NewzIntel.com

Category: Russian Federation

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China has spoken out against the violation of Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) — China opposes any action that violates Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, as well as the expansion of the conflict and escalation of tensions, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Friday.

    The diplomat said at a regular press conference that China is closely monitoring Israel’s attack on Iran and is deeply concerned about the potential serious consequences of such actions.

    A sudden re-escalation of the situation in the region does not serve the interests of either side, he stressed. The spokesman added that China calls on relevant parties to take actions conducive to regional peace and stability and avoid further escalation of tensions.

    Lin Jian also said China is willing to play a constructive role in helping to ease the situation. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The Belarusian Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern over the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    MINSK, June 13 (Xinhua) — Belarus is deeply concerned about the new round of military escalation between Israel and Iran and reports of civilian deaths, including children. The corresponding statement by the Belarusian Foreign Ministry in connection with the escalation of the situation in the Middle East was published on Friday.

    “The forceful scenario of the conflict poses a serious threat to regional stability and security, carries the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe and may have unpredictable global consequences,” the Belarusian Foreign Ministry noted.

    The Belarusian Foreign Ministry called on the parties involved to exercise restraint, responsibility and avoidance of actions that could negatively impact the political and diplomatic efforts of the international community aimed at a comprehensive settlement of the situation in the region. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: 9 investment projects in light industry are planned to be implemented in Kazakhstan this year

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Astana, June 13 (Xinhua) — Nine investment projects in the light industry will be launched in Kazakhstan, Kazinform news agency reported on Friday, citing a statement by Deputy Chairman of the Industry Committee Mukhamed Andakov at the second congress of the light industry of Kazakhstan.

    According to him, nine investment projects are planned for implementation in 2025, creating about 600 jobs.

    Over the past five years, 3,000 new jobs have been created in Kazakhstan’s light industry and more than 40 projects have been launched. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Kyrgyzstan’s economy continued to grow in January-May — National Statistical Committee

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BISHKEK, June 13 /Xinhua/ — According to preliminary estimates, Kyrgyzstan’s GDP amounted to 573.1 billion soms (about 6.55 billion US dollars) in January-May of this year, up 12.3 percent from the same period in 2024, the National Statistical Committee of the republic reported on Friday.

    According to statistics, the growth in construction volumes was 48.3 percent, wholesale and retail trade – 10.8 percent, and agriculture – 3 percent.

    According to the agency, Kyrgyzstan’s foreign trade turnover in January-April 2025 amounted to 4,592.4 million US dollars and decreased by 11.7 percent compared to January-April last year. At the same time, export deliveries decreased by 8.2 percent, and import receipts decreased by 12.3 percent. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Along the Ancient Silk Road, Xi Jinping Forges New Ties with Central Asia

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) — In the summer sun-drenched Xi’an, China’s ancient capital, six pomegranate trees stand gracefully near the site of the first China-Central Asia Summit in May 2023, their branches hanging low and laden with fruit.

    Planted two years ago by Chinese President Xi Jinping and the leaders of five Central Asian countries, this living avenue serves as a vivid testimony to the increasingly close and dynamic ties between China and Central Asia.

    Building on past achievements, Xi and his Central Asian counterparts will gather in the Kazakh city of Astana later this month for a second summit to ensure even closer cooperation on trade, security and connectivity in the heart of Eurasia.

    FORMATION OF A NEW PARADIGM

    The Xi’an summit in 2023 was the first ever meeting of heads of state under the China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism. In the embrace of the ancient city, they agreed to hold the summit every two years, alternately in China and Central Asia.

    Last year, the mechanism was further institutionalized with the establishment of a secretariat in Xi’an, the capital of Xi’s home province of Shaanxi.

    The Chinese leader attaches great importance to China’s relations with the region. In his opinion, Central Asia is at a strategic crossroads, linking East and West, North and South.

    “Developing friendly and cooperative relations with Central Asian countries is a priority of China’s foreign policy,” Xi Jinping said during his first visit to Central Asia since being elected as China’s president in 2013.

    Since then, he has visited the region eight times, deepening partnerships bilaterally and through platforms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia.

    Today, Central Asia is the only region in the world where every country is a strategic partner of China. According to Xi Jinping, these partnerships have paved a new path of good-neighborliness and mutually beneficial cooperation, creating a new paradigm of international relations.

    The main event of the Xi’an summit was the signing of the Xi’an Declaration, in which the Chinese president and the leaders of the five Central Asian countries promised to work together to build a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

    This promise is in line with the core idea of Xiplomacy’s diplomatic strategy: creating a community with a shared destiny for humanity. Notably, this idea has already been fully realized at the bilateral level in Central Asia.

    Sheradil Baktygulov, Director of the Institute of World Politics of Kyrgyzstan, noted that the common political will of Xi Jinping and the leaders of Central Asian countries is the key to the sustainable development of Chinese-Central Asian cooperation.

    “This cooperation not only strengthens bilateral ties, but also lays the foundation for a new model of multilateral cooperation in the Eurasian region,” he added.

    The Chinese leader’s strong personal rapport with Central Asian leaders is helping to strengthen these ties. At the Xi’an summit, Xi Jinping hailed Tajik President Emomali Rahmon as an “old friend.” During talks with Xi, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev called him his “dear brother.”

    Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, also an experienced sinologist, arrived in Xi’an on his 70th birthday. Xi told him: “Your visit on such a special occasion speaks volumes about the strength of our bilateral relations and confirms your unique bond with China.”

    REVIVAL OF THE GREAT SILK ROAD

    “Start loading!” Xi Jinping and K.-Zh. Tokayev jointly gave this command at the launch ceremony of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route China-Europe, which took place in July 2024 in Astana.

    The event marked the formal establishment of a multi-dimensional connectivity network combining roads, railways, airlines and pipelines to better link Asia to Europe via the Caspian Sea. The network is expected to become a vibrant artery under the Belt and Road Initiative.

    While the ancient Silk Road witnessed vibrant trade and cultural exchanges between China and Central Asia, Xi Jinping sees the region as an important partner in modern Belt and Road cooperation.

    In September 2013, also in Astana, the Chinese President gave a historic speech at Nazarbayev University, where he first outlined his vision for the construction of the “Silk Road Economic Belt” – a key component of the Belt and Road Initiative.

    “We can actively discuss the best ways to improve cross-border transport infrastructure,” Xi said, “and work to build a transport network connecting East, West and South Asia to promote economic development and travel in the region.”

    In the years since, the Chinese leader’s vision has steadily been realized. For example, late last year, the Kyrgyz border city of Jalal-Abad hosted a ceremony to mark the start of construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway. In a congratulatory message, Xi Jinping called for the railway to become a “new demonstration project” for Belt and Road cooperation.

    The railway will start at the ancient Silk Road junction of Kashgar (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Northwest China), pass into Kyrgyzstan via the Torugart Pass, reach Jalal-Abad and end in Andijan in eastern Uzbekistan.

    According to Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, this railway is not just a transport corridor, but an important strategic bridge connecting the countries of the East and West.

    Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative has effectively boosted trade, travel, and exchanges in the region. In 2024, trade between China and Central Asian countries reached a record US$94.8 billion, driven in part by the booming cross-border e-commerce. China is now the region’s top trading partner and a major source of investment.

    In 2014, Tajikistan became the first country to sign a memorandum of understanding with China on the joint development of the Silk Road Economic Belt. Since then, cooperation has yielded tangible results, many of which have been personally supported by Xi Jinping, ranging from the construction of new highways and power plants to new iconic buildings in cities.

    Tajikistan is also home to Central Asia’s first “Lu Ban Workshop” – a Chinese vocational education center that has already trained more than 1,500 students in practical skills in engineering, architecture, water management and environmental protection, cultivating talent for the country’s future development.

    During his state visit to Dushanbe in 2024, Xi Jinping told Emomali Rahmon: “I saw a more prosperous Tajikistan.”

    WEAVING THE “CULTURAL CANVAS”

    In the fall of 2022, during a visit to the legendary Silk Road city of Samarkand, Xi Jinping presented Uzbekistan President Sh. Mirziyoyev with a special gift: a miniature of Khiva, an ancient outpost on the Silk Road.

    Khiva is the first cultural heritage project in Central Asia supported by China. Years of restoration work led by Chinese specialists have given the ancient city a new look.

    “The project to preserve and restore historical monuments in Khiva, launched during my visit to Samarkand in 2013, has been successfully completed, further enhancing the charm of this ancient city,” Xi wrote in an opinion piece ahead of his 2022 visit to Uzbekistan.

    During his previous visit to the country in 2016, Xi met with Chinese experts working on the project. “Make sure the cultural relics are well protected,” he urged them.

