Newsletter #5: 29 March 2021

The next No Cold War webinar takes place on Saturday 10 April 2021, 2pm Britain, 9pm China, 9am US Eastern, 6am US
Pacific.

Early indications from the Biden administration are that it proposes to continue the New Cold War on China, including through attempts to expand NATO's sphere of operation into the Pacific.

No Cold War is pleased to be hosting a line-up of peace campaigners and academics to explore the issues of the 'Quad' and associated attempts to construct an anti-China regional alliance; US military bases; the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system; the South China Sea; and the prospects for a peaceful Pacific.

Tickets to the Zoom event are limited, so please register on Eventbrite if you wish to attend.

We will also be live-streaming to our Youtube channel and Facebook page.

Speakers include:

Ann Wright - CODEPINK / Veterans for Peace
Wang Danning - Research fellow, Charhar Institute (China)
Rob Kajiwara - President, Peace for Okinawa Coalition
Ajamu Baraka - Black Alliance for Peace / Coalition Against US Foreign Military Bases
Kate Hudson - General Secretary, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Vijay Prashad - Director, Tricontinental Institute
Julie Tang - Retired judge / Co-founder, Pivot to Peace
Lisa Natividad - University of Guam / I Hagan Famalao'an Guahan
KJ Noh - Veterans for Peace / expert on Asia-Pacific geopolitics
Kawena Kapahua - Hawaiian activist
Jenny Clegg - Academic / author of 'China's Global Strategy: Toward a Multipolar World'
Derek Ford - ANSWER Coalition / Assistant professor, DePauw University

Statement on anti-Asian racism and the New Cold War

The recent murder of eight people — including six Asian women — in Atlanta is part of an alarming rise in racial hatred against people of Asian descent. While the United States is the centre of this phenomenon, violent anti-Asian racism is also resurging in Canada, Britain, Australia and elsewhere.

On the same day as the Atlanta murders, the results of a new Gallup poll were released, showing that US public opinion towards China has sharply deteriorated in the past year, with nearly half the population viewing China as their ‘greatest enemy’. These two trends are not coincidental. The rise in anti-Asian racism is inextricably linked with the New Cold War currently being waged by the US government and its allies, primarily against China.

In recent years, Washington, with bipartisan support, has initiated a New Cold War with increasingly aggressive statements and actions towards China. A particularly disturbing aspect has been the promotion of racist labels such as ‘Chinese virus’ and ‘Kung flu’, along with conspiracy theories of a Chinese ‘cover-up’, which have sought to blame China for the Covid-19 pandemic and generated animosity towards Asian peoples worldwide. These overtly racist narratives have been able to take root in the wider, hostile environment generated by the New Cold War.

On a daily basis, media coverage incessantly warns of the ‘threat’ posed by China, reminiscent of the racist ‘yellow peril’ and McCarthyist ‘red scare’ narratives of the previous century. As with the Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism of the ‘War on Terror’, and the anti-Black racism of the ‘War on Drugs’, the rise in anti-Asian racism is intimately bound up with the fear-mongering narratives promoted to justify a New Cold War.

It is wholly insufficient to criticize the overt bigotry promoted by Trump and his ilk, but continue promoting hostile confrontation with China, which inevitably lays the groundwork for such hatred to flourish. The fight against anti-Asian racism requires fighting against the New Cold War.

We support China and the US basing their relations on cooperation and dialogue, centring on the common issues which face humanity, including climate change, global health, racism, and economic development. We call on all those who stand for peace to demand that the US and its allies end their New Cold War against China.

Newsletter #4: 14 December 2020

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

Dear *|FNAME|*

It's hard to believe the No Cold War campaign has only been in existence for six months. In that time we've run some great online events, launched our campaign statement, and worked hard to raise awareness about the dangers of the US-led New Cold War against China. In total, No Cold War video events have received over 3.1 million hits, and we've been able to start building a systematic dialogue between anti-New Cold War forces from around the world.

