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00:00Hello, Tell Us Your English presents a new episode of China Now, a Wave Media's production
00:09that showcases the culture, technology, and politics of the Asian giant.
00:14In this first segment, China Current dives into the top stories of the week, including
00:18the latest on the U.S. smear campaign on China during the pandemic, and the second senior
00:23official meeting of the Second Horn of Africa Peace Conference in Beijing, among other topics.
00:29China Current is a weekly news talk show from China to the world.
00:35We cover viral news about China every week and also give you the newest updates on China's
00:41cutting-edge technologies.
00:42Let's get started.
00:52Welcome to China Current, your weekly news report of what's happening in China.
00:56I'm Lisa.
00:57In this episode, the U.S. military's secret disinformation campaign was exposed, and the
01:04WHO revealed how they discredited COVID as the China virus.
01:10The second senior official's meeting of the Second Horn of Africa Peace Conference convened
01:16in Beijing.
01:18China issued judicial guidelines on imposing criminal punishment on the disheartened Taiwan
01:25independence separatist.
01:27Thailand has submitted a formal letter requesting to join BRICS.
01:32$2.8 million from China is due to arrive in Kenya to assist in restoration from the recent
01:39floods.
01:40Record rains paralyzed China's southern cities, issue highest flooding alert.
01:46Let's start today's episode with the U.S. misinformation campaign against China.
01:51Due to the promotion of some American politicians, the Philippines and China have been in constant
01:58friction in the South China Sea recently.
02:01However, recent declassified documents show that in order to undermine the relationship
02:06between China and the Philippines, the U.S. military even sacrificed the health of all
02:11Filipinos and prevented them from getting effective treatment from China during the
02:16COVID pandemic.
02:18According to a retina's investigation, through phony internet accounts meant to impersonate
02:24Filipinos, the U.S. military's propaganda efforts morphed into an anti-vax campaign.
02:31Social media posts decry the quality of face masks, test kits, and the first vaccine that
02:37would become available in the Philippines, which is China's Sinovac inoculation.
02:43At least 300 accounts on X, formerly known as Twitter, that matched descriptions shared
02:49by former U.S. military officials familiar with the Philippines' operation.
02:54Almost all of these accounts were created in the summer of 2020 and centered on the
03:00slogan, China is the virus.
03:02The World Health Organization addressed this issue on the 20th of June, reaffirming the
03:08Sinovac vaccine is safe and effective at preventing severe COVID-19 and death.
03:14They told China's media outlets that spreading this information is a major threat to healthcare
03:20and provided detailed information supporting the safety and efficiency of Sinovac's vaccine.
03:26The U.S. military's anti-vax effort began in the spring of 2020 and expanded beyond
03:33Southeast Asia and other developing countries.
03:36Tailoring the propaganda campaign to local audiences across Central Asia and Middle East,
03:42the Pentagon used a combination of fake social media accounts on multiple platforms to spread
03:48fear of China's vaccine among Muslims at times when the virus was killing tens of thousands
03:54of people each day.
03:56A key part of the strategy is to amplify the disputed contention because vaccines sometimes
04:02contain pork gelatin.
04:04China's shots could be considered forbidden under Islamic law.
04:09The South China Morning Post reported that the Pentagon, in response to a query about
04:15the Retina's report, stated on Sunday that it conducts a wide range of operations, including
04:21operations in the information environment, to counter adversely malign influence.
04:27A spokesperson from Chinese embassy in the Philippines issued a statement criticizing
04:33the U.S. for undermining Filipinos' basic human rights of health and life by spreading
04:39deadly disinformation, despite its claim of respecting human rights.
04:44Manila's embassy in Washington did not respond to media inquiries about its awareness of
04:50a Pentagon operation.
04:52However, a spokesperson for the Philippines Department of Health stated that the finding
04:58deserved to be investigated and heard by the appropriate authorities of the involved countries.
05:05Some aid workers in the Philippines, upon hearing the U.S. military misleading campaign,
05:10expressed outrage.
05:12In the United States, public health experts briefed by Retinas on the Pentagon's secret
05:17anti-vax campaign condemned the program, stating it endangered civilians for potential
05:23geopolitical gain.
05:24They emphasized that an operation intended to win hearts and minds ultimately put lives
05:30at risk.
05:31During the campaign, the U.S. military's phony accounts amassed tens of thousands of
05:36followers.
