June 2024 - Friends of Socialist China

China and Malaysia issue joint statement on deepening their comprehensive strategic partnership

Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited Malaysia from June 18-20 at the invitation of his counterpart Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. This visit was the final leg of an overseas tour that took Li first to New Zealand and then to Australia. The visit to Malaysia acquired special significance as it marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations on May 31, 1974.

The two countries issued a Joint Statement on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership towards a China-Malaysia Community with a Shared Future, which also reflected a consensus of views on a number of regional and international issues.

Among the key points contained in the joint statement are:

Both leaders agreed that the world is undergoing profound changes and has entered a new period of instability and transformation. Both countries are important representatives of developing countries in Asia and emerging economies. The strategic significance of bilateral relations has been further highlighted, which is crucial to not only their peoples but also the future of the region, enhancing the unity and cooperation of the Global South. The two leaders will commit to promoting an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation.
Both sides agreed to strengthen rail transportation and infrastructure cooperation and contribute to the realisation of the Pan-Asian Railway vision.
The Chinese side is willing to import more high-quality agricultural, electrical and electronic, halal and green products from Malaysia,
China is willing to share with Malaysia its experience in poverty reduction and rural revitalisation and provide assistance within its capacity to improve the wellbeing of the Malaysian people.
Taking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations as an opportunity, the two sides agree to carry out programs in the fields of culture, tourism, religion, youth and locality, promote interactions at all levels in all areas, and further deepen exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and Islamic civilisations.
The two countries agreed to work together on the multinational nomination to inscribe the element of lion dance on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity. Both sides celebrate lion dance as a form of shared history and jointly promote the safeguarding of the shared heritage.
China welcomes Malaysia taking on the role of country coordinator for ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations in 2024, and firmly supports Malaysia in assuming the chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025.
Both countries will continue to promote the high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, and look forward to accelerating the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Negotiations towards conclusion as soon as possible
The two countries emphasised the importance of maintaining peace, security and stability in the South China Sea, agreed to resolve disputes by peaceful means, through friendly consultations and negotiations, in accordance with the universally recognised principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The two sides will work together with other ASEAN countries to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in its entirety and look forward to the early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC).
The two countries agreed that for 70 years, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence have become the basic norms governing international relations as well as basic principles of international law, contributing the wisdom of Asia to properly handling state-to-state relations. The two sides agreed to follow the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, carry forward the Asian values featuring peace, cooperation, inclusiveness and integration, adhere to the Asian development path of mutual benefit, openness and cooperation, and uphold the Bandung Spirit of solidarity, friendship and cooperation to contribute to stability and progress in Asia.
The two countries agreed to support efforts to preserve Southeast Asia as a region free from nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, while contributing to global efforts on disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy, in line with the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ).
Both leaders expressed grave concern with the ongoing war in Gaza, the dire and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation and its grave impact on the civilian population. Both sides emphasised that civilians in Gaza must be protected, in accordance with international law, and urged for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian assistance and protection of humanitarian relief and medical personnel. The two sides reaffirmed the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to their independent State of Palestine and urged the UN Security Council to reconsider Palestine’s application for full membership, in line with Resolution A/RES/ES-10/23 adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 May 2024, and expressed full support for the resumption of the political settlement process on the basis of the two-state solution, and promoting comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question at an early date.

The following is the full text of the joint statement. It was originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Malaysia diplomatic relations and at the invitation of His Excellency Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia, His Excellency Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, paid an official visit to Malaysia from 18 to 20 June 2024. During the visit, Premier Li had an audience with His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, held talks with Prime Minister Anwar and attended the celebration of the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia. The two sides had in-depth exchanges of views on deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, jointly building the China-Malaysia Community with a Shared Future as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest, and reached a broad consensus.

Both leaders agreed that the two countries have been good neighbours for hundreds of years, true friends with sincerity and partners of win-win cooperation. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations on 31 May 1974, especially the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2013, the bilateral relations have been continuously improved, delivered important benefits to its peoples and provided an impetus for their development and stability. Such a friendship has witnessed profound changes over half a century and shown renewed vigor and vitality. The two leaders are committed to upholding strategic independence, pursuing common development, maintaining mutual trust, safeguarding fairness and justice, and embarking on cooperation for mutual benefits.

Both leaders agreed that the world is undergoing profound changes and has entered a new period of instability and transformation. Both countries are important representatives of developing countries in Asia and emerging economies. The strategic significance of bilateral relations has been further highlighted, which is crucial to not only their peoples but also the future of this region, enhancing the unity and cooperation of the “Global South”. The two leaders will commit to promoting an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. Malaysia highly commends that President Xi Jinping put forward the concept of building the Community of Shared Future for Mankind, the Belt and Road Initiative, the Principle of Amity, Sincerity, Mutual Benefit and Inclusiveness in Neighbourhood Diplomacy, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative. China also supports the fundamental principles of “Malaysia MADANI”, advocating and promoting innovation, care and compassion, inclusiveness as well as mutual respect.

Both countries reached an important consensus on building a China-Malaysia Community with a Shared Future in 2023, and remain steadfast to strengthen and deepen the bilateral cooperation in taking it to even greater heights.

BRICS and the reconfiguration of the world order

The 37^th annual dinner of Third World Solidarity, an organisation that enjoys a close working relationship with Friends of Socialist China, was held on June 4, at the Royal Nawab Restaurant in the west London suburb of Perivale.

Among the guests were Councillor Tariq Dar MBE, Mayor of the London Borough of Brent, Councillor Shakeel Akram, Deputy Mayor of the London Borough of Hounslow, Nisar Malik, prospective parliamentary candidate for Brentford and Isleworth for the Workers’ Party of Britain (WPB), veteran journalist Shafi Naqi Jamie, and many others, from the embassy of Kazakhstan, local government, community activism, the arts, business and other walks of life, including members and friends of Friends of Socialist China from Britain, Luxembourg and Malaysia.

The 135 guests were greeted by Evie Hill of the Znaniye Foundation and its Russian School, who introduced the host, Honorary Alderman Mushtaq Lasharie CBE, the founder and Chairman of Third World Solidarity.

With the ongoing genocidal war of aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza, and with June 14 marking the seventh anniversary of the Grenfell fire, which claimed the lives of 72 people, the first speakers were Palestinian activist for women’s rights, Ahlam Akram, the founder of Basira (British Arabs Supporting Universal Women’s Rights), and Emma O’Connor, a disabled resident on Grenfell’s 20^th floor.

The main speaker was Keith Bennett, Co-editor of Friends of Socialist China, who spoke on the BRICS cooperation mechanism and its role in the evolution of a new global order.

A video message of greetings was received from Dave Anderson, former miner, care worker, Labour MP and shadow minister under Jeremy Corbyn, who is now the Chair of Marras – the Friends of the Durham Miners Gala, who was unable to be present.

Following the speeches, Hugh Goodacre sang a song marking the 40th anniversary of the miners’ great strike and this was followed by a virtuoso performance from singer and musician Mubarak Ali to round off the evening.

Keith began his speech by thanking all those who had made the evening possible, especially Mushtaq Lasharie, highlighting his decades of tireless activism and public service.

Referring to the two previous speakers, he expressed solidarity with the struggles of the Palestinian people and the Grenfell community. In the 1960s and 1970s, hundreds of thousands of people in India and Pakistan had taken to the streets raising the slogan, “My name, your name, Vietnam”. Today, for people around the world, their rallying cry has become, “In our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians.”

Grenfell was one of those events where people will remember where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about it. It was an entirely avoidable tragedy, an act of social murder in the memorable words of Friedrich Engels. The council, the government and the companies concerned, knew that the building’s cladding, like that of other residential buildings still standing, was flammable and lethal. The building was known to be a death trap. The fire was one more manifestation, like the Hillsborough football stadium disaster, the Post Office Horizon scandal, the contaminated blood scandal, and the treatment of the Windrush generation, among others, of the ruling class’s contempt for working people. But the multinational working class community of Grenfell, like the others mentioned, is a community that has refused to be silenced and which has courageously persisted in the struggle for justice.

The following is the text of the main body of Keith’s speech.

I’ve been asked to speak this evening about the BRICS and their growing role in the reconfiguration of the world order.

But like a good novel, it takes a while, and there are a few plot twists before things start to fall into place. So please bear with me for a bit.

Let’s start with the origins of our host organization, Third World Solidarity. What world were we living in? What was happening?

The key event that led to the formation of Third World Solidarity was the US bombing, with the support of the Thatcher government here, of Libya on April 15, 1986 – an act of state terrorism in which the adopted baby daughter of head of state Colonel Gaddafi was among those killed.

This was the period when Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher were turning the cold war hot throughout the Global South. (Or Third World as it was then generally called and from which we derive our name.) This was the case from Afghanistan to Nicaragua to Angola. And from Ethiopia to Cambodia.

It was also, although we did not realise it at the time, the period when the Soviet Union, and its allied socialist countries in central and Eastern Europe, were entering their final days.

Their demise also triggered the collapse, or the retreat, of many socialist experiments throughout the Third World.

Although five socialist countries survived, most notably China, elsewhere, attempts to build socialism, or just to pursue independent development, were often replaced by IMF/World Bank Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs), the downgrading of the role of the state, and the decimation of social programs and basic services, including in the vital areas of health and education. Neoliberalism acquired a practically religious aura. In the words of Margaret Thatcher, we were repeatedly told: “There is no alternative.” And for good measure, she added that there was, “no such thing as society, only individuals and their families.”

This neoliberal ideological hegemony was such that US political theorist Francis Fukuyama even proclaimed the end of history. And was catapulted from relative obscurity to intellectual rock star and guru status for his banal observation.

This apparently and now obviously ridiculous claim that history had come to an end meant that the evolution of human society was considered to have reached the destination of its journey with the hegemony of liberal democracy and the free market.

Although if democracy is to have any relationship to people having some measure of actual control over their own lives, and collectively over the evolution and running of their state and society, for hundreds of millions there was plenty of neoliberalism, plenty of economic impoverishment, but precious little democracy.

With the end of history there was also supposed to be a peace dividend. No more wars. And the Soviet Union was effectively persuaded to surrender with US promises that its NATO military alliance would not move one inch further east from a reunified Germany.

Of course, NATO marched inexorably eastwards. Slowly but surely laying the groundwork for today’s Ukraine tragedy.

As for no more wars, even to utter the phrase now can only draw a bitter laugh as we recall Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Syria, Ukraine, Palestine and so many other conflicts, together claiming the lives of millions of innocent children, women and men.

Ronnie O’Sullivan: Building a bridge of snooker between China and Britain

Ronnie O’Sullivan is the world’s most recognisable snooker player and one of the most accomplished in the history of the sport, having won the World Snooker Championship seven times among a galaxy of other accomplishments.

However, with a UK general election being held on July 4, he has been in the news for other reasons. On June 17, the Mirror and other newspapers reported that he had thrown his backing behind Faiza Shaheen, a young Muslim woman and socialist, who is standing as an independent candidate in his local area of Chingford and Wood Green. The present incumbent is former leader of the Conservative Party Iain Duncan Smith, one of the most rabid and reactionary anti-China voices in British politics. As the Labour candidate, Faiza reduced Duncan Smith’s majority to 1,262 at the 2019 general election but has now resigned from the Labour Party to stand as an independent after she was summarily removed as a Labour candidate as part of party leader Keir Starmer’s purge of the left. Ronnie, who announced in 2017 that he had joined the Labour Party to support Jeremy Corbyn, has now released a video saying:

“I think it’s really important we have a local person as our MP, someone who knows this community, someone who has roots here and wants the best for us. And I think Faiza is that person. I know life isn’t great for everyone. People are struggling and they think that a lot of politicians don’t understand how tough life is for them.

“Faiza has bundles of passion. She is well respected here, people know her, they see her in the café or in the supermarket. She’s one of us. When I heard she was standing, I got in touch to give her my support. To me, it’s a no-brainer. I’ll be voting for Faiza and, over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be helping to encourage people to get behind her too.”