With only a couple of weeks left in 2020, we wanted to take the opportunity to take stock of our progress so far, and to thank you for your involvement. Wishing you a peaceful holiday season, and we look forward to working with you again in the New Year.

In solidarity
Carlos, on behalf of the No Cold War organising committee

Our inaugural conference took place on Saturday 25 July, featuring some fantastic speakers from China, the US, Venezuela, India, Russia, Brazil, Canada and Britain. Over 350 people joined the Zoom call, and the livestream has had over 30,000 views. The event also received significant media coverage in China, with the report in Global Times receiving over 200 million hits. You can see all the videos in this YouTube playlist.

Our second webinar took place on 26 September: an international peace forum, bringing together peace movements from around the world (including the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Stop the War Coalition, CODEPINK, Black Alliance for Peace, Pivot to Peace and Vrede vzw) to analyse the dangerous deterioration in US-China relations and discuss what measures we can take to reverse the tide of war. You can watch the videos from this powerful event on YouTube, and you can also read a useful write-up on Invent the Future.

On 24 October, we were honoured to host a unique dialogue between Zhang Weiwei (professor of international relations at Fudan University, former interpreter to Deng Xiaoping, and author of several books including the best-selling The China Wave: Rise of a Civilizational State) and Jeffrey Sachs (a leading expert in sustainable development, former director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, and author of several books including the influential The End of Poverty). The online event was attended by over 400 people, with registrations from 62 countries. The wide-ranging and fascinating conversation ended with a clear consensus between the two professors: the world needs multilateralism and cooperation. Building constructive relations between the US and China is urgent and essential.

The livestream video on YouTube has had 23,000 streams so far, and its counterpart on Chinese video streaming site Bilibili is getting towards a million views. There is also a detailed write-up on Invent the Future.

On 7 November, just a few days after the US presidential election, we worked with the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research, and Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China to organise a webinar with experts from the US, China, Britain, Bolivia, Canada and India analysing the consequences of the election for international relations in general and the US-China relationship specifically.

This was our first event with simultaneous translation and streaming in Mandarin. You can see the full event on YouTube.

Our last event of the year, held on 14 November, brought together an impressive range of analysts to discuss the connection between the New Cold War and the rise in racism. Speakers from around the world talked about the need to build unity between the anti-war and anti-racist movements, and join hands against all forms of national oppression. The full playlist for the event can be watched on YouTube, and once again there is a written summary on Invent the Future.

Statement: A New Cold War against China is against the interests of humanity

Our campaign statement, launched on the day of our inaugural conference (25 July 2020) has picked up support from organisations and individuals around the world, and has been translated into 18 languages. Click here to read it and to add your name.

Organisational supporters include:

Black Alliance for Peace (US)
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (UK)
CODEPINK (US)
Cuban Movement for Peace and Sovereignty of the Peoples
No to War - No to NATO
Peace for Okinawa Coalition
Pivot to Peace (US)
Simon Bolívar Institute for Peace and Solidarity Among Peoples
South African Peace Initiative
Stop the War (UK)
US Peace Council

Individual signatories include:

Diane Abbott - Labour MP, former Labour Party Shadow Home Secretary (UK)
Celso Amorim - Former Foreign Minister and Defence Minister of Brazil (Brazil)
Ajamu Baraka - Green Party candidate for US Vice-President in 2016, Black AgendaReport.com (US)
Medea Benjamin - Peace activist and cofounder Codepink (US)
Barbara Finamore - Author, 'Will China Save the Planet?' (US)
Gerald Horne - Chair of History and African American Studies, University of Houston (US)
Martin Jacques - Senior Fellow, Department of Politics and International Studies, Cambridge University (UK)
Irvin Jim - General Secretary, National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa
Chris Matlhako - Second Deputy General Secretary, South African Communist Party
Maite Mola - Vice-President European Left Party (Spain)
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel - Nobel Peace Prize winner (Argentina)
John Pilger - Prize Winning Journalist, Director of ‘The Coming War on China’ (Australia)
N Ram - Former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu (India)
Carlos Ron - President, Simón Bolívar Institute for Peace and Solidarity Among Peoples (Venezuela)
João Pedro Stedile - MST (Brazil)
Jill Stein - Green Party candidate for President of the US in 2012 and 2016 (US)
Yanis Varoufakis - Economist, Member of Parliament, and former Finance Minister (Greece)
Wang Wen - Executive Dean, Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China
Colonel Ann Wright - US Army (retired), Veterans for Peace (US)
Zhang Weiwei - Professor, Fudan University, author 'The China Wave’ (China)

