Month: November 2022

Lao president’s visit to China expected to deepen political mutual trust, inject new momentum to economic ties

Comrade Thongloun Sisoulith, General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR), is currently on a visit to China at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, becoming the third leader of a socialist country to visit Beijing, following the visits of the Vietnamese and Cuban leaders, since the Communist Party of China held its 20th National Congress in October.

This is Thongloun’s first visit to China after taking office as General Secretary in January in 2021 and becoming state President of March the same year. However, he has previously visited China many times, the first occasion being in 1970, five years before his country’s liberation, testifying to the long and intimate ties between the Chinese and Laotian revolutions. 

The following article, reprinted from Global Times, outlines the background and context to his current visit.

The top leader of Laos is paying a visit to China from Tuesday to Thursday in a trip that is believed to highlight the positive interactions between the two socialist countries, enhance their political trust and bring new economic opportunities to both sides. 

Thongloun Sisoulith, general secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao president, is paying the three-day visit at the invitation of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president.

This is Thongloun’s first visit to China after taking office as general secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee in January in 2021, and assuming office as president of Laos in March the same year.

As close neighbors and socialist countries, China and Laos have constantly deepened their trade and economic ties in recent years. According to the Xinhua News Agency, China has become the second-largest trading partner and the country with the largest foreign direct investment in Laos.

Thongloun has visited China many times since he first visited Nanning, South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, in 1970. “Laos and China have helped each other in various periods of history, and in modern times they supported each other when fighting against foreign aggression. In particular, the Communist Party of China, the army and the people of China have provided timely and effective assistance to the cause of national salvation of Laos without any strings attached,” Thongloun described China-Laos relations in a previous interview with China Central Television (CCTV) News.

Continue reading Lao president’s visit to China expected to deepen political mutual trust, inject new momentum to economic ties

China and Cuba: an exemplar of solidarity and cooperation between socialist countries

The recent state visit to China by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermudez was significant on a number of levels.

It was the first state visit from Latin America and the Caribbean following the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, highlighting the special importance of relations between socialist countries. An article in the Global Times pointedly remarked: “China-Cuba relations have become a model of socialist countries to unite and cooperate and of developing countries to sincerely assist each other. This is beyond the comprehension of the arrogant and narrow-minded US and Western elites.” It is notable in this regard that the first national leader to visit China after the 20th Congress was Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Xi Jinping classified the relations between Cuba and China as being “an exemplar of solidarity and cooperation between socialist countries,” adding:

No matter how the international situation may change, China’s commitment to long-term friendship with Cuba will not change. China’s determination to support Cuba in pursuing socialism will not change. China’s will to work with Cuba to safeguard international fairness and justice and oppose hegemony and power politics will not change.

Congratulating the CPC on the successful conclusion of its 20th Congress, Díaz-Canel stated that he greatly appreciates “the theoretical and practical contributions made by Xi Jinping’s leadership in the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, which we Cubans consider a true stimulus for all progressive forces.”

The relationship between the two countries goes back a long way. Xi Jinping observed that Cuba was the first country in the Western hemisphere to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, shortly after the victory of the Cuban Revolution. A report from Granma – the official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba – notes that, a few months later, in November 1960, “a Cuban delegation, headed by Ernesto Che Guevara, visited the Asian giant, and from that moment economic, scientific and technological cooperation agreements, and bilateral trade agreements were born.”

Díaz-Canel’s visit had a specific importance in light of the economic difficulties Cuba is currently experiencing – the product of the tightening of the US’s criminal blockade on the island, compounded by the impact of Covid-19 (and consequent reduction in tourism income) and a sequence of natural disasters and accidents. The numerous investment agreements signed, the renegotiation and restructuring of Cuba’s debt to China, and the donation by China of 100 million US dollars will serve to create much-needed breathing space for the Cuban economy.

Xi Jinping commented: “Currently, comrades in Cuba are confronted with great challenges. But the cause of socialism always advances through surmounting difficulties. China firmly believes that comrades in Cuba will overcome all difficulties, and China will do its best to provide support and assistance.”

China also took the opportunity to reiterate its whole-hearted opposition to the US blockade on Cuba:

China firmly supports the just struggle of the Cuban people to defend their national sovereignty and oppose foreign interference and blockade. The erroneous practice of a small number of countries indiscriminately imposing unilateral sanctions, cutting off development assistance, and freezing legal assets of other countries must be corrected. 

We are pleased to reproduce below the Joint Statement between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Cuba on Deepening China-Cuba Relations in the New Era, along with a selection of articles from Chinese and Cuban media.

Joint Statement between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Cuba on Deepening China-Cuba Relations in the New Era

Foreign Ministry of the People’s Republic of China (machine-translated from Chinese)

At the invitation of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and President Xi Jinping, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party and President of Cuba, addressed the Chinese people from November 24 to 26, 2022 on a state visit.

During the visit, General Secretary Xi Jinping held cordial talks with First Secretary and President Díaz-Canel, reflecting the close friendship between the two parties, governments and peoples. Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman Li Zhanshu met with Diaz-Canel respectively.

Comrade Diaz-Canel conveyed the greetings and congratulations of General Raúl Castro to Comrade Xi Jinping. Comrade Xi Jinping expressed his gratitude and asked him to convey his regards to General Raul Castro. The two heads of state spoke highly of the traditional friendship between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Cuba (hereinafter referred to as “both parties”). The China-Cuba friendship was forged by the older generations of leaders of the two countries represented by Mao Zedong and Fidel Castro. Cuba established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China in 1960, becoming the first country in the Western Hemisphere to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. The two heads of state expressed satisfaction with the development of China-Cuba relations and the fruitful results of bilateral cooperation in various fields since the establishment of diplomatic relations 62 years ago. China-Cuba relations have become a model of solidarity and cooperation among socialist countries and sincere mutual assistance among developing countries.

The two heads of state emphasized that both China and Cuba are socialist countries, and both firmly uphold sovereignty, independence, national unity and national dignity, have always adhered to the socialist road with their own characteristics, and have made major achievements.

The two heads of state exchanged in-depth views on the relationship between the two parties and the two countries and international and regional issues of common concern. They expressed that they will continue to promote the implementation of the important consensus reached. Visits and political dialogues, promote exchanges at all levels and cooperation in various fields, make good use of various cooperation mechanisms, continue to deepen the special friendly relationship between China and Cuba in the new era, and join hands in building a community with a shared future for mankind in the process of promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.

1. The Cuban side warmly congratulates the complete success of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The First Secretary of Diaz-Canel and the President warmly congratulated Comrade Xi Jinping on his election as General Secretary of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The Cuban side believes that the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is of great historical significance to the development of the Communist Party of China and China, and the results of the congress will become a new driving force for all progressive forces in the world to move forward. Gu Fang believes that Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is a milestone in the modernization of Marxism in China, and firmly believes that under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping, the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people will continue to achieve new greatness in the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era Achievement.

Continue reading China and Cuba: an exemplar of solidarity and cooperation between socialist countries

Jiang Zemin passes away

Comrade Jiang Zemin, who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989-2002, passed away on November 30th, 2022, at the age of 96. 

He was born on August 17th, 1926 in Yangzhou (Jiangsu province). He hailed from a communist family and one of his uncles laid down his life for the revolution in 1939.  Comrade Jiang Zemin first became active in the communist movement in 1943 and was admitted to membership of the Communist Party in 1946. Prior to liberation he worked underground in Shanghai in dangerous conditions of white terror. 

Following liberation, in 1955-56, he worked and studied at the Stalin Automobile Works in Moscow. He also served as a diplomat in socialist Romania. 

Comrade Jiang Zemin rose to lead the country at a critical time both for China and the socialist cause more generally. Under his leadership, despite inevitable problems, China experienced almost miraculous growth, with the economy more than tripling in size. Determined to create the best possible conditions for China’s development, Jiang devoted considerable efforts to maintaining and improving relations with the United States and other major powers. But he never hesitated or wavered when China’s security, dignity or vital national interests were challenged by imperialism, as seen in the 1995 crisis in the Taiwan Straits, the flagrant NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, when three Chinese journalists were killed in 1999, and in the 2001 Hainan spy plane incident. He devoted very considerable efforts to developing friendship, solidarity and unity with the other socialist countries – DPR Korea, Cuba, Vietnam and Laos – and also oversaw the end of colonial rule and the return of Hong Kong and Macao to the motherland.

Jiang Zemin led China to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at the end of 2001. Defying the critics and doubters, this bold move has served to promote China’s development, enhance its role in international economic governance and promote the general interests of the developing countries, such that the imperialist powers now increasingly seek to cast this body aside. 

An erudite communist theoretician, in putting forward the Theory of Three Represents, Jiang Zemin skilfully enhanced the Communist Party’s ability to unite, organise and mobilise all sections of the Chinese people under current conditions. In announcing his death, China rightly acclaimed him as a great Marxist, a great proletarian revolutionary and a long-tested communist fighter.

Friends of Socialist China extends its deep condolences to the party, government and people of China, and to the family of Comrade Jiang Zemin, on the loss of this outstanding leader and fighter for communism.

We reprint below the official announcement released by the Xinhua News Agency. We also carry the remarks of Comrade Fidel Castro on presenting Jiang Zemin with the José Martí Order during the Chinese leader’s visit to Havana in 1993. (Note: This is an unofficial translation by the US Foreign Broadcast Information Service [FBIS].)