    Since then, joint archaeological research by scientists from China and Central Asia has spread across the region, including the ancient city of Rakhat in Kazakhstan and the ancient Buddhist temple at Krasnaya Rechka in Kyrgyzstan.

    Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed that the friendship between China and Central Asia has a long history. He has repeatedly referred to the life story of Zhang Qian, the Han Dynasty envoy who traveled west more than 2,100 years ago and opened the way for lasting friendship and exchanges between China and the region. He has also stressed the need to “build on our traditional friendship.”

    During his state visit to Kazakhstan in 2024, Xi, together with President K.-Z. Tokayev, opened the Kazakhstan branch of Beijing Language and Culture University, the same university where the Kazakh president studied Chinese in the 1980s. Xi expressed hope that the establishment of the branch would enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples, especially between the younger generations.

    During his visit, Xi met with a group of schoolchildren who greeted him in Chinese and sang a Chinese song. Some of them spoke of their dream of attending Tsinghua University, the Chinese leader’s alma mater.

    “I also wish with all my heart that you will be able to enter good universities in the future. And we will be glad if you continue your education in China,” the Chinese President said with a smile.

    Commenting on the broader impact of such exchanges, Uzbek political commentator Sharofiddin Tulaganov noted that under the cooperation mechanism between China and Central Asia, mutual learning between civilizations will be greatly expanded.

    In today’s complex international environment, he added, such institutionalized humanitarian exchanges will provide valuable cultural impetus to efforts to maintain regional peace and promote common development. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Staff Completes 2025 Article IV Mission to Mali

    Source: IMF – News in Russian

    June 13, 2025

    End-of-Mission press releases include statements of IMF staff teams that convey preliminary findings after a visit to a country. The views expressed in this statement are those of the IMF staff and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF’s Executive Board. Based on the preliminary findings of this mission, staff will prepare a report that, subject to management approval, will be presented to the IMF’s Executive Board for discussion and decision.

    • Mali’s economy is grappling with major headwinds, including food insecurity and security threats, frequent climate shocks, external financing constraints and an uncertain economic outlook. Despite these challenges, the economy is showing resilience and projected to continue to improve over the medium-term.
    • The authorities remain committed to a 3 percent fiscal deficit, in line with the WAEMU target to maintain fiscal sustainability.
    • The authorities have launched an ambitious long-term development plan “Vision 2063”, accompanied by a National Strategy for Emergence and Sustainable Development 2024-2033, to achieve high, sustainable, and inclusive growth. Its success hinges on the implementation of sound macroeconomic policies and making decisive progress on structural reforms.

    Washington, DC: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff team, led by
    Ms. Wenjie Chen, visited Bamako from June 9 to 13, 2025, to conduct the 2025 Article IV consultation with the Malian authorities. The team held productive discussions with the authorities and other stakeholders on recent economic developments, the outlook, and medium-term policies to support macroeconomic stability and inclusive growth.

    At the end of the visit, Ms. Chen issued the following statement:

    “Mali’s economy has shown some resilience despite significant headwinds. Economic growth is estimated at 4.7 percent in 2024 unchanged form 2023, due to a combination of factors, including an electricity crisis, flooding and lower gold production. The government’s fiscal deficit declined to 2.6 percent of GDP in 2024 driven by robust revenue mobilization, exceptional payments form mining and telecom companies and tighter control of current spending amid constrained financing. Tight financing conditions in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), and the absence of external budget support resulted in high borrowing costs for the Government.

    “Real GDP growth is projected to increase to 5.0 percent in 2025, weighed down by reduced output from the shutdown of the largest gold mine and ongoing security risks. Contingent on resumption of full mining activities, growth is expected to rebound to 5.4 percent in 2026. The fiscal deficit is forecast to widen to 3.4 percent in 2025, driven in part by government spending to mitigate the impact of the flooding. However, the outlook remains uncertain, with considerable downside risks.

    “Fiscal policy should prioritize achieving fiscal sustainability, particularly by converging toward WAEMU’s 3-percent fiscal deficit ceiling. Key priorities include strengthening domestic revenue mobilization through broadening the tax base, including from the mining sector, and strengthening the revenue and customs administration. Moreover, the authorities should focus on improving spending efficiency while safeguarding public investment and protecting vulnerable households.

    “Reducing domestic policy uncertainty and advancing structural reforms are essential to unlocking Mali’s growth potential. Strengthening fiscal governance, improving public financial management, addressing vulnerabilities in State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), and enhancing their oversight—particularly in the electricity utility, Energie de Mali—are critical. Greater policy stability and transparent regulatory frameworks are crucial for attracting foreign investment.

    “The staff team thanks the authorities and other counterparts for their close collaboration and productive discussions.”

    The team met with the Minister of Economy and Finance, Mr. Alousséni Sanou, the Minister of Justice Mr. Mamoudou Kassogue, and the National Director of the BCEAO for Mali, Mr. Baréma Bocoum, senior staff of the main ministries and government agencies, development partners, and the private sector.

    IMF Communications Department
    MEDIA RELATIONS

    PRESS OFFICER: Tatiana Mossot

    Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

    https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2025/06/13/pr-25196-mali-imf-staff-completes-2025-article-iv-mission

    MIL OSI

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Xi Jinping Calls for Efforts to Build a Strong Country on 120th Anniversary of Comrade Chen Yun’s Birthday

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday called on people to learn from Comrade Chen Yun, carry forward and glorify his legacy, and work tirelessly to build China into a powerful country.

    Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a speech at a symposium held at the Great Hall of the People to mark the 120th anniversary of Comrade Chen Yun’s birth.

    Chen Yun, born in 1905, joined the CPC in 1925. He was recognized as a great proletarian revolutionary and political figure, and one of the pioneers of China’s socialist economy. According to Xi Jinping, he was an important member of both the first-generation leading group of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Mao Zedong at its core and the second-generation leading group of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Deng Xiaoping at its core. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Troops on US streets in more ways than one while Trump considers axing Aukus defence pact

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rachael Jolley, International Affairs Editor

    This article was first published in The Conversation UK’s World Affairs Briefing email newsletter. Sign up to receive weekly analysis of the latest developments in international relations, direct to your inbox.

    It’s Donald Trump’s birthday this weekend, and he is planning a big bash to celebrate. There will be a full-colour parade in the nation’s capital. Expected to attend are a whole bunch of military vehicles, from a second world war bomber to M1 Abrams battle tanks to Paladin self-propelled howitzers.

    The cavalcade will take a route through the grander streets of Washington DC making its way along Constitution Avenue all the way to the Lincoln memorial, with an expected 6,600 soldiers in attendance. The whole thing is estimated by the Associated Press to cost around US$45 million (£33 million).

    This splashy show of Trump’s power and the US’s military strength could serve as a warning to anyone who was thinking of crossing the US right now. Trump is, of course, the commander-in-chief of the US forces. And he was using the full strength of his position, some argue going beyond it, when he sent the national guard and the marines – bypassing the state governor – to the streets of Los Angeles in the past few days.

    There are now, according to ABC News, more US troops on the streets of LA than in Syria and Iraq. This was necessary, Trump claimed, to address protests over immigration raids that broke out around LA. Something that Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesperson, said this week was “exactly what the American people voted for”.

    While Trump is testing how far he can flex his political and military muscle at home, as the Open University’s Sinead McEneaney has detailed, he is also using what some historians have called unprecedented use of power, by sending in the marines to take action against Americans, while California governor Gavin Newsom said the troops were not wanted, or needed.



    Read more:
    Trump’s clash with California governor over LA protests has potential to influence next presidential race

    Newsom is pushing back hard, and publicly, against Trump. Something, that Natasha Lindstaedt at the University of Essex, believes could propel Newsom higher up the Democrat selection list for a presidential nomination.



    Read more:
    Trump’s use of the national guard against LA protesters defies all precedents

    Sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter from The Conversation UK. Every Thursday we’ll bring you expert analysis of the big stories in international relations.

    While signalling his military strength to those on the streets of California, Trump has also been sending a strong message to his erstwhile international allies that he might not be quite as willing to share his military hardware with them as they might have thought they had been promised. The US administration has opened a review of the Aukus (the Australia, UK and US defence pact) and in particular its nuclear submarine deal, to see whether it meets the “America first” criteria. This deal was due to help all three countries scale up their submarine capacity.

    Australia already transferred US$500 million to the US this year, as part of a down payment on the deal, with the expectation of receiving used US submarines in the near future. Canberra and London have been speedily revising their reliance on Trump as a security partner in the past few months. This is yet another signal from Washington that they definitely should.

    John Blaxland , a professor at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University, argues that Trump is angling to renegotiate the Aukus deal but won’t scrap it.

