Month: December 2023

Xi Jinping: Integrate the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and the best of its traditional culture

The following is the text of a speech given by Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, at a meeting on cultural inheritance and development in June 2023, at which he comprehensively set out his views on the integration of Marxism with China’s specific realities and especially the best of its traditional culture, which is now being known as the “two integrations”.

Xi notes that:

“The traditional Chinese culture encompasses a multitude of significant concepts, including social ideals of pursuing the common good for all and achieving universal peace; governance principles of regarding the people as the foundation of the state and governing by virtue; traditions of striving for great unity in the country and ensuring unity amid diversity; values of dedicating oneself to self-cultivation, family management, state governance, and peace for all and shouldering one’s duties to secure the future of the nation; aspirations of embracing the world with virtue and cultivating integrity; economic principles of enriching the people and improving their lives and pursuing the greater good and shared interests; ecological ideas of promoting harmony between humanity and nature and the coexistence of all living things; philosophical thoughts of seeking truth from facts and combining knowledge with action.”

Explaining that Chinese civilisation is distinguished by its continuity, he adds that Chinese people’s deep-rooted sentiments for the motherland and profound sense of history constitute an ideal for upholding great unity and provide spiritual support for guiding the Chinese nation through countless hardships on the path to national rejuvenation.

He also refers to the creativity of Chinese civilisation, saying that it “places stress on discarding the outdated in favour of the new and making progress on a daily basis… The creativity of Chinese civilisation determines that it upholds tradition without clinging to the past and respects ancient wisdom without reverting to archaic thinking. It also determines that the Chinese nation is fearless in facing new challenges and embracing new things.”

It is also inclusive:

“Rather than replacing diverse cultures with a single monoculture, Chinese civilisation endeavours to integrate various cultures into a shared tapestry.”

Next, Xi Jinping turns his attention to the significance of the two integrations with Marxism, explaining that:

“Given the profound foundations of our venerable 5,000-year-old civilisation, the only path for pioneering and developing Chinese socialism is to integrate the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and the best of its traditional culture (‘two integrations’). This systematic conclusion has been derived from our extensive explorations of Chinese socialism. We have always emphasised integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and have now officially brought forward the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s fine traditional culture. As I once stated, without the 5,000-year-old Chinese civilisation, where would the Chinese characteristics come from?”

Mutual compatibility, he insists, is the fundamental prerequisite:

“The ‘two integrations’ is not a far-fetched proposition. Despite their distinct origins, Marxism and traditional Chinese culture exhibit remarkable congruence. For instance, the social principles of pursuing the common good for all and acting in good faith and being friendly to others resonate harmoniously with the ideals and convictions of communism and socialism; the governing concepts of regarding the people as the foundation of the state and governing by virtue align seamlessly with the political principle of putting the people first; and the practices of discarding the outdated in favour of the new and ceaselessly pursuing self-improvement correspond faithfully to the revolutionary spirit of Communists. Marxism sees the essence of man from the angle of social relations, while in Chinese culture, people are defined by their relationships with their family, their country, and the world. Both reject the notion of viewing humans as isolated entities.”

“Integration,” he further explains, “extends beyond mere juxtaposition; instead, it creates a new, organically unified cultural entity. On one hand, Marxism entered China with its advanced theories, giving a new lease of life to Chinese civilisation with its truthfulness. It ushered China into the modern era, revitalising and modernising Chinese culture. Traditional concepts such as regarding the people as the foundation of the state, all regions sharing common customs and practices, all things living side by side, and enriching the people have transformed to modern ideas of pursuing democracy, forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, maintaining harmony between humanity and nature, and striving for common prosperity.”

This integration has reinforced the foundations of China’s socialist path:

“The path of Chinese socialism is fundamentally socialist, grounded in Marxism. The essential socialist elements in Chinese culture provide an intellectual foundation for the embrace of Marxism in China. The path of Chinese socialism is continually broadening, and our determination to remain on this path is unwavering.”

In the concluding part of his speech, Xi Jinping points out that: “Under the guidance of Marxism, we must adeptly integrate the past with the present, draw on successful foreign experiences, make informed choices through dialectical reasoning, and develop the new from the old, therefore achieving a seamless fusion of traditional and contemporary cultures.”

The speech was originally published in Chinese in Qiushi Journal, theoretical organ of the Communist Party of China, issue 17 of 2023. This official English translation appeared in Qiushi’s English language edition, issue 5 of 2023.

Today, we convened a meeting on cultural inheritance and development. Preceding this event, I visited the newly built China National Archives of Publications and Culture and the Chinese Archaeological Museum at the Chinese Academy of History and found them exceptionally insightful.

To establish both the Chinese Academy of History and the China National Archives of Publications and Culture was a decision of great significance made by the CPC Central Committee. The Chinese nation boasts a legacy spanning millions of years of humanity, ten millennia of culture, and five thousand years of civilization. My visit to these two places helped deepen my appreciation for the time-honored Chinese culture and the profound depth of Chinese civilization. Only through a comprehensive and deep understanding of the history of Chinese civilization can we more effectively promote the creative transformation and development of the best of the traditional Chinese culture, vigorously push forward the progress of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, and cultivate a modern Chinese civilization.

Culture is fundamental to a nation’s foundation and future. Recently, I have consistently pondered the major issue of promoting China’s socialist culture and developing a modern Chinese civilization. This is precisely the reason that led us to convene this meeting today. Here, I would like to address three key points.

I. Developing a profound understanding of the defining characteristics of Chinese civilization

The traditional Chinese culture encompasses a multitude of significant concepts, including social ideals of pursuing the common good for all and achieving universal peace; governance principles of regarding the people as the foundation of the state and governing by virtue; traditions of striving for great unity in the country and ensuring unity amid diversity; values of dedicating oneself to self-cultivation, family management, state governance, and peace for all and shouldering one’s duties to secure the future of the nation; aspirations of embracing the world with virtue and cultivating integrity; economic principles of enriching the people and improving their lives and pursuing the greater good and shared interests; ecological ideas of promoting harmony between humanity and nature and the coexistence of all living things; philosophical thoughts of seeking truth from facts and combining knowledge with action; the mindset of understanding multiple perspectives and seeking harmony through the middle way; and communication approaches of acting in good faith and being friendly to others. These concepts collectively shape the defining characteristics of Chinese civilization.

Chinese civilization is distinguished by its continuity

Chinese civilization is the only great, uninterrupted civilization that continues to this day in a state form. This unequivocally affirms the cultural identity and robust vitality of Chinese civilization as it has responded to challenges and broken new ground through self-development. Chinese people’s deep-rooted sentiments for the motherland and profound sense of history constitute an ideal for upholding great unity and provide spiritual support for guiding the Chinese nation through countless hardships on the path to national rejuvenation. This continuity inherently dictates that the Chinese nation will follow its own path. If not through the prism of its extensive history of continuity, one would not be able to understand ancient China, contemporary China, let alone China of the future.

Chinese civilization is distinguished by its creativity

Chinese civilization places stress on discarding the outdated in favor of the new and making progress on a daily basis. It embodies both profound depth and dynamic forward surges. Continuity doesn’t mean being stagnant or inflexible; on the contrary, it represents a history marked by creativity-driven progress. The Chinese nation embraces the ethos of self-renewal, as an ancient saying goes “improve oneself in one day, do so from day to day, and there will be daily improvement.” This spirit propels the Chinese nation’s sustained material, cultural-ethical, and political advancement, allowing it to stand tall and firm as one of the most prosperous and powerful civilizations throughout a long historical period. The creativity of Chinese civilization determines that it upholds tradition without clinging to the past and respects ancient wisdom without reverting to archaic thinking. It also determines that the Chinese nation is fearless in facing new challenges and embracing new things.

Continue reading Xi Jinping: Integrate the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and the best of its traditional culture

Wang Yi: China-DPRK friendship is a valuable asset for both sides

Preparations were made by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to celebrate the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations next year, with a Beijing visit by DPRK Deputy Foreign Minister Pak Myong Ho. The relations were established on October 6, 1949, just five days after the founding of the PRC. The DPRK had been founded one year earlier. 

Meeting the DPRK visitors on December 18, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK is a valuable asset for both sides. In recent years, this traditional friendship has been further developed in the new era under the strategic guidance and personal care of the top leaders of the two countries, he added, and continued to note that  China is willing to jointly host a series of commemorative activities for the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries next year, and to promote the sustained and steady development of China-DPRK friendly and cooperative relations.

Pak said it is the unswerving position of the DPRK side to continuously develop DPRK-China relations in accordance with the lofty will of the top leaders of the two countries and the requirements of the new era. Noting that the DPRK is willing to work with China to consolidate the brotherly friendship between the two countries, he added that the DPRK will continue to strengthen multilateral coordination with China so as to safeguard common interests and regional peace and stability.

At the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s regular press conference the same day, a correspondent from South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency asked spokesperson Wang Wenbin: “The Foreign Ministry put out a readout on the meeting between China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the DPRK’s Deputy Foreign Minister Pak Myong Ho this morning. Can you share more details about the meeting?”

Wang replied as follows: “This morning, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing met with Deputy Foreign Minister of the DPRK Pak Myong Ho who came to China for diplomatic consultations between the two countries.

“Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted that the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK were forged and fostered personally by the older generation of leaders of the two parties and two countries, and is a valuable asset for both sides. In recent years, under the strategic guidance and personal care of the top leaders of the two parties and two countries, the China-DPRK traditional friendship has been further deepened in the new era. In a world fraught with change and instability, China and the DPRK have firmly supported and trusted each other, which demonstrates the strategic significance of China-DPRK friendship and cooperation. China always views its relations with the DPRK from a strategic height and long-term perspective. We would like to work with the DPRK to enhance communication and coordination, deepen exchanges and cooperation in various areas, jointly hold a number of events next year in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties, and advance the sustained and steady growth of China-DPRK friendship and cooperation.

“Deputy Foreign Minister Pak Myong Ho noted that it is the unswerving position of the party and government of the DPRK to continue to deepen the DPRK-China relations in line with the noble will of the top leaders of the two parties and two countries as well as the requirements of the new era. The DPRK stands ready to work with China to take the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to consolidate the brotherly friendship between the two countries and take the relations forward. The DPRK will continue to enhance coordination with China on multilateral affairs, safeguard the common interests of the two countries and contribute to peace and stability in the region.

“The two sides also exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.”

The following article was originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.

BEIJING, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Deputy Foreign Minister of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Pak Myong Ho on Monday in Beijing.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK is a valuable asset for both sides.

In recent years, the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK has been further developed in the new era under the strategic guidance and personal care of the top leaders of the two countries, Wang noted.

China always views its relations with the DPRK from a strategic and long-term perspective, Wang said, adding that China stands ready to work with the DPRK to strengthen communication and coordination, and deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

Wang said that China is willing to jointly host a series of commemorative activities for the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries next year, and promote the sustained and steady development of China-DPRK friendly and cooperative relations.

Pak said it is the unswerving position of the DPRK side to continuously develop DPRK-China relations in accordance with the lofty will of the top leaders of the two countries and the requirements of the new era.

Noting that the DPRK is willing to work with China to consolidate the brotherly friendship between the two countries, Pak said the DPRK will continue to strengthen multilateral coordination with China to safeguard common interests and regional peace and stability. 

In Xi Jinping’s China, is Chairman Mao back?

Marking the 130th anniversary of Comrade Mao Zedong’s birth, Morning Star editor Ben Chacko published this thoughtful response to the Western media scare stories about President Xi Jinping leading a “reversion to Maoism.” Ben points out that this theme “is inseparable from a wider narrative in which China is becoming more adversarial and threatening” – a narrative which is being used to justify an escalating New Cold War on China.

Ben observes that there has been significant continuity from one leadership generation to the next in terms of China’s overall political trajectory and goals, and “the idea post-Mao China decisively broke with Mao is not one which has ever been accepted by Chinese leaders.” The pursuit of an advanced socialism is core to the whole history of the CPC. “Though most Western observers assumed China’s theory of the ‘primary stage of socialism’ was merely an excuse for continued Communist Party rule over a capitalist country, Xi’s policies conform precisely to what the party said it was intending to do all along.”

Nonetheless, Ben recognises that with a renewed emphasis on common prosperity, with the crackdown on corruption and excessive wealth, and with China’s growing voice and influence on the world stage, there are certain parallels between Xi Jinping’s leadership and that of Mao Zedong. “If Xi echoes Mao, it is perhaps because the questions which absorbed the Chairman, from wealth differentials to China’s role as a leader of the decolonisation movement, are as acute today as they were 50 years ago: with the rise of the global South possibly a greater challenge to imperialism even than the Soviet Union was.”

Ben concludes:

When the histories of how the historically brief supremacy of the West came to an end are written, it seems a fair bet that both Mao and Xi will have starring roles.

