August 2023 - Friends of Socialist China

Book review: China and America’s Tech War from AI to 5G

In this review of China and America’s Tech War from AI to 5G: The Struggle to Shape the Future of World War, the new book by AB Abrams, Will Podmore notes that China has major advantages in five crucial areas of strategic and economic significance, namely artificial intelligence, quantum computing, green and nuclear technologies, telecommunications, and semiconductor chips. China is also, he notes, the world’s largest R&D investor and accounts for nearly half of all patent applications lodged worldwide.

Podmore writes that its unaffordability deters many US citizens from university study, but in China the numbers are rising fast. Moreover, the Chinese percentage of STEM graduates among its student cohort is double that of the US. China has also overtaken the US in the number of peer-reviewed papers published in scientific journals.

The US response, Podmore observes, has been to step up its attacks on China’s Huawei. But, as Abrams notes: “By initiating hostilities the US may only have accelerated its own decline by pressing China and its suppliers to phase out reliance on both American inputs such as software as well as on US chips.”

Britain’s decision to strip out Chinese equipment from its 5G network within seven years will cost over £7 billion and delay 5G rollout by at least three years. Podmore evokes a famous aphorism of Mao Zedong when he describes all this as “lifting a rock, only to drop it on your own feet.”

For their part, the editors of the MIT Technology Review write: “It’s becoming increasingly clear in the West that while the venture capital model is good at building things people want, it’s less good at producing things society needs in order to solve hard, long-term problems like pandemics and climate change.”

Abrams’ book is published by Lexington Books. However, at £96, it is beyond the reach of all but a handful of individual readers. A Kindle edition is currently available at a slightly more affordable £38. It may also be possible to order it through your library.

This review was originally published by the Morning Star.

China has major advantages in five key broad areas of technological competition with high strategic and economic significance — artificial intelligence, quantum computing, green and nuclear technologies, telecommunications and semiconductor chips — due to its greater home market scale, flexible regulatory environment and faster product integration loop.

China is the world’s largest overall (public and private) R&D investor. And China is not producing copies, as is commonly alleged: China files nearly half all the patent applications submitted worldwide.

The unaffordability of higher education in the United States means that fewer US citizens are going to university, but in China the numbers receiving higher education are rising fast. In 2013, 40 per cent of Chinese students graduated in STEM subjects, under 20 per cent in the US.

In the period 2016-2018, China overtook the US in the number of peer-reviewed papers published in scientific journals. The 2019 PISA (the OECD Programme for International Student Assessments) found that Chinese students were the best educated in the world.

The US responded not by upping its investments in high tech but by stepping up its attacks on China’s Huawei.

By 2019, 40 per cent of the world’s population used telecoms that passed through Huawei equipment. The US government alleged that Huawei was using its equipment to spy on other countries.

Nevertheless, the US House of Representatives intelligence committee had concluded in 2012 that there was no evidence that the firm was installing back doors in its equipment for espionage purposes.

Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security found no evidence of any security threat or malpractice from Huawei. And, as Abrams points out, “It was the NSA, not a Chinese government agency, which sought to install back doors into Huawei equipment for espionage purposes.”

The NSA made US tech companies like Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Facebook and Apple assist its surveillance efforts.

Cleverly’s Beijing mission a welcome contrast to backbench warmongering

The following Morning Star editorial discusses British foreign secretary James Cleverly’s recent visit to Beijing.

Before setting off, Cleverly observed that “no significant global problem – from climate change to pandemic prevention, from economic instability to nuclear proliferation – can be solved without China.” This is certainly true. Furthermore Britain would derive clear economic benefits from improved Britain-China relations.

Unfortunately, as the editorial points out, Cleverly’s relatively balanced position stands in stark contrast to that found elsewhere in parliament, “where the foreign select committee not only urges Aukus expansion but calls for Britain to join another anti-China military bloc, the Quad, a prescription for miring us still deeper in the preparations for a Pacific war that a US general has predicted for the year after next.”

What’s more, the basic political dynamics underlying the deterioration in relations have not meaningfully changed. The US is leading a New Cold War that includes military encirclement (via AUKUS, war games, freedom of navigation assertions and so on), attempting to stoke conflict across the Taiwan Strait, sanctions, tariffs, and a vicious propaganda war. Britain has involved itself in all of this. Prioritising our status as a loyal junior partner to US imperialism has become a consensus position in British politics.

The editorial concludes that a powerful mass peace movement is a necessary force to counter the Cold Warriors in Westminster.

The Foreign Secretary’s visit to Beijing is a welcome attempt to keep communications open with an economic, scientific and technological giant.

James Cleverly is spot on when he says global problems cannot be addressed without China, whether we are talking about climate change, co-operation on pandemics or — the elephant in the room given the feverish warmongering on Tory back benches — avoiding World War III.

The government’s attitude contrasts favourably to that of critics like ex-work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith. For Duncan Smith, for whom “anything to do with China is a security threat,” simply holding talks with Chinese leaders is “appeasement.”

Labour’s David Lammy does not go quite so far, though he calls on Cleverly to secure “tangible diplomatic wins” such as the removal of sanctions on British parliamentarians.

Love China all my life: Isabel Crook’s stories

In this very touching and poignant article, originally published by China Daily on June 1, 2022, Fang Aiqing and Huang Zhiling, assisted by Shen Zaiwang, introduce a biography of Canadian communist Isabel Crook, ‘Love China All My Life: Isabel Crook’s Stories’, published by author Tan Kai that year.

Isabel passed away in Beiing on August 20, 2023, aged 107.

In the book, which took him three years to write, Tan recalls many stories, in particular, of the friendships Isabel maintained over many decades with rural people in Sichuan province, including from the Tibetan, Qiang and Yi nationalities.

China Daily recounts:

“Crook also learned skills from the villagers, but when she saw women spinning wool into yarn by hand, she decided to return to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, to buy them a wooden spinning wheel, which they had never seen or heard of before.

“It took Crook at least seven days to travel to Bashinao from her base in Chengdu. Most of the time, she either walked or rode a horse. The route was full of hardships and danger. At one point, Crook and her companions had to traverse a cliff face for several kilometers as the Minjiang River flowed tempestuously below.

“They also relied on a zipline to cross the river. In one photograph in the book, Crook is captured clinging to the line, laughing with great excitement as she carries the spinning wheel.”

It was also in Chengdu that she first met the man who was to become her husband and lifelong companion, David Crook (1910-2000), described as a committed communist from Britain, as well as a friend of the famous Canadian communist and surgeon Norman Bethune.

“David proposed to her on the Luding Bridge, which spans the Dadu River－a revolutionary site he had always wanted to visit after reading about in Edgar Snow’s book Red Star Over China.”

On October 1, 1949, the Crooks were on the viewing stand in Tian’anmen Square for the founding ceremony of the People’s Republic of China, but Isabel had to return home for a short period to feed their eldest son, who was less than two months old.

Symbolising the couple’s deep attachment to China, China Daily writes:

“Even though David Crook was wrongly imprisoned for more than five years and his wife’s freedom of movement was restricted for three years during the ‘cultural revolution’ (1966-76), the couple didn’t leave China and continued their efforts to support the nation’s development.”

Tibetan woman Yangzom, 94, who comes from a rural area of Sichuan province, remembers learning the nursery rhyme Row, Row, Row Your Boat in English more than 80 years ago.

She mastered the words when Canadian expatriate Isabel Crook carried out an anthropological field study of Tibetan households in Yangzom’s home village of Bashinao, Aba Tibet and Qiang autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province, in 1939.

Details of Crook, who was born in 1915, visiting Tibetan and Qiang villages are recorded in Love China All My Life: Isabel Crook’s Stories, a biography recently published by author Tan Kai.

Arise, Africa! Roar, China!: Black and Chinese citizens of the world in the twentieth century

We republish below a review by Joel Wendland-Liu of the important and fascinating 2021 book Arise, Africa! Roar, China! Black and Chinese Citizens of the World in the Twentieth Century, which explores aspects of the historic linkages between progressive African Americans and the Chinese revolution.

As noted in the review, the book “documents the experiences of five individuals – W.E.B. Du Bois, Paul Robeson, Liu Liangmo, Si-lan Chen Leyda, and Langston Hughes – through the lens of their relations to China, with African America, racism, U.S. government persecution, and anti-imperialist working-class struggles for freedom.”

Joel’s review, originally published in People’s World, summarizes some of the key themes in the book, including the extensive work carried out by Liu Liangmo to promote understanding of China in the US; Paul Robeson’s longstanding and consistent support for the Chinese Revolution; the extraordinary life of Afro-Chinese dancer Sylvia Si-lan Chen Leyda; and W.E.B Du Bois and Shirley Graham Du Bois’s eight-week trip around China in 1959, of which W.E.B. Du Bois wrote: “We saw the planning of a nation and a system of work rising over the entrails of a dead empire.”

