theDrahos

Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai met in Berlin on March 17th with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble for the First High-Level Financial Dialogue, agreed upon a year ago during Xi Jinping’s visit to Germany, and their meeting resulted in a 21-point memorandum, which among other issues stresses cooperation against money-laundering and the concomitant financing of terrorism, as well as cooperation on banking control, renminbi-denominated deals, and, very important, the German commitment to become a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Ma Kai is said to be staying in Germany, having begun his tour in Bavaria on March 16, for the entire week.

Their memorandum welcomes China’s hosting the G20 Summit in 2016, and the “G20 agenda of promoting productive investment.” Furthermore, it states: “Both sides will explore the possibility of investment cooperation in third countries in line with the interest of German and Chinese enterprises,” and, most important: “China and Germany agree that the AIIB as a new Investment Bank could play an important role to provide funds for infrastructure in Asia. Germany intends to join the AIIB as a prospective founding member. China welcomes this intention.” The AIIB, a release from the German Finance Ministry declares, “could play an important role to provide funds for addressing the large infrastructure needs in Asia…. The AIIB will thus promote economic and social development in the region and contribute to global growth.”

Lyndon LaRouche welcomed the German decision to join the AIIB, but cautioned that that step is not conclusive, because Germany’s overall policy has not been resolved. This can be seen in the German government’s terrible policy on the Greek situation, led by Finance Minister Schaeuble, whom LaRouche described as the pilot of the fraud on Greece.

Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai met in Berlin on March 17th with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble for the First High-Level Financial Dialogue, agreed upon a year ago during Xi Jinping’s visit to Germany, and their meeting resulted in a 21-point memorandum, which among other issues stresses cooperation against money-laundering and the concomitant financing of terrorism, as well as cooperation on banking control, renminbi-denominated deals, and, very important, the German commitment to become a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Ma Kai is said to be staying in Germany, having begun his tour in Bavaria on March 16, for the entire week.

Their memorandum welcomes China’s hosting the G20 Summit in 2016, and the “G20 agenda of promoting productive investment.” Furthermore, it states: “Both sides will explore the possibility of investment cooperation in third countries in line with the interest of German and Chinese enterprises,” and, most important: “China and Germany agree that the AIIB as a new Investment Bank could play an important role to provide funds for infrastructure in Asia. Germany intends to join the AIIB as a prospective founding member. China welcomes this intention.” The AIIB, a release from the German Finance Ministry declares, “could play an important role to provide funds for addressing the large infrastructure needs in Asia…. The AIIB will thus promote economic and social development in the region and contribute to global growth.”

Lyndon LaRouche welcomed the German decision to join the AIIB, but cautioned that that step is not conclusive, because Germany’s overall policy has not been resolved. This can be seen in the German government’s terrible policy on the Greek situation, led by Finance Minister Schaeuble, whom LaRouche described as the pilot of the fraud on Greece.

Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai met in Berlin on March 17th with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble for the First High-Level Financial Dialogue, agreed upon a year ago during Xi Jinping’s visit to Germany, and their meeting resulted in a 21-point memorandum, which among other issues stresses cooperation against money-laundering and the concomitant financing of terrorism, as well as cooperation on banking control, renminbi-denominated deals, and, very important, the German commitment to become a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Ma Kai is said to be staying in Germany, having begun his tour in Bavaria on March 16, for the entire week.

Their memorandum welcomes China’s hosting the G20 Summit in 2016, and the “G20 agenda of promoting productive investment.” Furthermore, it states: “Both sides will explore the possibility of investment cooperation in third countries in line with the interest of German and Chinese enterprises,” and, most important: “China and Germany agree that the AIIB as a new Investment Bank could play an important role to provide funds for infrastructure in Asia. Germany intends to join the AIIB as a prospective founding member. China welcomes this intention.” The AIIB, a release from the German Finance Ministry declares, “could play an important role to provide funds for addressing the large infrastructure needs in Asia…. The AIIB will thus promote economic and social development in the region and contribute to global growth.”

Lyndon LaRouche welcomed the German decision to join the AIIB, but cautioned that that step is not conclusive, because Germany’s overall policy has not been resolved. This can be seen in the German government’s terrible policy on the Greek situation, led by Finance Minister Schaeuble, whom LaRouche described as the pilot of the fraud on Greece.

The military exercises ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 16 continue at a high pace, involving a greater scale of Russian forces each day. Western media outlets are nearly hysterical about the deployment of Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad (via amphibious ships, according to Defense Ministry statements) and of nuclear-capable Tu-22M Backfire bombers to Crimea. In reporting on this, March 17th, Reuters notes that Moscow is refusing to even consider returning Crimea to Ukraine and is “militarizing” the Arctic while also militarily reinforcing Kaliningrad—and doing all of this despite U.S. economic sanctions, which State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki yesterday vowed would not be lifted.

Lyndon LaRouche commented yesterday that the deployment of the Iskanders to Kaliningrad was to be expected, and is permanent: just look at the map, he noted; it’s set. The Russians have stated their approach clearly and repeatedly. None of the recent maneuvers or statements are surprising; it’s what they have been saying they would do, LaRouche said.

