Month: September 2024

A beacon of hope – 75 years of socialist China

On Saturday 28 September, Friends of Socialist China – with the support of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB) and the Morning Star – hosted a conference in Bolívar Hall, London, to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The event was attended by over a hundred people, making it the largest event in Britain in solidarity with People’s China in several decades, and an important milestone for Friends of Socialist China.

Opening the event, Carlos Martinez noted that the fact we have been able to organise such an event now, in spite of the relentless propaganda campaign against China in the West, points to a number of factors.

First and foremost, China’s role in the world increasingly speaks for itself, and stands in stark contrast with the foreign policy of Britain, the United States and the European Union. Looking at the wildly varying policies of China and the West in response to the genocide in Gaza, the US’s proxy war in Ukraine, the attempted electoral coup in Venezuela, the blockade of Cuba, the climate crisis and more, it’s increasingly clear that China is a force for peace and progress, whereas the West is a force for war and reaction. Meanwhile, while ordinary people in the West face a cost of living crisis, China is eradicating poverty, building infrastructure, and raising living standards.

Carlos observed that there is also a subjective factor involved: in its three and a half years of existence, Friends of Socialist China has been playing a valuable role presenting the reality of Chinese socialism to a progressive audience in the West, and the Morning Star, CPB and other groups have also been doing important work along those lines.

Lasting all day, the conference featured a range of speakers from different backgrounds, including academics, trade unionists, journalists, and diplomats. We will be publishing videos and texts from the event in the coming days.

The opening rally was addressed by Venezuelan ambassador to the UK Félix Plasencia, Cuban ambassador to the UK Ismara Vargas Walter, Minister Zhao Fei from the Chinese Embassy, First Secretary of the embassy of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Phonesy Boulom, and RMT president Alex Gordon. Indian Workers Association (GB) vice-president Harsev Bains introduced a minute of silence in honour of the veteran Indian communist and longstanding friend of China Sitaram Yechury.

The first panel, on China, multipolarity and the rise of the Global South, was chaired by Myriam Kane, and featured contributions from Senator Mushahid Hussain (video), Murad Qureshi, Jenny Clegg, Francisco Domínguez, Ali Al Assam, and Roger McKenzie (video). Myriam also read out messages of solidarity from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Patriotic Party of Türkiye.

The second panel, on China’s road to socialism, was chaired by Fiona Sim, and featured contributions from Keith Bennett, Andrew Murray, Pawel Wargan (video) and Eben Williams. Unfortunately due to technical reasons, the pre-recorded video by World Association of Political Economy president Cheng Enfu could not be shown, but we will be publishing the text soon.

The final panel, on Standing up against the New Cold War, was chaired by David Peat, and featured contributions from Chen Weihua (video), Liz Payne, Ben Chacko, and Kevan Nelson.

The closing rally was chaired by Micaela Tracey-Ramos, and featured contributions from George Galloway (video), Zhang Weiwei (video), and Robert Griffiths.

We would like to thank all the speakers, chairs, and attendees for making the event such a success, and we look forward to building on the momentum generated.

The conference was also used to launch the new Praxis Press volume People’s China at 75 – The Flag Stays Red, edited by Carlos Martinez and Keith Bennett, and featuring contributions from Ken Hammond, Jenny Clegg, Andrew Murray, Cheng Enfu, Kenny Coyle, Roland Boer, Mick Dunford, Josh Sykes, Efe Can Gürcan, Radhika Desai, Keith Bennett and Carlos Martinez.

The following day, on 29 September, comrades in the US organised a conference China at 75: Changes Unseen in a Century, featuring an array of great speakers including Gerald Horne, Margaret Kimberley, Qiao Collective, Danny Haiphong, Julie Tang, Ken Hammond, Bahman Azad and many more.

Below we republish a report of the London conference by Morning Star editor Ben Chacko, followed by an article about the event in China Daily.

‘A beacon of hope’ – 75 years of socialist China

SEVENTY-FIVE years after its communist revolution, China is still working to build “an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of peace and shared prosperity,” minister of the Chinese embassy Zhao Fei told a celebratory anniversary meeting in central London at the weekend.

Friends of Socialist China hosted a day-long conference on China’s revolution in Bolivar Hall on Saturday with support from the Communist Party and Morning Star.

The packed meeting heard from Cuban, Venezuelan and Laotian diplomats, Chinese and British scholars, journalists, revolutionaries and anti-racist activists who discussed Chinese socialism, the new cold war and the rise of the global South.

Zhao told attendees that the Chinese Communist Party remained true to its founding principles, had won “the largest battle against poverty in history” and was determined to pursue a peaceful foreign policy in the face of provocations from the United States.

