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China Radio Interviews Helga Zepp-LaRouche
After the APEC Summit

November 2014

Helga Zepp-LaRouche at "One Belt, One Road" conference in Beijing, September 5, 2014.

China Radio International (CRI) conducted an interview with Schiller Institute Founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche after the APEC Summit in Beijing, which was broadcast on their “Today” show on November 12. (Audio: interview begins at 2:43)

CRI. President Xi said in his speech that FTAAP could help solve some of the problems and challenges in regional economic growth. Do you agree?

Helga Zepp-LaRouche. Oh,yes, I think it's very beneficial for Asia and the Pacific region, but I would emphasize the benefit is not just regional. Because what occurred just now is an inspiration for the rest of the world, especially since the United States and Europe have much more severe economic problems than they officially acknowledge, and in a world crisis like the one we have right now, it is extremely important to not be partisan, but to take always the approach that President Xi Jinping is taking when he says that solutions to the world's problems have to be inclusive. That has been the approach with the New Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road, and in that sense I think that the APEC accomplishments really could be a model for how to solve problems in the whole world.

CRI. Well, APEC leaders have agreed at the end of the meeting that a feasibility study would last two years until the end of 2016. So could you walk us through the process? And what is the study about? Coordination, or what kind of ``feasibility'' are we looking at here?

Helga Zepp-LaRouche. To tell you what I think, two years is a very long time. And I don't think the world will wait two years until such a feasibility study is ready. Therefore I think it would be advisable to prepare to act much more quickly. You see, the too-big-to-fail banks of the Atlantic region could crash at any moment. And therefore it is important to have something in place immediately for that eventuality. Obviously, the trade relations among the APEC countries take much longer to work out, but I think the other instruments that China has been promoting, the AIIB, the New Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road, these things should start right away. I think momentum is very important and the details of trade relations can be worked out as you go along.

CRI. And why do you think the feasibility study is scheduled to last two years? Do you think this was a compromise between the U.S. and China? Because they have competing free trade agreements going on, right?

Helga Zepp-LaRouche. Yes, but I think this APEC Summit has shown that the FTAAP has definitely gained momentum, because it's clearly recognized that most of the countries of the Asia Pacific region have come onboard. The competition is still there, but even President Obama felt obliged to say that the TPP is a step in the direction of the FTAAP. So, I think the Chinese model has definitely won the momentum.

CRI. So even before the Leaders' Meeting, the U.S. already ruled out any breakthroughs on the TPP. And the FTAAP has been gaining momentum. So do you think, as someone has said, that the FTAAP has diverted attention from the TPP?

Helga Zepp-LaRouche. Yes, and it's also very clear why, because, you know, the former National Security Adviser of Obama, Tom Donilon, said if the TPP would be agreed upon, it would mean that the United States will write the rules for the world economy for a hundred years to come. Now that is not something that most countries would desire to be a part of. And even the U.S. Peterson Institute, which is generally known not to be very friendly to China, they made a comparison and said that the FTAAP will bring benefits for every participant, while the TPP would massively reduce trade for China. So I think the fact that the FTAAP is definitely becoming the more attractive model is really a big success.

CRI. It was also interesting to see that the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, surprisingly also issued a public statement in support of FTAAP. So do you see this as a positive sign for the eventual agreement, or is this indicative of warming ties between Japan and China?

Helga Zepp-LaRouche. Well, obviously this discussion is an important breakthrough, but I think we have to see how it develops, because this was just the beginning. It is obviously important that China and Japan work together, because the alternative is not acceptable. But now we have to see in practice if Japan sticks to its present constitution and stops the tendency toward remilitarization. If that would be the case, it's good. But judging from the pictures, the meeting does not seem to have been particularly warm. So there is still a way to go.

CRI. With the start of this feasibility study of FTAAP, does this give Japan bargaining power against the U.S. in their negotiations on TPP?

Helga Zepp-LaRouche. I think, realistically, if Japan would act in its own interest, it would work much more closely with China and the other Asian nations. Because Japan is just an island, they don't have many raw materials, and so their living standard depends on high-technology advances and so they can only benefit from cooperation with China, and they also need a market, and a field for investment, etc. And so I think for Japan, its self-interest lies in cooperating with Asia.

CRI. Before this meeting there was talk that APEC was sliding into a state of irrelevance, but with China's emphasis on this year's conference, on FTAAP, and on the other announcements and agreements that have been made on the sidelines, do you think that under Xi Jinping we are beginning to see the emergence of a more energetic and confident global player in China?

Helga Zepp-LaRouche. Yes, absolutely. I think China has already taken a leadership role in the world, and if you look at the different policies that have come forward with Xi Jinping, I mentioned already the New Silk Road which is fantastic, the Maritime Silk Road, the AIIB, and now you have the Silk Road Development Fund of $40 billion. And now you have the FTAAP.

But most important is the Chinese lunar program, which is a revolution in itself. With Yutu and Chang-e 3 and Chang-e 5T1, this has already changed the character of mankind's existence, because it is aimed at eventually mining Helium-3 on the Moon for the fusion program on Earth. That program alone is creating a new force in the universe. And it also represents the keystone for the Chinese economy, because it's a science driver.

Right now, the Chinese space program is the greatest impulse to improve the power of mankind on the planet and beyond in the universe. So, I think what China is doing right now is really giving a great reason for optimism, which other parts of the world which are in a more troubled condition, can eventually be pulled out of it.

CRI. Helga, thank you so much for joining us.

You can hear the interview at http://english.cri.cn/7146/2014/11/12/3081s852129.htm . The interview of Helga Zepp-LaRouche begins 2 minutes, 43 seconds from the beginning of the audio.