Also discussed is Langston Hughes’ famous trip to Shanghai in 1933:

Hughes differed from most Western visitors by refusing to stay within the racist cocoon that comprised the international concession zone in the city. He ate street food, enjoyed Chinese theater, and interacted with working-class Chinese people like humans. While these activities may seem normal today, at the time they set him apart from Euro-Americans who spread racist stereotypes about Chinese people, enforced Jim Crow rules, and typically viewed Chinese people as diseased, dangerous, and untrustworthy. Hughes’s experience in China, along with his political support for the revolutionary struggle, impacted his poetry, novels, and short stories over the next decade or so.

Joel observes that the book “gives new insights into the interactions and political relationships of revolutionary Chinese and African-American intellectuals, pointing frequently to new connections across cultures and languages that deserve even more scholarly scrutiny.”

We have previously carried an interview with the author, Gao Yunxiang.

When the slender, affable Chinese man took the podium in Harlem’s posh Golden Gate ballroom on a late autumn afternoon to denounce three recent lynchings in Mississippi, the audience’s FBI informant perked up. Liu Liangmo, a public speaker employed by United China Relief, a non-partisan charity that raised funds to aid China during a brutal Japanese invasion, proceeded to denounce racism as a system: lynchings, poll taxes, and Jim Crow apartheid. He highlighted white supremacy’s links to fascism and imperialism and called for equality and self-determination for all peoples. The bespectacled Liu took his seat to the applause of several hundred at an event sponsored by the Negro Labor Victory Committee, the Negro Quarterly, and the actor Orson Welles. As a professional public speaker, Liu’s task was to promote a deeper understanding of China to American audiences. In the age before television, public speaking events were among the most important ways an organization that couldn’t afford to make a movie or publish a newspaper could share its ideas. In his nine years in the U.S., Liu believed he had traveled 100,000 miles across most of the country.

Historian Gao Yunxiang is a Professor of History at Ryerson University in Toronto. In this original and well-researched book, Arise Africa! Roar, China!: Black and Chinese Citizens of the World in the Twentieth Century, she documents the experiences of five individuals—W.E.B. Du Bois, Paul Robeson, Liu Liangmo, Si-lan Chen Leyda, and Langston Hughes—through the lens of their relations to China, with African America, racism, U.S. government persecution, and anti-imperialist working-class struggles for freedom. Liu, persecuted by the FBI and the immigration regime, left the U.S. in 1949 to serve as a leader of the Chinese Democratic League, one of the several non-communist parties that continues to serve in the country’s National People’s Political Consultative Conference. He also helped to mobilize the Chinese Christian community in support of resistance to Japanese occupation and the ultimate revolutionary transformation of the country.

China is a friend and strategic ally of Syria

Chinese embassies around the world organised celebrations for the 96th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which fell on August 1st.

At a reception held in the Syrian capital Damascus on July 25, China’s Defence Attaché said in his speech that the friendship between the two countries has a deep-rooted history, noting that despite the changes in the international and regional situation, they have always supported each other.

Describing Syria as a “loyal friend” of China, he noted that the practical cooperation between the Chinese and Syrian armies has witnessed continuous development in recent years and exchanges in the security and military field have yielded fruitful results.

He confirmed that his country will continue its strong support for the Syrian army’s struggle to preserve national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and for its efforts in combating terrorism and restoring national security and stability.

Responding, Syria’s Defence Minister, Major General Ali Mahmoud Abbas praised China’s stance, army, people, and leadership for its standing by Syria and its just causes during the unjust and aggressive war that was waged against it.

Director of the Diplomatic Institute at the Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Ministry, Dr. Imad Mustafa told reporters that China is a friend and strategic ally of Syria and it serves as the guarantor of a new multipolar world, which puts an end to US hegemony in the international arena.

The following report was originally published by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

Damascus, SANA- The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China held Tuesday a reception ceremony on the 96th anniversary of founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

The Defense Attaché at Chinese Embassy in Damascus said in a speech that the friendship between Syria and his country has deep-rooted history, noting that despite the changes in the international and regional situation, the two countries have always supported each other.

The Defense Attaché described Syria as a “loyal friend” of China, and that the relationship between the two countries is a model for friendly relations between countries with different locations, cultures and systems.

He noted that the practical cooperation between the Chinese and Syrian armies has witnessed continuous development in recent years, and exchanges in the security and military field have yielded fruitful results.

He confirmed that his country will continue its strong support for the Syrian army’s struggle to preserve national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and for its efforts in combating terrorism and restoring national security and stability.

He expressed his country’s desire to push forward the practical cooperation between the two armies in various fields.

In turn, Defense Minister, Major Gen. Ali Mahmoud Abbas praised China’s stance, army, people, and leadership for its standing by Syrian and it’s just causes during the unjust and aggressive war that was waged against it.

Minister Abbas stressed that Syria seeks to constantly boost the relationship between the two countries, which extends back decades, in a way that serves the common interest to achieve prosperity for the two peoples and achieve a better future.

The Minister of Defense congratulated China and its people on the anniversary of the establishment of its army, which coincides on 1 August with the 78th anniversary of the founding of the Syrian Arab Army.

He pointed out to the commitment of the two armies since their establishment to a good relationship that reflects the deep-rooted relation binding both countries.

Director of the Diplomatic Institute at the Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Ministry, Dr. Imad Mustafa told the reporters that China is a friend and strategic ally of Syria, and it serves as the guarantor of a new multipolar world in which it puts an end to American hegemony in the international arena.

Remarks by Xi Jinping at China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue

Following the BRICS Summit, held in the South African city of Johannesburg, the host, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping jointly convened the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue on August 24.

Among those joining them were Comorian President Azali Assoumani, who is currently the Chairperson of the African Union (AU); Senegalese President Macky Sall, who is also the African Co-chair of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC); presidents of Zambia, Burundi, Djibouti, the Republic of the Congo, and Namibia; and leaders of Chad, Libya, and Nigeria, representing sub-regional organisations.

In his address to the meeting, Xi Jinping noted that this was his tenth visit to the continent, and “each time, I feel the new development and changes in Africa.”

“Over the past 60 years, under the banner of Pan-Africanism, African countries have made big strides on the path of independence, seeking strength through unity and integration. You have demonstrated the strength of Africa in the struggles to uphold multilateralism and the common interests of developing countries.”

Xi went on to say that, after becoming Chinese President in 2013, he visited Africa on his first foreign trip. Over the subsequent decade, “together with our African friends and drawing strength from the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, we have pressed ahead on the path of solidarity and cooperation, stood for justice amid shifting global dynamics, and looked out for each other in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

He proposed three key areas for China and Africa to intensify their joint work:

To promote a just and equitable international order. We should carry forward the spirit of sticking together in times of adversity, practice true multilateralism, and unequivocally oppose vestiges of colonialism and hegemonism in all forms.
To safeguard a peaceful and secure global environment. We should uphold harmonious coexistence between people and nature and protect the security of the global eco-environment.
To work together to build an open and inclusive world economy.

Xi Jinping said that there are various paths leading to modernisation. “The African people have the most say on which path suits Africa best. Advancing modernisation through integration is the independent choice made by African countries and people. On this path to modernisation, China has all along been a firm supporter, and walking side by side with Africa.”

He also said that China will:

Launch an initiative on Supporting Africa’s Industrialisation.
Launch a plan to support Africa’s Agricultural Modernisation.
Launch a plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development.

Concluding, President Xi said that China will host the FOCAC meeting next year and declared:

“I am confident that China and Africa will carry forward the traditional friendship, enhance solidarity and coordination, and bolster our cooperation across the board. As we join hands to advance modernisation, we will deliver a better future for the Chinese and African people, and set a fine example in the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.”

The following is the full text of President Xi’s remarks. It was originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.

Your Excellency President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa,

Your Excellencies Heads of State,

Colleagues,

It is a great pleasure to co-chair with President Ramaphosa the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue. I feel a particular warmth seeing my African friends face to face after five years, to celebrate our friendship and chart the way forward for our cooperation. I wish to thank all the colleagues for attending the dialogue, and send sincere greetings to leaders of other African countries who are not with us today.

Africa is a fertile land of hope in the 21st century. This is my 10th visit to the continent. Each time, I feel the new development and changes in Africa. As the Organization of African Unity marks its 60th anniversary this year, I wish to convey heartfelt congratulations to you all and to the African people.

