Sri Lanka asked China to revise arrival of the ship and the permission to dock may be given after President Wickremesinghe visits China in October.
Confusion prevails in Sri Lanka over granting permission to Chinese Research vessel Shi Yan 6 to conduct ocean survey off the island nation in October after New Delhi raised its serious concerns with the Ranil Wickremesinghe government. The ship is as of now slated to arrive on October 25 and said to conduct joint ocean surveys with Sri Lankan government agency NARA for the next 17 days after docking at Colombo and Hambantota ports.
File photo of Chinese ballistic missile tracking ship Yuan Wang 5 at Hambantota port in August 2022.
While newspaper Sri Lanka Mirror reported that its defence ministry had given clearance to the Chinese ship for docking at the two Sri Lankan ports, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson has been quoted in news agencies saying that the request from the Chinese Embassy was being processed and no decision had been taken.
India has officially raised concerns to Sri Lanka for allowing a free run to Chinese survey, surveillance and ballistic missile trackers ships at its Colombo and Hambantota deep sea ports. During President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to India in July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the leader to ensure that India’s strategic and security concerns are addressed by the Island nation in the Indian Ocean.
Although there are multiple voices within Colombo on granting permission to the ship, it is understood that President Wickremesinghe will take a decision after he attends the Belt-Road-Initiative summit in Beijing in the second half of October. With Sri Lanka deep in Chinese debt, it is quite evident that Colombo cannot afford to annoy President Xi Jinping with Hambantota port already given on 99 year lease to China by none other than Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister during the infamous Rajapaksa regime.
Sri Lanka is currently being economically propped up by IMF loans and the Paris club of creditor nations as its economy is in doldrums and not expected to recover this decade with high inflation and poor dollar-Sri Lankan rupee exchange rate. It was none other than the Modi government that came to aid Sri Lanka after the 2021 economic and political crisis by offering some USD 4 billion as aid including food, oil and aviation fuel.
As India has made its concerns known after China mapping the Indian Ocean bed for future submarine activity and charting out new sea routes to African coast via south Indian Ocean, it is learnt that Sri Lanka has asked China to revise the schedule of Shi Yan 6 and push back the date of arrival to November 2023.
However, much as Sri Lanka appears to address India’s security concerns vis-à-vis Chinese surveillance vessel, it is quite evident that Xi Jinping regime will have its way with the Island nation as Colombo has piled up huge BRI debt in building white elephant airports and ports by Chinese company using high-interest loans from Chinese EXIM banks.
The BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) has become attractive due to the American extremism represented in imposing embargoes and trade, economic and financial “sanctions” on a group of countries, starting with North Korea and Cuba and then expanding to Iran, Venezuela, China, Russia, Syria and others, and on everyone who deals with These countries use dollars or make financial transfers through American banks or have branches in the United States and its colonies, and this American “extremism”, especially since 2001, has led to the “rebellion” of some regimes under American influence. About forty countries have applied to belong to the “BRICS” group. Therefore, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his contentment by declaring, at the conclusion of the fifteenth BRICS summit on August 24, 2023 in the South African capital, Johannesburg, that "all goals have been achieved."set by China...It is a historic moment, and a new beginning for cooperation between developing countries, as the group expanded, for the first time since 2010 (the year of entry into South Africa), with the entry of new members, especially the oil-producing countries that will sell oil in currencies other than the dollar, and thus the disengagement takes place. With the petrodollar, by establishing alternative payment systems, in light of the US trade embargo against China, Russia and Iran, however, the entry of the three Arab countries, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, will increase the internal imbalance of the group that was composed of commodity-producing countries, while these Arab countries do not produce The three are nothing but raw commodities and its economy remains rent-seeking, and the Chinese president has the right to rejoice because the new members (Argentina, Egypt, Abyssinia, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Iran, as of January 1, 2023) are important to China and its projects such as the “Belt and Road” and to provide fuel (despite the rejection of Algeria’s membership because it did not Achieve a consensus, becauseIndia's objection), especially after it was able to supervise the reconciliation between the two rival oil systems (Saudi Arabia and Iran) and for non-dollar exchange, and it is also important to Russia, to a second degree, as it is a large producer of crude oil, and Russia is trying to benefit from expanding the exchange network in local currencies, that is, without dollars. And China and India had signed contracts with Russia and with oil countries to buy fuel in local currencies, and those contracts may be the beginning of a new phase that might put an end, in the medium term, to the dominance of the dollar, which enabled the United States to impose its laws and regulations and militarize international relations, to protect its interests by force. , so that “a quarter of the global economy is subject to sanctions and the threat of the possibility of using sanctions against any country at any time, so all developing countries are threatened, and they are looking for alternatives to the dollar and the Swift system for financial transfers,” and the Chinese president stressed the needFinding ways to secure investments, joint economic projects and trade exchange, away from the control of the United States, the dollar and the euro, and the willingness of NATO countries and their allies to use all means in order to continue their military, financial and media hegemony...According to the “Financial Times” newspaper (August 24, 2023), China had preceded the US ban by establishing a platform for exchange and clearing, with the aim of dispensing with the “Swift” system in the medium term, and the volume of transactions through this platform increased, since the imposition of US and European sanctions on Russia. Thus, China - thanks to the strength of its economy and thanks to advance planning - will be the first beneficiary of expanding the field of non-dollar trade, because this would increase the share of the Chinese currency (the yuan) as an international reserve currency alongside the dollar, the euro, the yen, the pound sterling and the Swiss franc, for example. Argentina (the new member of the BRICS group) paid the International Monetary Fund, during the month of July 2023, an installment in yuan worth $2.7 billion from a loan that the previous government had obtained as part of the huge rescue plan, at a value of $57 billion.