Newsletter #3: 02 November 2020

Will the US Presidential Election Change the New Cold War? (Saturday 7 November)

Saturday 7 November
7am (US Eastern), 12pm (UK), 8pm (China).

US, Chinese and other experts opposing a New Cold War will analyse the consequences of the outcome of the US presidential election.

President Trump launched a New Cold War against China which has led to a dangerous rise in global tensions. It is a decisive part of an aggressive ‘America First’ foreign policy which has also involved an attack on the people of many other countries - including US support for coups in Latin American countries such as Bolivia.

At this webinar experts from the US, China, Britain, Bolivia, India and other countries will discuss whether the outcome of the US presidential election will end, continue or change the tactics of the US in the New Cold War.

The event will be broadcast in English and Chinese with simultaneous translation. It is jointly sponsored by No Cold War, the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research, and Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China.

Tickets to the Zoom event are limited, so please register on Eventbrite if you wish to attend.
We will also be live-streaming to our Youtube channel and Facebook page.

Speakers include:

Martin Jacques - Author of ‘When China Rules the World’
Vijay Prashad - Tricontinental Institute for Social Research
Margaret Kimberley - Black Agenda Report
Wang Wen - Executive Dean of Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China
Ollie Vargas – Journalist on Bolivia’s Kawsachun News
John Foster - Emeritus Professor, University of the West of Scotland
Claudia De La Cruz - Executive Director of The People’s Forum
He Weiwen - Former Counsellor at Chinese Consulates General in New York and San Francisco
Radhika Desai – Professor, Department of Political Studies, University of Manitoba
Qiao Collective - A diaspora Chinese media collective
John Ross – Senior Fellow, Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China

Uniting Against Racism and the New Cold War (Saturday 14 November)

Saturday 14 November
9am (US Eastern), 2pm (UK), 10pm (China).

A webinar on forging unity between the anti-racist and anti-war movements, building together towards a future of peaceful cooperation.

Neoliberal capitalism in crisis is simultaneously leading to a rise in racism and driving towards a potentially disastrous New Cold War on China. No Cold War is pleased to host a webinar on forging unity between the anti-racist and anti-war movements, building together towards a future of peaceful cooperation, free from racial or national oppression.

Tickets to the Zoom event are limited, so please register on Eventbrite if you wish to attend.
We will also be live-streaming to our Youtube channel and Facebook page.

Speakers include:

Diane Abbott - Labour MP, former Labour Party Shadow Home Secretary (UK)
David West - Retired basketball player, 2x NBA All-Star, activist
Rania Khalek - Lebanese-American journalist
Lowkey - Rapper and activist (UK)
Jingjing Li - Journalist with CGTN (China)
Glen Ford - Executive Editor, Black Agenda Report (US)
Nick Estes - Author and co-founder of The Red Nation
Chris Matlhako - South African Communist Party
Qiao Collective - Diaspora Chinese media collective (US)
Siu Hin Lee - National Coordinator, China-US Solidarity Network (China)
Cale Holmes - US journalist based in Beijing
Sabby Dhalu - Co-Convenor, Stand Up to Racism (UK)
Danny Haiphong - Author, and No Cold War organising committee member

Successful dialogue between Jeffrey Sachs and Zhang Weiwei

On 24 October, No Cold War hosted a very successful and interesting dialogue between Zhang Weiwei (professor of international relations at Fudan University, former interpreter to Deng Xiaoping, and author of several books including the best-selling The China Wave: Rise of a Civilizational State) and Jeffrey Sachs (a leading expert in sustainable development, former director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, and author of several books including the influential The End of Poverty). The online event was attended by over 400 people, with registrations from 62 countries.

