If you picked up yesterday’s leading French newspapers Le Monde or Figaro, you might be excused for thinking that the sole purpose of President Emmanuel Macron’s three day visit to Beijing in the company of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is to lecture the Chinese leadership on its obligations as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to denounce the Russian military operation in Ukraine and to end all support for the Kremlin. There was no hint that Macron brought with him 50 CEOs of France’s leading corporations who were looking forward to signing business contracts that were prepared ahead of the visit.
Last night’s digest of news sent to subscribers by The Financial Times summed this up nicely: “French president Emmanuel Macron has gone to Beijing in the latest attempt by a European leader to urge China’s Xi Jinping to withdraw support for Russian president Vladimir Putin.”
Of course, this interpretation of the meaning of the trip comes from those who fail to comprehend the stature of today’s Chinese leadership and its ability to enforce the millennial traditions of the country when dealing with the barbarians beyond its borders. China would never have agreed to receive Macron or von der Leyen if it perceived that their purpose was to deliver demeaning lectures about what Beijing should or should not do with respect to Russia. No, Xi, like Macron, had expectations of major new contracts with Airbus, to spite America’s Boeing, and with other French concerns which are desperate not to lose their privileged access to the Chinese market and to Chinese manufacturing capacities.
In my interview with Press TV of Iran’s evening program of news analysis yesterday, I was given the opportunity to explain why the trip has been misrepresented to Western audiences, and how any business deals that result from it will not be featured in our newspapers or state television channels, as would normally be the case in good times.
At the conclusion of my time on air, I brought up another major event of the past month which also was blacked out by our broadcasters, namely the destruction of an underground bunker near the Western Ukraine city of Liviv by a Russian hypersonic missile Kinzhal, which cost the lives of more than 200 NATO generals and other high military officers, including about 20 Americans. That event, which first was announced very discreetly on Russian news tickers immediately following its execution, was again quietly and briefly mentioned on the Yandex ticker yesterday with respect to the “shipment in crates” of the recovered remains of those officers killed to their home countries in the West.
©Gilbert Doctorow, 2023
https://www.urmedium.com/c/presstv/122904
Translations below into French (Youri), German (Andreas Mylaeus), Brazilian Portuguese (Evandro Menezes) and Spanish (Hugo Guido)
Macron en Chine : s’agit-il de faire la morale à ses hôtes chinois ou de promouvoir les affaires françaises ?
Si vous avez lu les principaux journaux français d’hier, Le Monde ou Le Figaro, vous pourriez être excusé de penser que le seul but de la visite de trois jours du président Emmanuel Macron à Pékin en compagnie de la présidente de la Commission européenne, Ursula von der Leyen, est de faire la leçon aux dirigeants chinois sur leurs obligations en tant que membre permanent du Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU de dénoncer l’opération militaire russe en Ukraine et de mettre fin à tout soutien au Kremlin. Rien n’indique que M. Macron a emmené avec lui 50 PDG des plus grandes entreprises françaises, qui attendaient avec impatience de signer des contrats commerciaux préparés avant la visite.
Le condensé de nouvelles envoyé hier soir aux abonnés par le Financial Times résume bien la situation : « Le président français Emmanuel Macron s’est rendu à Pékin dans le cadre de la dernière tentative d’un dirigeant européen d’exhorter le président chinois Xi Jinping à retirer son soutien au président russe Vladimir Poutine ».
Bien entendu, cette interprétation de la signification du voyage est le fait de ceux qui ne comprennent pas la stature des dirigeants chinois actuels et leur capacité à faire respecter les traditions millénaires du pays lorsqu’ils traitent avec les barbares qui se trouvent au-delà de ses frontières. La Chine n’aurait jamais accepté de recevoir Macron ou von der Leyen si elle avait perçu que leur but était de donner des leçons de morale sur ce que Pékin devrait ou ne devrait pas faire à l’égard de la Russie. Non, Xi, comme Macron, s’attendait à de nouveaux contrats importants avec Airbus pour contrer l’américain Boeing, et avec d’autres entreprises françaises qui veulent à tout prix préserver leur accès privilégié au marché chinois et aux capacités de production chinoises.
Lors de l’entretien que j’ai accordé hier à la chaîne iranienne Press TV dans son émission d’analyse de l’actualité du soir, j’ai eu l’occasion d’expliquer pourquoi ce voyage a été mal présenté au public occidental et comment les transactions commerciales qui en résulteront ne seront pas présentées dans nos journaux ou sur les chaînes de télévision d’État, comme ce serait normalement le cas en période de prospérité.