Over the past 60 years, under the banner of Pan-Africanism, African countries have made big strides on the path of independence, seeking strength through unity and integration. You have demonstrated the strength of Africa in the struggles to uphold multilateralism and the common interests of developing countries. With steady progress under Agenda 2063 of the African Union (AU), the official launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and growing coordination among the subregional groups, Africa is becoming an important pole with global influence.

In 2013 after I became Chinese President, I was here in Africa for my first foreign visit and announced the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith for China’s Africa policy. Over the past 10 years, China has stayed committed to this principle. Together with our African friends and drawing strength from the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, we have pressed ahead on the path of solidarity and cooperation, stood for justice amid shifting global dynamics, and looked out for each other in face of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have taken China-Africa relations to new heights and entered the new stage of jointly building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.

Remarks by Xi Jinping at the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue

Alongside the main BRICS Summit, held in the South African city of Johannesburg, a ‘BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue’ was held on the sidelines on August 24

Hosted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the event was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Russian President Vladimir Putin participated online.

More than 60 leaders and representatives of African countries and other emerging markets and developing countries, as well as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, President of the New Development Bank Dilma Rousseff, and leaders of other international and regional organizations, also attended.

Xi Jinping delivered remarks at the dialogue under the title, ‘Hand in Hand Toward a Community of Shared Development’. He began by noting that:

“Development embodies our people’s aspiration for a better life. It is the top priority for developing countries and a timeless theme for humanity. As the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is due for a midterm review this year, the delivery of most Sustainable Development Goals remains slow. This is a cause for concern, and the global development endeavour faces formidable challenges.”

Xi pointed out that China has invariably stood in solidarity with fellow developing countries through thick and thin. The country has been and will always remain a member of the developing countries. Since holding the first High-Level Dialogue on Global Development last year, China has set up a Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, with a total funding of four billion US dollars, and Chinese financial institutions will soon set up a special fund of 10 billion dollars dedicated to the implementation of the Global Development Initiative (GDI).

Xi added:

“Over the past decade, China has provided a large amount of development assistance to Africa and helped build more than 6,000 km of railway, over 6,000 km of highway, and 80-plus large power facilities on the continent. Going forward, China will carry out more cooperation with African countries to support Africa in enhancing its own capacity for development. Specific measures will be taken, such as providing satellite mapping data products, implementing a Smart Customs cooperation partnership, and launching with UNESCO a ‘GDI for Africa’s Future’ action plan, to support sustainable development in Africa.”

The following is the full text of President Xi’s remarks. It was originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.

Hand in Hand Toward a Community of Shared Development

Remarks by H.E. Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China
At the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue
Johannesburg, August 24, 2023

Your Excellency President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa,

Colleagues,

Let me begin by thanking President Ramaphosa for preparing the Dialogues. I am delighted to join you all in this discussion on global development.

Development embodies our people’s aspiration for a better life. It is the top priority for developing countries and a timeless theme for humanity. As the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is due for a midterm review this year, the delivery of most Sustainable Development Goals remains slow. This is a cause for concern, and the global development endeavor faces formidable challenges.

The international community must pursue the larger interests of all countries, respond to people’s concerns, and restore development to the center of the international agenda. The representation and voice of developing countries in global governance should be increased, and developing countries be supported in realizing better development. It is also important to uphold true multilateralism, forge a global development partnership, and create a secure and stable international environment for shared development.

Camp David summit outlines military alliance against China

The following article by Sara Flounders, originally posted on Workers World, provides a critical analysis of US President Joe Biden’s diplomatic “victory” at Camp David, in which he brought together Japan and South Korea to form a security pact with the US. Sara observes that this pact has nothing to do with the maintenance of peace, but is directed towards upgrading the US’s military threat against China and the DPRK, as well as blocking China’s development and regional trade.

The article notes the enormous US military infrastructure which already exists in the region: “US troops have occupied both Japan and South Korea since 1945. There are still 53,700 US troops in Japan on 120 military bases — more bases than in any other country. Some 26,400 US troops are stationed on 73 bases in South Korea, including Fort Humphreys, the largest overseas US military base. This overwhelming US military presence exerts extreme political pressure.” This is on top of the recent creation of AUKUS and the revival and upgrading of the QUAD.

As such, the agreement at Camp David is simply “a further step in Washington’s strategy of inserting tensions, instability and continuing provocations in the region in an attempt to block China’s development and its growing regional trade with its neighbors.”

Sara points out that the US’s anti-China strategy of sanctions and tariffs is actually punishing South Korea and Japan more than China. “By expanding sanctions on China affecting chip technology, software and equipment, Washington disrupts global supply chains and damages the economies of South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.” Indeed the US economy will suffer too. But as far as US strategists are concerned, China’s suffering is a higher priority than US prosperity. Unfortunately for Washington’s cold warriors, however, “though China will feel the impact of sanctions, its economy is larger than those of its Asian neighbors, and its many global trading partners may give it a greater capacity to adjust, including by reinforcing its domestic economy.”

August 22 — U.S. war threats against China heightened this week. On Aug. 18, President Joe Biden framed an aggressive military alliance, with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida dutifully attending, at an ominous summit at Camp David. This trilateral military pact of the United States, South Korea and Japan is directly aimed at China and at the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea).

Both U.S. and Chinese, as well as other international media, all described the meeting as a confirmation of a new Cold War against China.

The military pact of South Korea and Japan with the U.S. intentionally damages both the South Korean and Japanese economies, as China has been the major trading partner of both countries. However, right-wing militarists in office in each country seem willing to act against their own people’s interests.

Xi Jinping meets with national leaders of Malawi, Republic of Congo, Namibia, Tanzania and Iran

On the final day, August 24, of his recent visit to South Africa, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a further round of bilateral meetings with other national leaders on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.

Meeting Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera, Xi said that China supports Malawi in exploring a development path suited to its national conditions, and stands ready to continuously offer whatever help China can to the country in its socio-economic development.

For his part, Chakwera noted that China is always the first to lend a helping hand to Malawi when the latter faces difficulties, adding that during his recent visit to China, he was not only warmly received, but also truly felt that China is Malawi’s true friend, brother and partner.

China will, as always, firmly support the Republic of the Congo in safeguarding its national independence and opposing foreign interference, the Chinese President said, whilst meeting his Congolese counterpart, Denis Sassou Nguesso.

Calling Sassou Nguesso an old friend and good friend of the Chinese people, Xi pointed out that the sound development of bilateral relations is inseparable from the fact that Sassou Nguesso attaches great importance to and sticks to friendship with China.

Noting that next year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Xi said China is ready to make joint plans and hold grand celebrations with the Congolese side.

Sassou Nguesso said Xi’s successful state visit to the Republic of the Congo in 2013 remains fresh in his memory, adding that Chinese enterprises have undertaken many national construction projects in his country, and friendship and cooperation with China are important factors for the country’s continuous development.

China stands ready to strengthen cooperation with Namibia in various fields, including in clean energy, and will encourage Chinese enterprises to invest in the country, Xi Jinping said, when meeting with his Namibian counterpart, Hage Geingob.

Xi said President Geingob is an old friend of the Chinese people, who has deep affection for China. The Chinese side greatly appreciates the president’s firm support for China’s position on issues of core interests, and his delivering justice and speaking out for righteousness in international affairs.

Xi pointed out that China and Africa share similar historical experiences and hard struggle, adding that China insists on equality and mutual respect between big and small countries.

The Communist Party of China has led the Chinese people to successfully build socialism with Chinese characteristics, while at the same time making efforts to push forward the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, Xi said.

Through proposing a series of initiatives such as the Belt and Road cooperation, Xi added, China offers opportunities to developing countries to realise joint development and prosperity, and fights for more equal rights for developing nations.

For his part, Geingob said Namibia and China enjoy long-term friendship. China is an all-weather friend, and even more so a friend who you can count on when in difficulty. The Namibian side is deeply grateful to China’s firm support in the various causes of fighting for national independence and emancipation as well as national development.

He said as a leader of a global major country, President Xi has led the Chinese people to achieve remarkable accomplishments, and treats African leaders with equality and humility, which is very touching.

The Namibian side has been greatly inspired by the thoughts on socialism with Chinese characteristics, and is exploring a modernization path with Namibian characteristics, Geingob noted.

Geingob is President both of the Republic of Namibia and of the South West African People’s Organisation (SWAPO) of Namibia. At its 2017 Congress, SWAPO formally adopted socialism with Namibian characteristics as its official ideology.

Meeting Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Xi said that stronger China-Africa cooperation under the current international situation is conducive to the unity among developing countries, as well as to safeguarding their legitimate development interests.

He pointed out that Hassan’s successful visit to China in November last year was a highlight moment in China-Tanzania relations. China-Tanzania cooperation has always been at the forefront of China-Africa cooperation, and the Tanzania-Zambia Railway is a beautiful memory shared by the people of China and Tanzania.