You can view the event in full at YouTube and read the report by No Cold War convenor Carlos Martinez.

Statement: A New Cold War against China is against the interests of humanity

Our launch statement continues to pick up support. Click here to read it (translated in 17 languages) and to add your name.

Organisational supporters include:

Black Alliance for Peace (US)
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (UK)
CODEPINK (US)
No to War - No to NATO
Peace for Okinawa Coalition
Pivot to Peace (US)
Simon Bolívar Institute for Peace and Solidarity Among Peoples
South African Peace Initiative
Stop the War (UK)
US Peace Council

Individual signatories include:

Diane Abbott - Labour MP, former Labour Party Shadow Home Secretary (UK)
Celso Amorim - Former Foreign Minister and Defence Minister of Brazil (Brazil)
Ajamu Baraka - Green Party candidate for US Vice-President in 2016, Black AgendaReport.com (US)
Medea Benjamin - Peace activist and cofounder Codepink (US)
Barbara Finamore - Author, 'Will China Save the Planet?' (US)
Gerald Horne - Chair of History and African American Studies, University of Houston (US)
Martin Jacques - Senior Fellow, Department of Politics and International Studies, Cambridge University (UK)
Irvin Jim - General Secretary, National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa
Chris Matlhako - Second Deputy General Secretary, South African Communist Party
Maite Mola - Vice-President European Left Party (Spain)
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel - Nobel Peace Prize winner (Argentina)
John Pilger - Prize Winning Journalist, Director of ‘The Coming War on China’ (Australia)
N Ram - Former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu (India)
Carlos Ron - President, Simón Bolívar Institute for Peace and Solidarity Among Peoples (Venezuela)
João Pedro Stedile - MST (Brazil)
Jill Stein - Green Party candidate for President of the US in 2012 and 2016 (US)
Yanis Varoufakis - Economist, Member of Parliament, and former Finance Minister (Greece)
Wang Wen - Executive Dean, Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China
Colonel Ann Wright - US Army (retired), Veterans for Peace (US)
Zhang Weiwei - Professor, Fudan University, author 'The China Wave’ (China)

Newsletter #2: 05 October 2020

China and the US: a dialogue between Jeffrey Sachs and Zhang Weiwei (24 October)

No Cold War is hosting a dialogue between professors Jeffrey Sachs and Zhang Weiwei, discussing relations between China and the US.

The event takes place on Saturday 24 October 2020, 2pm GMT, 9pm China, 9am US Eastern, 9pm US Pacific.

Tickets to the Zoom event are limited, so please register on Eventbrite if you wish to attend.

We will also be live-streaming to our Youtube channel and Facebook page.

Zhang Weiwei is professor of international relations at Fudan University, former interpreter to Deng Xiaoping, and author of several key books including the best-selling The China Wave: Rise of a Civilizational State.

Jeffrey Sachs is an economist, academic, expert in sustainable development, and former director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University. He has written numerous books, including the influential The End of Poverty.

Peace Forum a success

We held our second major online event, an international peace forum, on 26 September, bringing together peace movements from around the world (including the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Stop the War Coalition, CODEPINK, Black Alliance for Peace, Pivot to Peace and Vrede vzw) to analyse the dangerous deterioration in US-China relations and discuss what measures we can take to reverse the tide of war.