🔘Previous attempts to reform the international system have failed because they aim to reform the capitalist system from within, with the same rules of capitalism, and the aspirations of BRICS members are limited to finding a place for it in the system of capitalist globalization and not to change it or create an alternative to it or launch the process of “disengagement” from the capitalist system.
Since the end of World War II, and especially since the collapse of the Soviet competitor in 1991, the United States imposed an unjust regime that enabled it to organize numerous coups and aggressions in South America, Africa and Asia, spy on competitors and even allies, and try to quell any liberal spirit, blur differences and denounce demands. legitimate states and peoples, including broad segments of the American people, and used excessive military and financial force, and turned competitors and adversaries into enemies, and therefore the reputation of the United States became bad, and is associated with military dictatorships all over the world, which explains China's (relative) success in attracting countries From different continents, by promoting slogans such as "for a multipolar world" as an alternative to the unipolar one dominated by the United States, even if China's project is capitalist and exploitative, but it calls for trade and economic cooperation between countries whose economic system differs.And the political, which seems positive at first glance, but carries the risks of explosion faced by the Non-Aligned Movement, the Group of Seventy-seven, or the Group of Fifteen...
The natural development of the capitalist economy leads to the stage of monopoly, the control of financial capital, and the expansion of international markets, which are characteristics of imperialism. Burdened with debts, in addition to the entry of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, all of which are located on the “Belt and Road” path, and from the same region surrounding the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, the Horn, the Suez Canal, and the Gulf overlooking the Indian Ocean, which the United States is working to use (with the Pacific Ocean) to strangle trade Maritime China, and thus China prepares ways to resist the American blockade attempts.
China is trying to distance itself from the suspicion of the new dominant state, and to appear in the image of the country that seeks to build a system of cooperation and mutual benefit or assistance from which all partners benefit. The sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies against any regime it considers hostile to it, or any government that is not subject to American instructions...
The BRICS group could become an economic force if it had a common plan or goals, or some political or ideological homogeneity, as the share of the group of seven richest countries in the world is about 32% of the total global output, while the total output of the BRICS countries is estimated, after the accession of the six members grandparents erase 36,6% of global output, and the volume of gross domestic product of BRICS members exceeds that of the G7 countries (the 7 most powerful countries), and the size of the total economic power may be one of the factors tipping the balance of power, despite the huge US and NATO military power and despite the dominance of the “American alliance” The international financial institutions, and the strengthening of the "BRICS" group with new members, may be a step towards building a "multi-polar world" (unclear, so far), and towards changing the rules of relations between states, and Russia had expressed "assistance to the poor African countries." , by sending quantities of wheat for free, and establishing credits without interest rates for countries in difficulty, contrary to what the World Bank practices,” according to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech recorded on a video tape, specially for the BRICS summit, and translated into several languages, Including Arabic...
The BRICS group aims to "transition towards a multipolar world" or towards a "new multilateral international economic order" that would put an end, in the long term, to the dominance of the United States and the US dollar in international transactions, by creating a future common currency to facilitate trade between countries members, and it is a loose program with unclear features and objectives, and it does not require breaking with the alliances established by the United States, and this ambiguity may be one of the reasons for attracting “developing” countries or those seeking greater strategic independence. Some of them are governed by agents of American imperialism) and its intention to belong to the BRICS group, including Algeria, which was previously active in the struggle for a new international economic order that was embodied in the speech of President Houari Boumediene in April 1974, and it was the first speech in Arabic at the United Nations, but the international scene has changed since thatThen, especially since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the content of the anti-imperialist struggle that was contained in the concept of the "Third World" or the Non-Aligned Movement disappeared, to give way to the term "Global South" or "developing countries", as Algeria was one of the founding members of the Group of 15, in Belgrade (the capital of the former Yugoslavia) in 1989, along with Brazil, Mexico, India, Venezuela and other countries. This gathering was aimed at creating a force that could balance the Group of Seven, but the Group of 15 disappeared during the first decade of the twenty-first century.
The BRICS Group established the New Development Bank (NBD), headquartered in Shanghai, as a financial instrument in the service of the "new multipolar world". This bank, whose founders aspire to be an alternative to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, welcomed the annexation of the UAE during the fall of 2021 and Egypt in 2023.
Previous attempts to reform the international system have failed because they aim to reform the capitalist system from within, with the same rules of capitalism, and the aspirations of BRICS members are limited to finding a place for it in the system of capitalist globalization and not to change it or create an alternative to it or launch the process of “disengagement” from the capitalist system. The dollar, and the BRICS group carries contradictions within it, as it does not constitute a homogeneous bloc or with common denominators or a solid common base, with the exception of an attempt to bypass the international system that has been dominated by the United States for nearly eight decades. Rather, there are deep and historical differences between some of the founding members, such as China. And India, or among the new entrants such as Egypt and Abyssinia, regarding the shares of the Nile water, and the entry of countries ruled by political regimes puppet to the United States such as Egypt and the Gulf states undermines the seriousness, efficiency and credibility of the BRICS group, which has not shown interest (until now) in issues of unequal development and exchange...
