Economy
Tuesday 30 May 2023
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“To claim China [is] engaging in the so-called 'economic coercion' is no more than lodging trumped-up charges, and the accusation is totally untenable.”
Beijing is accelerating the use of economic coercion to pursue its foreign policy goals. -
Russia waged a war on Ukraine, not vice versa. Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes.
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“[R]approchement with NATO is fraught with the loss of sovereignty, and the unrestrained expansion of the alliance is nothing more than a continuation of the neo-colonial traditions of the West."
NATO is a voluntary military defense alliance, not a neo-colonial system, membership does not affect a country’s sovereignty. -
“On the same day when TikTok CEO was questioned in the US, Apple CEO received a warm welcome in Apple’s flagship store in Beijing. Different countries, different breadth of mind.”
U.S. companies face far more scrutiny and restrictions in China than Chinese companies do in the U.S. -
Russia has only one battle tank manufacturer, UralVagonZavod. It can produce 200-250 new tanks annually.
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“History also demonstrates something else: any collapsed empire buries half the world, or even more, under its rubble.”
Most empires disintegrated through political turbulence and localized armed clashes and did not have catastrophic consequences for the world. -
“[N]othing has collapsed and nothing is falling apart. Our companies, our businesspeople are picking up these [Western] companies or even branches and continuing this work with success.”
The mass exodus of Western companies from Russia in 2022 led to a loss in the volume and quality of products and services. -
“Ukraine … remained the most faithful to the pro-American course, which ultimately made it the poorest country in Europe.”
Ukraine cooperated politically with both the West and Russia, and Russia was its largest economic partner until 2019. The pro-Western former Soviet republics are today richer than Russia. -
"Russian-Chinese cooperation is experiencing the best period in its history, bilateral relations ... are built on a solid foundation ... of mutual support in matters affecting each other's fundamental interests. First of all, we are talking about the protection of sovereignty and territorial integrity."
China does not recognize or support Russia's illegal attempts to annex five regions of Ukraine and has been forced to participate in Western sanctions. -
"Adolf (Hitler) would be proud of you (Prime Minister of Estonia). Without you, it would be much more difficult to prove the dehumanization of the collective West. Estonia for Estonians, right?"
The Estonian government has set up Estonian language courses for refugees from Ukraine as part of an aid program that includes housing, employment, health insurance, and the right to study. -
"Russia is performing much better than many G-20 countries and doing so confidently. This applies to the main macroeconomic indicators and the GDP."
Most key macroeconomic indicators -- GDP growth rate, interest rate, inflation rate and credit rating -- in Russia are worse than in most G-20 countries. -
"These attempts (to isolate Russia) are futile. These vain attempts by our Western colleagues have not found any material embodiment."
Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine and disregard of the world order increasingly make the country an international pariah.