Speakers included Victor Gao (Professor at Soochow University), Jodie Evans (CODEPINK), Chris Matlhako (South African Communist Party), Kate Hudson (CND), Margaret Kimberley (Black Alliance for Peace), Vijay Prashad (Tricontinental Institute), Lindsey German (Stop the War Coalition), Julie Tang (Pivot to Peace), Abdallah El-Harif (Democratic Way), Ollie Vargas (Kawsachun News) and Ludo De Brabander (Vrede vzw).

You can watch the event back on YouTube and read the reports on Invent the Future, Telesur, China Daily and ChinaSquare.be.

Videos of our inaugural event

You can see all the videos from our inaugural conference (which took place on Saturday 25 July 2020) on our Youtube channel.

Pivot to Peace webinar against racism and war

The second Pivot to Peace webinar took place on September 20th, 2020. Speakers included Julie Tang, Dale Minami, Margaret Kimberley, Dr. Steven Pei and No Cold War convenor Carlos Martinez. You can see the full event on YouTube.

Statement: A New Cold War against China is against the interests of humanity

Our launch statement continues to pick up support. Click here to read it (translated in 17 languages) and to add your name.

Organisational supporters include:

Black Alliance for Peace (US)
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (UK)
CODEPINK (US)
No to War - No to NATO
Peace for Okinawa Coalition
Pivot to Peace (US)
Simon Bolívar Institute for Peace and Solidarity Among Peoples
South African Peace Initiative
Stop the War (UK)
US Peace Council

Individual signatories include:

Diane Abbott - Labour MP, former Labour Party Shadow Home Secretary (UK)
Celso Amorim - Former Foreign Minister and Defence Minister of Brazil (Brazil)
Ajamu Baraka - Green Party candidate for US Vice-President in 2016, Black AgendaReport.com (US)
Medea Benjamin - Peace activist and cofounder Codepink (US)
Barbara Finamore - Author, 'Will China Save the Planet?' (US)
Gerald Horne - Chair of History and African American Studies, University of Houston (US)
Martin Jacques - Senior Fellow, Department of Politics and International Studies, Cambridge University (UK)
Irvin Jim - General Secretary, National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa
Chris Matlhako - Second Deputy General Secretary, South African Communist Party
Maite Mola - Vice-President European Left Party (Spain)
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel - Nobel Peace Prize winner (Argentina)
John Pilger - Prize Winning Journalist, Director of ‘The Coming War on China’ (Australia)
N Ram - Former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu (India)
Carlos Ron - President, Simón Bolívar Institute for Peace and Solidarity Among Peoples (Venezuela)
João Pedro Stedile - MST (Brazil)
Jill Stein - Green Party candidate for President of the US in 2012 and 2016 (US)
Yanis Varoufakis - Economist, Member of Parliament, and former Finance Minister (Greece)
Wang Wen - Executive Dean, Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China
Colonel Ann Wright - US Army (retired), Veterans for Peace (US)
Zhang Weiwei - Professor, Fudan University, author 'The China Wave’ (China)

Newsletter #1: 09 September 2020

No Cold War newsletter #1

Dear friend, thank you for signing up to the No Cold War newsletter. We'll be sending messages every 2-3 weeks including information about our events and important news related to the campaign against the US-led war on China.

Our next event: International Peace Forum (26 September)

We're very excited to annouce the second No Cold War webinar: an international peace forum supported by peace organisations from around the world, including CODEPINK, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Black Alliance for Peace, Stop the War Coalition, No to War No to NATO, and more.

The event takes place on Saturday 26 September, 2pm UK, 9pm China, 9am US Eastern, 9pm US Pacific.

Tickets to the Zoom event are limited, so please register on Eventbrite if you wish to attend.

We will also be live-streaming to our Youtube channel and Facebook page.