The most important of all is the adoption of productive development plans that change the lives of the exploited and oppressed people and groups for the better. The BRICS data showed no interest in development and investment in the productive sectors (agriculture, industry, and the conversion of raw materials into manufactured materials) and in scientific research, education, health, and technology. An interest in eradicating poverty (and poverty is born of class inequality) or in improving the living conditions of the people and toilers who produce the wealth that others monopolize... -
Most of the data was contained in a cable by Agence France-Presse (AFP) and two analyzes by "Bloomberg" and "Reuters" Commentary, Financial Times, August 24-25, 2023.
◼ Next session to start on September 11 and continue till October 13
◼ Sri Lanka’s case will be discussed on September 11
The Mirror LK 29 August 2023 By Kelum Bandara
Sri Lanka will have a low profile approach to the upcoming session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) scheduled to start next month, Daily Mirror learns.
The UNHRC adopted the resolution 51/1 on Sri Lanka last year. The resolution calls for the Office of the High Commissioner to enhance its monitoring and reporting on the situation of human rights in Sri Lanka, including on progress in reconciliation and accountability, and on the impact of the economic crisis and corruption on human rights, and to present an oral update to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-third and fifty-fifth sessions, and a written update at its fifty-fourth session and a comprehensive report that includes further options for advancing accountability at its fifty-seventh session, both to be discussed in the context of an interactive dialogue.
The content of the new resolution is largely based on the previous 46/1 resolution. It calls for further strengthening of the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to implement the evidence gathering mechanism on human rights and accountability issues in Sri Lanka. It also seeks to examine the impact of the economic crisis on human rights in Sri Lanka.
Daily Mirror learns that the government will not send any top level delegation to lobby for support this time, and leaves it in the hands of Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva to engage with the respective countries. The government has come to terms with the reality that it cannot secure the required number to defeat any such resolution with the UN system due to lack of numbers.
However, the government has repeatedly rejected the resolution which calls for external intervention to probe human rights and accountability issues in Sri Lanka. The next session will start on September 11 and continue till October 13. Sri Lanka’s case will also be discussed on September 11.
Sri Lanka has, however, taken domestic steps to bring about reconciliation.
The National Peace Council (NPC) has urged the government to increase the wages of plantation workers. The following is the text of the statement issued by the NPC yesterday: “During the past month several events took place to mark the 200th Anniversary of the Malaiyaha Tamil people in Sri Lanka. Of symbolic significance was the march from Talaimannar to Matale that retraced the arduous trek of the original migrants. The National Peace Council and likeminded civil society organizations participated in these events that have sought to give recognition to the Malaiyaha Tamil people and their place in the country as an integral part of a plural society and with equal rights as Sri Lankan citizens.
The National Peace Council believes there is a special need for reparations to be given to this community for the deprivations they have suffered ever since being denied citizenship by the newly independent government in 1948. NPC notes that the Malaiyaha Tamil community living within the plantations continue to suffer from the debilities unjustly imposed on them at the dawn of Independence. Even today they live in abysmal conditions and are paid a grossly inadequate wage. They suffer from the highest levels of poverty of any community.
✮Though about one million people live in plantations, only about 115,000 are employees.
economynext Sunday August 27, 2023
ECONOMYNEXT – A legislator has called for support from politicians of both sides of the house to solve the issue of landless non-workers living in commercial plantations, after an incident involving the dismantling of a make-shift dwelling in an estate in Matale.
Plantations officials had ordered the dwelling to be dismantled amid protests and to the sounds of crying children, in a video footage shared over social media, that drew a sympathetic response.
Subsequently Jeevan Thondaman a Minister of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development, Jeevan Thondaman was involved in an altercation with company officials after he visited the estate.
According to Plantations Companies there are 987,000 living in estates based on officially available data. Of that only about 115,000 were workers. The rest were not workers but are allowed to stay since they had been their for generations.
About 65,000 stand alone houses had been built since the plantations were privatized in 1991 for company workers.
Each family was given 7 perches of land and some money to start building a house. The rest of the money came from NGOs and other donors through a Plantations Housing Development Trust.
On average there were about 2.1 workers per family. In addition, 116,000 older dwellings were upgraded, according to plantations companies.
The problem remained over non-workers.
“There are about 200,000 people in the estates who are workers and another 800,000 of their family members who are not given any rights, and not even recognized,” Thondaman said.
“We have spoken to President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardnana.
“It was Minister Ramesh Pathirana who started this move. Along with Minister Harin Fernando we will be submitting a cabinet paper very shortly to grant these people 10 perches. That is about 200,000 families.”
Thondaman told parliament that an Assistant Manager at Ratwatte Estate at Elkaduwa Plantations had been removed.
The Planters Association representing estate managers protested what it called was the abuse of officials who were trying to stop an illegal encroachment of state land on lease.
Minister Thondaman “used abusive language and threatened the senior management of Ratwatte Estate, belonging to Elkaduwa Plantations. The Planters’ Association of Ceylon vehemently condemns this verbal attack and calls for an impartial investigation. ”
“After reporting the matter to the police, the management exercised their authority to protect the state property as custodians of the land, in accordance with the law.
“The land of Ratwatte Estate belongs to the government with Elkaduwa Plantations having been awarded the management contract for it.”