À la fin de mon temps d’antenne, j’ai évoqué un autre événement majeur du mois dernier qui a également été occulté par nos diffuseurs, à savoir la destruction d’un bunker souterrain près de la ville de Lviv, dans l’ouest de l’Ukraine, par un missile hypersonique russe Kinzhal, qui a coûté la vie à plus de 200 généraux de l’OTAN et autres hauts gradés militaires, dont une vingtaine d’Américains. Cet événement, qui a d’abord été annoncé très discrètement sur les téléscripteurs russes immédiatement après son exécution, a de nouveau été mentionné discrètement et brièvement sur le téléscripteur Yandex hier, en ce qui concerne l’« expédition dans des caisses » des dépouilles des officiers tués vers leurs pays d’origine en Occident.
https://www.urmedium.com/c/presstv/122904
This used to be called the “kow tow”
Wer gestern die führenden französischen Zeitungen Le Monde oder Figaro gelesen hat, könnte meinen, dass der einzige Zweck des dreitägigen Besuchs von Präsident Emmanuel Macron in Peking in Begleitung von EU-Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen darin besteht, die chinesische Führung über ihre Verpflichtungen als ständiges Mitglied des UN-Sicherheitsrats zu belehren, die russische Militäroperation in der Ukraine zu verurteilen und jegliche Unterstützung für den Kreml einzustellen. Es gab keinen Hinweis darauf, dass Macron 50 Vorstandsvorsitzende führender französischer Unternehmen mitbrachte, die sich auf die Unterzeichnung von Geschäftsverträgen freuten, die im Vorfeld des Besuchs vorbereitet worden waren.
Die Zusammenfassung der Nachrichten, die The Financial Times gestern Abend an ihre Abonnenten verschickt hat, fasst dies treffend zusammen: “Der französische Präsident Emmanuel Macron ist nach Peking gereist und hat damit den jüngsten Versuch eines europäischen Staatsoberhauptes unternommen, Chinas Xi Jinping zu drängen, dem russischen Präsidenten Wladimir Putin die Unterstützung zu entziehen.”
Diese Interpretation der Bedeutung der Reise stammt natürlich von denjenigen, die die Größe der heutigen chinesischen Führung und ihre Fähigkeit, die tausendjährigen Traditionen des Landes gegenüber den Barbaren jenseits seiner Grenzen durchzusetzen, nicht verstehen. China hätte sich niemals bereit erklärt, Macron oder von der Leyen zu empfangen, wenn es den Eindruck gehabt hätte, dass deren Zweck darin bestünde, erniedrigende Vorträge darüber zu halten, was Peking in Bezug auf Russland tun oder lassen sollte. Nein, Xi, wie auch Macron, erwarteten große neue Verträge mit Airbus, um der amerikanischen Boeing zu trotzen, und mit anderen französischen Konzernen, die unbedingt ihren privilegierten Zugang zum chinesischen Markt und zu den chinesischen Produktionskapazitäten nicht verlieren wollen.
In meinem gestrigen Interview mit dem iranischen Nachrichtensender Press TV hatte ich die Gelegenheit, zu erklären, warum die Reise im Westen falsch dargestellt wurde und dass die daraus resultierenden Geschäftsabschlüsse nicht in unseren Zeitungen oder im staatlichen Fernsehen erscheinen werden, wie es in guten Zeiten normalerweise der Fall wäre.
Zum Abschluss meiner Sendung habe ich ein weiteres wichtiges Ereignis des vergangenen Monats angesprochen, das von unseren Sendern ebenfalls verschwiegen wurde, nämlich die Zerstörung eines unterirdischen Bunkers in der Nähe der westukrainischen Stadt Lwiw durch eine russische Hyperschallrakete Kinzhal, die mehr als 200 NATO-Generäle und andere hohe Militärs, darunter etwa 20 Amerikaner, das Leben kostete. Dieses Ereignis, das in den russischen Nachrichtensendern unmittelbar nach seiner Ausführung sehr diskret angekündigt wurde, wurde gestern im Yandex-Ticker im Zusammenhang mit der “Verbringung der geborgenen sterblichen Überreste der getöteten Offiziere in Kisten” in ihre westlichen Heimatländer erneut leise und kurz erwähnt.
Macron na China: se trata de se fazerem sermões para seus anfitriões chineses ou de se promoverem acordos de negócios franceses?