SPEAKERS

Victor Gao, Professor at Soochow University (China)
Jodie Evans, Co-founder of CODEPINK (US)
Chris Matlhako, Deputy General Secretary of the South African Communist Party
Kate Hudson, General Secretary of CND
Margaret Kimberley, Coordinating Committee of Black Alliance for Peace
Vijay Prashad, Director of Tricontinental Institute (India)
Lindsey German, Convenor, Stop the War Coalition
Julie Tang, Pivot to Peace
Abdallah El-Harif, Founder of Democratic Way (Morocco)
Ollie Vargas, Journalist for Kawsachun News (Bolivia)
Ludo De Brabander, Vrede vzw and No to War – No to Nato Network

Videos of our inaugural event

You can see all the videos from our inaugural conference (which took place on Saturday 25 July 2020) on our Youtube channel.

Pivot to Peace webinar on 19 Sept: Standing Against Racism and War

The second Pivot to Peace live webinar takes place on September 19th, 2020 at 3pm ET, 12pm PT, 8pm BST. You can find details on the Pivot to Peace website.

CODEPINK 'China Is Not Our Enemy' campaign

Our friends at CODEPINK are developing a series of video interviews and articles on the theme 'China Is Not Our Enemy', including interviews with No Cold War organising committee members John Ross and Vijay Prashad. Find out more.

Statement: A New Cold War against China is against the interests of humanity

Our launch statement has already picked up significant support. Click here to read it (translated in 17 languages) and to add your name.

Organisational supporters include:

Black Alliance for Peace (US)
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (UK)
CODEPINK (US)
No to War - No to NATO
Peace for Okinawa Coalition
Pivot to Peace (US)
Stop the War (UK)
US Peace Council

Individual signatories include:

Diane Abbott - Labour MP, former Labour Party Shadow Home Secretary (UK)
Celso Amorim - Former Foreign Minister and Defence Minister of Brazil (Brazil)
Ajamu Baraka - Green Party candidate for US Vice-President in 2016, Black AgendaReport.com (US)
Medea Benjamin - Peace activist and cofounder Codepink (US)
Barbara Finamore - Author, 'Will China Save the Planet?' (US)
Gerald Horne - Chair of History and African American Studies, University of Houston (US)
Martin Jacques - Senior Fellow, Department of Politics and International Studies, Cambridge University (UK)
Irvin Jim - General Secretary, National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa
Maite Mola - Vice-President European Left Party (Spain)
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel - Nobel Peace Prize winner (Argentina)
John Pilger - Prize Winning Journalist, Director of ‘The Coming War on China’ (Australia)
N Ram - Former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu (India)
Carlos Ron - President, Simón Bolívar Institute for Peace and Solidarity Among Peoples (Venezuela)
João Pedro Stedile - MST (Brazil)
Jill Stein - Green Party candidate for President of the US in 2012 and 2016 (US)
Yanis Varoufakis - Economist, Member of Parliament, and former Finance Minister (Greece)
Wang Wen - Executive Dean, Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China
Colonel Ann Wright - US Army (retired), Veterans for Peace (US)
Zhang Weiwei - Professor, Fudan University, author 'The China Wave’ (China)

Newsletter

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Newsletter archive

Statement on anti-Asian racism and the New Cold War

Statement: A New Cold War against China is against the interests of humanity

Will the US Presidential Election Change the New Cold War? (Saturday 7 November)

Uniting Against Racism and the New Cold War (Saturday 14 November)

Successful dialogue between Jeffrey Sachs and Zhang Weiwei

Statement: A New Cold War against China is against the interests of humanity

China and the US: a dialogue between Jeffrey Sachs and Zhang Weiwei (24 October)

Peace Forum a success

Videos of our inaugural event

Pivot to Peace webinar against racism and war

Statement: A New Cold War against China is against the interests of humanity

No Cold War newsletter #1

Our next event: International Peace Forum (26 September)

Videos of our inaugural event

Pivot to Peace webinar on 19 Sept: Standing Against Racism and War

CODEPINK 'China Is Not Our Enemy' campaign

Statement: A New Cold War against China is against the interests of humanity