“If the assistant manager had an issue of the non-worker who encroached or illegally built a structure, there are legal ways in which it can be addressed,” Thondaman told parliament, justifying his intervention.
However he said no legal action can be taken against company officials.
“Mr Velukumar, I explained at the start that it was an illegal encroachment,” Thondaman responded to an opposition legislator.
“You are talking on humanitarian grounds. I am talking about legality. There is a difference. That difference being when someone has illegally encroached on that land they have no say over that land.
“The assistant manager has been removed immediately. And the second thing I believe the minister has also agreed is that 11 people who were there who were not workers will be given land and they will be given houses.
“You are saying take legal action on an illegal issue. That is not possible. You are trying to make politics out of this issue. The source of this issue is that people do not have rights over land.”
He called on parliamentarians to get together to solve the problem.
“Then we have this issue, a non-worker, a human being was subject to such inhuman treatment. I am sure all of you have seen the video. I do not want to separate and create divisions among ourselves. We are here in black attire and protesting, I understand all of that.
“I think we should understand that if all of us were to come together, we can get a solution collectively. The problem is we are not looking at this in a positive manner. We are looking at how we can use this community as a vote bank.”
Thondaman said the estate Tamil community had been mistreated by successive Sri Lanka governments and they were denied citizenship for over 30 years.
Sri Lanka’s government had given state land (or so-called Crown land dating from the British period) in various irrigation schemes, where freehold ownership, a concept that originally emerged in Britain (see also fee simple), is also not complete.
In most free countries people who are born in the country are considered citizens, especially when their parents were also born in the country. Estate workers migrated to Sri Lanka during British rule from India.
However, Sri Lanka enacted a nationalist citizenship law soon after getting independence from British rule and blocked naturalization, according to critics.
During the time of ancient kings also the migrations took place for various professions, including for soldiery, but there was no European style nationalist citizenship law to block naturalization, according to students of history.
Along with developments in Europe, the British had already started to tighten migration, especially of persons outside the British possessions, several decades before independence.
Meanwhile there is a migration of young people away from plantations into cities, who are looking for jobs in retail and in the service sector while some are migrating abroad. In areas with better quality education, young people find it easier to get jobs.
Sri Lanka was a net importer of labour before a central bank was built in 1950, allowing ‘macro-economists’ to create forex shortages and balance of payments deficits in the Harvard-Cambridge inflationist tradition and permanently depreciate the rupee after US inflationists busted the Bretton Woods system.
British rulers enacted several laws to make it more difficult to migrate out of the island including Foreign Recruiting Ordinance of 1874.
Many other Sri Lankans are also leaving the country after inflationist ‘macro-economists’ destroyed real wages by busting the rupee, in their latest escapade involving the 2020-2021 macro-economic policy to target an output gap.
Plantations workers themselves had seen their wages fall after output gap targeting. (Colombo/Aug29/2023)
Three initiatives to support Africa’s industrialization, agriculture, talent devt
By Xie Wenting in Johannesburg and Liu Xin in Beijing Aug 25, 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping returned to China on Friday after wrapping up his 10th visit to the African continent, during which he attended the 15th BRICS Summit and paid a state visit to South Africa. Observers said that the Chinese leader's trip to Africa not only promoted and witnessed the historic expansion of the BRICS mechanism, but also further helped built a closer China-Africa community with a shared future, contributing to true multilateralism.
President Xi and other BRICS and African leaders gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa, this week for the BRICS summit. On Thursday, President Xi co-chaired with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue in Johannesburg, during which Xi urged China and Africa to join hands for modernization and put forward three initiatives to support Africa's industrialization, agricultural modernization and talent development.
President Xi said that China is pursuing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization, while Africa is making all-out efforts to build a new Africa that enjoys peace, unity, prosperity and strength.
China and Africa should work together to build an open and inclusive world economy, advocating for the building of an open world economy, where developing countries are better involved in the international division of labor and share the fruits of economic globalization, said Xi.
This is the first offline meeting between Chinese and African leaders since the COVID-19 pandemic, which will deepen China-Africa relations, analysts said, noting that Xi's participation in the BRICS Summit in Africa and the meeting with African leaders are helping to draw the blueprint for future China-Africa cooperation and will further promote the building of a closer China-Africa community with a shared future.
Moreover, during the summit, Xi also had offline face-to-face meetings with BRICS and also many African leaders, which were conducive to consensus-building and to Global South cooperation, and will inject more impetus into global stability and development, they said.
Blueprint for cooperation
During the meeting with African leaders on Thursday, to chart the course for China-Africa practical cooperation in the next stage and assist in Africa's integration and modernization, President Xi put forward three initiatives - Initiative on Supporting Africa's Industrialization, the Plan for China Supporting Africa's Agricultural Modernization, and the Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development.
President Xi noted that next year, China will host the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), where China and Africa may come together again and draw up new plans for development.
He also expressed confidence that China and Africa will carry forward their traditional friendship, enhance solidarity and coordination, and bolster cooperation across the board. As China and Africa join hands to advance modernization, they will deliver a better future for the Chinese and African people, and set a fine example in the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
These three initiatives on industrialization, agriculturalization, and talent development reflect Africa's aspirations for modernization and are also the core for development in Africa's Agenda 2063 development blueprint, which highlights China's inherent and consistent support for Africa's development, Song Wei, a professor from the School of International Relations at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times.