BOXING Day marks 130 years since the birth of Chairman Mao — a revolutionary whose significance seems all the greater now given the rise of China.

China’s alleged reversion to Maoism under President Xi Jinping is a recurring theme in Western media. A year ago the Guardian was quoting the US-based academic Hu Ping on how Xi was “increasingly reverting to Mao” on domestic policy; outlets from the New York Times to Al Jazeera have referred to Xi as “the new Mao.”

China is certainly celebrating Mao this winter. A new film, When We Were Young, will depict his student years; a TV series, Kunpeng Strikes the Waves, will tell the story of his early activism and discovery of Marxism. The “kun” and “peng” are mythological creatures, or one creature, since the kun, a huge fish, transforms into the peng, a huge bird, whose flight, in the Taoist classic the Zhuangzi, causes storms lasting months and churns up the sea for hundreds of miles around: an indication of how great an impact Mao is deemed to have had on China’s history.

Xi himself has promoted the “back to Mao” narrative. Shortly after his election to a third term leading China’s Communist Party last year, he took the politburo on a high-profile visit to Yan’an, the communist base area after the Long March of the 1930s, from which Mao directed much of the civil war, received Western admirers such as Edgar Snow, and which became a sort of prototype Red China before victory on a national scale in 1949.

In Western depictions, this is inseparable from a wider narrative in which China is becoming more adversarial and threatening.

Where a generation ago it was portrayed as having embraced capitalism, now the leading capitalist countries see it as an enemy its communist character is hyped up.

How real is the shift? Ofcom in 2021 revoked its state broadcaster CGTN’s right to broadcast in Britain, saying it was “ultimately controlled by the Communist Party.” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin noted drily that Britain “knew clearly the nature of our media from CGTN’s first day of reporting in the UK over 10 years ago” and that “China is a communist country led by the Chinese Communist Party” — it was Britain, not China, that had changed its attitude.

A lot of the mainstream narrative about China is frankly nonsense. A politically motivated growth in US sanctions, obediently copied by London and Brussels, is used to claim Xi’s China has turned in on itself and is economically isolated.

But it is under Xi that China has become the biggest trading partner of two-thirds of countries and under Xi that the Belt & Road Initiative has replaced the World Bank as the largest lender of development finance worldwide.

Continue reading In Xi Jinping’s China, is Chairman Mao back?

The contributions of Mao Zedong to Marxism-Leninism

The following article by J Sykes, originally published in Fight Back! to coincide with the 130th anniversary of Mao Zedong’s birth, discusses Mao’s profound contributions to Marxism-Leninism.

The author notes in particular Mao’s writings on philosophy, which explore and develop Marx’s dialectical and historical materialism. “On Practice teaches us that theory must be grounded in practice, in our experience in production, class struggle, and scientific experiment… On Contradiction is a manual on the practical application of dialectical materialism.” Mao’s works on revolutionary strategy, and particularly the theory of protracted people’s war, are “applicable broadly to large, semi-colonial and semi-feudal countries fighting for national liberation and socialism.” Mao’s theory of the mass line remains “the key to the fusion of Marxism with the working class movement.”

Sykes observes that Mao developed his ideas together with his contemporaries, and that we still “have a lot to gain from studying the works of Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Chen Yun, and Deng Xiaoping.” Sykes also makes the crucial point that the CPC today carries forward the legacy of Mao Zedong and that “today, Xi Jinping continues to lead the Chinese people in applying Marxism-Leninism to Chinese conditions.”

Many of these themes are explored in Sykes’ valuable book, The Revolutionary Science of Marxism-Leninism.

December 26, 2023 marks the 130th anniversary of the birth of the great leader and teacher of the Chinese revolution, Mao Zedong. This is an excellent occasion to review Mao’s contributions as one of the principal theorists of the science of revolution, Marxism-Leninism.

Mao Zedong always stressed that it is the masses who make history, but like all Marxists he recognized the importance of leadership in revolutionary change. As the leader of the revolution in China, Mao made innumerable practical contributions both to the Chinese Revolution and to the international communist movement as a whole.

Mao led the Chinese Revolution to victory in establishing new democracy and socialism, thus liberating the Chinese people from feudalism and imperialism. Under Mao’s leadership, the Chinese people carried out land reform, industrialized and modernized their productive forces, and went from a backward, semi-colonial and semi-feudal country dominated by domestic warlords and plundered by foreign imperialists, to a powerful, independent country, where the working class wields state power for the betterment of the people.

After the death of Stalin in 1953 and the rise to power of Khrushchev in the Soviet Union in 1956, Mao led the struggle against modern revisionism in the international communist movement, upholding and defending the revolutionary essence of Marxism-Leninism.

“The theory of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin is universally applicable. We should regard it not as a dogma, but as a guide to action,” wrote Mao. “Studying it is not merely a matter of learning terms and phrases but of learning Marxism-Leninism as the science of revolution.” Indeed, Mao Zedong’s leadership united practical struggle with revolutionary theory, and Mao always emphasized the importance of the dialectical relationship between theory and practice. For Mao, Marxism was always a science, driven by the practical demands of the Chinese revolution, and a weapon of class struggle, to be used to overthrow the old society and build a new world.

The theory of Mao Zedong is likewise universally applicable, and we should study it closely. As Lenin said, Marxism has three main components: philosophy, political economy, and scientific socialism. Mao wrote important texts contributing to our understanding of each of the aspects of Marxism-Leninism, as well as important works on revolutionary strategy.

Continue reading The contributions of Mao Zedong to Marxism-Leninism

Prime Minister Manuel Marrero: Cuba has much to learn from the Chinese experience

In this episode of the CGTN interview series Leaders Talk, Zou Yun speaks with Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero, who was primarily in China to attend the sixth China International Import Expo, which was held in Shanghai between November 5-10, 2023. It was his first China visit since his assumption of office and he also visited Beijing and Zhejiang province. Marrero previously served as Cuba’s Minister of Tourism for 16 years.

Marrero welcomed the open and inclusive spirit of the expo, the only one of its kind in the world, providing both the developed countries and those of the Global South with opportunities to promote their products and services. Cuba had particularly displayed its rum, coffee and seafood this time. 

He also acclaimed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), describing it as the pinnacle of China’s global initiatives. President Xi Jinping’s considerations, the Cuban Prime Minister observed, go well beyond China. They are for prosperity and development worldwide. 

Thanks to China, and the Communist Party of China, many forgotten and exploited countries now have opportunities to acquire technology and development experiences. 

He was particularly moved by his meeting with President Xi Jinping. Cuba and China, Marrero said, share years of a traditional friendship and they face many similar situations. Cuba has much to learn from the Chinese experience, aligning it to their national realities, particularly, for example in terms of attracting foreign investment despite the US blockade. 

Speaking of the impact of the 60 plus years US blockade of the socialist island, he notes Raúl Castro’s constant reminder that those responsible are the US government, not the US people, towards whom the Cuban people always maintain a positive and friendly standpoint. 

The full video of the interview is embedded below.

Benjamin Zephaniah – lifelong champion of the oppressed

The celebrated British poet, novelist and campaigner Benjamin Zephaniah passed away on 7 December 2023. Zephaniah was a friend of China and owned a flat in Beijing, spending several months a year there, writing and training in martial arts. His famous novels Refugee Boy, Gangsta Rap and Teacher’s Dead were written in China.

His funeral is being held today, 28 December 2023. We publish below a brief obituary by Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez.

One of Britain’s most important and impactful cultural workers breathed his last breath on 7 December 2023, having been diagnosed with a brain tumour eight weeks previously.

Benjamin Zephaniah was widely known as a poet, author and actor, but also as a tireless and courageous campaigner for justice. He never hesitated to speak his mind; he never put his career before his principles. He was quite unique in his ability to cut through ruling class cultural hegemony – a function of his prodigious talent and his strong roots in the British working class, in particular among oppressed communities.

As a black man from a working class Jamaican background, Zephaniah faced racism all his life, and anti-racism was one of his main areas of focus as an activist. For decades, he stood shoulder to shoulder with oppressed peoples demanding equality – indeed he was among those marching in Southall on 23 April 1979 to defend the local population against the National Front, on which occasion the Metropolitan Police, acting in defence of and in cahoots with the fascists, killed Blair Peach.

Zephaniah well understood that the fundamental purpose of racism is to divide working people. He wrote a few years ago:

“I have always thought that poor white people and poor black people should unite and confront the people who oversee all of our miseries… The biggest fear of all of the mainstream politicians is that we all reach a point where we understand how much we have in common and, instead of turning on ourselves, we turn on them. In poetry and prose I have said that unity is strength, and that we should get to a point where we are not talking about black rights or white rights, Asian rights or rights for migrant workers; we are just talking about our rights.”

He elaborated on this point in his 2018 autobiography, The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah, where he talked about the racism he would sometimes face doing miners’ strike solidarity work in the mid-1980s. In response to some miners in Nottinghamshire shouting derogatory remarks while he was performing, another miner jumped on stage and “delivered a diatribe against racism and urged working-class people to stick together, pointing out that I was the person who in the previous week had sent them a donation of £1,500 (a lot of money in those days) from an African-Caribbean association, and they, the miners, were happy to take the money and feed their kids.”

Reflecting on how miners’ attitudes towards black workers shifted over the course of the strike, Zephaniah noted: “The miners realised they couldn’t win the fight on their own; they needed the solidarity of their wives, black poets, Chinese chefs and Bengali factory workers… Those who were involved in that strike will never forget the picket line battles, the workers’ solidarity, the lessons learned through struggle and the dark forces of police and state that were unleashed upon those workers.”

Although his talent won him a level of acceptance within the mainstream, Zephaniah was not afraid to express revolutionary and anti-imperialist views. Interviewed by the Guardian in the aftermath of the 2017 Grenfell disaster, he stated bluntly: “I go on Question Time and I talk to politicians and get involved, but actually I’d like to just burn the lot of them. The system stinks.”

Elsewhere he discusses the hypocrisy of the bourgeois narrative in relation to democracy and freedom of speech: “Some of us think that, because we have so many TV stations, we have freedom. We don’t. We have the illusion of freedom.”

In 2018, with the US escalating its propaganda war against the People’s Republic of China, Zephaniah talked about his experiences in that country, where he had spent several extended periods writing and training in martial arts.

“Back in the year 2000 I did a tour of clubs and schools in Hong Kong. When the performances were over I was asked if I wanted to go for a day trip into what people called mainland China. How I hate that term. I won’t go on about how the British stole Hong Kong (along with lots of other stuff) and then did a ninety-nine-year deal that was completely unfair to the Chinese. Or how hypocritical the British were in criticising ‘undemocratic’ China while at the same time denying citizens of Chinese origin the right to vote in the British bit of China.”

He continued: “I quickly realised I loved the place. This was the time when everyone started talking about China’s rapid growth, and I saw it happening right in front of me. I’ve never seen a country growing so quickly… I met people who by Western standards were middle class, but one generation ago their families were slum dwellers… After that first independent visit, I would return to China many times. I found it a great place to be creative.”

Interestingly, the following year another prominent British wordsmith of African-Caribbean origin, Akala, wrote in his book Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire:

Over the past few decades, China has pulled at least 500 million people out of poverty (the Communist propagandists at the World Bank actually put the figure at around 800 million), industrialised at a pace faster than any nation before and today stands at the leading edge of many green technologies, and it has managed to do all of this without invading and colonising half the planet. For these and many other reasons – despite obvious and undeniable injustices in China – you would think China would be universally admired by those who claim to believe industrial capitalism to be the holy grail of human achievement. Yet reading about China in the press, I can’t help but feel a tinge of the old ‘yellow peril’ sentiment still lurking beneath the narratives.

Given the extraordinary pressure on anyone in the public eye to conform to the anti-China consensus, it’s impressive and hugely helpful when a courageous few speak the truth like this.

Benjamin Zephaniah was a longstanding friend of socialist Cuba and patron of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, saying: “I am a proud friend of Cuba. We do what we do to support a small nation that is fighting to defend its sovereignty. We do what we do to gain justice for the Miami Five, to help with hurricane relief, and to support Cuban medical teams wherever they go in the world.”

His vision was truly global. He stood with the oppressed in every continent. He was a stalwart of the struggle against apartheid in both South Africa and Palestine. At a 2019 meeting of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, of which he was a patron, he recalled: “When I was young, there were two things that I really wanted to see: a free South Africa and a free Palestine.”

Visiting the Occupied Territories for the first time in 1988, he wrote: “I have come to the conclusion that Zionism is apartheid.” And three decades later, he was one of very few public figures to loudly defend then-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn against absurd charges of antisemitism, saying on Question Time – to rapturous applause from the studio audience – that Corbyn was “the only mainstream politician who’s been arrested for anti-racism… He’s the kind of person that shouldn’t actually be in politics, because politics is so dirty.”

