Zhang Weiwei & Chinese Language Media Part One

An Introduction

Zhang Weiwei is as close to a Chinese public intellectual as one can find who has a well rounded base of publications, videos, interviews, his own journal column and a weekly TV program, “This is China.” In 2011 Zhang’s book, The China Wave: Rise of a Civilizational State, the first volume in a trilogy, was published that unleashed a new concept into the world of geopolitics: The Civilizational State. The transcript of his 2017 talk given at the Shiller Institute, “The China Wave: The Rise of A Civilizational State,” is an eye-opening read twelve page read. During the 24 hour marathon video conference on Multipolarity, Zheng gave a speech, “Multipolarity and the Rise of Civilization States” that further updated that view. Today’s available translation tools make it possible to get almost completely intelligible translations from Chinese into English that allows us to read the transcripts from his TV program and his journal columns, both happily found at the same website.

The first item to be introduced is the interview with his parent media company Observer.com that sponsors his column and TV program and deals with his recent return from South Africa where he participated in the BRICS Summit. The translation is very good, although some numerical figures didn’t translate properly but don’t detract from understanding. Published on 8/25/2023—

Under the global attention, the 15th BRICS Summit was held in Johannesburg, South Africa. At a time when the economic strength and global influence of Europe and the United States are declining, the summit has also been pinned on high hopes: "BRICS expansion", "de-dollarization", and the rise of southern countries have become hot spots for discussion.

On the eve of the summit, Professor Zhang Weiwei, Dean of the Institute of China Studies of Fudan University, was invited to South Africa for think tank exchanges and gave keynote speeches at the University of South Africa and the South African National School of Administration. Professor Zhang Weiwei has just returned to Shanghai, and the observer network contacted Professor Zhang to ask him to bring the latest interpretation of the BRICS summit.

Observer Network: The BRICS summit was held in South Africa, and you have just returned from South Africa, so we will start with BRICS and South Africa. As the rotating chairman, South Africa has made a lot of efforts to raise funds for this summit. How did you feel on the spot, and what are the different characteristics of the "BRICS moment" in South Africa? What do you expect from China?

Zhang Weiwei: South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), attached great importance to this summit and mobilized from the top to the grassroots. I could feel that the "BRICS moment" and "Chinese elements" were everywhere during the activities I attended, the national flags of China and South Africa were hung on the avenue in front of the presidential palace, and the logo of the BRICS Summit was everywhere. I was also invited to participate in a BRICS Strategic Dialogue held by the ANC at the Johannesburg Theatre, where I had a direct dialogue with the cadres and masses of the ANC in Johannesburg, which was a kind of warm-up and mobilization.

It was also the first time I had this experience, and they were enthusiastic, and there were slogans and singing, first the African Union anthem and then the South African anthem. I gave a speech with a deputy foreign minister from South Africa, and then both sides answered questions.

During my trip to South Africa, I gave two public speeches when it came to China's achievements, and the audience almost spontaneously applauded. I gave a speech at the South African National School of Administration, and former South African President Motianthi also came and made wonderful comments. Based on the reality of South Africa's political, economic and social development, he believes that my summary of China's successful experience is enlightening for South Africa and even the whole of Africa.

In particular, Motianthi mentioned the building of South Africa's ruling party, the building of cadres, the improvement of national capabilities, how to prioritize in the development process, and the promotion of energy transition, all of which can be inspired by China's experience. He also spoke of being imprisoned for a decade by a white racist regime alongside Mandela. "We will always remember the precious support of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese Chinese people in our struggle against apartheid and national independence," he said.

President Xi Jinping described China-South Africa relations as a friendship of "comrades and brothers", which is also my feeling during my field visit. I myself have visited nearly 20 African countries, and it should be said that Africa's "looking east" has become a major tide.

Observer Network: This BRICS summit has also attracted the attention of Western media, but we know that Western media have been vilifying China, and African media have also been influenced by Western media.

Zhang Weiwei: At present, the credibility of the mainstream media in the West is very poor in their own countries, and although they are in the dark China every day, ordinary Africans can feel Chinese-style modernization from their side at any time.

In South Africa today, electric vehicles and SUVs made in China are symbols of quality and fashion, Chery, BYD, Great Wall and other brands of cars, can be seen everywhere on the street, BAIC's two cars have become the official designated service vehicles of this BRICS summit. Huawei has long been deeply engaged in the South African market, opening an innovation center in Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city, last month, and South African President Ramaphosa personally attended the launch ceremony of the center, praising Huawei's new technology will help Africa "leapfrog into the fourth industrial revolution."