Internationally, it remained “a beacon of hope and a true friend for all countries still struggling for full independence,” Venezuela’s chargé d’affaires Felix Plasencia pointed out, noting its role in assisting countries suffering from unilateral US sanctions, particularly during the Covid pandemic when the US tried to block medicines from reaching Cuba, Venezuela and Iran.

Together with Cuban ambassador Ismara Vargas Walter, he stressed China’s work to usher in “a new era of international co-operation” in which domination by US imperialism, enforced by the threat of war, unequal trade treaties and punitive sanctions regimes, is replaced by respect for each country’s sovereignty — a model exemplified by the Belt & Road Initiative, which in contrast to loans from the IMF or World Bank provides development funds without political or economic-policy strings attached.

In future “no single nation or bloc of nations will be able to determine the fate of the others,” Walter said.

Sessions challenged common myths about the People’s Republic of China.

In a whistle-stop tour of its history, Friends of Socialist China’s Keith Bennett pointed out that Western perceptions of a contradiction between the revolutionary zeal of the Mao years and the “reform and opening up” period since 1978 were often misleading.

The Mao period was not a disaster for China — “life expectancy rose by a year for each year Mao was in power” and in providing education, basic healthcare and building up national infrastructure of road and rail had laid the groundwork for the spectacular economic growth that has taken place since, he pointed out.

If Mao’s China had been one of the most equal countries on Earth, “it was to a large extent an equality of shared poverty,” prompting the shift to market mechanisms under Deng Xiaoping. But the shift left under Xi Jinping — reflected in a mass social housing programme, stricter curbs on private business and stronger enforcement of workers’ rights — showed that China was now seeking to correct the social problems generated by pursuit of growth at all costs, including wealth inequality and environmental degradation.

Alex Gordon for the Communist Party of Britain looked at the successes of China’s planned economy, slamming Britain’s failed HS2 high-speed rail project, which over a decade provided profits for housing developers from inflated land prices but failed to build the high-speed rail links between Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, London and continental Europe it was planned to do.

“In the decade it took to turn HS2 from a rail infrastructure project into luxury homes opportunities for billionaires, China developed a 40,000-kilometre publicly owned high-speed rail network … China’s latest Fuxing bullet train reaches speeds of 350kmh to slash travel times on the 818.9-mile Beijing-Shanghai route to just four hours,” he pointed out.

He challenged propaganda suggesting China did not respect workers’ rights, saluting the first national agreement on truckers’ terms and conditions in the country negotiated by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions with Logory Logistics this May, covering 3.8 million lorry drivers.

On that note Iraqi communist Ali al-Assam reported back from a summer tour of the Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region, confronting the lies of Western media about forced labour and religious persecution.

The packed mosques and calls to prayer of Urumqi and Kashgar reminded him of Iraq or Lebanon, he said, while the treasures of Islamic literature in the region’s public libraries showcased a rich and ancient culture.

Xinjiang was a high-tech hub for the Belt & Road Initiative and there was no trace of forced labour in its 90 per cent mechanised cotton sector — bar that of the robots.

All street signs in the major cities were first in Uighur and second in Chinese, he said, while Communist Party of Britain leader Robert Griffiths recalled his own trips to Xinjiang and the fact that leading Communist Party and municipal leaders were Uighur and addressed their meetings in the language.

Assam’s contribution highlighted China’s increasing scientific and technological lead over the West, something clear in its dominant role in renewable industries globally.

Above all, speakers urged a wider understanding of China’s positive international role, as the leading country in tackling climate change, demonstrating the benefits of a planned economy and in challenging US world hegemony.

The US drive to war with China, to which Britain is signed up, has to be opposed through confronting the lies about Chinese aggression and expansionism, multiple contributors stressed.

US military spending was three times higher than China’s — or 15 times higher per head of population — while Nato together amounted to 75 per cent of all world military spending. If there’s a new arms race, it was clear who was driving it.

China’s position as the only UN security council member with a no-first-use nuclear policy should be appreciated, attendees heard, while the US-British military build-up around China’s coasts should be seen as the aggressive provocation that it is.

Summing up, Griffiths quoted Chinese President Xi Jinping’s observation that “without China, socialism might have retreated to the margins” of world politics following the fall of the Soviet Union.

But instead, China was taking an ever more active role in the international communist movement and was the leading international force in trying to replace imperialism with a multipolar world.

It deserved far greater support across the British left — and the hundreds who attended were urged to do more to confront misinformation and anti-China propaganda designed to soften up the British people for world war.

Friends of Socialist China looks forward to organising more such events — and its anniversary conference was proof this relatively new group has an important role to play in the British left and peace movements.