    “There are a few key reasons for this. We’re several years down the track already. We have more than 100 Australian sailors already operating in the US system. Industrially, we’re on the cusp of making a significant additional contribution to the US submarine production line. And finally, most people don’t fully appreciate that the submarine base just outside Perth is an incredibly consequential piece of real estate for US security calculations.”



    Read more:
    Trump may try to strike a deal with AUKUS review, but here’s why he won’t sink it

    Meanwhile, Mark Beeson, an adjunct professor at the University of Technology Sydney and Griffith University, believes that Australia is locked into the foreign and strategic policies of “an increasingly polarised, authoritarian and unpredictable regime” and should rethink its international relationships.

    Beeson quotes an essay from another Australian academic, Hugh White, from Australian National University: “It is classic Trump to expect more and more from allies while he offers them less and less.”



    Read more:
    Goodbye to all that? Rethinking Australia’s alliance with Trump’s America

    Russia’s battlefield count

    In a military arena where most of the world would like Trump to apply a little more pressure, he continues to hold back and Vladimir Putin continues not to do a peace deal. Putin showed no sign of calling off his troops (or drones) from attacking Ukraine this week.

    But as the onslaught continued Russia is expected to hit a horrific target this month, 1 million casualties in the war. Hundreds of thousands of Russians have died forcing Putin to get increasingly creative in coming up with ways to fill the gaps on the battlefields.

    According to some reports he is sending the wounded back to fight before they are fully recovered, as well as offering large financial incentives to those who join up, and their families. The conflict continues and the death toll does, too. As Russian politics expert Jenny Mathers at the University of Aberystwyth points out, even before the war the country had a demographic crisis, and now that is even more extreme.

    Russian women who want to earn the newly reinstated “Mother Heroine” award by bearing and raising ten or more children may struggle to find men to father them now, and after the war. Putin, like Trump, is fond of suggesting there is a glowing future for those who support him. The Russian leader has even created a Time of Heroes programme for war veterans who are promised a fast track into an elite career on their return from battle. Whether, of course, they do return when an estimated 53 casualties are being lost per square kilometre of land gained in eastern Ukraine is not a gamble many would like to take.



    Read more:
    Putin forced to send wounded back to fight and offer huge military salaries as Russia suffers a million casualties

    Sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter from The Conversation UK. Every Thursday we’ll bring you expert analysis of the big stories in international relations.

    – ref. Troops on US streets in more ways than one while Trump considers axing Aukus defence pact – https://theconversation.com/troops-on-us-streets-in-more-ways-than-one-while-trump-considers-axing-aukus-defence-pact-258874

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Beijing and Moscow intend to deepen intercity cooperation in various areas

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) — A conference entitled “Cities of the Future. Synergy of the Moscow-Beijing Strategic Partnership” was held in Beijing on Friday, which is part of the ongoing “Moscow Seasons in Beijing” festival.

    The two capitals are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their sister city relations this year. “Two dynamically developing megacities with enormous potential and investment opportunities have much to learn from each other, be it the organization of transport logistics infrastructure, the introduction of digital services, the holding of large-scale cultural and sports events or the introduction of advanced environmental standards,” said Andrey Povalyaev, Minister Counselor of the Russian Embassy in China, delivering a welcoming speech at the opening of the event.

    “Currently, 383 partnership pairs have been formed between our countries, including 135 between the subjects of the Russian Federation and the regions of the PRC, as well as 248 pairs at the municipal level,” he emphasized, adding that “by their example, the capitals of the two countries set the bar for interaction and serve as a model for other regions of Russia and China.”

    At the plenary session, government officials from Beijing and Moscow, as well as representatives of business circles, industry organizations and research institutions from both countries, discussed topics such as the implementation of the intercity cooperation program for the coming years, and exchanged best practices and achievements in bilateral cooperation in the development of mutual tourist flows, trade, investment, industry, digital services and technology.

    The conference also featured a ceremony between Chinese and Russian companies and organizations to hand over signed memorandums of understanding or cooperation, as well as agreements of intent or cooperation. These documents relate to cooperation in developing mutual tourist flows, trade, and museum affairs.

    In addition, the conference included business sessions where issues related to the entry of Russian enterprises into the Chinese market, challenges and opportunities for Moscow innovative companies in China, as well as the development of investment and industrial cooperation between the capitals of the two countries were discussed.

    Along with this, a meeting of the working group on transport between Moscow and Beijing, a round table on holding bilateral international museum projects between the two cities, as well as a presentation of Moscow’s tourism potential and B2B negotiations with the participation of business representatives from the two countries were held.

    Let us recall that the Moscow Seasons in Beijing festival, organized by the Moscow government with the support of the Beijing People’s Government, is one of the largest events within the framework of the China-Russia Cross Years of Culture 2024-2025. It takes place from Thursday to Sunday on the Wangfujing pedestrian street in the very center of the capital of the PRC. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Eugene Doyle: Team Genocide and the West’s war on Iran

    COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle

    I have visited Iran twice. Once in June 1980 to witness an unprecedented event: the world’s first Islamic Revolution. It was the very start of my writing career.

    The second time was in 2018 and part of my interest was to get a sense of how disenchanted the population was — or was not — with life under the Ayatollahs decades after the creation of the Islamic Republic.

    I loved my time in Iran and found ordinary Iranians to be such wonderful, cultured and kind people.

    When I heard the news today of Israel’s attack on Iran I had the kind of emotional response that should never be seen in public. I was apoplectic with rage and disgust, I vented bitterly and emotively.

    Then I calmed down. And here is what I would like to say:

    Just last week former CIA officer Ray McGovern, who wrote daily intelligence briefings for the US President during his 27-year career, reminded me when I interviewed him that the assessment of the US intelligence community has been for years that Iran ceased its nuclear weapons programme in 2003 and had not recommenced since.

    The departing CIA director William Burns confirmed this assessment recently.  Propaganda aside, there is nothing new other than a US-Israeli campaign that has shredded any concept of international laws or norms.

    I won’t mince words: what we are witnessing is the racist, genocidal Israeli regime, armed and encouraged by the US, Germany, UK and other Western regimes, launching a war that has no justification other than the expansion of Israeli power and the advancement of its Greater Israel project.

    This year, using American, German and British armaments, supported by underlings like Australia and New Zealand, the Israelis have pursued their genocide against the Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza, and attacked various neighbours, including Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Iran.

    They represent a clear and present danger to peace and stability in the region.

    Iran has operated with considerable restraint but has also shown its willingness to use its military to keep the US-Israeli menace at bay. What most people forget is that the project to secure Iran’s borders and keep the likes of the British, Israelis and Americans out is a multi-generational project that long predates the Islamic Revolution.

    I would recommend Iran: A modern history by the US-based scholar Abbas Amanat that provides a long-view of the evolution of the Iranian state and how it has survived centuries of pressure and multiple occupations from imperial powers, including Russia, Britain, the US and others.

    Hard-fought independence
    The country was raped by the Brits and the Americans and has won a hard-fought independence that is being seriously challenged, not from within, but by the Israelis and the Western warlords who have wrecked so many countries and killed millions of men, women and children in the region over recent decades.

    I spoke and messaged with Iranian friends today both in Iran and in New Zealand and the response was consistent. They felt, one of them said, 10 times more hurt and emotional than I did.

    Understandable.

    A New Zealand-based Iranian friend had to leave work as soon as he heard the news.  He scanned Iranian social media and found people were upset, angry and overwhelmingly supportive of the government.

    “They destroyed entire apartment buildings! Why?”, “People will be very supportive of the regime now because they have attacked civilians.”

    “My parents are in the capital. I was so scared for them.”

    Just a couple of years ago scholars like Professor Amanat estimated that core support for the regime was probably only around 20 percent.  That was my impression too when I visited in 2018.

    Nationalism, existential menace
    Israel and the US have changed that. Nationalism and an existential menace will see Iranians rally around the flag.

    Something I learnt in Iran, in between visiting the magnificent ruins of the capital of the Achaemenid Empire at Persepolis, exploring a Zoroastrian Tower of Silence, chowing down on insanely good food in Yazd, talking with a scholar and then a dissident in Isfahan, and exploring an ancient Sassanian fort and a caravanserai in the eastern desert, was that the Iranians are the most politically astute people in the region.

    Many I spoke to were quite open about their disdain for the regime but none of them sought a counter-revolution.

    They knew what that would bring: the wolves (the Americans, the Israelis, the Saudis, and other bad actors) would slip in and tear the country apart. Slow change is the smarter option when you live in this neighbourhood.

    Iranians are overwhelmingly well-educated, profoundly courteous and kind, and have a deep sense of history. They know more than enough about what happened to them and to so many other countries once a great power sees an opening.