Given Africa's relatively low manufacturing capacity, the initiative on industrialization shows that China is committed to transferring its strong production capacity to Africa to enhance its position in the global value chain, said Song.
Agriculture is also a vital aspect of Africa's development. With its vast land and large population, supporting Africa's agricultural modernization also contributes to solving Africa's food security issues and making positive contributions to global food security, Song said.
Agricultural cooperation between China and Africa has been going on for several decades. Dr. Sylvester Anami, a senior research fellow at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya, told the Global Times that the impressive rural transformation and agricultural modernization in China, which involves the utilization of precision agriculture and the implementation of leading digital technologies, has resulted in the lifting of millions of people out of poverty.
The continuous provision of technical support and expertise in agricultural modernization by China has the potential to bring about a revolution in food and nutrition security in Africa, said Dr Anami.
Under the initiative on agriculture put forward by President Xi, China will further help Africa expand grain plantation, encourage Chinese companies to increase investment, and enhance cooperation with Africa on seed and other areas of agro-technology, to support Africa in transforming and upgrading its agricultural sector, analysts said.
Song also noted that talent development is the core foundation for any development plan and the initiative in cultivating talents for Africa will also help support the other two initiatives. Moreover, Africa has the youngest population in the world, and promoting talent development not only benefits African youth but also directly increases their skills for employment, thus boosting Africa's employment rate and promoting social stability.
China plans to train 500 principals and high-caliber teachers of vocational colleges, and 10,000 technical personnel in both Chinese language and vocational skills for Africa every year. China will invite 20,000 government officials and technicians from African countries to participate in workshops and seminars, according to the initiative on talent development.
In response to some Western media hype that China's economic strength is declining and its influence in Africa will be frustrated, Song said that these narratives reflect the strong fear and unease of the West and the US toward the China-Africa community with a shared future, as China-Africa cooperation has continued to upgrade.
China's influence in Africa has expanded, which has raised concerns among some countries outside the region, especially the US, which increasingly views China as a major competitor in Africa and suppresses China by fabricating accusations such as debt traps and debt diplomacy. However, African people, with a rational attitude, see through these fabrications and understand that they are baseless, said Song.
The cooperation between China and Africa has brought tangible development to African countries. The "debt trap" rhetoric is more of a political narrative and propaganda pushed to discourage Africans from getting these loans from China, Dennis Munene Mwaniki, Executive Director of the Africa Policy Institute, told the Global Times.
Some people attempt to discredit China but when people look deeper, they will find the "debt trap" and other narratives have no basis, said Mwaniki, noting that the desire for development pushes Africans back to its true friends, and the country that offers the opportunity for development is China.
Strengthening forces for world stability, development
The COVID-19 pandemic posed severe challenges to Africa and other developing countries' overall development, and the strengthened cooperation between China and Africa injects greater confidence into Africa's development and into the Global South.
Moreover, growing China-Africa cooperation, as well as the continent's development, also helps boost the influence of Africa and the developing countries at international platforms, allowing the continent's voice and development demands to be heard and responded to by more countries in the international community, said Song.
Also on Thursday, a series of outcomes was announced, including adopting the Johannesburg II Declaration in reaffirm the countries' commitment to the BRICS spirit and deciding to invite Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to become new members of the grouping.
The joining of the six new members, representing different regions, is historic, Feng Xingke, secretary general of the World Financial Forum and director of the Center for BRICS and Global Governance, told the Global Times.
The expansion of BRICS will be conducive to perfecting the management of the BRICS mechanism. Moreover, as the six countries are influential in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, BRICS will have more vitality to represent new emerging economies and developing countries, and play a bigger role in future global governance to promote a better international order, said Feng.
Text of PM Modi addressing Team ISRO on the success of Chandrayaan-3 Mission
26 AUG 2023 by PIB Delhi The Office of the Prime Minister DS/ST/DK (Release ID: 1952377)
Hello friends,
Today, being among all of you, I am feeling a different kind of happiness. Perhaps such happiness happens on a very rare occasion. When the body and mind are filled with happiness and many times such incidents happen in a person's life that impatience dominates him. Same thing happened to me this time, so impatient. I was in South Africa, then there was a program in Greece, so I went there but my mind was completely focused on you. But sometimes it seems that I do injustice to you guys. My impatience and your trouble. So early in the morning to all of you and so much time, but I just wanted to go and bow down to you. You must have been troubled, but I wanted to see you as soon as I came to India. Wanted to salute you all. Salute your hard work, salute your patience, salute your passion, salute your vitality, salute your spirit. The height to which you have taken the country, This is not an ordinary success. This is the conch shell of India's scientific potential in the infinite space.
India is on the Moon. We have placed our national pride on the Moon. We went where no one had gone. We did what no one had ever done before. This is today's India, fearless India, fighting India. This is the India, which thinks new, thinks in a new way. The one who spreads the ray of light in the world even after going into the dark zone. In the 21st century, this India will solve the biggest problems of the world. That day of 23rd August is revolving again and again before my eyes, every second. When the touch down was confirmed, the way people jumped here in the ISRO center and all over the country, who can forget that scene, some memories become immortal. That moment has become immortal, that moment is one of the most inspirational moments of this century. Every Indian felt that victory was his own. I felt myself Every Indian felt as if he himself had passed a big exam. Even today congratulations are being given, Messages are being given, and all this has been made possible by all of you, you. My scientists of the country have made this possible. The amount I praise you all is less, the amount I appreciate you is less.