Noting that next year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-Tanzania diplomatic ties, Xi said China is willing to take the opportunity of jointly celebrating this anniversary to continuously work with Tanzania in firmly supporting each other’s core interests and major concerns while deepening strategic cooperation.

Noting that Tanzania and China have maintained close exchanges at all levels and that cooperation projects have progressed smoothly, President Hassan said Tanzania highly appreciates China’s valuable support for and assistance to the development of developing countries. Tanzania and other developing countries have all benefited a lot from the Belt and Road cooperation and other major initiatives proposed by Xi, she said.

Meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Xi said that China stands ready to strengthen cooperation with Iran on BRICS and other multilateral platforms, so as to push for healthy and robust development of multilateralism.

Xi congratulated Iran on becoming a member of BRICS, stressing that it is a historic event that the BRICS summit, with joint efforts of all parties, has made the decision to expand. All the new members are countries with important influence, Xi said, expressing confidence that they will have a major impact on the world.

The BRICS Summit agreed to invite Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to join the cooperation mechanism from January 2024, in what the host, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa described as, “the first phase of the expansion process.” More than 40 countries have expressed an interest to join, with more than 20 having already submitted formal applications.

Xi said that since Raisi’s successful visit to China in February this year, the two countries have wasted no time to implement the consensus reached between the two leaders, which has achieved positive results. He added that he is glad that with the joint efforts of China, Iran and Saudi Arabia, Iran and Saudi Arabia have achieved reconciliation, which has promoted security and stability in the Middle East.

For his part, Raisi said Iran highly appreciates and thanks China for supporting Iran in becoming a full member of BRICS, which will provide fresh momentum for the development of Iran-China relations.

The Iranian President expressed gratitude for Xi’s important role in promoting dialogue and reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, adding that the expansion of BRICS shows that unilateralism is going downhill.

The following articles were published by the Xinhua News Agency.

Xi says China supports Malawi in exploring development path suited to its national conditions

JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) — China supports Malawi in exploring a development path suited to its national conditions, and stands ready to continuously offer whatever help China can to the country in its socio-economic development, Chinese President Xi Jinping said here on Thursday.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with his Malawian counterpart, Lazarus Chakwera, on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS Summit.

Xi said he appreciates Chakwera for upholding the one-China principle since taking office.

It is hoped that China and Malawi can continuously support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, push for new results in practical cooperation between the two countries, and promote ever-new development of bilateral relations, he said.

China is willing to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with Malawi and other developing countries, and advance the development of the international order in a more equal and just direction, he said.

Malawi firmly adheres to the one-China policy, he said, adding that the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Xi is conducive to the common development of developing countries.

Chakwera added that Malawi is willing to continuously deepen friendship and cooperation with China.

Xi Jinping meets with national leaders of Cuba, Ethiopia, Senegal and Bangladesh

During his recent visit to South Africa, Chinese President Xi Jinping held bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit with a number of national leaders.

On August 23, he met with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Senegalese President Macky Sall and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Meeting his Cuban counterpart, Xi said that China will continue to firmly support Cuba in defending national sovereignty and opposing external interference and blockade. China will also try its best to provide support for Cuba’s economic and social development.

The Chinese President added that his country will work with Cuba to continue deepening political mutual trust, expanding practical cooperation, strengthening strategic coordination, and pushing for progress in the special friendly relationship between the two parties and the two countries. China praises Cuba’s steadfast support for China in issues concerning its core interests.

Xi stressed that the Group of 77 and China is an important platform for cooperation among developing countries, adding that Cuba, as the current chair of the Group of 77 and China, has made positive contributions to strengthening the unity of developing countries.

China attaches great importance to and supports Cuba in successfully holding the Group of 77 and China Summit next month, Xi noted. China is willing to work with Cuba and other members of the Group of 77 to better safeguard the common interests and development rights of developing countries, he added.

For his part, Diaz-Canel spoke of his successful state visit to China last November, saying that both sides are earnestly implementing the important consensus reached by the two leaders.

He said the current Cuba-China relations are at a historical peak, adding that the Cuban people deeply admire President Xi and are grateful for China’s understanding and invaluable support for Cuba’s just cause.

Cuba is ready to work with China to deepen Belt and Road cooperation, build a Cuba-China community with a shared future, and advance on their paths of socialism with their respective characteristics.

Meeting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmad, Xi said that China is a reliable friend and a true partner of Ethiopia.

China attaches great importance to its relations with Ethiopia and supports its domestic peace process, development, and revitalization, he said, adding that China stands ready to work with Ethiopia to promote bilateral exchanges and to expand all-round cooperation, so that bilateral friendship can enjoy greater popular support and the China-Ethiopia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership can witness further development.

The friendship between Ethiopia and China is profound and the relations between the two countries have maintained good development momentum, said Ahmed, extending his sincere appreciation for the massive and valuable support China has offered for a long time.

Thanks to the help from and cooperation with China, Ethiopia has achieved significant development and transformations in recent years, said the Ethiopian Prime Minister, noting that the two countries share similar experiences and have common stands on many major issues.

Meeting with President Macky Sall, Xi noted that Senegal is an important partner of China in Africa, adding that, with joint efforts in recent years, the two countries have enjoyed ever-deepening political mutual trust and fruitful cooperation in various fields. He said that China supports the African Union in joining the Group of 20 and stands ready to share with African brothers its development experience and opportunities, and push for the joint pursuit of a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era, by continuously upholding the principles of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith and pursuing the greater good and shared interests.

As co-chairs of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), China and Senegal have supported and cooperated with each other and successfully held a series of important events including the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19, he said.

President Sall thanked China for taking the lead in publicly supporting the AU’s G20 membership, saying that his country, as a co-chair of FOCAC, will continue to closely communicate and work with China to promote the further development of Africa-China relations.

Meeting Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Xi said that China and Bangladesh enjoy traditional friendship, adding that the two sides upgraded bilateral ties in 2016 to a strategic cooperative partnership, which has indicated the direction for deepening their cooperation.

At present, both China and Bangladesh are at a critical stage of their own development and revitalization, and the Chinese side is willing to strengthen the synergy of development strategies with Bangladesh, deepen practical cooperation in various fields, push the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership to a new level, and better benefit the people of the two countries.

Xi also said that China supports Bangladesh in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, and in opposing external interference, so that the country can maintain domestic unity and stability and achieve development and revitalization.

He extended congratulations to the prime minister on her country’s joining the New Development Bank, saying that China is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Bangladesh in multilateral affairs and to safeguard international equity and justice as well as the shared interests of developing countries.

Hasina noted that Xi’s state visit to Bangladesh in 2016 has become a milestone in bilateral ties. She added that the sound Bangladesh-China relationship is based on mutual respect and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. Bangladesh, she said, firmly adheres to the one-China policy and appreciates China’s important role in promoting regional peace and stability, adding that her country is ready to deepen ties with China and to strengthen cooperation in multilateral mechanisms such as BRICS.

It is believed that the development of the BRICS mechanism will bring new development opportunities to developing countries, she added.

The following articles were originally carried by the Xinhua News Agency.

Xi pledges China’s continuous support for Cuba in opposing interference

JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping said here on Wednesday that China will continue to firmly support Cuba in defending national sovereignty and opposing external interference and blockade.

China will also try its best to provide support for Cuba’s economic and social development, said Xi in a meeting with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS Summit.

Xi recalled that President Diaz-Canel paid a successful state visit to China last November, when they reached a broad consensus on further deepening China-Cuba ties in the new era and agreed to work together to build a China-Cuba community with a shared future.

China: socialist or capitalist?

This presentation by Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez was given to the Communist Party USA on 20 August 2023 as part of its Marxist Classes series.

Introducing his book, The East is Still Red – Chinese Socialism in the 21st Century, Carlos goes into detail as to the class character of China today.

The book is available in paperback and ePub formats from Praxis Press, and is also available for Kindle. The voucher code ‘Carlos’ provides a site-wide 10 percent discount on Praxis Press.

Xi Jinping at 15th BRICS Summit: Cold War mentality is still haunting our world

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech to the 15th BRICS Summit, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 23.

Aptly titled, ‘Seeking Development Through Solidarity and Cooperation and Shouldering Our Responsibility for Peace’, and noting that BRICS is an important force in shaping the international landscape, the Chinese leader said early in his speech that:

“We [the BRICS countries] choose our development paths independently, jointly defend our right to development, and march in tandem toward modernisation. This represents the direction of the advancement of human society, and will profoundly impact the development process of the world.”