    War is a truly horrific thing that always brings terrible suffering to ordinary people. It is very rarely justified.

    Iran was actively negotiating with the Americans who, we now know, were briefed on the attack in advance and will possibly join the attack in the near future.

    US senators are baying for Judeo-Christian jihad. Democrat Senator John Fetterman was typical: “Keep wiping out Iranian leadership and the nuclear personnel. We must provide whatever is necessary — military, intelligence, weaponry — to fully back Israel in striking Iran.”

    We should have the moral and intellectual honesty to see the truth:  Our team, Team Genocide, are the enemies of peace and justice.  I wish the Iranian people peace and prosperity.

    Eugene Doyle is a writer based in Wellington. He has written extensively on the Middle East, as well as peace and security issues in the Asia Pacific region. He contributes to Asia Pacific Report and Café Pacific, and hosts the public policy platform solidarity.co.nz.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Nuclear energy is a risky investment, but that’s no reason for the UK government to avoid it

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Renaud Foucart, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster University

    Sizewell B on the UK’s Suffolk coast. Nick Beer/Shutterstock

    The UK government’s investment of around £14 billion in a new nuclear power plant marks a big economic shift for the country’s approach to energy.

    The Sizewell C plant in Suffolk will be the second of a new generation of reactors to be built in the country, after Hinkley Point C in Somerset, which is expected to open in 2031.

    French energy firm EDF is building Hinkley and will probably end up building Sizewell too. But it seems that the British government is finally prepared to take on the considerable financial risk which these projects bring.

    Previously it has preferred to look elsewhere. China, notably, has a longstanding appetite for investment in British infrastructure. (Although in 2022, the UK government bought back China’s stakes in Sizewell C amid geopolitical concerns.)

    But the money has to come from somewhere. And after EDF announced it wanted to limit its participation in Sizewell C – and in particular, exposure to the risk of cost overruns – the UK government has stepped in.

    EDF has has already lost a lot of money building Hinkley Point C. When construction began in 2017, costs were estimated at £18 billion.

    At the time, the UK government agreed to pay a set rate for the electricity produced so the French company could recoup its cost and make a reasonable profit. That price was perceived by some as as extremely high and remains higher than current wholesale prices.

    But as construction costs have more than doubled, the project has generated an estimated loss of around £13 billion for EDF. The company hopes to keep construction costs down this time, after similar costs overruns in projects it completed in France and in Finland.

    But now Sizewell C will only progress because the British government has said it will take on almost all of the financial risk.

    In doing so, the UK is not an outlier. In France, China and South Korea, nuclear power plants are built by state-owned companies. In the US, private companies are waiting for public funding to finance Donald Trump’s dream of a nuclear renaissance.

    And perhaps it’s an expense the state should be willing to take on.

    After all, although nuclear reactors (like solar farms and wind turbines) are expensive to set up, once they are built, the cost of producing electricity is very small.

    And if the long-term goal is to eliminate the need for fossil fuels, it means all electricity will need to come from a mixture of renewables, batteries and nuclear. Electricity could then become much cheaper than it is now.

    But building the means of creating this power comes with varying degrees of risk.

    Solar, for example, is not that risky. Panels are usually imported, there are no major safety concerns, and investors can roughly predict how much sun there will be in a typical year.

    For nuclear energy, production is also predictable. But the time it will take to complete construction of a plant and the associated costs are not.

    Part of this is down to choice. UK regulations around nuclear energy are complex and strict, and other countries build faster and cheaper. This may be why globally, solar power is attracting much more investment than other sources of energy.

    Political energy

    But this does not mean governments should ignore the nuclear option. One of the main reasons governments are useful to society is that they can afford to take risks that private investors cannot, and finance long term innovation.

    This in turn can lead to much greater strategic and geopolitical autonomy. While solar panels and batteries are getting ever cheaper, the vast majority of production is in China.

    Domestic production of nuclear allows for greater diversity in energy sourcing, and arguably from some more predictable partners. The key component, uranium, can be found in large quantities in places like Canada or Australia, or directly reused.

    Research suggests that nuclear energy may be particularly suited to feed the needs of digital datacentres and artificial intelligence.

    Meanwhile, the government also hopes to get small nuclear reactors from domestic producer Rolls Royce which could be built in factories at a much more predictable cost. Russia and China have each already built this kind of reactor.

    Plus there’s £2.5 billion for UK research on nuclear fusion, with the potential to deliver electricity on an unprecedented scale.

    No one knows if fusion will ever be possible. It is the kind of uncertain, incredibly expensive projects (with potentially massive returns) that pretty much no private investor would risk looking at.

    But again, it is the kind of bet only governments can take. For nuclear power, for reasons of scale, risk and uncertainty, is mostly a government business – and ultimately a political choice.

    It will take a long time to know if the decision to spend taxpayers’ money on Sizewell C was the right way to respond to the country’s energy needs. But ending reliance on private or foreign financing for nuclear projects could one day be seen as a positive reaction.

    Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

    Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

    Renaud Foucart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Nuclear energy is a risky investment, but that’s no reason for the UK government to avoid it – https://theconversation.com/nuclear-energy-is-a-risky-investment-but-thats-no-reason-for-the-uk-government-to-avoid-it-258645

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Deputy President to undertake working visit to Russia

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Strengthening economic and trade relations will be at the core of Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s working visit to Russia.

    According to the Deputy President’s Office, the trip will focus on enhancing cooperation in key sectors, including agriculture, automotive, energy, and mining, as well as collaboration in science and technology.

    The working visit set for 17-21 June in Moscow and St. Petersburg, will involve high-level engagements and activities focused on economic diplomacy.

    In Moscow, Deputy President Mashatile will meet with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to discuss cooperation in the areas of economy, trade, and energy.

    The Deputy President will meet with several high-ranking officials, including President Vladimir Putin, Valentina Matvienko, the Chairman of the Russian Federation Council, and Vyacheslav Volodin, the current Chairman of the State Duma, which is the lower house of the Russian Parliament.

    While in Moscow, the Deputy President will lay a wreath at the memorial site honouring South Africa’s liberation heroes, John Beaver (JB) Marks and Moses Kotane. 

    Following this, he will participate in the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF2025).

    This year’s forum will be held from 19 to 21 June,  under the theme: “Shared Values: The Foundation of Growth in a Multipolar World.”

    The Deputy President will take part in the plenary session of SPIEF2025 while he has also received an invitation to speak at the Russia-Africa Business Dialogue.

    In addition, he is scheduled to deliver a public lecture at St. Petersburg State University on the topic: “South Africa’s G20 Presidency in a Rapidly Changing Geopolitical Environment.”

    He will address attendees at the opening of the South African Trade and Investment Seminar.

    “The St. Petersburg leg of the visit is expected to leverage on promoting South Africa’s trade relations and South Africa as an investment destination.” 

    According to the Deputy President’s Office, this trip will be his first visit to Russia since he took office under the seventh administration. 

    He will be accompanied by a delegation of Ministers and Deputy Ministers who are part of the Economic Sectors, Investment, Employment and Infrastructure Development Cabinet Cluster. – SAnews.gov.za

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Cryptocurrency Financial Services Firm “Gotbit” and Founder Sentenced for Market Manipulation and Fraud Conspiracy

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOSTON – Gotbit Consulting LLC (Gotbit), a financial services firm known in the cryptocurrency industry as a “market maker,” was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for criminal charges relating to Gotbit’s fraudulent manipulation of cryptocurrency trading volume on behalf of client cryptocurrency companies.  

    Aleksei Andriunin, 26, of Russia and Portugal, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to eight months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. In March 2025, Andriunin pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit market manipulation and wire fraud. Andriunin was arrested in Portugal on Oct. 8, 2024 and extradited to the United States on Feb. 25, 2025.

    As part of its criminal resolution, Gotbit was ordered to forfeit a total of approximately $23 million in seized cryptocurrency. The court also sentenced Gotbit to a term of probation for five years, during which time Gotbit shall cease to exist or operate.

    Gotbit and Andriunin were indicted by a federal grand jury on the same charges in October 2024. The indictment also charges two of Gotbit’s directors, Fedor Kedrov and Qawi Jalili.

    Gotbit was a well-known “market maker” in the cryptocurrency industry. Between 2018 and 2024, Gotbit provided market manipulation services to create artificial trading volume for multiple cryptocurrency companies, including companies located in the United States and companies whose cryptocurrencies traded on platforms available to investors located in the United States. Andriunin was Gotbit’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer. In a 2019 interview, Andriunin described how he developed a code to “wash trade” cryptocurrencies to artificially inflate trading volume for the purpose of getting cryptocurrencies listed on CoinMarketCap (a website that published information about “trending” cryptocurrencies) and trading on larger cryptocurrency exchanges. Andriunin and Gotbit’s employees marketed these wash trading tactics to prospective clients and explained how Gotbit used multiple accounts to avoid detection of the wash trades on the public blockchain. Gotbit made wash trades worth millions of dollars on behalf of clients and received tens of millions of dollars in payments from clients.