05:37The full extent of the disinformation campaign by the Pentagon and the impact it may have
05:42had on COVID-19 deaths by dissuading people from getting vaccinated cannot be determined
05:48clearly.
05:49The WHO emphasized that using vaccines as a political weapon can have severe consequences.
05:56While a senior military officer involved in the program admitted,
06:00We weren't looking at this from a public health perspective.
06:04We were looking at how we could drag China through the mud.
06:08Next up, a step forward for China-African relations.
06:12The second senior officials' meeting of the Second Horn of African Peace Conference
06:18has convened in Beijing on the 24th of June.
06:22Senior officials and diplomats from the Foreign Ministry of Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia,
06:29South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda gather to discuss regional stability.
06:34The Initiative of Peaceful Development in the Horn of Africa is a solution introduced
06:40in early 2022 by China to assist the region in achieving long-term stability and development
06:47through unity and self-strengthening.
06:50Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
06:55Xue Bin addressed the Security Council briefing on Somalia during the meeting.
07:00He emphasized that the international community should adhere to the Somali-led and Somali-owned principle
07:07and avoid external pressure and interference or imposing any governance model.
07:13Xue also highlighted the challenges posed by recent terrorist attacks by al-Shabaab
07:19in Mogadishu and other areas, which have resulted in numerous civilian casualties.
07:25He called on traditionally developed country donors to respond to the Security General's appeal
07:31to close the funding gap and stressed that the international community should continue
07:36to support Somalia in building its security forces, carrying out counter-terrorism operations
07:42and gradually taking over security responsibilities independently.
07:47Next up, on the 21st of June, Chinese authorities issued new guidelines on criminal punishment
07:52targeting the Third Taiwan Independent Separatists.
07:56In a notable provision, Article 6 specifies that individuals convicted of the crime of splitting the state
08:03may face the death penalty if their actions cause particularly grave harm to the state of its people
08:10or if the circumstances are deemed particularly serious.
08:15The document details clarify the fine scenarios where a small number of the Third Taiwan Independent Separatists
08:22through activities such as organizing, plotting or executing schemes of de jure independence
08:29or seeking independence with foreign support or by force, should be held criminally accountable.
08:36Additionally, those who colluded with foreign or overseas institutions, organizations or individuals
08:43committing these crimes are subjected to harsher punishment.
08:47These guidelines take effect immediately upon release and mandate that all relevant legal proceedings
08:53adhere to due process, ensuring suspects and defendants retain their litigation rights
08:58including the right to defense and the right to appeal.
09:01Next up, a significant geopolitical shift.
09:04Thailand had submitted a formal request to join the BRICS group, marking Thailand's aspiration
09:10to become BRICS' first Southeast Asian member.
09:13Thailand aimed for membership by October, coinciding with the BRICS summit in Russia.
09:20Thai foreign ministry spokesperson emphasized that joining BRICS would enhance Thailand's role
09:26in South-South cooperation and global governance.
09:29According to a government statement, this aligns with Thailand's commitment to multilateralism
09:34and enhance the voice of developing countries.
09:37BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa,
09:43recently expanded to include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Iran and Ethiopia.
09:50Other countries such as Venezuela, Kazakhstan and Belarus have also applied.
09:55Although the Bangkok Post warned that joining BRICS could harm Thailand's international standing
10:01and cause political concern, Chinese analysts noted that BRICS membership could offer Thailand
10:08new opportunities in investment, export and technology.
10:12Thai foreign minister clarified that the move is not about taking side,
10:17but about economic opportunities and justice for developing nations.
10:21He reiterated that BRICS aims to foster a fair, multilateral global order, not confrontation.
10:28Observers highlighted that BRICS' expansion reflects the global South's call for greater cooperation
10:35and a fairer global order.
10:37Thailand could pave the way for more ASEAN nations to join.
10:41Next up, on 21 June, minister-counselor at the Chinese embassy in Kenya said two ships
10:48carrying 2,014 metric tons of aid are currently en route to Kenya's port city of Mbosa
10:56and will dock in early weeks of June.
10:59This aid from China, worth 370 million Kenyan shillings or $2.8 million,
11:07is to help with restoration efforts following recent floods that have devastated the East African nation.
11:14The latest data released by the United Nations indicated that an estimated 291 lives
11:21have been taken since the onset of heavy rains in March, which continued into May.