As a snooker world champion, Ronnie has visited China many times and knows all the sport’s key Chinese players. He has a huge fan base in China and is himself a good friend of China.

On November 18, 2022, the English language online edition of China’s leading newspaper, People’s Daily published an interview with him where he recalled:

“The first time I went to China was in 1997 and we played in a snooker club out there. I think that it was very different from what China is now. China’s development in all aspects is very rapid, and people’s attention to sports has also been greatly improved.

“As far as development, I think China has done a good job of nurturing young snooker players in recent years… When I first started playing snooker, there were lots of opportunities, lots of competitions, and lots of people for me to learn from, however, that isn’t so much the case now in the UK. But China realized that and they’ve made sure that the people, the youngsters, should be involved in an environment where they can learn and try to get better, when they start to play.”

He added: “I like Chinese culture. I come from an Italian background, and my mother is Italian. I love the traditional culture that Chinese people value family very much, which is very similar to the cultural background of Italy. The family sitting together and sharing food makes me feel extra warm and relaxed. I also like Chinese food. The dim sum in Guangzhou and Shanghai and the hot pot in Chengdu are all my favourites.”

He concludes: “It’s a blessing to play for the Chinese fans, and I always want to be better for them. Every time I go to China, I want to give them the best performance I can. Thanks again to all the Chinese snooker fans who supported me. I can’t wait to go back to meet you all as soon as possible.”

We reprint the interview below and also embed the accompanying video.

On the evening of May 2, 2022, the world-famous snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan played in his veteran style in the last frame of the 2022 World Snooker Championships final. He eventually won the match 18:13, claiming the seventh World Snooker Championship trophy of his career. It was 2 a.m. in China, but messages of congratulation flooded Chinese social media from the fans who had stayed up all night to watch the live broadcast, sending their best wishes to this snooker icon.

As a popular British snooker player in China, O’Sullivan is affectionately nicknamed Rocket because of his high-speed and smooth style of playing. The reason that O’Sullivan has such a huge number of fans, in addition to his excellent skills, is his promotion of the sport of snooker and the cultivation of talents. His love for the sport and his extraordinary personal charm were felt throughout People’s Daily Online’s conversation with him.

People’s Daily Online: You have been to China many times before. Compared with your first visit, what do you think is different in China now?

Ronnie O’Sullivan: The first time I went to China was in 1997 and we played in a snooker club out there. I think that it was very different from what China is now. China’s development in all aspects is very rapid, and people’s attention to sports has also been greatly improved.

A month traveling in China

What follows is an original article by Stansfield Smith, a Chicago-based writer and organiser with Chicago ALBA Solidarity, sharing his reflections on a recent trip to China, which took in nine different cities and towns.

Drawing on his experiences, he highlights a series of contrasts between China and the US. For example, China’s rail systems are decades in advance of the US: “A train from Shanghai to Kunming, the distance from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, takes 11 hours 40 minutes and costs the equivalent of $127.” This is a manifestation of China prioritising the wellbeing of its people, unlike in the US where “trillions of dollars spent on endless war have impoverished us”. China’s cities meanwhile are clean and safe, packed with “pleasant, well-designed and well-kept parks”.

Particularly striking is the lack of homelessness in China. “We were in nine different cities and saw just one down-and-out person on the street asking for money. The US, in the midst of wealth, has hundreds of thousands of homeless, including children, pregnant women, and the elderly.”

Stansfield observes:

The Chinese have devoted immense public funding to public services, making you feel the world outside your front door is clean, safe, and well-organized. As a result, you feel welcomed in public places, you feel your well-being is respected… The overall feeling created in litter-free, clean, safe cities, with no homeless, staffed with many workers who keep it in order for the people, is that in contrast to the US, the Chinese government has created a society that cares about you… China is creating a more humane place to live.

Sad to say, the US is responding to China’s progress with a New Cold War – a desperate attempt to contain China’s rise and to preserve American hegemony. Ultimately this strategy will be unsuccessful. As the author points out, “today China presents a progressive and growing alternative force to the world power of the US empire.”

My Chinese-speaking wife and I recently traveled to nine different cities and towns in China over the course of a month, our fourth trip since 2005. We were also to go in 2020, but the covid lockdown canceled it. That year we could have booked a train ticket to Xinjiang and traveled around that province no questions asked, though Western media claimed we’d be in the midst of the bogus Uyghur “genocide.” One example of the endless disinformation about China.

Of our most significant impressions of China, the first is the contrast between the stories the corporate media tell us about China, what they don’t want us to know, and the reality we see. The Wall Street Journal for example asserted “China’s economy limps into 2024”, whereas in contrast the US was marked by a “resilient domestic economy.” In reality, China grew 5.3% in the first quarter of 2024. The US grew at 1.6%, Germany and France grew just 0.2%, Britain at 0.6%, and Japan -0.5%. But economic crisis is racking China!

Two, China’s infrastructure surpasses anything in the US. Jimmy Carter said “How many miles of high-speed railroad do we have in this country [zero]? China has around 18,000 miles (29,000 km) of high-speed rail lines.” That was in 2019. Now it is 28,000 miles and trains can travel 220 miles per hour. A train from Shanghai to Kunming, the distance from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, takes 11 hours 40 minutes and costs the equivalent of $127.

What we live with here in the US appears hugely backward in comparison. Their subway systems are decades ahead of those in the US; the US train system seems a century behind. Videos such as this show what they have achieved.

Three, after experiencing China’s incredible infrastructure, you realize how the trillions of dollars spent on endless war have impoverished us. The US blows things up instead of building things to improve public well-being. Carter said the US “has wasted, I think, $3 trillion” on military spending ($5.9 trillion between 2001-2018). “Since 1979, do you know how many times China has been at war with anybody? None, and we have stayed at war. China has not wasted a single penny on war, and that’s why they’re ahead of us. In almost every way… We’d have high-speed railroad. We’d have bridges that aren’t collapsing, we’d have roads that are maintained properly. Our education system would be as good as that of say South Korea or Hong Kong.”

Four, clean and safe cities. We don’t see the omnipresent litter we do here. Every day a veritable army of public workers cleans the streets, sidewalks, subways, parks, and other public places. These are not simply litter-free, but clean. Workers making sure of it. In the US we would expect this in private buildings, universities, hospitals, fancy hotels, but not in public spaces.

The US ruling class, not China, is responsible for the opioid crisis

The following article by Friends of Socialist China co-founder Danny Haiphong, originally published in Beijing Review, discusses the growing opioid crisis in the United States and the tendency of US politicians to place blame for the crisis on China. Noting that opioid overdoses caused over 112,000 deaths in 2023, Danny writes that “the causes for the spike in both the use of fentanyl and its deadly consequences have been obscured by the rampant politicization of the issue”.

The House Select Committee on “Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party” claims that China has been promoting the manufacture and export of the precursor chemicals critical to the production of fentanyl. Danny observes however that this claim is not substantiated by meaningful evidence, and furthermore “disregards China’s serious efforts in cracking down on the trafficking of fentanyl despite having no domestic problem with opioid abuse.” For example, in 2019, “China became the first country in the world to include all fentanyl-related substances in its supplementary list of controlled narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.”

In truth the regulatory failures are taking place in the US, not China – “in large part due to the influence of corporate power on politics”. The attempt to pin blame on China is part of a broader New Cold War agenda in which China is demonised and its rise presented as an existential threat to the Western way of life. This narrative in turn serves to justify the US military build-up in the Pacific and the escalating campaign of China encirclement.

It is no secret that drug addiction is a major problem in the United States. When it comes to opioids, the crisis has become increasingly deadly. Over 112,000 fatal overdoses occurred in the U.S. in 2023. The potent synthetic opioid, fentanyl, is now a household name for its role in aggravating overdoses in the country to such a historic scale.

However, the causes for the spike in both the use of fentanyl and its deadly consequences have been obscured by the rampant politicization of the issue. In recent years, U.S. political elites have attempted to explain away the crisis by blaming a convenient scapegoat: China.

The House Select Committee on “Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party” in April released a report claiming that China has directly subsidized precursor chemicals critical to the production of fentanyl.

The insinuation is that China is directly trading these substances with illicit fentanyl producers and therefore fueling the opioid crisis in the U.S.

Blaming China for the opioid crisis didn’t begin this year, however. Political officials placed fentanyl production at the top of their domestic agenda in 2021 and immediately blamed China for the deadly consequences. U.S. President Joe Biden stated prior to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC conference in San Francisco, California, last November that he would make pressuring China on fentanyl a key topic and claimed a “diplomatic victory” after China and the U.S. agreed to resume talks on the issue.

Blaming China for the U.S. opioid overdose crisis is rife with problems. For one, the House committee is a byproduct of a broader Cold War agenda and the credibility of its report is in serious question given the majority of its sources are anecdotal or regurgitation of Western media claims.

Furthermore, U.S. claims disregard China’s serious efforts in cracking down on the trafficking of fentanyl despite having no domestic problem with opioid abuse. In 2019, China became the first country in the world to include all fentanyl-related substances in its supplementary list of controlled narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

The country has also taken numerous security measures in compliance with the law, and many of these actions include cooperating directly with U.S. export-import control mechanisms.

It’s also important to note that the responsibility of how precursor chemicals are utilized falls on the importing country. The U.S. has consistently ignored necessary regulations on the sale and distribution of opioids in large part due to the influence of corporate power on politics.

U.S. pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma LP is infamous for starting the opioid epidemic in the U.S. beginning in the 1990s as the maker and aggressive peddler of OxyContin, a strong and potentially addictive pain medication.

Purdue Pharma opened the floodgates to the over-prescription of opioids within an already profit-driven health insurance and medical system. For the past 30 years, pharmaceutical corporations have poured billions of dollars into political campaigns to ensure that their products receive legislative priority and protection.

The close relationship between U.S. politicians and pharmaceutical corporations has created what’s called the “revolving door.” For example, during the Donald Trump administration, former Commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration Scott Gottlieb resigned to join the board of directors of Pfizer, one of the world’s premier pharmaceutical and biomedical enterprises.

And the revolving door is no partisan affair. Major members of Biden’s staff, such as former Deputy Chief of Staff Jennifer O’Malley Dillon and current Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, have worked for law firms representing major pharmaceutical corporations such as Pfizer and Gilead Sciences, Inc.

The U.S. geopolitical footprint on the illicit drug trade has contributed to countless suffering and chaos throughout the Global South, or the nations of the world that are considered to have a relatively low level of economic and industrial development and are typically located to the south of more industrialized nations. The U.S. played a role in the Opium Wars in the 19th century which led to China’s “century of humiliation” and was a major force in the global opium trade of that period. Throughout the Cold War, covert U.S. wars in Latin America led to the proliferation of the drug trade from Colombia to Central America. And Afghanistan, suffering decades of U.S. interventions, became the top producer of opium in the world for much of the 21st century until its growth and distribution was banned by the Taliban in 2022 following the U.S. withdrawl from the country.

Blaming China won’t address any self-inflicted wounds. It is U.S. policy, or rather the lack thereof, that is responsible for making American society an attractive market for the illicit drug trade. Despair, stress, poverty and racial discrimination make for a toxic mix that continues to fester and grow in the heart of American society. Political leaders and their elite sponsors are the ones who need to be held accountable. Not China.

Engaging with the People’s Republic

A high-level delegation from the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, headed by its Chair, Dr. Heinz Bierbaum, visited China in March. The foundation is closely associated with Germany’s Die Linke (Left Party).

The following article, which we reproduce from the foundation’s website, details the background to the delegation, reports its visits and meetings in Beijing, Zhejiang and Shanghai, and outlines the key themes for its future work with China. Giving an overall context, the article notes:

“Over the span of two generations, the People’s Republic of China has gone from one of the poorest countries in the world to its second-largest economy and a rising global power, and did so while maintaining its own, distinct developmental model. Its state-directed market economy has lifted over 800 million people out of poverty, and garnered the attention of other developing countries looking to extract themselves from the middle-income trap.”