By the way, I also met many "African fans" here, and they cherished some of my views, such as "good governance or bad governance" over "democracy or autocracy", "selection + election" above "election" alone, and they asked for a group photo after each lecture. This is thanks to the many videos produced by Observer.com and Dilang Wave, which spread our original Chinese discourse. The world has long entered the post-Western era, and in the post-Western discourse era, everyone is looking forward to new discourse, and our discourse is undoubtedly a clear stream, which is welcomed by African friends.

Africa's "Look East" is also reflected in some of Africa's leading polls, such as a large poll conducted by the Ichkowitz Foundation in Africa last year, which found that China has surpassed the United States as the country with the greatest positive impact on Africa in the minds of young Africans, with 76% of respondents believing that China is a country that has a positive impact on their lives.

Ivor Ichikowitz, the foundation's president, said: "There is no doubt that China is the dominant force in Africa today. Overall, we see that young Africans have a very positive attitude towards China."

Observer: South Africa also intends to expand the influence of African countries through this summit. We also know that Africa has been trapped by war, economic problems, actively seeking improvement, and increasingly reluctant to become a "new colony" at the bottom of the global industrial chain. From the perspective of African development, what new opportunities can the BRICS bring to Africa?

Zhang Weiwei: Most African countries are characterized by almost all political independence, but economically they have not completely freed themselves from Western colonization. The coup d'état in the West African country of Niger is illustrative, and although the nature of the coup is disputed, the question raised by ordinary people in Niger is straightforward: our country has gold and uranium mines, why are we still so poor? They are pointing the finger at the international and regional order dominated by Western powers, making it impossible for them to develop. France itself uses the euro, but eight countries in West Africa still use the CFA franc, and the money supply and wealth distribution are determined by this order.

It can be said that Africa's "looking east" today is linked to "decolonization". During this visit to South Africa, I was also asked from time to time how Africa should achieve economic decolonization, and I said that there are basically two methods, one is the hard way, that is, to achieve resource autonomy through nationalization; The second is the soft method, that is, let the stock slowly change and accelerate the increment, that is, increase economic and trade relations with China, Russia and other BRICS countries on an equal and mutually beneficial basis.

China is a socialist country that has achieved "the rise of four industrial revolutions", and with such a China, the world is different. In terms of ideas, the West believes in "divide and rule", and China believes in "unite and prosper", which is now a frequent phrase spoken by many friends in Africa, which itself reflects a "decolonization" Chinese concept and Chinese discourse.

Observer.com: What other manifestations of the injustice of the international order? What does this have to do with the increasing number of countries asking to join the BRICS? How to assess the significance of this BRICS summit?

Zhang Weiwei: This summit is the first offline summit after the new crown epidemic and the first offline meeting of BRICS leaders since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine. These two crises acted as catalysts for the non-Western world to see more clearly that the unjust international order was the greatest obstacle to their development. For most countries, the international order is no longer an abstract concept, but an increasingly concrete fact.

In the current order, Western powers hoarded vaccines during the pandemic and refused to provide vaccines to the third world. They can impose so-called "devastating sanctions" on such a big country as Russia, so how can other small and medium-sized countries withstand it? In this order, everything can be weaponized: the dollar can be weaponized, the means of payment can be weaponized, trade can be weaponized, technology can be weaponized, food can be weaponized, climate problems can be weaponized. This is why more and more countries, especially developing countries, are looking forward to joining the BRICS, and now more than 20 countries have officially applied, six of which have been approved this time, and more than 20 countries have expressed strong interest. This is enough to show how much the non-Western world expects to change today's unjust international order.

Today, the whole world is witnessing the awakening of the non-Western world, the world has been suffering from the West for a long time, and this international order must be changed, which is the greatest consensus of the Global South and the BRICS countries.

Observer Network: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Iran, and Ethiopia have become new members of the BRICS family, has this enhanced the ability of the Global South to play with the West, and what is your comment on this?

Zhang Weiwei: Seeing this list of new members, a South African friend immediately sent me WeChat: The United States must be dizzy, the United States has lost the Middle East. Of course, this is just a family statement. When the world's mainstream media reported on this expansion, almost all quoted President Xi Jinping's words: "This expansion is historic."

