President Cyril Ramaphosa has been called out for caving into United States of America (USA) pressure not to protect Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was expected to attend the BRICS summit in Johannesburg next month.  The West has also been accused of undermining South Africa’s sovereignty and independent foreign policy, by weaponising trade and resorting to economic blackmail to achieve its foreign policy objectives.   Yesterday, Ramaphosa’s office confirmed that they reached a “mutual agreement” with Putin that he was better…

BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhua) — The talk of de-risking from China has been gaining ubiquity among Western politicians and business communities recently, while the de-coupling approach seems to be put away, at least in rhetoric. Don’t get fooled. The nature of the new De-word is in fact to re-define risk and decouple from China in selective fields like high-tech and other key areas where those Western powers want to maintain their global dominance. For those who carefully craft and embrace…

BEIJING, May 25 (Xinhua) — In the just-ended Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Japan, a symbolic show of solidarity couldn’t paper over cracks in the group. Selfish Uncle Sam has made it increasingly difficult for the bloc to forge a unified will as more countries realize that the world’s sole superpower is maneuvering to remould the group into a geopolitical tool forconfrontation and conquest. The mutual respect between the United States and its allies, if there is any, has…

The upcoming BRICS Summit in Johannesburg next month is important for South Africa, the African continent and the global south. The gathering of the world’s major developing countries is expected to discuss a common currency and admit or agree on criteria to admit new members.  Countries which have either applied or lined up to join the global South economic alliance include regional powers such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Argentina, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, Pakistan, Mexico, Algeria and Senegal. Formed…

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has approved a law providing for equal pay for men and women in the same position. Moreover, the Head of State approved two other laws. One includes moral and sexual harassment and discrimination in the list of ethical and disciplinary violations by the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB), which could result in the suspension of lawyers. Another proposal, approved by the president, gives priority to pregnant and postpartum women upon renewal of the Bolsa…

WHAT the proxy war between Russia and Ukraine illustrates is that not all lives matter nor is the wellbeing of all nations and countries. The money-making war machines matter the most to preserving human lives. That the national interests of some countries are a given, and not so with others, is the mother of all hostilities breastfeeding toxicity amongst supposedly free nations of the world to deny them their deserved peace. This is all because of the Euro-Anglo-American-centric logic fuelling…

BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Great Hall of the People on Monday. Xi pointed out that the world needs a generally stable China-U.S. relationship, and whether the two countries can find the right way to get along bears on the future of humanity. The Chinese, like the Americans, are dignified, confident and self-reliant people, and they both have the right to pursue a better life, he…

The Fifth EAEU-ASEAN Business Dialogue has discussed opportunities for EAEU and ASEAN cooperation in the new economic reality and prospects for the implementation of infrastructure projects that would promote trade and economic ties between the member states of the two integration alliances. It was held on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Thursday 15 June.  The year 2023 marks the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Eurasian Economic Commission…

BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) — With more than 40 years of reform and opening-up, China has eradicated extreme poverty, lifted about 800 million people out of poverty, and brought over 400 million people into the middle-income group. This is a miracle in the history of human civilization and has far-reaching implications for global human rights governance. The United States has never considered poverty eradication a human rights issue, while Europe considers it an obstacle to the realization of human rights…

BEIJING, June 14 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday sent a congratulatory letter to the Forum on Global Human Rights Governance. At a time of severe challenges facing the global human rights governance, China stands for safeguarding human rights with security, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, calling on all countries to follow the path of peaceful development, and putting into action the Global Security Initiative, Xi noted in the letter. China advocates for promoting…