Jiang Zemin passes away

Jiang Zemin passed away due to leukemia and multiple organ failure in Shanghai at 12:13 p.m. on Nov. 30, 2022, at the age of 96, it was announced on Wednesday.

The announcement was made by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the State Council of the PRC, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and the Central Military Commissions of the CPC and the PRC.

It was announced in a letter addressing the whole Party, the entire military and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups.

The letter says they proclaim with profound grief to the whole Party, the entire military and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups that our beloved Comrade Jiang Zemin died of leukemia and multiple organ failure after all medical treatments had failed.

The letter says that Comrade Jiang Zemin was an outstanding leader enjoying high prestige acknowledged by the whole Party, the entire military and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, a great Marxist, a great proletarian revolutionary, statesman, military strategist and diplomat, a long-tested communist fighter, and an outstanding leader of the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. He was the core of the CPC’s third generation of central collective leadership and the principal founder of the Theory of Three Represents.

Castro Presents Jose Marti Order to Jiang Zemin

Dear Comrade Jiang Zemin, president of the People’s Republic of China, distinguished members of the Chinese delegation, guests:

China is a country with a very ancient culture. No other civilization in the world has lasted so long on the same soil. China’s contributions to knowledge and human history have been extraordinary.

Just because it is ancient, however, does not mean that China is declining. On the contrary, China is being reborn. China is beginning anew, and with greater vigor than ever in history, as an eternal China.

The most remarkable thing in that long history is the fact that China is no longer the China of the feudal lords, nor the constant victim of the aggressions of colonial and imperial powers. Henceforth, no one will be able to scorn and humiliate China.

This is the new China that emerges with the victorious national liberation struggles and the socialist revolution. Everything was forged through feats of heroism and long marches, which were exploits unsurpassable in human history. Everything was carried out under the immortal ideas of Marxism-Leninism and their wise application [words indistinct] of China.

Eternal glory to the Communist Party, to its founders and leaders, and to the heroic population capable of such a feat. Glory and honor, too, and most rightfully so, to the great revolutionary strategist, Mao Zedong.

The path China has had to travel following liberation has been long, difficult, and risky in a world where imperialism exercised and still exercises power and hegemonic influence. The Chinese Communists, as they themselves admit, also had to struggle against their own mistakes. It is up to them, not us, to judge that. What is an unquestionable and certain fact is that the Chinese people are indissolubly united around their revolutionary vanguard today. Colossal successes have been attained.

The era of disasters and famines has been left behind. Only socialism could have been capable of the miracle of feeding; clothing; providing with footwear, jobs, education, and healthcare; raising life expectancy to 70; and providing decorous shelter for more than 1 billion human beings in a minute portion of the planet’s arable land.

Thanks to such a feat at this difficult and critical time [words indistinct] for the world’s peoples, in China over one-fifth of humanity remains under the banner of socialism. China claims, and most rightfully, its right to build a socialism with Chinese peculiarities, and aspires to seeing the peaceful return of its territories of Macao, Hong Kong, and Taiwan to the nation, in compliance with international agreements, norms, and rights, adopting the intelligent and realistic principle of one nation/two systems. China is resolutely opposed to any meddling whatsoever in its internal affairs or those of any other country.

China considers itself — and this honors us — a Third World country, and is interested in the development of that Third World, as being an element essential to the progress, stability, and peace of the world of the future. These just aspirations have our full support. China is moving forward and making solid progress. This satisfies and encourages us all.

It is a great honor, Comrade Jiang Zemin, to have the friendship of the Chinese people. Your visit, which will undoubtedly go down in history as an incomparable gesture of friendship and brotherhood, is a great honor. For this reason, and for your services and faithfulness to the cause of socialism — a cause to which you devoted your life from a very early age, when the struggle against foreign occupation was still underway — our people have wished, and our Council of State has decided, to present to you our revolutionary fatherland’s highest decoration, the order that bears the beloved and immortal name of Jose Marti. Please receive it as one more proof of the feelings of admiration and affection of the Cuban people toward China, its beautiful history, and its heroic people.

Thank you very much.

Video: On the evolving significance of the Chinese Revolution, with Andrew Murray and Ken Hammond

On 28 November 2022, Friends of Socialist China organised, jointly with the Morning Star and Marx Memorial Library, a dialogue between Andrew Murray and Ken Hammond on the evolving significance of the Chinese Revolution. The event, conducted both in-person at the Marx Library and online via Zoom and YouTube, was very interesting and useful, with both panelists making highly insightful remarks, and a lively discussion following the panelist introductions.

About the participants

Andrew Murray is vice-president and founding chair of Stop the War Coalition, a longstanding trade unionist, peace campaigner, and one of the leading thinkers of the British left. He has written a number of books, including most recently ‘Is Socialism Possible in Britain?’, reflecting on his time serving as a political advisor to Jeremy Corbyn. Andrew has maintained an active interest in China for several decades, and has been vocal in his opposition to the New Cold War.

Ken Hammond is a professor of East Asian and Global History at New Mexico State University. He was a student organiser at Kent State University at the time of the shocking incident of 4 May 1970, when the Ohio Army National Guard shot and killed four students peacefully protesting the invasion of Cambodia when Nixon escalated the Vietnam War, and was indicted as one of the ‘Kent 25’. Ken lived and worked in Beijing between 1982 and 1987 managing activities for American educational delegations.

Ken earned his PhD in History and East Asian Languages from Harvard University in 1994, and has worked in support of friendly US-China relations for many decades. He is a founder of the US-based movement Pivot to Peace, set up in 2020 in response to the escalating anti-China rhetoric emanating from US politicians and media. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Chinese History, published by Cambridge University Press, and the author of several books, including From Yao to Mao: 5,000 Years of Chinese History. Over the years he has taught at universities in Beijing, Shanghai and Shijiazhuang.

The dialogue was moderated by Roger McKenzie, International Editor of the Morning Star, and introduced by Iris Yau.

Miguel Diaz-Canel’s strategic visit enhances China-Cuba ties

The following article, written for CGTN by Friends of Socialist China advisory group member Elias Jabbour, summarizes the results of the recent visit by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel to Beijing. Elias notes that the two sides reaffirmed their strong commitment to and respect for one another’s socialist path, citing President Xi Jinping: “No matter how the international situation may change, China’s commitment to long-term friendship with Cuba will not change. China’s determination to support Cuba in pursuing socialism will not change.”

The author describes the current economic difficulties Cuba faces, a product primarily of the vicious economic blockade to which it is subjected by the US. The investment agreements signed during Díaz-Canel’s trip, the renegotiation and restructuring of Cuba’s debt to China, and the donation of China of 100 million US dollars will all contribute to helping the island overcome its current crisis.

The state visit by Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel to China, is a strategic, constructive visit with important signs. Here is a summary of the results of the meeting between the presidents of Cuba and China on November 25. As the two nations adhere to the socialist path, China and Cuba have had robust ties since diplomatic relations were established in 1960.

This visit, at the invitation of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and President Xi Jinping, was part of an international tour by the Cuban head of state to other countries that included Algeria, Turkey and Russia.

Xi Jinping said, “No matter how the international situation may change, China will not change its policy of long-term friendship with Cuba,” and “its determination to support Cuba in pursuing the path of socialism, or its commitment to promoting practical cooperation with Cuba.” Diaz-Canel conveyed to Xi “the cordial greetings of General of the Army Raul Castro (first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba’s Central Committee)” and recalled that Fidel Castro highlighted “the capacity and firmness” of the current Chinese President, precisely on the day that marks the sixth anniversary of the death of former Cuban leader. Diaz-Canel also assured that he values “in a very positive way” the “theoretical and practical contributions to the construction of socialism” of Xi Jinping at the head of the Communist Party of China.

Everyone who follows the international dynamics is aware that the Cuban economy is going through an unprecedented crisis due to the economic blockade imposed by the United States on the island. Former President Donald Trump’s administration has crushed the Cuban economy with more economic, financial and trade sanctions. The policy has not changed under Joe Biden, although Obama has started a process of rapprochement between the two countries. The COVID-19 pandemic was another element that deepened the crisis on the island with the drop in tourist arrivals in the country. Tourism is a major source of foreign exchange for the country.

Cubans seek two-way solutions. Economic reforms aimed at activating the country’s private sector, as well as foreign direct investment. Additionally, Cuba is imposing itself in the international division of labor as a major exporter of biotechnological products and medicine. On the other hand, strengthening partnerships with countries such as China and Russia has been part of this policy. Neither China nor Russia are interested in a weakened Cuba in the face of the blockade and imperialist violence. Both countries know how strategic it is to have a friend like Cuba.

Cuba’s potential is not something minor. Its geographic location and mirror of a policy of intimidation and blockade called by U.S. scholar Noam Chomsky as “sadistic” by the United States is a fundamental part of showing the world the destabilizing power of imperialism both in Latin America and in the world, but also of the capacity to a people to fight and survive against all odds.

On account of the bilateral agreements and renegotiation of Cuba’s debt with China, China has donated around $100 million to Cuba. Cuban Economy Minister, Alejandro Gil, said that this donation will be destined to “priorities” of the island’s economy, which is facing its worst economic crisis in three decades, due to the reinforcement of the United States embargo, in effect since 1962, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cuba-China relations are part of an internationalist tradition of the international communist movement, which culminated in relations of affection and friendship. A good relationship developed between Fidel and Xi Jinping. Concrete results were extracted from this visit. Cuba can count on a political change of air in Latin America with the recent victories of progressive governments in Latin America and the return of Venezuela to the world stage.