Zephaniah placed a special emphasis on opposing British colonialism and imperialism, and raised his voice in support of Irish freedom (including performing at Troops Out Movement events) and for the return of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Famously, in 2003 he turned down the offer of an OBE:

“‘Me? I thought, OBE me? Up yours, I thought. I get angry when I hear that word ‘empire’; it reminds me of slavery, it reminds of thousands of years of brutality, it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised… Benjamin Zephaniah OBE – no way Mr Blair, no way Mrs Queen. I am profoundly anti-empire.’

Benjamin Zephaniah will be sadly missed, but he leaves a body of work and a legacy of campaigning that will continue to inspire new generations in their struggles for a better world.

Xi Jinping Thought can justly be acclaimed as Marxism for the 21st Century

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, together with various institutions under its umbrella, including the Academy of Marxism and the World Socialism Research Centre, organised the 13th World Socialism Forum in Beijing, November 28-30.

Numerous Chinese delegates, including leading members of the Communist Party of China, scholars, researchers and students of Marxism, and others, were joined by scholars and political and social activists from around the world. They included leaders, representatives and members of communist parties and other left-wing parties and organisations from many countries, including Cuba, Vietnam and Laos; Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Turkiye, Lebanon, Syria, Japan and Australia; South Africa, Zambia, Ghana and Kenya; Peru, Argentina, Brazil and the USA; and Russia, Hungary, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Britain, France, Switzerland, Finland and Cyprus.

Friends of Socialist China was represented by our co-editor Keith Bennett.

Following the main conference in Beijing, the international delegates were divided into two groups which travelled respectively to Shandong and Fujian provinces.

The following is the text of the speech given by Keith at the conference at Fuzhou University. Citing VI Lenin, JV Stalin, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Xi Jinping, Keith touches on the relationship between socialist countries and the struggle for socialism on a world scale and proceeds to analyse how this relates to President Xi Jinping’s concept of a shared future for humanity and especially the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Keith also delivered a similar paper (slightly abbreviated due to time constraints) at the forum in Beijing.

Dear Comrades

First, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Academy of Marxism of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and to Fuzhou University, along with all the organisers and co-organisers, for their kind invitation, excellent arrangements and generous hospitality.

I would also like to join our comrade from the Communist Party of the USA, who spoke a little earlier, in saying how inspiring it is to see so many young students here today and, in particular, so many young women students. Seeing you all brings to my mind what Chairman Mao said to the Chinese students in Moscow in 1957 – that the future of China and the world belongs to you and that our hopes are placed in you.

It is not by chance that we meet here in the People’s Republic of China, the world’s leading socialist country, to discuss the prospects for world socialism.

It is also very significant that we are joined here by representatives of the heroic socialist nations of Vietnam and Laos, and I take this opportunity to again warmly congratulate our Laotian comrades on yesterday’s 48th anniversary of the victory of their revolution.

In his Draft Theses on the National and Colonial Question, written for the Second Congress of the Communist International on June 5, 1920, Lenin wrote that, “proletarian internationalism demands, first, that the interests of the proletarian struggle in any one country should be subordinated to the interests of that struggle on a world-wide scale, and, second, that a nation which is achieving victory over the bourgeoisie should be able and willing to make the greatest national sacrifices for the overthrow of international capital.”

In his talk with African friends on August 8, 1963, Comrade Mao Zedong said: “The people who have triumphed in their own revolution should help those still struggling for liberation. This is our internationalist duty.”

In his talk with former President of Tanzania Julius Nyerere on November 23, 1989, Comrade Deng Xiaoping said: “So long as socialism does not collapse in China, it will always hold its ground in the world.”

Continue reading Xi Jinping Thought can justly be acclaimed as Marxism for the 21st Century

Wang Yi meets with Foreign Minister of Mexico Alicia Bárcena

We previously reported on the visit to China by Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena in early December 2023. Further information on this visit has now been made available on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Meeting his Mexican counterpart on December 5, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that President Xi Jinping and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador held an important meeting in San Francisco, providing important strategic guidance for the development of relations between the two countries and setting out a blueprint for bilateral cooperation.

Mexico is a major Latin American country and an important emerging market with global influence. China values Mexico’s international status, is optimistic about Mexico’s development prospects, and supports Mexico in pursuing a development path suited to its own national conditions. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Mexico, and relations between the two countries are at an important transitional stage. China stands ready to view and grow China-Mexico relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, and to work with Mexico to jointly uphold mutual respect and treat each other as equals, so as to lift China-Mexico relations to a new level.

China and Mexico, both being major developing countries, need to strengthen multilateral coordination, safeguard the common interests of developing countries, and join hands in response to global challenges. China hopes that the two sides will continue to work together to promote further development of China-Latin America relations.

Alicia Bárcena said that Mexico attaches great importance to growing relations with China and stands ready to work with China to follow through on the important common understandings reached by the two heads of state in San Francisco, and to push for greater development of relations between the two countries. More Chinese enterprises are welcome to invest and do business in Mexico. 

A series of important global initiatives put forth by President Xi Jinping are in alignment with many concepts proposed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and Mexico stands ready to strengthen dialogue and communication with China. Mexico attaches great importance to China’s international status and influence and is ready to work with China to strengthen coordination and cooperation within such multilateral mechanisms as the United Nations and the Group of 20, and to continue to actively advance the building of the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum.

Alicia Bárcena also thanked China for providing Mexico with strong support in response to its recent hurricane disaster and the supply of disaster relief materials. Wang Yi said that China and Mexico are friends and partners. When a friend is in need, China always lends a helping hand immediately. 

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

On December 5, 2023, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Foreign Minister of Mexico Alicia Bárcena in Beijing.

Wang Yi said that President Xi Jinping and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador held an important meeting in San Francisco, providing important strategic guidance for the development of relations between the two countries and setting out a blueprint for bilateral cooperation. Mexico is a major Latin American country and an important emerging market of global influence. China values Mexico’s international status, is optimistic about Mexico’s development prospects, and supports Mexico in pursuing a development path suited to its own national conditions. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Mexico, and relations between the two countries are at an important transitioning stage. China stands ready to view and grow China-Mexico relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, and work with Mexico to jointly uphold mutual respect and treat each other as equals, so as to lift China-Mexico relations to a new level.

Wang Yi said that cooperation between China and Mexico has huge potential, and tremendous space for development. The two sides should advance exchanges and cooperation in such fields as economy and trade as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges across the board. The Belt and Road Initiative has become the most popular international public good and largest-scale international cooperation platform, and China welcomes Mexico’s active participation in a flexible manner. The two sides can promote the alignment of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and Mexico’s development strategies, to provide Mexico’s national development with a new engine. China and Mexico, as both major developing countries, need to strengthen multilateral coordination, safeguard the common interests of developing countries, and join hands in response to global challenges. China hopes that the two sides will continue to work together to promote further development of China-Latin America relations.

Alicia Bárcena said that Mexico attaches great importance to growing relations with China, and stands ready to work with China to follow through on the important common understandings reached by the two heads of state in San Francisco, and push for greater development of relations between the two countries. More Chinese enterprises are welcome to invest and do business in Mexico. Mexico is willing to have close exchanges at all levels and personnel exchanges, and strengthen cooperation between the two countries in such fields as economy, trade and counter-narcotics. Mexico will unswervingly adhere to the one-China principle. A series of important global initiatives put forth by President Xi Jinping are in alignment with many concepts proposed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and Mexico stands ready to strengthen dialogue and communication with China. Mexico attaches great importance to China’s international status and influence, and stands ready to work with China to strengthen coordination and cooperation within such multilateral mechanisms as the United Nations and the Group of 20, and stands ready to continue to actively advance the building of the China-CELAC Forum.

Alicia Bárcena also thanked China for providing Mexico with strong support in response to the hurricane disaster and the procurement of disaster relief materials. Wang Yi said that China and Mexico are friends and partners. When a friend is in need, China always lends a helping hand immediately. China believes that under the leadership of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, people in the disaster-stricken area of Mexico will surely rebuild their home as soon as possible.

The two sides also had an exchange of views on such hotspot issues as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Was Mao a monster?

To mark the 130st anniversary of the birth of Mao Zedong, we publish below an extract from the No Great Wall: on the continuities of the Chinese Revolution chapter of Carlos Martinez’s book The East is Still Red – Chinese Socialism in the 21st Century, assessing Mao’s political legacy and focusing in particular on some of the most controversial episodes associated with his leadership.

The extract seeks to provide a detailed and balanced analysis of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, and to explain why the bulk of the Chinese population continues to revere Mao and why, in the words of Deng Xiaoping, “the Communist Party of China and the people of China will always look to him like a symbol — a very precious treasure.”

The fundamental reason is that, more than any other individual, Mao Zedong symbolises and is responsible for China’s liberation and the building of Chinese socialism. Carlos writes:

The excesses and errors associated with the last years of Mao’s life have to be contextualised within this overall picture of unprecedented, transformative progress for the Chinese people. The pre-revolution literacy rate in China was less than 20 percent. By the time Mao died, it was around 93 percent. China’s population had remained stagnant between 400 and 500 million for a hundred years or so up to 1949. By the time Mao died, it had reached 900 million. A thriving culture of literature, music, theatre and art grew up that was accessible to the masses of the people. Land was irrigated. Famine became a thing of the past. Universal healthcare was established. China – after a century of foreign domination – maintained its sovereignty and developed the means to defend itself from imperialist attack.

To this day, the most popular method for casually denigrating the People’s Republic of China and the record of the CPC is to cite the alleged crimes of Mao Zedong who, from the early 1930s until his death in 1976, was generally recognised as the top leader of the Chinese Revolution. If the CPC was so dedicated to improving the lot of the Chinese people, why did it engage in such disastrous campaigns as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution?

Great Leap Forward

The Great Leap Forward, launched in 1958, was an ambitious programme designed to achieve rapid industrialisation and collectivisation; to fast-track the construction of socialism and allow China to make a final break with centuries-old underdevelopment and poverty; in Mao’s words, to “close the gap between China and the US within five years, and to ultimately surpass the US within seven years”.[1] In its economic strategy, it represented “a rejection of plodding Soviet-style urban industrialisation,”[2] reflecting the early stages of the Sino-Soviet split. The Chinese were worried that the Khrushchev leadership in Moscow was narrowly focused on the avoidance of conflict with the imperialist powers, and that its support to China and the other socialist countries would be sacrificed at the altar of ‘peaceful coexistence’. Hence China would have to rely on its own resources.

For all its shortcomings, the core of the GLF was pithily described by Indian Marxist Vijay Prashad as an “attempt to bring small-scale industry to rural areas.”[3] Mao considered the countryside would once again become the “true source for revolutionary social transformation” and “the main arena where the struggle to achieve socialism and communism will be determined.”[4] Agricultural collectivisation was fast-tracked, and there was a broad appeal to the revolutionary spirit of the masses. Ji Chaozhu (at the time an interpreter for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and later China’s ambassador to the UK (1987-91)) notes in his memoirs: “The peasants were left with small plots of their own, for subsistence farming only. All other activity was for the communal good, to be shared equally. Cadres were to join the peasants in the fields, factories, and construction sites. Even Mao made an appearance at a dam-building project to have his picture taken with a shovel in hand.”[5]

The GLF was not overall a success. Liu Mingfu writes that “the Great Leap Forward did not realise the goal of surpassing the UK and US. It actually brought China’s economy to a standstill and then recession. It caused a large number of unnatural deaths and pushed China’s global share of GDP from 5.46% in 1957 to 4.01% in 1962, lower than its share of 4.59% in 1950.”[6]

The disruption to the basic economic structure of society combined with the sudden withdrawal of Soviet experts in 1960 and a series of terrible droughts and floods to produce poor harvests. Meanwhile, with millions of peasants drafted into the cities to work in factories, “no one was available to reap and to thresh.”[7] The historian Alexander Pantsov opines that the “battle for steel had diverted the Chinese leadership’s attention from the grain problem, and the task of harvesting rice and other grain had fallen on the shoulders of women, old men, and children… A shortage of grain developed, and Mao gave the command to decrease the pace of the Great Leap.”[8] Ji Chaozhu observes that “malnutrition leading to edema was common in many areas, and deaths among the rural population increased.”[9]

Continue reading Was Mao a monster?

China and Nicaragua elevate ties to a strategic partnership

China and Nicaragua have marked the second anniversary of the resumption of their diplomatic relations by upgrading them to that of a strategic partnership. 

The move was announced following a December 20 telephone call between the two heads of state, in which Xi Jinping told Daniel Ortega that he is ready to promote bilateral ties for fresh achievements with the newly announced strategic partnership between the two countries as a new starting point.

