.’ And so if I were one of the people who got a letter or a subpoena, I would at least think about the possibility of bringing a lawsuit and suggesting that Congress is abusing its oversight function.”

Dershowitz declared that he had “lived through the McCarthy period, when Congress misused its oversight function to go after people, some innocent, some guilty.”

STRATEGIC WAR DANGER

Is High-Level U.S. State Department Official Kimberly Breier Juan Guaidó’s Handler?

March 6 (EIRNS)—Apparently Venezuela’s self-proclaimed “interim President” Juan Guaidó, couldn’t be trusted to travel alone to five Ibero-American countries to plead his cause for regime-change in Venezuela against President Nicolas Maduro. After arriving in Colombia on Feb. 22, Guaidó embarked on a regional tour from Feb. 24 to March 1.

Lest one doubt that Guaidó is nothing more than a synthetic creation deployed by London-directed geopolitical coup-mongers, consider the fact that accompanying him on his tour was none other than Kimberly Breier, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. Does the so-called “interim President,” and leader of Venezuela’s National Assembly, “recognized by 50 nations,” really need a top-level U.S. State Department official to hold his hand in speaking to foreign governments? Apparently so.

There is every reason to suspect that Breier is Guaidó’s handler. As her State Department biography explains, she is an “intelligence official with more than 20 years’ experience in foreign policy.” TeleSUR writes that after getting her BA in Spanish from Middlebury College in Vermont, she received her Masters in Latin American studies from Georgetown University, which, “some claim to be known for training future Central Intelligence Agency employees.” Prior to joining the State Department, she worked at Georgetown’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, heading up its Americas Program, and the U.S.-Mexico Futures Initiative.

Recall that Guaidó himself did his graduate work at George Washington University where he enrolled in the nebulous-sounding “Governance and Political Management” program, under the tutelage of the rabid Friedmanite economist, Luis Enrique Berrizbeitia, a former executive director at the IMF.

Military Utopians Demand Stepped-Up Efforts against Russian and Chinese ‘Aggression’

March 6 (EIRNS)—In testimony yesterday before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, head of U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, argued that “evolving Russian capabilities” were a threat to U.S. global military superiority, and a challenge to the U.S. “ability to operate uncontested in all domains.”

Given Russia’s “increasingly aggressive” military posture, Scaparrotti said, Congress must be willing to spend more money to bolster EUCOM’s “assigned and rotational forces.” Russia, he insisted, is the primary threat to stability in Europe, and for this reason he’d requested two more naval destroyers, aircraft carriers, troops, and equipment, which he said are critical “if we want to remain dominant in the maritime domain, and particularly undersea.” This is crucial, he warned, given “the modernization and the growth of the Russian fleets in Europe,” Voice of America quoted him as saying.

He also said that despite the fact that forces and capabilities have already been added to EUCOM, “I’m not comfortable yet with the deterrent posture we have in Europe.”

Scaparrotti also recommended that should Turkey go ahead with acquiring the Russian S-400 air defense system, his “best military advice” would be to refuse to supply Turkey with the F-35 joint strike fighter. It makes no sense, he said, to offer the F-35 to an ally “that is working with Russian systems, particularly air defense systems, with one of our most advanced technological capabilities.”

Secretary Pompeo Uses Iowa Farm Bureau Appearance To Bash China, Belt and Road

March 6 (EIRNS)—In an appearance at the Iowa Farm Bureau on March 3, and in numerous press interviews, as well as in discussions with Future Farmers of America (FFA), Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took every opportunity to bash China. He was accompanied by former Iowa Governor and current Ambassador to China Terry Branstad, who expressed much more reasonable and reality-based views.

In his many speeches and interviews, Pompeo attacked China for refusing to embrace the “principle of free enterprise and hard work,” which he said characterizes Iowa’s success in farming. Rather, in China, he said, “the heavy hand of government dictates economic policy,” whereas, “only the free market makes life better in the long run.” He went on to charge that China’s “state-led set of economic practices … threaten the health of the American agriculture industry.” The Chinese are stealing sensitive technologies, and especially targetting “intellectual property and technology essential to farming too.”  China’s economic model, he warned, “has for years survived on protectionism, rule-breaking and state subsidies….”