Apart from the strategic relations between China and Cuba, the election of Lula da Silva in Brazil is strategic in this context, given the priority that the Brazilian government will give to the reconstruction of its ties with Latin America. The solution to Cuba’s economic problems has not only involved reforms in its economic structure, but mainly by new and superior regional integration schemes in Latin America.

Circuits of War: on Biden’s technological offensive against China

This article by Italian social theorist Marco d’Eramo, which originally appeared in Sidecar (a blog published by New Left Review), provides a detailed and insightful analysis of the “chip war” being waged by the US as part of its broader New Cold War on China. D’Eramo explains the profound importance of the semiconductor industry to the overall trajectory of modern technology, and describes the extent to which semiconductor supply chains are today dominated by the US. While China uses more than 70 percent of the world’s semiconductor products, it only produces 15 percent – and these are not of the latest generation of chip design.

The Biden administration has announced wide-ranging and unprecedented restrictions on the export of semiconductors, with a view to protecting its dominance of the industry at all costs. D’Eramo quotes Martin Wolf in the Financial Times saying that the chip war launched by the Biden administration is “far more threatening to Beijing than anything Donald Trump did. The aim is clearly to slow China’s economic development. That is an act of economic warfare… It will have huge geopolitical consequences.”

The author however observes that Biden’s chip war will not be plain sailing, as it relies on the cooperation both of major US technology companies – which earn handsome profits from exporting to China – but also the US’s allies abroad, including for example Germany, which “has grounded its economic – and therefore political – fortunes in its relationship with China, its principal commercial partner (with $264 billion worth of annual trade).” In this context, Chancellor Scholz’s recent trip to Beijing “seems like a major act of insubordination.”

Another factor, not directly addressed by the article, is the record of Chinese socialism in overcoming this sort of difficulty. For example, very few would have thought that China could develop its own nuclear deterrent, carrying out its first successful test of an atomic bomb in 1964, at a time when it was still a poor and backward country, blockaded by the US and without the support of the Soviet Union, with which it was engaged in a bitter ideological dispute. Even with the seemingly unbreachable gap between the US and China in terms of semiconductor technology, the likely effect of these new US restrictions will be to accelerate China’s own research and investment in the sector. A decade ago, China wasn’t the global leader in renewable energy technology; today it is. We shouldn’t be surprised if China is able to catch up with the US in the coming years.

A world war was declared on 7 October. No news station reported on it, even though we will all have to suffer its effects. That day, the Biden administration launched a technological offensive against China, placing stringent limits and extensive controls on the export not only of integrated circuits, but also their designs, the machines used to ‘write’ them on silicon and the tools these machines produce. Henceforth, if a Chinese factory requires any of these components to produce goods – like Apple’s mobile phones, or GM’s cars – other firms must request a special licence to export them.

Why has the US implemented these sanctions? And why are they so severe? Because, as Chris Miller writes in his recent book Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology (2022), ‘the semiconductor industry produces more transistors every day than there are cells in the human body’. Integrated circuits (‘chips’) are part of every product we consume – that is to say, everything China makes – from cars to phones, washing machines, toasters, televisions and microwaves. That’s why China uses more than 70% of the world’s semiconductor products, although contrary to common perception it only produces 15%. In fact, this latter figure is misleading, as China doesn’t produce any of the latest chips, those used in artificial intelligence or advanced weapons systems.

Continue reading Circuits of War: on Biden’s technological offensive against China

The future of China-Cuba economic relations

In this interesting article for CGTN, Alessandro Golombiewski Teixeira (former special economic advisor to the president of Brazil during Dilma Rousseff’s administration) assesses the results of the recent state visit by Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel to China in terms of trade and investment.

Noting that revolutionary Cuba was the first government in Latin America to establish relations with the People’s Republic of China, Teixeira writes that “this visit carries more than a traditional friendship visit between two comrades and leaders of communist parties. The Cuba-China relationship goes beyond good friends and good comrades for they have been joining hands on the socialist path, supporting each other on core interests, coordinating closely on international and regional issues, setting a model of solidarity between socialist countries and cooperation between developing countries.”

The author observes that the two countries already have significant and growing economic relations, and that Cuba is China’s second-largest trading partner in the region (after Venezuela). With Cuba going through very difficult times as a result of the pandemic, the tightened US blockade, and a sequence of natural disasters and accidents, Díaz-Canel’s visit will set the scene for a deepening of trade, aid and investment, “helping Cuba to overcome the most difficult situation faced in recent history… Only with the help of friendly countries as China, Cuba has a chance to overcome the US embargo and prosper as a nation.”

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez has embarked on a two-day visit to China at the invitation of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Diaz-Canel is the first head of state from Latin America and the Caribbean region to visit China after the 20th CPC National Congress. It’s important to highlight that this visit carries more than a traditional friendship visit between two comrades and leaders of the communist parties. The Cuba-China relationship goes beyond good friends and good comrades for they have been joining hands on the socialist path, supporting each other on core interests, coordinating closely on international and regional issues, setting a model of solidarity between socialist countries and cooperation between developing countries.

The origins of the bilateral relations have begun during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) when a representative was established in Havana while Cuba was still a colony of Spain in 1879. In 1902, the Qing Dynasty recognized the independence of the Republic of Cuba from the United States, which had taken it from Spain in 1898. On the other hand, in 1960, the new revolutionary government in Cuba established diplomatic relations with People’s Republic of China (PRC), but with the exception of Chile (1970), most other Latin American governments did not recognize the PRC until then U.S. President Richard Nixon’s 1972 visit to Beijing signaled that the world’s alliances were changing. Argentina and Mexico recognized the PRC that year, followed by Brazil in 1974 and Bolivia in 1985.

Continue reading The future of China-Cuba economic relations

On the development of China’s environmental policies towards an ecological civilization

We are very pleased to republish this important article by Efe Can Gürcan, Associate Professor at Türkiye’s Istinye University, which originally appeared in Volume 3 Issue 3 of the BRIQ (Belt & Road Initiative Quarterly).

The author argues that China has already developed a firm understanding of its environmental problems and their severity to the extent that it now frames them as a “matter of survival” and has brought these issues to the center of its revised national security strategy. China’s strategy is predicated on an alternative proposal for “ecological civilization”, which may potentially lead to the reversal of “ecological imperialism”. China is in the early stages of building an ecological civilization and requires a lot of work to reach a high level of ecological development.

China’s key achievements on the path towards ecological civilization involve a series of three unfolding and mutually conditioning revolutionary processes that also lead the way in international environmental cooperation. They include a clean energy revolution, a sustainable agricultural revolution, and a green urban revolution.

China has already become a global leader in green finance. It leads the eco-city movement, with over 43 percent of the world’s eco-cities being Chinese, and is the second leader in sustainable architecture, next to Canada. Many Chinese cities have dropped down or out of the list of the most polluted cities, leaving India and Pakistan at the top. China’s cities have also joined the ranks of those with the strongest sewage treatment capacity in the world. In addition, China has the most electric vehicles, bikes, and efficient public transportation. China is considered to be not only the world’s centre of electric bus production and consumption but also as having cities with the world’s longest subway systems.

From 2013 onwards, the share of coal in China’s total energy consumption has seen a noticeable decline, accompanied by the increasing share of renewable resources in total energy consumption as a result of conscious efforts at a clean energy revolution.

Key to this revolution in the making is China’s strong reputation as the world’s top investor in clean energy. As such, it has succeeded in creating the world’s largest wind, solar, and hydroelectric systems for power generation.

Finally, concerning China’s unfolding revolution in sustainable agriculture, one should acknowledge, not only its adoption of green food standards and the expansion of its agricultural area under certified organic farming, but especially the fact that, as a world leader in green agriculture, it now ranks third in the list of countries with the largest agricultural area under organic farming.

China is the world’s largest country by population size and fourth largest by surface area. Combined with its excessive demographic and geographic size is the continued legacy of Western imperialism in China as a former semi-colony, whose negative effects are amplified by current Western efforts in geopolitical and geo-economic containment. This adds to China’s resource scarcity which acts as another structural adversity constraining its development potential. China possesses only 7% of the world’s arable land and freshwater resources and 8% of the world’s natural resources, even though its population represents 22% of the world’s population. Furthermore, only 19% of its surface area is suitable for human habitation and 65% of its surface area is rugged, which severely cripples China’s farming capabilities and facilitates ethnic heterogeneity as a potential impediment to political cohesion (Morton, 2006; Naughton, 2018).

Despite such adversities, China has come to develop an exemplary model of economic development that inspires much of the developing world. The 1979-2018 period testified to an average growth rate of 9.4% in the lead of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which made China the world’s second-largest economy, top producer, and the leading exporter of technological goods (Hu, 2020). By 2015, China came to assume the global production of 40% of washing machines, 50% of textiles, 60% of buttons, 70% of shoes, 80% of televisions, and 90% of toys. Recently, China has made significant progress in the production of added higher-value products in computer, aviation, and medical technology sectors, among others. Besides its historic success in economic growth, industrial production and technological development, the Chinese economic miracle is credited for 70% of global poverty eradication between 1990 and 2015 (Gardner, 2018).