    Gotbit admitted that it engaged in manipulative trades to artificially increase the trading price and volume of tokens for clients that included Robo Inu and Saitama. Leaders of those cryptocurrency companies were charged in separate cases unsealed in October 2024.

    Gotbit is the third market maker to resolve criminal charges relating to wash trading in the cryptocurrency industry. In October 2024, the founder of MyTrade pleaded guilty in connection with providing an unlawful wash trading service identified through an undercover law enforcement operation. In April 2025, CLS Global FZC LLC was sentenced in connection with offering illegal “volume support” services uncovered by the same operation.

    The Securities & Exchange Commission brought a related civil enforcement action against Gotbit alleging violations of the securities laws.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Boston Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Markham and David M. Holcomb of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carol Head, Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit is handling the forfeiture matter.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The number of trains leaving Wuhan for Central Asia is steadily increasing

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) — A total of 26 China-Central Asia freight trains have departed from Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei Province, since the beginning of this year, the Hubei Daily reported.

    A 55-car freight train loaded with 110 standard containers arrived at the Khorgos checkpoint on China’s border with Kazakhstan on Thursday. The train, the 26th to leave Wuhan this year, is scheduled to deliver air conditioners, non-woven fabrics, resin and other goods worth 23 million yuan to Uzbekistan on June 17.

    In recent years, there has been a steady increase in the number of trains sent from Wuhan to Central Asia. If in 2021 this figure was 7, then in 2022 it reached 19, in 2023 – 20, and last year – 35.

    Demand for Chinese-made products is growing in the Central Asian market. According to the Hubei branch of China Railways, mainly galvanized steel sheets, building stone, cars and spare parts for them, household electronics and equipment are supplied from Wuhan to this region.

    In April of this year, the Wuhan-Central Asia route began operating on a permanent basis. Flights are operated once a week. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: China’s Dejiang County Finds New Opportunities for Tea Industry Development in Kyrgyzstan Market

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) — The Kyrgyz market has provided new opportunities for the development of the tea industry in Dejiang County, Tongren City, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, according to the county government’s press service.

    This week, the local company Honghuchun sent 25 tons of black tea to Kyrgyzstan, thus, tea products from this county will appear on the Central Asian market for the first time.

    The batch of tea will first arrive in Kashi /Kashgar/ in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and, after customs clearance, will be sent to Kyrgyzstan.

    By the end of this year, Honghuchun plans to supply about 190 tons of tea to the international market. The list of main importers includes Central Asian countries, Russia, Vietnam and Malaysia, said Hong Jianwei, chairman of the company. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Xi Jinping offers condolences to British King Charles III over Indian air crash

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday sent a message of condolences to Britain’s King Charles III over the deaths of many Britons in the crash of an Air India plane.

    In his message, the Chinese leader said he was shocked to learn of the crash of the Air India plane, which resulted in the deaths of many Britons.

    On behalf of the Chinese government and people, Xi Jinping expressed deep sorrow for the victims, expressed sincere condolences to the families of the victims and the injured, and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

    Chinese Premier Li Qiang also sent a message of condolences to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Indian Home Minister Confirms Plane Crash Survivor

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    NEW DELHI, June 13 (Xinhua) — Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said he has met the sole survivor of a plane crash that occurred in the western state of Gujarat on Thursday.

    “Air India flight AI-171 crashed this afternoon and it is feared that many passengers have lost their lives. The entire country mourns and supports the families of the victims,” he told reporters. “There were 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board. The good news is that one passenger survived the crash and I met him. The death toll will be announced after proper DNA testing,” the home minister added.

    A. Shah noted that attempts to save people failed because 125,000 liters of fuel caught fire when the plane crashed and the temperature rose to extreme levels. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Black box of crashed Air India plane found – local media

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    NEW DELHI, June 13 (Xinhua) — Aviation authorities have recovered one of the two black boxes from the Air India plane that crashed in the western Indian state of Gujarat, local newspaper Hindustan Times reported.

    The plane, bound for London, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad International Airport on Thursday afternoon.

    “One of the two black boxes, located in the tail section of the plane, was found and placed under secure guard. The Main Directorate of Civil Aviation will take away equipment to analyze the recordings. The second black box, located in the front section of the plane, has yet to be found,” the newspaper writes, citing a source.

    There were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed on the grounds of a medical college, as well as two pilots and 10 flight attendants.

    Air India confirmed on Friday that all 241 people on board were killed in the crash. The sole survivor is being treated in hospital.

    The Air Accident Investigation Bureau of the Indian government is investigating the cause of the incident.

    Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said he spoke with Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran after the crash and expressed his willingness to support the Indian government’s investigation.

    The 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 aircraft with tail number AI171 fell from a height of about 250 meters after takeoff and crashed on the territory of the medical college, causing serious damage to buildings.

    One person was killed at the college, at least nine were missing and 50 were injured, according to a local medical organization. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    UNITED NATIONS, June 13 (Xinhua) — The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution at an emergency special session on Thursday calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and large-scale humanitarian access.

    The document calls for “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire that must be respected by all parties.”

    It strongly condemns the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and the unlawful denial of humanitarian access. The resolution stresses that the parties should not deprive civilians in the Gaza Strip of the items necessary for survival, including by deliberately obstructing the delivery of and access to humanitarian assistance.

    It is noted that, in accordance with international law, the occupying power is obliged to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches all people in need. The resolution calls for immediate and continued facilitation of the full, rapid, safe and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip and its delivery to all Palestinian civilians.

    The document demands that Israel, as the occupying power, immediately end the blockade, open all border crossings and ensure the immediate and massive flow of aid to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip.

    The need for accountability to ensure Israel’s compliance with its obligations under international law is emphasized and in this regard, all UN Member States, individually and collectively, are called upon to take all necessary measures to ensure Israel’s compliance with its obligations.

    The resolution was adopted by 149 votes in favor, 12 against and 19 abstentions. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Special Report: Continuation of a thousand-year friendship and a new chapter in the history of the era – on Xi Jinping’s trip to Kazakhstan to participate in the 2nd China-Central Asia Summit

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Beijing, June 13 /Xinhua/ — At the invitation of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Chinese President Xi Jinping will be in Astana from June 16 to 18 to attend the 2nd China-Central Asia (CA) Summit.

    Over a thousand years, the people of China and Central Asia have created the glory of the ancient Silk Road and written a magnificent chapter in the history of exchanges between civilizations. With deep historical roots, a solid foundation of public support and a wide range of practical needs, China’s relations with Central Asian countries have gained vitality and vigor in the new era.

    Two years ago, the 1st China-Central Asia Summit was successfully held in Xi’an, ushering in a new era of China-Central Asia relations. Over the past two years, cooperation between China and the region has achieved tangible results. Now, as promised, the 2nd summit will be held in Astana, pushing the six countries to move forward on a new path of building a China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

    In the time between the Xi’an and Astana summits, the roadmap for action has become clearer and the steps forward more powerful. Xi Jinping and the heads of the five Central Asian states must develop a new plan for cooperation that opens up new opportunities for peace and development in the region, brings valuable confidence to a changing world, and charts a brighter future for the progress of human civilization.

    A UNITED DESIRE TO PASS ON MILLENNIAL FRIENDSHIP

    More than 2,100 years ago, the journey of Zhang Qian, an emissary of the Han Dynasty, to the western lands opened the door for friendly exchanges between China and Central Asia.

    In the autumn of 2013, Xi Jinping visited four Central Asian countries and in Kazakhstan for the first time put forward the initiative to build the Silk Road Economic Belt, awakening ancient memories and drawing a blueprint for a dream.

    Over the past 10 years, Xi Jinping has visited Central Asia many times and maintained close ties with the leaders of Central Asian countries. China and the countries of the region have joined forces to comprehensively revive the Silk Road and deepen cooperation, which has ushered in a new era in relations between the two sides.

    Today, China has established a comprehensive strategic partnership, signed cooperation documents for the joint construction of the Belt and Road, and is implementing the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind bilaterally with each of the five Central Asian countries. This signifies the height of political mutual trust, the depth of good-neighborliness, and the breadth of practical cooperation between China and these countries.

    Friendship is the fruit of common views and common aspirations. As Xi Jinping noted, “deepening cooperation between China and Central Asian countries is a strategic choice of our generation of leaders, made with an eye to the future, in line with global trends and in response to the aspirations of the people.”

