Initiative: focus on cultural diversity

Leaders of political parties and organizations from around the world welcomed China’s proposed Global Civilization Initiative, saying that it, along with the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, is of great importance in building a consensus among countries to address growing global challenges in the context of peace, security, development and harmonious coexistence.

Their comments came when Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, presented the Global Civilization Initiative on Wednesday at the CCP High-Level Meeting in Dialogue with World Political Parties. Theme of the meeting: “The path to modernization: the responsibility of political parties.”

The initiative calls for respect for the diversity of civilizations, upholding the common values ​​of humanity in the pursuit of peace, development, equality, justice, democracy and freedom, as well as active international exchange and cooperation between people.

The political leaders attending the virtual meeting spoke positively of Xi’s initiative and expressed their willingness to work with the CPC to play a leadership role in promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and to walk the path of modernization based on their national contexts.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is also chairman of the African National Congress, South Africa’s ruling party, said he fully agreed with Xi’s initiative.

South Africa’s history of struggle for national independence makes its people value the importance of unity, harmony, inclusiveness and mutual respect, he said.

The initiative is particularly important given the devastating challenges the world is facing such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, terrorism and geopolitical confrontation, Ramaphosa added.

He also said that South Africa values ​​China’s foreign policy of non-interference in domestic affairs and mutually beneficial cooperation, which is reflected in China’s global initiatives and is critical to promoting the collective growth of developing countries.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, also chairman of the Serbian Progressive Party, said the world is looking to China for innovative solutions to solve problems in a complex changing international landscape.

Vučić said humanity must work together to protect the diversity of cultures and civilizations.

The Serbian President also said, echoing Xi’s remarks on Wednesday, that countries should adhere to the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusion and should, as Xi said, “allow cultural exchange to go beyond alienation, mutual learning to go beyond clashes, and inclusiveness – go beyond any sense of superiority.

In his speech, Xi, who is also the President of China and Chairman of the Central Military Council, stressed the need for all countries to refrain from imposing their values ​​or models on others and from fomenting ideological confrontation.

At a time when geopolitical competition has led to crises and challenges, Xi’s development, security and civilization initiatives are very important for international and regional peace and cooperation, said Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrein Oyun-Erdene, who is also the chairman of the Mongolian People’s Party. .

He added that Mongolia fully supports the initiatives, and mutual trust, dialogue and cooperation are the common aspirations of mankind and represent the future of the world.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir, who is also chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, criticized the reluctance of a number of countries to build a fair and balanced system of global governance, seeking to provoke geopolitical competition, resulting in complex threats to global security. He said.

According to Kiir, given the current international landscape, leaders of political parties should promote the common values ​​of humanity, advocate respect for different paths of development and diverse cultures, and confront ideological confrontations in various forms.

Xi also elaborated on Chinese modernization in his speech. “We must uphold the principle of independence and explore a variety of ways to modernize,” he said.

Xi Jinping said that it is the people of the country who can best tell what kind of modernization suits them, adding that developing countries have the right and opportunity to independently explore the path of modernization with distinctive features based on their national realities.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, also chairman of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, said that there is no universal model of modernization applicable to all countries.

According to Maduro, some countries are trying to impose their models on others, ignoring the differences of countries in the political, cultural and historical context.

Welcome to Pollapalooza, our weekly survey roundup.

When the Silicon Valley bank collapsed last week, it caused the stock market will start a five-day fall. V shares for regional banks, in particulardeclined significantly, even as federal regulators worked on mitigation. Investors were clearly spooked by the failure of SVB and Signature Bank, a New York-based institution that also collapsed over the weekend. But Americans didn’t have much confidence in banks and other financial institutions for a while, and most believe more regulation is needed.

Gallup asked Americans about their confidence in various institutions, including banks, even before the 1980s. While most Americans once said they had “very” or “fairly” trust in banks, that has changed dramatically since the 2008 financial crisis. In 2007, 41 percent of Americans expressed significant confidence in banks; by 2009, only 22 percent. Although this level rose again to 38 percent in 2020, it has since fallen again and has never reached the consistently high levels of the mid-90s and early 2000s.

Similar trends have been recorded in other surveys: a 2012 article published in Public opinion quarterly found that declines in banking confidence were more related to major banking scandals than to economic events and indicators such as recessions or inflation. According to Pew poll last yearfew Americans across the political spectrum believe that banks and other financial institutions “have a positive impact on the way things are going in the country these days.”