The huge ecological cost of such a fast-paced and dramatic development –unprecedented in the history of human civilization– is nothing but expected. According to 2009 estimates, the annual economic cost of environmental pollution amounts to 3.8% of China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Zhang, 2014:32-48). Over 80% of China’s underground and river water resources are no longer fit for human use due to pollution (Jie, 2016). Land pollution and soil erosion are also part of China’s major environmental problems. It is common knowledge that excessive use of pesticides and industrial pollution constitute a major source of land pollution, prompting the loss of organic matter and soil erosion. 2013 estimates suggest that close to 20% of China’s cultivated farmland suffers from contamination and 38% of the soil is subjected to erosion-related loss of nutrients and organic matter (Scott et al., 2018:26; Gardner, 2018:9). Indeed, the contraction of arable land is a natural result of soil contamination and erosion. This also explains China’s over 4% loss of arable land between 1990 and 2018, from 124,481,000 to 119,488,700 hectares (FAO, 2021; Figure 1).

China being the world’s largest pesticide producer and consumer exacerbates this tendency. In the 1990- 2018 period alone, China’s pesticide use rose by 129% (FAO, 2021; see Figure 2). Furthermore, 70% of the world’s electronic waste is recycled in China at the expense of environmental and public health. Industrial pollution, environmentally detrimental recycling practices, and industrial agriculture combined to create China’s “cancer villages” (Gardner, 2018). Map 1 provides a more detailed outline of China’s major environmental problems (Sanjuan, 2018).

Continue reading On the development of China’s environmental policies towards an ecological civilization

Wang Yi meets with Sergey Lavrov

As part of the recent week of intensive diplomatic activity in Asia, focused around regional and global gatherings successively in Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Bali, Indonesia, on November 15, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit of major economies.

Discussing the Ukraine issue, Wang Yi said that China has noted that Russia recently reiterated its established position that a nuclear war must never be fought, which represents a rational and responsible attitude of Russia.

The importance of this statement is that it clearly debunks the, deliberate or otherwise, misrepresentation of the comments made by Chinese President Xi Jinping, for example in his meeting with German Chancellor Scholz, opposing the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons in the context of the Ukraine conflict as somehow representing an attack on Russia or indicating a fundamental difference between the two countries.

The following article was first published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

On November 15, 2022 local time, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was accompanying President Xi Jinping to the Group of Twenty (G20) Bali Summit, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the summit.

Lavrov once again extended warm congratulations on the success of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). He said that President Xi Jinping’s re-election as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee by a unanimous vote testifies to the lofty political prestige of President Xi Jinping and the deep trust and strong support from the Chinese people. Russia is ready to work with China to further consolidate the sound momentum of high-level exchanges between the two countries, maintain the continuity of the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, expand pragmatic cooperation between the two sides, and strengthen international coordination, so as to fully release the potential of Russia-China relations.

Wang Yi said that the success of the 20th CPC National Congress has been in the limelight in China and the world as a whole. The most important outcome of the congress is the election of a new central leadership with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. That fully reflects the common will of the whole Party and the people across the country. Steered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the core of the Party central committee and in the Party as a whole, and under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, China, as a giant ship,  will forge ahead toward the established goal of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation without fear of any winds and storms. China is ready to work with Russia to pursue a well-coordinated approach to high-level exchanges and exchanges in various fields, deepen pragmatic cooperation, and facilitate personnel exchanges.

Continue reading Wang Yi meets with Sergey Lavrov

China is building an ecological civilisation

In this detailed essay, Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez analyses China’s pursuit of an ecological civilisation, characterised by “green, circular, and low-carbon development.”

Explaining how China came to be the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and contextualising this within the country’s rapid industrialisation and development, Carlos details the steps China is taking in support of its goals to peak emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Its achievements to date – in the fields of renewable energy, reduction of coal usage, nuclear power, energy efficiency, low-carbon transport and forestation – are all world-leading.

Carlos concludes the article with a discussion of why China, as opposed to any of the leading capitalist countries, has emerged as the global leader in sustainable development. The central component is that “the balance of power in capitalist countries is such that even relatively progressive governments find it very difficult to prioritise long-term needs of the population over short-term interests of capital,” whereas in socialist countries, “the interests of private profit are subordinate to the needs of society.”

Referencing the role played by the construction of welfare states in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in pressuring the Western ruling classes to grant concessions to the working class (in the form of universal education, social housing and healthcare systems), the author opines that, today, “China’s environmental strategy can create pressure on the capitalist ruling classes to stop destroying the planet and commit to climate justice.”

This is an expanded and update version of the 2019 article China leads the way in tackling climate breakdown. A concise summary of the current version was carried by the Morning Star on 19 November 2022.

We must strike a balance between economic growth and environmental protection. We will be more conscientious in promoting green, circular, and low-carbon development. We will never again seek economic growth at the cost of the environment. (Xi Jinping)[1]

The cost of development

Few events in human history have resonated throughout the world as profoundly as the Chinese Revolution. Standing in Tiananmen Square on 1 October 1949, pronouncing the birth of the People’s Republic of China, Mao Zedong said “the Chinese people have stood up”. In standing up, in building a modern socialist society and throwing off the shackles of feudalism, colonialism, backwardness, illiteracy and grinding poverty, China has blazed a trail for the entire Global South. Lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty has been described even by ardent capitalists as “the greatest leap to overcome poverty in history”.[2] The UN Development Programme (UNDP) describes China’s development as having produced “the most rapid decline in absolute poverty ever witnessed”.[3] It is an extraordinary accomplishment that all Chinese people now have secure access to food, housing, clothing, clean water, modern energy, education and healthcare.

In environmental terms, however, this progress has come at a cost. Just as economic development in Europe and the Americas was fuelled by the voracious burning of fossil fuels, China’s development has been built to a significant degree on ‘Old King Coal’, the most polluting and emissions-intensive of the fossil fuels. Two decades ago, coal made up around 80 percent of China’s energy mix. Environmental law expert Barbara Finamore notes that “coal, plentiful and cheap, was the energy source of choice, not just for power plants, but also for direct combustion by heavy industry and for heating and cooking in people’s homes.”[4]

Continue reading China is building an ecological civilisation

Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel to visit China

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermudez is due to arrive in Beijing on Thursday 24 November, the last stop of an international trip that has so far taken him to Russia, Algeria and Türkiye. Díaz-Canel is the first head of state from Latin America and the Caribbean to visit China following the recent National Congress of the CPC. It is notable that two leaders of socialist countries, Díaz-Canel and Nguyen Phu Trong, are among the first world leaders to carry out state visits to China following the Congress.

Commenting on the Cuban leader’s impending visit, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on 21 November: “China and Cuba are good friends, good comrades and good brothers. They join hands on the socialist path, support each other on core interests, coordinate closely on international and regional issues, setting a model of solidarity of socialist countries and cooperation between developing countries.”

Cuba has consistently stood up in international forums against the politicisation of human rights and the attempts to interfere in China’s internal affairs. Likewise, China has been outspoken in its opposition to the criminal blockade imposed by the US on Cuba. Undoubtedly, Miguel Díaz-Canel’s state visit to China will serve to further strengthen the economic, diplomatic and cultural links between these two fraternal socialist countries.

We publish below an article by Zhang Han in the Global Times outlining the key issues in China-Cuba relations.

At the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez will pay a state visit to China from Thursday to Saturday.

Diaz-Canel will be the first foreign leader to visit China after Xi returned from a diplomatic whirlwind at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Indonesia and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Thailand. 

Xu Shicheng, a research fellow at the Institute of Latin American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times the visit not only carries traditional friendship of the two countries, but also reflected close bonds between the two parties. 

China and Cuba are good friends, good comrades and good brothers. They join hands on the socialist path, support each other on core interests, coordinate closely on international and regional issues, setting a model of solidarity of socialist countries and cooperation between developing countries, Mao Ning, a spokesperson of China’s Foreign Ministry, said at a routine press briefing on Monday. 

Continue reading Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel to visit China

The Biden-Xi summit and our need to resist a cold war against China

The following editorial, published by the Morning Star following the meeting between the Chinese and US presidents in Indonesia, makes a number of important points. It states that: “Western media has attacked every Chinese administration since it became clear economic reforms were never intended to lead to Western-style market primacy — when Hu Jintao retired a decade ago pundits were bewailing China’s ‘lost decade’ under his leadership since it had still not dispensed with the dominant role of public ownership (it still hasn’t).”

Refuting the claim that China is pursuing isolationist policies, it notes that the Belt and Road Initiative has eclipsed the World Bank as the biggest source of development credit worldwide and that China is the biggest trading partner of a majority of nations. It adds: “US policy has created the cold war. It is the product of an effort to maintain the hegemony of Washington and the Washington consensus — an international economic pecking order no socialist should support… The lesson is clear. Support for the new cold war on China is contrary to everything the left stands for — it’s a threat to peace and a defence of a grossly unjust world order… A serious socialist left should neither accept nor ignore the normalisation of anti-China aggression. It serves the interests of our ruling class — and undermines our own.”

Joe Biden claims a new cold war with China can be avoided.

Washington and Beijing have a responsibility to “manage our differences”, the US president says.

Fine words, and welcome, if the three-hour head to head between Biden and Xi Jinping has actually opened a path to greater co-operation.

We must hope so. China and the United States are the world’s largest economies, the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, the world leaders in scientific development.

Arresting global warming is one crucial area where it is difficult to see how progress can be made unless the breakdown in relations between Washington and Beijing is reversed.

But given the barrage of misinformation that substitutes for fact-based assessments of China across the West, we need to take Biden’s description of the cold war with a pinch of salt.

The narrative pushed openly by the Biden administration and parroted by the gormless war hawks who lead Britain’s Conservative and Labour parties is that the democratic West faces an existential threat from rising “authoritarian powers,” notably China and Russia.