Responding to a question on whether the Belt and Road Initiative “could eventually remove Africa and Europe and Southeast Asia from the American sphere of influence for markets,” Pompeo bellowed, “No chance!” going on to lie that “No one is fooled any longer by the Belt and Road.” In all his travels around the world, he proclaimed, “people are on to it. They get the shtick. These ideas are, in fact, often too good to be true…. They show up with products that aren’t world-class, with Chinese labor and an enormous debt package which is almost certainly designed for foreclosure, and I think the world is beginning to see that.” Of course, what the 152 countries that have joined the BRI actually see is that China is offering infrastructure, the necessary base for real development, which the West has refused to provide for generations.

“America sat still for too long on this,” Pompeo ranted on, and didn’t respond to this economic activity. But now American businesses and American diplomats are showing up in these conversations, “making sure that there’s a fact-based discussion about what’s really taking place and how it is the case that there are better alternativesthan doing some of these deals with China.” Arrogantly, he told his farm audience that, “the Chinese show up with deals that just not a soul in this room would do, that none of you would do.” [Emphasis added.]

THE NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC ORDER

Philippines Defense Secretary and President Demand on Review of Defense Treaty with U.S.

March 6 (EIRNS)—Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s stop in the Philippines over the March 2-3 weekend was aimed at countering the call by Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana for a review of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) signed with the U.S. in 1951, over two issues: ambiguity over whether the U.S. military umbrella includes the contested islands in the South China Sea (since the U.S. officially does not take sides in territorial disagreements); and secondly, Lorenzana’s statement in December that the Philippines does not want to be pulled into a war with China, which would be required under the treaty if the U.S. and China went to war. Pompeo ignored the second issue, while assuring the Philippines that the U.S. “has your back” if their ships or planes or military forces were attacked in the South China Sea.

But neither Secretary Lorenzana nor President Rodrigo Duterte let it go at that. Lorenzana reiterated in a statement yesterday: “The Philippines is not in a conflict with anyone and will not be at war with anyone in the future.” He said, “the United States, with the increased and frequent passage of its naval vessels in the West Philippine Sea [the Philippines name for the South China Sea], is more likely to be involved in a shooting war,” in which case “the Philippines will be automatically involved in any such conflict.”

Duterte was typically more colorful. “America [i.e., Pompeo] said, ‘We will protect you. … your backs are covered I’m sure.’ I said, ‘it’s okay.’ But the problem here is they would invoke the [Mutual Defense Treaty] which was entered into by us, by our ancestors…. But in America, it has to pass through Congress. Any declaration of war will pass Congress. You know how bullshit America’s Congress is.”

The New York Times (which Trump has declared an enemy of the people) weighed in on March 5, complaining about Lorenzana’s call for reviewing the treaty. In an article, “Philippine Official, Fearing War with China, Seeks Review of U.S. Treaty,” the Times tried to divide the cabinet, saying Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin (who met with Pompeo) was “more receptive to Mr. Pompeo’s message, saying that Manila would take the word of its staunchest ally.”

Locsin also told the press that the ambiguity of the Treaty was a good thing, since it kept China off guard. Lorenzana refuted this, saying: “I do not believe that ambiguity or vagueness of the [MDT] will serve as a deterrent. In fact, it will cause confusion and chaos during a crisis.” He reiterated: “The fact that the security environment now is so vastly different and much more complex than the bipolar security construct of the era when the MDT was written necessitates a review of the treaty.”

In an interview with EIR to be published next week, Secretary Lorenzana expressed his condolences over the death of Lyndon LaRouche, with whom he met often during his 14 years at the Philippine Embassy in Washington.

