China: 'Growth on surface, lots of problems underneath'

It is wrong to idealize the Chinese success, let alone fear Chinese economic dominance in the future. It is not coming, Chairman of Glencore International corp., Simon Murray, told RT. In his exclusive interview with RT’s Sophie Shevardnadze, British businessman and adventurer Simon Murray reflected on China, where he spent many years, and the future fate of the eurozone. RT: You spend most of...

China’s stance on Syria – 'a matter of principle'

Moscow and Beijing have been firmly opposing intervention in Syria, stressing the need for a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Middle East expert He Wenping says this is matter of principle. He Wenping, of the ChineseAcademy of Social Sciences, insists that Russia and China are defending the principle of state sovereignty. “ Any regime change should be undertaken by the people in that country...

‘Afghanistan is better off without NATO’ – minister

The Security situation in Afghanistan is unlikely to deteriorate after NATO troops leave, and might even improve, Afghan Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal told RT. ­ “We, the Afghans do not want the international forces be in Afghanistan fighting for us … From the very outset we have to believe that prime responsibility of taking your own security should be the responsibility of Afghans,” Omar...

‘We are not funding Putin’s presidential campaign’ – McFaul to RT

­ “What we do is we fund non-governmental organizations, non-partisan organizations that are advancing what we call universal values: democracy, human rights, rule of law. We do it around the world and we do it here,” the ambassador said. Commenting on his meeting with members of the Russian opposition on his second day in office, the ambassador said it is the US’s regular policy of “dual track...

Putin challenger: I’m ready for a fight

­Presidential hopeful Mikhail Prokhorov shared with RT his hopes for being elected into Russia’s highest office, and what he has in store for the country, should he win. RT: Mr. Prokhorov, hello and thank you for your time. M.P. : Always glad to oblige. RT: Do you really think you can be the next president? M.P.: I always aim high, and whenever I launch a project I’m always in it to win it....

Libyan arms flood ‘nightmare’ for Africa

­The arms black market has been flooded with weapons from war-torn Libya, says Russia’s special envoy to Africa Mikhail Margelov, citing concerns voiced to him by local authorities. “I recently visited Nigeria, Mali, Mauritania and Morocco, and for these four countries what is happening in the desert is a real nightmare. One of the tribal leaders said to me, what happened in Libya undermined the...

‘With the collapse of the USSR Russia lost more than during the Second World War’

­Former Russian Prime Minister Evgeny Primakov was one of a handful of people watching history unfold from inside the corridors of power in Moscow as the Soviet Union unravelled two decades ago. RT has met with the politician. Here is his sober and impartial account of what happened. RT: Do you perhaps recall saying once that you do not understand what stopped the President of the USSR, Mikhail...

‘EU governance system to spread across whole planet’

With the sun setting on US global hegemony, the European model of governance is set to be adopted across the planet in a matter of a century, argues the founder and president of the French Institute of International Relations, Thierry de Montbrial. ­De Montbrial shared his vision that “100-200 years from now, the EU will extend to the whole planet” – because, he believes, it is the next form of...

‘Iran cannot be scared out of having nukes’

Nothing can stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, but the country does not have them yet, and has probably stopped trying to make them, Hans Blix, former Head of International Atomic Energy Agency (1981  – 1997), told RT. Threats by hawks in Israel and the US will not succeed in scaring the Iranians from their present course, Blix argued. “I am somehow doubtful that one can scare...

There’s still hope for Afghanistan – Russian envoy

­Despite fears that the planned withdrawal of US troops will plunge Afghanistan into chaos, there are still two years left in which to help Kabul buck the doomy predictions, says Russia’s special envoy to the country, Zamir Kabulov. The recent conference on Afghanistan in Bonn demonstrated the solidarity of the international community with the Afghan people and government. What was also evident...