Continue reading The Biden-Xi summit and our need to resist a cold war against China

Celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations between China and Jamaica

November 21 is the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Jamaica. Coming 10 years after the Jamaican people won independence from British colonial rule, the country became the second in the English-speaking Caribbean, and the first of the islands, to establish relations with the People’s Republic after Guyana had led the way some five months previously.

Jamaica’s move came eight months after the People’s National Party (PNP) assumed office, with Michael Manley becoming Prime Minister. Manley sought to take his country in the direction of socialist orientation, not only recognising the People’s Republic of China, but especially forging close ties with socialist Cuba and giving strong support to the liberation movements in southern Africa. He established a minimum wage for all workers, including domestic workers, introduced free education and adult literacy programs, promoted land reform, lowered the voting age, and introduced equal pay for women, alongside a host of other progressive measures. At the 1979 Non-Aligned Summit in the Cuban capital Havana, he declared: “All anti-imperialists know that the balance of forces in the world shifted irrevocably in 1917 when there was a movement and a man in the October Revolution, and Lenin was the man.”

President Xi Jinping greeted the 50th anniversary with an exchange of messages with Jamaican Governor-General Patrick Allen, in which the Chinese leader noted that the two countries’ relations had “always maintained a good momentum of development, with the two sides deepening political mutual trust, achieving fruitful results in practical cooperation and increasing friendship between their people.”

Premier Li Keqiang also exchanged messages with Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Writing for CGTN, Jamaica’s Ambassador to China, Antonia Hugh said that the two countries had fostered “a strong, dynamic and vibrant partnership.” Although the diplomatic relationship dates back 50 years, people-to-people friendship begins from 1849, when the first group of Chinese arrived on the island.

Ambassador Hugh hailed the countries’ bilateral partnership, highlighting in particular the fields of infrastructure development, health and education.

China’s Ambassador to Jamaica, Chen Daojiang took up his post earlier this year. In his first interview, given to Jamaica Information Services (JIS) on July 29, Ambassador Chen hailed the 60th anniversary of Jamaican independence and continued:

“Slavery and colonialism have brought catastrophic sufferings to the world and left a very disgraceful page in human history. The days when Western colonists could do whatever they want have gone. However, we must also realize that the colonialist thinking and its derivative power politics and bullying are still manifested in various forms in international relations, which are still severely impacting the normal international order and seriously undermining the sovereignty, security, and development interests as well as political, economic and social stability of relevant countries. The international community still has a long way to go to completely eliminate the impacts of slavery and colonialism.

“There is a proverb in Jamaica, which goes ‘Wi likkle, but wi tallawah’. China also always upholds that all countries are equal, regardless of their size. The history of Jamaica’s fight against the colonial rule and slavery was laudable and emotionally moving. The braveness, resilience and wisdom shown by Jamaican people in the fight is very impressive and admirable. China had similar history with Jamaica in modern times when both countries were invaded and suppressed by Western colonialists for a long time and both countries faced same tasks of seeking independence of the nation, prosperity of the country and happiness of the people. Similar history makes our two countries easier to understand and support each other.

“In 1949, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the People’s Republic of China was established. China has completely expelled the forces of Western imperialists in China, and the Chinese people has truly become the master of the country since then. Under the strong leadership of the CPC, China has successfully embarked on a development path that suits its national conditions, namely the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and has achieved the tremendous transformation from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong. China is now marching in confident strides toward the second centenary goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects.”

The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency and CGTN and on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Xi exchanges congratulations with governor-general of Jamaica over 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday exchanged congratulatory messages with Governor-General of Jamaica Patrick Allen on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Jamaica was among the first countries in the English-speaking Caribbean region to establish diplomatic relations with China, Xi said.

In the past 50 years, China-Jamaica ties have always maintained a good momentum of development, with the two sides deepening political mutual trust, achieving fruitful results in practical cooperation and increasing friendship between their people, he added.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi said, China and Jamaica have been helping each other and jointly fighting the coronavirus, injecting fresh impetus into the friendly cooperation between the two countries.

Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Jamaica relations, and is ready to work with Allen, taking the 50th anniversary as a new starting point, to deepen cooperation in various fields, promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, jointly lead China-Jamaica strategic partnership to a new level, and work together to build a China-Jamaica community of a shared future in the new era.

Allen said since the establishment of their diplomatic ties, friendly relations between Jamaica and China have been developing continuously with cooperation in various fields yielding remarkable results, which is encouraging.

He added that Jamaica is ready to continue to strengthen cooperation with China and further deepen their strategic partnership.

Also on Monday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang exchanged congratulatory messages with Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Li said Jamaica is an important cooperative partner of China in the Caribbean region, adding that China is ready to work with Jamaica to further deepen and cement the strategic partnership, so as to bring more benefits to their people.

For his part, Holness said Jamaica highly appreciates China’s valuable support for its economic growth and social development and his country stands ready to continue to strengthen cooperation with China to ensure that the strategic partnership will benefit their people. 

Jamaica and China’s golden 50: Special bonds of friendship

As the Ambassador of Jamaica to the People’s Republic of China, I welcome this opportunity to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Jamaica and the People’s Republic of China, and to celebrate the special bonds of friendship, which our two countries have enjoyed over these 50 years.

On November 21, 1972, Jamaica proudly created diplomatic history when it became the first English-speaking Caribbean island to support the one-China principle, and establish diplomatic relations with China. Since then, Jamaica and China have made remarkable progress in fostering a strong, dynamic, and vibrant partnership.

Jamaica and China have longstanding people-to-people engagement, which goes beyond 50 years, dating as far back as 1849, when the first cohort of Chinese arrived in the island, followed by a larger cohort in 1854. The 1972 landmark Agreement was, therefore, a consolidation of the special relationship that had long existed between our peoples. 

In this regard, we celebrate the fact that today, Chinese Jamaicans have been wonderfully woven into the fabric of Jamaican society and have become an inseparable part of our vibrant cultural heritage. Chinese in Jamaica and Jamaicans of Chinese descent have contributed greatly to Jamaica’s economy, particularly in the areas of retail, banking and the culinary arts, as well as in the political and musical spheres.

The special relationship between Jamaica and China is underpinned by deep mutual respect and shared values, and is continuously reinforced by our extensive cooperation at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels. 

In this connection, both countries have consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the development of a sustained technical and functional cooperation program, which has allowed us to forge and maintain our dynamic and mutually beneficial partnership.

Within a global context, the People’s Republic of China has made an indelible mark on almost every sphere of human endeavor, including in the arts, medicine, education, economics, engineering, science and technology, just to name a few – and as a result, the world is looking to China as a key driver of global economic development, and a partner in addressing common challenges. 

China is also home to the world’s largest population. This ancient civilization with a legacy of innovation and focused determination, has become the world’s largest manufacturing economy and the largest exporter of goods, achieving strong, sustained economic growth and inclusive development for its people.

We wish to commend China on its accomplishment of eradicating extreme poverty. We are impressed by the fact that China has met the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development target 10 years ahead of schedule and thus has contributed to greatly to global poverty reduction. 

We admire China’s steadfast commitment to the goal of modernization and its relentless pursuit of situating the needs of the people within that mandate and we look forward with anticipation, to the unfolding of its modernization plan from 2020 through to 2035 and beyond.

In light of the foregoing, I would also like to commend China for pursuing, with the same tenacity it pursues national development, international outreach and in particular, South-South Cooperation, through which Jamaica has benefited tremendously.

Through our bilateral cooperation agreements and initiatives, the government of China has provided invaluable support to Jamaica particularly in the areas of infrastructure development, health, and education. 

Today, China stands as one of the key partners in Jamaica’s drive for infrastructural development and modernization. Across Jamaica, there are many examples of this fruitful partnership, including the new fit-for-purpose headquarters of the Foreign Ministry and the outstanding Edward Seaga Highway, which connects the north and south of the country.

Jamaicans are appreciative of China’s instrumental role in the achievement of our social development goals. Given the critical role that education plays in development, China has sought to make meaningful contributions to Jamaica’s education landscape. 

Through China’s medical scholarship program, the dreams of many ambitious Jamaican students who aspire to pursue medicine are financed and supported. Hundreds of other students have been awarded scholarships to pursue studies in China at top universities and all have expressed their gratitude at the opportunity to use what they have learned in China to build their country. 

Within this vein, I am reminded that many Jamaican teachers have been assigned to work across China’s provinces, thereby improving their individual economic realities in practical and fulfilling way.

It is often said that “hard times reveal good friends” and so I would like to seize this opportunity to express my profound gratitude to the Chinese government and people for their support and assistance throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, arguably among the most difficult years of our lives. Throughout this pandemic we observed how the Chinese spirit of solidarity, resilience and innovation has led a nation to rebound from the pandemic with renewed agility.

We observed how China, in the midst of its own trials and challenges, chooses continuously, to cling to hope and extend its goodwill by helping other countries including my own. In this connection, I reiterate our gratitude for China’s commitment in the construction of the Western Children’s and Adolescents’ Hospital in Montego Bay, another first in the English-speaking Caribbean.

China and Jamaica elevated relations to that of a strategic partnership in 2019 during the visit of Prime Minister Andrew Holness to China. This was a watershed moment in our history, which followed the groundwork laid in previous official visits and high-level exchanges, including when we opened the Jamaican Embassy in China’s capital Beijing in 2005; and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Jamaica in 2009, when he was Vice President.