City of London’s Financial Times Beside Itself over Italy’s Joining Belt and Road

March 6 (EIRNS)—The City of London mouthpiece Financial Timescriticizes Italy for becoming, as they write, “the first G7 country to formally endorse China’s controversial Belt and Road global investment drive, in a move that has drawn a sharp response from the White House and is likely to cause alarm in Brussels.”

FT has suddenly discovered that Italy is going to sign a memorandum of understanding during President Xi Jinping’s Rome visit scheduled for March 22-23. The daily quotes Undersecretary for the Economic Development Ministry Michele Geraci, who says that “the negotiation is not over yet, but it is possible that it will be concluded in time for [Xi’s] visit. We want to make sure that ‘Made in Italy’ products can have more success in terms of export volume to China, which is the fastest-growing market in the world.”

FT then quotes U.S. National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis, who makes a scarcely veiled admonition: “We view BRI as a ‘made by China, for China’ initiative. We are skeptical that the Italian government’s endorsement will bring any sustained economic benefits to the Italian people, and it may end up harming Italy’s global reputation in the long run.”

Marquis further warns that U.S. officials had raised concerns about what he called the negative effects of “China’s infrastructure diplomacy,” and urged “all allies and partners, including Italy, to press China to bring its global investment efforts into line with accepted international standards and best practices.”

(EIR notes that Marquis was brought into the National Security Council by John Bolton, for whom he had earlier worked as a spokesman at the Foundation for American Security and Freedom.)

The FT goes on to allege that “Italy’s support for China’s BRI initiative would undercut U.S. pressure on China over trade and would undermine Brussels’ efforts to overcome divisions within the EU over the best approach to deal with Chinese investments. Italy is a founding member of the EU.”

President Xi will visit Italy on March 22 and meet Italian President Sergio Mattarella, as well as Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, and attend a military ceremony before traveling to Sicily.

They also report that Xi’s visit to Rome would be taking place just after a March 21 European Council meeting in Brussels during which EU member states intend to debate developing a common approach to Chinese investments in the EU. A separate summit at the EU headquarters with representatives from Beijing is scheduled to take place on April 9.

The FT cites diplomats in Brussels and Western European capitals as expressing concern, alleging that “the 16+1 grouping of China and Central and Eastern European states, including 11 EU members, is a Trojan horse to divide the bloc. Beijing has denied this suggestion.”  They also worry that, whereas Germany and France have pushed for a tougher policy, other countries including Greece and Portugal, “where Chinese groups have invested billions of euros,” have adopted a more lenient approach.

The article concludes quoting National People’s Congress spokesman Zhang Yesui as saying this week that 67 countries had signed up to the BRI in the past year or so, bringing the total number of countries or international organizations that have formal endorsements to 152.  “China takes the issue of debt very seriously and within a project the Chinese side never imposes things, nor, least of all, creates debt traps,” FT quotes Zhang. “Of course, like any international co-operation, some problems and challenges may crop up. With experience it will improve.”

Geraci Rebuffs Financial Times Critique of Italy for Joining Belt and Road Initiative

March 6 (EIRNS)— In an interview with the Italian financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore, Italian Undersecretary to the Economic Development Ministry rejects criticism raised by Financial Times and defends Italy’s sovereign choice to join the Belt and Road Initiative with China. “Sincerely, I am a bit surprised. I do not understand what it is, that is controversial,” Geraci, a well-known China expert, said. “I confirm what I said in an interview with this newspaper on Feb. 21. I said the same thing to the Financial Times: We work every day, down to the last detail.

“It will be a framework agreement: Just the indication of some strategic sectors in which joint investments are promoted and orders by Italian firms are accelerated. We work on infrastructure, transport and highways, trade, industry, green economy. It will be up to private companies to choose whether to participate or not. If they do it, they will have guarantees in terms of protection from disputes and questions about rules.”

As for the U.S. position, Geraci stated: “I wonder where such a big concern comes from. We will protect our know-how thanks to a ‘golden power’ rule we have in Italy, which is among the strictest in Europe. And we just fulfill demands from our companies to create for them more room in the most promising markets, such as China. Anyway, we have supplied the United States, as per normal exchanges we have with our main diplomatic partners, all insurances on the issue.”