It adds that the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation is working to reinvigorate ties between China and progressive parties and movements in Germany, in the spirit of fostering a global debate on the nature of socialism in the twenty-first century.

Moving forward, the work of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation’s Beijing Office will focus on exchanges between European and Chinese Marxists, translating Chinese debates into Western contexts and vice-versa.

Dr. Jan Turowski, office director since 2017, argues that different historical contexts must always be taken into account when evaluating debates on Marxism and socialism:

“In China, and particularly in the Communist Party, socialism is treated less as a state of affairs than a goal-oriented strategic process… As a theoretical debate in constant interplay with practical developments, conflicts of interest, and policy demands, it changes, experiments, conforms, and yet continues to structure the political process, giving it direction over the longer term… In contrast, the debate in the West as to whether China is socialist or not often focuses — rather unproductively — on a state of affairs and set of binary categories: either a society is socialist or it is not. Many Western leftists discuss China’s contradictions as good or bad, right or wrong, rather than confronting them as an integral part of the socialist experiment. Nevertheless, bringing Chinese and Western debates on socialism together in an open-minded and interested way, without denying the many differences, might well spark some creative ideas.”

The observation is as banal as it is true: China’s economic and geopolitical rise over the past four decades has transformed both the country and the world around it, and will continue to do so for decades to come. Over the span of two generations, the People’s Republic of China has gone from one of the poorest countries in the world to its second-largest economy and a rising global power, and did so while maintaining its own, distinct developmental model. Its state-directed market economy has lifted over 800 million people out of poverty, and garnered the attention of other developing countries looking to extract themselves from the middle-income trap.

It was thus only natural for the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation to begin supporting projects in China in 2002, and open one of its first international offices there in 2008. Since then, our Beijing branch has grown from a modest outpost to a fully-fledged regional office, organizing high-level exchanges and joint conferences and publications with a number of universities, research institutions, and even the Communist Party of China. Against a backdrop of growing geopolitical tensions, the foundation’s work seeks to maintain and expand corridors for debate and exchange, and learn from each other’s experiences in the interest of mutual understanding. The many differences between China, Germany, and Europe notwithstanding, we are convinced that only through dialogue can conflicts be resolved in a constructive manner.

As the COVID pandemic draws to a close and travel restrictions ease, the office has intensified its activity by hosting several international delegations and organizing a series of seminars and workshops in China and Germany. Together with the launch of a new bilingual website, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation is working to reinvigorate ties between China and progressive parties and movements in Germany, in the spirit of fostering a global debate on the nature of socialism in the twenty-first century. Chinese scholars often emphasize that their experience is unique and cannot be seen as a blueprint for movements and parties in other parts of the world. Nevertheless, any discussion of socialism’s prospects today cannot afford to ignore the experience of 1.4 billion people living under a system that describes itself as “socialism with Chinese characteristics”.

Friends from Afar

A recent sign of the office’s renewed activity was a high-level delegation to China in late March, hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and led by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation’s chair, Dr. Heinz Bierbaum. Together with representatives from the foundation’s Executive and Academic Advisory Board, Bierbaum visited Beijing, Hangzhou, and Shanghai, and met with representatives of municipal administrations, cultural institutions, and the Communist Party.

The delegation began its trip with a visit to the Central Party School in Beijing, where Vice President Li Yi discussed China’s socialist modernization with participants and emphasized the need for mutual cooperation in international relations. Later in the day, delegates were received by CPAFFC President Yang Wanming, who emphasized the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation’s longstanding role in strengthening person-to-person exchanges between China and Germany, and expressed optimism that relations between the two countries would continue to develop positively. Further meetings with representatives of the International Department of the Central Committee and the National People’s Congress underlined the depth of cooperation the foundation has developed in China over the past two decades.

The country’s high-speed rail network has helped to transform China’s transportation system, and demonstrates what kind of green infrastructural development is possible under the right conditions.

After taking in the sights of Beijing, the delegation travelled south to Hangzhou, capital of the eastern coastal province Zhejiang. Here, participants visited the nearby model village of Xiaogucheng, where the local Party leadership has instituted a number of effective anti-poverty strategies and pioneered new structures of community governance. Hangzhou has also broken ground in its attempts to integrate high-tech development with environmentally sustainable urban planning, as the delegation learned in Dream Town, a major tech hub along the city’s historic waterfront that seeks to integrate, rather than replace, the existing ecological and urban space.

The delegation’s visit concluded in Shanghai, China’s largest and wealthiest city, where participants met with Chen Jing, President of the Shanghai People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and learned about the city’s unprecedented growth within the framework of the state-led market economy. The Shanghai Master Plan, which runs from 2017 to 2035, seeks to turn Shanghai into a “modern socialist international metropolis” seamlessly integrating life, work, and the surrounding environment. It stands as an exemplary case of China’s approach to development, whereby the fundamental parameters of economic growth are laid out in a series of five-year plans, leaving ample room for experimentation and creativity at the local and regional levels.

Perhaps most remarkable for delegation participants was the substantial progress the People’s Republic has made in terms of what in China is referred to as “ecological civilization”. Electric vehicles were to be seen in every city the delegation visited, marked by their silent engines and green license plates that set them apart from the rest of the fleet. Indeed, in Shanghai, over half of new vehicle registrations are electric. The country’s high-speed rail network, which consists of 45,000 kilometres of track and encompasses two-thirds of all high-speed rail in the world, has helped to transform China’s transportation system, and demonstrates what kind of green infrastructural development is possible under the right conditions. Summing up his impressions, Dr. Bierbaum remarked that he was “deeply impressed by the level of economic and technical development achieved, above all by the fact that a high degree of qualitative and, in particular, ecological aspects have been taken into account.”

UN expert: Unilateral sanctions against China are illegal

Following a 12-day official visit to China, Alena Douhan, UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, has called on the US and its allies to lift their sanctions against China, which she says are illegal and are having a negative impact on the human rights of the Chinese people.

These sanctions, imposed in 2017 and since significantly expanded (most notably with the 2021 ‘Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act’ (UFLPA)), target key sectors including agriculture, construction, trade, green technologies, energy, finance and telecommunications. The sanctions contravene the most fundamental legal norm by placing the burden of proof on the accused, rather than the accuser. The UFLPA in particular demands that Chinese companies prove that their products are not made with forced labour.

Douhan notes: “Access to justice and the fundamental principles of due process and the presumption of innocence are also seriously undermined by the listing and de-listing procedures, based on the rebuttable presumption of wrongfulness of everything with any nexus to Xinjiang or designated companies.”

A report on the UN Human Rights Council website cites Douhan as saying that a “decline in business activities and the significant loss of global markets either due to unilateral sanctions per se or due to over-compliance with such measures by foreign businesses and entities have led to job losses, with consequent disruptions in social protection schemes, by disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable, particularly in labour-intensive sectors, including women, older persons, and all those in informal employment”.

That is to say, not only are the sanctions illegal, they are also adversely affecting the human rights of precisely those people they are purportedly intended to protect.

Alena Douhan’s visit took her to Beijing, Urumqi, Shihezi, Changji, Hotan, and Shenzhen, and included meetings with representatives from national and local government institutions, NGOs, humanitarian actors, businesses, UN entities, academics, businesses and diplomats.

The full text of Douhan’s statement can be found here.

The report below is republished from Global Times.

Unilateral sanctions against China do not conform with a broad number of international legal norms, are introduced to apply pressure on the country, and can be qualified as unilateral coercive measures, the UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights, Alena Douhan, said in a press conference in Beijing on Friday after a 12-day official visit to several cities in China, including Urumqi, Shihezi and Hotan in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Unilateral sanctions have been imposed against China since 2017 with mounting US pressure on Chinese technological companies and the imposition of export controls, designation of companies’ officials and the launch of administrative and civil charges. These have been followed by further sanctions and restrictions related to China’s Xinjiang region and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, by expanding the list of targets to include key sectors, including in agriculture, construction, trade, green technologies, energy, finance, telecommunications and others.

As the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Douhan visited China from May 6 to 17 to gather firsthand information on the negative impact of unilateral sanctions in China. During her stay in China, she met representatives from national and local government institutions, non-governmental organizations, associations, humanitarian actors, businesses, UN entities, academia, businesses, as well as the diplomatic community.

One day before the UN expert’s press conference, the US announced on Thursday that it was adding another 26 Chinese cotton traders or warehouse facilities to the entity list of the so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) that bars goods related to so-called forced labor in the Xinjiang region, Reuters reported.

The UFLPA, which was enacted in December 2021, has been widely criticized as “one of the most notorious laws of the 21st century.” It creates a “rebuttable presumption” that all goods partially or wholly produced in the Xinjiang region are “tainted by forced labor” and it requires corporations to prove with “clear and convincing evidence” that imports from the region are not made by forced labor.

During the Friday meeting with media, Douhan noted that the establishment of a “rebuttable presumption” regarding the “wrongdoing” of companies with any connection to Xinjiang or designated entities, particularly those involved in recruiting individuals from ethnic minority groups in China or operating within designated sectors of the economy, places the burden of proof on business actors.

It violates fundamental principles of international law, as well as provisions outlined in resolutions of the UN General Assembly and UN Human Rights Council and represents an attempt to supplement legal standards with a so-called rules-based order, said Douhan.

Sanctions against broad sectors of the economy in China’s Xinjiang region coupled with those against large companies affect the overall economy of the region, result in disruptions of industrial and trade relations, adversely affect all those involved in the supply chains with a link to this region, even outside China, including third country employees, and consequently result in rising unemployment, particularly affecting the most vulnerable, said Douhan.

The UN expert also noted that minorities in the Xinjiang region would also be affected and those who have been lifted out of poverty may face the risk of falling into poverty once again in an interview with the Global Times on Friday.

There are no legal grounds from the perspective of international law to impose sanctions against specific types of industry, cotton or high-tech area or batteries or any others. And “transparency does not exist” when companies submit explanations to related departments to protect their rights by judicial means, said Douhan.

Douhan also called on sanctioning parties to lift and suspend all unilateral sanctions applied to China, Chinese nationals and companies without authorization from the UN Security Council.

“I wish to reiterate the illegality of extraterritorial application of unilateral sanctions and I call on states, in particular sanctioning states, to effectively address over-compliance of businesses and other entities under their jurisdiction in order to mitigate or completely eliminate any adverse humanitarian impact,” said the expert.

Xi congratulates Ramaphosa on reelection as South African president

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message to Cyril Ramaphosa on June 15, congratulating him on his reelection as President of the Republic of South Africa.

In his message, Xi noted that China and South Africa have profound political mutual trust and fruitful practical cooperation in various fields, which is a model of solidarity and cooperation among developing countries and the Global South.

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

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Cyril Ramaphosa who was reelected as president of South Africa on Friday.

Xi said that during his fourth state visit to South Africa in August last year, he and Ramaphosa reached important consensus on a wide range of issues, marking a new chapter in building a high-level China-South Africa community with a shared future.

Xi also said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-South Africa relations and stands ready to work with Ramaphosa to elevate the China-South Africa comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level and jointly contribute to world peace, stability, and prosperity.

Videos: China proves that a new world is possible! Delegates report back from China

On 16 June 2024, we held a webinar reporting back on the first exclusive Friends of Socialist China delegation to the People’s Republic of China, which took place from 14 to 24 April 2024. At the webinar we heard back from the delegates about their experiences and observations of Chinese socialism. The speakers were:

Danny Haiphong (Broadcaster; Author, ‘American Exceptionalism and American Innocence’)
Fiona Sim (Black Liberation Alliance)
Roger McKenzie (International editor, Morning Star)
Margaret Kimberley (Editor-in-chief, Black Agenda Report)
Russel Harland (trade unionist and Friends of Socialist China Britain Committee member)
Sage Stanescu (researcher and Friends of Socialist China Britain Committee member)

Embedded below is the full livestream (unfortunately including, in the first few minutes, various interruptions by racist trolls attempting to sabotage the event) and the individual panel contributions (thankfully without interruptions!).

