It is ‘Global Village Today’ that delivers major news from various countries around the world.
Host) What news do you have today?
Reporter) Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia next week to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said Slovakia, following Poland, would also provide fighter jets to Ukraine. The French government has been criticized for passing the pension reform bill without a parliamentary vote. Related news, we will deliver it next.
Host) Global Village Today, this is the first news. Has it been announced that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia next week?
Reporter) Yes. The governments of China and Russia announced simultaneously on the 17th. President Xi will pay a state visit to Russia from the 20th to the 22nd at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. It’s been almost 4 years since President Xi visited Russia. President Putin invited him to Russia at a meeting with President Xi in December last year.
Moderator) What is the specific purpose of President Xi’s visit to Russia this time? How did the two countries explain it?
Reporter) Yes. First, at a regular briefing on the 17th, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that President Xi “exchanged in-depth views with President Putin on major international and regional issues of common interest and relations between the two countries, promote strategic cooperation and substantive cooperation between the two countries. It will inject new impetus into the development of country relations.”
Moderator) Are you talking about discussing current issues between the two countries and promoting the development of bilateral relations?
Reporter) Yes. Spokesperson Wang also said, “Currently, the world is entering a new era of turbulence and reform as the change of the century accelerates.” It goes far beyond that,” he said.
Moderator) What did the Russian side, which invited President Xi, say?
Reporter) Yes. The Office of the President issued a statement. “The two leaders will exchange views in the context of deepening cooperation between the two countries in the international arena, and discuss issues of further development of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction,” the statement said. “President Xi and President Putin will sign important bilateral documents,” the statement added. Earlier, Putin said that Xi’s visit could “show the world the strength of bilateral relations and could become a major political event of the year for bilateral relations.”
Moderator) Was there no mention of the Ukraine issue in the presentation of the two countries?
Reporter) Yes. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a Twitter post about President Xi’s visit to Russia on the 17th, “China will maintain an ‘objective and impartial stance’ on the war in Ukraine and will play a constructive role in promoting peace talks.” In a regular briefing on the 17th, Spokesperson Wang Wonbin also explained that Xi’s visit to Russia was partly “to promote peace”, although he did not explicitly mention the war in Ukraine.
Moderator) Regarding the war in Ukraine, Spokesperson Hua Chunying and Spokesperson Wang Wonbin mentioned ‘peace’. China recently proposed a plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
Reporter) Yes. On the 24th of last month, the first anniversary of the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, China published a document titled “China’s Position on the Political Resolution of the Ukraine Crisis”. China proposed 12 items in the document, including respect for sovereignty, cessation of hostilities, initiation of peace negotiations, and cessation of unilateral sanctions.
Moderator) The Western side showed a lukewarm response to this proposal, right?
Reporter) Yes. The United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), etc. showed a reaction. However, Russia and Ukraine have shown a more open attitude than the West to such Chinese proposals. Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang urged Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleva on the 16th to start peace negotiations with Russia. “China has always maintained an objective and impartial stance on the Ukraine issue, committed to promoting peace and advancing negotiations, and called on the international community to create conditions for peace talks,” Qin said.
Host) What did Ukraine say about this?
Reporter) Yes. Kuleba tweeted that she and her pro-minister had “discussed the importance of the principle of territorial integrity”. “I emphasized the importance of the peace formula proposed by President Volodymyr Zelensky to end aggression and restore peace,” he said. Meanwhile, Minister Kuleba also spoke with US Secretary of State Tony Blincoln on the same day (16th).
Moderator) China seems to be trying to mediate the peace plan in Ukraine. Has there been any real success in this mediation activity in other regions?
Reporter) Yes. China recently brought Saudi Arabia and Iran, the two “enemies” of the Middle East, to Beijing to mediate an agreement to restore diplomatic relations that had been severed for seven years since 2016. After reaching an agreement, Wang Yi, a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, China’s “diplomatic command tower,” said, “We will continue to play a constructive role in global conflicts and show a sense of responsibility as a major country, in accordance with the wishes of all countries.” . The AFP news agency analyzed that the agreement “challenged US supremacy in the Middle East.”
Moderator) By the way, there was also a report that President Xi Jinping would speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the phone?
Reporter) Yes. It was reported that Xi would speak to President Zelensky after wrapping up his visit to Russia. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba told the BBC that Zelensky was ready to speak with Xi. However, the Chinese government has not confirmed this report.
Host) In the midst of this, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for President Putin, right?
Reporter) Yes. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin on the 17th, accusing him of being responsible for war crimes committed in Ukraine. The charges against Putin are specifically the illegal deportation or transfer of children and people from Ukrainian territory to Russia. The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Maria Livovabelova, a member of the Office of the Russian President for Child Rights, on the same charges.
Moderator) What are the reactions to the ICC measures?
Reporter) The Ukrainian government immediately expressed its welcome. However, Russia dismissed it as a meaningless measure for Russia from a legal point of view. “Russia is not under the jurisdiction of the ICC and has no obligations to the ICC,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Telegram.
MiG-29 fighters owned by the Slovak Air Force (file photo)
Presenter) Global Village Today’s next news. Following Poland, Slovakia has announced fighter support plans for Ukraine?
Reporter) Yes, Slovakia, an Eastern European country, announced on the 17th that it would support 13 former Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. Prime Minister Eduard Heger said at a press conference that day that the Slovak parliament unanimously approved the aid plan. At the same time, he commented that the Slovak government is “standing on the right side of history.” Prime Minister Heger also added that Slovakia will also supply parts of the KUB air defense system.
