China Now 09-12: Into COP28 Insights: The Role and Potential of Shanghai's Carbon Market
The China Now special program informs about this country's news, culture and technological advances. This episode analyzes the role of Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State, in the development of Sino-U.S. relations.
In the Overlap segment, Palestinians Arwa Abu Hashhash (Co-funder of Besieged Truth Initiative) and Dr. Akel Taqaz (Coordinator of International Relations of the Palestinian People´s Party) are interviewed. teleSUR
In the Overlap segment, Palestinians Arwa Abu Hashhash (Co-funder of Besieged Truth Initiative) and Dr. Akel Taqaz (Coordinator of International Relations of the Palestinian People´s Party) are interviewed. teleSUR
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Hello, Telestudio English presents a new episode of China Now.
00:12 A White Media's production that showcases the culture, technology and politics of the
00:16 action giant.
00:17 In the first segment, we have the news of the passing away of former US Secretary of
00:22 State Henry Kissinger.
00:24 We are going to see the review of his word and key role between the US and China relations.
00:30 Also we have the United Nations Security Council convene a high-level meeting to address the
00:36 long-standing Israel-Palestinian conflict led by China in this role as the current road
00:42 in presidency.
00:43 Let's see.
00:44 China Current is a weekly news talk show from China to the world.
00:48 We cover viral news about China every week and also give you the newest updates on China's
00:53 cutting-edge technologies.
00:55 Let's get started.
01:05 Hi welcome to China Current, I'm Chris.
01:08 Let's start today's episode by bidding farewell to the symbol of Cold War realpolitik.
01:13 On November 30th, Henry Kissinger, the former US Secretary of State and a towering figure
01:18 in international diplomacy during the Nixon and Ford administrations, has passed away
01:23 at age of 100.
01:25 The news marks the end of an era for the man who played a pivotal role in shaping American
01:30 foreign policy in the late 20th century.
01:33 Born in Fürth, Germany, Kissinger emigrated to the United States as a teenager to escape
01:38 the Nazi regime.
01:40 As a US top diplomat, Kissinger played a crucial role in many significant international events,
01:46 including the establishment of US diplomatic relations with China, the negotiations of
01:51 the Paris Peace Accords and helped end the Vietnam War and the initiation of detente
01:56 with the Soviet Union.
01:58 Henry Kissinger, as the United States National Security Advisor and later as Secretary of
02:02 State during the Nixon administration, made a secret trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese
02:08 Premier Zhou Enlai in 1971, paved the way for President Richard Nixon's historic visit
02:14 to China the following year.
02:17 Kissinger maintained the role as an informal diplomat and consultant on foreign policy,
02:22 including US-China relations, long after he left public office.
02:27 He visited China numerous times in the decades after he initially helped open diplomatic
02:31 relations between the US and China, meeting with Chinese leaders and giving speeches on
02:36 international relations and diplomacy.
02:40 Many Chinese feel Kissinger as a key architect of the diplomatic breakthrough with China
02:45 and appreciate his pragmatic approach to international politics.
02:49 His book "On China," which outlines his perspective on Chinese geopolitical strategy
02:55 and history, has been widely read in the country.
02:58 In a world of today, it would be hard, if not impossible, to see another man maneuvering
03:03 diplomacy based on realpolitik.
03:05 In order to build allies based on not ideology but purely pragmatic reasons.
03:11 But I'm not mourning the end of that era.
03:14 Realpolitik, at least when in the hands of the Americans, was gone for good.
03:18 It may be credited for paving the way for normalized Sino-American relations and giving
03:23 Kissinger a Nobel Peace Prize for ending the Vietnam War.
03:27 But remember, contributing to that prize, there were also the war crimes in Indochina,
03:32 the deadly coup d'etat against Saudi Arabia in Chile, the firm support of the bloodbath
03:37 in East Timor, and, as we are witnessing this very moment, the Palestinian question.
03:43 Henry Kissinger was a man of his time.
03:46 The Cold War, a period when imperialistic diplomacy was in its all-out form, that period
03:52 has long gone, and the death of Henry Kissinger just officially crafted the epitaph of that
03:56 historical episode.
03:59 Next up, Gaza.
04:00 On November 29th, the United Nations Security Council convened a high-level meeting to address
04:05 the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
04:08 Led by China in its role as the current and rotating presidency, the meeting aimed to
04:13 foster an enduring ceasefire between the two nations.
04:16 Attended by foreign ministers and representatives of nearly 20 countries, including Palestine,
04:21 Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, as well as all Security Council members, the
04:27 discussion sought to revive efforts toward a viable solution.