Se se leram ontem os principais jornais franceses Le Monde ou Figaro, pode se desculpar por se pensar que o único objetivo da visita de três dias do presidente Emmanuel Macron a Pequim, na companhia da presidente da Comissão da UE, Ursula von der Leyen, é dar um sermão à liderança chinesa sobre suas obrigações, como membro permanente do Conselho de Segurança da ONU, de denunciar a operação militar russa na Ucrânia e encerrar todo o apoio ao Kremlin. Não havia nenhum indício de que Macron trouxera consigo 50 executivos das principais corporações francesas, que estavam ansiosos para assinar contratos comerciais preparados antes da visita.
A resenha de notícias da noite passada, enviado aos assinantes pelo The Financial Times, resumiu assim: “O presidente francês Emmanuel Macron foi a Pequim na última tentativa de um líder europeu insistindo que o chinês Xi Jinping retire o apoio ao presidente russo Vladimir Putin”.
Claro, esta interpretação do significado da viagem vem daqueles que não conseguem compreender a estatura da liderança chinesa de hoje e sua capacidade de aplicar suas tradições milenares ao lidar com os bárbaros além de suas fronteiras. A China nunca teria concordado em receber Macron ou von der Leyen se percebesse que o propósito deles era dar sermões humilhantes sobre o que Pequim deveria ou não fazer em relação à Rússia. Não, Xi, como Macron, tinha expectativas de novos contratos importantes com a Airbus, desafiando a estadunidense Boeing, e com outras empresas francesas que estão desesperadas para não perderem o acesso privilegiado ao mercado e à capacidade de manufatura chineses.
Em minha entrevista ontem, com o programa noturno de análise de notícias da Press TV iraniana, tive a oportunidade de explicar porquê a viagem foi distorcida para o público ocidental e como quaisquer negócios resultantes dela não serão apresentados em nossos jornais ou canais de televisão, como normalmente aconteceria nos bons tempos.
Na conclusão de meu tempo no ar, mencionei outro grande evento do mês passado que também foi ocultado por nossas emissoras, ou seja, a destruição de um abrigo subterrâneo, perto da cidade de Liviv, no oeste da Ucrânia, por um míssil hipersônico russo Kinzhal, que custou a vida de mais de 200 generais da OTAN e de outros altos oficiais militares, incluindo cerca de 20 estadunidenses. Este evento, que primeiramente foi anunciado muito discretamente nos noticiários russos imediatamente após sua execução, foi novamente mencionado, de forma discreta e breve, no sumário de notícias do Yandex ontem, sobre os restos mortais recuperados dos oficiais mortos “serem enviados em engradados” para seus países de origem no Ocidente.
Macron en China: ¿se trata de leer conferencias a sus anfitriones chinos o de promover acuerdos comerciales franceses?
Si usted leyó los principales periódicos franceses de ayer, Le Monde o Fígaro, podrían disculparle por pensar que el único propósito de la visita de tres días del presidente Emmanuel Macron a Beijing en compañía de la presidenta de la Comisión Europea, Ursula von der Leyen, fue sermonear a los líderes chinos sobre su obligación como miembro permanente del Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU de denunciar la operación militar rusa en Ucrania y poner fin a todo apoyo al Kremlin. No hubo indicios de que Macron trajera consigo a 50 directores ejecutivos de las principales corporaciones de Francia que esperaban firmar contratos comerciales que se prepararon antes de la visita.
El resumen de anoche de las noticias enviadas a los suscriptores del The Financial Times lo resumió muy bien: “El presidente francés Emmanuel Macron ha ido a Beijing en el último intento de un líder europeo de instar a Xi Jinping de China a retirar su apoyo al presidente ruso Vladimir Putin”.
Por supuesto, esta interpretación del significado del viaje proviene de aquellos que no comprenden la estatura del liderazgo chino actual y su capacidad para hacer cumplir las tradiciones milenarias del país cuando se trata de lidiar con los bárbaros más allá de sus fronteras. China nunca habría aceptado recibir a Macron o a von der Leyen si percibiera que su propósito era dar conferencias degradantes sobre lo que Beijing debería o no debería hacer con respecto a Rusia. No, Xi, al igual que Macron, tenía expectativas de nuevos contratos importantes con Airbus, a pesar de perjudicar a Boeing de Estados Unidos, y demás intereses franceses que están desesperados por no perder su acceso privilegiado al mercado chino y a las capacidades de fabricación chinas.
En mi entrevista de ayer en el programa nocturno de análisis de noticias de Press TV de Irán, tuve la oportunidad de explicar por qué el viaje ha sido tergiversado ante el público occidental, y cómo cualquier acuerdo comercial que resulte de él no se presentará en nuestros periódicos o canales de televisión estatales, como normalmente sería el caso en un tiempo más benigno.