    In 2020, China put forward an initiative to create a “China-CA” mechanism. In July of the same year, the first meeting of the foreign ministers of China and the Central Asian countries via video link was held, at which the launch of regular meetings in this format was announced.

    In January 2022, Xi Jinping held a video summit with the leaders of five Central Asian countries to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of interstate diplomatic relations. During the talks, proposals were made to raise the status of the mechanism to the level of heads of state. “Always based on mutual respect, good neighborliness and friendship, unity in the face of challenges, mutual benefit and win-win,” this is how the head of China explained the secret to the success of cooperation between China and the Central Asian countries.

    In May 2023, at the 1st China-CA Summit, Xi Jinping detailed China’s foreign policy toward Central Asian countries and agreed with the leaders of the five countries to jointly build a closer community with a shared future for China and Central Asia. The mechanism of meetings at the level of heads of state was formally established. Xi Jinping put forward four proposals for regional development and four principles for building a community with a shared future, which received a warm response from other leaders.

    The Xi’an Declaration, a number of multi- and bilateral documents, key agreements on the most important areas of cooperation… The Xi’an meeting became a bright page in the thousand-year history of friendly contacts between China and the Central Asian states and gave a powerful impetus to peace and stability not only in the region, but also on the entire planet.

    The content of China-Central Asia cooperation is constantly enriched based on the principles of joint consultation, joint construction and joint use, and its structure is constantly improved. At the recent 6th meeting of the foreign ministers of China and Central Asian countries in Almaty, the parties highly appreciated the level of mutual trust and solidarity, as well as the important role of the China-Central Asia mechanism, expressing their readiness to further unleash the potential of partnership and create new milestones in building a community with a shared future.

    The China-CA format demonstrates practical results despite the relative “youth” of the mechanism. The personal participation of the leaders of the countries emphasizes mutual respect and the desire to deepen the partnership. This approach allows coordinating the positions of countries on key issues of our time, strengthening trust between countries and with each other, and forming a unified approach to regional security and development. In addition, the personal participation of the leaders in the formation of the China-CA mechanism emphasizes its strategic importance. This creates a new model of multilateral interaction in Eurasia, contributing to stability and development of the region. “Therefore, confidence is growing that the summit in Astana will expand the horizons of cooperation between our countries and give a new impetus to achieving practical results for the benefit of the population of the region,” said Sheradil Baktygulov, Director of the Kyrgyz Institute of World Politics.

    HAND IN HAND TOWARDS MODERNIZATION

    On April 29 this year, work began in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan’s Jalal-Abad region to lay three tunnels on the Kyrgyz section of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, marking the project’s transition to the construction phase.

    This major infrastructure project within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative, promoted personally by the heads of the three states, has become a symbol of the convergence of interests of the three countries and embodies the desire of their peoples for interconnectedness and common prosperity. According to the Director of the Department of Land and Water Transport under the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Kyrgyzstan Tariel Keldibekov, the railway will rebuild the logistics network in the region. Acting Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Political Council of UzLiDeP Jamoliddin Meliboev emphasized that the project is evidence of deepening mutual trust and practical cooperation between China and the Central Asian countries.

    “The world needs a transport-connected Central Asia,” Xi Jinping said at the 1st China-CA summit. The above-mentioned railway is being built, trains regularly depart from different regions of China to Central Asian countries, the Kazakhstan terminal in Xi’an has been put into operation, and the construction of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route is actively advancing… China and the Central Asian countries are consistently deepening their interconnectedness.

    Taking the high-quality construction of the Belt and Road as a new starting point, China and Central Asian countries are intensifying cooperation at an unprecedented speed and intensity. The two sides are jointly building a path to modernization and common development.

    An increasingly dense network of transport routes is becoming a bridge for trade. With the help of uninterrupted rail, road and air transport, Chinese products – from household appliances and everyday goods to electric cars – are constantly flowing into Central Asia, and high-quality Central Asian goods such as fertilizers, cotton, beef and lamb are increasingly finding their way to the Chinese market… According to the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, in 2024, trade turnover between China and the Central Asian countries reached $94.8 billion, an increase of $5.4 billion compared to the previous year and a new historical maximum.

    38-year-old Kazakh farmer Sergey told reporters that in recent years he began cooperating with Chinese companies, introducing a “contract farming” model: he grows grain crops according to the demands of the Chinese market and receives agricultural support from Chinese specialists. This helped solve problems with growing grain and selling it.

    According to Abdugani Mamadazimov, Chairman of the National Foundation “Silk Road – the Road of Consolidation”, the “China-CA” mechanism has made a significant contribution to the stability and development of the region. “We hope that the 2nd “China-CA” summit will deepen cooperation between the parties, help continue the development of infrastructure and logistics, and also unite efforts for the sake of joint development and common prosperity,” he said.

    DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURAL EXCHANGES AND MUTUAL LEARNING BETWEEN CIVILIZATIONS

    On May 31, 2025, the first international tourist train China-Central Asia arrived from Xi’an to Almaty railway station. This event opened a series of cultural exchanges between China and Kazakhstan.

    At the 1st China-CA Summit, Xi Jinping put forward a number of initiatives, including a proposal to launch a tourist train. Deputy Chairman of the Board of JSC NC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy Anuar Akhmetzhanov expressed hope that the train will help strengthen ties between the peoples of China and the Central Asian countries and deepen their mutual understanding.

    Today, China has a visa-free regime with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. 2025 has been declared the Year of Chinese Tourism in Kazakhstan, and the Year of Uzbek Tourism in China. More and more Chinese tourists are traveling to the ancient cities of Samarkand and Bukhara, and more and more citizens of Central Asian countries are visiting China.

    The thousand-year-old Silk Road allows people to travel freely, promotes mutual understanding and cultural integration. Cooperation in education and poverty reduction, contacts on public administration issues, exchanges at the local level – deep and sustainable civilizational dialogue makes the friendship between the parties ever stronger.

    Partnerships in the field of professional education open the way to the future for Central Asian youth. In Tajikistan, the first in Central Asia “Lu Ban Workshop” has been operating for more than two years, where they teach heat supply technologies and engineering geodesy. “Lu Ban Workshop” in the East Kazakhstan region is aimed at training personnel for the automotive industry. In Astana, the second “Lu Ban Workshop” in Kazakhstan is also actively preparing to open. In Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, such workshops began operating last year, and in Turkmenistan, the project is currently underway.

    Interest in China and the Chinese language in Central Asian countries is steadily growing. China and the countries of the region are rapidly exchanging cultural centers. There are already 13 Confucius Institutes operating in Central Asia. More and more young people are seeking to get an education in China. Today, there are almost one hundred pairs of administrative-territorial units that have established sister-city relations.

    Joint restoration of ancient Khiva in Uzbekistan, joint excavations at the Kazakh archaeological complex of Rakhat, work to preserve and pass on to future generations the Kyrgyz heroic epic “Manas”… Cooperation between China and the Central Asian countries in the field of cultural heritage protection has allowed many pearls of the Silk Road to shine again.

    Uzbek political commentator Sharofiddin Tulaganov noted that the China-CA mechanism has become an important platform for mutual learning between civilizations and the rapprochement of peoples, which contributes to deepening mutual understanding and strengthening trust, and also makes a significant humanitarian contribution to peace and stability in the region.

    According to Aidar Amrebayev, Director of the Center for Political Research at the Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan, the upcoming China-CA summit will give new impetus to cohesion and cooperation between China and the Central Asian countries, advance the construction of a closer community with a common destiny for China and CA, and contribute to the prosperity of the region and the improvement of global governance.

    From Xi’an to Astana, in the flow of high-quality joint construction of the “Belt and Road”, on the new path to modernization and in the dialogue of civilizations, China and the Central Asian countries are passing on the traditions of friendship and mutual support from generation to generation, making a new contribution to ensuring peace and development on the planet and promoting the progress of human civilization. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Exclusive: China-Central Asia Mechanism Promotes Sustainable Development of Region – Kazakh Political Scientist

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    ALMATY, June 13 (Xinhua) — Modern geopolitical challenges require enhanced and coordinated interaction between countries seeking stability and development. Central Asia and China have a unique potential to become a fulcrum of stability in the world. This opinion was expressed by Aidar Amrebayev, Director of the Center for Political Research at the Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

    Speaking about the growing importance of cooperation between China and the Central Asian states, the expert noted that digitalization of infrastructure, joint development, and coordination of foreign policy positions are especially important today.

    “I think that it is in the interests of China and Central Asia to have a joint, coordinated positioning in the current geopolitical situation, which today is quite confrontational,” noted A. Amrebaev.