04:31 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed the urgent need for the UN to assume a more
04:35 active role in supervising humanitarian assistance to Gaza and called for a full implementation
04:41 of Resolution 2712.
04:44 The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also released the position paper of the People's
04:48 Republic of China on resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, outlining five key principles aimed
04:55 at advancing the peace process.
04:58 These included advocating for a comprehensive ceasefire, prioritizing the protection of
05:03 civilians, ensuring robust humanitarian aid provisions, intensifying diplomatic mediation
05:10 efforts, and ultimately achieving a political resolution through the implementation of the
05:15 two-state solution.
05:17 Minister Wang Yi underscored the prolonged neglect of the Palestinian people's right
05:21 to statehood, survival, and return, which lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian
05:27 conflict.
05:28 He emphasized that the fairness and justice of the two-state solution is irreplaceable
05:34 in resolving the Palestinian question.
05:37 Next up, on November 27, in response to massive rumor that Dell is planning on withdrawing
05:42 from the Chinese market, Dell's Vice President Wu Dongmei said Dell has never released any
05:48 misinformation regarding the so-called withdrawal from China.
05:52 Since earlier this year, rumors have been rampant about one of the largest laptop producers
05:56 withdrawing its supply chain from China.
05:59 The market worried that Dell is planning to decrease its chip procurement from Chinese
06:03 suppliers gradually, and the rumor even went to the point that Dell wants to completely
06:08 exit China.
06:09 "These rumors are definitely false," the vice president reassured.
06:14 Similar whispers have grown in the past months as China's economy recovers amidst tense China-U.S.
06:19 relations.
06:21 Just days before Wu's clarification, rumors spread that Dell would stop selling a portion
06:25 of its product equipped with high-end AMD graphics cards on the Chinese market to comply
06:30 with U.S. chip plans.
06:32 In early November, U.S. investment giant Vanguard dismantled its last operating team in China.
06:39 According to China's Ministry of Commerce, the actual use of foreign direct investment
06:43 in the first three quarters of 2023 shows an 8.4% year-on-year decline.
06:49 Also in October, the governor of China's central bank emphasized in a report the need to prevent
06:54 the risk of abnormal fluctuations in cross-border fund flows, which analysts interpreted as
07:00 an echo of the Commerce Ministry's statistics.
07:03 In September, prominent chip producer Qualcomm confirmed it would lay off 20% of its employees
07:08 in its Shanghai office.
07:10 Yet many interpret these intertwined signs as market behaviors rather than a wave of
07:15 foreign investment escaping China en masse.
07:18 The Federal Reserve Board has maintained the federal funds rates in the range of 5.25 to
07:24 5.5%, the highest level in 22 years, and there's no reason to ignore such an impact on investment
07:30 behavior.
07:31 There will certainly be some fluctuations, as addressed in a column published by China
07:36 News Service, one of China's state media outlets.
07:39 With Xi Biden meeting in San Francisco amid the APEC summit, the market expects welcome
07:44 signs of rebounding economic interactions between the two countries.
07:49 Next up, diplomacy.
07:50 On November 26, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, along with South Korean Foreign Minister
07:55 Park Jin and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi jointly attended the 10th China-Japan-South
08:02 Korea Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Busan.
08:05 This year marks the resumption of the trilateral foreign ministers' meeting between China,
08:09 Japan and South Korea after a four-year hiatus.
08:12 As close neighbors, China would continue to adhere to the principles of being friendly
08:17 and cooperative with its neighbors and work together with South Korea and Japan to promote
08:22 resumption of trilateral cooperation.
08:25 Chinese experts believe this meeting will not only pave the way for high-level meetings
08:29 between the three Asian countries, but also will inject stability in the region and ensure
08:34 up the three countries' cooperation to offset the negative consequences of the current challenges
08:40 from the global turmoil.
08:42 Next up, against the backdrop of intensifying global competition, China organized its first
08:47 international supply chain expo from November 28 to December 2 in Beijing.
08:53 The expo aimed to provide a platform for industry players to explore opportunities, promote
08:58 cooperation and showcase its latest advances in the supply chain sector.
09:02 It attracted 515 domestic and international companies and organizations.
09:08 Coinciding with the expo on November 27, U.S. President Joe Biden announced the establishment
09:13 of the White House Supply Chain Resilience Committee.
09:16 This move comes as the United States seeks to strengthen its supply chain capabilities
09:20 and reduce its dependency on foreign sources.
09:24 Biden emphasized that the United States would never give up and predicted that historians
09:28 will view this moment as the starting point for America's success in 21st century competition.
09:35 While geopolitical tensions persist, American businesses showcased significant enthusiasm
09:40 for the expo, despite the U.S. government's repeated rhetoric on supply chain decoupling.