Para concluir mi tiempo al aire, mencioné otro evento importante del mes pasado que también fue bloqueado por nuestras emisoras, a saber, la destrucción de un búnker subterráneo cerca de la ciudad ucraniana occidental de Liviv por un misil hipersónico ruso Kinzhal, que costó la vida a más de 200 generales de la OTAN y otros altos oficiales militares, incluyendo a unos 20 estadounidenses. Ese evento, que se anunció por primera vez muy discretamente en los teletipos de noticias rusos inmediatamente después de su ejecución, se mencionó nuevamente en voz baja y brevemente en el teletipo Yandex ayer con respecto al “envío en cajas” de los restos recuperados de los oficiales asesinados a sus países de origen en Occidente.
Gilbert Doctorow 
This comment is deserving of reflection and has quite some implications. If it is true that Macron is visiting China with a delegation of CEO’s, which I do not doubt for the reasons you explain, then is this an example of how the EU has to deal with “kid gloves” when it comes to the US ego? In other words, on the surface individual EU countries are all rage and fury at Russia, but under the surface it recognizes that the future of Europe is dependent on good relations with its eastern neighbors, regardless of the sensitivities of certain border countries?
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China Inc no doubt views France as just one more small market, albeit one with an independent nuclear deterrent and some reasonably advanced technology in the aerospace industry. French automotive firms have not fared well in the Chinese market, unlike the Germans, General Motors and lately Tesla. Now that Stellantis, which is basically the amalgamation of the old Fiat and Peugeot and Chrysler empires, is withdrawing from China manufacturing because nobody there is much impressed with Renaults, Peugeots, Citroens and Jeeps, France is in a bit of a pickle in its trade balance relations with China. Somehow, France has to pay for Chinese-manufactured consumer imports, so some horse-trading is certainly due. Macron, as a neoliberal par excellence via privatising things like French airports before becoming president, has no doubt been propelled by his big industry chiefs to get on with doing something before it all collapses in on them. So, I think you’re correct in your assessment on France’s reason for dispatching Macron on a visit to meet Xi.
However, Frau von der Lyin’ is a different kettle of fish entirely. One wonders exactly who invited her along on this trip, or did she simply invite herself, thus to keep an eye on the schoolboy Macron. To, as it were, ride herd politically on Macron, even if it’s really none of her damnable business as a professional dolt responsible to nobody. She seems to take her role as dunderhead in charge of the European Commission very seriously, using her unelected chief bureaucrat of the EU status very boldly, replete with an air of extreme self-importance and self-entitlement. I have been completely unimpressed with her none-too-swift or imaginative handling of her reign, er, job. I regard her as a dullard with an anti-Russian ideology, nowhere near as sly as Christine Lagarde, past head of the IMF and inventor of fake justifications for loans to Ukraine, and now mainland European neoliberal champion as head of the ECB.
If von der Lyin’ has a moment of inadvertence during the China trip with li’l Emmanuel, she could easily blow up his trade talks. I put the chances of her not screwing up at some point at no more than 50:50. She likes bloviating, and if Xi has had a chat with Putin as to how he should deal with her, it would then be up to Xi’s good graces if he decided to not boot the silly woman out of his country at once, if she succumbs to her constant need to lecture others as to how to run their lives and countries.
We shall see.
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Yes. 3 Wars: Civil war W vs E Ukraine, Nato vs Russia and US vs Germany (or vs EU or vs China – you can choose).
US is cutting off the US trading block from China. Obviously Russia will be outside teh block, hence Ukraine, bombing NS2, and creating a great big blockage at the Western end of the Silk roads.
Yes of course Macron wants to maintain trade links with China – and yes that is in China’s interest too. But the US will fight that to the end.
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The issue is will the Chinese be willing to co-operate with these new contracts?
After all they could tell the Macron to bugger off, and predicate any future deals on the premise that the EU officials/leaders keep their damn traps shut about China’s internal matters & other foreign relations whilst in Beijing.
Also that 200 NATO officers/agents number seems high, where did that number come from? And have there been similar incidents on a smaller scale?
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It will come as no surprise that the only information I could find on the Lviv attack is being actively “debunked” in Western articles.
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Just like Macron is trying to drive a wedge between China and Russia, China is trying to drive a wedge between America and Europe. Neither seems very successful. France is the junior partner in Europe, and it is all well and good for Macron to say relatively conciliatory things, but if he can’t bring the Germans and Poles and others along, it doesn’t make much difference.
