Re <<Mr. Chandran Nair's article begins by stating that a "post-Western" multipolar international order is about to take shape. All of this is challenging many of the ideas and mechanisms that have underpinned the West's global dominance for centuries, challenging many of the privileges that the West has long enjoyed, and transforming international relations as a whole. [My Emphasis]
Xi in his recent speeches has emphasized the fact that we’re all living within a Historical Epoch that constitutes a Paradigm Change as noted above.>>
... or, by my language, something about 'dying anguish' and 'birthing cries', first noted on SI here below pointed spots, in line with thread title
2010 first mint Message 26503826
2010 second mint Message 26873661
2011 vintage Message 27131839
As Coca Cola and physical were mentioned in the first link, posted 2010, I best check, and sure enough that events since 2010 working out sure-enough finance.yahoo.com
Going forward, I remain 15-20% agnostic and sit on physical 15-20%, until such time I become 100% believer, I reckon ...
bloomberg.com
Putin Agrees to Visit China in First Trip Since Arrest Warrant
President to attend Belt and Road Forum in China in October
Putin hasn’t left Russia since ICC war-crimes warrant in March
By Bloomberg News
29 August 2023 at 21:02 GMT+8
Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to make his first foreign trip since a warrant for his arrest on alleged war crimes was issued by the International Criminal Court.
The Kremlin is preparing Putin’s visit to China for the Belt and Road Forum in October, according to three people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because the issue is sensitive. Putin has accepted the invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinpingto attend the event, one of the people said.
Putin hasn’t left Russia since the court in The Hague announced the warrant in March, though he has visited Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. He skipped the BRICS summit in South Africa last week after the government there made clear it would have to comply with the order to arrest him as a signatory to the ICC. He also told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he won’t attend next month’s Group of 20 summit, though India isn’t a signatory to the court.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier this month that he expected to host Putin for talks in August. Instead, Erdogan plans to travel to Russia’s Sochi next week to meet with the Kremlin leader.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov didn’t immediately respond to a request to comment. China’s Foreign Ministry didn’t immediately respond to a question outside normal business hours.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, Putin has traveled only to neighboring countries of the former Soviet Union and to Iran, which is supplying drones to the Russian military.
Putin last visited China in February 2022 — less than three weeks before he ordered the invasion — when he attended the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing and held talks with Xi at which the two sides declared a “no limits” partnership.
Xi traveled to Moscow for a state visit in March this year, his first foreign trip since gaining an unprecedented third term as Chinese president, and said he hoped Putin would come to China before the end of the year.
Putin is only willing to visit countries where his security service can completely guarantee his safety, and China is one of those places, according to two of the people.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said in July that Putin planned to visit China for the forum, while Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said that China had invited the Russian leader as the “main guest” at the event, the state-run Tass news service reported in May.
China has provided diplomatic support to Putin since the invasion, though it has also sought recently to cast itself as a neutral broker on the war after releasing a 12-point blueprint for bringing peace to Ukraine in February that included calls to respect sovereignty, facilitate grain exports and halt all hostilities.
The proposals were panned by the US and its allies and have gained little traction, though they won Xi credibility among Global South nations and gained China a seat at Ukraine talks hosted by Saudi Arabia earlier this month.
Xi met with Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko in Beijing last month. He held talks with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing in May and said the two sides should bolster cooperation in international bodies including the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the G-20 and the BRICS grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
— With assistance by Sylvia Westall and James Mayger |