09:46 According to the China International Chamber of Commerce, for the private sector, American
09:50 exhibitors accounted for 25 percent of the registered overseas exhibitors at the event.
09:56 As the world grapples with evolving economic dynamics and competition, the expo offers
10:01 the platform for stakeholders to forge partnerships, explore opportunities and contribute to the
10:07 future of global supply chains.
10:09 Last but not least, on November 27, a court hearing of the aviation transportation liability
10:15 dispute related to MH370 began in the People's Court of Chaoyang District, Beijing.
10:21 It is understood that more than 40 families of the passengers have filed lawsuits, with
10:26 a case set to be heard between November 27 and December 6 at the Chaoyang Court in Beijing.
10:32 Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by
10:37 Malaysia Airlines that disappeared on March 8, 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur International
10:44 Airport, Malaysia to Beijing Capital International Airport in China.
10:48 The aircraft operating the flight, a Boeing 777-200ER, last made contact with air traffic
10:54 control when it was over the South China Sea less than an hour after takeoff.
10:58 It disappeared from air traffic control's radar screen soon after.
11:03 With all 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board presumed dead, the disappearance
11:08 of Flight 370 was the deadliest incident involving a Boeing 777, as well as the deadliest incident
11:15 in Malaysia Airlines' history until it was surpassed in both regards by Malaysia Airlines
11:20 Flight 17, which was shot down while flying over eastern Ukraine four months later.
11:25 Despite multiple large-scale searches of the seabed, the bulk of the aircraft has not been
11:30 located, raising many theories about the disappearance.
11:33 On January 29, 2015, Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation officially declared the
11:39 loss of MH370 an accident, with all 239 people on board presumed dead.
11:45 The lack of closure regarding the fate of the flight has tormented the families of those
11:50 on board.
11:51 The vast majority of passengers were from China and Malaysia.
11:56 And that's all for today.
11:57 Thank you for watching this episode of China Currents.
11:59 If you have any thoughts and comments about our show, please reach us at the email address
12:03 below.
12:04 I'm Chris, looking forward to hearing from you and see you next time.
12:06 We'll go for a short break, but we'll be right back.
12:14 Stay with us.
12:29 Welcome back to China Now.
12:31 In this second segment, we have a third hole with some tech innovations and announcements
12:35 that happened in China, just as China helps the United Arab Emirates complete the world's
12:40 largest single-site solar plant, and ASEAN-Yangyang empowers the global south with a core watch
12:47 against West Food Data Grip.
12:49 Meanwhile, in Thinker's Forum, we have how China places high priority on building its
12:55 carbon market where in July 16, 2021, the country reached a milestone launching of its
13:02 national carbon trading platform.
13:05 Also in Overlap, we have Arwan Abu Hassan, the researcher and co-founder of the Beside
13:11 Truth Initiative, and Dr. Eyal, the coordinator of international relations of the Palestine
13:17 People's Party and the coordinator of World Peace Council for the Middle East.
13:22 Let's have a look.
13:25 Hi, I'm Lisa, and this is Threshold in China.
13:31 Today we are going to share some exciting tech innovations and announcements that happened
13:35 in China last week.
13:42 Chinese researchers used artificial intelligence to tackle one of the deadliest cancer types.
13:49 Pancreatic cancer is often called the king of cancers because of its relatively low survival
13:54 rates.
13:55 Unfortunately, early symptoms can be vague, making it very difficult to detect and treat
14:01 it at an early age, so the patients often get diagnosed at later stages.
14:06 On the other hand, existing early screening tools for pancreatic cancer are generally
14:11 poor in accuracy, which leads to many cases of misdiagnosed and unnecessary panic.
14:18 Now scientists from institutions including Alibaba Damo Academy have made a breakthrough
14:24 in developing screening tools.
14:26 Their AI model is called PANDA, which is short for Pancreatic Cancer Detection with Artificial
14:32 Intelligence, and it enabled large-scale early screening for pancreatic cancer by analysing
14:38 routine CT scans, which pinpoint pancreatic anomalies.
14:43 Unlike expensive enhanced imaging, PANDA uses widely available non-contrast CT data.
14:49 It applies deep learning to scrutinise texture and morphology within scans that humans would
14:56 miss and goes on to identify lesions and classify disease stages.
15:02 The team said the specificity of the early screening model reached 99.9%, meaning that
15:08 there is only one false positive case in every 1,000 tests.
15:12 Meanwhile, its sensitivity, that is its ability to detect pancreatic tumours, could reach
15:17 92.9%, beating the mean radiologist's performance by 34.1%.