As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, Jamaica intends to increase the frequency and scope of our policy dialogue with China. We look forward to developing innovative and lasting platforms for direct interaction between policymakers, business, and other vital segments of society. We also look forward to finalizing more groundbreaking agreements and MOUs, which will serve to build mutual understanding to create more opportunities for commerce and social programs to thrive.

On a cultural note, cognizant of the fact that Jamaican products provide Chinese people with enriched and diversified access to new cultural experiences, we will continue producing and exporting consistent volumes of the luxurious Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee to China. We will also seek to provide more delicious lobsters and aged rum and continue to share the magic of Reggae music with the beautiful people of China. Similarly, we encourage landmark institutions such as the Confucius Institute, established at the University of the West Indies in Kingston, to enhance the dissemination of Chinese history and culture among Jamaicans.

On this, our Golden Jubilee – our Golden 50, let us seize this historic opportunity to promote our “win-win” relationship under the guidance of our leaders and endeavor to continue making solid contributions to building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Happy 50th anniversary Jamaica and China!

Happy Golden Jubilee!

Chinese Ambassador to Jamaica Chen Daojiang Gives an Interview to Jamaica Information Services

On July 29, 2022, H.E. Mr. Chen Daojiang, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Jamaica gave an interview to Jamaica Information Services (JIS), expressing congratulations on the 60th anniversary of the independence of Jamaica and answered questions regarding the China-Jamaica relations, the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Jamaica and the Global Development Initiative, etc. The interview has recently been published and broadcast on the website and radio of JIS and RJR (Radio Jamaica). The full interview is as follows:

Ambassador Chen Daojiang: I am very glad to be interviewed by Jamaica Information Services on the occasion of upcoming 60th anniversary of the Independence of Jamaica, and this is my first interview during my tenure. First of all, on behalf of the Chinese Government and Chinese people, I would like to extend warm congratulations and best wishes to the Jamaican Government and Jamaican people. Big up, Jamaica!

I am honoured to come to Jamaica, a shining pearl on the Caribbean Sea, to serve as the Chinese Ambassador to Jamaica. Over the past two months, I have paid courtesy calls on many Jamaican officials and friends from various walks of life, talked with heads of Chinese enterprises and communities in Jamaica, toured several projects contracted by Chinese enterprises, and visited the National Gallery of Jamaica, from which I got some strong feelings that Jamaica is a beautiful, open and vibrant country and Jamaicans are enthusiastic, friendly and optimistic. The friendship between the two governments and two peoples is profound. Jamaica enjoys geographic advantages, unique culture and abundant creativity, and has huge potential and a promising future for economic and social development. I believe that Jamaica will yield more and more development achievements in the future.

JIS: What’s your general remarks on the importance of the island’s Diamond Jubilee? Do the people of China think it’s also important and why?

Ambassador Chen: On 6 August 1962, Jamaica declared its independence from colonial rule, opening a new chapter in Jamaican history. Jamaica entered a stage of rapid economic growth under the leadership of The Right Excellent Sir William Alexander Bustamante, the first Prime Minister of Jamaica. Over the past 60 years, under the strong leadership of Jamaican leaders and arduous efforts of Jamaican people, Jamaica has been making big progress in socioeconomic development, constantly moving forward its cause in the fields of science, education, culture, health and sports, continuously improving people’s living standards, and playing an active and important role in international and regional affairs.

As a Chinese old saying goes, “Feel happy for others’ joy and others will do the same”, Chinese people always sincerely feel happy for their friends’ happy and joyful events. As China’s good friend and partner, Jamaica will celebrate its Diamond Jubilee of Independence, and Chinese people will definitely share this great happiness and joy with brotherly and sisterly Jamaicans.

Currently, the world is witnessing a persistent and unchecked COVID-19 pandemic, accelerating changes unseen in a century and a period of turbulence and transformation globally. Faced by unprecedented challenges, countries around the world are looking for answers and humanity needs to make the right choice. Under such circumstances, the international community should strengthen solidarity and cooperation, jointly meet challenges, and continue to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind so as to strive together for a brighter and better future for our world.

Diamond Jubilee of Independence provides a great opportunity for Jamaica to gather national strength and plan for future development. I sincerely wish that Jamaica would achieve the goal of “Reigniting a Nation for Greatness” and become “the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business”.

JIS: What are your thoughts on the resilience of the country, which included Chinese natives, to overcome slavery and now live as a free country?

Ambassador Chen: Slavery and colonialism have brought catastrophic sufferings to the world and left a very disgraceful page in human history. The days when Western colonists could do whatever they want have gone. However, we must also realize that the colonialist thinking and its derivative power politics and bullying are still manifested in various forms in international relations, which are still severely impacting the normal international order and seriously undermining the sovereignty, security, and development interests as well as political, economic and social stability of relevant countries. The international community still has a long way to go to completely eliminate the impacts of slavery and colonialism.

There is a proverb in Jamaica, which goes “Wi likkle, but wi tallawah”. China also always upholds that all countries are equal, regardless of their size. The history of Jamaica’s fight against the colonial rule and slavery was laudable and emotionally moving. The braveness, resilience and wisdom shown by Jamaican people in the fight is very impressive and admirable. China had similar history with Jamaica in modern times when both countries were invaded and suppressed by Western colonialists for a long time and both countries faced same tasks of seeking independence of the nation, prosperity of the country and happiness of the people. Similar history makes our two countries easier to understand and support each other.

In 1949, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the People’s Republic of China was established. China has completely expelled the forces of Western imperialists in China, and the Chinese people has truly become the master of the country since then. Under the strong leadership of the CPC, China has successfully embarked on a development path that suits its national conditions, namely the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and has achieved the tremendous transformation from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong. China is now marching in confident strides toward the second centenary goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects. I wish Jamaica, under the leadership of Prime Minister Andrew Holness and with joint efforts of Jamaican people, would take the 60th anniversary of Independence as an opportunity to find a development path that suits Jamaica’s national conditions so as to achieve better and faster development.

JIS: Could you briefly speak on why China considers its relationship with Jamaica to be so important?

Ambassador Chen: Jamaica is the largest English-speaking country in the Caribbean region with great influence. China and Jamaica established diplomatic relations on 21 November 1972, and Jamaica was among the first several Caribbean countries to establish diplomatic relations with China. Over the past 50 years, under the strategic guidance of the leaders of our two countries, China-Jamaica relations maintain steady and sound development. During his visit to China in 2019, Prime Minister Andrew Holness, together with President Xi Jinping agreed to elevate the bilateral relations to strategic partnership. Since then, bilateral relations have been enjoying accelerated development. Over the past 50 years, China and Jamaica has been supporting each other on major issues involving each other’s core interests. China highly appreciates Jamaica’s consistent adherence to the one-China principle.

China-Jamaica relations is always at the forefront in the Caribbean region. Jamaica was the first Caribbean country to establish strategic partnership with China, and the first Caribbean country to sign the cooperation plan with China on jointly promoting the Belt and Road cooperation. The Confucius Institute at Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) was the first Confucius Institute in English-speaking countries in the Caribbean region. Both history and realities prove that China and Jamaica are good brothers supporting each other, good friends going through ups and downs, and good partners seeking common development.

The steady and sound development of China-Jamaica relations brings many tangible benefits to our two countries and two peoples. The China-aid new headquarter of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, the Chinese Garden at the Hope Royal Botanic Gardens and the Confucius Institute at Mona Campus of the UWI have been the witnesses and symbols of China-Jamaica friendship and cooperation. The China-aid Jamaica Western Children’s Hospital currently under construction, and the Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project, South Coast Highway Project as well as the JISCO Alpart Bauxite Upgrading and Expanding Project contracted or invested by Chinese enterprises will improve medical services, strengthen infrastructure construction, create more jobs and promote economic growth for Jamaica, and these projects will become the new symbols and landmarks of mutually-beneficial cooperation between our two countries. Jamaica’s reggae music, rum, Blue Mountain coffee provide Chinese people with enriched and diversified access to material and cultural experiences. We also welcome more Jamaica-featured products and services such as seafood, pork and tourism being exported to China so as to promote economic recovery and development of our two countries.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Jamaica. Our two countries will host a series of celebrating events, including co-hosting a reception celebrating our jubilee of diplomatic relations. I would like to take this interview as an opportunity to invite representatives from various circles in Jamaica to attend the reception and other celebrating events and jointly embark on a new journey of China-Jamaica relations then. China stands ready to work with Jamaica and jointly take the 50th anniversary of our diplomatic relations as an opportunity to enhance practical cooperation in various fields, pursue high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and promote China-Jamaica strategic partnership to a higher level so as to bring more benefits to our two countries and two peoples.

JIS: Do you think the Chinese community in Jamaica, also acknowledges and will celebrate the nation’s independence?

Ambassador Chen: I noticed the motto on Jamaica’s national emblem upon my arrival of this country, which reads “out of many, one people”. This saying vividly shows that Jamaica is a multinational country, or a “melting pot”.

As a matter of fact, the first group of Chinese arrived in Jamaica more than 160 years ago, following whom more and more Chinese nationals came. They overcame various challenges and difficulties and actively integrated themselves into Jamaican society and have made important contributions to Jamaica’s economic, social and cultural development. With family ancestry from China, they also act as ambassadors between China and Jamaica and make their own contributions to promoting China-Jamaica relations, deepening bilateral practical cooperation and consolidating the traditional friendship between our two countries.