Making a series of practical proposals, the Chinese leader called for deepening business and financial cooperation to boost economic growth. Development, he noted, is an inalienable right of all countries, not a privilege reserved for a few. “We BRICS countries should be fellow companions on the journey of development and revitalisation, and oppose decoupling and supply chains disruption as well as economic coercion. We should focus on practical cooperation, particularly in such fields as digital economy, green development, and supply chain, and bolster economic, trade and financial exchanges.”

He also called for expanding political and security cooperation to uphold peace and tranquility.

“The Cold War mentality is still haunting our world, and the geopolitical situation is getting tense. All nations long for a sound security environment. International security is indivisible. Attempts to seek absolute security at the expense of others will eventually backfire.”

Regarding the Ukraine crisis, he said that it had “evolved to where it is today because of complex reasons. What is pressing now is to encourage peace talks, promote de-escalation, end the fighting, and realise peace. No one should add fuel to the fire to worsen the situation.”

Turning to the talk of the so-called ‘rules based international order’ touted by a handful of countries, Xi said that:

“International rules must be written and upheld jointly by all countries based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, rather than dictated by those with the strongest muscles or the loudest voice. Ganging up to form exclusive groups and packaging their own rules as international norms are even more unacceptable.”

The following is the full text of President Xi’s speech. It was originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.

Your Excellency President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa,

Your Excellency President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva,

Your Excellency President Vladimir Putin,

Your Excellency Prime Minister Narendra Modi,

I am very pleased to join you in Johannesburg for the important discussions on BRICS cooperation and development. It is especially significant that the BRICS Summit is held in Africa for the third time. I wish to thank President Ramaphosa and the South African government for the thoughtful arrangements.

We gather at a time when the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation. It is undergoing major shifts, division and regrouping, leading to more uncertain, unstable and unpredictable developments.

BRICS is an important force in shaping the international landscape. We choose our development paths independently, jointly defend our right to development, and march in tandem toward modernization. This represents the direction of the advancement of human society, and will profoundly impact the development process of the world. Our track record shows that we have consistently acted on the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, and taken BRICS cooperation to new heights in support of our five countries’ development. We have upheld fairness and justice in international affairs, stood up for what is right on major international and regional issues, and enhanced the voice and influence of emerging markets and developing countries. BRICS countries invariably advocate and practice independent foreign policies. We always address major international issues based on their merits, making fair remarks and taking fair actions. We do not barter away principles, succumb to external pressure, or act as vassals of others. We BRICS countries share extensive consensus and common goals. No matter how the international situation changes, our commitment to cooperation since the very beginning and our common aspiration will not change.

Xi Jinping: Enhancing solidarity and cooperation to overcome risks and challenges and jointly build a better world

Prior to the opening of the main BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, a BRICS Business Forum was held on August 22, marking ten years since the birth of the BRICS Business Council, also in South Africa.

In an address to the forum’s closing ceremony, which was read on his behalf by Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, President Xi Jinping, noting that, “changes in the world, in our times and in history are unfolding in ways like never before, bringing human society to a critical juncture”, posed the following questions:

“Should we pursue cooperation and integration, or just succumb to division and confrontation? Should we work together to maintain peace and stability, or just sleepwalk into the abyss of a new Cold War? Should we embrace prosperity, openness and inclusiveness, or allow hegemonic and bullying acts to throw us into depression? Should we deepen mutual trust through exchanges and mutual learning, or allow hubris and prejudice to blind conscience? The course of history will be shaped by the choices we make.”

The Chinese leader noted that humanity has “achieved notable economic development and social progress over the past decades, and that is because we have drawn lessons from the two world wars and the Cold War… and embarked on the right path of openness and development for win-win cooperation… What people in various countries long for is definitely not a new Cold War or a small exclusive bloc; what they want is an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys enduring peace, universal security and common prosperity.”

Stressing the need to promote development and prosperity for all, President Xi continued: “Many emerging markets and developing countries (EMDCs) have come to what they are today after shaking off the yoke of colonialism. With perseverance, hard work and huge sacrifices, we succeeded in gaining independence and have been exploring development paths suited to our national conditions. Everything we do is to deliver better lives to our people. But some country, obsessed with maintaining its hegemony, has gone out of its way to cripple the EMDCs. Whoever is developing fast becomes its target of containment; whoever is catching up becomes its target of obstruction. But this is futile, as I have said more than once that blowing out others’ lamp will not bring light to oneself.

“Every country has the right to development, and the people in every country have the freedom to pursue a happy life. With that in mind, I have proposed the Global Development Initiative, with the goal of promoting development for all by the international community and boosting the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

Highlighting the increasing role of the BRICS countries in the global economy, the Chinese leader noted: “The collective rise of EMDCs represented by BRICS is fundamentally changing the global landscape. EMDCs have contributed as high as 80 percent of global growth in the past 20 years, and their share in the global GDP has increased from 24 percent 40 years ago to more than 40 percent.”

Xi again expressed China’s support for more countries to join the BRICS mechanism, while noting that this is not a matter of pressing countries to take sides or fomenting confrontation:

“The gathering between BRICS countries and more than 50 other countries in South Africa today is not an exercise of asking countries to take sides, nor an exercise of creating bloc confrontation. Rather, it is an endeavor to expand the architecture of peace and development. I am glad to note that over 20 countries are knocking on the door of BRICS. China hopes to see more joining the BRICS cooperation mechanism.”

We reprint below the full text of President Xi’s speech. It was originally carried on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Your Excellency President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa,
Members of the Business Community,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends,

I wish to extend my warm congratulations on the success of the BRICS Business Forum in South Africa!

Ten years ago here in South Africa, we BRICS leaders witnessed the birth of the BRICS Business Council. Since then, the Council has stayed true to its founding mission. It has seized opportunities to deepen cooperation, contributing to economic and social development of BRICS countries and helping sustain global economic growth.

South Africa and China have an unbreakable bond

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid his fourth state visit to the Republic of South Africa immediately before the country hosted the BRICS Summit.

Meeting his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa in the capital Pretoria on August 22, the two leaders agreed to work together to take the China-South Africa comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights and to build a high-quality China-South Africa community with a shared future.

To this end, President Xi made four proposals:

China and South Africa should be strategic partners with a high degree of mutual trust. Comradeship and brotherhood are inherent to the bilateral relationship.
China and South Africa should be development partners making progress together. Mutual benefits and win-win are defining features of their cooperation.
China and South Africa should be friendly partners enjoying mutual understanding. Close ties between the two peoples are a vivid example of amity between the two countries.
China and South Africa should be global partners with a commitment to justice. Independence is a principle upheld by both countries.

President Ramaphosa noted that it is a great pleasure to receive President Xi Jinping for his fourth state visit to South Africa. China lent precious support to South Africa during its struggles for national independence and liberation and in its pursuit of national development. China gave South Africa much-needed support in difficult times such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. China is a true friend, brother, and partner of South Africa.

The South African leader went on to say that the world today is faced with geopolitical challenges, energy crises and many other serious and complex issues. He fully agrees with President Xi Jinping’s proposal for win-win cooperation. South Africa and other countries in the Global South all hope to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with China to better meet challenges together, and promote an international order that is more egalitarian, just, and equitable.

Following their talks, President Ramaphosa awarded Xi the Order of South Africa, his country’s highest honour for heads of state of friendly countries. The two leaders also witnessed the signing of various bilateral cooperation agreements, and the two sides also agreed a 15-point Joint Statement.

In a related report, the Xinhua News Agency, noted that: “Amidst Western media’s distorted reports accusing China of ‘colonising’ African nations, including South Africa, it is notable that South Africans describe their relationship with China as one of ‘comradeship’ and ‘brotherly friendship’.”

This sense of unity stems from China’s support to the South African people in fighting apartheid, and standing with the African National Congress (ANC) as comrades and friends, according to ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula. Apart from strong economic links, “it is a relationship that is formed by ties of anti-imperialism,” he said in an interview on the eve of the Chinese President’s visit.

President Xi’s visit is one of comradeship between the two presidents in strengthening this important relationship, which spans decades and decades, between the African National Congress and the Communist Party of China, he added.

Sifiso Mahlangu, editor-in-chief of South Africa’s leading newspaper, The Star, said that South Africa and China have an unbreakable bond:

“Our history dictates that China has been our friend. The Chinese people, the People’s Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China have been the friends of the South African people.”

The following articles were originally carried on the websites of the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Xinhua News Agency.

President Xi Jinping Held Talks with President of South Africa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 23 August 2023

On the morning of August 22 local time, President Xi Jinping held talks with President of South Africa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings in Pretoria during his state visit to the country. The two heads of state had an in-depth exchange of views on the development of China-South Africa relations in the new era and international and regional issues of mutual interest, and they reached important common understandings. They agreed to work together to take the China-South Africa comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights and build a high-quality China-South Africa community with a shared future.