15:24 Testing on over 50,000 patients, PANDA flagged 31 overlooked cases, including early-stage
15:31 tumours.
15:32 The researchers shared an example of patient C. Patient C's annual physical exams, including
15:37 chest CT scans, has shown nothing abnormal.
15:41 However, seven months later, the patient's CT images were retrospectively evaluated using
15:47 PANDA, which detected a 95% probability of a pancreatic tumour.
15:53 After a multidisciplinary review, the medical team decided to record the patient for an
15:59 MRI exam.
16:00 And it was concerning, so the surgeon obtained consent from the patient and operated successfully.
16:07 The lab results confirmed an early-stage pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour, the same disease that
16:13 took the life of Steve Job, the co-founder of Apple.
16:17 Patient C was the first actual case of this tumour that the study successfully detected
16:21 with PANDA analysis.
16:23 Beyond enhancing detection rates, PANDA also upgrades diagnostic quality to give patients
16:29 the best odds.
16:31 Apart from this, in October 2021, AI+ CT scans outperformed experienced physicians
16:37 in early detections of esophageal cancer in terms of both sensitivity and specificity.
16:44 The team's deep learning model also accurately defined 42 organs at risk from head and neck
16:50 cancer, and that could help reduce complications from radiotherapy.
16:56 This year, Damo Academy has continued announcing favorable results in their medical AI in recognizing
17:02 and diagnosing various cancer types, such as liver tumour, gastric cancer, and beyond,
17:09 demonstrating the technology's growing potential across diverse applications.
17:14 While the AI model showed promise in detecting pancreatic cancer, the researchers cautioned
17:19 that further evaluation is still needed before it could be widely adopted in clinical practice.
17:26 [Intro]
17:31 The world's biggest solar power plant at a single location has been completed, and
17:35 it is in the UAE, constructed by Chinese contractors.
17:40 The massive 2 gigawatt facility spans 20 square kilometers of desert outside Abu Dhabi and
17:46 can power up to 200,000 households.
17:49 It is built in just three years with the effort of 4,500 local employees.
17:55 The Al-Dhafa Solar Photovoltaic Plant has 4 million bifacial panels and cutting-edge
18:01 technology supplied by China.
18:04 It was developed under the UAE's Clean Energy Ambition and China's Belt and Road initiatives.
18:10 Approximately 2.4 million tons of carbon dioxide is saved per year, which is equivalent to
18:16 removing over half a million cars from the roads.
18:20 By mid-November, the solar farm had already produced 3.6 billion kilowatts-hour of clean
18:26 electricity.
18:27 It was also expected to increase the proportion of clean energy in the Emirates' overall
18:33 consumption to over 13%, which contributes to UAE's target of net-zero emissions by
18:39 2050.
18:41 And it is also the world's most affordable solar power price ever, that is 1.3 US cents
18:47 per unit.
18:49 And this is just one of the BRI energy projects.
18:52 According to reports, China has green development partnership with over 30 countries under its
18:58 Belt and Road infrastructure program.
19:00 Others, such as the Unit 2 and 3 of the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant in Pakistan, had generated
19:07 nearly 20 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity.
19:11 Putting the figures into perspective, this is the power that meets the needs of 2 million
19:16 people in a year.
19:17 Looking forward, we can expect more renewable projects on developing green and low-carbon
19:22 energy around the world, especially in developing countries.
19:31 China is providing developing countries with agriculture monitoring capabilities through
19:36 its Advanced CropWatch system.
19:39 It aims to break Western control over global crop data.
19:43 It has been helping developing countries gain access to monitoring tools and technologies
19:49 to better inform their management of food production and prices.
19:54 CropWatch was originally developed in 1998 by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Science
20:01 to monitor crops domestically.
20:04 Because at the time, most countries relied on two major remote sensing monitoring systems
20:10 run by the United States and the European Union to forecast fluctuations in global food
20:16 markets.
20:17 But the reports did not provide access to the original data.
20:21 So China developed CropWatch to have a more independent understanding of the domestic
20:27 agricultural market.
20:29 And most countries, especially developing countries, do not have the technology or resources
20:34 to establish their own global crop yield monitoring system.
20:39 So over the past two decades, it has been expanded into a global initiative assisting
20:45 many countries around the world.
20:47 CropWatch analyzes satellite imageries and ground measurements to provide insights into
20:52 crop yields, environmental changes, and agricultural trends.
20:57 It is cloud-based and allows shareholders to access without additional investment on
21:02 hardware and software.
21:04 Integrates a variety of indicators at global, national, and regional levels.