11:26The Chinese embassy also donated over $38,000 to the school in Nairobi slums,
11:33aiding its reconstruction after the April floods and the provision of desks, chairs and books.
11:40In addition, every student will be given a new backpack to restart their studies.
11:45The China embassy hopes that the students here will excel in their studies
11:49and grow to become pillars of strength for their families and the country.
11:53The floods caught us at a time when we were just about to open school.
11:57Director of Projects at Kenya's Ministry of Education expressed gratitude for China's timely aid.
12:04Next up, on 24 June, China issued its highest-level flooding alert
12:10as torrential rainstorms have battered southern parts of the country,
12:14particularly affecting the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River since mid-June.
12:20Since 16 June, Hunan province had been one of the hardest-hit areas,
12:26with almost 600,000 people affected across 14 cities and 58 counties.
12:32In response, over 300 excavators were urgently deployed to various reservoirs,
12:38holding back 660 million tons of floodwater before it attacked densely populated areas.
12:45On 19 June, the Chinese government allocated around $15 million in emergency relief funds
12:52to ensure the supply of drinking and domestic water for disaster victims.
12:57Previously, a total of $14.7 million was allocated to support the urgent restoration of flood-damaged roads.
13:06As of 18 June, 9,072 rescue teams, totaling 437,000 personnel,
13:13have addressed 23,000 incidents in Hunan province.
13:17The leader of the drone rescue team stated that they have used thermal imaging drones
13:22to search every collapsed building, leaving no trapped individuals behind.
13:26In Qiyang, the local village Xiv organized evacuations door-to-door
13:31and set up warning lines around submerged rice fields.
13:34After the floodwater receded, he immediately organized villagers to recultivate the fields.
13:40On 20 June, China's Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying
13:45declared a resolute commitment to winning the battle against flooding
13:49and ensuring the safety of people's lives and property.
13:52And that's all for today.
13:54Thank you for watching this episode of China Current.
13:57If you have any thoughts or comments about our show,
14:00please reach us at the email address below.
14:03We look forward to hearing from you and see you next time.
14:13We will go for a short break now, but we'll be right back. Stay with us.
14:17Welcome back to China Now.
14:34This week, Thinkers Forum welcomes former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis
14:39to discuss Europe-China's relations,
14:41US political scientist Norma Fickelstein with the global impact of the latest in Gaza,
14:47followed by economist Jeffrey Sachs on US interference regarding Taiwan.
14:51Let's see.
14:55If it wasn't for China, they would have died.
14:57They would have all gone bankrupt.
14:59So it was Chinese demand for German exports that kept Germany alive.
15:11Well, allow me firstly to say that there is no doubt in my mind that Ursula von der Leyen,
15:21the president of the European Commission, is an embarrassment for us Europeans.
15:26She doesn't speak for us.
15:28You have to remember, we never elected her.
15:31She was imposed on us by Chancellor Merkel and President Macron.
15:36Europe is not a democracy, whatever they may be telling the people of China.
15:43It's less of a democracy than China is.
15:46Think about it.
15:47Two men and two women got together in a room and they decided that Mrs Ursula von der Leyen,
15:53a failed defense minister from Germany,
15:57the chancellor of Germany at the time didn't want to have in Berlin around her.
16:01She got rid of her and sent her to Brussels to be the president of the European Commission.
16:06And, you know, when Ursula von der Leyen goes, for instance, to Israel
16:10and stands in front of the tanks of the IDF, of the Israeli army,
16:15cheerleading them just before they enter Gaza to kill tens of thousands of children,
16:20that just goes to show what I was saying to you, that she's an embarrassment to Europeans.
16:26Another point that I need to raise is that you mentioned her trip to China.
16:30And the de-risking narrative.
16:33That wasn't even hers.
16:35It didn't come from Europe.
16:36This came from Washington.
16:38It was the American instruction to Ursula von der Leyen that, you know what?
16:42You will need, essentially, to break your trading bonds with China.
16:49This was an instruction that came from the United States.
16:51You said something I don't agree with.
16:54You said that the European right didn't want trade relations with China.
16:59That's not true.
17:00If you talk to any industrialist, any industrialist, any industrialist in China,
17:05they really want trade relations.
17:07Actually, not only do they only want trade relations with China,
17:11their survival depends on trade relations with China.