In their phone conversation, which was given considerable prominence in the Chinese media, Xi said that the political decision made by Ortega and Nicaraguan Vice President Compañera Rosario Murillo two years ago to resume diplomatic ties with China has made a significant contribution to bilateral relations, which will be remembered by history.

Since the resumption of relations, the two sides, with a sense of urgency, have promoted a leap-forward development of China-Nicaragua relations, Xi said, adding that both countries firmly support each other on issues concerning their core interests and major concerns, and have comprehensively expanded and made positive progress in practical cooperation.

Xi added that he is willing to join the Nicaraguan leader in setting an example of solidarity, cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win results. And he emphasised that China highly appreciates Nicaragua’s adherence to the one-China principle and its public support for China’s safeguarding of its sovereignty and territorial integrity on many occasions, adding that China is ready to be a reliable friend of Nicaragua, will continue to firmly support Nicaragua in safeguarding its national independence and national dignity, and also backs Nicaragua in rejecting external interference.

The free trade agreement between China and Nicaragua, which will come into effect on January 1, 2024, is a landmark achievement of cooperation between the two countries, Xi said, noting that both sides should take this opportunity to continuously boost the volume and raise the level of their bilateral trade.

China also stands ready to strengthen solidarity and coordination with Nicaragua in international affairs, and work with Nicaragua to oppose hegemonism and power politics, promote the development of a more just and rational international order, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries.

For his part, Ortega said that China’s remarkable achievements in development under the excellent leadership of President Xi have not only lifted hundreds of millions of Chinese people out of poverty, but also made significant contributions to promoting world peace, and especially to sharing development achievements with people in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America and improving their well-being, bringing hope, and injecting strength to the world.

On the occasion of the second anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic ties between Nicaragua and China, Ortega said he is honoured to jointly announce with President Xi the establishment of the strategic partnership between the two countries, which will surely become an important milestone in the history of their relations.

Nicaragua highly values its friendly relations with its great brother China, firmly abides by the one-China principle, supports China’s grand cause of reunification, and supports global cooperation initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Xi.

Ortega also conveyed to Xi the brotherly sympathies from the Nicaraguan people over the earthquake in Gansu province, which struck on December 18.

The following article was originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.

BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday he is ready to work with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega to promote bilateral ties for fresh achievements with the newly announced strategic partnership between the two countries as a new starting point.

In his phone talks with Ortega, Xi pointed out that the political decision made by Ortega and Nicaraguan Vice President Companera Rosario Murillo two years ago to resume diplomatic ties with China has made significant contribution to bilateral relations, which will be remembered by history.

Since the resumption of relations, the two sides, with a sense of urgency, have promoted a leap-forward development of China-Nicaragua relations, Xi said, adding that the two sides firmly support each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests and major concerns, and have comprehensively expanded and made positive progress in practical cooperation.

Xi also said that he is willing to join the Nicaraguan leader in setting an example of solidarity, cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win results.

Xi emphasized that China highly appreciates Nicaragua’s adherence to the one-China principle and its public support for China’s safeguarding of sovereignty and territorial integrity on many occasions, adding that China is ready to be a reliable friend of Nicaragua, will continue to firmly support Nicaragua in safeguarding its national independence and national dignity, and also backs Nicaragua in rejecting external interference.

He noted China’s readiness to share its experience with Nicaragua in such fields as governance and poverty eradication, adding that he has put forward eight major steps China will take to support the joint pursuit of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation at the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, and China welcomes Nicaragua’s active synergy in this regard.

The free trade agreement between China and Nicaragua, which will come into effect on Jan. 1 next year, is a landmark achievement of cooperation between the two countries, Xi said, noting that both sides should take this opportunity to continuously boost the volume and raise the level of bilateral trade.

China encourages competitive Chinese enterprises to invest and start businesses in Nicaragua and carry out more cooperation projects that Nicaragua needs to help it achieve self-driven development, and to bring more benefits to the Nicaraguan people, said the Chinese president.

China also stands ready to strengthen solidarity and coordination with Nicaragua in international affairs, and work with Nicaragua to oppose hegemonism and power politics, promote the development of a more just and rational international order, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, Xi added.

For his part, Ortega said that China’s remarkable achievements in development under the excellent leadership of President Xi have not only lifted hundreds of millions of Chinese people out of poverty, but also made significant contributions to promoting world peace, and especially to sharing development achievements with people in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America and improving their well-being, bringing hope and injecting strength to the world.

On the occasion of the second anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic ties between Nicaragua and China, Ortega said he is honored to jointly announce with President Xi the establishment of the strategic partnership between the two countries, which will surely become an important milestone in the history of bilateral relations.

The Nicaraguan side sincerely appreciates China’s support for Nicaragua’s safeguarding of its sovereignty and independence, as well as China’s valuable assistance in Nicaragua’s economic development and improvement of people’s livelihoods, he said.

Nicaragua highly values its friendly relations with its great brother China, firmly abides by the one-China principle, supports China’s grand cause of reunification and supports global cooperation initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Xi, he said.

Nicaragua is ready to work with China to continuously deepen bilateral friendly relations, strengthen multilateral coordination, oppose external interference and power politics, and jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, he noted.

Ortega also conveyed to Xi the brotherly sympathies from the Nicaraguan people over the earthquake in Gansu province.

Xi expressed his gratitude and said that after the earthquake, he promptly issued instructions, urging all-out search and rescue work, and proper relocation of affected populations, and making every effort to safeguard the lives and property of the people.

Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China and with the united efforts of the Chinese people, victory in the earthquake relief will be secured and people in the disaster-striken areas will undoubtedly return to normal life and rebuild their homes as soon as possible, Xi said.

After the talks, the two sides issued a joint statement on the establishment of strategic partnership between China and Nicaragua. 

Understanding China Conference calls for correcting misperceptions about China

The 2023 Understanding China Conference was held in Guangzhou at the beginning of December. It marked the 10th anniversary of the conference, which has developed into a major platform for the world to gain insight into China’s development strategies.

The three-day conference attracted 70 international guests from more than 30 countries and regions, and took as its theme, “China’s New Endeavours amid Unprecedented Global Changes – Expanding the Convergence of Interests and Building a Community of Shared Future”.

President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the conference, saying that “to understand China, the key lies in understanding Chinese modernisation.” China is advancing the noble cause of building a great country and national rejuvenation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernisation and promoting the building of a community with a shared future, Xi wrote, noting that China’s future is closely linked with the future of humanity.

Speaking to Global Times during the conference, Martin Jacques, Senior Fellow at the Department of Politics and International Studies at Cambridge University, said:

“I think one of the characteristics of Chinese modernisation, which is profoundly different from Western modernisation, is that while Western modernisation was really built on exploiting the rest of the world through colonialism, Chinese modernisation, as a developing country, builds a very close and constructive relationship with the developing world.”

Chinese modernisation is actually a gift that benefits the developing world, where the great majority of the world’s population lives, whereas Western modernisation was really about preventing and suppressing, Jacques added.

We are seeing the world today with two different parts, two different narratives and two different world views, Mushahid Hussain Syed, Chairman of the Pakistani Senate’s Defence Committee and Chairman of the Pakistan-China Institute, told Global Times.

“One has been presented by the US and Western countries, which is security centered, which is military dominated with talks of conflicts, with talks of confrontation,” he said, noting that in China the world view is about connectivity, cooperation and inclusivity.

David Ferguson, Honorary Chief English Editor of Beijing’s Foreign Languages Press, added: “China doesn’t have an exploited working-class enduring poverty to enrich a small elite. Chinese modernisation is about shared development, about everybody rising.”

The following article was originally published by Global Times.

The 2023 Understanding China Conference (Guangzhou), which concluded on Sunday, has become a major platform to address a significant “understanding deficit” between different countries and civilizations and to help fostering mutual trust. 

As the key to understanding China is understanding Chinese modernization, which is different from Western modernization, a number of attendees to the conference told the Global Times that it’s significant to promote and increase the understanding between China and the people around the world, especially when the US’ and Western media have not only been misleading the public on China but also deliberately orchestrating and engineering hostility that has been deepening the understanding deficit. 

The three-day conference, attracting 70 international guests from more than 30 countries and regions, kicked off under the theme of “China’s New Endeavors amid Unprecedented Global Changes — Expanding the Convergence of Interests and Building a Community of Shared Future” on Friday.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Understanding China Conference, which has developed into a major platform for the world to gain insight into China’s development strategies.

President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the conference on Saturday, saying that “to understand China, the key lies in understanding Chinese modernization.” 

China is advancing the noble cause of building a great country and national rejuvenation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization, and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi said, noting that China’s future is closely linked with the future of humanity.

Continue reading Understanding China Conference calls for correcting misperceptions about China

How China is working for justice for Palestine

Republished below is a useful analysis by Jenny Clegg (retired academic and an activist in the anti-nuclear, peace and friendship movements, and member of the Friends of Socialist China advisory group) about China’s efforts towards a ceasefire in Gaza and towards a lasting, just solution to the Palestinian question.

Jenny summarises China’s recent five-point peace proposal – which calls for a comprehensive ceasefire; the effective protection of civilians; the ensuring of humanitarian assistance; diplomatic mediation; and a political settlement with the implementation of a two-state solution – and notes that China has long seen the root cause of the problem lying in “the long delay in realising the dream of an independent state of Palestine and the failure to redress the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people.”

The article discusses the shifting geopolitical balance and how this impacts the prospects for peace in the region. While the US continues to provide unstinting support for Israel and to incorporate it into broader plans for countering China (via the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, for example), China is becoming more active in promoting a lasting peace. It played a key role in the recent Iran-Saudi rapprochement; it has good relations with the other countries of the region; and it has a decades-long history of support for Palestinian national rights.

The global balance of power is shifting, and “the locus of decision-making over world affairs is starting to slip out of the hands of the US superpower.” Jenny opines that, as such, China’s proposal is “the one viable route towards inclusive negotiations to secure justice for Palestine.”

Addressing the criticism made by some on the left regarding China’s vocal support for the two-state solution, Jenny notes that “the two-state solution is the position of the UN: it stands for Palestinian sovereignty and equality and has to be the starting point of negotiations, not just bargained away.”

This article first appeared in the Morning Star.

China’s five-point peace proposal on Israel-Palestine was launched at the UN security council to coincide with the UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people on November 30.

It covers a comprehensive ceasefire; the effective protection of civilians; the ensuring of humanitarian assistance; diplomatic mediation; and a political settlement with the implementation of a two-state solution.

The initiative has been entirely passed over in the West; China on the other hand underlined its significance by sending Foreign Minister Wang Yi to chair the session and deliver the proposal.

China sees the root cause of the problem lying in “the long delay in realising the dream of an independent state of Palestine and the failure to redress the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people.”

At the same time, it has called for an international peace conference to be held as soon as possible to draw up a timetabled road map for a two-state solution.

Given that the UN, EU, US, Britain, China and Russia all claim to support a two-state solution, how hard can it be to get an agreement?

Geopolitics at work

Since taking office, Biden has sought to further secure Israel’s position as its proxy in the Middle East so as to shift US focus to the Indo-Pacific. Along with the Abraham Accords, normalising relations between Israel and regional states, he set up the I2U2 — the Middle Eastern Quad — comprising the US, Israel, India and the UAE, hyping up the Iran “threat” as part of his New cold war “democracy versus autocracy” agenda against Russia and China.

The Saudi Arabia-Iran agreement brokered by China with the UAE in March 2023 turned everything upside down. Biden then launched yet another initiative, IMEC — the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor — taking Israel as the key link between India and Europe to counter China’s growing reach into the Middle East through the Belt and Road Initiative.

China’s relations with the region have grown steadily over the past two decades, replacing the EU as its main trading partner, or in Israel’s case, the second largest trading partner.

Many on the left criticise China’s purchases of military technology in particular but, for China, Israel provides a vital source of access to critical tech sectors increasingly restricted by the US and EU. These economic relations however are not stopping China’s sharp criticisms of Israel’s “collective punishment.”

Regional powers have also been looking east to the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation: Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia became dialogue partners in 2021, followed by UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait in 2022.

With the Saudi Arabia-Iran deal in place, Iran joined the SCO as a full member in July; and Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE, and Egypt were accepted into the Brics in August. In haste, Biden pressed for Saudi Arabia to sign up to the Abraham Accords, pushing Palestinian concerns to the sidelines.

With the Middle East in flux and Biden overreaching, Hamas struck.

China, Palestine and the UN

Not so much a power struggle between China and the US, what is taking place is the rise of the Middle East itself: China has not picked sides, developing all-round relations rather than interfering, aiming to de-escalate tensions and so creating some space for regional states to exercise choices as to their own futures.

China has been consistent in supporting UN commitments to an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital. Questioning the viability of a two-state arrangement, some on the left have favoured a single state.

The point however is that the two-state solution is the position of the UN: it stands for Palestinian sovereignty and equality and has to be the starting point of negotiations, not just bargained away.