In an interview with South African TV that day, I said a point of view: after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Russia turned the currency war launched by the United States into a war of "goods" and "currency", Russia has goods, the United States has currency, but your currency may not be able to buy my goods. This sends a very important message: most of the "goods" in the world today are in the countries of the South, whether raw materials or manufactured products. Together with the latest six members, the BRICS increased its weight in the global economy from 31% to 37%, surpassing the G30 at <>%. We can even say that the countries with the most "goods" in the world are gathered here.

Last year, the top country in global trade surplus was China, followed by Russia, despite its sanctions, and Saudi Arabia in third. In contrast, the U.S. GDP is mainly a very moisture-rich service sector, including a lot of derivatives trading, but in tough times, people are increasingly seeing the value of resources and manufactured products, and this is where the strength of the countries of the Global South lies, and they need to use this power to the fullest.

Undoubtedly, the BRICS countries are a symbol of the rise and influence of the Global South, representing a new balance of global power. The fact that so many countries have joined and are eager to join the BRICS cooperation mechanism indeed reflects the strong dissatisfaction of the Global South with the existing international order.

Observer Network: In his speech at the 15th BRICS Summit, President Xi Jinping mentioned that "BRICS countries are an important force shaping the international pattern" and emphasized the independence and autonomy of BRICS countries. From this perspective, how can the BRICS consolidate its image as an alternative to the new international order and the new development cycle desired by the "majority of the world"?

Zhang Weiwei: Indeed, we can say that this summit is a symbol of the global South's move from awakening to action. With the current economic strength, scientific and technological strength and natural resources mastered by the BRICS countries, at least theoretically, an economic plate that can be relatively independent of the West's win-win cooperation has been formed, or in other words, it can basically achieve "internal circulation" within it, in this sense, the BRICS countries are indeed an important force shaping the international pattern. I think it already has the strength and the capital to push for a new international order that really benefits the majority of the world.

Personally, I think that we can consider further "organization" of BRICS cooperation and promote the establishment of a "BRICS Cooperation Organization" to integrate various existing institutions (such as the New Development Bank) and other mechanisms. We need to learn the lessons of the G-77's under-organization, which is one of the main reasons for its diminished influence.

Now with the guidance of China, a super-large-scale civilized country that has freed itself from the dependency system, the hard power and soft power that the BRICS members already have, and the economic and trade and technological cooperation between hundreds of countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America that China's "Belt and Road" has built, as long as the BRICS power is properly operated, it is very likely to substantially promote the further rise of the countries of the global South, promote the economic "decolonization" of more southern countries, and push them to get rid of, or at least partially get rid of, the current "periphery-center" Dependency system, promoting the transformation of the international order in favor of the vast majority of countries in the world.

By the way, the humanities and social sciences circles in many southern countries have begun the general trend of "de-Westernization" and "decolonization", and I believe that China's humanities and social sciences circles should also take more substantive steps in this regard.

Observer: Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the closing ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum that the process of "de-dollarization" in BRICS economic relations, which is "objectively existing and irreversible", is accelerating. Discussing "de-dollarization" is also a major expectation for the BRICS summit. What do you think of this wave of "de-dollarization" on a global scale?

Zhang Weiwei: "De-dollarization" is the trend of the times, but the forms will be diverse. Not long ago, the president of the New Development Bank pointed out in an interview with the Financial Times that our goal is to achieve 30% of total lending in local currency, which is not just a substitute for the dollar, but a substitute for the system. The current financial system is unipolar, and it will be replaced by a more multipolar system, which I think is a kind of "de-dollarization".

I have always said that the "weaponization" of the dollar by the United States poses a triple risk to the world. First, reserve risk. Your U.S. dollars deposited in U.S. banks and U.S. Treasury bonds purchased may be seized by the U.S. The second is payment risk. The U.S. can ban your use of cross-border payment systems at any time. The third is the risk of depreciation. The United States has indiscriminately printed money to dilute its debt, and the general view is that the dollar has entered a depreciation channel in the long run.

The dollar's share of global currency reserves has now fallen from 73% in 2001 to 47% in 2022. More and more countries are seeking alternatives to the SWIFT system, and a more pluralistic international financial order is emerging. In this sense, the discussions on this issue at the BRICS summit and the decisions taken at this BRICS summit have far-reaching global significance. In short, after this BRICS summit, the world is even more different!

The TV programs are much longer as are their transcripts. The parent website also allows comments in, Chinese of course. That transcript and what it discusses will be the topic for Part Two.

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