Comrades,
I saw the photo in which our Moon Lander has firmly set its foot on the Moon like Angad. On one side is the faith of Vikram and on the other side is the bravery of Pragyan. Our intelligence is continuously leaving its footprints on the Moon. The pictures taken from different cameras which have just been released and I have had the privilege of seeing, are amazing. For the first time in human civilization, for the first time in the history of millions of years of the earth, man is seeing the picture of that place with his own eyes. And India has done the work of showing this picture to the world, all of you scientists have done it. Today the whole world has accepted India's scientific spirit, our technology and our scientific temperament as iron. Chandrayaan Maha Abhiyan is not only a success of India but of the entire humanity. The area that our mission will explore, This will open new avenues of parent missions for all countries. It will not only open the secrets of the moon, but will also help in solving the challenges of the earth. I once again congratulate all the scientists, technicians, engineers and all the members associated with Chandrayaan Mahabhiyan for this success of yours.
My family members,
You know that there is a scientific tradition of giving a name to the touchdown point of space missions. India has decided to name the part of the moon on which our Chandrayaan has landed. The point where Chandrayaan-3's moon lander landed will now be known as 'Shiv Shakti'. Shiva contains the resolution for the welfare of humanity and 'Shakti' gives us the ability to fulfill those resolutions. The 'Shiv Shakti' point of the Moon gives the sense of being connected to Kanyakumari of the Himalayas. Our sages have said – Yen Karmanyapaso Manishino Yagya Krinvanti Vidtheshu Dhiraah. यदपूर्व यक्षमंत्ः प्रजानां तन्मे मनः शिव-संकल्प-मस्तु। That is, the mind with which we do duty, move thought and science, and which is present within everyone, That mind is connected with auspicious and welfare resolutions. To fulfill these auspicious resolutions of the mind, the blessings of Shakti are essential. And this power is our women power. Our mothers are sisters. It has been said in our place – Srishti Stishti Vinashanaan Shaktibhute Sanatani. That is, from creation to doomsday, the basis of the entire universe is women power. You all have seen, what a big role our women scientists, women power of the country have played in Chandrayaan-3. The 'Shiv Shakti' point of the moon will witness this scientific and philosophical thinking of India for centuries. This Shivshakti Point will inspire the coming generations that we have to use science only for the welfare of humanity. The welfare of humanity is our supreme commitment. In Chandrayaan-3, our women scientists, the women power of the country have played such a big role. The 'Shiv Shakti' point of the moon will witness this scientific and philosophical thinking of India for centuries. This Shivshakti Point will inspire the coming generations that we have to use science only for the welfare of humanity. The welfare of humanity is our supreme commitment. In Chandrayaan-3, our women scientists, the women power of the country have played such a big role. The 'Shiv Shakti' point of the moon will witness this scientific and philosophical thinking of India for centuries. This Shivshakti Point will inspire the coming generations that we have to use science only for the welfare of humanity. The welfare of humanity is our supreme commitment.
Comrades,
Another renaming has been pending for a long time. Four years ago, when Chandrayaan-2 reached near the Moon where its footprints were lying, it was proposed to name the place. But instead of taking a decision in those circumstances, we took a vow that when Chandrayaan-3 successfully reaches the moon, we will name both the points together. And today I feel that, when every house is tricolor, when every mind is tricolor, and there is tricolor on the moon, then what other name can be given to the place associated with Chandrayaan 2, except 'Tiranga'? Therefore, the point on the Moon where Chandrayaan 2 left its footprints will now be called 'Tiranga'. This tricolor point will become the inspiration for every effort of India. This tricolor point will teach us that no failure is final, if there is a strong will then success is bound to happen. I mean, I'm repeating again. Where are the footprints of Chandrayaan 2, That place will be called Tiranga Point from today. And the place where Chandrayaan 3's Moon Lander has reached, that place will be called Shiv-Shakti Point from today.
Comrades,
Today India has become the fourth country in the world, which has touched the surface of the moon. This success becomes even greater when we see from where India started its journey. There was a time when India did not have the necessary technology, there was no cooperation either. We used to be counted among the countries standing in the 'Third World' i.e. 'Third Row'. After leaving there, today India has become the fifth largest economy in the world. Today, from trade to technology, India is being counted among the countries standing in the first row. Means, in this journey from 'Third Row' to 'First Row', institutions like our 'ISRO' have played a big role. Today you have taken Make in India to the moon.
My family members,
Today, I want to come among you and especially tell the countrymen about your hard work. What I am telling you is not new to you. But the countrymen should also know what you have done, what you have done. Chandrayaan's journey from the southern part of India to the south pole of the Moon was not an easy one. To ensure soft landing of Moon Lander, our scientists even made artificial moon in ISRO's research facility. Vikram Lander was tested on this artificial moon by landing it on different surfaces. Now our Moon Lander has gone there after giving so many exams, so he had to get success.