At the same time, China also stipulates that arrangements must “respect the will and independent choice of the Palestinian people,” and must not be imposed. Similarly, China has not condemned Hamas, seeing this as for the Palestinian people to decide.

Palestine’s future is integrally intertwined with that of the UN — the organisation’s responsibility for international peace and security has been constantly undermined by the US’s use of the veto — around half of these occasions to protect Israel.

However, with the global balance of power shifting, the locus of decision-making over world affairs is starting to slip out of the hands of the US superpower. China’s peace proposal calls instead for the US to play an “active and constructive role” in Israel-Palestine.

This, it is recognised, requires patient consensus-building, regional and international, using momentum from the rise of the global South to bridge divisions and bring political pressure to bear on the US.

Consensus-building for peace

A struggle is underway now for Gaza’s future: for weeks Biden has urged Israel to focus on Plan B — to have any credibility this needs to involve some Arab states, perhaps some rehash of the Oslo Accords.

Continuing to use its veto to cover Netanyahu’s murderous rampage, the US angles not least to foment chaos and division in the region by provoking Iran into action in support of Hamas — and in this way to maintain US leverage over the situation.

The Saudi-Iranian link on the other hand has helped in bringing the Arab League and Organisation of Islamic States (OIC) together, amidst UN delays, to pursue the call for a ceasefire; the Brics, with key Middle East powers now members, also has a significant role to play.

Both groups are important to the changing world balance: the Arab-Islamic summit represents 79 countries, over half the global South; the Brics as large developing countries make up 40 per cent of the world’s population and one-third of the world GDP.

In the case of the Brics, despite India’s pro-Israel leanings, Al Jazeera reported that splits were “not glaring” at a special summit which called on “all parties to exercise maximum restraint,” and affirmed that “a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can be achieved by peaceful means.”

The Arab League-OIC summit also called for a credible peace process based on the two-state solution with a specific time frame. These at least are shifts in the right direction. Acting in concert with China, these groups can give weight to the international conference proposal against US manoeuvrings.

While recognising the importance of regional powers, China’s initiative also looks to “countries with influence on parties to the conflict” to jointly “play a constructive role in de-escalating the crisis.”

This then is not about expelling the US from the Middle East but restricting its options: ending the region’s subjection to US power is not so much about severing links but rather looking both West and East towards China to steer towards a green, digitised transition.

In contrast with 2003, when the US, unable to get support from the UN, took unilateral action against Iraq, there is now no “coalition of the willing” — the US was alone in backing Israel at the security council.

With the region on the brink of wider war, an international peace agreement is all the more urgent.

It is time now for the new “ceasefire” coalitions in the West to join the call for a genuine political settlement and guard against another US-initiated “colonial” solution. Ideological canards should be set aside to support China’s proposal as the one viable route towards inclusive negotiations to secure justice for Palestine.

Summing up a busy year of activity for Friends of Socialist China

The text below is a speech given by our co-editor Keith Bennett at a Friends of Socialist China end-of-year social held on Sunday 17 December at Hiba, a Palestinian restaurant in London.

Around 40 friends and activists joined us, including Minister Zhao Fei from the Chinese Embassy and two of his colleagues. Unfortunately due to illness and unexpected circumstances, a number of comrades who had planned to be present were not able to, including the ambassadors of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Timor-Leste, and the Counsellor for Press and Cultural Affairs from the Cuban Embassy.

The speech summarises our work over the past year and sets the scene for 2024, as well as expressing our solidarity with the Palestinian people, currently facing a genocidal war in Gaza. Referencing China’s recent commemoration of the Nanjing Massacre – which took place when Japanese troops captured the city on 13 December 1937 and brutally killed approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in just over six weeks – Keith drew a parallel between the Chinese people’s struggle for freedom and that of the Palestinians.

As we recall that dark page in history, and as our hearts are broken by the bestial atrocities being perpetrated, with the support and connivance of our government, in Gaza, and indeed on the West Bank, too, let us remember that ultimately nothing is stronger than the people’s will for freedom. The Chinese people won their liberation and, however long it takes, the Palestinian people, and all the oppressed people of the world, will surely win theirs, too.

Minister Zhao Fei and Comrades from the Chinese Embassy

Comrades and Friends

First, thank you all for being here. I hope you will have an enjoyable evening.

All of you here have supported, helped and encouraged the work of Friends of Socialist China, in your various ways, over the year that is just ending. Thank you.

When we sent out the invitations for tonight, we wrote: “Without wishing to seem immodest, we are pleased with what we have managed to achieve in 2023. It is inseparable from your cooperation and encouragement.”

I thought I’d give you some flavour of that, which I’m able to do thanks to the invaluable and forensic input from Carlos.

We started Friends of Socialist China in May 2021, with no resources and no masterplan.

As of now, our followers on Twitter, or, as I should say, X, formerly known as Twitter, are now just under 35,000.

We have 5,400 followers on Facebook.

Our YouTube subscribers are just under 10,000.

The subscribers to our weekly e-bulletin, containing links to all of our articles, are around 2,000.

In terms of events this year, we began with a hybrid meeting hosted at the Marx Memorial Library, and also organised in conjunction with the Morning Star, the Cuba Solidarity Campaign and the Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign Action Group on Socialist Solutions to the Climate Crisis, with speakers including the Nicaraguan Ambassador (much missed since her return to Managua), visiting US comrade and author Dan Kovalik and a comrade from the Greener Jobs Alliance.

We responded to Genocide Joe Biden’s laughable Summit for Democracy with our own online counter summit, joined by top quality speakers including Margaret Kimberley from Black Agenda Report in the US, the legendary activist and cultural worker Lowkey, Luna Oi, the inimitable Vietnamese blogger, Venezuelan Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Carlos Ron, Pawel Wargan from the Progressive International, Calla Walsh, a true rising star of the Young Communist League in the United States, as well as in Cuba solidarity work, who was recently arrested for taking direct action in support of Palestine, Ju-Hyun Park from the Korean diaspora, Mohammed Marandi from Iran, and Ben Norton, whose work will be familiar to many of you.

Then we were back at the Marx Memorial Library for the hybrid launch of Carlos’s book, The East is Still Red. If anyone hasn’t read it yet, you really have to. And if you’re still wondering what to get that special comrade in your life for Christmas – problem solved. Carlos has, in my view, made a truly outstanding contribution to the movement with this book. If there is one book on China by a non-Chinese author – where it is today, where it has come from, where it is going – that everyone on the left should read, it’s this one.

Continue reading Summing up a busy year of activity for Friends of Socialist China

Malian FM: China is a reliable friend and partner of Mali

A salient feature of the international scene recently has been the revolt against French neo-colonialism, in particular, in the Sahel region of West Africa. Progressive military officers, with broad and extensive popular support, have taken power in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, with an orientation to national development and independence against imperialism. And, in order to deter the threat of external aggression, on 16 September 2023, the three countries formed the Alliance of Sahel States as a mutual defence pact, under which “any attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of one or more contracted parties will be considered an aggression against the other parties.”

Against this background, Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop visited China in early December. The importance attached by Mali to the visit was highlighted by the fact that Diop was accompanied by several other ministers, including those of Economy and Finance and Industry and Commerce. 

The delegation met with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 8 December. At the meeting, Wang remarked that the China-Mali friendship was forged by the elder generation of the leaders of both countries.

It should be noted here that Mali won its independence from French colonial rule on 20 June 1960, proclaimed itself a republic on 22 September and established diplomatic relations with China on 25 October. Mali’s first president, Modibo Keïta (1915-1977), who served as head of state from independence until he was overthrown in 1968, spending the rest of his life in prison, was one of the outstanding leaders of the African liberation struggle and was committed to Mali taking the socialist road. It is this heritage from which the current Sahelian leaders are taking inspiration, with Burkina Faso, in particular, learning from its previous outstanding leader, Thomas Sankara, and adopting a clear socialist orientation.

Wang Yi went on to note that sixty years ago, Premier Zhou Enlai visited ten African countries including Mali, opening a historical chapter of long-term friendship, solidarity, and cooperation between the two peoples. That visit, from December 1963-February 1964, ended with Zhou’s famous declaration that “Africa is ripe for revolution.”

China, Wang Yi said, fully understands and respects the independent choice of the Malian people and never interferes in other countries’ internal affairs. Noting that Mali has achieved important results in maintaining national stability and protecting the safety of its people, he expressed the belief that Mali has the wisdom and ability to solve the temporary difficulties it is currently facing, grasp the destiny of national development and progress, and achieve lasting peace and tranquility.

This is a significant statement in terms of the unfolding political dynamic in the region. China customarily refers to respecting the political developments in other countries. The addition of understanding, in the context of the ongoing attempts by some outside forces to question or undermine developments in Mali – which include insisting on the withdrawal of foreign troops – underlines China’s support and solidarity with the progressive changes currently underway in the country.

Wang Yi added that China is ready to deepen cooperation with Mali in education, training, medical care, and agriculture, among other areas, and to carry out more projects such as the “Mali Digital” project and the “Africa Solar Belt” Program, to help promote the peace and development process in Mali. And, underlining the common interest in opposing imperialist-backed ‘Islamist’ terrorist forces, he also expressed the hope that Mali can continue to take concrete and effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel in the country.

For his part, Abdoulaye Diop said that Mali and China enjoy a long history of friendship and share similar positions on significant issues of principle. In significant remarks that echoed those of his Chinese counterpart, he went on to note that China supports Mali in safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity and always listens patiently to Mali’s appeals and is a reliable friend and partner of Mali.

Mali, Diop added, adheres to independence, and abides by the one-China principle. His country hopes to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with China and will make all-out efforts to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel in the country. Mali also attaches great importance to a series of important initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping and looks forward to learning from China’s successful development experience, continuing to receive support and assistance from China, and deepening practical cooperation between Africa and China across the board.

The below article was originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

On December 8, 2023, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop. Mali’s Minister of Economy and Finance and Minister of Industry and Commerce, among others, were present.

Wang Yi said that the China-Mali friendship was forged by the elder generation of the leaders of both countries. Sixty years ago, Premier Zhou Enlai visited ten African countries including Mali, opening a historical chapter of long-term friendship, solidarity and cooperation between the two peoples. China fully understands and respects the independent choice of the Malian people and never interferes in other countries’ internal affairs. Noting that Mali has achieved important results in maintaining national stability and protecting the safety of its people, Wang Yi expressed the belief that Mali has the wisdom and ability to solve temporary difficulties it is currently facing, grasp the destiny of national development and progress, and achieve lasting peace and tranquility. China is willing to work with Mali to continue to firmly support each other and jointly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries as well as the basic norms governing international relations.

Wang Yi said that in recent years, a number of China-Mali practical cooperation projects have been successfully implemented, bringing benefits to the Malian people. China is ready to deepen cooperation with Mali in education, training, medical care and agriculture, among others, and carry out more projects such as the “Mali Digital” project and the “Africa Solar Belt” Program, to help promote the peace and development process in Mali. Wang Yi expressed the hope that Mali can continue to take concrete and effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel in the country.

Wang Yi said, in response to the urgent needs of African countries, President Xi Jinping has put forward three important initiatives, namely, the Initiative on Supporting Africa’s Industrialization, the Plan for China Supporting Africa’s Agricultural Modernization, and the Plan for China-Africa Cooperation on Talent Development. China is ready to work with Africa to implement these initiatives, strengthen cooperation under the mechanism of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and accelerate common development and revitalization.

Abdoulaye Diop said that Mali and China enjoy a long history of friendship and share similar positions on significant issues of principle. China supports Mali in safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity and always listens patiently to Mali’s appeals, and is a reliable friend and partner of Mali. Mali adheres to independence and abides by the one-China principle. Mali hopes to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with China, and will make all-out efforts to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel in the country. Mali attaches great importance to a series of important initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping, and looks forward to learning from China’s successful development experience, continuing to receive support and assistance from China, and deepening practical cooperation between Africa and China across the board.

The international China and Marxism symposium in Istanbul

The Turkish journal Teori ve Politika (Theory and Politics) organised an international symposium on China and Marxism in Istanbul on November 18. Aiming to understand and discuss Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and the Communist Party of China (CPC’s) approach to Marxism, the conference featured a total of 16 papers in four languages.

The opening speeches were delivered by 90-year-old Korkut Boratav, one of Turkey’s most prominent Marxist economists, and Qian Xinyi from the Chinese Embassy in Ankara.

In the first session, Marxism’s Conception of Socialism and China, speakers included Professor Tang Ming from the Central China Normal University and Carlos Martinez from Friends of Socialist China.

Carlos compared China’s reform and opening-up with perestroika and glasnost in the former Soviet Union, highlighting the significant differences between the USSR and China in economic (dramatic and continual improvement in the living standards of the Chinese people), political (not allowing the capitalists to organise as a class) and geostrategic (long period of peace and security) aspects.