Supporters of China celebrate 75th anniversary at London event

Friends of Socialist China, an online platform that promotes understanding of Chinese socialism, organized a conference in London on Saturday to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on Oct 1.

Carlos Martinez, the co-founder of Friends of Socialist China, opened the conference in Bolivar Hall by saying China is “a force for peace and progress” amid the current military conflicts and climate crisis.

He cited China’s position in demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the Belt and Road initiative that provides development opportunities for the world, and the country’s advances in green technologies to tackle climate change as major achievements.

Zhao Fei, minister of China’s embassy in the United Kingdom, addressed the more than 100 attendees and reflected on the “two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability” that China has achieved during the past 75 years with the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China.

“On our journey ahead, we will inevitably be confronted with problems, risks, and challenges,” Zhao said, adding that by upholding the fighting spirit, further deepening reform, and unleashing new productive forces, China will become a great modern socialist country in all respects by the middle of the century.

Cuba’s ambassador to the UK, Ismara Vargas Walter, said when the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, it marked the triumph of the indomitable spirit of the Chinese people in their struggle for sovereignty, dignity, and a future free from colonialism and imperialism.

Walter said China has been “a beacon of hope for the oppressed” because its policy of peaceful development, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation stand in sharp contrast to coercion and militarism.

Felix Plasencia, a former ambassador to China for Venezuela, and Phonesy Boulom, first secretary of Lao’s embassy in the UK, also spoke at the event, praising China’s role in championing cooperation with developing countries and opposing wars and unfair sanctions.

The conference was divided into three panels: China, multipolarity and the rise of the Global South, China’s road to socialism, and standing up against the New Cold War.

Around 20 speakers, including academics, trade unionists, and journalists, spoke in person or via video and shared their firsthand observations, longtime studies, and positive opinions about China.

The Praxis Press also launched a new collection of essays at the event that were edited by Carlos Martinez and Keith Bennett. Titled People’s China at 75 – The Flag Stays Red, the book features contributions from experts on China from around the world.

Solidarity with China is necessary for the collective future of humanity

The following article by Sara Flounders, originally posted on Workers World, takes up the question of China’s social system: is it socialist, as it claims? Or is it just another capitalist-imperialist country?

Sara lists a number of ways in which China’s emergence is helping the countries of the Global South – from the Belt and Road Initiative to the provision of financial and technical assistance for infrastructure construction. “China is a lifeline for the Global South. The Africa Summit just held in Beijing confirmed this a thousand times over.”

Meanwhile, as a result of sustained efforts over decades, China has eliminated extreme poverty and “achieved the fastest growth in living standards of any country in the world”. Furthermore: “China has gone green and solar and put a half-million electric city buses on their streets. US city buses are still belching out pollution coming from fossil fuels.”

One outcome of this progress is that “US imperialist strategists see China’s gains as an ominous threat to their domination of the world, and have moved to counter China with a whole new level of aggressive militarism”.

Sara notes that mass opposition to a rising US-led New Cold War against China is essential, but that the left is sometimes reticent to defend China because of a misunderstanding of its social system. “Many in the West said that the enthusiasm engendered by Western corporations’ heavy investments in China had already succeeded in bringing China back into the capitalist orbit.”

The article points out that, while China today has vast wealth disparity, along with private capital, its market is “built on socialist pillars”, and “central planning remains decisive”.

The key economic role is assigned to the state, a state controlled by the working class. Every major industry, especially banking, remains under state control — a state controlled by a massive communist party. The central banks play a crucial role in subsidizing and developing key industries.

Meanwhile the Communist Party of China, with its close to 100 million members, exercises overall control of the country’s economic development.

Sara concludes that “stepping up the defense of China, its revolution and its accomplishments is necessary for the collective future of humanity.”

An ideological assault on China is taking place that cannot be fought piecemeal, answering each lie. Of course, it is crucial to refute the lies and propaganda, but it is not persuasive if the reason behind the U.S. ruling class’s extraordinary and pervasive hostility to China is not exposed. We must expose the class differences between People’s China and U.S. imperialism.

China’s emergence is a game-changer on a world scale today, with its Belt and Road Initiative, the Shanghai Cooperation agreement and the BRICS+ meeting this September at the United Nations. China has become a resource, an alternative to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, with their brutal structural adjustment, deregulation and privatization programs (SAPs). China is a lifeline for the Global South. The Africa Summit just held in Beijing confirmed this a thousand times over.

China was able to end poverty for 800 million people — something neither the U.S. nor any other capitalist country has been able to do. Life expectancy is higher today in China than in the United States. China has achieved the fastest growth in living standards of any country in the world.

So U.S. imperialism is doubling down. Candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump agree. The Pentagon agrees. NATO agrees. New sanctions, new tariffs, new rounds of propaganda directed at China are aimed at preparing for war by 2025.