Comrades,
Today, when I see that the young generation of India is full of energy regarding science, space and innovation, the success of our similar space missions is behind it. The success of Mangalyaan, the success of Chandrayaan, the preparation of Gaganyaan has given a new mood to the young generation of the country. Today, the name of Chandrayaan is on the lips of small children of India. Today every child of India is seeing his future in you scientists. That's why your achievement is not just that you hoisted the tricolor on the moon. But you have achieved another great feat. And that achievement is to awaken the entire generation of India, to give it new energy. You have left a deep impression of your success on an entire generation. From now on, any child, when he sees the moon at night, will believe that the courage with which my country has reached the moon, the same courage, the same spirit, is also within that child. It is also within that youth. The seeds of aspirations that you have sown in the children of India today, will grow into banyan trees tomorrow and become the foundation of a developed India.
Another decision has been taken for our young generation to continue to get inspiration. On August 23, when India hoisted the tricolor on the moon, India will now celebrate that day as National Space Day. Now every year the country will celebrate National Space Day in the spirit of science, technology and innovation, so it will continue to inspire us forever.
My family members,
You also know that the potential of the space sector is much greater than launching satellites or exploring space. One of the great strengths of the space sector, which I see, is Ease of Living and Ease of Governance. Today, a lot of work has been done in the country in the direction of connecting space applications with every aspect of governance. When you people gave me the responsibility of working as the Prime Minister, then after becoming the Prime Minister, I had conducted a workshop with space scientists of the Joint Secretary level officers of the Government of India. And the purpose of this was that how to make maximum use of the power of the space sector in governance, in bringing transparency in the governance system. Then Kiran ji probably used to work with us. As a result of this, when the country started the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, started construction of toilets, started a campaign to build crores of houses, then for monitoring all these, Space science helped a lot for its progress. Today, the space sector has a huge role in providing education, communication and health services to the remote areas of the country. These days, for the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence, Amrit Sarovars are being built in every district. His tagging is also being done through his monitoring space only. Without space technology, we cannot even imagine tele-medicine and tele-education. Space science has also helped a lot in the optimum utilization of the country's resources. Every farmer of the country knows that the space sector helps in forecasting the weather, in giving strength to the agriculture sector of our country. Today he checks on his mobile, what is the condition of the weather next week. The accurate information that crores of fishermen of the country are getting today from the 'Navik' system is also your contribution. Today, when there is a flood in the country, there is a natural calamity, there is an earthquake, So you are the first to find out the seriousness of the situation. When a cyclone comes, our satellites tell its entire route, tell all the timings, and people's lives are also saved, property is also saved and if we add up the property that is saved only because of the cyclone, then today space It used to be more than what is spent. Space technology is also the basis of our PM Gatishakti National Master Plan. And today the world is studying this Gati Shakti platform of India that how useful this platform can be in planning and management. This is helping a lot in planning, execution and monitoring of projects. This scope of Space Application, which is increasing with time, is also increasing Opportunities for our youth. increasing opportunity. And that's why today I want to give a suggestion as well. And I would like that the retired people from your place can help a lot in this. Now don't say that Modi ji came here so early in the morning and is leaving after giving some work.
Comrades,
I would like ISRO to organize a National Hackathon on 'Space Technology in Governance' in association with various Central Government Ministries and State Governments. Maximum youth, maximum youth power, maximum youth should participate in this hackathon. I am confident that this National Hackathon will make our governance more effective and provide modern solutions to the countrymen.
And comrades,
Apart from you, I want to give one more task separately to our young generation. And kids don't enjoy working without homework. You all know that India is that country, which thousands of years ago started looking outside the earth into the infinite space. We had sages like Aryabhatta, Brahmagupta, Varahamihira and Bhaskaracharya of the research tradition centuries ago. When there was confusion about the shape of the earth, Aryabhata wrote in detail about the sphericity of the earth in his great treatise Aryabhatiya. He also wrote the rotation of the earth on the axis and the calculation of its circumference. Similarly, it has also been said in texts like Surya Siddhanta – Sarvatraiva Mahigole, Swasthanam Upari Sthitam. Manyante khe yato golas, tasya qu urdhvam qu vaadh. That is, some people on earth consider their place to be at the top. But, this spherical earth is located in the sky, What can be above and below it? It was written at that time. I have mentioned only one verse. Countless such compositions have been written by our forefathers. The information about eclipse is found written in many of our texts due to Sun, Moon and Earth coming in between each other. Apart from the Earth, calculations of the sizes of other planets, information related to their movements are also found in our ancient texts. We had achieved the ability to make such precise calculations regarding the movement of planets and satellites, that calendars were made hundreds of years ahead. That's why I want to give a task related to this to our new generation, school-college children. I want to scientifically prove the astronomical formulas which are there in the scriptures of India. New generations came forward to study them afresh. It is also important for our heritage and also important for science. Today, those who are students of schools, colleges, universities, researchers, in a way this is a double responsibility. The treasure of scientific knowledge that India has, has been buried, hidden during the long period of slavery. In this nectar of freedom, we have to explore this treasure too, do research on it and also tell it to the world. The second responsibility is that our young generation has to give new dimensions to today's modern science, modern technology, from the depths of the ocean to the height of the sky. From the heights of the sky to the depths of space, there is a lot for you to do. You also see Deep Earth and also explore Deep Sea. You make Next Generation Computer and also deposit your coin in Genetic Engineering. New opportunities are constantly opening up for you in India. In this period of 21st century, the country which will take the lead in science and technology, that country will move ahead.