21:10 It monitors indicators such as rainfall, crop area, land use intensity, air temperature,
21:15 and others.
21:17 It analyzes agricultural production and conditions in countries responsible for over 80% of the
21:23 world's staple grain supply.
21:26 More importantly, it is an open system that allows users to access transparent information,
21:32 according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO.
21:38 The biggest advantage of the system is that it can be customized, allowing countries to
21:43 generate different indicators based on their specific needs.
21:48 The head of CropWatch, Wu Bingfeng from the Chinese Academy of Science, emphasized that
21:54 food security requires transparency of information.
21:58 His team works with UN partners to provide personalized training and systems tailored
22:03 to countries spanning Asia, Africa, and beyond.
22:07 Mozambique has previously relied on agriculture monitoring mainly from other nations, but
22:13 found CropWatch's customized system to be far more precise.
22:17 It enabled monitoring down to regional and ministry sub-level within the country, and
22:22 this has allowed Mozambique to issue monthly crop monitoring reports during rainy seasons.
22:28 When the flood hit in 2019, local authorities have data to coordinate disaster response.
22:35 Similarly, in Mauritius, a country that imports about 75% of its food, this technology helped
22:43 to predict climate shocks and global oil dynamics to reduce risk and uncertainties.
22:48 Currently, CropWatch reports have been downloaded by stakeholders in over 173 countries.
22:56 The FAO further emphasized that improving information access is crucial for mitigating
23:01 distortions in the global food market, and CropWatch reduces fluctuations in the food
23:07 market.
23:09 And that is all for today's Threshold.
23:11 We hope you like this new section on science technology in China.
23:15 As usual, we welcome your feedback
23:30 and suggestions.
23:52 As one of the first cities in China to experiment with a local carbon market, Shanghai's carbon
23:57 market has expanded since its inception in 2013 to include 28 industries such as steel,
24:04 power, chemicals, aviation, water transportation, construction, and data centers.
24:11 More than 300 enterprises and 1,200 investment institutions have participated in Shanghai's
24:17 carbon market, leading to the gradual maturation of systems for emission measurement, verification,
24:23 allocation, and carbon trading.
24:26 As of October 2023, Shanghai's carbon market has witnessed the spot trade of 230 million
24:32 tons of carbon dioxide, with cumulative turnover hitting 3.805 billion yuan and a compliance
24:39 rate of 100% every year.
24:46 The following points characterize the Shanghai carbon market.
24:49 Wide industry coverage, it captures major emission sources and fully reflects the industrial
24:54 makeup of Shanghai.
24:55 This is evident in the diversity of the trading entities which cover both firms under emission
24:59 control and investment institutions.
25:02 Openness and inclusivity, the Shanghai carbon market is connected with the market for green
25:06 electricity, the CCER market, and the SHCER market.
25:10 It is also closely linked to financial market.
25:15 Innovation in terms of institutional design.
25:17 In order to promote clean energy, we allocate carbon allowance based on the ratio of carbon
25:21 content in a company's energy consumption.
25:24 Forming a more effective regulator of mechanism.
25:29 After over 10 years of practice, the market mechanism of Shanghai's carbon trading system
25:33 assumed greater importance in raising awareness among enterprises towards a green and low-carbon
25:37 pathway, in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as in driving financial resources
25:42 into environmentally friendly enterprises and projects, and promoting building a sustainable
25:47 city.
25:50 In addition to creative institutional design, what innovative financing solutions is Shanghai
25:55 providing?
25:58 Shanghai's carbon spot market has undertaken a series of explorations with regard to carbon
26:03 finance.
26:04 It has successively launched carbon borrowing, carbon funds, carbon trusts, carbon asset
26:10 pledges, and carbon insurance, effectively revitalizing more than 7 million tons of carbon
26:16 assets and financing more than 100 million yuan.
26:20 Shanghai has actively explored possibilities of carbon derivatives, introduced risk management
26:25 tools, and cooperated with Shanghai Clearing House to launch Shanghai Carbon Quota Futures.
26:31 This is the first carbon futures product in the country to use central counterparty clearing
26:36 and is currently the only standardized over-the-counter carbon financial derivative in China, with
26:41 a cumulative transaction amount of which exceeding 158 million yuan.
26:47 The Shanghai carbon market also strengthens its connection with the financial market through
26:51 its cooperation with the China Union Pay.
26:54 The cooperation yielded the issue of 45 green low-carbon card products by 34 commercial
27:00 banks.
27:01 Concurrently, together with the Shanghai Stock Exchange and CSI Indices, the Shanghai carbon
27:07 market launched CSI Environment Exchange Carbon Neutrality Index and jointly issued
27:13 corresponding index funds with eight fund companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen
27:17 stock exchanges.
