China vs Africa Peace Deal: Magic Mushroom?

The China Peace Initiative launched in February 2023 is the People’s Republic of China desire to play a constructive role in resolving the Ukraine-Russia War. As discussed in brief in official China news, the 12-point proposal includes[1]:

1. Respecting the sovereignty of all countries.
2. Abandoning the Cold War mentality.
3. Ceasing hostilities.
4. Resuming peace talks.
5. Resolving the humanitarian crisis.
6. Protecting civilians and prisoners of war (POWs).
7. Keeping nuclear power plants safe.
8. Reducing strategic risks.
9. Facilitating grain exports.
10. Stopping unilateral sanctions.
11. Keeping industrial and supply chains stable.
12. Promoting post-conflict reconstruction.

The ceasing of civilian disruptions to business and trade, and having secure logistics and transportation routes makes imminent sense; however, those engaged in aggressive hostilities are making impossible sound peace plans. For instance, placing too many pre-conditions at the start of talks which are non-negotiable, or accusing the mediators of non-neutrality.

But in June 2023, African Union leaders President Azali Assoumani (Comoros) and President Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa) suggested that war can be settled through negotiations and by diplomatic means. As a delegation they traveled to Ukraine and Russia to initiate a conversational peace climate. The African Ten-Point peace initiative is described as [2]:

1. Achieving peace through negotiations and diplomatic means
2. Peace negotiations to begin immediately between Ukraine and Russia
3. De-escalation of the conflict on both sides
4. Recognition of the sovereignty of states and peoples in accordance with the UN Charter
5. Provide security guarantees for all sides
6. Securing the movement of grain and fertilizer exports from both sides
7. Providing humanitarian support for the suffering
8. Returning prisoners of war from both sides and returning of children
9. Having post-war reconstruction and assistance to victims
10. Deepen cooperation with African states

The African Peace Initiative made a significant news splash, however Ukrainian analysts were more skeptical. According to Ukraine World, Ukraine’s position is based on international law and “all peace proposals should be based on respect for international law and the restoration of justice after its violation, regardless of how much influence the violator holds.” In other words, they believe that even if the African nations are “non-aligned” on the subject of war, they must work to align themselves with Ukraine.[3]

In May 2023, Li Hui, a top Chinese envoy and former ambassador with ten years experience in Russia, traveled on a ‘peace tour’ visiting Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany and Russia ‘for in-depth communications with different parties for a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.’ China’s President Xi Jinping even made a personal phone-call to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in April 2023 to broach the subject of the visit by the Special Envoy. However generally the responses to the ceasefire proposal were lukewarm.

The Special Envoy was only able to meet with President Zelensky’s foreign minister in Germany. At a press briefing, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that “China doesn’t have much credibility because they have not been able to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine.‘ President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated that the paper must be viewed in context of principles, a specific backdrop, and that China had taken sides by “signing an unlimited friendship with Russia.”[4]

However in a briefing by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spokesperson Wang Wenbin indicated China’s perspective for peace. For instance, China’s stance is that Ukraine should not be in NATO; all sides should consult with China on a stable security architecture; all sides should respect legitimate concerns, and build a sustainable secure framework. China’s perspective is that there is no panacea to the Ukraine conflict, but it is important to build up cooperation to achieve a ceasefire for resumption of peace. Shipments of grain can resume through the Black Sea as brokered by China, and China has positive support for Ambassador Li Hui’s visit to Ukraine where topics such as energy, economics, bilateral relations, and political settlement will be brought up. The goal is to make a contribution, play a constructive role, and help in a humanitarian regard.

“In line with Dr. Kissinger’s warning that U.S. and China are the main threat to humanity’s existence and world peace, we must address conflicting paths, use more prudent rhetoric, emphasize cooperation, win-win, and partnership, that will benefit people on both sides, as President Xi Jinping says, to build mutual respect,” the MOFA spokesperson continued.[5]

Later Vantage host Palki Sharma speculated that the peace-proposal was a flop, and she even questioned what China was hoping to achieve. The BBC has been equally callous and cynical about the intentions of the South African leader of the African peace delegation, wondering if this wasn’t just a publicity stunt.[6]

In fact the end of June shut down of the Black Sea Grain Initiative by Russia seriously affects the farmers of the Global South who rely on shipments of fertilizer and grain whether from Ukraine and/or Russia. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, food insecurity in Africa is among the top of the Africa Continent’s concerns and a key motivation for why they are keen to play peace-brokers. While their political leverage as a large unified Continent with an historically oppressed race impresses, the emerging food crisis is stark.

“Africa relies heavily on grain and fertilizer exports from Ukraine and Russia,” states CSIS, however what is more is there has been years of drought in the Horn of Africa affecting countries such as Eritrea, Somalia, and Ethiopia. The war has also increased inflation and global wheat prices which, along with decreases in supply, has seriously affected Egypt, the world’s top importer of wheat. “The cost of essentials such as rice and bread have doubled, and the price of chicken and other meats almost doubled as well,” CSIS reports.[7]

Was this war engineered to bring the world population down? Podcasters raise concerns that ever since COVID-19, small business closures and supply chain disruptions have increased, while reliability of utilities and services have decreased—-all to conserve fossil fuels while herding humanity towards a mandatory Green Technocracy.

But on the other hand, has there never been more hope in the miracles of technology, and growing faith in the possibility of higher-order spiritual intervention?

In fact, amid the climate unrest, the economic slowdown, the turmoil of war, and sniping among the satraps, the People’s Republic has continued to launch rockets into space and expand it’s research experiments at Tiangong Space Station. They have been conducting gravity-free micro-horticultural measurement and experimentation on mushroom sperm.

Here’s a link to CCTV‘s “Chinese Astronauts Unlock Secret to Larger, Better Tasting Edible Fungus.” It shows that the mushrooms in space can grow to two-times the size of normal earth-based mushrooms, but that these new improved mushrooms retain their anti-gravity features to pass down to the next earthling generation.[8]

These are exactly the types of activities humanity needs to focus on to accommodate the population explosions occurring in the Southern hemisphere. Rather than wars and bloodshed, we should be innovating new ways of growing and preserving edible types of low-carbon-based high-protein foods.

Notes:
1) news.cgtn.com/full text: china’s position on political settlement of ukraine crisis
2) english.almayadeen.net/south africa’s ramaphosa reveals 10-point peace initiative on ukraine
3) ukraineworld.org/does africa’s peace plan have a chance?
4) cnn-news18/what’s behind china’s peace plan?
5) firstpost/china mofa live: chinese foreign ministry news conference
6) firstpost/china’s ukraine peace plan flops; bbc.com/africa’s ukraine-russia peace mission: what was achieved
7) csis.org/analysis/africa’s peace delegation: a new chapter for africa and the ukraine war
8) CCTV Video News Agency (YT)/Chinese Astronauts Unlock Secret to Larger, Better Tasting Edible Fungus