17:17Nothing short of their economic life depends on Chinese trade.
17:26Going back to 2008, when the American economy collapsed,
17:32and simultaneously, the periphery of the European Union, countries like mine,
17:38Greece, Italy, they were all bankrupt.
17:41Suddenly, German industry had no one to sell their products to.
17:46If it wasn't for China, they would have died.
17:48They would have all gone bankrupt.
17:50It was Chinese demand for German exports that kept Germany alive.
17:55German industrialists, even if they're very right-wing, know that, appreciate that.
18:00But they got their marching orders from Washington, cut trade with China.
18:07Ursula von der Leyen knows this.
18:10She knows that it is impossible for Europe to maintain its economic energy.
18:19And to move towards the green transition, electrification, let's say, of transport,
18:24battery technology, without trading with China.
18:27She knows that.
18:28But she doesn't care because Ursula von der Leyen,
18:31and this is a very controversial statement that I'm going to issue now,
18:34but I'm going to make it because I believe strongly that,
18:37she doesn't work for Europeans, she works for the Americans.
18:39She works for the American administration.
18:41And she comes to China and tells you that which has been given to her
18:45as a briefing from Washington, D.C.
18:48And, you know, Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, knows that
18:52and dislikes it very, very much.
18:54Olaf Scholz is not in agreement with Ursula von der Leyen.
18:58Olaf Scholz, remember, he came to China.
19:01He brought German businessmen to give you exactly the opposite message,
19:06that we do not want to de-risk and to de-link from China.
19:09We want, but, and here is the conundrum of Europe.
19:14Olaf Scholz is the elected chancellor of Germany,
19:17and he has less power than the unelected president of the European Commission,
19:20who takes her marching orders from Washington.
19:23So should you expect a deterioration?
19:25Well, look, it's up to us here in Europe,
19:28to rise up against Mrs. von der Leyen,
19:31who, by the way, is going to be reappointed again,
19:33because there is a lot of support that she has from Washington, D.C.
19:37It's up to us Europeans, activists, politicians, citizens,
19:42to stop our European leaders from turning Europe
19:48into a colony of the United States,
19:51which the United States uses in order to up the ante,
19:55to intensify the new Cold War between the United States and China.
19:59We need an independent Europe.
20:02We need a Europe that minds after Europe and the world,
20:06because if we do mind after Europe,
20:08then we will de-escalate the new Cold War
20:11that the United States is unleashing against China.
20:14And this is our job to do here as Europeans.
20:17What should the Chinese people expect?
20:20You should expect the worst,
20:22because Europe is not going in the right direction.
20:26You should understand that it's not the European people
20:28who are turning our politics against China.
20:32It is our rulers.
20:33We are not sovereign nations anymore.
20:37Here in Greece in 2015,
20:39the people of Greece decided to go another way.
20:4262% of the vote was against the standard line,
20:47which I am describing now.
20:49And what happened was the people were overthrown.
20:52So we need international solidarity
20:56against very pernicious business interests
21:01who are trying very hard to foment the Cold War
21:07between the West and China in particular.
21:13We need to stop them from essentially undermining
21:17the conditions that would allow humanity
21:21to create a better future for itself.
21:25Thank you so much.
21:27Talking about saving humanity,
21:29I know that you are still banned from Germany
21:32for standing up for Palestine.
21:35You know, I'm not sure.
21:37I'm not sure.
21:39This is the state of affairs in Europe.
21:43Very briefly for you to know,
21:44I have taken the German government to the courts in Germany
21:48because they won't tell me.
21:50I was told verbally, not me personally,
21:54my comrades, my collaborators in Germany
21:56were told that I was banned by the police in Berlin,
22:00by a high-ranking police officer.
22:02And I was told that not only was I banned,
22:04I would be arrested if I entered Germany,
22:06but also that they would be arrested
22:09if they hosted me over video link,
22:12as you and I are speaking now,
22:14that if any German spoke to me
22:16in a public meeting over video link,
22:18they would be arrested.
22:20Now, you know, this is like a statement
22:23by the German government, the German police,
22:25that totalitarianism is here
22:28and it is ruling over Europe.
22:31And there is a small, tiny detail
22:34that supposedly we live in the European Union
22:36where there is freedom of movement,
22:38but my freedom of movement has been revoked
22:40by the German police.
22:42Verbally.