In the Pacific Ocean and South China Sea, U.S. strategists are rushing to construct a military alliance similar to NATO. It will include Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and the Philippines and is directed against China.

Every arm of the imperialist colossus is predicting and planning for this war. The vicious and relentless propaganda, the expanding military budget, the relentless war “games” and military maneuvers and the total agreement of both Democratic and Republican parties testify to the danger.

Which side are you on?

“Which side are you on?” is the oldest formulation in the class struggle.

The group Friends of Socialist China provides a valuable framework to explain the country’s most important contribution. Political movements, parties and organizations of the working class that take sides in the global class struggle are the most valuable anchor to withstand the crisis confronting the working class and all oppressed peoples. Without this anchor, this basic understanding, workers and activists are cast adrift in the onslaught of each imperialist flood.

An important part of understanding the changing world situation can be found in Workers World Party’s evaluation of China’s rapid development. U.S. imperialist strategists see China’s gains as an ominous threat to their domination of the world, and have moved to counter China with a whole new level of aggressive militarism. We say China’s gains hold a liberating potential for humanity.

If we can explain the reason for U.S. imperialism’s hostility and why Washington calls Beijing “the greatest threat,” it can strengthen popular resistance to the U.S. war drive.

Continue reading Solidarity with China is necessary for the collective future of humanity

Rest in power, comrade Sitaram Yechury

Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), tragically passed away on 12 September 2024. Sitaram was a lifelong communist, intellectual, activist and leader, who had been a politburo member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) since 1992.

A brief biographical sketch by the Student Federation of India (SFI) UK branch reads as follows:

Comrade Sitaram first got involved in the student movement while studying at Jawaharlal Nehru University in 1974, where he became a leader of the Students Federation of India and was elected president of the JNU Students Union. He became a full-time member of the CPI(M) in 1975 and like hundreds of other activists in India, he was arrested during the emergency. His photograph reading out charges against the Indira Gandhi government has gained iconic status where he demanded the resignation of the Chancellor and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

His clarity on uniting India’s working class and overcoming deep divisions of caste, gender, religion, and geography, made him one of India’s most important political voices. For the general elections held this year, Yechury was central to forging broad unity and building the secular and democratic opposition alliance INDIA. Comrade Sitaram carried forward the left’s legacy of anti-imperialism and internationalism with his constant solidarity with popular movements across the globe, such as the Palestinian movement for liberation and popular movements in Latin America.

On 23 September, the SFI held an event at Marx Memorial Library in London to honour and remember comrade Sitaram’s life. The meeting was addressed by SFI General Secretary Mayukh Biswas, Indian Workers’ Association (GB) Vice President Harsev Bains, National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers President Alex Gordon, Economic Counsellor from the Cuban Embassy Marta Castillo, SFI UK Secretary Nikhil Mathew, Young Communist League London Secretary Ben Woodward, Communist Party of Britain London Secretary Robin Talbot, and Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez.

Carlos highlighted the urgently-needed clarity that Sitaram Yechury and other key leaders of the CPI(M) had brought to the world communist movement in the confusing period of the late 1980s and early 90s – the ‘end of history’, when European socialism had all but collapsed and the Washington Consensus reigned supreme. Many at that time assumed that China was following, or had already followed, a path of capitalist restoration. However, as Deng Xiaoping commented to Julius Nyerere in 1989: “so long as socialism does not collapse in China, it will always hold its ground in the world.” Comrade Sitaram was a trailblazer in understanding Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, building solidarity with China and the other remaining socialist countries, and helping to explain to the global movement the evolving reality of China’s Marxist project.

Harsev Bains noted that Sitaram had rearranged his busy schedule in order to be able to address in person the conference in London on 28 September celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of People’s China. Comrade Yechury will be very sadly missed at that event.

We republish below an article from People’s Democracy, the English weekly newspaper of the Communist Party of India, containing a number of tributes to Sitaram from around the world.

Communist and Workers’ Parties from around the world have expressed their condolences on the passing away of Comrade Sitaram Yechury, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, sent a condolence message to the Party: “With great sadness, we have learned today, in the spirit of affection and solidarity that characterizes us, of the passing of Comrade General Secretary, brother Sitaram Yechury, an outstanding champion for the rights of the peoples.” He expressed his ‘sincere and profound sentiments for the departure of this brother for all of us, a comrade in struggles,’ who has ‘contributed to fighting the battles of justice, truth, and fraternity among the human community.’