27:19 The initial fundraising scale was 16.4 billion yuan, with the cumulative number of valid
27:25 subscription accounts exceeding 330,000 and the cumulative transaction amount exceeding
27:31 80 billion yuan.
27:33 This continuous carbon financing innovation has effectively channeled investment into
27:37 Shanghai's green, low-carbon sector.
27:41 What is the next step for the Shanghai carbon market?
27:45 Moving forward, Shanghai will continue serving the role of a "testing ground" for the
27:49 national carbon market.
27:51 Firstly, it seeks to enhance the efficiency of Shanghai's carbon market by refining
27:55 the fundamental regulatory frameworks and the ability to manage with precision.
27:59 Secondly, it aims to boost the vibrancy of the Shanghai carbon market by making headways
28:04 in expanding industry coverage and carbon trading mechanism, so as to bring forth innovative
28:08 carbon financing and nurture further market vitality.
28:11 Thirdly, Shanghai will seek to increase the global influence of its carbon market through
28:16 deep international cooperation, alignment with international carbon market rules, and
28:20 active participation in charting out relevant global standards.
28:24 We expect Shanghai to keep contribute to building a clean and beautiful world.
28:32 [Music]
28:39 Hello and welcome to Overlap, brought to you by Wave Media.
28:50 Today we have two distinguished guests from Palestine.
28:53 We have first with us Ms. Awa Abushash, researcher and co-founder of the Besieged Truth Initiative,
28:59 and we have Dr. Akko, the coordinator of international relations of the Palestine People's Party
29:04 and the coordinator of World Peace Council for the MENA region.
29:09 Welcome.
29:10 And first of all, I would like to know, where are you based in Palestine?
29:15 Are you affected by the current tension and conflict?
29:19 Yeah, I am in Ramallah, West Bank.
29:24 West Bank is not Gaza, as you know.
29:28 Palestine is now divided in three pieces.
29:31 There is West Bank, there is Gaza Strip, and there is the Palestinians inside Israel.
29:38 And three parts are a target of Israeli aggression.
29:43 In West Bank, where we are, also there is an Israeli aggression every day, every night.
29:50 Yes, I live in Ramallah, also in West Bank, but now I am forced to be in Berlin because
29:59 when the aggression started, they closed actually the borders and they prevented the people
30:05 to go back.
30:07 Please educate us.
30:09 We know West Bank and we know the Gaza Strip.
30:11 We know these two territories are disconnected.
30:14 And are there any connections between the people, the Palestinian people from the two places?
30:20 I think that before starting answering the questions, first, we would like to thank you
30:25 for this opportunity to meet you and to have this fruitful discussion, hoping that it will
30:34 help the public opinion to understand what's going on in Palestine.
30:39 And because of that, I want to go back in a brief history about the Palestinian issue,
30:45 which is very important.
30:47 The Palestinian problem started from the beginning, the first beginning of the last century, after
30:53 the First World War, by Britain to give a promise to establish a Jewish state in Palestine
31:02 by the so-called Balfour Declaration, which declared that Britain will help establishing
31:09 an Israeli and Jewish state in Palestine.
31:13 And after the war, Palestine was under a Britain mandate and they were taking all actions to
31:21 help the Jewish groups, especially the gangs in Palestine, to control the cities, to control
31:30 the land.
31:31 And there was conflicts between Palestinians and settlers then all these times until 1947,
31:42 when the United Nations issued the Resolution 181, divided Palestine into two states, Palestinian
31:50 and Israel.
31:51 Israel was established in 1948, but Palestine is prevented by Israel, Britain and some marionette
32:01 Arab regimes then.
32:03 Israel, after that, committed a lot of massacres against Palestinian people.
32:09 The settlers are attacking Palestinians in every day basis.
32:14 And because of all these conditions, 7th of October, some kind of reaction by the Palestinian
32:21 liberation movement with Hamas to start this action against Israel, 7th of October.
32:29 By the way, we have to say also that Hamas is not ISIS.
32:33 Hamas is not a terrorist organization.
32:35 Hamas is a part of the liberation movement of Palestine, aiming to end this occupation,
32:42 to end the siege of Gaza and to give the Palestinians the right of self-determination and establishing
32:49 a Palestinian state.
32:51 Now as you know, geographically, Gaza is divided from West Bank by Israeli territories.
32:58 There is the so-called Green Line, which is separating West Bank from Israel, from the
33:06 Palestinians inside Israel, which means now, now, any person in West Bank cannot go to
33:13 Gaza and cannot go to Israel.
33:16 And any person from Gaza cannot go out of Gaza.
