Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the national Party Congress today that notable progress had been made since the Belt and Road Initiative had been initiated in 2014.

“Today over 70 nations have expressed interest in the Belt and Road, and over 30 countries have agreed to build it” he said. “And the first Silk Road Fund projects have been launched.” He then pointed to the various rail corridor projects that have been initiated: China-­Mongolia-­Russia, the Pakistan corridor, a Budapest-­Belgrade high-­speed railroad, Jakarta-­Bandung high-­speed rail, and the rail links to Laos and to Thailand.

He also said that Industrial Capacity Cooperation agreements had been signed by 20 countries.

“The Belt and Road was a project launched by China, but the opportunities belong to the world,” Wang said. “This project echoes the general trend of Asian and European countries for cooperation and development. It shows that China is transitioning rapidly from a mere participant in the international system to a provider of public goods. In building the Belt and Road we follow the principle of wide consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefit. It is an open initiative, not a Monroe Doctrine or some expansionism. What the Belt and Road Initiative unfolds in the eyes of the world will be a new historical painting of shared development and prosperity on the entire Eurasian continent.”

On February 26, Brazil’s ruling PT party approved a “National Emergency Plan” (NEP) that urges President Dilma Rousseff to clip the wings of the usurious financial sector operating in Brazil and sharply reduce domestic interest rates; use the country’s sizable, $371 billion in foreign reserves to establish a National Development and Employment Fund for infrastructure development; and work closely with the BRICS New Development Bank and Chinese banks to achieve these goals.

The plan is reported to have been personally drafted by PT president Rui Falcao, and has the full backing of former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was arrested and hauled in for questioning by police for three hours in relation to the corruption scandal sweeping the country, on March 4, exactly one week after the NEP was released. The emergence of the NEP reflects the fact that there are significant forces in Brazil that are not prepared to roll over and play dead before the ongoing British Empire drive to topple the Rousseff government, as part of their global operations to destroy the BRICS option.

The 22­ point NEP reads in part:

“1.­ A large reduction in the prime rate, as a fundamental element to reduce the Nation’s nominal deficit, and increase public investment… [and] promote the resumption of economic growth.

“2.­ Use of part of the international reserves for a National Development and Employment Fund, for infrastructure, health, housing, energy renewal and urban transportation projects…

“20.­ Establishment of funds for investment in special projects, backstopped by credits obtained from the BRICS New Development Bank, multilateral financial institutions, and Chinese banks.”

In a March 3 article written from Sao Paulo, where he has been deployed to oversee the British Empire plot to overthrow the Rousseff government, {Telegraph} columnist and MI­6 hitman Ambrose Evans-­Pritchard went ballistic against the NEP proposal:

“Demanding a sharp cut in interest rates [is] a move that would effectively strip the central bank of its independence… [The NEP] means a state­financed industrial policy, a blitz of investment in infrastructure, health and housing, as well as job programs and a rise in salaries. The thrust of the policy implies a partial retreat into autarky.” After reporting that “investors” are “horrified” at the proposal, Evans­-Pritchard elaborated: “`If the PT taps the reserves, they risk setting off a run on the currency. This is very dangerous,’ said one economist, dismissing the scheme as complete madness.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in a press conference on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress in Beijing, said that China is “trying to play a bigger role in existing international order and system,” but that it will never seek hegemony ­­ “China will never become another America. China has no intention to supersede or lead others,” reported Xinhua.

He specifically warned that the United States is interfering in the South China Sea in a dangerous and provocative way.

“Freedom of navigation does not imply doing whatever you want….Thanks to joint efforts made by China and other countries in the region, the South China Sea remains among the world’s safest and freest sail lanes. Any attempts to disturb the South China Sea and destabilize Asia would not be allowed by China and most other countries in the region,” he said. He warned the US against “muddying the waters” that could “plunge Asia into chaos,” adding that “Philippines stubbornness on the South China Sea dispute is the result of behind­ the ­scene instigation, political maneuvering.”

He reported that China has offered to set up two hotlines to deal with maritime emergencies and joint rescues.

Wang also stated that Beijing will not be an onlooker in the Middle East, but will play a more active role without interfering in internal affairs of nations in the region. He emphasized China’s “mature and stable” ties with Russia.