Another session featured Azad Barış from HEDEP (the People’s Equality and Democracy Party of Turkey), Yu Weihai, Director of the Central China Normal University, Ben Chacko, Editor of the Morning Star, and Maher Al-Taher from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

Yu Weihai highlighted the dramatic change in the international communist and workers movement after the collapse of the Soviet Union, leading to a more pluralistic, independent, diverse, and egalitarian reality. Ben Chacko stated that challenging the narrative that China poses a threat to the global order requires demolishing lies about China posing a military or security threat to the West and examining whether China’s rise is that of a new aspiring hegemon wanting to replace the US.

Comrade Maher Al-Taher, who was welcomed with strong feelings and expressions of solidarity, argued that the perception of Marxism as a dogmatic and unchangeable whole is wrong, emphasising the need to deepen Marxism in the specificity of each country and adding that the Chinese experience is a creative example of this.

The following report was originally published in the Morning Star.

On a stormy and rainy weekend in Istanbul last month, an international symposium entitled China and Marxism was organised by the Teori ve Politika (Theory and Politics) magazine. The symposium aimed to understand and discuss Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and the Communist Party of China (CPC’s) approach to Marxism, featuring a total of 16 papers in four languages.

The opening speeches were delivered by 90-year-old Korkut Boratav, one of Turkey’s most prominent Marxist economists, and Qian Xinyi, the Undersecretary of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China. Boratav expressed that the most prevalent form of the relations of production in Chinese society is capitalist, but questioned whether these are dominant relations due to the established forms of public ownership surrounding them.

He stated that the future cannot be guaranteed but emphasised that the bourgeoisie does not hold power in China and their attempts to seize power have been thwarted by the CPC. Qian Xinyi highlighted that Socialism with Chinese Characteristics is a natural outcome of China’s particular conditions.

In the first session, Marxism’s Conception of Socialism and China, speakers including Professor Tang Ming from the Central China Normal University, Carlos Martinez from Friends of Socialist China, Sungur Savran from Revolutionary Marxism, and Metin Kayaoğlu from the Teori ve Politika magazine presented their papers.

Tang Ming divided China’s socialist transformation into two periods: Mao, and Deng and post-Deng periods. Savran emphasised that the biggest challenge that led to the collapse of really existing socialisms in the 20th century was the corruption that developed around the swelling bureaucratic class and that the same challenge is being faced today in China.

Martinez compared China’s reform and opening-up with perestroika and glasnost, highlighting the significant differences between the USSR and China in economic (dramatic and continual improvement in the living standards of the Chinese people), political (not allowing the capitalists to organise as a class) and geostrategic (long period of peace and security) aspects.

Kayaoğlu pointed out different approaches within Marxist literature regarding the relationship between productive forces and relations of production referencing Lenin and Kautsky and made precise that despite the autonomy of political forces, the laws of the production maintain themselves.

In the second session, Economy, Politics, and Society in China, speakers including Fatih Oktay from Özyeğin University, Chen Feng from Shandong University — School of Marxism, Jülide Yazıcı from the Teori ve Politika magazine, and Hu Zongshan from Central China Normal University presented their papers.

Oktay provided a brief and clear presentation on the history of China’s reform, emphasising the need for stronger steps toward a socialist formation to ensure the country’s socialist future. Dr Chen Feng stated that the development of rural areas is one of the most important tasks for China as a modern socialist country. Yazıcı argued that CPC is leading an experiment of transition from capitalism to advanced socialism, that it is inevitable in a transition period that certain capitalistic mechanisms maintain themselves, and that what is important is the CPC’s ideological and political insistence on Marxism. Hu Zongshan diagnosed three challenges ahead of China’s modernisation: the Two Huangs Trap related to national governance, yhe Middle Income Trap, and the Thucydides Trap.

In the third session, China in the World, speakers including Çağdaş Üngör from Marmara University, historian Kamuran Kızlak, historian Vijay Prashad from TriContinental, and Mehmet Yılmazer from the Yol magazine delivered their speeches.

Üngör discussed whether the China model could be exported to the world, attributing the interest in China to the quest that emerged in the world following the 2008 crisis. Kızlak provided an informative presentation on China, the US and Soviet relations during the reform era, concluding with a focus on the CPC’s conception of Confucianism. Prashad, questioning Biden’s rhetoric of “Chinese aggression,” highlighted that Nato forces in the Asia-Pacific are more aggressive in foreign policy, and that China, unlike the United States, has adopted a no-first-use nuclear policy which means that China will not fire a nuclear weapon before anybody else.

Yılmazer emphasised that the US strategy focuses on preventing the strengthening of Russia-Europe relations, hindering the development of Russia-China relations, and limiting China’s influence in the Asia-Pacific.

In the continued session with the same title, speakers including Azad Barış from HEDEP (People’s Equality and Democracy Party), Yu Weihai, Director of the Central China Normal University, Ben Chacko from the Morning Star newspaper and Maher Al-Taher from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, presented their talks.

Azad Barış stated that in the new world order, there are no clear boundaries between ideologies, and China’s success against imperialism strengthens the struggles of oppressed peoples.

Yu Weihai highlighted the dramatic change in the internationalist movement after the collapse of the Soviet Union, leading to a more pluralistic, independent, diverse, and egalitarian organisation of international movements. Chacko stated that challenging the narrative that China poses a threat to the global order requires demolishing lies about China posing a military or security threat to the West and examining whether China’s rise is that of a new aspiring hegemon wanting to replace the US.

Maher Al-Taher, welcomed with strong solidarity feelings, argued that the perception of Marxism as a dogmatic and unchangeable whole is wrong, emphasising the need to deepen Marxism in the specificity of each country and that Chinese experience is a creative example of this.

In the closing speech, Elif Nur Aybaş from the Teori ve Politika magazine reminded us that the critique of Eurocentrism in the 20th century provided an opportunity to recognise the political agency of oppressed peoples.

She expressed a preference for considering the Chinese experience as a critique of Eurocentrism from within Marxism, and emphasized that Marxists in other parts of the world have the duty of learning from this experience. Teori ve Poltika announced that the video recordings of the symposium will be made available for viewing in the near future, and the speeches will also be published as a book.

A new chapter in the development of bilateral relations between China and Honduras

Relations between China and the Central American nation of Honduras have been developing well since the latter’s progressive, socialist-oriented government established diplomatic relations with Beijing on 26 March 2023. This was followed by a highly successful state visit by President Xiomara Castro, June 9-14.

In the latest development, Luis Redondo, the President of the National Congress of Honduras, visited China in early December. 

Redondo met with his counterpart, Zhao Leji, Chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, on December 7. 

Zhao said that the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Honduras was a major political decision of historic significance made by the two heads of state, and that it has opened a new chapter in the development of bilateral relations between the two countries.

He expressed China’s willingness to work with Honduras to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, promote communication and cooperation in various fields, and push for the sustained and steady development of bilateral relations.

And he further noted that China highly appreciates Honduras’ firm adherence to the one-China principle and firmly supports Honduras’ efforts to safeguard its national sovereignty and independence, promote its development and improve its people’s well-being.

China welcomes Honduras to join the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and is willing to accelerate the synergy of development strategies and promote new achievements in practical cooperation.

Redondo said the establishment of diplomatic ties between Honduras and China was of historic significance. Honduras adheres firmly to the one-China principle, and supports and actively participates in global initiatives such as the BRI, which are significant contributions that China has made to the progress of human civilisation.

Following their talks, the two leaders signed an agreement to promote cooperation between their respective congresses.

The same day, Redondo also met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. 

Han said that relations between China and Honduras have got off to a good start, showing broad prospects for development since the establishment of diplomatic ties.

He also expressed China’s willingness to walk hand in hand with Honduras on the road towards modernisation, promote exchanges, mutual learning, solidarity and cooperation, and achieve mutual benefits and common development.

Redondo said that the establishment of diplomatic ties with China marks a historic decision by Honduras, which has a long-term perspective and is in line with the will of the people.

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

China’s top legislator holds talks with Honduran national congress president

BEIJING, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) — China’s top legislator Zhao Leji held talks with Luis Redondo, president of the National Congress of Honduras, in Beijing on Thursday.

Zhao, chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said that the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Honduras earlier this year was a major political decision of historic significance made by the two heads of state, and that it has opened a new chapter in the development of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Zhao expressed China’s willingness to work with Honduras to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, promote communication and cooperation in various fields, and push for the sustained and steady development of bilateral relations.

Zhao noted that China highly appreciates Honduras’ firm adherence to the one-China principle and firmly supports Honduras’ efforts to safeguard its national sovereignty and independence, promote its development and improve its people’s well-being.

China welcomes Honduras to join the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and is willing to accelerate the synergy of development strategies and promote new achievements in practical cooperation, Zhao said. He noted that China appreciates Honduras’ support for the global initiatives China has put forward, and hopes to strengthen coordination on multilateral occasions to promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

The NPC of China is willing to facilitate dialogue and exchanges with the National Congress of Honduras, consolidate political mutual trust, and work with Honduras to safeguard the achievements of diplomatic ties between the two countries, Zhao said.

The legislatures of the two countries should carry out their duties fully, improve legal systems further to create a sound legal environment for investment, cooperation and personnel exchanges, and serve as a bridge for exchanges between communities to consolidate popular support for bilateral relations, he said.

He also noted that China is willing to increase exchanges with Honduras on governance experience, as well as on developing economy and improving people’s livelihoods.

Redondo said the establishment of diplomatic ties between Honduras and China was of historic significance.

Honduras adheres firmly to the one-China principle, and supports and actively participates in global initiatives such as the BRI, which are significant contributions that China has made to the progress of human civilization, Redondo said.

The National Congress of Honduras is willing to strengthen cooperation with the NPC of China and make contributions to the bright future of common prosperity of the two countries, he added. 

Continue reading A new chapter in the development of bilateral relations between China and Honduras

China-Angola relations continue to bring tangible benefits to both sides

Foreign Minister of Angola Tete Antonio recently paid a visit to China at the invitation of his counterpart, Wang Yi. At their meeting, Wang Yi said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Angola relations have maintained a strong momentum of development with fruitful results in practical cooperation, which has brought tangible benefits to the two peoples, provided an important boost to Angola’s development and set an example for South-South cooperation.

China is willing to share with Angola its experience of development as well as opportunities in the Chinese market, expand practical cooperation on infrastructure, digital economy, clean energy, health care and food security, deepen people-to-people exchanges, and consolidate the popular foundation of China-Angola friendship, he added.
In a meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, the two countries also signed an agreement to facilitate and protect bilateral investment. The agreement 

 stipulates a dispute settlement mechanism and the investment protection obligations of the two sides and is expected to mutually enhance investor confidence on both sides and create a more stable, convenient and transparent business environment for enterprises from both countries.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Angola.

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

Chinese FM holds talks with Angolan counterpart

BEIJING, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Foreign Minister of Angola Tete Antonio in Beijing on Wednesday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Angola relations have maintained a strong momentum of development with fruitful results in practical cooperation, which has brought tangible benefits to the two peoples, provided an important boost to Angola’s development and set an example for South-South cooperation.

China is willing to share with Angola the experience of development and opportunities in the Chinese market, expand practical cooperation on infrastructure, digital economy, clean energy, health care and food security, deepen people-to-people exchanges, and consolidate the popular foundation of China-Angola friendship, said Wang.

Wang also expressed China’s willingness to strengthen coordination on multilateral platforms with Angola, advance the mechanism building of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, build a closer China-Africa community with a shared future, jointly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, and promote the development of the international order in a more just and reasonable direction.

Antonio said that Angola will stick to the one-China principle and support China in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Bilateral cooperation between the two countries is mutually beneficial, Antonio said, adding that Angola welcomes Chinese investment, and is willing to continue close communication and coordination with China. 

China, Angola sign investment protection agreement

BEIJING, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — China and Angola on Wednesday signed an agreement in Beijing to facilitate and protect bilateral investment, according to the Ministry of Commerce of China.

The pact, signed by Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and Foreign Minister of Angola Tete Antonio, is a mutually beneficial, high-quality investment agreement that stipulates a dispute settlement mechanism and the investment protection obligations of the two sides.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Angola.

The signing of the agreement is expected to enhance investor confidence on both sides and create a more stable, convenient and transparent business environment for enterprises from both countries, the ministry said.

Next, the two sides will carry out their respective domestic procedures to promote the agreement’s early entry into force, according to the ministry. 

Vietnam-China joint statement

Chinese President Xi Jinping successfully concluded his state visit to Vietnam and returned to China on the afternoon of December 13. In a further meeting with Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), just prior to his departure, Xi said that his current visit marks a good conclusion to China’s diplomatic events this year and thus has great significance.

