On television, Du Jin emphatically called for Russia to take its own path, one that is neither European nor Asian, but to establish a new power and civilization center that incorporates the characteristics of both!
This made Wang Ye shake his head repeatedly.
It wasn't that he disagreed with Du Jin's views; given Russia's historical heritage and land area, it indeed had the qualifications to become what is called a "pole."
But the timing was not right!
In 2004, Russia was arguably in its weakest state since the Former Soviet Breakdown.
Domestically speaking, people were not exactly living in dire straits, but it wasn't far off.
Externally, the country was still burdened with a heap of debt unpaid, and it wasn't an overstatement to say that it was facing internal and external troubles.
At the same time, certain countries were keeping a vigilant eye on Russia, fearful that it might revert to its former Soviet status.
