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The Eyes of the BRICS Are On the Schiller Institute's
Organizing the U.S. For the New Silk Road

December 2014

Video playlist for this conference on YouTube


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December 9 (EIRNS)—The degree to which the leading BRICS nations are looking to the LaRouche movement to organize support for their global mission, is reflected in the extent and quality of participation by those nations in the December 7 Boston Schiller Conference. The international participation in this event created, as intended, an environment in which those attending were confronted with the fact that they were being asked to get involved in a world process, and that the whole world depends upon what decision the United States makes in the days ahead.

The first contribution came from the Deputy Consul of the Consulate of Brazil in Boston, Hon. Breno Herman. He delivered a 10 minute presentation on what was happening with the New Development Bank, including the specifics of how much capital there will be, and the role of the reserve contingency fund to help other nations in case of crises.

Following this, greetings from advisor to Russian President Putin Sergei Glazyev, first delivered to the June 2014 Schiller conference, were read.


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Then Ranjani Saigal, the executive director of Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of the USA, an Indian non-profit which works with one and a half million children around issues of education, excitedly spoke about the contributions of India to world culture, their space program, and science. She spoke of what Prime Minister Modi is doing and the accomplishment of India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) program. She polemically laid out that the cost of the MOM program was cheaper than the cost of making movies about space; that the illusion cost more than the reality. Her organization also works in villages to educate children with little resources.

Following this inspiring and optimistic address, there was a message of greeting and support by the Ambassador Consul General of China in New York, specifically for this Boston conference. The full text at this message is appended below.

The Ambassador was followed by greetings from Phillip Tsokolibane of the LaRouche movement of South Africa.

These contributions were augmented by a video shown at the end of the event, of Schiller Institute representative Cloret Ferguson interviewing Baifeng Sun, director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, on the subject of Confucius and U.S. cooperation with China, especially in science, the transcript of which is also appended here.

Documentation

Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York

Congratulatory Message

I would like to extend my congratulations ou the 30th anniversary of the Schiller lnstitute and the launching of the program on "One Road and One Belt" New Thinking with Regard to Concepts and Practice.

Schiller Institute is a world-renowned political and economic think tank. Over the past 30 years since its founding, it has promoted mutual understanding between different cultures. I applaud your efforts and hope that you will continue your inspiring work in the future.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiatives will help countries put aside their disputes in the political and security fields, focusing on working with each other in their pursuit of economic developrnent. Thus the initiatives will foster mutual trust among countries, which will consequently promote the security cooperation across Asia.

I have no doubt that the panel discnssion to be held at Schiller Institute will enhance the awareness and understanding of the "One Road and One Belt" Initiatives. I wish the Schiller Institute even more success in the coming years and we look forward to many more opportunities for cooperation in the future.

Ambassador Sun Guoxiang

Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in New York

* * * *

Interchange between Cloret Ferguson and Baifeng Sun

Ferguson: Last month, at the international Conference to Commemorate the 2565th Anniversary of the birth of Confucius & the 5th Congress of the International Confucian Association, President Xi Jinping called for a dialogue among cultures - "culture is the soul of a nation," he remarked. And at the recent APEC summit, President Xi invited U.S. to join the New Silk Road initiatives. You are Director for The Confucius Institute here at Umass Boston, and have taught and resided in U.S. many years, how should Americans view this opportunity?

Sun: It could be a good for us to think we are invited to walk side by side with other countries, who we are not familiar with enough yet, to promote world peace and further human civilization. Each culture has its strength and weaknesses, when we walk together, we will learn how to keep our strength and be cautions or at least awareness of our weakness.

A lot of American people feel we are challenged to maintain the leading role in the world now and we need to figure out the best strategy to continue to lead or at least to co-lead.

But we have challenges. So it is time for us to reflect what we have been doing and under what principals, hopefully we can find out a new answer and go in the new direction.

Ferguson: With the BRICS global development initiative, the leadership and role of China to uplift and provide opportunities for least developed nations has been indispensable to improving the human condition on the planet and creating a basis for Peace rather than war, and discord. Can one attribute China’s extension of friendship & cooperation in this direction to the nation’s grounding in Confucianism?

Sun: I believe Confucianism plays a role. There is a saying in Chinese Ban Bu Lu Yu Zhi Tian Xia, which means if you have really understood half the Analects, you can be a good leader to guide your country. Confucianism promotes moral conducts and self-cultivation, the ultimate goal is to make the world a place for people to live harmoniously. The famous golden rule "do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire. " has influenced Chinese people so much.

Ferguson: Space exploration and moving humanity into the frontiers of the solar system and beyond has been an important focus of Mr & Mrs. LaRouche of the international Schiller Institute. China is today undertaking the role of leadership in this area. How do you think Confucius would view this, & what do you think Confucius would say?

Sun: I feel what Mr and Mrs. LaRouche have been doing is quite similar to Confucius doctrine of Nei Sheng Wai Wang, which means "being sage inside and being kingly outside ". He might say we live in the different places in different times in the world but we share the similar life philosophy. Because all the human beings are brothers and sisters in this world, Si Hai Zi Nei Jie Xiong Di (we are brothers and sister on the planet). The core of each culture can be the same or quite similar.