It is, he added, a fine tradition between China and Vietnam to have leaders of the two parties chart the course for the development of party-to-party and bilateral relations. He added that the visit had been a heartwarming and touching one. He was particularly impressed by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s repeated description of the profound friendship between the two countries as “camaraderie plus brotherhood”. This serves as the starting point and foundation for China-Vietnam relations. As long as the two countries stay committed to this course, their relations are set to make new progress and bring more benefits to their people. 

The two countries also issued a joint statement on December 13, which, at more than 6,000 words, provides a comprehensive review of and program for their relations. 

The statement notes that:

“The two sides hold that Vietnam and China are good neighbours, good friends, good comrades, and good partners, and both are socialist countries under the leadership of a communist party, with similar political regimes, compatible ideology and belief, similar development path, shared vision, shared future, and common efforts for happy people and a wealthy and strong country and for the noble cause of peace and progress of humanity.

“To inherit and promote the traditional friendship of ‘Vietnam-China close bonds as both comrades and brothers’ and continue to deepen and further elevate the Vietnam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership, the two sides agree to build a Vietnam-China Community with a Shared Future having strategic significance and to exert efforts for the happiness of the two peoples and for the cause of peace and progress of humanity.

“The Vietnamese side supports the building of a community with shared future for humanity, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilisation Initiative. These initiatives have the aim of protecting the common interest of the whole of humanity, for the cause of peace, fairness and progressive development of people all over the world, meeting the aspiration to build a better world for people in all countries.”

On this basis, the two sides agree to take the Vietnam-China relations to a new stage with stronger political trust, more substantial defence-security cooperation, deeper tangible collaboration, firmer social foundation, closer multilateral coordination, better management and settlement of differences, and joint efforts for boosting the development of the world socialism cause, making positive contributions to the cause of peace and progress of humanity.

It notes that, in a “friendly, straightforward atmosphere, the two sides informed each other on the situations of their respective Parties and countries, as well as the theory and reality of the building of socialism; showing delight at the great and historic achievements that each Party and country has gained during the cause of national development, modernisation and socialism building in line with each country’s conditions; asserting that these fully demonstrate the vitality and superiority of the socialist systems in Vietnam and China.”

They also looked back at the development process of relations between the two Parties and countries, appreciate the invaluable and selfless support that the two Parties, countries and their people have provided for each other in various periods; and unanimously agree that the traditional friendship as “both comrades and brothers” founded and nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh and Chairman Mao Zedong and generations of leaders, is an invaluable asset of the two countries’ people that needs to be inherited, well-protected, and effectively upheld. The Party, State and people of Vietnam always hold in high regard and deeply appreciate the strong support and assistance provided by the Party, State and people of China in the struggle for national liberation and independence, as well as the cause of socialism building and national development.

Both sides affirm their consistent support for the two Parties, countries and their people to persevere with independence in strategy and choice of development paths that suit each country’s situation; be persistent in properly handling and actively resolving disagreements through peaceful means on the basis of mutual understanding and mutual respect in accordance with international law, maintaining the good development momentum of Vietnam – China relations, and making more active contributions to peace, stability and development in the region and the world.

On the basis of the above common perceptions, in the context of rapid, complicated, unpredictable and unprecedented developments in the world, both sides agree to persist with the political orientations of the highest Party and State leaders, looking at and developing the Vietnam-China relationship from a strategic height and long-term perspective.

Both sides agree to bring into full play the special role of the Party channel, further enhance the direction and coordination of the high-level meeting mechanism of the two Parties as well as the promotion and coordination roles of the two Parties’ external relations organisations; improve the efficiency of the exchange and cooperation between the two Parties’ respective agencies at the central level, Party organisations of localities, especially border provinces and regions; approve the mechanism of theoretical workshops between the two Parties and personnel training cooperation plans, promote delegation exchanges via the Party channel, step up exchanges and consult each other in Party building and country management, as well as socialism building and many other fields.

Both sides also agree to further enhance high-level exchanges between the two militaries; bring into play the role of cooperation channels such as border defence friendship exchange, strategic defence dialogue and hotline between the two defence ministries; effectively carry out the joint vision statement on defence cooperation until 2025 between the two defence ministries; step up exchange and cooperation between the two militaries in the fields of political work, personnel training and joint research; further strengthen cooperation in defence industry, joint exercise and training, health care, logistics, UN peace keeping activities and non-traditional security; continue intensive border cooperation by promoting joint border patrols and encouraging border stations of both sides to set up friendly relations and enhance coordination on border management and protection; and continue effective joint patrols on the Gulf of Tonkin and military ships’ mutual visits as well as deepen exchange and cooperation mechanisms between the naval and coast guard forces.

Emphasis was also placed on high-level exchanges between law-enforcement agencies, significantly including stress on boosting intelligence cooperation and sharing experience on the issues of anti-interference, anti-secession, and prevention and fighting of “peaceful evolution” and “colour revolution” of hostile and reactionary forces.

The statement also addressed a host of areas of practical cooperation, including around the Belt and Road Initiative and Vietnam’s development priorities, with a particular emphasis on railway connectivity and border infrastructure, trade, investment, food security and green development, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, tourism, education, sports, human resources, science and technology, health care, and natural disaster prevention and control.

The two sides agreed to speed up the implementation of projects using non-refundable aid funded by the Chinese Government for Vietnam, including a project to build the second facility of the Traditional Medicine Hospital.

They also agreed to enhance the exchange of experience in reforming state-owned enterprises and managing state capital at enterprises, cooperate in training human resources, especially high-level management human resources of state-owned enterprises; encourage state capital management agencies at enterprises of the two countries to increase contacts and connection, and create favourable conditions for enterprises of the two countries to boost mutually beneficial cooperation.

The Chinese side supports the opening of a Vietnamese Consulate General in Chongqing, the active roles of Vietnamese trade promotion offices in Chongqing and Hangzhou in economic and trade cooperation between the two countries and is willing to further create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese side to soon open more trade promotion offices in relevant Chinese localities.

The statement also pledged to increase cooperation in such fields as biodiversity conservation, climate change response, new energy automobiles, the management of Asian natural reserves, the protection of migratory wildlife, and the control of invasive alien species along the border region.

Regarding coordination in the international arena, the two countries agreed that to protect international fairness, justice and common interests, promote peace, stability and prosperous development in the region, create an external environment beneficial to the development of each country and the Vietnam – China relations, the two sides concur to persistently uphold multilateralism, strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation, and jointly protect the international system with the United Nations as its core and an international law-based international order.

They also committed themselves to better management and settlement of outstanding differences and will “engage in sincere and straightforward in-depth discussions on sea-related issues and stress the need to better manage and actively address differences at sea and maintain peace and stability in the East Sea [South China Sea] and the region.”

In conclusion, the statement notes that: “Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping sincerely thanks Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Vo Van Thuong, and senior leaders of the Vietnamese Party and State and the Vietnamese people for their grand, warm and friendly welcome; and respectfully invites Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Vo Van Thuong to soon visit China again. Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Vo Van Thuong express their thanks and accept the invitation with pleasure.”

We reprint below the full text of the joint statement. It was originally published by the Vietnamese newspaper Nhan Dan, and the English translation is by the Vietnam News Agency. The preceding article was originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Continue reading Vietnam-China joint statement

Wang Yi: Any arrangement concerning the future of Palestine must be Palestinian-owned and Palestinian-administered

China has recently intensified its diplomatic engagement with Iran, not least in the context of Israel’s genocidal war of aggression against the people of Gaza. 

As part of that process, China’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi exchanged views on the situation in Gaza, as well as on bilateral relations, in a December 11 phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. 

Wang said that China’s position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can be summarised as realising a ceasefire and ending the conflict as soon as possible, ensuring humanitarian relief, and returning to the two-state solution.

Amir-Abdollahian highly appreciated China’s efforts to achieve a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza during its rotating presidency of the UN Security Council last month. He said the Iranian side opposes the killing of women and children and advocates an immediate ceasefire and cessation of fighting in Gaza and opening humanitarian relief corridors.

Iran, he added, supports the Global Security Initiative proposed by China and expects China to be more actively committed to easing the situation in Gaza, resolving the Palestinian question, and safeguarding regional peace and stability.

Wang said China’s position is consistent with that of Arab countries and is highly congruous with that of Islamic countries and the international community. Countries should raise a stronger voice and form a more unified position on the conflict.

China, the foreign minister underlined, believes that any arrangement concerning the future and destiny of Palestine should fully reflect the will of the Palestinian people, fully respect their right to statehood and self-determination, and embody the principle of “Palestinian-owned, Palestinian-led and Palestinian-administered.”

He also said that China supports Iran and Saudi Arabia in continuously improving relations, promoting the unity and cooperation of countries in the region and taking regional peace and security in their own hands.

Amir-Abdollahian thanked China for its contribution to mediating the rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, saying that Iran is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields and promote the continuous development of Iran-China relations.

The following article was originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian exchanged views on the situation in the Gaza Strip and bilateral relations during a phone conversation on Monday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said China’s position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can be summarized as realizing a cease-fire and ending the conflict as soon as possible, ensuring humanitarian relief, and returning to the two-state solution.

Amir-Abdollahian highly appreciated China’s efforts to achieve a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza during its rotating presidency of the UN Security Council.

He said the Iranian side opposes the killing of women and children and advocates an immediate cease-fire and cessation of fighting in Gaza and opening humanitarian relief corridors.

The United Nations should play an important role in the future settlement of the Palestinian question, he said, adding that Iran is willing to maintain close communication with regional countries to safeguard regional security and stability.

The Iranian side supports the Global Security Initiative proposed by China and expects China to be more actively committed to easing the situation in Gaza, resolving the Palestinian question, and safeguarding regional peace and stability, the top Iranian diplomat said.

Wang said China’s position is consistent with that of Arab countries and is highly congruous with that of Islamic countries and the international community.

Countries should make a stronger voice and form a more unified position on the conflict, Wang said.

China believes that any arrangement concerning the future and destiny of Palestine should fully reflect the will of the Palestinian people, fully respect their right to statehood and self-determination, and embody the principle of “Palestinian-owned, Palestinian-led and Palestinian-administered,” he said.

China is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with Arab and Islamic countries to gradually create conditions for returning to the two-state solution and continue to play a role in truly resolving the Palestinian question, he said.

On bilateral ties, Wang said China stands ready to work with Iran to implement the important consensus reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during their two meetings this year.

He said China will strengthen communication, consolidate mutual trust, expand cooperation, coordinate and cooperate with Iran on international and multilateral occasions, practice genuine multilateralism, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the two countries and developing countries as well as international equity and justice, and push forward the stable and long-term development of China-Iran relations.

China supports Iran and Saudi Arabia in continuously improving relations, promoting the unity and cooperation of countries in the region and taking regional peace and security in their own hands, Wang said.

Amir-Abdollahian thanked China for its contribution to mediating the rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, saying that Iran is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields and promote the continuous development of Iran-China relations. 

Xi Jinping meets with Vietnamese leadership

Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s December 12-13 state visit to Vietnam was characterised by exceptional warmth, not only on the bilateral level but also, and perhaps most significantly, from the standpoint of two socialist countries jointly taking responsibility for the destiny and progress of socialism in the world.

Meeting the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong, shortly after his arrival in Hanoi, Xi and his host announced a new characterisation of the relationship between their two parties and two countries, as working together for a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, on the basis of deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, which the two countries unveiled fifteen years previously. 

General Secretary and President Xi Jinping expressed his pleasure in coming to Vietnam as previously agreed, accomplishing three mutual visits with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. He expressed the genuine happiness of China as a comrade and brother for the development achievements of Vietnam over the past nearly four decades of Doi Moi (reform), especially since the 13th CPV National Congress. Xi Jinping expressed China’s firm support for Vietnam in continuing advancing its socialist cause and the firm belief that under the strong leadership of the CPV Central Committee with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the helm, the CPV and the Vietnamese government will surely accomplish all the tasks put forward at the 13th CPV National Congress, and lay a solid foundation for realising the goals and targets set for the centenaries of the CPV and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Xi Jinping further underlined that China and Vietnam have supported each other in their struggle for national independence and liberation, and learned from each other’s causes of reform and opening up and Doi Moi. The characterisation “camaraderie plus brotherhood” well captures the profound friendship between the two countries. China all along views its relations with Vietnam from a strategic height and long-term perspective. Changes of the world, of our times and of historical significance are unfolding like never before. The CPC and CPV are the two largest governing communist parties in the world. Both uphold and develop Marxism, both are committed to the path of socialism, and both are leading their countries in socialist development. It is therefore all the more important that the two parties grasp the special strategic significance of China-Vietnam relations and solidly advance the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future from the height of building the strengths of socialism in the world and ensuring the sound and sustained development of their respective socialist causes.  China and Vietnam will achieve more progress in their socialist causes, and make new contributions to stability, development and prosperity of the region and the entire world.

