German political figure reveals NATO's aggressive nature in new book

A German political figure has revealed NATO's nature as "an alliance for aggression and war" in her new book, a best-seller in Amazon's national defense and security policy category.

The book, titled "Die NATO," is authored by Sevim Dagdelen, a German politician and member of the Bundestag. In the book, she argues that NATO's continuous expansion does not bring security to its members but, on the contrary, exacerbates global turbulence.

"This year marks the 75th anniversary of NATO's founding, and I perceive the situation as highly dangerous. While NATO appears to be at the peak of its power, it is simultaneously plunging into the most serious crisis since its establishment," said Dagdelen in an interview with China Central Television in Berlin on Sunday.

In her new book, Dagdelen refutes NATO's claims of being a defensive alliance with democratic values and safeguarding human rights. She highlights NATO's interventions in various regions without the UN authorization, resulting in heavy civilian casualties.

"Twenty-five years ago, NATO launched raids on Yugoslavia, a sovereign state, targeting TV stations, China's embassy in Belgrade, and infrastructure such as bridges. According to international laws, this was an aggressive war initiated by NATO and cannot be considered as defensive," said Dagdelen.

Data from Brown University of the United States reveals that in the past two decades, the U.S. government has orchestrated or participated in various wars in the name of counterterrorism, directly or indirectly causing at least 4.5 million deaths.

Dagdelen claims that NATO portrays itself as a defender of democracy and human rights but has, in fact, incited conflicts in numerous regional and international hotspots.

"This book aims to debunk those myths, which are merely fabrications. The facts demonstrate that NATO has always been an alliance for aggression and even for war now. Its focus is on expansion," said Dagdelen.

German political figure reveals NATO's aggressive nature in new book

German political figure reveals NATO's aggressive nature in new book

German political figure reveals NATO's aggressive nature in new book

Customers in Shanghai are flooding back to brick and mortar stores to upgrade their home appliances thanks to advances in energy efficiency and the availability of subsidies offered by local government, home appliance brands and retailers.

A store in Shanghai's downtown Changning District has welcomed an average of 2,800 customers on a daily basis in recent days.

Labels on some home appliances show that customers have access to a 10 percent subsidy as long as the products they buy are energy efficient.

"With this 10-percent subsidy, I decided to make offline purchase at this store. It's cheaper after all," said one customer.

This 10 percent subsidy is offered by the Shanghai government to boost consumption.

Retailers are also offering subsidies, further driving up consumption.

"If a customer is buying a product with grade one energy label, while at the same time has an old machine for replacement, the customer can enjoy a 10 percent subsidy from the government. And our platform and the manufacturer together offer a 10 percent subsidy for trade-in goods. And we are also offering an additional seven to eight percent subsidy for sets, and a five percent subsidy for single items. So the customer can generally get a 35 to 40 percent subsidy," said Yang Xu, procurement and sales manager with a Shanghai branch of China's e-commerce giant JD.com.

Noticeably, people are willing to buy more products, especially more high-end models.

"Things are now cheaper. So I have money left for high-end products. I've spent 20,000 yuan (about 2,764 U.S. dollars) here. In the past, I would not choose a refrigerator of more than 13,000 yuan (about 1796 U.S. dollars). I would only buy one with half its price. And I was not planning to buy a TV. But now, I've decided to buy one," said one customer.

Boosting consumption is just one upside of such trade-in programs. Replacing old machines with more energy efficient models also aligns with the country's carbon reduction goals.

China has pledged to achieve peak carbon emissions by 2030, and carbon neutrality by 2060.

Home appliances trade-in programs boost consumption, protect environment