Readers of EIR will recall that, in a dramatic Nov. 23, 2011, nationwide TV broadcast, then President of Russia Dmitri Medvedev had warned specifically, that, if the U.S. and NATO continued with their deployment of their missile defense system on Russia’s borders, “the Russian Federation will deploy modern offensive weapon systems in the west and south of the country, ensuring our ability to take out any part of the U.S. missile defense system in Europe. One step in this process will be to deploy Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad Region.” Medvedev then concluded: “We are open to a dialogue and we hope for a reasonable and constructive approach from our Western partners.”

In that broader sphere of strategic policy, Moscow again repeated its public warnings this week. Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told a Moscow press conference on March 17th, “It seems to be unlikely to reach new agreements between Russia and the United States in the near future, if ever. Russia’s security now depends not only on the balance of strategic nuclear weapons of Russia and the United States. It depends on many other factors, such as U.S. global missile defense plans, the situation in the area of sea-based long-distance cruise missiles, and other types of long-distance high-precision systems.”

Similarly, Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department on Security Affairs and Disarmament Vladimir Leontyev said last week:

As for Russia’s military exercises, in addition to the Iskander and Backfire bomber deployments, the Russian Defense Ministry reported today that at least one of the Delta IV-class nuclear ballistic missile submarines of the Northern Fleet also deployed and was visited by Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valeriy Gerasimov. The Defense Ministry said that “the results of the training confirmed that ballistic missile crews were ready to perform their combat tasks,” reports Sputnik News.

Other aspects of the exercises include the following, all reported by TASS:

• The Western Military District announced, today, that more than 20 ships of the Baltic Sea Fleet are engaged in anti- submarine and anti-aircraft drills.

• About 30 assault and attack helicopters from airfields in the Leningrad and Smolensk regions are being deployed to the Arctic.

• Paratroopers from Russia’s northwestern Pskov region have been put on high combat alert as part of the command and staff exercise. They will march to their airfields before being deployed to shooting ranges.

• 1,500 ground troops will be conducting live fire exercises at the Mulino training range, about 360 km east of Moscow, with T-72 tanks and BMP-2 fighting vehicles.

The military exercises ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 16 continue at a high pace, involving a greater scale of Russian forces each day. Western media outlets are nearly hysterical about the deployment of Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad (via amphibious ships, according to Defense Ministry statements) and of nuclear-capable Tu-22M Backfire bombers to Crimea. In reporting on this, March 17th, Reuters notes that Moscow is refusing to even consider returning Crimea to Ukraine and is “militarizing” the Arctic while also militarily reinforcing Kaliningrad—and doing all of this despite U.S. economic sanctions, which State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki yesterday vowed would not be lifted.

Lyndon LaRouche commented yesterday that the deployment of the Iskanders to Kaliningrad was to be expected, and is permanent: just look at the map, he noted; it’s set. The Russians have stated their approach clearly and repeatedly. None of the recent maneuvers or statements are surprising; it’s what they have been saying they would do, LaRouche said.

Readers of EIR will recall that, in a dramatic Nov. 23, 2011, nationwide TV broadcast, then President of Russia Dmitri Medvedev had warned specifically, that, if the U.S. and NATO continued with their deployment of their missile defense system on Russia’s borders, “the Russian Federation will deploy modern offensive weapon systems in the west and south of the country, ensuring our ability to take out any part of the U.S. missile defense system in Europe. One step in this process will be to deploy Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad Region.” Medvedev then concluded: “We are open to a dialogue and we hope for a reasonable and constructive approach from our Western partners.”

In that broader sphere of strategic policy, Moscow again repeated its public warnings this week. Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told a Moscow press conference on March 17th, “It seems to be unlikely to reach new agreements between Russia and the United States in the near future, if ever. Russia’s security now depends not only on the balance of strategic nuclear weapons of Russia and the United States. It depends on many other factors, such as U.S. global missile defense plans, the situation in the area of sea-based long-distance cruise missiles, and other types of long-distance high-precision systems.”

Similarly, Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department on Security Affairs and Disarmament Vladimir Leontyev said last week:

As for Russia’s military exercises, in addition to the Iskander and Backfire bomber deployments, the Russian Defense Ministry reported today that at least one of the Delta IV-class nuclear ballistic missile submarines of the Northern Fleet also deployed and was visited by Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valeriy Gerasimov. The Defense Ministry said that “the results of the training confirmed that ballistic missile crews were ready to perform their combat tasks,” reports Sputnik News.

Other aspects of the exercises include the following, all reported by TASS:

• The Western Military District announced, today, that more than 20 ships of the Baltic Sea Fleet are engaged in anti- submarine and anti-aircraft drills.

• About 30 assault and attack helicopters from airfields in the Leningrad and Smolensk regions are being deployed to the Arctic.

• Paratroopers from Russia’s northwestern Pskov region have been put on high combat alert as part of the command and staff exercise. They will march to their airfields before being deployed to shooting ranges.

• 1,500 ground troops will be conducting live fire exercises at the Mulino training range, about 360 km east of Moscow, with T-72 tanks and BMP-2 fighting vehicles.