China and Cuba: good friends, good comrades and good brothers

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla visited China in the first week of June as the Special Envoy of President Miguel Díaz-Canel.

Meeting his Cuban counterpart on June 6, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China and Cuba are good friends who trust each other, good comrades who share the same vision, and good brothers who share weal and woe, adding that the two sides reached an important consensus on jointly building a China-Cuba community with a shared future. China speaks highly of Cuba’s adherence to truth and defiance of power, and appreciates that Cuba always stands up for China’s legitimate stance on international multilateral occasions. China firmly supports Cuba in defending its national sovereignty and opposing foreign interference and will continue to resolutely oppose the US’s unreasonable blockade against Cuba.

Wang added that China is willing to work with Cuba to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, develop the special friendly relations between the two parties and two countries, and contribute to promoting the cause of world socialism and safeguarding world peace.

Rodriguez said that Cuba sincerely thanks China for its strong support in resisting the unreasonable blockade and interference of the United States and overcoming temporary difficulties in economic operation and will continue to firmly abide by the one-China principle.

Cuba is willing to work with China to build a Cuba-China community with a shared future, give top priority to the joint construction of the Belt and Road, and safeguard the sovereignty and independence of developing countries as well as the cause of socialism.

The following day, Rodriguez had separate meetings with Li Xi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, who is also Secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and with Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC).

Noting that China and Cuba are good friends, good comrades, and good brothers who stick together through thick and thin, Li said China will continue to support Cuba in pursuing a socialist path that suits its national conditions and defending its national sovereignty and dignity.

Rodriguez expressed gratitude for China’s strong support for the just cause of Cuba, saying Cuba will firmly abide by the one-China principle, steadfastly deepen friendship with China and resolutely defend the socialist cause.

Liu Jianchao said that under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of Cuba, the Cuban people have firm convictions, are not afraid of power, are indomitable, and resolutely safeguard the interests of the country and the nation. The Communist Party of China is ready to work with the Communist Party of Cuba to implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and two countries, strengthen exchanges at all levels, along with mutual learning of experience in governance, promote cooperation in areas such as people’s livelihood, give full play to the political leading role of inter-party relations, advance their respective socialist construction, and promote greater development of China-Cuba relations.

Rodriguez said that Cuba and China share common ideals and beliefs, and both adhere to the socialist road. The Cuban party and government have placed the development of relations with China and the Communist Party of China in the first place in their foreign relations, thanked the Chinese side for its valuable assistance and strong support for Cuba’s economic and social development, and hoped to strengthen cooperation with China in agriculture, renewable energy, investment, finance, and other fields. We firmly believe, he added, that with the support of China and international friendly forces, Cuba will be able to continue to advance on the road of socialist construction. Cuba is ready to work with China to promote the building of a just and equitable international order.

On June 12, Li Xi also met with a delegation of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) led by Gladys Martinez Verdecia, member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the PCC and First Secretary of its Artemisa Provincial Party Committee. He said that China and Cuba are both socialist countries led by communist parties and share common ideals and convictions.

Martinez expressed willingness to work with the CPC to implement the consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and countries, deepen the exchange of experience on party and state governance, promote practical cooperation in agriculture and other fields, and push for greater development of China-Cuba relations. The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency and on the website of the IDCPC. The article from the IDCPC was published in Chinese and has been machine translated and subedited by us.

Chinese FM holds talks with Cuban president’s special envoy

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Special Envoy of Cuban President and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, on Thursday in Beijing.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China and Cuba are good friends who trust each other, good comrades who share the same vision, and good brothers who share weal and woe, adding that the two sides reached an important consensus on jointly building a China-Cuba community with a shared future.

Xi: China and Brazil are like-minded good friends and good partners walking hand in hand

The close relations between China and Brazil were underlined and reinforced with the China visit of Vice President Geraldo Alckmin in early June.

The distinguished Brazilian visitor met with President Xi Jinping on June 7.

Xi said China and Brazil are like-minded good friends, and good partners walking hand in hand. “In April last year, President Lula and I reached an important consensus on leading and opening up the new future of China-Brazil relations in the new era.”

With joint efforts in the past year, the two countries have continuously deepened strategic mutual trust, steadily advanced pragmatic cooperation, and closely coordinated on the international stage. This has not only promoted their respective development, but effectively safeguarded the common interests of all developing countries.

Both as major developing countries and key emerging market economies, China and Brazil share broad and common strategic interests, and their relationship goes far beyond the bilateral scope to have exemplary significance for promoting solidarity and cooperation among developing countries as well as world peace and stability, Xi said.

By grasping the strategic nature of their ties, the two countries should make those ties more mutually beneficial and comprehensive, continue to enhance strategic coordination, and add new dimensions to the China-Brazil friendship, Xi added.

As the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations this year, they should strengthen exchanges and cooperation in various fields, including legislative bodies, political parties, local governments, culture, education, tourism and youth. China backs Brazil’s greater role on the international stage and its hosting of the G20 Leaders’ Summit this year. China is also ready to enhance communication with Brazil and other members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) for further development of China-Latin America relations in the new era.

Alckmin conveyed President Lula’s cordial greetings to President Xi. He said that in recent years, hundreds of millions of Chinese people have been lifted out of poverty, which is a miracle in the world, and the relevant experience is of great significance for Brazil. He added that the Brazilian government is committed to inclusive and sustainable growth and is willing to enhance the synergy of development strategies with China.

A little earlier, on June 4, the Second China-Brazil poverty alleviation and rural revitalisation forum was held in Beijing. Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (IDCPC), Wellington Dias, Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Combating Hunger of Brazil, Paulo Teixeira, Minister for Rural Development and Family Farming of Brazil, Sun Qixin, President of China Agricultural University, and Marcia Abrahão Moura, Rector of the University of Brasília, attended and addressed the forum.

Minister Liu noted that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil. Over the past half century, the development of bilateral relations has withstood the test of vicissitudes, with fruitful results from practical cooperation in various fields. This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of relations between the CPC and the Workers’ Party (PT) of Brazil. The two parties have maintained close exchanges and cooperation for a long time, playing an important role in promoting the smooth development of China-Brazil relations. China and Brazil are the largest developing countries in the Eastern and Western hemispheres respectively, representatives of emerging market economies, and important members of the Global South. The concerted efforts of China and Brazil will not only benefit the two peoples, but also play a constructive role in world peace, stability and development.

Liu added that poverty is a chronic affliction of human society. Poverty reduction and rural revitalisation are the common cause and unremitting pursuit of China and Brazil. The Chinese side is ready to further share poverty reduction experience with Brazilian political parties, government, local governments, enterprises, and so on through various channels, including the “political party + practical cooperation” platform, and strengthen practical cooperation in agriculture, so as to continuously enhance people’s well-being.

Dias congratulated the Chinese people on their remarkable achievements in poverty alleviation under the leadership of the CPC. He said that Brazil is currently facing new challenges in poverty reduction and the fight against hunger. The Brazilian side is willing to, together with the Chinese side, implement the important consensus of the two heads of state, strengthen exchanges between political parties, think tanks, universities, enterprises, and non-governmental organisations, deepen exchanges and mutual learning of experience in poverty reduction and rural revitalisation, and advance cooperation in agricultural education and scientific research as well as in production of agricultural machinery, so as to better benefit the two countries and peoples.

The following articles were first published by the Xinhua News Agency and on the website of the IDCPC.

Xi meets Brazilian vice president

BEIJING, June 7 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin in Beijing on Friday.

China and Venezuela jointly advocate for a multipolar world

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil Pinto paid a visit to China and Vietnam in the first week of June.

Meeting his Chinese counterpart on June 5, Wang Yi said that as good friends, partners and comrades, regardless of how the international and regional situation changes, China will unwaveringly develop China-Venezuela relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, and jointly oppose any external interference and bullying actions.

Wang noted that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, adding that, at this important historical juncture, both sides should adhere to the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, summarise the successful experiences of half a century of China-Venezuela relations, and plan strategically with a forward-looking perspective to inject new contemporary meaning into their all-weather strategic partnership. He further emphasised that China supports Venezuela’s efforts to safeguard national sovereignty and dignity, its exploration of a development path suited to its own national conditions, and its greater role in the world, especially in Latin America.

Venezuela has long stood firmly with China on issues involving China’s core interests and major concerns, which we highly appreciate, Wang said, adding that China is willing to further expand bilateral trade with Venezuela, broaden cooperation areas, and assist Venezuela in accelerating its industrialisation and economic diversification.

For his part, Gil congratulated China on the success of the Chang’e-6 lunar probe mission, stating that China’s outstanding achievements in development and revitalisation are a great encouragement to Venezuela and other Global South countries.

Venezuela is willing to work with China to successfully organise activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and looks forward to deepening cooperation in trade, technology, agriculture, energy, infrastructure, aerospace and cultural exchanges.

In addition, Venezuela appreciates China’s commitment to fairness and justice in international affairs and is willing to closely communicate and cooperate with China to promote the continuous development of China-Latin America relations, jointly uphold multilateralism and the principles of the UN Charter, jointly oppose hegemony and unilateral illegal sanctions, and defend the common interests, fairness and justice of the Global South. Venezuela also appreciates the six-point consensus on the political resolution of the Ukraine crisis jointly issued recently by China and Brazil.

Wang Huning, Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), also met with the Venezuelan Foreign Minister on June 7.

On June 8, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister met in Hanoi separately with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and with Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and head of its Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung.

In his meeting with Trung, Venezuela’s top diplomat expressed his delight at visiting Vietnam for the first time and hailed the great achievements of the doi moi (renewal) process, initiated and led by the CPV, over the past nearly 40 years, as well as Vietnam’s increasingly important role and position in the region and the world.

He also emphasised the importance of the close relationship between his country’s ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and the CPV in strengthening the foundation of bilateral relations and political trust at a high level, as well as orienting and developing the comprehensive partnership between the two countries.

The previous day, Gil also met with Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son. During his two day visit, he also laid a wreath and paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum and visited various other historical and cultural sites in the Vietnamese capital.

The following article was originally published by Global Times.

As good friends, partners and comrades, regardless of how the international and regional situation changes, China will unwaveringly develop China-Venezuela relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, deepen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, and jointly oppose any external interference and bullying actions, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told visiting Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yván Gil Pinto on Wednesday.

Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

At this important historical juncture, both sides should adhere to the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, summarize the successful experiences of 50 years of China-Venezuela relations, and plan strategically with a forward-looking perspective to inject new contemporary meaning into the all-weather strategic partnership.

When Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Moros visited China in September 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Venezuelan leader jointly announced the elevation of the two countries’ relations to an all-weather strategic partnership.

Under the strategic guidance of the two countries’ leaders, the direction for the development of China-Venezuela relations has become clearer, its connotation richer, and its momentum stronger, Wang said.

The Chinese top diplomat emphasized that China supports Venezuela’s efforts to safeguard national sovereignty and dignity, its exploration of a development path suited to its own national conditions, and its greater role in the world, especially in Latin America.

Venezuela has long stood firmly with China on issues involving China’s core interests and major concerns, which we highly appreciate, Wang said.

China is willing to further expand bilateral trade with Venezuela, broaden cooperation areas, and assist Venezuela in accelerating its industrialization and economic diversification, Wang said.

As important members of the Global South, China and Venezuela should closely cooperate in international multilateral fields and jointly address global challenges. China is willing to work with Venezuela to uphold universally recognized fundamental principles of international relations, advocate for an equal and orderly multipolar world, and promote inclusive and beneficial economic globalization, Wang said.

Venezuela’s foreign minister came as senior officials from Brazil and Cuba are paying visits to China this week. Experts said cooperation between China and Latin American countries set a model for partnership within the Global South.

Latin American and Caribbean countries are an important part of the Global South, and the collective rise of the Global South is a significant aspect of the century-old changes, Wang said.

China sincerely hopes that Latin American countries will maintain unity, cooperation, and independence, and China will continue to be a reliable partner for development and prosperity with the broad Latin American countries.

