A global battle for a green and low-carbon economy is quietly taking place. This is yet another big 2020 event that could not have been anticipated.
Before the National Assembly elections on December 6 in Venezuela, the United States government began a campaign to delegitimize the process. The U.S. government sanctioned the head of the National Electoral Council (CNE) and members of the opposition who had decided to run in the election. Just hours after the election, both the U.S. government and the European Union—as well as their allies in Latin America—announced, predictably, that the elections had been fraudulent. They did not need evidence; they did not need anything except the reiteration of the simple line that an election in a country whose government challenges U.S. authority cannot be legitimate in any way.
The tactical tasks of adapting Russia to the new situation are directly related to the current crisis: a “turn to the East” is necessary for the transition from economic recession to growth. In this regard, the most important task is to restore and increase the volume of Russian-Asian trade. However, these tactical issues have little to do with macro trends and their solution will not ensure the long-term and successful involvement of Russia in the new Asia, writes Anastasia Likhacheva, Director of the Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies (CCEIS) of the Higher School of Economics, who participated in the 11th Valdai Club Asian Conference.
No cold war! Make the world better!
After Joe Biden won the US election, some Chinese experts said there might be a slight release of tension in China-US relations. In the 2020 US-China Dialogue Session 2 jointly organized by the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China (RDCY), experts shared their view on the decoupling that has been seen in recent years between China and the US, and what both sides can do to prevent the situation from deteriorating.
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which includes 10 ASEAN members as well as China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, is set to be signed at the ASEAN Summit on Sunday. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage on worldwide and many economies are taking a serious hit, the signing of the agreement will greatly promote regional economic integration, stabilize the supply and industrial chains, and increase countries' confidence in economic growth recovery.