On the concern about Italy being the first G7 country to sign a New Silk Road protocol, Geraci countered: “So what? Poland, Hungary, Portugal, Greece have done it and I do not consider them second-class countries in Europe. Those who think differently do not have a real European view. And the G7 club may be a somewhat outdated concept: It no longer represents the real world economic powers, since it include neither China nor India.”

Italy is not “selling out” its ports, as some have claimed, he countered: “We do not sell, at most we give concessions to create greenfield investments, which means starting from zero. You cannot sell out things that were not there in the first place.”

China Counters U.S. Attack on Italy for Becoming Part of One Belt, One Road

March 6 (EIRNS)—The Chinese Foreign Ministry today responded to the attack on Italy’s plan to join the Belt and Road by Garrett Marquis, a long-time ally of National Security Advisor John Bolton, who brought Garrett onto the National Security Council.

An unsigned editorial in Global Times, “White House’s Criticism of Italy’s Plan To Join BRI Ridiculous,” reports that Lu Kang, spokesperson of China’s Foreign Ministry, said at today’s press conference: “Italy, as a major country and economy in the world, is clear about its interests. It could make its own policies and decisions.”

Global Times went on: “The BRI is an important international public good that China contributes to global cooperation for common development. China and more than 150 countries and international organizations have signed BRI cooperation agreements, which witnessed more than $6 trillion in cumulative trade between China and participating countries, Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said at the 55th Munich Security Conference in February, the Xinhua News Agency reported.”

Greek Foreign Minister in Beijing To Discuss Intensifying Belt and Road Cooperation

March 6 (EIRNS)—Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos began a five-day official visit to Beijing on March 5, in which he co-chaired the 13 Joint Interministerial Committee with China’s Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi and with Commerce Minister Zhong Shan.  On the margins of the meeting, Katrougalos met Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Commerce Minister Zhong Shan, Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission Ning Jizh, and chief of the Development Commission He Lifeng, according to a statement by the Greek Foreign Ministry. The Greek delegation included Christos Lambridis, Secretary General of Ports, Port Policy, and Maritime Investment, and officials from the Hellenic Ministry of Agricultural Development.

“From all these contacts, both with my counterpart, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as with the head of Foreign Relations of the Communist Party of China, and the economy ministers, the Minister of Commerce, the head of the crucially important Planning Commission of China, the conclusion drawn is dual in nature: First of all that Greece and China are seriously investing in their bilateral strategic partnership. This is not occasional, it has as its guide the ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative which the Chinese government is promoting at the moment, but there is a significant alignment of interests, precisely because we too endeavor that our country becomes a bridge between Europe, Asia, and Africa. The second thing that was affirmed is the observation that Greece has exited the economic crisis and offers significant opportunities for investment to the Chinese side.

“We discussed how this possibility will be reflected realistically in practice, and for the contacts to continue both in the private sector, and chiefly for this momentum to pay off in practice,” Katrougalos stated.

Katrougalos also participated in the formal commencement of proceedings of the annual plenary of the National People’s Congress, ahead of which he said, “As you know, China has achieved a lot. It is on its way to becoming the world’s largest economy. It helped 700 million of its citizens out of complete poverty.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi congratulated Katrougalos on assuming his new post as foreign minister, and expressed satisfaction that “Mr. Foreign Minister chose China as the first country to visit after taking office, which demonstrated with concrete actions his friendship with China and the importance he attached to China-Greece relations and that both countries are good friends and good partners.” He further stated that “as the birthplace of Mediterranean civilizations, Greece possesses profound cultural heritage and enormous development potential.”

Reach us at eirdailyalert@larouchepub.com or call 1-571-293-0935

My Comment: ZIONIST Controlled EU is trying to contain Italy’s defecting from the ZIONIST AUSTERITY/STARVATION policies.