The Communist Party of China (CPC) lauded Comrade Sitaram Yechury in its condolence message, praising him as an outstanding leader and Marxist theorist. “He contributed significantly to promoting Left forces and the socialist movement, as well as national development and social progress in India,” they stated. They also highlighted his ‘significant contribution to China-India friendship’ and extended their condolences to the Party and his family.

In a message from the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), Emilio Lozada Garcia, head of the International Department, expressed his deepest condolences to the leadership of the CPI(M), all Party members, and the family of Comrade Sitaram Yechury. He recalled Yechury’s immense contribution to building the Cuba solidarity movement in India.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) paid tribute, noting that Comrade Sitaram Yechury was an influential leader of the CPI(M) and the Left movement in India. They remembered his contributions to the international movement for peace, solidarity, and the comprehensive friendship and strategic partnership between India and Vietnam.

The Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) extended their condolences, recalling Comrade Sitaram Yechury’s numerous visits to the DPRK and his contributions to strengthening fraternal relations between both the parties.

Gennady Zyuganov, chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF), sent his condolences, remembering Comrade Sitaram Yechury as a fighter for the socialist future of India, a respected leader of the international communist movement, and a friend of Russia.

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE), in its condolence message, expressed great sadness over the death of Comrade Sitaram Yechury. “Comrade Sitaram made a significant contribution to the international communist movement and the International Meetings of the Communist and Workers’ Parties (IMCWP), remaining faithful to the principles of proletarian internationalism,” they stated. They also recalled Comrade Sitaram’s visit to Greece and his role in strengthening relations between the two parties.

Continue reading Rest in power, comrade Sitaram Yechury

Xi congratulates Dissanayake on assuming presidency of Sri Lanka

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of the People’s Liberation Front (JVP), was inaugurated as the President of Sri Lanka on September 23.

Dissanayake, who stood as the candidate of the Jathika Jana Balawegaya (National People’s Power), an alliance of 28 left wing political parties and mass organisations of workers, women, youth, ethnic groups, and others, initiated by the JVP, led the poll on September 21 with 42.31% of the vote. As no candidate secured 50%, for the first time in Sri Lanka’s history, a second round of voting was held, in which Dissanayake emerged victorious with 55.89%. As a result, the leader of a Marxist political party has become the country’s head of state for the first time.

Chinese President Xi Jinping was among the first world leaders to extend congratulations to Dissanayake. Xi said that he prizes the development of China-Sri Lanka relations and stands ready to work with President Dissanayake to carry forward the traditional friendship and enhance political mutual trust.

Dissanayake led a delegation of the JVP to China at the invitation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in December 2023. During this visit, the CPC declared its willingness to further intensify friendly exchanges with the JVP, strengthen mutual learning, carry forward the traditional friendship between China and Sri Lanka, and promote China-Sri Lanka relations for greater development.

Dissanayake highly appreciated the remarkable achievements that the Chinese people have made under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the CPC. He thanked the CPC and the Chinese government for their critical support when Sri Lanka was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis. He expressed willingness to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the CPC, learn the successful experience in party building and state governance from the CPC, and work with the Chinese side to promote cooperation between Sri Lanka and China.

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

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message to Anura Kumara Dissanayake to congratulate him on his inauguration as president of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

Xi hailed China and Sri Lanka as traditional friendly neighbors, saying that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 67 years ago, China and Sri Lanka have always understood and supported each other, setting a good example of friendly coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries of different sizes.

Xi said that he prizes the development of China-Sri Lanka relations, and stands ready to work with President Dissanayake to carry forward the traditional friendship, and enhance political mutual trust.

He also pledged to work with the Sri Lankan leader to facilitate more fruitful high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and make steady and long-term progress of China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership featuring sincere mutual assistance and ever-lasting friendship so as to better benefit the people of the two countries.

Quad leaders’ summit foments confrontation

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue leaders’ summit took place over the weekend of 21-22 September. Indian PM Narendra Modi, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida and Australian PM Anthony Albanese joined US President Joe Biden in Delaware – ostensibly to “expand security cooperation”, but in reality to discuss ways to escalate the US’s containment and encirclement campaign against China. The article below, originally published in the Global Times, observes that, while the joint statement issued at the summit did not directly name China, Biden was caught on a hot mic telling the other leaders that an “aggressive China is testing us”. Meanwhile, the report cites Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian as saying “the Quad has been scaremongering, inciting antagonism and confrontation, and holding back other countries’ development”.

More than anything, the Quad demonstrates the fundamental continuity in US foreign policy. Dormant for nearly a decade, the Quad was revived by Donald Trump in 2017, with the aim of increasing military pressure on China and putting together an Asian NATO. The Biden administration has continued with, and expanded, this project – the New Cold War is one of the few things that Democrats and Republicans can agree on.