Under a bright sky in August in Pretoria, flowers at the square of the Union Buildings were in blossom, while national flags of China and South Africa were waving in the gentle breeze. President Xi Jinping arrived at the Union Buildings in the presidential motorcade, and was warmly greeted by President Ramaphosa when getting off the limousine. As the two heads of state stepped onto the stand, a guard of honor saluted with rifles. The military band played the national anthems of China and South Africa, and a 21-gun salute was fired. President Xi Jinping reviewed the guard of honor of South Africa. The two presidents shook hands with senior members of the delegations.

The two heads of state held talks after the welcoming ceremony.

President Xi Jinping noted that it was his fourth visit to South Africa as Chinese President. He said that he has personally experienced the robust growth of China-South Africa relations over the past decade. The key to the strong relationship and profound friendship lies in the mutual support by the two countries and the two political parties in pursuit of their respective development. China is advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization, while South Africa is exploring a path toward modernization that suits its own national conditions. China is ready to work with South Africa to carry forward the friendship, deepen cooperation, and strengthen coordination, in an effort to take the China-South Africa comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights and build a high-quality China-South Africa community with a shared future.

In this connection, President Xi Jinping made four proposals.

First, China and South Africa should be strategic partners with a high degree of mutual trust. Comradeship and brotherhood are inherent to the bilateral relationship. The two sides need to step up exchange and cooperation between legislatures, political parties, the military and subnational governments, and continue to support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and key concerns. China is ready to step up exchanges between political parties and cooperation on training, and will do its best to help the African National Congress develop the African Leadership Academy.

Delegation report: On the path of China’s modernisation

We are pleased to republish below a detailed report by Rob Griffiths, general secretary of the Communist Party of Britain, of a recent delegation to China organised by the CPC’s International Department. Rob was the leader of the delegation, which included three delegates from Friends of Socialist China.

Originally published in four parts in the Morning Star, the report is republished here in full. It adds some valuable detail to our report, elaborating in particular on the themes of common prosperity and China’s path to socialist modernisation.

Rob mentions the delegation’s field trips to KingMed Diagnostics and Guangzhou Automobile Company (GAC) in Guangzhou, and reflects on what the delegates learned in relation to people-centred development and the relationship between the private and state sectors of the economy. He notes that KingMed, although a private company, works symbiotically with the state; this was evident in the struggle against Covid-19, with KingMed establishing 670 testing facilities in remote countryside areas. GAC is focusing increasingly on the design and production of electric cars, in line with the country’s overall orientation towards sustainable development. “Its operations in China illustrate how industry is pursuing the course of socialist modernisation set by President Xi Jinping and the CPC, based on consumer-driven, high-quality and eco-friendly development.”

Rob also recalls the delegation’s visit to the National Big Data Exchange and Experience Centre in Guiyang, Guizhou – “just one of several ultra-modern, hi-tech projects that demonstrate the CPC’s commitment to balanced development across China.” Guizhou has long been one of the poorest provinces of China, but it is experiencing rapid advances since being selected to take the lead on big data and artificial intelligence. Rob writes that the centre “indicates how cutting-edge technology can be used to improve traffic flows, protect the environment, enhance the distribution of medicines and even make tax collection more efficient.”

Writing about the delegation’s exchange with the All-China Federation of Trades Unions (ACFTU), Rob describes the role played by the ACFTU in organising 300 million workers across various sectors: “its roles include collective bargaining, workers’ rights protection, lobbying, and offering financial and skill-training support to members.” He mentions that the union has successfully lobbied for a number of important policy changes, including improving rights of migrant workers and supporting those workers negatively affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The author recalls that, at the CPC Central Committee Party School in Beijing, he asked Professor Guo Qiang a question about the absence of women in the top leadership of the CPC – “only 10 of 205 central committee members elected at the 20th party congress last October are women, although they comprise almost one-third of the CPC membership.” Professor Guo responded that this deficit is a topic of discussion inside the party. “Many in the CPC leadership are over 60 and attended university 40 years ago when there were very few female students — itself the result of bad and reactionary elements in traditional Chinese culture, he explained. Huge changes are under way in education, with women filling more than half of all university and college places.”

The delegation was hugely valuable and memorable, and served to significantly deepen delegates’ understanding of the progress of Chinese socialism in the 21st century.

On the path of China’s modernisation

Morning Star, 5 August 2023

FROM June 24 until July 4, the international department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) hosted a delegation representing 11 communist parties and a friendship society from Britain, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the US, Canada and Australia.

I had the honour of leading the delegation at the invitation of the CPC as we visited the provinces of Guangdong and Guizhou as well as the capital city, Beijing.

Our hosts’ intention was to explain China’s path of “socialist modernisation” and demonstrate the achievements of their country’s system of “socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

Guangdong borders Hong Kong and is China’s most populous province with more than 127 million inhabitants.

Situated at the delta of the Pearl River, the provincial capital Guangzhou was the starting point of the famous maritime “Silk Road.”

Its working class and intelligentsia played a major part in the national democratic revolution of 1911, led by Sun Yat Sen, who remains a revered figure for the Chinese people and the CPC.

Today, this city of 16 million people is a major international port and trading centre, having pioneered China’s “reform and opening up” strategy initiated by former CPC leader Deng Xiaoping in 1978.

US warships provoke in South China Sea, but don’t help fight fires in Hawaii

In this editorial the Chinese newspaper Global Times addresses the prolonged wildfires that have ravaged Hawaii’s Maui Island, which, as of Thursday August 17, had claimed the lives of 99 people, with more than 1,000 missing.

Global Times contrasts the US’ response to such disasters, citing also that to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 as well as the recent East Palestine train derailment, with its ability to project military power around the world, with its network of over 800 foreign military bases. It quotes a US internet user as observing:

“Our warships can provoke China in the South China Sea, they can shadow China in Alaska, but they can’t come to Hawaii to help Americans.”

Global Times comments: “While the wildfires were raging in Hawaii, what was Washington busy with? It was occupied with imposing investment restrictions on China, preparing for the Camp David summit with Japan and South Korea, and announcing $200 million in new military aid to Ukraine. However, the specific amount of assistance provided by the FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] for the Hawaii wildfires, as announced to date, is a payment of $700 per household… The US government prefers to hype harmless balloon accidents as major security threats, but remains ‘calm’ about the tragic disasters causing significant casualties right in front of it.”

After a week of fierce wildfires in parts of Hawaii’s Maui Island in the US, the death toll continues to rise. As of Tuesday noon local time, 99 people have died and over 1,000 remain missing. This has been labeled by the US media as the deadliest wildfires in the country in a century. The dire situation in the affected areas has inflicted immense psychological shock upon the American people. Reports said local residents have “lost everything,” with some even being “forced to jump into the Pacific Ocean to escape the smoke and fire conditions.” Criticisms of failures in warnings, inadequate disaster relief efforts, and inaction from the stationed US military in Hawaii have fueled “growing anger.”

Such a large number of casualties would be a major disaster in any country, and it is even more shocking when it occurs in the world’s most developed country. The US is prone to natural disasters such as wildfires and hurricanes. However, the country’s patchy response when dealing with these disasters is perplexing. The US has always proclaimed itself as a “world leader” and claims to be capable of responding rapidly to security threats around the globe. It possesses over 800 military bases overseas and projects its military power with aircraft carriers worldwide. But when it comes to domestic disasters or public safety incidents within the US, its response is slow and its ability to cope seems inadequate.

Although Hawaii is not located on the continental US, it remains one of the most critical military bases for the country. Hawaii serves as the headquarters of the US Indo-Pacific Command. The Indo-Pacific Command claims to “govern” over 50 percent of the world’s surface area, but ironically remains indifferent to the disasters that occur in its own location. What has fueled anger among the local community is the fact that the initial relief work was largely organized by residents themselves, with little presence from the National Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state government, or local authorities. An American internet user sarcastically remarked, “Our warships can provoke China in the South China Sea, they can shadow China in Alaska, but they can’t come to Hawaii to help Americans.” This aptly illustrates the hierarchy of decision-making in the US.

US sluggish and indifferent response to its domestic catastrophic incidents sharply contrasts with its fervent resource mobilization in “competition” with other nations. Leaving a deep impression on us, there was the Hurricane “Katrina” in 2005 that resulted in the loss of 1,836 lives, and the train derailment in East Palestine earlier this year carrying hazardous chemicals. There was also the Florida building collapse in 2021 that claimed 98 lives, and the slow rescue efforts during that time were referred to as “archaeological-style rescue.” A foreign netizen said, “The ‘American-style rescue’ in Hollywood movies is nowhere to be seen, with no American rescue heroes or high-tech equipment.” This observation seems to be perfectly fitting for every disaster in America, including the current Hawaii wildfires.