Russia and China are keenly aware that they are currently the weaker party in this new Cold War between them and the developed world block (don’t forget about Japan and SK). Russia especially so because it is indeed the much weaker party now in direct conflict with the bigger stronger block. But even China acts that way to an extent that would have surprised me a few years ago, trying to be “reasonable” and continue to try to negotiate with whoever Europeans are willing and even with the Americans on-and-off again. I very much doubt China is happy about the war because there would not likely be nearly as strong sanctions against its semiconductor industry absent how the war has riled up the west and brought Europe together with the USA. But the war is there as a fait accompli and abandoning Russia would not be in China’s medium term interest as the target would likely soon enough shift to its back
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I’m not sure where you get that Russia (with China, even) are the weaker “bloc”. Russia is defeating NATO in Ukraine–although I will allow that the coming (?) Western offensive may tell if NATO goes down in defeat sooner rather than later. Keep in mind that Russia and China have made significant inroads to the Global South, including India and Saudi Arabia. The Western bloc is not only losing on the battlefield but in the geopolitical realms as well.
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No doubt Xi and China are thrilled with being scolded by unelected little big mouth Von der Leyen. Before long, China will tell VDL where to stick it. Macron is always duplicitous in hiding behind the E.U. when it serves his purposes. He deflects to the E.U. whenever he wants to dodge any criticism of France or his own policies. This presents an ambiguous spectacle to the world. It makes it impossible to tell whether France is subservient to the E.U. or vice versa. This is a variant of the Biden Regime strategy of always having someone else to demonize (Trump, Putin, Xi etc.) in order to deflect from Biden’s own weakness and abject failure. Media companies are complicit in this type of blatant, obvious subterfuge coming from both Biden and Macron. That is just enough to keep the useful idiots who elect them safe in their self-delusion and affirmation bias.
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ON SUPERSONICS – Thanks Doctorow for another of your great commentaries Am especially interested in your last remarks commenting on Russia using its supersonic weapons against NATO targets in Liviv. And so they should!
It’s highly likely this latest event will be buried by censorship in western media. But there’s a general article About Russia using supersonics in Kiev earlier. A rather strange article it is – Below is an extract – Why the alarm over Russia’s use of hypersonic missiles in Ukraine is misplaced By Andrew W. Reddie | March 31, 2023 Why the alarm over Russia’s use of hypersonic missiles in Ukraine is misplaced – Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (thebulletin.org)
A Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missile carried by a MiG-31K. Photo credit: Russian Presidential Press and Information Office
31/3/2023 The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists – “Early in March, news outlets reported that almost a year after Russia first used Kinzhal (Kh-47M2) hypersonic missiles in Ukraine, Moscow had used six more of its hypersonic weapons as part of a particularly severe attack that also included Kh-22 anti-ship missiles, S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, and Iranian Shahed drones. Of note, Ukraine’s theater missile defense could not prevent the six Kinzhal missiles—among many of the other missile variants—from getting to their targets. The missile fusillade ultimately caused at least nine civilian deaths.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this attack led to a substantial increase in reporting about hypersonics, with coverage from the BBC, New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, and NPR among other outlets. The alarmism captured in this reporting indicates the broader misunderstanding concerning the characteristics of hypersonic weapons that matter in both the Ukraine context and (as I wrote earlier in the Bulletin) the broader strategic context involving Washington, Moscow, and Beijing.This alarmism has two strands.
The first concerns the ability of the Kinzhal missile to evade Ukraine’s air defenses. This is driven by its speed—according to CSIS, the Kinzhal rapidly accelerates to Mach 4 (4,900 kilometers per hour) and can travel as fast as Mach 10 (12,350 km/hr)—and its maneuverability. Regardless of the speed and maneuverability of Russian missiles, the ability of hypersonic and non-hypersonic missiles to make it through air defenses should be unsurprising
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You are clearly the proud owner of an extra chromosome.
A kinzhal is just a modified Iskander affixed to an Su-34, neither of which, barring use of a nuclear warhead, could ever penetrate a bunker.
Furthermore, why would NATO staff 200 generals (do we even have that many?) in an active theatre or war when they could station command and control one inch within Polish or Baltic territory and be free from Russian threat? Hell, they could do this from North America.
You clearly know nothing of NATO C&C, much less the capabilities of Russian weapons systems. Your fecklessness is second to none.
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MiG-31*
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First, I greatly doubt you have any idea about what a chromosome is.
Secondly, you clearly do not know what a Kinzhal is, it has nothing to do with an Iskander or with a Su-34.
Finally, a NATO command center in Ukraine would astonish no one. But for that matter, it could have been in Poland. Only both parties are reticent because none of them want a nuclear war right now. Your comment was subintelligent and not worthy of this site, there it rests.
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