Biden emphasised his commitment to the project, saying that “while challenges will come, the Quad is here to stay”. However, the Quad has achieved essentially nothing so far and its future is uncertain. India, Australia and Japan have nothing to benefit from anti-China aggression and everything to gain from developing friendly and mutually beneficial relations with China. The US is thus increasingly isolated in its Cold War manoeuvring.

At the Quad leaders’ summit US President Joe Biden hosted in his Delaware hometown over the weekend, the four-nation group – which consists of the US, Japan, India and Australia – agreed to expand security cooperation, including joint coast guard mission, with China on mind.    

The agenda of the meeting and its joint statement, which referred to East and South China Seas, exposed Quad’s nature of bloc confrontation, analysts said on Sunday, criticizing the four-nation partnership for its detrimental role of fomenting confrontation and inciting geopolitical tensions in Asia Pacific. 

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan insisted earlier Saturday during a briefing with reporters that “China is not the focus of the Quad,” CNN reported, but the issue (of China) featured throughout the day.

The joint statement, released on the White House’s website, did not directly name China, but it did mention “East and South China Seas,” meanwhile, Biden was caught on a hot mic telling the other leaders that an “aggressive China is testing us,” CNN reported.

Anchored by shared values, the Quad leaders seek to uphold the international order based on the rule of law and they are “seriously concerned” about the situation in East and South China Seas, according to a joint statement after the summit. 

Create division

Ding Duo, deputy director of the Institute of Maritime Law and Policy at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, noted that Quad members have made efforts to downplay its focus on China, emphasizing instead the shared values and strategic interests of the four countries. However, analysis of the summit’s outcomes reveals it is targeting China.

“Targeting China” is not only at a strategic level but it also involves tactical arrangements, and specific plans, Ding told the Global Times on Sunday. 

Per the joint statement, the four countries have agreed on a joint coast guard mission in 2025, and vowed to enhance logistics cooperation as well as data and information sharing within and outside the bloc, giving attention to developing maritime security ties with Pacific Island Countries and Southeast Asia. 

Ding pointed out that the Quad could support countries like the Philippines and Japan, which have maritime disputes with China, through specific joint maritime operations. 

The Quad statement also mentioned so-called “dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, including increasing the use of dangerous maneuvers,” hinting at China’s frictions with the Philippines; however, in face of Philippine provocations under US instigation, China’s actions aim to safeguard its sovereignty and legitimate rights, analysts said. 

The Quad has been scaremongering, inciting antagonism and confrontation, and holding back other countries’ development, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press briefing in July in response to a Quad foreign ministers meeting in Tokyo which voiced “serious concern about the situation in the East and South China Seas.”  

Some countries outside the region have frequently sent advanced military aircraft and vessels to the South China Sea to flex their muscles and create tension, and have formed various groupings and incited division and confrontation in the region. All of this makes them the biggest threat and challenge to regional peace and stability, Lin said.

Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Sunday that the Quad mechanism is US-led and serves as a strategic tool to favor the US in its competition with China at both regional and global levels. 

Although India, Australia and Japan have their own interests, the nature and direction of this mechanism will remain aligned with the strategic needs of the US, Li said.

Biden would not give up the opportunity of his last Quad summit to hype up China issues to amplify “China threat” rhetoric, and create a wrong impression that Washington’s China policy is embraced widely, Li said. 

Loose partnership

Although the Quad mechanism has convened meetings at different levels in the past few years and the US has strived to paint a picture of extensive and in-depth cooperation under the mechanism, “the outcomes have focused on political and diplomatic realms, being more of a posture,” Ding said. 

Cooperation is difficult when it comes to substantial inputs and spending of money, Ding said, adding that many of the proposals, such as joint actions and information sharing, can actually be carried out in a bilateral manner without a structure like the Quad. 

Also, the obscure reference to China in the Quad statement could be the result of an internal compromise, analysts said, as members have different views on the approach to deal with China – Japan, Australia and India have intensive economic or people-to-people exchanges with China.    

Different from US alliance with Japan or Australia, the Quad is a rather loose partnership, with each member aspiring to utilize the bloc to elevate their own international status, Li told the Global Times. 

“It remains to be seen whether the Quad will continue to be a loose group or become a real alliance and further consolidate,” Li said.

Xi Jinping meets with Spanish and Norwegian prime ministers

The second week of September saw two important official visits to China by European prime ministers. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain visited from September 8-11 and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre of Norway from September 9-11. Both premiers held meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the afternoon of September 9.