22:44So my lawyer wrote to the government,
22:48to the Ministry of the Interior
22:51and asked for details
22:54and asked three very important questions.
22:57Simple questions.
22:59Which authority banned me?
23:01When? And why?
23:03And what was the rationale?
23:05And we got a letter a day later
23:08saying that they would answer us
23:10within 48 hours in writing.
23:12In 48 hours we got a letter saying,
23:14Dear Mr Varoufakis,
23:16we are not going to answer your questions
23:18because that would go against national security.
23:21So I'm taking them to court
23:24in order to ascertain my right to know
23:27if I am still banned, who banned me, and why.
23:30But of course the reason why they are delaying
23:34is because they are embarrassed.
23:36But imagine if they do this to me,
23:38given that I have a high profile.
23:40I speak to you, I speak to journalists,
23:42BBC and so on.
23:44Imagine if they feel free to do this against me,
23:48to violate basic, basic law against me.
23:51Imagine what they will do to people
23:53who do not have a public platform,
23:55who are not well known,
23:56who do not have my capacity to communicate these matters.
24:01Europe is becoming a very bleak place.
24:04They advocate human rights and the rule of law
24:07and do whatever they want, whenever they want,
24:11in violation of human rights and the rule of law.
24:18There are large numbers of young people,
24:20and not just young people,
24:21who are not going to vote for him
24:23because of what's going on in Gaza.
24:24There were sharp criticisms of Israel and the United States
24:29because the U.S. was enabling it.
24:34When October 7th happened, overwhelmingly,
24:38world opinion was on the side of Israel.
24:40Everybody condemned Hamas,
24:42everybody condemned the events of October 7th,
24:47and everybody sympathized with Israel.
24:50There was no exception to that.
24:52But now we're seven months later.
24:54Everybody supports the Palestinians.
24:56Everybody condemns Israel.
24:58Nobody feels any sympathy anymore for Israel.
25:02And my position was, and it remains,
25:05that clearly crimes of a significant magnitude
25:08happened on October 7th.
25:11However, I was unwilling to condemn
25:14the perpetrators of those crimes
25:18because I had too much knowledge
25:21of what the people of Gaza had endured
25:24for decades before those crimes were committed.
25:28I will not dispute that they were crimes.
25:32I will not dispute that they were crimes
25:36of a significant magnitude.
25:38But I will not condemn the perpetrators of the crimes.
25:42So if I were to make an analogy, I would say,
25:46let us say that you are the next-door neighbor
25:49of a woman who has been battered and battered
25:53and battered by her husband.
25:56She screams and yells,
25:59and all the neighbors hear the screams and yells,
26:02but they don't do anything.
26:04She calls the police, and the police say,
26:07this is a domestic dispute.
26:10That means it's a dispute between the husband and the wife,
26:13and we're not going to get involved.
26:16One day, you, the neighbor, are returning home,
26:19and suddenly you see the house
26:22where that woman and her husband live.
26:24It's surrounded by police and by journalists,
26:28and you hear that the woman stabbed her husband
26:32a hundred times with a kitchen knife.
26:35And then, because you're the next-door neighbor,
26:38some journalists come to your home,
26:40knock on your door, and then they say,
26:42did you hear what happened?
26:45She stabbed her husband a hundred times.
26:47She must have been a monster.
26:50She must have been a horrible, horrible, horrible human being,
26:55and that poor man, how he suffered.
26:58And then you see the headlines
27:01on the morning newspaper next morning.
27:04Monster woman stabs husband a hundred times.
27:08Well, I'm sure you acknowledge
27:11stabbing somebody a hundred times is a horrible thing,
27:14but you were there for 20 years.
27:16You heard the screams. You heard the yells.
27:19She tried to contact the police, and the police wouldn't interfere.
27:22They say it's a domestic dispute.
27:24So I ask you a simple question.
27:26She killed him. She stabbed him a hundred times.
27:28She killed him.
27:29Honestly, I'm not asking you to agree with me.
27:32Would you condemn the woman?
27:34And nobody listened.
27:35She tried everything, and nobody would pay attention.
27:38So that was my dilemma on October 7th.
27:41I knew the details.
27:42I studied them very closely.
27:44I could not condemn her.
27:45And that meant I was not going to be in any television program,
27:48radio program, in any newspaper.
27:50I would say I have written the only political history of Gaza.