And a slightly different but complementary question from Gallup shows that not only do Americans distrust banks, they tend to have an unfavorable attitude towards them: 2022 survey, just 36 percent of Americans said they were very or somewhat positive about the banking industry, up from 40 percent a year earlier. Compare that to the 60 percent of Americans who are positive about the restaurant industry, or the 57 percent who are positive about the farming industry.

Perhaps that’s why it’s not surprising that many US banks feel they should be more regulated. A survey from Lake Research Partners/Chesapeake Beach Consulting Last October, he asked Americans about banking regulation and specific policies, garnering widespread support across the political spectrum. Sixty-six percent of Americans, including 77 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of Republicans, said they need to increase regulation of “financial companies such as Wall Street banks, mortgage lenders, payday lenders, collectors and credit card companies.” More than half of Americans said that the influence of big banks in Washington is too great. And most Americans supported a range of policy proposals made by Congress and regulators, including limiting the size and frequency of bank overdrafts and credit card fees, lowering interest rates on high-cost loans, and closing loopholes for fintech companies.

But despite the distrust of financial institutions and the desire for more regulation, Americans were not too shocked by the closure of the SVB, although the reaction from them was mixed. IN poll “Morning consultation” this week, 60 percent of voters said they supported the Biden administration’s creation of an emergency fund to cover deposits in closed banks, while 62 percent said they viewed the action as a bailout. More Reuters/Ipsos poll over the same period found that 84 percent of Americans say taxpayers shouldn’t pay to fix problems caused by irresponsible bank management, which — in that Morning Consult survey — voter bias (38 percent) cited as a major reason for SVB’s failure. Meanwhile, a YouGov poll this week showed only 6 percent of Americans consider the money they currently invest in US banks to be “very unreliable”, while 70 percent said it was very or somewhat safe. Besides, 64 percent of Americans said they backed the Silicon Valley bank bailout to protect customer deposits.

However, the majority of Americans – 54 percent – said it is very or somewhat likely that the collapse of the SVB would trigger a broader financial crisis in the US, perhaps another indication of how little American confidence in banks has been since 2008.

Other Polling Bits

• While President Biden’s approval rating continues to fall, voters are mostly supportive policies in his budget proposalin accordance with a recent survey from Morning Consult. A majority of registered voters approved almost all of the policies in Biden’s proposal, such as capping insulin at $35 a month and imposing a minimum tax of 25 percent on the richest 0.01 percent of Americans. Even a majority of Republicans approved of many of the measures: 73% of Republican voters supported a cap of insulin, and 53% supported $15 billion in free school meals.
• As the war in Ukraine continues, American attitudes towards Russia have fallen to a 34-year low. according to a Gallup poll. Only 9 percent of Americans view Russia positively, up from 15 percent a year ago and a high of 66 percent in 1991 and 2002. fell sharply around the time Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and has continued to fall since Russia invaded Ukraine last year.
• More than 30 states are considering or have already enacted a ban on the popular TikTok video app, but Americans are ambivalent about whether a national ban is a good idea. new survey from Quinnipiac University. When asked if they would support a national ban on “foreign technology like TikTok,” a proportion of Americans (49 percent) said they would, while 42 percent said they would oppose it. Republicans were more likely than independents or Democrats to support a ban, while Americans aged 18 to 34 were the least likely to support a ban, with 63% saying they would oppose it.
• March madness is in full swing, and despite poll by the Center for Public Opinion at the University of Massachusetts Lowell With the discovery that only 16 percent of Americans identify themselves as college basketball fans, interest in the tournament is growing. recent survey by Morning Consult. 35% of Americans said they plan to watch the men’s tournament this year, up from 29% last year. A higher proportion of Americans also plan to fill the bracket this year (23 percent) than last year (15 percent).
• In honor of the start of Taylor Swift’s last tour, both YouGov another morning consultation Recently asked fans to rate their albums. In a YouGov poll, Swift’s “Lover” came in first place, with 14% of fans citing it as their top pick, and “1989” topped a Morning Consult fan poll. results were fans seeing the color red, but they had to shake it off because, frankly, it’s very difficult to choose which album will suit you from this mastermind’s hit-filled discography, as any fan knows all too well.

Biden endorsement

According to FiveThirtyEight’s presidential approval tracker, 43.7% of Americans approve of Biden’s performance as president, while 51.5% disapprove (-7.8 net approval rating). At the same time last week, 43.6% approved and 51.4% disapproved (net approval rating of -7.8 points). A month ago, Biden had a 43.1% approval rating and a 51.8% disapproval rating, for a net approval rating of -8.8.