2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the formal operation of the China-CELAC Forum. China is willing to work with Venezuela and other regional countries to promote overall cooperation between China and Latin America and jointly build a China-Latin America community with a shared future, Wang said.

During the meeting, Gil congratulated China on the success of the Chang’e-6 lunar probe mission, stating that China’s outstanding achievements in development and revitalization are a great encouragement to Venezuela and other Global South countries.

Venezuela is one of China’s best partners in Latin America. Venezuela consistently upholds the one-China principle and firmly supports China on issues involving China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Gil said.

Venezuela is willing to work with China to successfully organize activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and looks forward to deepening cooperation in trade, technology, agriculture, energy, infrastructure, aerospace and cultural exchanges, the Venezuela diplomat said.

Venezuela also appreciates the six-point consensus on the political resolution of the Ukraine crisis jointly issued by China and Brazil, Gil noted.

Within just one week, 45 countries from five continents have responded positively to the six-point consensus, with 26 countries already confirming their participation or seriously studying how to join, Wang said in an earlier meeting with visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Tuesday.

Wang also noted that Russia and Ukraine, the two main parties involved, have also affirmed most of the contents of the consensus.

Narrative of ‘overcapacity’ is a complete failure: former UN under-secretary-general

Interviewed by the Global Times, Erik Solheim describes the West’s accusations of Chinese “overcapacity” in relation to solar energy and electric vehicles as “a complete failure”.

From the perspective of combatting climate change, China is doing crucial work and blazing a trail that others should follow: “We have all called for many more high-quality green products from everyone, from China, from Europe, from the US, from everyone. Why start blaming China for doing what is expected from everyone?”

Solheim further notes that, from an economic perspective, accusations of overcapacity make little sense, “because what creates the foundation for trade is overcapacity… My nation, Norway, for example, is a big exporter of salmon… We raise and produce much more salmon than we can eat ourselves. Then we sell some to others. And then, for instance, we can import electric cars from China… We should not fear overcapacity, but we should turn it into a mutual benefit where everyone benefits from Chinese leadership in electric cars as they benefit from our production of salmon.”

Ultimately, tariffs will slow down the green transformation “because China is now the indispensable country for everything green”, given that “60 percent of all green technologies in the world are in China” and “when it comes to solar energy, maybe the figure is even more than 90 percent.”

Solheim also describes some of China’s contribution to sustainable development in the Global South: “I was living in Kenya for quite a number of good years. In Kenya, China has constructed the Mombasa-Nairobi railroad, which goes through some very vulnerable ecological areas. But it is the cleanest and most well-functioning transport system in Kenya. It’s an absolute, wonderful, green contribution to Africa.”

Erik Solheim is former under-secretary-general of the United Nations and former executive director of the UN Environment Programme. He spoke at our event Building a multipolar world – Ten years of the Belt and Road Initiative in November 2023.

GT: During your recent visit to China, you posed a photo of your morning run. What was it like to go for a morning run in Beijing?

Solheim: It was absolutely wonderful. The sun was bright, the sky was blue. You could breathe in the fresh air. It was a nice experience and highlighted a contrast to 10 years ago when the air pollution was thick and the sky was gray. It’s such enormous progress in such a short time. There is more to be done. But China has largely won the war against pollution.

GT: In the same tweet, you mentioned: “Why doesn’t the world start competing and stop complaining about China’s green leadership?” They are complaining about China’s “overcapacity.” Do you think China has an issue of “overcapacity”?

Solheim: I think the narrative of capacity is a complete failure for two reasons.

First, this is exactly what we all have wanted. This is even what the Joe Biden administration in the US has called for. We have all called for many more high-quality green products from everyone, from China, from Europe, from the US, from everyone. Why start blaming China for doing what is expected from everyone? A few years ago, the West was complaining that China’s production was emitting too much pollution. And now they’re complaining that China is making green products.

Second, this is complete nonsense from an economic perspective because what creates the foundation for trade is overcapacity. If the US had no overcapacity in its industries for the last 100 years, it would not have become a great nation. It became great because it had overcapacity – it could produce for global markets.

My nation, Norway, for example, is a big exporter of salmon. Why? Because we have overcapacity for salmon. We raise and produce much more salmon than we can eat ourselves. Then we sell some to others. And then, for instance, we can import electric cars from China. One of the most valuable companies in the world today is Apple, an American company. Why? Because they have an overcapacity in electric smartphones. Otherwise, they would have just been in the American market and they would have been a small company. We should not fear overcapacity, but we should turn it into a mutual benefit where everyone benefits from Chinese leadership in electric cars as they benefit from our production of salmon.

GT: Are there any green cooperation projects between China and other countries that have impressed you? What are the positive impacts of those projects?

Solheim: Absolutely. Two months ago, I was in Bangladesh, where China had constructed a bridge called the Padma Bridge. It is a wonderful rail and road bridge across the Padma River. That one bridge increased the GDP of Bangladesh by 1 percent because it connects the eastern and western parts of the land. That is a wonderful support for Bangladesh.

I was living in Kenya for quite a number of good years. In Kenya, China has constructed the Mombasa-Nairobi railroad, which goes through some very vulnerable ecological areas. But it is the cleanest and most well-functioning transport system in Kenya. It’s an absolute, wonderful, green contribution to Africa.

GT: Some observers suggest that the US doesn’t want to live in a world where the world’s foremost energy provider is China, so they’re making huge efforts to catch up and, at the same time, attempt to slow China down with initiatives like this “overcapacity” rhetoric. What’s your take on this view?

Solheim: I think there are two aspects to this view.

First, the US is deeply concerned about having a peer competitor, such as China. For the past century, the US has been the dominant global power, or the only dominant power in the world, and it’s not used to sharing that position. However, it needs to get used to the reality that China’s economy will surpass that of the US, and China will play an increasingly important role in global affairs. Additionally, the US doesn’t only need to adapt to the rise of China, but also to the rise of other powers like India, Turkey, Indonesia, and Brazil. The era of US dominance is over, and it needs to adapt to the change.

On the other hand, President Biden wants jobs for his people. It’s natural for him to be more concerned about American jobs than the jobs in Liaoning or Guangdong.

But we should also explore how the green energy boom can benefit everyone and how Chinese companies can invest in and be welcomed in Europe and North America.

For instance, Tesla was invited to come to China. China invited Tesla to a large extent to create fair competition in the electric car market in China. It helped shape BYD, Hongqi, Geely, and all the other Chinese brands. Thus, the US should invite Chinese companies to invest in America, shaping the competition in the American market. Then maybe American companies would be more cost-competitive as well.

GT: We are now seeing the US government raising tariffs on Chinese EVs, advanced batteries, solar cells, and other goods. What impact will it have on the world if the US government continues to exclude Chinese new energy products?

Solheim: It will obviously slow down the green transformation because China is now the indispensable country for everything green. 60 percent of all green technologies in the world are in China. When it comes to solar energy, maybe the figure is even more than 90 percent. If we want to go solar without China, we can do it, but it will be much more costly. When it’s more costly, it will be slower. And all historical experiences show that if you create closed-down markets and separate markets from different parts of the world, we will all be poorer, including the Americans.

GT: Do you think Europe will follow the latest policies of the US? From your understanding, how does Europe view China’s green manufacturing capacity – is it more inclined toward cooperation or vigilance?

Solheim: That’s obviously a similar discussion in Europe. I don’t think Europe will automatically follow the US, but there is a concern with jobs in Europe. China can help in that discussion in two ways.

First, making very clear that China is ready to invest in other markets where Chinese companies are, and to create jobs in Europe.

Let me give one example. Very recently, I visited Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) in Ningde, Fujian Province, the world’s largest battery maker for electric vehicles. A Tesla normally comes with a CATL battery. But the guys at CATL repeatedly told me that one of the reasons why they have grown so big was the support from BMW in the early days. BMW was a very demanding customer, it helped with technology and was a partner in the rise of CATL. That’s exactly what we want to see – companies working together across borders. And now when Chinese companies tend to have the highest quality and the best technology, they should work with companies in India, Africa, Latin America, and also Europe to share their knowledge and experience so that we can all benefit from the green transformation.

Wang Yi: BRICS is opening up a new chapter of the Global South

The Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the BRICS dialogue mechanism was held on June 10 in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod. Russia holds the rotating chair of BRICS for 2024 and the meeting of foreign ministers was preparatory to the annual summit, to be held in Kazan. It was attended by the nine current BRICS member countries, along with 12 other developing countries, namely Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Türkiye, Mauritania, Cuba, Venezuela and Bahrain.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the participants had an in-depth exchange of views on BRICS cooperation and international and regional hotspot issues. All parties spoke highly of the important role of the BRICS mechanism and the achievements of its membership expansion. They agreed that the accession of more countries to BRICS has accelerated the process of building a multipolar world and promoted a more just and equitable international order. They also voiced support for the establishment of partner countries. All parties called for adherence to multilateralism, opposition to unilateralism and protectionism, promoting reform of the international financial architecture, enhancing and improving global governance, and increasing the voice and representation of developing countries. They also emphasised the need for peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue and consultations and their support for all efforts conducive to peaceful resolution of crises. The meeting adopted a joint statement, the full text of which can be read here.

In his speech to the meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that: “Over the past year, BRICS cooperation has moved forward with highlights, with speed and with strength.We made pioneering efforts and expanded the BRICS mechanism, opening up a new chapter of the Global South seeking strength through unity… Upon expansion, BRICS countries account for nearly half of the global population and one-fifth of global trade, and their total economic output has overtaken that of the G7 in PPP [Purchasing Power Parity] terms.”

Unmistakeably referring to the United States, Wang said that a major country was “still harbouring Cold War mentality, is cobbling up geopolitical blocs and even publicly challenging United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, which erodes the authority of multilateral mechanisms. Economic issues are politicised; the notion of national security is overstretched; and unilateral sanctions and technology barriers are growing. In the face of a contest between forces promoting world multipolarity and forces holding onto unipolar hegemony, between globalisation and anti-globalisation, we must follow the trend of history, stand on the side of fairness and justice, and make the right choice.”

He further stressed the need to, “firm up determination to safeguard peace and security and make new contributions to the political settlement of international hotspot issues. History shows that Cold War mentality, bloc confrontation or external interference cannot solve problems. Instead, they will create bigger problems or even crises. No matter how complex the situation is, parties must not give up dialogue and consultation. No matter how acute the conflict is, political settlement must be pursued.”

Addressing the two major conflicts in the world today, China’s top diplomat said that the war in Gaza is testing human conscience and sense of justice. We must push for an immediate ceasefire that is comprehensive and lasting, ease the humanitarian crisis and prevent further spillover of the conflict. We should support Palestine’s bid for full UN membership, support its efforts to restore legitimate national rights, restart the two-state solution, and bring about lasting peace in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the conflict in Ukraine also continues. China supports the convening, in due course, of a true international peace conference that is recognised by both Russia and Ukraine, participated in by all sides on an equal footing, and where all peace plans are discussed fairly. BRICS countries should take an independent, objective and just stance, help build international consensus for peace, and oppose attempts to instigate a new Cold War.

He also alluded to the need to break dollar hegemony in international banking and finance, saying: “We should work for early breakthroughs on local currency settlement and cross-border payment cooperation through the financial track. We should promote the use of more diverse currencies at the New Development Bank for financing and increase the share of local currencies in investment and financing activities.”

Wang Yi also held a number of bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the gathering.

Meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, he noted that President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to China was a great success, adding that both sides should fully implement the important common understandings reached between the top leaders of the two countries and advance cooperation in various fields.

Lavrov said that Russia is willing to closely cooperate with China on multilateral platforms including the UNSC and enhance diplomatic coordination. The number of like-minded countries continues to increase in international and regional affairs while BRICS expansion reflects this positive trend.

