【By Observer Net, Qi Qian】

On October 3rd local time, German Chancellor Merkel attended an event commemorating the 35th anniversary of German unification and delivered a speech. According to the German Chancellery website, Merkel emphasized the difficulties faced by Germany, Europe, and the entire Western world in her speech.

"In the autumn of 2025, our country is going through a critical moment, a significant stage in modern history, perhaps a decisive one," Merkel pointed out. For the international community, "the appeal of what we call 'free Western' is clearly declining."

Merkel said that now, "the world is looking at us, and it is no longer taken for granted that our liberal democratic values are emulated and accepted."

When talking about the reasons, Merkel repeated the cliché of the so-called "authoritarian alliance." But she also admitted that the center of power in the world is undergoing an unprecedented shift since the Cold War, and the so-called "free international order" is facing serious challenges.

He said that, in addition to external attacks, the "free way of life" of Western societies is also under attack from within. He continued, saying that countries are currently experiencing a commercial and technological revolution comparable to the initial changes of the industrial era; the global economic order is being rewritten, tariff barriers are constantly being set up, and selfishness is resurfacing again; waves of immigration have caused polarization in Germany, leading to new divisions.

"We must relearn to defend ourselves, defend our freedom," Merkel summarized, stating that Germany's future goal is to strengthen liberal democracy, safeguard the rule of law, restore economic strength and combine it with social responsibility, and firmly root Germany in Europe.

Merkel spoke on October 3rd German Chancellery website

Russian media "Russia Today" (RT) mentioned that in May this year, US Vice President Vance made a similar statement. He said at the time that after the end of the Cold War, American leaders mistakenly believed that "American hegemony" had been solidified.

"The era of America's undisputed hegemony has ended," said Vance. "China, Russia, and other countries determined to defeat us pose serious threats in all areas, from spectrum to low Earth orbit, to our supply chains, even our communication infrastructure."

Vance also said that over the past few decades, Washington has focused too much on "soft power" and developed a habit of "interfering in foreign affairs," even when these affairs are "almost unrelated to America's core interests." He promised that the Trump administration would completely get rid of these practices.

According to reports, on October 2nd local time, Russian President Putin attended the Valdai International Discussion Club meeting in Sochi.

Putin attended the Valdai International Discussion Club meeting on October 2nd Russian Presidential website

Putin pointed out that the world is experiencing "rapid and intense changes," and the concept of "democracy" in the West itself is declining.

He said that the West still strives to maintain its global hegemony, obsessed with the fantasy of "dividing everyone into three six nine classes, with themselves at the top," while multipolarity is a direct response to Western countries.

Putin emphasized that in a multipolar world, "the efforts of countries to ensure their own security and development are just and reasonable." Regional countries have the main voice in building regional systems, and these countries are most likely to reach agreements on cooperation models acceptable to all parties.

In February this year, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jia Kun stated that a multipolar world is becoming a new reality. China is firmly promoting an inclusive and equitable economic globalization, supporting an equal and orderly multipolar world.

"A multipolar world is an inevitable trend of history and is becoming a new reality," Guo Jia Kun said. "What kind of multipolarity does the world need? Foreign Minister Wang Yi further explained China's solution in his keynote speech at the Munich Security Conference, which is to promote an equal and orderly multipolar world."

Guo Jia Kun said that equality is reflected in equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal rules, with the core being that all countries, big or small, are equal, and each country or group of countries can find their place in the globalized system, rather than being monopolized by a few countries in international affairs, and opposing hegemonism and power politics.

"Orderly means ensuring the stable development of the multipolar process, without causing new turbulence," Guo Jia Kun said. This requires all countries to jointly respect international rule of law, practice multilateralism, uphold openness and win-win cooperation, jointly safeguard the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, maintain the central position of the United Nations in the international system, and promote the common development of all countries.

This article is exclusive to Observer Net. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7557997312954532391/

Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author. Please express your attitude by clicking on the 【up/down】 button below.