Meeting with the Spanish Prime Minister, Xi Jinping said that the two sides should give full play to platforms such as the Mixed Committee on Economy and Trade and the Joint Commission on Science and Technology to jointly promote development in high-tech fields such as artificial intelligence, digital economy and new energy to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results. He expressed the hope that Spain will continue to provide a fair, equitable, safe and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in the country. He urged joint efforts from the two sides to stay committed to inclusiveness and mutual learning, strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges in the fields of language education, youth, culture and tourism, and promote friendship between the two peoples. China appreciates Spain’s active promotion of China-EU exchanges and cooperation during its EU rotating presidency in the second half of last year.

Pedro Sánchez said he is glad to visit China again after one year, which shows the closeness of Spain-China relations. Spain and China enjoy time-honored friendship and have constantly developed and deepened the partnership on the basis of mutual respect. He added that during his visit, the two sides signed a number of cooperation agreements in green development and other fields, demonstrating the huge potential and bright prospects of bilateral cooperation. He expressed the hope that the two sides will strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges and deepen cooperation in such fields as economy, trade and new energy vehicles. The world today faces multiple challenges such as turbulence, conflicts, poverty and climate change, which call for greater international cooperation and joint response. China is a key force in safeguarding world peace and development and plays an important, constructive role in resolving major international and regional issues. The Spanish side views its relations with China from a strategic height, firmly pursues the one-China policy, is willing to be a trustworthy partner of China, and looks forward to further deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between Spain and China and to making greater contributions to the well-being of the two peoples, world peace and prosperity.

Meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Xi Jinping pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Norway 70 years ago, the two peoples have respected, appreciated and learned from each other, forging a valuable friendship. Further developing China-Norway friendly cooperation is consistent with the will of the two peoples, the fundamental interests of the two countries, and an overall trend of maintaining closer ties among countries in the world to share weal and woe. Today’s world is going through rapid and profound changes unseen in a century, which are testing whether the international community can make the right choice. China will continue to follow the path of peaceful development. Through further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernisation, China will inject stability and certainty into a world fraught with changes and turbulence and create more opportunities for the common development of all countries. China is ready to work with Norway to push for continuous development of bilateral friendly cooperation.

Xi Jinping stressed that a review of the 70-year history of China-Norway relations shows that friendship and cooperation are the defining features. He said: “Historical experience tells us that to maintain the steady and sound development of bilateral relations, the most important thing is to respect each other, seek common ground while shelving differences, including respecting each other’s core interests and accommodating each other’s major concerns.”  He called on the two sides to, based on their respective strengths, expand practical cooperation in fields such as environmental protection, energy transition, maritime affairs and shipping, agricultural and fishery products, and electric vehicles, strengthen cooperation in education, science and technology, culture, tourism, winter sports and other fields, and increase personnel exchanges, especially among young people. China and Norway share extensive consensus on maintaining world peace and security, addressing climate change, protecting biodiversity and tackling other global challenges.

Prime Minister Støre said that Norway was one of the first Nordic countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Norway and China 70 years ago, the two countries have witnessed sound development of bilateral relations, and the two sides have conducted dialogue and cooperation in a manner of mutual respect. Norway respects China’s sovereignty, firmly pursues the one-China policy, and is willing to continue to work with China to respect each other’s core interests and major concerns, engage in mutual learning and exchanges, and foster mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. China’s development is full of vitality and has much successful experience worth learning from. Norway looks forward to expanding cooperation with China, especially in such fields as green development, climate change response, maritime affairs and shipping, agriculture, fishery and aquaculture industries, new energy vehicles and artificial intelligence. China plays an important role in addressing many global challenges facing the world today and tackling major international issues concerning international peace and security.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang met his Spanish counterpart on the same day. He said that China is ready to work with Spain to focus on green development and innovation, and strengthen cooperation in new energy, energy conservation, environmental protection, the digital economy and space.

Li said China stands ready to work with Spain to uphold openness and cooperation, safeguard the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organisation at its core, maintain stability and unimpeded global industrial and supply chains, and jointly build an open world economy. It is hoped that Spain will play a constructive role in promoting China-EU cooperation.

Continue reading Xi Jinping meets with Spanish and Norwegian prime ministers

China’s UN representative: Ending the occupation is not an option but a legal obligation for Israel

On Tuesday 17 September, the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine addressed the United Nations General Assembly, introducing a text entitled Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences arising from Israel’s policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and from the illegality of Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The text was adopted by a two-thirds majority, with 124 voting in favour, 14 against, and 43 abstaining. China voted in favour, as did the other socialist and progressive countries. The US voted against and Britain abstained.

Speaking in support of the resolution, Fu Cong, China’s Permanent Representative to the UN, said:

“Decades of occupation and oppression have inflicted untold sufferings on the Palestinian people, and made the long-cherished dream of independent statehood ever more elusive… Ending the occupation is not an option, but a legal obligation for Israel… Independent statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people as a nation, which is unquestionable and undeniable.”