Today, Chinese Jamaicans have become an important part of the multinational Jamaica. As other Jamaicans, they live and study across the country and work in various fields, promoting the development of their mother country in their own ways. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese communities in Jamaica donated a large number of medical supplies and items to the Jamaican government and people, supporting Jamaica’s fight against the pandemic. I believe that, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Independence, Chinese communities in Jamaica would take an active part in the celebration activities in various manners.

JIS: How will you celebrate with the country during “Emancipendence” week?

Ambassador Chen: “Emancipendence” week is a very important festival for Jamaica and its people. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, Sate Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will send Message of Congratulation to the Governor General, the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith respectively to congratulate Jamaica’s 60th anniversary of Independence.

I myself will also contribute a signature article to send my own congratulatory messages to Jamaican people and share the happiness of this festival. In addition, I will watch celebration activities through television and Internet, and I would probably attend some activities in person. I believe this is a valuable chance to have a taste of the colorful and unique history and culture of Jamaica.

JIS: Any China’s future plans that you would like to mention at this time which includes mutual benefit between the two countries?

Ambassador Chen: As developing countries, both China and Jamaica face the task of achieving people-centered development and delivering an enjoyable life to our people. Development is the “master key” to solving all problems. Jamaica has already been involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. China and Jamaica have conducted win-win cooperation and yielded fruitful results in various fields such as economic and trade and infrastructure construction. Recently, Prime Minister Andrew Holness emphasized the necessity and importance of infrastructure construction at the Ground-Breaking Ceremony of the Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project.

Last September, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI), calling for a more robust, greener and more balanced global development. In July this year, China-Caribbean Development Center was established in my hometown Shandong Province. The Center aims to make the best of the geographical advantages of Shandong Province as a coastal province and promote cooperation between China and Caribbean countries in agriculture, logistics, infrastructure construction, information technology so as to seek common development by fully leveraging our respective strengths.

We welcome Jamaica’s participation in the Global Development Initiative and explore more cooperation in areas such as poverty alleviation, food security, COVID-19 response, climate change and green development, industrialization, digital economy and connectivity. We also welcome Jamaica to enhance its cooperation with the China-Caribbean Development Center. By doing these, Jamaica could allocate more resources for and inject stronger impetus into its socioeconomic development. The Chinese Embassy in Jamaica will play its role of a bridge, promoting practical cooperation in related areas and bring more benefits to our two countries and two peoples.

We also welcome more media friends to pay more attention to and increase coverage on the Global Development Initiative and the China-Caribbean Development Center in order to jointly create a positive atmosphere that promotes mutually-beneficial cooperation between China and Jamaica.

The second half of this year will witness the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Jamaica and we will hold a series of celebration activities. We will fully implement the strategic guidance of the leaders of our two countries and jointly usher in a bright future for China-Jamaica strategic partnership. The CPC will also convene its 20th National Congress, which will offer a panoramic prospect of the two-stage strategic plan for China’s drive to build a great modern socialist country in all respects, and will in particular lay out plans for the strategic missions and major measures in the next five years. More steady steps are to be made by Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. A rich, strong, open and prosperous China will bring more opportunities to Jamaica and the rest of the world. I firmly believe that the future of China-Jamaica strategic partnership would be even brighter and the traditional friendship between our two peoples would be even more profound!

Danny Haiphong: China’s leadership shines bright in Asia’s moment

In this article for CGTN, co-editor of FoSC Danny Haiphong discusses the week of major diplomatic exchanges that occurred in Asia from November 11-18, highlighting how China’s leadership stood out as a major force for global stability and peace in Asia’s moment of ascendence.

Asia possesses many of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies. In this era of growing discord and crisis in the West, the majority of nations around the world are looking to Asia to set a different example. The region took center stage in the week of November 11 to 18 as the emerging economies of Cambodia, Indonesia, and Thailand hosted the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, the G20, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting respectively. These important exchanges provided numerous opportunities for major countries to assert their leadership on the world stage. And in this regard, it was China that shined the brightest.

One of the highlights was Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Bali, Indonesia ahead of the convening of the G20 summit. Xi and Biden spoke for more than three hours and made positive inroads toward reopening channels of cooperation between the two largest economies in the world. Perhaps more significantly, the readouts of the meeting between the two heads of state revealed the superiority of China’s vision for building a community with a shared future for mankind. While the White House readout attempted to balance language of cooperation with its continued interference in China’s internal affairs, China emphasized that the many ways that stronger China-U.S. relations benefit both sides and the world. However, China remained firm in its position that strong bilateral ties depend on mutual respect for sovereignty and expressed hope that the U.S. would follow its words with actions.

And it is here where the U.S. and China diverge in their approach to global leadership. At the G20 summit, for example, China highlighted the benefits of its concrete cooperation with Indonesia. The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway is set to debut in June 2023 with the help of Chinese technology under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). During the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, President Xi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to build stable and constructive bilateral relations. The meeting was yet another example of the deep limitations of the U.S. attempt to contain China through regional alliances.

Outside of positive talks with China, the Biden administration used much of its time during the meetings in Asia to reinforce the problematic hegemony and imperialistic leadership that have characterized U.S. foreign policy for many decades. Biden lectured ASEAN members on the importance of standing with the U.S.’s militarist stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The U.S. offered little assurance that it would follow the G20 or ASEAN meetings with concrete action on the pressing problems facing humanity. Biden failed to dismiss media reports that the U.S. plans to move forward on building relationships with nations in Asia that are specifically meant to weaken China. Of course, none of this serves nations in Asia or the world at large seeking solutions for poverty, war and climate change.

In just a week, China showed how its leadership approach is a stabilizing force in the world. China does not use opportunities for diplomacy to push a self-interested agenda. Zero-sum politics are rejected in favor of win-win cooperation. While detractors in the U.S.-led West claim that China is not sincere in its principle, this assertion is not backed up by facts. The countries in the Global South continue to express interest in the China-led economic arrangements because of the concrete benefits they bring to their development.

Furthermore, China does not wage wars of aggression. When disputes emerge with other nations, China takes great care to establish channels of diplomacy and goodwill in resolving them.

This is a major reason why much of the world is relieved that China has emerged as a different kind of world leader from the United States. Hegemony and domination no longer have a role to play in advancing human progress. China takes part in neither.

China has also achieved enormous feats under difficult circumstances in the last two years alone, including the eradication of absolute poverty and the rapid development of high-technology and infrastructure. Both have given emerging economies much inspiration in their own battles with poverty and underdevelopment. Perhaps China’s most important accomplishment, however, is its consistent advancement of peace and self-determination as outlined in the UN Charter. The 21st century is Asia’s moment of ascendance, and both China and the region’s future is dependent on a stable world environment conducive to meeting the needs of the people and the planet.`

The Xi-Biden summit shows China has created a space for peace

In this article, first published in the Morning Star, Doug Nicholls, General Secretary of Britain’s General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU), analyses the meeting between Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, which he says, “creates an opportunity to build for peace.”

Doug attributes this to China’s skillful manoeuvering as well as to the fact that, “more countries throughout the world want peaceful coexistence between nations and multipolar political equality rather than US hegemony. China is recognised as the leading advocate of this position.” He also notes that, “China expressed its very powerful alternative vision of a socialist world eloquently in the talks.”

We are very pleased to make available this excellent analysis.

AFTER I had been startled by John Pilger’s film The Coming War on China which charts the military and policy escalation against the country, I started to take closer note of how the US was driving fast to a hot war, using its proxy war against Russia in the Ukraine and a spectacular global misinformation programme.

The Labour and Tory parties’ dutiful allegiance to the “special relationship” with the US, and the extreme belligerence of them both against China, were convincing me that the war drums were about to accompany bombers and troops.

And I think they would have done by now had China and its allies not so skilfully outmanoeuvred the US and forced them into a significant retreat. The talks between PresidentS Biden and Xi in Bali were historic. They create an opportunity to build for peace.

While it had been obvious to the world in the lead-up to the talks that the US was doing everything it could to provoke real aggression against China, as soon as Biden opened his mouth in the public session and declared military conflict was not the US intention, a global sigh of relief could be heard.

However hard it is to believe any word a US president says, this was not a position we can condemn and we should recognise the significance of the climbdown. It is not going to be easy to renege upon quickly, and any breathing room in this febrile situation is welcome.

A number of factors had weakened Biden’s hand in negotiations. They all relate in one way or another to the fact that more countries throughout the world want peaceful coexistence between nations and multipolar political equality rather than US hegemony. China is recognised as the leading advocate of this position.

Continue reading The Xi-Biden summit shows China has created a space for peace

‘Managed competition’ with China or real peace?

This valuable editorial from the Party for Socialism and Liberation assesses the bilateral meeting that took place between Xi Jinping and Joe Biden on 14 November 2022. Whilst welcoming the possibility of a lessening of hostilities between the world’s two biggest economies, and celebrating the return to dialogue on the key issues facing humanity, the authors point out that US administrations – both Democrat and Republican – have been building up a new Cold War against China over the course of more than a decade. “A new Cold War has already been set in motion through the actions of successive US administrations that have identified China as their number one target and taken aggressive measures to deepen confrontation.”

The editorial observes that several major capitalist powers and US allies such as France and Germany do not consider a full-scale “decoupling” to be in their interests, and that Biden may well be “at least rhetorically softening the US position in a nod to other nations that are uncomfortable with the pace of escalation.”

Lasting peace and wide-ranging cooperation between US and China would be of tremendous benefit to the people of the US, China and indeed the world, but it will require the US to give up on its strategy of hybrid warfare, of containment and encirclement. Most immediately, the US will need to respect China’s territorial integrity, stop supporting Taiwanese separatism, and ends its undermining of the One China principle.

