"China's leader Xi Jinping on Monday vowed to bolster national security and build the military into a "great wall of steel," in the first speech of his precedent-breaking third term as president." - CNN

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"China's leader Xi Jinping on Monday vowed to bolster national security and build the military into a great wall of steel, in the first speech of his precedent-breaking third term as president.

Speaking at the closing of the annual meeting of China's rubber-stamp parliament, Xi underscored the need to comprehensively modernize national defense and the military.

'We must build the People's Liberation Army into a great wall of steel that effectively safeguards national sovereignty, security, and development interests,' Xi told the nearly 3,000 delegates of the National People's Congress." - CNN March 13, 2023

China's Steel Wall

Pray, do not roll over, cave, or simply sigh

But, rather raise a bellowing, hue and cry

Dollar banks beclown, careen, and crash

While rising, rogue, pounding, tidal waves are in-land-bashing

As erstwhile orderly, co-simpatico, congenial seasons wreak havoc and misalign

Climate break-down, freak outcomes, are the new normal, by pernicious design

The world on fiery tenterhooks

Where do we for salvation look

Callous-cruel-chaos, is the frigid order of the day

Blocking out the sun's promising, illuming, healing rays

Covid ere ground our universe to a screeching halt

A fragile world, teetering on a bed of volatile lines-of-fault

The next punishing shoe to drop

Sure to seal the ruinous global flip-flop

China's growing militarized wall of deadly armament-steel

Versus adversarial American control, of the globes' slippery steering wheel

China and America failing to blink

Rushing us to the edge of the brink

How do we right the ship

Reverse course in planetary fellowship

Run-amok greed, warmongering and nihilism

Underscore man"s mad-depravity and fatal egoism

Behold the oneness of earth's quadrillions of united, allied busy ants

They neither ravage, rage nor rabidly rant

Be inspired by giant, playful whales, tuneful and on-song

Their beauty, friendships and grace ever-strong

Hold in awe, man's incomparable, loyal canine best friends

Guileless, loving, protective, and caring to the very end

Reverence; majestic, monarchical, golden lions, nature's noble, judicious, serene breed

Bestir themselves only to benignly roam, or of veritable necessity, feed.

Alas ! all planetary creatures put man to lasting shame

As half-witted humanity hurtles inanely, towards an explosive endgame.

2023 by Irene Fowler

(Article changed on Mar 15, 2023 at 9:21 AM EDT)

(Article changed on Mar 18, 2023 at 9:28 AM EDT)

Authors Bio:

Nigerian International lawyer (LL.M Harvard),based in Lagos, Nigeria. My career spans the United Nations Geneva, Switzerland (World Health Organization, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Nigerian energy sector(Shell Petroleum, Conoco), Human/Women's Rights and Education (secondary/tertiary). I am an opinion writer for the Guardian Nigeria. My work has also appeared in The Hill, Washington DC, Kyiv Post, Ukraine, Women in leadership, London, UK and European Network against Racism, Brussels, Belgium.