Moderator) How will the fighters be delivered?
Reporter) Prime Minister Heger said he would closely coordinate the fighter delivery process with Poland, Ukraine and other allies. However, Slovakia did not say when the fighters would be delivered for security reasons.
Moderator) Will Slovakia receive compensation for supporting the MiG fighter?
Reporter) Yes, Slovakia will receive $213 million in aid from the European Union (EU) in exchange for supporting MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad also said that the country would receive $700 million worth of arms from the United States. The type of weapon is still unknown. Meanwhile, ‘AP’ and ‘Reuters’ news reports reported that the F-16 fighter jets that Slovakia requested from the United States in 2018 will arrive in early 2024 after a long delay.
Moderator) As you mentioned earlier, just the day before (16th), Poland also announced plans to support MiG-29 fighters, right?
Reporter) Yes, Polish President Andrzej Duda announced on the 16th that he would send four MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine within a few days. After Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Poland is the first NATO member country to send fighter jets to Ukraine.
Host) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been asking Western countries for fighter jets, right?
Reporter) Yes. However, the West did not readily accept this request. It is because of concerns that NATO’s role in the war will expand if it supports attack fighters to Ukraine, which is not yet a member of NATO. Previously, US President Joe Biden also rejected Ukraine’s request for US-made F-16 fighter jets.
Moderator) Did the US take a position on the announcement of support for fighter jets in Poland and Slovakia?
Reporter) Yes, the White House said on the 16th that Poland’s plan to support MiG fighters in Ukraine was an independent decision by Poland, and that it highly appreciates Poland’s move to renew the level of aid to Ukraine. White House National Security Council (NSC) Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby, however, said, “For now, there is no change in our views on fighters (support).” He added that Poland had informed the United States of the decision prior to an official announcement.
Moderator) How did Ukraine respond to the MiG fighter support this time?
Reporter) Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Inat appeared on TV on the 17th and said additional MiG fighters would not radically change the situation on the battlefield. He stressed that while the MiG fighter might increase combat capability to some extent, it “must not be forgotten that it is still Soviet and not a modern Western fighter.” In fact, most of Slovakia’s MiG-29 fighters are known to be inoperable. So, the German state broadcaster ‘Deutsche Welle (DW)’ and the American ‘New York Times (NYT)’ newspaper reported that the delivered MiG fighter is likely to be used mainly for spare parts.
Host) How did Russia react to the announcement of fighter jet support?
Reporter) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced Slovakia and Poland’s commitment to fighter jets as “another example of increasing the level of direct involvement” by NATO members. He warned that the fighter jet support “will not affect the outcome of Russia’s special military operation, but could cause greater misfortune to Ukraine and its people.”
Protesters march against pension reform bills in Paris, France. (data photo)
Host) Global village today, this is the last news. This time it’s from France. Conflict over pension reform has entered a new phase?
Reporter) Yes. The French government of Emmanuel Macron decided to pass the pension reform bill on the 16th without a parliamentary vote. To this end, President Macron instructed Prime Minister Elisabeth Born to exercise the powers stipulated in Article 49 Paragraph 3 of the Constitution.
Moderator) What does this provision specifically mean?
Reporter) Yes. The provision would allow the executive to pass legislation without a House vote after cabinet deliberations.
Moderator) Is there any way for Congress to reverse this action?
reporter). Once this provision is invoked, Congress has 24 hours to introduce a no-confidence motion. If this no-confidence motion is approved by a majority of the full number of MPs, the bill becomes null and void and government ministers, including the Prime Minister appointed by the President, must be removed from their seats. However, if there is no no-confidence bill, or if it does not pass the vote, the bill is considered adopted and becomes law.
Host) Has there ever been a case in the past where a no-confidence bill was passed after Article 49, Paragraph 3 of this Constitution was invoked?
Reporter) Yes. After the current constitution of the Fifth Republic was enacted in 1958, a no-confidence bill was passed only once, in 1962.
Moderator) The core of the pension reform proposed by the Macron government was to raise the retirement age, right?
Reporter) Yes. The goal is to raise the age at which you can receive your pension when you retire from 62 to 64. Macron’s government has called for a higher retirement age to prepare for retirement savings and the depletion of pension funds as birth rates fall and people live longer.
Moderator) But didn’t fierce opposition erupt around the union?
Reporter) Yes. Many workers are still enduring hardships while waiting for the day they will retire, but they protested that raising the retirement age was unfair and could never be accepted. When the government pension reform plan was revealed, workers’ organizations continued to strike and resist. In the political world, there are voices opposing not only the opposition parties, but even within the ruling party.
Moderator) Are you protesting that the government has destroyed this hope when workers are waiting for the day they get a pension?
Reporter) Yes. There is criticism that the government is only for the rich. Opponents of the pension reform bill call it cruel, inhuman and degenerative. Meanwhile, when news broke that the government had handled the pension reform bill without parliamentary approval that day (16th), fierce protests broke out in Paris, the capital.
Moderator) Do you think there will be a motion of no confidence in Macron’s government in the parliament?
Reporter) Yes. First of all, the far-right National Front party announced on the 16th that it would submit a no-confidence motion in parliament. However, even if the no-confidence bill goes to a vote, it is unlikely that it will pass. This is because most of the far-right, left-wing, and conservative opposition parties must join forces.
Host) I will listen to the global village today.