President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first meeting since Biden took office today, a high-profile summit meant to set the tone for U.S.-China relations in the coming period. Outwardly, the two leaders remained cordial and affirmed their willingness to maintain dialogue with one another, with Biden going so far as to say “there need not be a new Cold War” between the two powers. The two sides agreed to restart regular talks relating to cooperation in the fight against climate change, and Secretary of State Blinken is set to travel to China for follow up discussions in the near future. 

But in fact, a new Cold War has already been set in motion through the actions of successive U.S. administrations that have identified China as their number one target and taken aggressive measures to deepen confrontation. Real peace would require a complete reorientation of U.S. policy — one that is desperately needed if the world is to avoid catastrophic conflict on a global scale. 

The Biden administration presented today’s meeting in the framework of what they call “managed competition.” This is a reference to the overarching U.S. imperial doctrine of “great power competition,” essentially a euphemism for the new Cold War. For instance, Biden said in a press conference following the summit, “We’re going to compete vigorously. But I’m not looking for conflict, I’m looking to manage this competition responsibly.” 

Biden is signaling his desire to maintain the United States’ posture of fundamental hostility to China, but at least rhetorically softening the U.S. position in a nod to other nations that are uncomfortable with the pace of escalation. China’s economy remains deeply integrated in the world market, and even major capitalist powers like France and Germany do not desire a complete breakdown in relations despite their underlying hostility to China’s socialist system. Given the existing balance of forces in world politics, the United States may calculate that a momentary easing of pressure could reduce the likelihood that the alliance between China and Russia will deepen.  

Continue reading ‘Managed competition’ with China or real peace?

Xi Jinping meets with Joe Biden in Bali

The meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden in Bali, Indonesia, on November 14th attracted huge attention around the world, as a positive outcome could help to halt or even reverse the dangerous slide to confrontation triggered by the US’ initiation of a new cold war.

China reported that the two presidents had a “candid and in-depth exchange of views on issues of strategic importance in China-US relations and on major global and regional issues.

“President Xi pointed out the current state of China-US relations is not in the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples and is not what the international community expects. China and the United States need to have a sense of responsibility for history, for the world and for the people, explore the right way to get along with each other in the new era, put the relationship on the right course, and bring it back to the track of healthy and stable growth to the benefit of the two countries and the world as a whole.”

The Chinese leader explained that the policies of his party and government are “open and transparent, with clearly stated and transparent strategic intentions and great continuity and stability.” He further stressed that the Taiwan question “is at the very core of China’s core interests, the bedrock of the political foundation of China-US relations, and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations… Anyone that seeks to split Taiwan from China will be violating the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation; the Chinese people will absolutely not let that happen!”

He also pointed out that “the two countries take different paths; while the United States practices capitalism, China practices socialism. Such difference is nothing new and will continue to exist,” adding, “it is in our mutual interest to benefit from each other’s development. It is also in our mutual interest to promote post-COVID global recovery, tackle climate change and resolve regional issues through China-US coordination and cooperation.”

Xi Jinping’s approach to his talk with Biden was exemplary in combining firmness in principle with flexibility and magnanimity in tactics. Given the extreme importance of the relations between China and the United States to the whole of humanity, it is vitally important to understand what China’s leadership is saying in this regard. We are therefore pleased to reproduce China’s official report of the meeting, taken from the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China.

On the afternoon of 14 November local time, President Xi Jinping had a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Bali, Indonesia. The two presidents had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on issues of strategic importance in China-U.S. relations and on major global and regional issues.

President Xi pointed out the current state of China-U.S. relations is not in the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples, and is not what the international community expects. China and the United States need to have a sense of responsibility for history, for the world and for the people, explore the right way to get along with each other in the new era, put the relationship on the right course, and bring it back to the track of healthy and stable growth to the benefit of the two countries and the world as a whole.

President Xi expounded on the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and its key outcomes. He pointed out that the domestic and foreign policies of the CPC and the Chinese government are open and transparent, with clearly stated and transparent strategic intentions and great continuity and stability. We are advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization, basing our efforts on the goal of meeting people’s aspirations for a better life, unswervingly pursuing reform and opening-up, and promoting the building of an open global economy. China remains firm in pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace, always decides its position and attitude based on the merits of issues, and advocates resolving disputes peacefully through dialogue and consultation. China is committed to deepening and expanding global partnerships, safeguarding the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order underpinned by international law, and building a community with a shared future for mankind. China will stay committed to peaceful development, open development and win-win development, participate in and contribute to global development, and pursue common development with countries across the world.

Continue reading Xi Jinping meets with Joe Biden in Bali

Xi Jinping: Working together to meet the challenges of our times and build a better future

We are pleased to republish below the English translation of President Xi Jinping’s speech at the first session of the 17th summit of the G20, delivered on 15 November 2022.

Xi begins by highlighting some of the extremely serious problems currently faced by humanity: “The COVID-19 pandemic still drags on with cases surging here and there. The world economy is getting more fragile. The geopolitical environment remains tense. Global governance is seriously inadequate. Food and energy crises are compounded with one another. All this poses formidable challenges to our development.”

In order to face such challenges, it is essential for all countries to “replace division with unity, confrontation with cooperation, and exclusion with inclusiveness. All countries should join hands together to answer the question of our times – what is wrong with this world, what we should do about it – so as to tide over difficulties and create a better future together.”

It’s noteworthy that the G20 summit takes place at the same time as COP27 in Egypt, where developing countries are loudly raising their demands for climate justice. In his speech to the G20, Xi Jinping added his voice to those demands, reiterating the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities – a principle enshrined in international law, under which the advanced countries must provide funding, technology and support for climate change mitigation and renewable energy transition in the developing world.

Although China is still a developing country, the reality is that it’s China rather than the advanced western countries that’s providing key leadership on environmental issues. China is already working with a large number of Global South countries on green development projects, including in Zambia, South Africa, Kenya, Argentina and Cuba.

Xi spoke up for solidarity and common development, and called on the advanced countries to do more to assist developing countries. “Prosperity and stability cannot be possible in a world where the rich become richer while the poor are made poorer.” Further, he reiterated China’s support for the African Union joining the G20 (China was the first country to publicly do so, as noted by Senegalese President Macky Sall in his bilateral discussion with Xi Jinping the previous day).

The speech is a concise reflection of China’s consistent, enduring and whole-hearted commitment to peace, common prosperity, sustainable development, and global friendship and cooperation.

Your Excellency President Joko Widodo,

Colleagues,

It gives me great pleasure to attend the G20 Bali Summit. At the outset, I wish to thank President Joko Widodo and the Indonesian government for making these thoughtful arrangements for the Summit. I also salute the Indonesian presidency for its important role in promoting G20 cooperation.

We meet at a time of momentous changes unseen in a century, changes that are consequential to the world, to our times, and to history. The COVID-19 pandemic still drags on with cases surging here and there. The world economy is getting more fragile. The geopolitical environment remains tense. Global governance is seriously inadequate. Food and energy crises are compounded with one another. All this poses formidable challenges to our development.

Faced with these challenges, it is imperative that all countries embrace the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, and advocate peace, development, and win-win cooperation. All countries should replace division with unity, confrontation with cooperation, and exclusion with inclusiveness. All countries should join hands together to answer the question of our times — “what is wrong with this world, what we should do about it” — so as to tide over difficulties and create a better future together.

All G20 members should take the responsibility inherent in being major international and regional players, and should lead by example in promoting development of all nations, improving the well-being for the whole mankind, and advancing progress of the entire world.

We should make global development more inclusive. Solidarity is strength, but division leads nowhere. Living in the same global village, we should stand with each other in the face of risks and challenges. Drawing ideological lines or promoting group politics and bloc confrontation will only divide the world, and hinder global development and human progress. With human civilization already in the 21st century, the Cold-War mentality has long been outdated. What we need to do is to join hands together and elevate our win-win cooperation to a new height.

Continue reading Xi Jinping: Working together to meet the challenges of our times and build a better future

Arnold August: China’s rise is the West’s main fear

We are pleased to reproduce extracts of the November 13, 2022, edition of Press TV’s show Spotlight on the current South China Sea tensions, with Canadian author/journalist Arnold August and Teheran-based anchor/producer Kaveh Taghvai. August focused on China, the BRICS alternative non-US dollar currency as a very significant challenge to US hegemony, and the US vision for leveraging Taiwan against the People’s Republic of China, much as Ukraine is today being used as a pawn in the US/NATO war against the Russian Federation.

Fred M’membe and Kyeretwie Opoku: We have to defend China

We are pleased to run a further extract from the conversation, carried by Wave Media, between leaders of the Socialist Party of Zambia and the Socialist Movement of Ghana, Fred M’membe and Kyeretwie Opoku, regarding the past, present and future of relations between China and Africa. 

They note that more and more young people in both China and Africa are seeing through imperialist lies and that after just a few days stay in China, they have come to the conclusion that the Chinese revolution is unstoppable.

Noting that China and Africa understand each other and are drawn together by a similar history of oppression by colonialism and imperialism from the 19th century onwards, they affirm that China today offers an alternative path to overcome poverty and realize development. In fact, they state, it is now the only path, as the old path of colonial expansion is closed off to those seeking to develop in the contemporary world.  We have to defend China, they insist, because what China has achieved are our achievements, too. They also make the important point that non-interference does not preclude solidarity.

See also: When the West visits Africa, they talk about China