While the wildfires were raging in Hawaii, what was Washington busy with? It was occupied with imposing investment restrictions on China, preparing for the Camp David summit with Japan and South Korea, and announcing $200 million in new military aid to Ukraine. However, the specific amount of assistance provided by the FEMA for the Hawaii wildfires, as announced to date, is a payment of $700 per household. The few discussions about the wildfires mostly serve as the latest pretext for mutual attacks between the two parties. The American media, which has always emphasized “supervision,” seems to consider all of this as a matter of course, leading to the repetition of the same events without any profound reflection.

The US actively exercises hegemony in its foreign affairs, and its internal mechanisms are very backward, failing to take the protection of citizens’ security as the starting point and foundation of national security. Specifically, the US wastes a large amount of resources meaninglessly in fighting against “imaginary external opponents,” while ignoring the life-threatening threats faced by its domestic population. The US focuses its investment in military power and military-related technological fields in terms of national security, while investing inadequately in domestic infrastructure construction, disaster reduction, and relief efforts that concern people’s wellbeing and national security.

The problems exposed by the deadly wildfires in Hawaii belong to the entire US. We can see that from the “9/11” attacks to the present, the US has witnessed numerous major events related to citizens’ security. However, there has been almost no obvious improvement in the construction of institutional mechanisms for responding to domestic disasters and accidents by the US government. The US government prefers to hype harmless balloon accidents as major security threats, but remains “calm” about the tragic disasters causing significant casualties right in front of it. When the next disaster strikes, the performance of the US government is unlikely to be any better. Every disaster is a reminder to the US, using innocent lives to remind it who its real enemies and challenges are. The US’ disregard for this reminder is the greatest desecration of the lives lost.

Xi Jinping: What the world needs today is peace, not conflict

Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing on August 21 to attend the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg and to pay a state visit to South Africa. On the day of his departure, a signed article by the Chinese president was published in leading South African media, prefiguring his visit.

Acclaiming South Africa as the home of the “great statesman Nelson Mandela”, President Xi noted that this will be his sixth visit to the “rainbow nation” and added:

“Each of my visits to South Africa gave me new impressions. But the deepest is invariably the brotherly sentiments we have toward each other. Our friendship has traversed a long span of time. As early as in the mid-20th century, the newly founded People’s Republic of China lent firm support to the South African people in fighting apartheid, and stood with the African National Congress as comrades and friends. Our friendship has defied the obstacles of mountains and oceans.”

South Africa, he pointed out, was the first African country to sign a Belt and Road cooperation document with China and it has been China’s biggest trading partner in Africa for 13 consecutive years.

Noting that the two countries share the same ideals, Xi said they should “firmly support each other in independently exploring a path to modernization that suits our respective national conditions. We should fear no hegemony, and work with each other as real partners to push forward our relations amid the changing international landscape…

“China and South Africa should be champions of our common interests. What the world needs today is peace, not conflict; what the world wants is coordination, not confrontation. China and South Africa, as natural members of the Global South, should all the more work together to appeal for the greater voice and influence of developing countries in international affairs, promote accelerated reform of international financial institutions, and oppose unilateral sanctions and the ‘small yard, high fence’ approach [referring to a concept advanced by US President Joe Biden].”

Xi wrote that he still has vivid memories of the BRICS Summit in the Chinese resort of Sanya 12 years ago, when South Africa was first admitted to the cooperation mechanism:

“Now more and more countries are knocking on the door of BRICS, aspiring to join our cooperation. This is a testament to [its] vitality and influence.”

He noted that, together with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, he will convene a China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue during his visit, adding that China will continue to work for substantive progress in the African Union’s joining of the G20 this year.The below article was originally carried by the Xinhua News Agency.

Sailing the Giant Ship of China-South Africa Friendship and Cooperation Toward Greater Success

Xi Jinping
President of the People’s Republic of China

At the invitation of President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, I will soon make a state visit to the Republic of South Africa and attend the 15th BRICS Summit. It will be my sixth visit to the promising land of the “rainbow nation”. South Africa is home to the great statesman Nelson Mandela, and it boasts the richest tourist resources, the longest road network, the biggest securities exchange, and the busiest airports and harbors in Africa. The country exudes unique charm with the perfect amalgam of the ancient and the modern, and of nature and culture.

Each of my visits to South Africa gave me new impressions. But the deepest is invariably the brotherly sentiments we have toward each other. Our friendship has traversed a long span of time. As early as in the mid-20th century, the newly founded People’s Republic of China lent firm support to the South African people in fighting apartheid, and stood with the African National Congress as comrades and friends. Our friendship has defied the obstacles of mountains and oceans. Facing the sudden onslaught of COVID-19, China was among the first to provide anti-pandemic supplies to South Africa, reaffirming our special brotherhood. More recently, China also provided to the country emergency power equipment. Over the past 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, our relationship has achieved leapfrog development–from a partnership to a strategic partnership, and then to a comprehensive strategic partnership. It is one of the most vibrant bilateral relations in the developing world. Our relationship has entered a “golden era”, enjoying broad prospects and a promising future.

In recent years, President Ramaphosa and I have maintained close communication through visits, meetings, phone calls and letters. We jointly explore cooperation opportunities, pursue development, and stand up to common challenges. Our strategic mutual trust has been deepening steadily. We give each other firm support on issues involving our respective core interests and major concerns, and maintain coordination on major international and regional issues. We work together to practice true multilateralism and push for the building of a more just and equitable international order.

South Africa was the first African country to sign the Belt and Road cooperation document with China. It has been China’s biggest trading partner in Africa for 13 years in a row, as well as one of the African countries with the largest stock of Chinese investment. The pie of bilateral cooperation is getting bigger. South Africa’s wines, rooibos tea, and aloe vera gels are trending products in China. Many Chinese companies are expanding their operation and at the same time taking more social responsibilities in South Africa. Automobiles and home appliances with Chinese brands yet made in South Africa are very popular among local consumers, and are now owned by numerous South African households. South African companies are also racing to invest in the Chinese market to seize the abundant business opportunities, and they have made important contribution to China’s economic growth.

South Africa’s Ubuntu philosophy advocates compassion and sharing. It resonates well with the values of Confucianism–“love the people and all beings and seek harmony among all nations”. In 2015, I participated in the Year of China activities in South Africa, and witnessed the gratifying achievements of our Year of China/South Africa programs. Last April, the faculty and students of the Confucius Institute at Durban University of Technology wrote me a letter in Chinese, expressing their fondness for the Chinese culture and thanking China for the valuable opportunities provided to young Africans chasing their dreams. I find it very heart-warming. Indeed, these vibrant people-to-people exchanges enhance the empathy between our peoples, and enable our friendship to be passed down from generation to generation.

The China-South Africa relationship is standing at a new historical starting point. It has gone beyond the bilateral scope and carries increasingly important global influence. During my forthcoming visit, I look forward to working with President Ramaphosa to chart the plan for a new chapter of our comprehensive strategic partnership.

China and South Africa should be fellow companions sharing the same ideals. As an ancient Chinese saying goes, “A partnership forged with the right approach defies distance; it is thicker than glue and stronger than metal and rock.” We need to increase our experience sharing on governance, and firmly support each other in independently exploring a path to modernization that suits our respective national conditions. We should fear no hegemony, and work with each other as real partners to push forward our relations amid the changing international landscape.

China and South Africa should be pacesetters for solidarity and cooperation. We will succeed because of our biggest strengths in high economic complementarity and the solid foundation for cooperation. We need to further synergize development strategies, promote stronger cooperation in infrastructure, digital economy, scientific and technological innovation and energy transition, and ensure that more people of our two countries will benefit from the development outcomes. China welcomes more South African products to its market, and encourages more Chinese companies to invest and do business in South Africa as an effort of support for South Africa’s target to double its inbound investment over the next five-year period.

China and South Africa should be inheritors of China-Africa friendship. We need to leverage the all-round, multi-tiered and institutionalized mechanisms for people-to-people exchanges between our two countries, and continue to advance exchanges and cooperation in culture, tourism, education, sports, media, universities, sub-national governments and the youth. We must keep the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation as alive and strong as ever across the vast lands of China and Africa.

Friendship Medal awardee Isabel Crook dies in Beijing at 108

Our dear friend, comrade and mentor Isabel Crook passed away peacefully in Beijing on August 20 at the age of 107 (108 according to the Chinese method of calculation).

Isabel was born on December 15, 1915 in Chengdu, the daughter of Canadian missionaries. From her early years she identified with the Chinese people, especially the rural poor, in their struggle for dignity and liberation. Following studies in Canada, she made her way to Britain, where she met and married David Crook, a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB), who had been a member of the International Brigades in Spain. Isabel, too, joined the CPGB in 1943 and devoted the rest of her life wholeheartedly to the cause of communism.