Speaking with South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor, Wang Yi congratulated South Africa on the smooth holding of the general election and the African National Congress (ANC) on continuing to play a leading role in South Africa’s politics as the largest party. He expressed the belief that the ANC will remain true to its original aspiration and firm faith and continue to lead the South African people to make greater achievements in building a new South Africa enjoying unity, stability and prosperity. Last year, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to South Africa and attended the BRICS Summit, during which he reached important common understandings with President Cyril Ramaphosa, ushering in a new era of building a high-level China-South Africa community with a shared future. The historic expansion of the BRICS mechanism in South Africa has further encouraged the Global South countries to seek strength through unity.

China, he added, attaches importance to South Africa’s role as a major developing country, and stands ready to keep close multilateral coordination, be an objective, balanced and constructive voice on the Ukraine crisis and other hotspot issues, and contribute to world peace and stability.

Naledi Pandor said that last year, South Africa was honoured to host President Xi Jinping and thanked China for supporting South Africa in successfully hosting the BRICS Summit. South Africa not only attaches great importance to its relations with China, but also attaches great importance to Africa’s cooperation with China and the role of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Cooperation with China is the most important part of Africa’s international cooperation. Naledi Pandor looks forward to China strengthening cooperation in such fields as infrastructure, digital economy, renewable energy and human resources development in light of Africa’s development needs, so as to contribute to the continent’s stable development.

Meeting with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, Wang Yi noted that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Brazil diplomatic relations, a significant year in bridging the past and the future for the development of bilateral relations. As President Xi Jinping stressed, both sides should grasp the strategic importance of the China-Brazil relationship, enhance its mutually beneficial nature, and highlight its comprehensiveness. China values Brazil’s significant influence in the Latin American region and is willing to jointly promote cooperation between China, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur).

For his part, Mauro Vieira said that Brazil highly values its relationship with China, is ready to closely engage in high-level exchanges with China, strengthen cooperation in various fields including trade and economy, and define a new positioning for bilateral relations to open new prospects for the next 50 years. Brazil and China share similar stances on many issues, and the joint statement on the six common understandings on the political settlement of the Ukraine issue is of great importance. Noting that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva firmly believes that dialogue and cooperation between China and CELAC are highly significant, Vieira said the China-CELAC Forum is a beneficial platform, and Brazil is willing to work with China to arrange forum activities and promote its further development.

On meeting with Iranian Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, Wang Yi expressed condolences once again over the unfortunate passing of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter accident. Wang Yi said that during the current period, the Iranian state and nation has undergone a significant test. As a comprehensive strategic partner, China supports the Iranian government and people in adhering to their established domestic and foreign policies, maintaining independence, sovereignty, stability and development, and wishes Iran a successful presidential election.

Ali Bagheri Kani, on behalf of the Iranian government, thanked China for expressing condolences over the unfortunate passing of the President and Foreign Minister and for sending a special representative to attend the memorial service.

Under the current international circumstances, he continued, developing Iran-China relations not only benefits the people of both countries but is also conducive to regional and world peace and stability, as well as to building a fairer and more reasonable international order and safeguarding the legitimate rights of developing countries. Unilateralism has reached a dead end, and cannot solve domestic problems, let alone global issues, as is fully proved in the prolonged Gaza conflict. Iran is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China in international and regional affairs, jointly uphold multilateralism, and seek solutions to global issues.

Meeting with Taye Atske Selassie, the Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, a new member of BRICS, Wang noted that Ethiopia is an influential African nation and the seat of the African Union (AU) headquarters. Over the past two years, Ethiopia has made orderly progress in its domestic peace process and made remarkable achievements in economic and social development. Wang Yi expressed his belief that the Ethiopian government and people will achieve even greater success on the path of peace, development, and prosperity.

Noting Ethiopia’s deep friendship with China, Taye Atske Selassie said the elevation of bilateral relations to an all-weather strategic partnership is warmly welcomed by the Ethiopian government and people. China is Ethiopia’s largest source of foreign investment and export destination, and bilateral cooperation has strongly promoted Ethiopia’s economic and social development. Ethiopia is willing to learn from China’s development experience and to work with other African countries to promote greater development in China-Africa cooperation.

In his meeting with Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, Wang Yi said that under the strategic guidance of General Secretary Xi Jinping and General Secretary Thongloun Sisoulith, solid progress has been made in building a China-Laos community with a shared future. In the face of the complex international situation and domestic development tasks, China and Laos, as friendly neighbours with a shared future, need to work together to meet challenges, eliminate all kinds of external interference, oppose stoking bloc confrontation, and earnestly safeguard regional peace and stability. China firmly supports Laos in serving as the rotating chair of ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations) and working together to build an even closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

Saleumxay Kommasith said that both Laos and China are socialist countries with similar ideas and systems. They both adhere to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and are committed to safeguarding international justice and world peace. In the face of the current complex international and regional situation, the importance of Laos-China cooperation has never been greater.

Wang Yi also met with Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa and noted that China is full of confidence in the prospect of China-Thailand relations and is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges with Thailand, enhance cooperation in various fields, accelerate the construction of the China-Thailand Railway and other major projects, and realise the vision of interconnected development of China, Laos and Thailand at an early date.

Maris Sangiampongsa said that Thailand hopes to learn from China’s successful experience in economic development, strengthen practical cooperation in various fields, and better achieve economic and social development. Thailand stands ready to work with China to jointly plan the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations next year so as to highlight the close friendship between the two peoples. Thailand is also ready to join the BRICS mechanism as soon as possible, play a more active role in South-South cooperation, and strengthen coordination and cooperation with China on multilateral platforms.

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

Pooling Strengths and Working Together For a Brighter Future of BRICS

June 11 (Foreign Ministry)

Remarks by H.E. Wang Yi at the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs / International Relations Meeting

Nizhny Novgorod, June 10, 2024

Dear Colleagues,

Good morning. It is a great pleasure to join you at Nizhny Novgorod for the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs / International Relations Meeting. I thank Minister Lavrov and the Russian government for the thoughtful arrangements.

A comparison between the experiences of the Chinese and Iraqi Communist Parties

The video embedded below is of an Arabic-language seminar held on 31 May 2024: Lessons from the Chinese Experience and a Comparison between the Experiences of the Chinese and Iraqi Communist Parties

The main presentation is given by Dr Ali Al-Assam, Managing Director of the NewsSocial Cooperative and member of the Friends of Socialist China Britain Committee, about his recent visit to China and his observations there. He was joined by Hani Lazim in the final segment of the seminar. The seminar topics include:

The Essentials for the Success of the Chinese Communist Party in Their Own Words
The Scientific Method, Learning from Experiences, Trust in the People
Management of the Socialist State

The perils and promise of the emerging multipolar world

In his recent article for Common Dreams, Columbia professor Jeffrey Sachs describes the world’s trajectory towards multipolarity over the past three decades. He notes that, “in 1994, the G7 countries constituted 45.3% of world output, compared with 18.9% of world output in the BRICS countries (Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Russia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates). The tables have turned. The BRICS now produce 35.2% of world output, while the G7 countries produce 29.3%.”

The West’s political influence is also waning, as exemplified by the failure of the US-led sanctions against Russia from 2022: “When the US-led group introduced economic sanctions on Russia in 2022, very few countries outside the core alliance joined. As a result, Russia had little trouble shifting its trade to countries outside the US-led alliance.”

Sachs notes that emerging economies such as China, Russia are Iran are breaking the imperialist stranglehold on technological innovation. In China’s case, it “clearly has a large lead in the manufacturing of cutting-edge technologies needed for the global energy transition, including batteries, electric vehicles, 5G, photovoltaics, wind turbines, fourth generation nuclear power, and others. China’s rapid advances in space technology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and other technologies is similarly impressive.” All of this is “underpinned by enormous R&D spending and its vast and growing labor force of scientists and engineers.”

And yet US strategists refuse to accept this new reality, and are instead doubling down on their efforts to maintain their hegemony, primarily through military means:

The US is still trying to maintain primacy in Europe by surrounding Russia in the Black Sea region with NATO forces, yet Russia has resisted this militarily in both Georgia and Ukraine. The US is still trying to maintain primacy in Asia by surrounding China in the South China Sea, a folly that can lead the US into a disastrous war over Taiwan. The US is also losing its standing in the Middle East by resisting the united call of the Arab world for recognition of Palestine as the 194th United Nations member state.

In a post-hegemonic, multipolar world, it is crucial that the US and its allies give up on this dangerous and futile quest for global dominance.

The World Bank’s release on May 30 of its latest estimates of national output (up to the year 2022) offers an occasion to reflect on the new geopolitics. The new data underscore the shift from a U.S.-led world economy to a multipolar world economy, a reality that U.S. strategists have so far failed to recognize, accept, or admit.

The World Bank figures make clear that the economic dominance of the West is over. In 1994, the G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, U.K., U.S.) constituted 45.3% of world output, compared with 18.9% of world output in the BRICS countries (Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Russia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates). The tables have turned. The BRICS now produce 35.2% of world output, while the G7 countries produce 29.3%.

As of 2022, the largest five economies in descending order are China, the U.S., India, Russia, and Japan. China’s GDP is around 25% larger than the U.S.’ (roughly 30% of the U.S. GDP per person but with 4.2 times the population). Three of the top five countries are in the BRICS, while two are in the G7. In 1994, the largest five were the U.S., Japan, China, Germany, and India, with three in the G7 and two in the BRICS.

As the shares of world output change, so too does global power. The core U.S.-led alliance, which includes the U.S., Canada, U.K., European Union, Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, was 56% of world output in 1994, but now is only 39.5%. As a result, the U.S. global influence is waning. As a recent vivid example, when the U.S.-led group introduced economic sanctions on Russia in 2022, very few countries outside the core alliance joined. As a result, Russia had little trouble shifting its trade to countries outside the U.S.-led alliance.

The world economy is experiencing a deep process of economic convergence, according to which regions that once lagged the West in industrialization in the 19th and 20th centuries are now making up for lost time. Economic convergence actually began in the 1950s as European imperial rule in Africa and Asia came to an end. It has proceeded in waves, starting first in East Asia, then roughly 20 years later India, and for the coming 20-40 years in Africa.

These and some other regions are growing much faster than the Western economies since they have more “headroom” to boost GDP by rapidly raising education levels, boosting workers’ skills, and installing modern infrastructure, including universal access to electrification and digital platforms. The emerging economies are often able to leapfrog the richer countries with state-of-the-art infrastructure (e.g., fast intercity rail, 5G, modern airports and seaports) while the richer countries remain stuck with aging infrastructure and expensive retrofits. The IMF’s World Economic Outlook projects that the emerging and developing economies will average growth of around 4% per year in the coming five years, while the high-income countries will average less than 2% per year.

It’s not only in skills and infrastructure that convergence is occurring. Many of the emerging economies, including China, Russia, Iran, and others, are advancing rapidly in technological innovations as well, in both civilian and military technologies.

China clearly has a large lead in the manufacturing of cutting-edge technologies needed for the global energy transition, including batteries, electric vehicles, 5G, photovoltaics, wind turbines, fourth generation nuclear power, and others. China’s rapid advances in space technology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and other technologies is similarly impressive. In response, the U.S. has made the absurd claim that China has an “overcapacity” in these cutting-edge technologies, while the obvious truth is that the U.S. has a significant under-capacity in many sectors. China’s capacity for innovation and low-cost production is underpinned by enormous R&D spending and its vast and growing labor force of scientists and engineers.

Despite the new global economic realities, the U.S. security state still pursues a grand strategy of “primacy,” that is, the aspiration of the U.S. to be the dominant economic, financial, technological, and military power in every region of the world. The U.S. is still trying to maintain primacy in Europe by surrounding Russia in the Black Sea region with NATO forces, yet Russia has resisted this militarily in both Georgia and Ukraine. The U.S. is still trying to maintain primacy in Asia by surrounding China in the South China Sea, a folly that can lead the U.S. into a disastrous war over Taiwan. The U.S. is also losing its standing in the Middle East by resisting the united call of the Arab world for recognition of Palestine as the 194th United Nations member state.

Yet primacy is certainly not possible today, and was hubristic even 30 years ago when U.S. relative power was much greater. Today, the U.S. share of world output stands at 14.8%, compared with 18.5% for China, and the U.S. share of world population is a mere 4.1%, compared with 17.8% for China.