33:20 Gaza is besieged from all sides, from the sea, from the Israeli side.
33:25 And there is only one passage through Egyptian borders through Rafah.
33:30 And because of that, we are not in a position to go to Gaza or to have any help to Gaza.
33:37 Right.
33:38 Thank you for the introduction to the very complicated historical background of the Israeli-Palestinian
33:45 conflict.
33:46 Now turning to Arwa.
33:47 Before this conflict, I believe Israel has already separated Gaza from the West Bank.
33:55 Are you able to learn the current situation on the ground in the Gaza Strip?
34:00 We need special permission from Israelis to go there, which is almost impossible.
34:07 So we cannot learn by being there, but we have relatives, we have comrades, we have
34:15 friends there.
34:16 Israel keeps cutting electricity, keeps cutting the Internet from the people there.
34:23 And they actually are bombing everything.
34:26 Every life thing in Gaza is under the bombardment of Israel.
34:31 Also Israel keeps cutting off food, water, fuel, and also medications.
34:37 Now a real catastrophe, a real humanitarian catastrophe.
34:41 There is no water now.
34:42 Yesterday I read a report that said that people in Gaza, they only have three liters of water
34:51 for the person, for drinking, for washing, for everything, while the normal person needs
34:58 100 liters.
35:03 So the people in Gaza only have three liters, which is really a crisis.
35:10 The health situation also is very hard.
35:12 The hospitals, first, many hospitals now stopped from working.
35:17 Around 20 hospitals stopped from working because the lack of fuel.
35:25 Hospitals are full of injuries.
35:28 Some people actually, they live to be dying without treating because there is no capacity
35:34 for the hospitals to treat people.
35:37 So the situation is really, really catastrophic.
35:40 We are about famine in Gaza Strip.
35:43 They want people to suffer.
35:47 So they force them to leave Gaza Strip.
35:50 Yes, thank you.
35:52 As you are following the situation from 7th of October until now, Israel started bombing
35:58 Gaza from the second day, from 8th of October, with one aim.
36:04 Israel is aiming to force Palestinians to be transferred to Egypt.
36:11 Israel wanted Gaza empty of Palestinians.
36:15 But because of the position of Egypt as refusing to receive Palestinians, and from West Bank
36:20 also, there was the same target of Israel to force Palestinians to be refugees again
36:27 in Jordan, and Jordan is refusing.
36:31 Israel is committing mass destruction and genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
36:37 As they said from the beginning of the conflict, that it is a land without people, for people
36:43 without land.
36:44 They want Palestine without Palestinians, and this is the main target of Israelis.
36:51 Unfortunately, this war and this genocide, this catastrophe is backed by the United States.
36:59 The United States, from the first moment of this aggression, started to give support to
37:05 Israel in all aspects.
37:08 In the United Nations, they prevented any decision for ceasefire.
37:13 By helping Israel buy weapons, they give Israel every kind of weapons for mass destruction
37:22 in Gaza.
37:23 From the other side, the United States brought plan carriers, submarines, and warships to
37:32 the Mediterranean to support Israel, and they are threatening any other side in the region
37:39 to help Palestinians.
37:40 They are opposing any kind of ceasefire, even for one or two days, to enter humanitarian
37:48 aid to Gaza.
37:50 We can say that this war is a war with the full participation of the United States.
37:59 We saw also from the first days that the majority of the leaders of the European Union and NATO
38:06 are running to come to Israel to express their support to Israel, saying that Israel has
38:13 the right to defend itself.
38:16 And we are seeing that Israel is an aggressor, Israel is an occupation force.
38:21 And the General Secretary of the UN said that, or some official from Russia says that, occupying
38:29 forces have no right for self-defense.
38:33 They are an occupying force.
38:35 The people under occupation have the right to self-defense and to resist with any kind
38:43 and with any means.
38:44 I'm really sorry to hear that.
38:48 We have been following this in China since the beginning, and I have personally done
38:53 three episodes on my program regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
38:59 And now I'm very curious to know from the Palestinian perspective, to learn from you.
39:05 In a Palestinian national authority, Hamas is elected by the Palestinian people, and
39:12 it has more than 70 seats in the Congress.
39:15 Is that right?
39:16 And then Fatah has about 40 seats or so, right?
39:22 Yes, we can say that the latest elections in 2006, Hamas won the elections because we
39:32 had mixed electoral system.
39:35 And because of this system, Hamas won.
39:38 And they have a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council, and they formed a government
39:44 after the election.
39:46 But the West didn't recognize the election, didn't recognize Hamas government, and then
39:53 they asked for Palestinian government of unity, unity government.
