Speech of Prof. Zhang Weiwei, Berlin Conference Panel One

PROF. ZHANG WEIWEI: First of all, thank you to Madame Zepp-LaRouche; that was such an inspiring speech we just heard. The conference topic is the cooperation between the BRICS and Europe to implement the Oasis Plan and the Agenda 2063 for Africa.

As we all know, the world of multipolarity is already here; it’s a multipolar world. As we take BRICS as an example, its overall GDP by purchasing parity is already much larger than the G7; roughly close to 40% of the world’s GDP, compared with the 33% of the G7. But we should work hard to really create this multipolar world order. I think our discussion today on this topic is part of this effort to build a kind of infrastructure architecture for a multipolar world. It’s not easy, but we have to try hard.

Now concerning the BRICS and Europe, maybe I could focus on the troubled relations between China and Europe. Indeed, there are already some trilateral projects involving China, Europe, and Africa in place. Some have already been completed. For instance, Madame Zepp-LaRouche mentioned this Inga Dam project; it’s a huge one, it’s a success. But on the whole, we’re not that optimistic. So far, what we see from the side of the EU is a deep-rooted mistrust. For all kinds of reasons, from a Chinese point of view, Europe today is no longer that autonomous, not to mention independent. As even President Macron admitted, it has become a sort of vassal state to the United States. So they try to serve American interests, rather than European interests. For people outside of Europe it’s so clear, so evident, it’s common sense; you’re not independent, you’re hurting your own interests.

I’ll give you an example. For instance, thanks to China’s effort to make sure of its own security, we have achieved an energy self-sufficiency rate of 85%. But in Europe, it’s always around 40%; in Germany, it’s below 40%. So, for this kind of energy self-sufficiency level, you can’t tolerate this kind of bombing and destruction of the Nord Stream and then do an investigation; it’s just a sham. So, this is unacceptable. It, of course, undermines German industry, the manufacturing sector, and Europe as a whole.

The 'Three Togethers'

But if you look at the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, it’s already an investment of over $1 trillion, of which one-third is for Africa. China has built or upgraded over 10,000 km of railways, and we have built over 100 ports for Africa. So this is infrastructure. Yet, from the EU’s perspective, it’s about geopolitical rivalry—China vs. Europe. From the Chinese point it’s very simple: There is a huge infrastructure index for African development, and China had this competitive advantage. So, let’s have discussion of what we call the Three Togethers—discussing together, building together, benefitting together. It’s well received in Africa.

From the Chinese point of view, if we look at Europe, at least two huge mistakes were made by the EU as a whole. One was in 2011 when the Arab Spring occurred. We in China—me included—predicted the Arab Spring would become the Arab Winter. It will undermine European interests and Western interests as well. So, with Arab Spring becoming Arab Winter, and this refugee crisis which caught so much European interest. As we look forward, the second case is the rise of the African economy; this is good. It’s on the whole a positive thing.

But another aspect we cannot ignore is this high population growth rate. In the 1950s, the European population was double the African population. Now the African population is twice the size of the European population. In the coming years, it will be even higher. So, you must create jobs in Africa and help Africa develop its own domestic industries. This is what China is doing for Africa. We are building actually a regional network of air, land, and whatever, regional systems for Africa. In the past, if you wanted to travel from West Africa, say Ghana, to Kenya in East Africa, you had to go via London, because the colonial system was deciding everything. But Chinese philosophy is “unite and prosper,” not “divide and ruin.” So, let’s build this regional transportation network based on the principle of discussing together, building together, and benefitting together. It’s working well; it’s on the way.

Europe Is Out of Touch with Reality

So, why do European companies not join these projects? It’s about geopolitics, it’s about one mankind, and also profiting together is fine. So, this is really consensus. It’s in your own interest to join the BRI, rather than we force or compel you to join this project. Whether we’ve got European companies, Russian companies, American companies, or African companies, it’s voluntary. This is the problem now; everything is looked at through this geopolitical rivalry perspective, the lens of democracy vs. autocracy. This is extremely stupid; it’s out of touch with the real world.

Let’s try to be a bit optimistic when we look into the future, at least what I’m thinking of what China has done and can do for Africa, and maybe for other Global South countries. Chinese philosophy is very much influenced by this tradition of what we call the “can-do spirit.” Get things done. So, I would say China acts, and the EU or Europe talks. For instance, Europeans are known for debating, discussing, raising the whole idea of the Green New Deal, with all the fanfare. But in China, it’s done. It’s more or less completed. It’s extremely good news for the whole world, for those who want to cope with climate change. By last year—2024—China achieved its objective of carbon reduction. CO₂ emissions began to drop by 1.6% last year, while the Chinese economy is already the largest by purchasing power, it has maintained the speed of growth of roughly 5% a year. It’s the largest manufacturing and trading nation in the world. Yet, we still managed to ensure that overall CO₂ emissions dropped. But the Chinese government is very cautious; they did not announce that, because it’s only 1.6%. By this year, it will maintain or double it, so by 2030 we will reverse this trend, and by 2060 it’s carbon neutrality. So, we are doing this in a very honest and down-to-earth way with one five-year plan after another.

With this, what we can see is that today China produces roughly two-thirds of solar panels, EV vehicles, and renewable energy for China and the world as a whole. China is the largest exporter of EV cars. As a result, today’s climate whatever—this whole battle against climate change may be possible with the Chinese model. In the first place, these facilities and equipment needed for combatting this whole climate change are made in China. It’s affordable for Africa and many other countries. So, this is transformative, it’s game changing, it’s revolutionary. But what we need is the collective will to do that.

The second good example I want to quote is the whole effort Madame Zepp-LaRouche mentioned several times—the Oasis Plan which the Schiller Institute had already put forward back in the 1970s. Yet today, in terms of technologies and Green financing for these efforts in fighting desertification in Africa or the Middle East, it can be achieved. I give you an example. China completed a huge desert reclamation project called the Taklamakan Desert. It’s one of the largest deserts in the world; it’s the size of Germany. It has been encircled with a Green Belt. It was a huge effort for 46 years. Within this Green Belt, we have what we call the photovoltaic farms where millions of solar panels are installed to generate renewable energy. And underneath is drought-resistant vegetation. So, Xinjiang now is one of the largest producers of grains—wheat and corn—in China. It’s an unbelievable success. So, the most ridiculous story in the Western media, including in the German media, is the story about Xinjiang. It’s so ridiculous for Chinese; you can only laugh at it. We believe these media are in darkness, whatever they do. Every year, at least 200 million visitors go to Xinjiang from China. So on the whole, it’s a very successful story.

This also means if we have a security structure in Africa, in the Middle East, Chinese equipment, Chinese technologies, and Green finance are all doing very well. It’s the world’s largest Green financing market. We can work together to put this Oasis Plan into reality.

Chinese Ideas: Unite and Prosper

Finally, I just want to say that behind this, is what I call very important Chinese ideas. Of course, the most famous one is Xi Jinping’s idea of building a one humanity shared future for mankind. We reject categorically this American formula of on the table or in the menu. No, this is the world of war, it’s not a real human world. And also, the idea I mentioned, the Western idea is “divide and rule,” which seems very stupid. We should promote “unite and prosper.” We did this at home within China over the past decades, and now we are promoting this to the whole world. I think with all this hopefully positive news, we can make this conference a greater success. Thank you very much.