    The political scientist emphasized that the approaches of Kazakhstan and China largely coincide: both countries advocate strict adherence to international law, non-interference in the internal affairs of states, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, especially in times of acute confrontation in the international arena.

    “We are moving in the same direction. And I am convinced that the Central Asian countries are also interested in maintaining such positions. This is a signal to the world community that our region is striving for sustainable development and constructive interaction,” he added.

    In this context, the expert noted the importance of creating the UN Sustainable Development Centre in Almaty, as well as the active role of Kazakhstan and China in promoting multilateralism and strengthening international institutions, primarily the UN.

    Commenting on the 80th anniversary of the Victory in World War II and the establishment of the UN, A. Amrebaev emphasized the importance of historical memory and the role of China and Central Asia in supporting justice and honest dialogue in international relations.

    “Today, there are many inter-civilizational fault lines, economic and political confrontations. The modern world order is changing, and we need support points of stability and sustainability. In my opinion, Central Asia and China have the potential to become such a point of growth and sustainability in international relations,” the expert believes.

    The political scientist noted that despite the statements of some Western analysts about the possibility of the region turning into a “geopolitical chessboard,” the position of the Central Asian countries and China remains balanced, peaceful and pragmatic. He recalled the global initiatives of the Chairman of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping – in the areas of security, development, and civilizational dialogue, which give the world hope for overcoming conflicts.

    “At the Astana Forum, our president spoke about the need to look for reference points and countries capable of supporting joint and coordinated development. In the Chinese concept, this is a “community with a common destiny for humanity.” This is a wonderful philosophical concept, and Kazakhstan confirms its practical value with its actions,” said A. Amrebayev.

    The political scientist also commented on cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative, in which all five Central Asian countries participate. In his opinion, new formats of interaction between China and the regions provide a sustainable basis for economic and technological growth.

    “Today, the focus has shifted from a bilateral to a multilateral format. Let’s take water or transport issues, for example — they cannot be resolved in isolation. Broad regional coordination is needed. Therefore, participation in integration initiatives is becoming increasingly justified,” the expert noted. He emphasized that the region’s economy cannot be closed: it is necessary to go beyond bilateral corridors, taking into account global markets. In this context, Chinese initiatives create favorable conditions for the inclusion of Central Asia in the global trade and investment architecture.

    “It is important to listen to the interlocutor – this corresponds to both Chinese and Kazakh philosophy. Everyone wants to live peacefully, in harmony, raise children, interact. And it is on these values, and not on force, that the new world order should be built. I think such a philosophy is embedded in China’s initiatives and is shared by reasonable humanity,” A. Amrebaev summed up. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Aviation sector sees 600% year-on-year increase in cyberattacks

    Source: Thales Group

    Headline: Aviation sector sees 600% year-on-year increase in cyberattacks

    • 600% increase in ransomware attacks in the aviation sector in one year.
    • 27 major attacks by 22 ransomware groups between January 2024 and April 2025.
    • 71% of incidents involve credential theft or unauthorised access to critical systems.
    • In 2025, the size of the global aviation cybersecurity market is estimated at $5.32 billion.

    Behind any physical turbulence in the skies, a silent cyber war is being waged on the aviation sector. Ahead of the Paris Air Show (16 to 22 June 2025), Thales’s latest report on cyberthreats in the aviation sector warns of a spectacular rise in cyberattacks, which have increased by 600% in the space of a year. From airlines and airports to navigation systems and suppliers, every link in the chain is vulnerable to attack. The report also includes an analysis of the growing convergence between geopolitical confrontations and cyberthreats in a sector that has become strategically important for state sovereignty, global economic stability and the safe movement of people and goods.

    Based on market intelligence data and incident analysis, the Thales report reveals how the stakeholders in the aerospace sector have become prime targets for cyberattacks, which are motivated by a range of factors including financial gain, ideological agendas and state-sponsored influence operations. Between January 2024 and April 2025, 27 attacks were recorded, involving 22 different ransomware groups.

    Strategic, interconnected and exposed

    While the number of attacks is rising, the report also highlights a qualitative shift in the types of threats the aviation sector faces. As well as compromising flight operations, cyberattacks now also have strategic objectives such as industrial cyberespionage, access to sensitive technologies such as avionics and communication systems, disruption of supply chains and capture of high-value data such as diplomatic travel itineraries and confidential freight shipments.

    These increasingly sophisticated attacks are targeting airlines as well as aircraft manufacturers and their suppliers. Notable examples include the denial-of-service attack by a pro-Russian hacktivist group on an airline and the ransomware that paralysed maintenance and supply systems at several strategic air transport hubs. These incidents reveal structural vulnerabilities in a highly interconnected sector, where a single flaw can trigger cascading effects across the entire chain of critical operations.

    This high level of risk is a result of the specific characteristics of the aerospace sector: significant operational complexity with a reliance on critical software and interdependent stakeholders, the intrinsic value of the personal, biometric or strategic data involved, and the immediate consequences of any disruption, such as massive delays, airspace closures and logistical failures.

    “The aviation industry has become a digital battlefield with significant economic and geopolitical interests at stake. The sharp increase in the number of attacks calls for a holistic approach to aviation cybersecurity, further moves to incorporate AI as an ally and closer collaboration between industry and the public sector.” Ivan Fontarensky, CTO, Cyber Detection and Response, Thales.

    The global aviation cybersecurity market is expected to reach $5.32 billion in 2025, with average annual growth estimated at 8.7% by 2029, driven in particular by the increasing digitalisation of the sector and the intensified threat landscape.

    The full report is available here.

     

    About Thales

    Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies for the Defence, Aerospace and Cyber & Digital sectors. Its portfolio of innovative products and services addresses several major challenges: sovereignty, security, sustainability and inclusion.

    The Group invests more than €4 billion per year in Research & Development in key areas, particularly for critical environments, such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum and cloud technologies. Thales has more than 83,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2024, the Group generated sales of €20.6 billion.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Commission and Frontex position on deterrence and physical countermeasures against the weaponisation of migration – E-002237/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002237/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Christine Anderson (ESN)

    In a hearing of the Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield of 2 June 2025, a Frontex representative acknowledged that certain state actors, such as Russia and Belarus, have engaged in the use of migration as a tool for hybrid aggression. However, they avoided clarifying Frontex’s operational position when the Member States respond to such tactics with deterrence measures at the border. Furthermore, they declined to address the broader context of similar tactics being employed by state actors beyond Russia and Belarus, such as Türkiye or certain North African countries.

    In the light of this:

    • 1.What is the Commission’s position on the legality, under EU law, of rejecting ‘weaponised’ migrants at the border as a targeted deterrence measure in response to these hybrid threats?
    • 2.Does the Commission recognise similar patterns of the deliberate use of migration by state actors beyond Russia and Belarus, including but not limited to Türkiye, Middle Eastern, and certain North African countries and if not, why not?
    • 3.Is Frontex instructed or permitted to be involved in supporting the Member States in the construction or reinforcement of physical border barriers as a means of border management, where such ‘concrete countermeasures’ serve to combat weaponised migration?

    Submitted: 4.6.2025

    Last updated: 13 June 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Violation of the rights of ‘non-citizens’ in Estonia and Latvia according to EU law, with exclusion from fundamental civil and political rights – E-002211/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002211/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Danilo Della Valle (The Left), João Oliveira (The Left), Carolina Morace (The Left)

    In Estonia and Latvia, a significant part of the population, including individuals of Russian-speaking, Ukrainian, and Georgian origin, hold the status of ‘non-citizen,’ despite often being born and residing in these Member States for decades. This status excludes them from fundamental civil and political rights, such as voting rights and access to public employment, violating the principles of equality and non-discrimination set out in Articles 20 and 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (CFR) and the right to political participation under Article 39 CFR.

    This treatment conflicts with Article 18 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which prohibits discrimination based on nationality, and Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

    The European Court of Human Rights (Strasbourg) and the Court of Justice of the EU have ruled on similar cases, such as X v Latvia (application no 27853/09) and the Petruhhin case (C-182/15).

    In the light of this:

    • 1.What is the Commission’s position on the persistence of ‘non-citizen’ status in Estonia and Latvia?
    • 2.What measures will it take to ensure equal treatment and civic inclusion?
    • 3.How does the Commission assess Estonia’s and Latvia’s compliance with EU obligations, and what steps might it consider to ensure conformity?

    Submitted: 3.6.2025

    Last updated: 13 June 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Tens of thousands of people in Hainan have been evacuated to safe areas due to Typhoon Wutip

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    HAIKOU, June 13 (Xinhua) — More than tens of thousands of residents in south China’s Hainan Province have been evacuated to safe areas as Typhoon Wutip (Butterfly), the first typhoon of the year, approaches.