27:55Of the how many people are on the planet?
27:57Seven billion, is it?
27:58Of the seven billion people on the planet,
28:00I have written the only political history of Gaza.
28:03And you know, in the mainstream media,
28:06even today, after seven months,
28:08if you were to do a Google search,
28:10go to New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post,
28:15you take the entire spectrum of the mainstream media,
28:19you will see there has never been one mention of the book
28:24or one mention of me, even though, as you know,
28:27I have a very high presence now on the social media.
28:30It is the only political history of Gaza,
28:33and not one mention at all.
28:35I consider that one of my greatest achievements.
28:38It's so funny.
28:43So in the United States, after October 7th,
28:47the limit was anybody who gets public recognition
28:52has to condemn what Hamas did on October 7th.
28:56That was the limit.
28:57If you didn't condemn,
28:59then you will not be recognized in the mainstream media.
29:04The International Court of Justice,
29:06which has many Western powers represented on its court,
29:11they would overwhelmingly,
29:12including the American judge at the time, Joan Dunahue,
29:16would overwhelmingly say that Israel
29:18is plausibly committing genocide in Gaza.
29:21That nobody could predict.
29:23I would never have predicted that.
29:24I didn't.
29:25I thought the court would never do that.
29:27Students who have enormous challenges ahead of them.
29:31There is a weak economy.
29:33There is student debt.
29:35There is climate change.
29:37They have many political challenges.
29:40Who would have predicted that of all the political challenges
29:44confronting them,
29:45they would invest their energies and really make real sacrifices,
29:49real sacrifices for the sake of a poor, powerless,
29:53and stateless people halfway around the world,
29:56namely the people of Gaza.
29:58And it was not predicted by me, for sure.
30:02Whether what Hamas did on October 7th was a wise thing or a stupid thing,
30:08whether it was a necessary step towards ending the horror in Gaza,
30:15or whether it was a totally criminal act,
30:18I have been reluctant to pass judgment.
30:20I kind of think it should be up to the people of Gaza to decide
30:24whether what happened, not just on October 7th,
30:28but for the past seven months.
30:30We still may be closer to the beginning than to the end of the conflict.
30:33It's for them to decide whether it was worth it.
30:36Gaza has been turned into a parking lot.
30:39Israel has destroyed everything.
30:41It is so pulverized, so reduced to dust,
30:47that a large number of people not only don't have a home to go back to,
30:53but they have no idea where their home was.
30:55If you imagine your neighborhood where you live,
30:58where it's all reduced to rubble,
31:00let's say an atomic bomb were dropped in your neighborhood,
31:02and it's all rubble.
31:04It's just pebbles, stones, dust.
31:06Could you find your block where you lived in that rubble?
31:13That's Gaza.
31:14And it's going to be for the people themselves to decide whether it was worth it.
31:19I don't want to pass a judgment on that.
31:22There's no question in my mind that the student movement played a critical role
31:28in forcing President Biden to adjust his policies,
31:34which up until the emergence of the student movement,
31:37were enabling the Israeli genocide with no restrictions whatsoever.
31:43The student movement posed a very big problem for President Biden
31:47for a very simple reason.
31:49It catapulted the anti-genocide movement to a new level of public awareness.
31:56Obviously, there was public awareness about Gaza before the student movement,
32:00but the student movement raised it to a new level, the public awareness.
32:04And the second thing was students represent votes,
32:09and this is a presidential year.
32:12And Biden was being informed by his pollsters,
32:16the people who predict voter turnout and predict who will win,
32:21that these student demonstrations were doing real damage
32:25to the base of the Democratic Party.
32:29Large numbers of young people, and not just young people,
32:32were not going to vote for him because of what's going on in Gaza.
32:35And it was the student movement which, let's just say,
32:39it brought the issue to critical mass.
32:43Obviously, there was a lot of concern before,
32:46but the student movement raised it to a new level
32:49and forced Biden to reconsider his policies.
32:54I personally thought that he would make the adjustment, Biden, at New Year's time,
33:00because I felt he thought he needed at least a year
33:04to get on board with the anti-genocide movement.
33:07What happened was he and his campaign managers decided they needed half a year,
33:14that by June, with the election five months off,
33:17we really have to end this Gaza thing because it's causing us too much damage.
33:21They didn't believe that in January.