The trend toward broad global economic convergence means that U.S. hegemony will not be replaced by Chinese hegemony. Indeed, China’s share of world output is likely to peak at around 20% during the coming decade and thereafter to decline as China’s population declines. Other parts of the world, notably including India and Africa, are likely to show a large rise in their respective shares of global output, and with that, in their geopolitical weight as well.

We are therefore entering a post-hegemonic, multipolar world. It too is fraught with challenges. It could usher in a new “tragedy of great power politics,” in which several nuclear powers compete—in vain—for hegemony. It could lead to a breakdown of fragile global rules, such as open trade under the World Trade Organization. Or, it could lead to a world in which the great powers exercise mutual tolerance, restraint, and even cooperation, in accord with the U.N. Charter, because they recognize that only such statecraft will keep the world safe in the nuclear age.

Pakistani PM: no force can stop China’s development or shake the iron-clad friendship between Pakistan and China

Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif paid an official visit to China from June 4-8, visiting Beijing, Xi’an and Shenzhen.

The Prime Minister met with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on June 7.

President Xi said that China and Pakistan are good neighbours linked by mountains and rivers, good friends who share faith and righteousness, good partners who help each other, and good brothers who share weal and woe. The China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership had continuously deepened and enjoyed solid public support with a strong internal driving force and broad prospects for development.

He added that China is ready to promote the alignment of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with Pakistan’s development plans, carry out cooperation in agriculture, mining, and social livelihood in light of local conditions, make the high-quality development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) go deeper and be more concrete, and help boost Pakistan’s economic and social development.

China is also willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Pakistan in the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and other multilateral mechanisms, jointly promote an equal and orderly world multipolarisation and an economic globalisation that is inclusive and benefits all, focus on the development agenda, address security challenges, improve global governance, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries and international fairness and justice.

Shehbaz said that under the leadership of President Xi, China has made great achievements in poverty alleviation, anti-corruption and development, which have attracted worldwide attention.

He added that the CPEC has strongly promoted Pakistan’s national development and brought tangible benefits to the Pakistani people. Pakistan will learn from China’s experience in governance, continue to work with China on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and deepen practical cooperation in various fields.

Shehbaz reiterated that no force can stop China’s development and growth or shake the iron-clad friendship between Pakistan and China. Pakistan will continue to firmly support China’s position on all issues concerning its core interests without hesitation.

The Prime Minister also met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, Chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee the same day.

Premier Li said that China has always prioritised Pakistan in its neighbourhood diplomacy and stands ready to work with Pakistan to carry forward their traditional friendship, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and accelerate the construction of a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era to bring greater benefits to the two peoples. China is also willing to deepen cooperation with Pakistan in industry, agriculture, aerospace, information technology, ecology and environmental protection.

China will continue to support Pakistan in improving its people’s livelihoods and in its post-disaster reconstruction, and will carry out exchanges and cooperation with Pakistan in the fields of culture, tourism, local governments and think tanks, so that the China-Pakistan friendship will enjoy greater support among the people.

In a detailed joint statement, covering a comprehensive range of issues, the two countries noted that they had reached extensive consensus on further strengthening the China-Pakistan All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership and promoting practical cooperation in various areas, and on international and regional issues of mutual interest.

“The Chinese side reiterated that the China-Pakistan relationship is a priority in its foreign relations. The Pakistani side underscored that the Pakistan-China relationship is the cornerstone of its foreign policy.”

Pakistan believes that the Chinese path to modernisation provides a new option and practical solution for developing countries to achieve independent development.

Both countries recognised that CPEC has been a pioneering project of the Belt and Road Initiative. Since the launch of CPEC, the two sides have adhered to the principle of “planning together, building together, and benefiting together,” which has changed the development landscape of Pakistan, benefited its people’s well-being, and promoted the integrated development of China and Pakistan.

They pledged to upgrade CPEC by jointly building a growth corridor, a livelihood-enhancing corridor, an innovation corridor, a green corridor and an open corridor, aligning with Pakistan’s 5Es Framework based on Exports, E-Pakistan, Environment, Energy, and Equity & Empowerment, to better benefit the two countries and their peoples, working together to build CPEC into an exemplary project of high-quality building of Belt and Road cooperation.

Recognising the significance of Gwadar Port as an important node in cross-regional connectivity, the two sides were satisfied that the New Gwadar International Airport will soon be finished, and reiterated the need to speed up the development of the auxiliary infrastructure of the Gwadar Port in order to fully realise the potential of the coastal city, especially as a transshipment hub.

They also reiterated that CPEC is an open and inclusive platform for win-win cooperation, and welcomed third parties to actively participate in such CPEC cooperation priority areas as industry, agriculture, ICT, science and technology, and mining.

Both sides underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability in South Asia, the need for resolution of all outstanding disputes, and their opposition to any unilateral action. The Pakistani side briefed the Chinese side on the latest developments of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The Chinese side reiterated that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is left over from history, and should be properly and peacefully resolved in accordance with the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements.

They jointly advocated an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation. Both sides opposed hegemony, domineering and bullying, exclusionist approaches, and opposed power politics, as well as unilateralism in all forms.

China reaffirmed that it always remains a firm member of the developing countries. China is willing to work together with Pakistan and other developing countries, following the principles of mutual respect, equality, mutual trust, win-win cooperation, solidarity and coordination, to jointly embark on the path of fair, open, comprehensive and innovative development, promote development and prosperity of most developing countries, and strive to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations.

The two sides agreed to strengthen communication and coordination on the Afghanistan issue. They both called for concerted efforts of the international community to positively support Afghanistan in properly addressing challenges in such areas as humanitarianism and economic development, encourage the interim government of Afghanistan to build an inclusive political framework, adopt moderate policies, pursue good-neighbourliness, and firmly combat terrorism. They agreed to play a constructive role in helping Afghanistan to achieve stable development and integrate into the international community.

China and Pakistan reiterated that the fundamental way out of the current crisis in Gaza lies in the two state solution and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine. The resolution adopted by the UN Security Council is legally binding, and should be enforced effectively to achieve an unconditional and lasting ceasefire immediately. They called on the international community to increase political input into the Palestinian question with a greater sense of urgency, stepping up efforts to facilitate the early resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel, and to strive for enduring peace.

On June 9, the Xinhua News Agency carried an interview with Mohammad Zubair Khan, a prominent Pakistani economist and former Minister of Commerce.

Describing BRI as a “game changer”, Khan noted that, as one of its flagships, CPEC is connecting the warm waters of the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf with the entire Asia that lies to the north, through a corridor linking the Gwadar Port in southwest Pakistan’s Balochistan province with Kashgar in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which highlights energy, transport, and industrial cooperation in the first phase, while the new phase expands to the fields of agriculture and livelihood, among others.

“It’s not just about trade with the big economy of China, but the Central Asian economies. They can all be connected through the links into CPEC,” he said. The development of Gwadar port under CPEC would play a major role in reducing the bottlenecks Pakistan had been facing in terms of trade, connectivity and access to international markets.

The former minister, who represented Pakistan at the first ministerial conference of the World Trade Organisation, and has vast experience of working with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, rejected the West’s allegation that the BRI’s investment model is exploitative in nature and generates debt traps for the countries involved.

Most of Pakistan’s debt is owed to Western creditors, while China’s credit accounts for a very small portion of Pakistan’s total indebtedness, Khan said, adding that the government is indebted in the local currency to the domestic banks as well. The Chinese investment in CPEC, he added, has been initially in the infrastructure which the South Asian country was lacking. It was not driven by China’s own interests, but suited the development needs of Pakistan, he noted.

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

Solar power farms on plateau fuel China’s green energy revolution

The article below, republished from Xinhua, describes a remarkable story of ‘ecological civilisation’ in action, combining holistic ecological protection with poverty alleviation efforts.

Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in China’s western Qinghai province, is host to the world’s largest solar photovoltaic power plant, with a generation capacity of 8.4 GW (which would be sufficient to provide energy to the whole of London). Nearly 3,000 meters above sea level, and exposed to extreme levels of solar radiation, it is an area that has experienced significant desertification in recent decades: “By the end of the last century, the desertification rate of the land was as high as 98.5 percent, making the solar panels installed here vulnerable to damage from the sand and gravel stirred up by strong gusts of wind.”

More recently, because photovoltaic panels reduce wind erosion on vegetation, grass has been thriving. Meanwhile, in order to maintain the grass and to prevent the proliferation of weeds, sheep have been introduced to the solar park. This has given a major boost to livestock cultivation in the region, with people in the surrounding villages now raising “photovoltaic sheep”.

The plant is thus “simultaneously generating electricity while making exemplary contributions to poverty alleviation and ecological conservation efforts.”

Amid China’s green energy revolution, the world’s largest solar photovoltaic power plant on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau is forging a unique development path, simultaneously generating electricity while making exemplary contributions to poverty alleviation and ecological conservation efforts.

In late May, greenness finally emerged in the yellow-gray expanse of the Talatan Gobi Desert in Gonghe County, part of the Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in northwest China’s Qinghai Province.

Yehdor, a 48-year-old herder from Xaghelesi Village in Tiegai Township, leisurely rode his motorcycle, driving his flock of sheep into the solar photovoltaic power plant owned by Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd.

Yehdor is no stranger to solar photovoltaic panels, or what he calls “blue mirrors.” In 2006, he received two of these panels through a government project promoting solar power among locals. Since then, the panels have become part of his essential gear, accompanying his tent and other necessities during his six-month-long shepherding journeys each year.

“I set up the panels outside my tent, and they charged during the day, generating enough electricity to power lights and other small appliances throughout the night,” he said.

“However, they are nothing compared to these,” Yehdor added, pointing to the solar panels arranged in a matrix across 4,000 acres of desert land, sparkling like a silver-blue sea under the sun.

More than 200 sheep, a mix of black and white, were spotted roaming among the panels. As startling as it may sound, these sheep have been tasked with protecting the blue panels. Their voracious appetite, once a headache for environmentalists, has now become essential for maintaining the smooth operation of the solar power station.

In 2012, the prefecture initiated the construction of China’s first 10 million kilowatt-class solar power base in Talatan. Today, covering an area of 609 square kilometers, this solar power base boasts a power generation capacity of 8,430 megawatts, making it the largest in the world, according to Qeyang, deputy director of the administration committee of the Hainan prefectural green energy industry park.

It hosts 91 energy enterprises, which include 63 solar photovoltaic power enterprises and 28 wind power enterprises. “Green energy is the signature industry of Hainan prefecture and our annual output accounts for 54.08 percent of the total energy generated in Qinghai,” Qeyang said.

At a deliberation with the lawmakers from Qinghai during the annual session of the National People’s Congress in March 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave instructions to build Qinghai into a highland of clean energies, a destination of international eco-tourism and a source of green and organic farm and livestock products, stressing efforts on fostering a green, low-carbon and circular economic system.

The Qinghai provincial government, since then, has accelerated its efforts to pursue high-quality development of the green energy industry based on local conditions.

Currently, the total installed power generation capacity in Qinghai is 54,970,800 kilowatts, with clean energy accounting for 51,079,400 kilowatts, or 93 percent, of the total. Talatan is also witnessing drastic changes.

Located about 150 kilometers from Qinghai’s provincial capital, Xining, Talatan sits nearly 3,000 meters above sea level and is bombarded with intense solar radiation, which hinders plant growth. By the end of the last century, the desertification rate of the land was as high as 98.5 percent, making the solar panels installed here vulnerable to damage from the sand and gravel stirred up by strong gusts of wind.

Britain’s century-long opium trafficking and China’s ‘Century of Humiliation’ (1839-1949)

This essay by Stansfield Smith, first published in MR Online, provides a detailed account of China’s Century of Humiliation, a crucial phenomenon to understand and one which continues to inform China’s anti-colonial politics. “For the Chinese, the trauma of the Century of Humiliation continues as a blunt reminder of their past defeat and neo-colonial servitude, as well as a reminder of the West’s self-righteous hypocrisy and arrogance.”

