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May 19, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 3
platform” by its critics, fuelled tension among some of the population and in VMRO ranks.
The name of the platform came from the fact it was signed in Tirana, in consultation with Alba- nian and Kosovan political leaders. The document has sparked mass protests across the country since February 27, organised by civil organisation For United Macedonia, which holds similar views to VMRO.
For protestors, who included many renowned art- ists, the demands in the platform were illogical and provocative. They include making the Alba- nian language official in the whole country, and changes to the anthem, flag and other symbols.
However, making such changes seems almost im- possible, as they would need a two-thirds major-
Xi throws Chinese might behind One Belt, One Road initiative
Construction of new roads, railways, ports and other infrastructure along these routes are being funded by Chinese state banks and built by Chinese construction companies alongside local firms.
The $124bn figure is mostly not new investment, but at the summit Xi said China would invest an additional RMB100tn (€13.3trn) into the existing Silk Road Fund, and a total of RMB380mn from two state banks – the China Development Bank and Export-Import Bank (Eximbank) of China – as well as a further RMN60bn in aid mainly to devel- oping countries along the trade routes. The time- frame for these investments was not disclosed.
In a statement quoted by the Chinese government's press service, Wang Yiwei,
ity in the parliament, which would be impossible without VMRO MPs, who are sternly against them.
The situation erupted on April 27, when the ma- jority in the parliament elected a new speaker, Talat Xhaferi from the DUI, in a non-standard procedure, as VMRO MPs obstructed the process. The election led to serious incidents after a group of demonstrators, which participated in the For United Macedonia-organised protest, stormed the parliament and attacked some MPs from the SDSM and ethnic Albanian parties.
Over 100 people were injured, including Zaev. Ziadin Sela, an MP from the Alliance for Albani- ans, was the most seriously injured and has only recently been released from hospital. The SDSM blamed VMRO for being behind the bloody inci- dents in the parliament.
a professor at the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China, said the project would link countries and regions that account for about 60% of the world’s population and 30% of global GDP.
In his opening address to the summit, Xi stressed the benefits of increased trade and prosperity
to countries along the routes, talking of a “new model of co-operation and mutual benefit”, while his deputy Zhang Gaoli spoke of the “Silk Road spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and in- clusiveness, mutual learning and mutual respect”.
At the same time, the sheer scale of the invest- ments and their opening up of the world to Chi- nese trade is clearly also intended to reinforce China’s position as a global superpower – with the emphasis on global. In an era where the US and to a lesser extent other Western states are turn- ing away from globalism, Beijing is stepping in and trying to reshape global trading networks to its own advantage.
Delegates at the forum included the heads of