33:23In January, they thought they could still go on,
33:25and, you know, the war will end maybe in June,
33:27and people will forget because people do forget, it's true.
33:30And then the argument about Biden being a lesser evil to Trump would set in.
33:35Obviously, there was a lot of awareness before the student movement.
33:38Obviously, there are many factors involved in Biden's decision.
33:43There is the International Court of Justice.
33:46There is the International Criminal Court.
33:48There is European allies.
33:51There is the Security Council.
33:53All over, there were sharp criticisms of Israel and the United States
33:59because the U.S. was enabling it.
34:01But I think the factor that put it over the top or was critical mass was the student movement.
34:08Now, I would say, just as a side note, I always listen closely to the Chinese representative.
34:15Frankly, I think at this point, everyone recognizes what the Chinese say
34:19is probably the most significant statements now coming out of the Security Council
34:24because the others are predictable, whereas the Chinese,
34:27you're looking for every choice of words to see exactly where they stand.
34:32But their position has, both in my opinion, the Ukraine and also in Gaza,
34:38their position has been very reasonable, in my view.
34:42In any event, the student movement will inevitably die out during the summer
34:46because schools are out, campuses are empty, and it's too soon to say what things will look like.
34:58First of all, Taiwan is part of China.
35:02Unequivocal, no question, no doubt.
35:06And by the way, that is true in the views of both sides of the straits.
35:12That was never an issue.
35:14Then, when the United States established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China,
35:20they said unequivocally, one China policy.
35:25This was not ambiguous.
35:27Then in 1982, when the famous communique was issued about Taiwan,
35:34the United States said, we have no intention of arming Taiwan for the long term.
35:40We will continue to provide arms to Taiwan,
35:44but on a diminishing basis that will be phased out.
35:48People can read the communique from 42 years ago.
35:52This is not ambiguous.
35:54The United States should not be interfering,
35:58especially, by the way, in my opinion, for Taiwan's well-being,
36:03because it makes things much more dangerous for Taiwan,
36:07for the United States to be taking unilateral actions.
36:12And I have many friends in Taiwan,
36:15and I admire many, many people and institutions in Taiwan.
36:19When I was in Taipei, I said to my friends, don't become like Ukraine.
36:26Ukraine is in war now because it's a proxy war between the U.S. and Russia.
36:34I think that some understand it and some don't.
36:37By the way, older people tend to understand it more.
36:41Younger people tend to understand it less.
36:44And there's something very dangerous they don't understand.
36:49The U.S. violates all of our diplomatic commitments.
36:54It violates our communiques.
36:56It violates Taiwan's own interests.
36:59It's provocative.
37:00It's interference in the internal affairs of China.
37:04To make Taiwan safe, in my view, the United States should say,
37:10there is one China, but we call for peace.
37:15We call for peaceful relations across the straits,
37:18but we are not going to get involved.
37:21We're not going to meddle.
37:22We're not going to send arms.
37:24If the People's Republic of China asks us not to have a delegation go to Taiwan,
37:32we respect that because that is one China.
37:35We do not want to be a provocation.
37:38We want good, open relations, and we want peaceful relations across the straits,
37:44which I do believe is a universal value, and I believe a Chinese value as well.
37:50But that means don't arm Taiwan to the teeth.
37:53That's provocation.
37:55That's what happened in Ukraine, which is we told the Ukrainians,
38:00we have your back.
38:01You're absolutely safe.
38:03Don't worry about it.
38:04You should become part of NATO.
38:06And the Ukrainians believed it, and I tried to tell them, by the way, for many years,
38:12listen, I'm getting to be an old guy.
38:14I remember Vietnam.
38:16I remember Iraq.
38:17I remember Syria.
38:18I remember Libya.
38:20Don't fall into this trap.
38:22And you know what?
38:23They said, we don't believe you, Professor Sachs.
38:27We have the U.S. on our side.
38:29I said, oh, don't end up like Afghanistan.
38:33The U.S. said, oh, we're on your side, and we left Afghanistan in ruins after 40 years.
38:39I said, you're going to suffer the same fate in Europe to be like Afghanistan in Europe.
38:44Don't let it happen.
38:46Be prudent.
38:47Be careful.
38:48They didn't understand that.
38:49They sided with a U.S. interventionist agenda for the U.S. to move NATO into Ukraine
38:57against Russia's security interests.
39:00This was a huge mistake.
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