39:59 Also with the participation of Hamas, they didn't accept.
40:03 And then Hamas was, and Gaza was isolated, blocked, saved by Israeli forces with the
40:12 support and help of the Western countries, and especially from the United States with
40:18 the silence of a lot of Arab countries.
40:22 During this time, Israel was trying, with the support of the United States, to create
40:28 a new coalition, saying that the main problem in the Middle East is not Israeli occupation,
40:34 the Palestinian issue, but a threat from Iran.
40:37 And they were trying to create a coalition between Israel and some Arab countries against
40:44 Iran.
40:45 But one moment, as you remember, China played a very positive role in making relations between
40:55 Saudi Arabia and Iran and achieving an agreement for normalization.
41:00 They opened the embassies in Tehran and Riyadh.
41:05 And this kind of coalition and the so-called NATO, Arabic NATO in the Middle East against
41:12 Iran failed.
41:14 And because of that, the United States and Israel, as a result of a reaction of these
41:20 developments, they don't like the role of China in the Middle East, especially in the
41:27 economical aspect where they have good relations with many of Arab countries, and the road
41:34 and the build going to the Middle East.
41:38 As you remember, last month in the meeting of 20s, they started a new war, a new road
41:46 between India and the Middle East through Saudi Arabia, and it was planned through Israel
41:53 and concretely through the north of Gaza.
41:58 And because of that, Americans are now helping Israel, supporting to destroy Gaza.
42:05 May they can succeed to renew these plans.
42:11 So we appreciate the position of China and for the solution of the Palestinian issue.
42:19 President Xi Jinping had an initiative from his side for the solution, but unfortunately,
42:26 Israel and the United States refused this plan.
42:32 It is genocide indeed.
42:34 And Ms. Awa, I would like to hear from you, because I want to hear from a woman's point
42:38 of view.
42:39 It must be extra hard for you to see the Israelis, how they committed atrocity against
42:46 women and children throughout Palestine, in the West Bank and also in Gaza.
42:50 First of all, I think the death toll now is exceeding 10,000 people, Palestinian people.
43:00 70% of them actually are women and children.
43:06 Also the main targets of Israeli bombardment actually is women and children.
43:14 Also, you know, for women there is a special, let's say, needs.
43:19 For example, there are in Gaza Strip, 50,000 pregnant women.
43:27 And with this situation, it's really, really very hard to them, first of all, to have safe
43:33 places for them to get delivered.
43:36 And also, it's hard for them to get the needs that they need as a pregnant woman.
43:47 Also, water is very important for the life of women, for many things.
43:53 It's more important than men.
43:56 So the situation for Palestinians in general is very hard, but it's more harder for the
44:03 women, actually.
44:05 So it's extra sad to hear that because, you know, every man is a woman's son.
44:11 And this situation is just beyond the imagination of many, many decent human beings in a global
44:20 society.
44:21 And I think that's the case because Israel has always played the PR campaign to their
44:26 advantage.
44:28 For example, when you hear the Hamas attack on 7th October, you will see how they hyped
44:34 the brutality on the music festival, how the women among the audience are targeted and
44:41 affected.
44:42 However, you don't hear such coverage on the Palestinian plight, how Palestinian women
44:47 are, like you say, humiliated, tortured and killed by the Israeli forces.
44:53 I can say that for the first day, there was a huge lie from the Israeli side showing some
45:02 pictures, fake pictures and fake news about the Hamas attack on 7th October.
45:10 Netanyahu himself on the phone calling Biden, he said that there is 40 or 50 children with
45:18 the cut heads and tortured and burned.
45:23 And this was shown later that it was a lie.
45:27 And because of that, after the beginning of the situation became clear and all these news
45:35 and pictures from Israeli side was fake, the public opinion waked up and they started to
45:41 see the real face of the new Nazi in Israel, because as you know, in the Israeli government
45:50 now there is a clear fascist element.
45:54 Minister of the so-called ethnic security, Ben-Gavir and the Minister of Finance and
46:04 the latest declaration of one Israeli minister, Minister of Culture, that they must bomb Gaza
46:13 with nuclear bomb.
46:16 They are leading the whole region to a hell of conflict, including the population of Israel
46:24 itself, which is threatening also the lives of Israelis.
46:29 If you follow how Israel is treating the Palestinians inside Israel, who are citizens of Israel
46:36 with Israeli passport and living in Israel from 1947-48.
46:40 Yes, of course, I completely agree with you on that.
46:47 And this was another episode of China Now, a show that opens a window to the present
46:52 and the future of the action giant.
46:54 Hope you enjoyed it.
46:55 See you next time.
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