It is important, Xi continued, to keep to the right political direction. The two sides should follow the high-level strategic guidance, enhance exchanges and mutual learning on party and national governance experience, and work together to deepen the understanding of the laws of governance by communist parties, socialist development and the development of human society. The two sides should give each other firm support on issues concerning respective core interests and major concerns and jointly safeguard international fairness and justice. 

Both sides should give top priority to protecting national political security, keep to socialism without any deviation, so as to ensure that the red flag will not be changed, and forestall, diffuse and contain various political security risks with all-out efforts.

Modernisation of the over 1.4 billion Chinese people is a huge opportunity for the world. China would like to share opportunities and pursue common development with comrades in Vietnam. It is important to strengthen the popular and mass foundation for bilateral relations. China-Vietnam cooperation needs to be more weighted toward agriculture, education, medical care and other livelihood areas. The two sides should step up cooperation on youth, tourism and at subnational levels and forge closer bonds between young people.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong noted that under the strong leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era, China has made achievements on all fronts and steadily increased its international standing and influence. Vietnam is genuinely delighted for brotherly China. Vietnam firmly believes that under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China will undoubtedly realise all the objectives outlined at the 20th CPC National Congress as scheduled, and make new and important contributions to human progress.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong continued to say that Xi Jinping is a beloved leader of the Chinese people, a prominent leader in the world, and a respected and revered comrade and friend of the Vietnamese people. He added that both the invitation extended to him for a visit to China immediately after the 20th CPC National Congress and this third visit as previously agreed speak volumes about the special friendship of Xi Jinping for Vietnam and the high-level nature of Vietnam-China relations. Vietnam and China have a profound friendship featuring camaraderie plus brotherhood. Not long ago, he had visited the Friendship Pass at the Vietnam-China border and planted a “friendship tree” there to demonstrate the special brotherhood and send a positive signal of the special friendship between Vietnam and China.

Maritime differences, the Vietnamese leader noted, are only part of the overall relationship between Vietnam and China. It is believed that the two sides will properly handle them in the spirit of mutual trust and mutual respect.

Following the talks, the two General Secretaries jointly witnessed the documents signed on bilateral cooperation in 30 plus areas, including Belt and Road cooperation, quarantine and inspection, development cooperation, digital economy, green development, transportation, subnational cooperation, defence, law enforcement and security cooperation, and maritime cooperation.

The next day, President Xi continued his talks with other Vietnamese leaders.

Meeting with President Vo Van Thuong, Xi said that yesterday he and General Secretary Trong had jointly announced the building of a China-Viet Nam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, raising the relations between the two parties and two countries up to a new stage. The Chinese and Vietnamese people have fought side by side in their struggles for national independence and liberation and supported each other in the cause of socialist revolution and construction. Such a commitment to each other through thick and thin has forged a friendship featuring “camaraderie plus brotherhood.” To build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance is to renew the shared will of the older generation of leaders of the two parties and countries, to pay tribute to the heroic past, and to carry forward the revolutionary friendship between the two countries. It is also a major historic decision made by the leadership of the two parties and countries, bearing in mind the larger interests of the long-term development of China-Vietnam relations and the strategic overall picture of solidarity of socialist forces in the world. It meets the common needs of China and Vietnam to advance their respective modernisation and serves the common interests of the two peoples.

President Xi Jinping stressed that the two sides need to fully appreciate the historical imperative, strategic significance, immediate necessity, and international responsibilities of building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future. 

He added that it is important to enhance solidarity and coordination to safeguard the China-Vietnam community with a shared future. China and Vietnam are both socialist countries under the leadership of a communist party. It is their shared responsibility and mission to safeguard the security of the political system and defend the cause of socialism. The two sides should strengthen solidarity, stay committed to openness and mutual benefits, jointly guard against external infiltration and sabotage attempts, and make due contributions to strengthening world socialist forces and promoting peace and progress of humanity.

President Vo Van Thuong said that the profound traditional friendship between Vietnam and China, forged by the older generation of the two sides, has stood the test of the evolving international dynamics and become a shared asset of the two peoples. Amid complex transformation of the international landscape, both Vietnam and China are at a critical development stage. It is therefore the shared aspiration of the Vietnamese and Chinese people to consolidate and strengthen the trust and cooperation between the two parties and two countries, and continuously advance the socialist cause of the two countries. Under the irreplaceable strategic guidance of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and General Secretary Xi Jinping, the Vietnam-China relationship has never been so comprehensive, profound and friendly as it is today.

 And in words that did not name any third country, but which were clearly directed at the attempts by the United States, in particular, to drive a wedge between China and Vietnam, for example during US President Biden’s recent visit, and the insinuations and rumours spread by the imperialist mass media in that regard, the Vietnamese President very pointedly noted:

“The Vietnamese side hopes that President Xi Jinping’s visit will send a clear message to the world once again, that developing relations with China has always been a top priority and strategic choice for the Vietnamese party and government. The Vietnam-China relationship is as solid as rock. No external force can sow discord, disrupt or undermine this bilateral relationship.”

He added that the Vietnamese side will earnestly implement the important consensus of the General Secretaries of the two parties, fully leverage the unique advantage of the two countries in sharing the same social system and similar ideals and philosophies, strengthen experience exchange in party and state governance, comprehensively advance practical cooperation in various fields including politics, economy, trade, people-to-people exchanges and security, uphold national political security, and facilitate industrialisation and modernisation.

Vietnam is committed to the one-China policy, and sincerely supports China’s reunification. The Vietnamese side stands ready to properly address maritime differences under the spirit of mutual respect and win-win cooperation, and push for steady progress of the Vietnam-China community with a shared future. The initiatives on global development, security and civilisation proposed by President Xi Jinping demonstrate the sense of responsibility of a major country and a major party, as well as China’s important role in leading international development and cooperation. Vietnam is ready to be actively involved, and will enhance international coordination with China to jointly make new contributions to world peace and stability and the progress and well-being of humanity.

Meeting Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, President Xi stressed the need for China and Vietnam to work in solidarity in their socialist cause. The two sides may increase exchanges on ideological work and party theories and share experience on party and state governance. It is also important that the two sides increase people-to-people exchanges and cooperation to deepen the friendship between the two peoples and prepare the younger generation for the task of taking over the baton of China-Vietnam friendship at an early date. While the remarkable achievements in China’s reform and opening up and in Viet Nam’s Doi Moi are the result of hard work by the two countries, they are also attributable to a peaceful and stable world in general and an open and inclusive Asia-Pacific in particular. The two sides must guard against and oppose any attempt to destabilise the Asia-Pacific, and at the same time strengthen coordination and collaboration on international affairs and jointly safeguard a sound external environment.

For his part, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that Vietnam and China are two countries cherishing the same ideals and pursuing similar paths. All of President Xi’s visits to Vietnam and his important remarks have strengthened Vietnam’s recognition theoretically and emotionally, and deepened the friendship and mutual trust and enhanced the amity and affinity between the two countries.  The further strengthening of Vietnam’s relations with China is the top priority and a strategic choice of the party and government of Vietnam. It is also the strong desire of the Vietnamese people. Noting that the bilateral relationship has stood the test of time and history, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his conviction that the relationship will not be affected by any external force trying to sow discord or cause disruption and that the building of a Vietnam-China community with a shared future will benefit the two peoples and contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

In his meeting with the Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Vuong Dinh Hue, President Xi Jinping noted that China and Vietnam share the same political system, similar aspirations and philosophies and an intertwined future. Relations with each other hold a special place in their respective party-to-party and state-to-state relations. Over the past 73 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the traditional friendship between China and Vietnam has been further enriched through mutual support and assistance in the struggle for national independence and liberation, and further deepened as the two sides move forward comprehensive strategic cooperation to advance the socialist causes. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Yesterday, leaders of the two countries jointly announced the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance. This sends a positive message of solidarity, friendship and common development between China and Vietnam as two socialist countries.

Xi added that it is important to take stock of the fine traditions and good practices in bilateral relations, step up high-level strategic communication, share experience on the governance of parties and countries, explore ways to enrich the theories and practices of socialist development, uphold common strategic interests, and keep the bilateral relationship on the right track. It is also important, the Chinese leader stressed, to properly manage problems and differences. It is important to translate the understandings and desires of the leadership of the two parties and countries into concrete actions, advance cooperation while managing differences, and steadily take forward maritime cooperation, especially joint development.

Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said that the agreements reached between General Secretaries Xi Jinping and Nguyen Phu Trong take forward the special friendship of camaraderie plus brotherhood forged by the older generation leaders, and will steer the relationship in the direction of steady development in the long run and toward a brighter future. The Vietnamese side identifies with the CPC on its governance philosophy, sincerely congratulates China on its remarkable achievements, and firmly believes that China will realise the goal of building a great modern socialist country in all respects as scheduled.

Xi Jinping also delivered an important speech at a meeting of young Chinese and Vietnamese people who have contributed to the friendship between the two peoples. He said that:

“Yesterday, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and I jointly announced our decision to build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, thus ushering in a new stage in the relations between our two parties and countries. This is a major strategic decision we have made to revitalise world socialism and ensure long-term stability and security of our two countries. It is rooted in our traditional friendship and represents the shared interests and aspirations of our two peoples.”

President Xi then outlined some key moments in the long history of mutual support and solidarity between the Chinese and Vietnamese revolutions:

“In the past, we stood by and reached out to each other as we pursued common goals together. In modern times, our two parties and peoples stayed true to our common ideals and supported each other in trying times as we fought for national independence and liberation. Chairman Ho Chi Minh was engaged in revolutionary activities in China for 12 years, during which he first established the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League in Guangzhou, and later founded the Communist Party of Vietnam in Hong Kong. For a long time, he also gave guidance to the Vietnamese revolution from Yunnan and Guangxi. Nong Qizhen, a villager in Guangxi’s Longzhou County, risked his life to protect Chairman Ho Chi Minh. It was in Guangxi where Chairman Ho Chi Minh wrote the resounding letter to all Vietnamese. He left Guangxi and returned to Vietnam in 1945, where he led the August Revolution to victory, and founded the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. In Vietnam’s War Against French Occupation and its War Against US Aggression to Save the Nation, more than 1,400 Chinese officers and men gave their lives, and they now rest in peace in Vietnam. More than 5,000 injured Vietnamese soldiers were treated in Nanxishan Hospital in Guilin, Guangxi, and over 10,000 Vietnamese students received education in Yucai School there. Vietnam also actively supported the Chinese Revolution. General Nguyen Son, who participated in the Guangzhou Uprising of 1927 and later joined the Long March of the Chinese Red Army, is well-known in China as a general of both countries. Today, when we read the famous poetic line by Chairman Ho Chi Minh that ‘So profound is the friendship between Vietnam and China, because we are both comrades and brothers’, the memory of those fiery and exciting years of our two peoples is kept alive.”

And he continued: “Today, we remain firmly committed to our shared aspiration forged in the early days and are pursuing win-win cooperation. Since we established the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership 15 years ago, we the Communist Party of China and the Communist Party of Vietnam have pursued people-centred mutually beneficial cooperation, delivering true benefits to our two peoples… We are now striving to build China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernisation. What we are pursuing is not modernisation just for China itself. We will stay committed to peaceful development, the policy of forging friendships and partnerships with neighbours, and the principles of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness. And we are ready to share more of the benefits of Chinese modernisation with our neighbours. Vietnam, on its part, is vigorously advancing its industrialisation and modernisation drive to realise the goals set for the centenary of its Party and the centenary of the country… With remarkable economic and social advances, China and Vietnam demonstrate to the world that we have found the right development paths. And enhanced solidarity and cooperation will strengthen our socialist causes.”

Expressing his expectations of the young people present, Xi Jinping said in conclusion:

“I hope that you will be pioneers in promoting human progress and contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. Our two Parties are both Marxist parties that bear in mind the overall interests of the world, and our two countries are both responsible members of the international community. And both of us should play a major role in advancing human progress. To build a community with a shared future for humanity is an inspiring goal, a goal that requires generations of efforts to achieve. We should be visionary, look beyond the horizon and shoulder responsibilities entrusted upon us by the times, stand up for international fairness and justice, and contribute our share to global development… Keeping in mind the journey we have traversed will enable us to advance along the right path. The challenging paths China and Vietnam have travelled and the remarkable achievements we have made in developing socialism fully demonstrate that enhanced solidarity and cooperation between our two countries has enabled us to overcome all risks and challenges and to move from one victory to another. Going forward, we need to remain true to our commitment and strive to fulfil our mission. And we should pursue our respective paths to socialism and deliver the gains of industrialisation and modernisation to more people of our two countries. Let us join hands and make even greater contribution to the advancement of humanity.”

The following articles were first published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

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