Stansfield describes how the British, later joined by other Western powers, used opium as a weapon to weaken China and reverse the flow of silver. In so doing, they caused untold suffering to the Indian as well as the Chinese people: “Britain taxed away 50% of the value of Indian peasants’ food crops to push them out of agriculture into growing Opium. This soon led to the Bengal famine of 1770, when ten million, a third of the Bengali population, starved to death. Britain took no action to aid them, as they did almost a century later with their orchestrated famine in Ireland.”

Once Britain defeated China in the First Opium War, the Treaty of Nanking gave Hong Kong to Britain as indemnity. Hong Kong “quickly became the center of Opium drug-dealing, soon providing the colony most of its revenue.” Such are the ignominious origins of British rule in Hong Kong.

China’s weakness was quickly leveraged by other Western powers, who imposed unequal treaties on China, and by the turn of the 20th century China was effectively a semi-colonial country. “The Eight-Nation Alliance (Japan, Russia, Britain, France, the United States, Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary) invaded again in 1900 to crush the nationalist Boxer Rebellion. An indemnity of 20,000 tons of silver was extracted, and China reduced to a neo-colony.”

Stansfield observes that “the blight of Opium on China was not resolved until the revolutionary victory in 1949.” Socialism has made China strong, and the Chinese people are determined to never again be humiliated by foreign powers. The article concludes:

The West now views China as a renewed threat, again seeking to economically disable it and chop it into pieces. However, this time, the Chinese people are much better prepared to combat imperialist designs to impose a new era of humiliation on them.

Stansfield Smith is an anti-war activist focused mostly on combating US intervention in Latin America. He is an activist with Chicago ALBA Solidarity.

For the Chinese, the trauma of the Century of Humiliation continues as a blunt reminder of their past defeat and neo-colonial servitude, as well as a reminder of the West’s self-righteous hypocrisy and arrogance.

In 1500, India and China were the world’s most advanced civilizations. Then came the Europeans. They eventually looted and wreaked havoc on both, just as they were to on the Americas and Africa. For India and China, Britain was the chief culprit, relying on state-sponsored drug-running backed by industrialized military power. The British Empire was the world’s largest producer and exporter of Opium—the main product of global trade after the gradual decline of the slave trade from Africa. Their “civilization” brought the Century of Humiliation to China, which only ended with the popular revolution led by Mao Zedong. This historic trauma and the struggle to overcome it and re-establish their country is etched in the minds of the Chinese today.

Before the British brought their “culture,” 25% of the world trade originated in India. By the time they left it was less than 1%. British India’s Opium dealing was for the large part of the 19th Century the second-most important source of revenue for colonial India. Their “Opium industry was one of the largest enterprises on the subcontinent, producing a few thousand tons of the drug every year—a similar output to Afghanistan’s notorious Opium industry [during the U.S. occupation], which supplies the global market for heroin.” Opium accounted for about 17-20% of British India revenues.

In the early 1700s, China produced 35% of the world GDP. Until 1800 half the books in the world were printed in Chinese. The country considered itself self-sufficient, not seeking any products from other countries. Foreign countries bought Chinese tea, silk, and porcelain, having to pay in gold and silver. Consequently, the balance of trade was unfavorable to the British for almost two centuries, like the situation the U.S. and Europe face with China today.

This trade slowly depleted Western reserves. Eventually, 30,865 tons of silver flowed into China, mostly from Britain. Britain turned to state sponsored drug smuggling as a solution, and by 1826 the smuggling from India had reversed the flow of silver. Thus began one of the longest and continuous international crimes of modern times, second to the African slave trade, under the supervision of the British crown.

(The just formed United States was already smuggling Opium into China by 1784. The U.S. first multi-millionaire John Jacob Astor grew rich dealing Opium to China, as did FDR’s grandfather, Warren Delano, Jr.)

The British East India Company was key to this Opium smuggling. Soon after Britain conquered Bengal in 1757, George III granted the East India Company a monopoly on producing and exporting Indian Opium. Eventually its Opium Agency employed some 2500 clerks working in 100 offices around India.

Britain taxed away 50% of the value of Indian peasants’ food crops to push them out of agriculture into growing Opium. This soon led to the Bengal famine of 1770, when ten million, a third of the Bengali population, starved to death. Britain took no action to aid them, as they did almost a century later with their orchestrated famine in Ireland. Another famine hit India in 1783, and again Britain did nothing as 11 million starved. Between 1760-1943,

As per British sources, more than 85 million Indians died in these famines which were in reality genocides done by the British Raj.

At its peak in the mid-19th century, the British state-sponsored export of Opium accounted for roughly 15% of total colonial revenue in India and 31% of India’s exports. The massive revenues from this drug money solidified India as a substantial financial base for England’s later world conquests.

China, Equatorial Guinea establish comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation

President of Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo paid a state visit to China from May 26-31 at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. In office since 1982, Obiang is Africa’s longest serving head of state and this was his 11^th visit to China, his most recent previous visit having been to attend the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Meeting on May 28, the two heads of state announced that they had elevated their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.

Xi said that China and Equatorial Guinea are good friends and partners and their relations feature a high level of political mutual trust. Since they established diplomatic ties more than half a century ago, the two sides have been helping each other through thick and thin, and firmly supporting each other on issues involving each other’s core interests and major concerns.

Under the new circumstances, consolidating and developing China-Equatorial Guinea relations conforms to the fundamental interests and common expectations of the two countries and peoples. China firmly supports Equatorial Guinea in safeguarding national sovereignty and independence, opposing foreign interference, and independently exploring its own development path.

China is also ready to take the opportunity of elevating bilateral ties to further deepen friendly exchanges with Equatorial Guinea, and exchange experience in reform, development and poverty alleviation, so as to inject lasting impetus into the two countries’ traditional friendship.

And China is willing to share development experience in the fields of agriculture and rural affairs with Equatorial Guinea, continue conducting agricultural technical assistance projects, give full play to the role of Chinese medical teams and the China-Equatorial Guinea Friendship Hospital, and deepen medical care, education, exchanges and cooperation in cultural and other fields, to pass on the traditional friendship between the two countries from generation to generation and better benefit the two peoples.

Emphasising that the world today is intertwined with turmoil, the changes unseen in a century are accelerating, and human society is facing unprecedented challenges, Xi said that developing countries need to strengthen solidarity and cooperation more than ever.

China is willing to work with Equatorial Guinea and other developing countries to carry forward the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries and international equity and justice, to build a community with a shared future for humanity.

Obiang said that China is a great Eastern country, a good brother and reliable strategic partner of Equatorial Guinea. Since the two countries established diplomatic relations 54 years ago, their bilateral relations have always maintained a friendly development and are currently at the best period in history. The cooperation between China and Equatorial Guinea has always been based on equality and mutual respect and is never imposed on others.

Obiang mentioned that Chinese medical teams in Africa, the China-Equatorial Guinea Friendship Hospital and other important projects have benefited the local people and become a symbol of friendship between Africa and China.

The next day, President Obiang met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

Li said that China is willing to strengthen strategic alignment with Equatorial Guinea, work on existing cooperation projects in infrastructure construction and other areas, and expand cooperation in such sectors as marine economy, green economy, and agricultural development.

Both sides should work together to uphold international fairness and justice, and steadfastly safeguard the common interests of the Global South, he added.

Coinciding with President Obiang’s visit, which also took him to Shandong Province, the Xinhua News Agency released a number of stories highlighting the close and long-standing friendship between the two countries.

It reported that during their talks, President Xi expressed appreciation for the kindness the Equatorial Guinea people have shown to the Chinese.

“We will always remember your kindness to the people in the Wenchuan earthquake disaster area and your donation to the construction of Hope Primary School in Jinping County, Yunnan Province,” Xi said.

“Such mutual support between the two countries is a vivid illustration of the sincere friendship and joint development between China and African countries.”

In April 2015, President Obiang announced during his visit to China that Equatorial Guinea would donate a school in Jinping County in China’s southwestern Yunnan Province as a gesture of goodwill and solidarity with the Chinese people.

“The children found themselves in spacious and bright classrooms within a five-story building, and the once muddy hillside was transformed into a well-built playground,” said Ran Hongyan, the school’s principal.

Ran added that the school, which now accommodates over 2,000 students from 16 different ethnic groups, has a special exhibition room to display the children’s photographs, crafts and paintings regarding the friendship between the two countries.

Likewise, in January 2016, the Confucius Institute was established at the National University of Equatorial Guinea, providing young people with more opportunities to learn about Chinese culture.

“When I was a child, Chinese people came to our village to teach farming techniques,” said Jose Antonio Nguema, a 21-year-old student. “They were very friendly and taught me to say ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in Chinese.”

Since then, a “seed of friendship was sown in my heart,” Nguema said. Upon entering university, he was delighted to find a Confucius Institute on campus and eagerly enrolled in Chinese classes. “I have travelled to China twice through the ‘Chinese Bridge’ program. To me, China represents the future.”

Xinhua commented: “Looking back over more than half a century since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Equatorial Guinea have always treated each other as equals, respected each other and supported each other, creating a model of South-South cooperation. Looking ahead, China and Equatorial Guinea will join forces with other African countries to contribute even more to building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.

It quoted President Obiang as follows: “I appreciate President Xi Jinping’s initiative to help African countries. I believe it is the most effective way for Africa to overcome all the difficulties it faces today.”

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Alejandro Micha Nsue, President of the National Office of Planning and Project Monitoring of Equatorial Guinea, recalled that Chinese companies arrived in his country during his childhood to construct the Nkue-Mongomo road.

“Today, if we talk about the development of transportation infrastructure, including roads, ports, and airports, Chinese companies have been deeply involved,” he said.

Over the past half a century since China and Equatorial Guinea established diplomatic ties in 1970, Chinese enterprises have constructed hydroelectric power stations, airports, roads, and housing projects, serving as the foundation for the country’s development and progress.

Nsue praised such cooperation projects as the new terminal at Malabo International Airport and the new national university campus. “Equatorial Guinea’s characteristics are being shaped through its cooperation with China,” he said.

In Nsue’s view, the cooperation between China and Equatorial Guinea is sincere.

“The countries that colonised Africa exploited and plundered it, taking away all its resources and leaving the countries in ruins. China’s cooperation is different.”

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

Chinese, Equatorial Guinean presidents hold talks, elevate ties

BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhua) — China and Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday elevated their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.

This was announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, president of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, during their talks in Beijing.

Xi said China and Equatorial Guinea are good friends and partners, and their relations feature a high level of political mutual trust.

Since they established diplomatic ties more than half a century ago, the two sides have been helping each other through thick and thin, and firmly supporting each other on issues involving each other’s core interests and major concerns, he said.

Under the new circumstances, consolidating and developing China-Equatorial Guinea relations conforms to the fundamental interests and common expectations of the two countries and peoples, Xi said.

China firmly supports Equatorial Guinea in safeguarding national sovereignty and independence, opposing foreign interference, and independently exploring its own development path, he said.

China is ready to take the opportunity of elevating bilateral ties to further deepen friendly exchanges with Equatorial Guinea, and exchange experience in reform, development and poverty alleviation to inject lasting impetus into the two countries’ traditional friendship, Xi said.

Xi pointed out that China supports Equatorial Guinea’s economic and social development, supports the country’s efforts to promote economic diversification and industrialization, and is willing to closely synergize the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) achievements and the Belt and Road Initiative with “Equatorial Guinea Agenda 2035” to improve the quality and performance of cooperation in various fields.

China encourages capable Chinese enterprises to invest in Equatorial Guinea, and is willing to share development experience in the fields of agriculture and rural affairs with Equatorial Guinea, continue conducting agricultural technical assistance projects, give full play to the role of Chinese medical teams and China-Equatorial Guinea Friendship Hospital, and deepen medical care, education, exchanges and cooperation in cultural and other fields, to pass on the traditional friendship between the two countries from generation to generation and better benefit the two peoples, Xi said.