She and David traveled to the liberated areas of China in 1948 and the country became their home for the rest of their lives. They shared the destiny of the Chinese people and the Chinese revolution, whether in good times or bad, but never lost their faith in the Communist Party of China and the bright future of China’s revolution, nor their passionate commitment to the liberation of working and oppressed people everywhere, but particularly in those countries groaning under the iron heel of imperialism, colonialism and hegemonism. In 2019, President Xi Jinping personally presented Isabel with the Friendship Award, China’s highest honour for foreigners.

Isabel was, and will remain, an inspiration to us and to everyone else who was privileged to know her. We extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to her sons, Michael, Carl and Paul, and to her whole extended family, and many comrades and friends.

The following article, which was originally published in the Chinese newspaper, Global Times, gives a small but poignant flavour of her extraordinary life and of the love rightly cherished for her by the people of China.

On Sunday, Isabel Crook, recipient of the Friendship Medal of China, pioneer in English teaching in China, and International Communist fighter and advisor of Beijing Bailie University, China’s earliest private university, died in Beijing at the age of 108, Beijing Bailie University reported.

Isabel Crook, a Canadian, was born in Chengdu, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province on December 15, 1915. During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), she plunged into China’s rural development. Later, she went to Britain and married David Crook (1910-2000), who was a member of the Communist Part of Great Britain, and took part in the international anti-Fascist war. She joined in the Communist Party of Great Britain in 1943, and came to China to observe and study the land reform in the Liberated Area of Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong and Henan provinces.

We're extremely sad to learn that Isabel Crook passed away this morning, at the age of 107.

Born in Sichuan in 1915, Isabel's extraordinary life paralleled successive phases of the Chinese revolution, to which she has made an indelible contribution. Her powerful legacy lives on. pic.twitter.com/NEOsiIaipW
— Friends of Socialist China (@socialist_china) August 20, 2023

In 1948, Isabel (as her Chinese friends always call her) was invited to teach at the Central Foreign Affairs School (the forerunner Beijing Foreign Studies University, BFSU) in Nanhaishan village, North China’s Hebei Province in 1948 at the invitation of the Communist Party of China. After the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, Isabel had taught in BFSU for more than 70 years, and trained a great number of scholars and diplomats for China.

As a scholar in anthropology and sociology, she wrote several books, including Revolution in a Chinese Village: Ten Mile Inn, and Xinglong Chang：Field Notes of a Village Called Prosperity 1940-1942, in which she observed and recorded the Chinese revolution and development through her own eyes and in her own way to the West and the whole world at large, making an outstanding contribution to China’s foreign friendly exchanges with other countries.

In 2007, she was awarded the title of “Tenured professor emeritus” by Beijing Foreign Studies University, and honorary doctoral degree by Toronto University. She also received other honors such as “One of the Top Ten Meritorious Foreign Teachers” by the Chinese government and the “the Most Influential Foreign Experts at the 40th Anniversary of China’s Reform and Opening-up” in 2016 and 2018 respectively. In September 2019, she won the Friendship Award of the People’s Republic of China, the highest medal of honor in China for foreigners.

Isabel had shown great concern to China’s rural development and dedicated herself to English teaching with numerous students. She died peacefully with her faith for the international Communist cause, and the love for the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people. According to her own will, no funeral will be conducted and her body will be donated for medical research. Our beloved Isabel is immortal!

NYT publishes hit job on anti-war activists; solidarity must be the answer

In the following article, published by Workers World, John Catalinotto exposes the agenda behind the now notorious August 5 article carried by the New York Times purportedly exposing a number of organisations in the United States and elsewhere that stand for peace, against the new cold war, and for constructive relations with China, as agents of the Chinese state and communist party.

Many of these organisations have apparently been funded by Roy Singham, former owner of a software consultancy, who has evidently been following a well-trodden path of wealthy Americans, namely devoting a portion of his fortune to bodies and institutions that share his personal convictions and interests. The only thing that is exceptional, and to the ruling class unacceptable, is that Roy’s personal convictions and interests happen to be those of peace, anti-imperialism and socialism.

Following the publication of the Times story, Marco Rubio, the arch-reactionary Florida senator and a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, has written to US Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding that the Department of Justice investigate whether Roy and nine named organisations are complying with the terms of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), an anti-democratic law that has historically been used to target a range of progressive people, including leading figures struggling for African-American liberation and Irish freedom.

In his Workers World article, John explains how, over decades, the New York Times, a house journal of the US ruling class that grandiloquently claims to be the repository of “all the news that’s fit to print”, has, liberal pretentions notwithstanding, touted for every US act of aggression, from Vietnam through Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya and others, to Ukraine and China today.

John makes the important point that the attack triggered by the New York Times article is but the latest salvo in a neo-McCarthyite wave that has already targeted others, from the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP), its Chairman Omali Yeshitela, and the organisations that work in the white community under its leadership, the African People’s Solidarity Committee and the Uhuru Solidarity Movement, to numerous Chinese Americans, from prominent academics and scientists to a Boston hotel worker and union activist. As John notes:

“It’s important to include all these attacks, because the movement must respond in a united way. An attack on one is an attack on all.”

Once in a while, the New York Times runs an article that reveals what this media conglomerate really represents.

People often call the Times “liberal.” That’s because it seems to oppose some of the most reactionary politicians, like president #45, and gives ample opinion space to diverse voices.

When Washington mobilizes for war, however, the Times doffs its liberal cloak and exposes itself as a loudspeaker for U.S. imperialist interests. That’s what it did Aug. 5, running a front page hit job on progressive organizations and on a donor to these causes. The verbal attack replayed 1950s McCarthyism.

Though the article had clear political goals and lacked hard evidence, the Times disguised it as investigative journalism. Four Times’ reporters produced propaganda aimed at repressing voices that oppose Washington’s preparation for war, in this case war with China. It’s important in the context of the Aug. 5 article to be conscious of the fact that the Times pays these journalists to write — and to follow editorial “guidelines.”

US steps up effort to drive a wedge between Vietnam and China

In this article, which was originally carried in People’s World, Amiad Horowitz takes up a recent off-handed comment by US President Joe Biden, that he intends to travel to Vietnam shortly, noting that CNN described it as another attempt to “counter China’s influence.” Amiad further identified this as “part of the US’ new Cold War aimed at China and other socialist and progressive states, [with] leaders in Washington [hoping] to drive a wedge between China and Vietnam.”

Amiad notes that Washington has now been pursuing this policy for years, but with little success. Going along with this, he explains, “would go against the established tenets and guidelines of Vietnam’s foreign policy.”

The US has remained undeterred, but as “the Biden administration amps up the tensions in Asia, the Chinese and Vietnamese governments have chosen to pursue a path of cooperation and peace.”

To illustrate his argument, Amiad refers to high-level diplomatic meetings between the two socialist countries on August 9 and 10 as well as to other recent encounters:

“In fact, as the two largest socialist countries, their relationship takes on a special significance, a relationship of ‘brothers plus comrades’, as a joint statement put it in November last year.”

Immediately following the original publication of this article, on August 16, China’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Kunming the provincial capital of Yunnan, with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang.

Wang Yi told his visitor that, as neighbouring countries sharing the same ideology, “the two sides should prepare for the next stage of high-level exchanges.” They should also, Wang added, jointly uphold the ideals and beliefs of the communist party and the cause of socialism.

Tran was attending the Seventh China-South Asia Expo, along with other senior leaders from countries in the region, including Laos, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

Amiad Horowitz studied at the Academy of Journalism and Communications at Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics. He lives in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi.

Last Tuesday, in an offhanded remark, President Joe Biden mentioned that he intends to travel to Vietnam “shortly” as part of an effort “to change our relationship” with the country. While no official plan, agenda, or timeline was given, CNN was quick to report that the Biden administration continues to hope it will be able bring Vietnam into the campaign to “counter China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.”

As part of the U.S.’ new Cold War aimed at China and other socialist and progressive states, leaders in Washington hope to drive a wedge between China and Vietnam. The two socialist states share a border, and it appears U.S. imperialism is determined to integrate Vietnam into its strategy of encircling China from all sides.

While the United States has pursued this wedge policy toward Vietnam for years, it hasn’t met with much success so far. Any explicitly anti-China agreement with the U.S. would go against the established tenets and guidelines of Vietnam’s foreign policy, which include peaceful coexistence with all states, avoiding entanglement in any military alliances, and never using the threat of violence against another country.

Washington remains undeterred in its effort to draw Vietnam in, however. As the Biden administration amps up the tensions in Asia, the Chinese and Vietnamese governments have chosen to pursue a path of cooperation and peace.