Comrades,
Today, big experts are saying that in the next few years, India's space industry will increase from $8 billion to $16 billion. Realizing the seriousness of this, the government is also continuously reforming the space sector. Our youth are also gearing up. You will be pleasantly surprised to know that in the last four years the number of startups working in the space sector has increased from 4 to around 150. We can imagine the endless possibilities waiting for India in the endless sky. Well after a few days, from 1st September MyGov is about to launch a huge quiz competition on our Chandrayaan mission. Students of our country can start from this also. I would urge the students across the country to join it in large numbers.
My family members,
Your guidance is very necessary for the future generation of the country. You are working on so many important missions, only the coming generation will take them forward. You are a role model for all of them. Your research and your years of penance and hard work have proved that what you decide, you do. The people of the country have faith in you, and earning trust is not a small thing, friends. You have earned this trust by your penance. The blessings of the people of the country are on you. With the power of this blessing, with this dedication towards the country, India will become a global leader in science and technology. And I tell you with great confidence. Our same spirit of innovation will make the dream of a developed India come true in 2047. With this belief, Once again I have become pure after having darshan of all of you. The countrymen are full of pride. Dreams are fast becoming resolutions and your hard work is becoming a great motivation to take those resolutions to fruition. The more I congratulate you, the less I congratulate you. Many many thanks and best wishes from my side, on behalf of crores of countrymen, and on behalf of the scientific community around the world.
In his address, the prime minister said that '' India considers the whole world as one family ''
Asian Age : Aug 25, 2023
Johannesburg: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the Global South is not just a diplomatic term but represents the shared history of these countries against colonialism and apartheid based on which modern relations are being reshaped.
Addressing the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue in the South African capital, PM Modi said BRICS countries- and all friendly nations present at the summit can contribute to the strengthening of a multipolar world.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses at Open Plenary Session of BRICS Summit, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday, Aug 23, 2023. (PTI)
“I am grateful to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for giving me the opportunity to share thoughts with the leaders of Africa, Asia and Latin America. In the last two days, we have focussed on the priorities and concerns of the countries of Global South,” PM Modi said.
“We believe that giving importance to them is the need of the current generation. We have also decided on the expansion of BRICS. We welcome all new partner countries. It is another step towards making the global institutions and forums competitive,” he added.
PM Modi recalled that it was on South African land that Mahatma Gandhi developed, tested the concepts of non-violence and peaceful resistance used in in India’s freedom struggle. He said that Gandhi’s thoughts provided inspiration to the South African leader Nelson Mandela.
In his address, the prime minister said that India considers the whole world as one family and has focussed on bringing the concerns of the Global South to the mainstream level.
“…This is also the core principle of our G20 presidency. To bring the concerns of the Global South into the mainstream, we have invited three African nations and several developing nations as guest countries. India has also put forward the proposal of giving permanent G20 membership to the African Union. I believe that BRICS and all friendly nations present today, can contribute to strengthening the multipolar world,” PM Modi said further.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi congratulated leaders and people of Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE over their full membership of BRICS and said India has always supported the expansion of the organisation.
In a statement in the presence of other leaders from BRICS countries, PM Modi said India has always believed that adding new members will strengthen BRICS as an organisation.
"India has always supported the expansion of BRICS. India has always believed that adding new members will strengthen BRICS as an organisation,” he said.
PM Modi said India has “historic ties” with all the new members of BRICS.
He said India will also contribute to other countries wanting to join as partner countries of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
The Asgiri Chapter of the Siam Sect stated that it would be best if President Ranil Wickremesinghe would discuss the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution with religious leaders including the Chief Prelates (Mahanayakas) of the main Buddhist sects.
Wickremesinghe, who came to power following the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in July last year (2022), pledged that he would fully implement the 13th Amendment, and work to resolve the issues faced by the people of the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
Speaking to The Daily Morning on the matter, Asgiri Maha Viharaya Supreme Sangha Council Secretary Ven. Dr. Medagama Dhammananda Thera said that they were of the view that the 13th Amendment should not be implemented as it may cause various adverse effects, including communal conflicts. "All former Presidents didn’t implement this, and they must have done so for a fair reason. So, we don’t approve of the implementation of the 13th Amendment. However, as the President has expressed his consent to implement it, he should discuss the matter with all religious leaders, including Chief Prelates."
Wickremesinghe has had several discussions with several parties including Parliamentarians, particularly those representing the Tamil community regarding the 13th Amendment. His preparation has, however, seen opposition from several parties including the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna itself, which recently stated that he (Wickremesinghe) did not have a moral right to implement the 13th Amendment, as he is enjoying power based on the mandate given by the people to Rajapaksa.
In February this year, the Chief Prelates of the main Buddhist Sects including Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thera, Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera, Makulewe Wimala Thera, and late Dodampahala Chandrasiri Thera had, in a letter addressed to the President, requested him not to implement the 13th Amendment, claiming that the granting of Police and land powers may lead to separatism.
On 29 July 1987, the Indo-Lanka Accord was signed between the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and then Sri Lankan President J.R. Jayewardene which described the devolution of powers to the Provinces. On 14 November 1987, the Parliament passed the 13th Amendment and the Provincial Councils (PCs) Act, No. 42 of 1987 to establish PCs.
On 18 July 2023, Wickremesinghe assured a group of Tamil MPs that the 13th Amendment would be fully implemented - without Police powers - in the PCs.