    As of 8:00 p.m. Thursday, a total of 16,561 people had been evacuated from construction sites, low-lying areas threatened by flooding and areas at risk from mountain torrents in the province.

    All 30,721 fishing vessels in the province have either returned to ports or taken shelter elsewhere, with more than 40,000 people working on them evacuated to shore.

    As Typhoon Wutip continues to intensify, the provincial meteorological office extended the typhoon alert to Level 3 at 11 a.m. Friday.

    Typhoon Wutip strengthened into a severe tropical storm at 8 p.m. Thursday. As of 10 a.m. Friday, its epicenter was located near Ledong Li Autonomous County on Hainan Island, with maximum wind speeds of about 28 meters per second near the epicenter. Heavy rainfall is expected in many parts of the province by 8 p.m.

    According to meteorologists’ forecasts, the typhoon is moving in a northwesterly direction at a speed of 5-10 km/h.

    On Friday, Wutip may make landfall or pass near the coastal area between Ledong County and Dongfang City as a severe tropical storm with wind gusts of 25 to 28 meters per second. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese Scientists Discover 100-Million-Year-Old Parasitic Fungi

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    NANJING, June 13 (Xinhua) — An international team of paleontologists led by Chinese scientists has discovered two previously unknown species of parasitic fungi preserved in two pieces of amber from Myanmar’s Kachin region, which are about 100 million years old, according to the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

    The new discovery provides important evidence for the study of fungi and insects’ coevolution. The study also suggests that the parasitic fungi group Ophiocordyceps evolved about 30 million years earlier than previously thought.

    As the head of the research project, senior researcher at the institute Wang Bo, explained, the fungi do not have a solid structure and are easily decomposed. Research into the origin and evolution of Ophiocordyceps is hampered by the extreme limitation of fossil evidence.

    The two pieces of amber have well-preserved mushroom structures, making it possible to compare them with modern analogues. Using computer microtomography, the researchers discovered their insect hosts.

    The scientists also obtained and analyzed genetic data on 120 modern Ophiocordyceps species. Using these fossils as a reference, they reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships of Ophiocordyceps and revised the data on the origin of this group of fungi.

    “The results suggest that the origin of Ophiocordyceps must have occurred around 130 million years ago, in the Early Cretaceous, which is 30 million years earlier than previously thought,” he said.

    The results of the study were published Wednesday in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. -0-

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Judge orders Trump to give California back control of its National Guard

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    LOS ANGELES, June 13 (Xinhua) — A federal judge on Thursday issued a temporary order ordering U.S. President Donald Trump to return control of the state’s National Guard to California authorities.

    Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles was unlawful because it violated the Tenth Amendment and exceeded the president’s statutory powers, according to the order, which will go into effect Friday at 12 p.m.

    US District Judge Charles Breyer said Trump overstepped his authority when he ordered about 4,000 National Guard troops to be deployed to Los Angeles, where immigration protests have erupted.

    California Governor Gavin Newsom challenged the measure in court. California later filed an emergency motion asking a judge to bar the National Guard from assisting immigration enforcement raids.

    Breyer’s injunction was “a sharp rebuke of President Trump’s efforts to deploy thousands of National Guard troops to the streets of an American city, which has led to nearly a week of political standoffs and protests across the country,” the New York Times writes.

    During an hour-long hearing in San Francisco, a Justice Department official said courts do not have the authority to review the president’s decisions regarding the National Guard and Marines, which Trump sent to Los Angeles despite objections from state and local officials.

    C. Breyer expressed doubt that D. Trump fulfilled the conditions of the law determining when National Guard units, which are usually commanded by the state governor, can be federalized.

    The judge stayed the order until Friday afternoon to allow an appeal, but he set a June 20 hearing on whether to make the restrictions permanent. The Trump administration has appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Xi Jinping offers condolences to Indian leadership over plane crash

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday offered condolences to Indian President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the deaths of many people in the crash of an Air India plane.

    In his message, Xi Jinping said he was shocked to learn of the plane crash that claimed many lives. On behalf of the Chinese government and people, he expressed deep condolences over the loss of life, sympathized with the victims and the families of the deceased, and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

    Chinese Premier Li Qiang also sent a message of condolences to Modi on Friday. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Government works to boost the agricultural sector

    Source: South Africa News Agency

    Government works to boost the agricultural sector

    Government is implementing comprehensive measures to support small-scale farmers, especially in rural and underdeveloped provinces like the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and KwaZulu-Natal. 

    This is according to Deputy President Paul Mashatile who outlined key strategies during a parliamentary question-and-answer session. At Thursday’s session, the Deputy President emphasised the importance of enhancing agricultural productivity and improving access to funding.

    Addressing the National Assembly, he stated that the government is improving agricultural productivity through the Agriculture Agro-Processing Master Plan (AAPP) and various support programmes, including the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) and the Blended Finance Scheme.

    WATCH | Deputy President addresses the National Assembly

    He explained that the Master Plan aims to enhance agricultural products, promote agro-processing, and improve market access by building capacity, accelerating land reform, and providing financial assistance to farmers.

    “We need to support it to promote economic growth, ensure food security and employment creation, particularly in rural areas. 
    “Government is playing a crucial role in ensuring that small farmers become sustainable and thriving enterprises aligned to the country’s land reform and rural development objectives,” he said.

    He announced that government is assisting farmers by offering grants and loans through partnerships with financial institutions like the Land Bank, Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). 

    According to the Deputy President, the state is providing blended finance schemes targeting black-owned agricultural enterprises. 

    “We are enhancing collaboration between government and private entities to boost productivity, service delivery and sustainability growth. Infrastructure and technology adoption depend on these collaborations,” he said.

    He told Members of Parliament that efforts are being made to address the challenge of accessing funding from commercial banks by de-risking investments and mobilising Development Finance Institutions (DFIs).

    Meanwhile, the Deputy President said government is also leveraging trade agreements, such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), to boost regional trade. 

    “If we effectively utilise regional structures like the African Continental Free Trade Area, our smallholder farmers will have a platform to access larger regional markets and potentially benefit from increased demand for their products. 

    “In this regard, continuous industry consultation and reporting are taking place through the agricultural trade forum.” 

    Export opportunities

    He announced that South Africa is exploring export opportunities in strategic markets like Japan and focusing on products such as citrus fruits and avocados. 

    In the meantime, arrangements are currently in place with the European Union and the country’s BRICS partners to fast-track export protocols, enhance biosecurity to meet international standards and ensure international outreach is professional, responsive and strategic.

    BRICS is an intergovernmental organisation comprising 10 countries, including Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

    Funding and market access 

    The country’s second-in-command also took the time to acknowledge the challenges, including commercial banks’ reluctance to fund small farmers due to a lack of collateral. 

    However, he stated that the government is intervening to reduce investment risks and encourage bank participation. 

    According to Deputy President Mashatile, government aims to transform small-scale farming into sustainable enterprises, which will promote economic growth, food security, and job creation in rural areas.

    “We are actively seeking to expand agricultural market access to countries like Japan, particularly for our citrus fruits and avocados.” 

    The Deputy President also took the time to extend his condolences to the families of the people affected by the severe weather conditions in the Eastern Cape. 

    “Our hearts are with you. Government will do everything in its power to assist you. The President will be visiting the Eastern Cape tomorrow,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za

    Gabisile

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • China tells G7 to stop ‘manipulating’ China issues for its own agenda

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    China warned the Group of Seven advanced economies on Friday against “manipulating” issues related to the world’s second-largest economy for their own agenda, after they accused Beijing of unfair business practices a year earlier.

    Beijing’s criticism of the G7 and what it represents comes amid a surge in global trade tension between the United States and China this year, as well as within the bloc’s membership.

    In remarks ahead of a three-day G7 summit in Canada set to start from Sunday, Lin Jian, a spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry, accused the group of having always upheld a Cold War mentality.

    The bloc should “stop interfering in other countries’ internal affairs, stop undermining other countries’ development, (and) stop manipulating issues related to China,” Lin told a regular news conference.

    The G7 provokes conflicts and confrontations, said Lin, adding that such practices were “doomed to fail”.

    In the communique after its 2024 summit in Italy that mentioned China more than 20 times, the G7 said its companies needed to be protected from China’s unfair business practices.

    It also warned of action against Chinese financial institutions that helped Russia obtain weapons for its war in Ukraine.

    The participation of countries beyond the grouping, such as India and Brazil, in last year’s event also irked China, which viewed the move as a bid to sow discord among countries of the Global South.

    New leaders will represent five of the G7’s members – Britain, Canada, Germany, Japan and the United States – at next week’s summit.

    (Reuters)