Ambassador Fu added:

“Today is a historic moment. The State of Palestine has taken a seat among Member States and introduced a draft resolution to the General Assembly that focuses on the implementation of the advisory opinion of the ICJ. China will vote in favor of the draft resolution. We hope that this GA resolution will give new impetus to ending the occupation, implementing the two-State solution, and advancing the Middle East peace process.”

At a Security Council briefing the previous day, Geng Shuang, China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, noted that, “despite strong joint international calls for a ceasefire and the cessation of killings, Israel has not halted its military operations, which have led to the death of over 41,000 Palestinian civilians”. It is “past belief” that this terrible tragedy continues in spite of the repeated calls of the international community for a ceasefire. Ambassador Geng pointed to the US’s repeated blocking of ceasefire attempts:

“Had the US not shielded one side time and again, multiple resolutions of this council would not have been flagrantly rejected and defied… We urge the United States to show a responsible attitude, use the significant influence it holds over the party, and take tangible actions to push Israel to cease its military operations without delay, as demanded by the Council resolutions, to give the long-suffering Palestinian people a chance to live.”

We republish below the full remarks by Ambassadors Fu Cong and Geng Shuang.

Remarks by Ambassador Fu Cong at the UN General Assembly Emergency Special Session on the Palestinian Question

Sep 17 (MFA) — President,

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been dragging on for over seven decades. Generations of Palestinians have lost their homes and been displaced. This is a gaping wound of the world today. Decades of occupation and oppression have inflicted untold sufferings on the Palestinian people, and made the long-cherished dream of independent statehood ever more elusive. 

Ending the occupation is not an option, but a legal obligation for Israel. The International Court of Justice, in its advisory opinion issued on July 19, unequivocally concluded that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is a violation of international law which impedes the realization of self-determination of the Palestinian people, and that Israel is under an obligation to immediately bring to an end its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territories. The advisory opinion of the ICJ affirms the long-standing consensus of the international community and pinpoints the crux of the Palestinian question. We urge Israel to heed the strong call of the international community by immediately ending its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory. 

Continue reading China’s UN representative: Ending the occupation is not an option but a legal obligation for Israel

‘Reading in Al-Mushtarak’ an important contribution to Marxist thought

London’s Marx Memorial Library was packed on the evening of Wednesday August 21 for the launch of ‘Reading in Al-Mushtarak: Islam, the Commons, and Systems for Democratic Socialism’, published by Iskra Books. This important work was written by the late Ibrahim Allawi, the long-serving General Secretary of the Communist Party of Iraq (Central Command). It was originally published in Arabic in 1983 and has now been published in English for the first time, having been edited and translated by two of his long-time comrades, Ali Al-Assam and Majed Allawi.

The event was chaired by David Peat, an Editor for Iskra Books, who oversaw its publication and who is also the Secretary of Friends of Socialist China (Britain), with four speakers, all of whom were longtime comrades of Allawi, namely Ali Al-Assam, Majed Allawi, Farouk Mustafa Rasool and Hani Lazim, as well as Keith Bennett, Co-editor of Friends of Socialist China (FOSC), who contributed a Foreword to the book and supported the project throughout. Majed Allawi and Farouk Mustafa Rasool had travelled especially from Iraq to participate in the launch, along with other family members and comrades of Allawi, who had come from Iraq, Europe and the United States.

Ali Al-Assam, who is also a committee member of FOSC (Britain), after describing the huge growth of the communist movement in Iraq, said that “a significant setback occurred in 1959 when the party’s leadership, under Soviet influence, decided against seizing power despite its widespread popular support and control over Iraq’s military. This decision followed the sending, ‘for re-education’, of party leaders Salam Adil and Jamal Haidari to Moscow. The Soviet Union, particularly under Khrushchev, feared that a communist takeover in Iraq would destabilise its relations with the West during the Cold War.”

China, he noted, took a contrasting stance: “In contrast to the Soviet Union’s cautious stance, as Ibrahim covered well in his 1990 book, ‘Berlin Baghdad the Barter’, China took a more supportive approach towards the 14 July Revolution. He cites a 1958 article from the Chinese newspaper Renmin Ribao, which stated, ‘China cannot stand idle in the face of American aggression in the Arab region. We want peace, but we do not fear war. If the imperialist aggressors lose their balance and insist on a test of strength, then everyone who rejects slavery must prepare the necessary measures.’ According to the Chinese press at the time, thousands of Chinese officers and soldiers volunteered to fight in Iraq after the US landed its forces in Beirut in July 1958. China’s strong stance and support for Iraq’s sovereignty made it popular among the Iraqi people and communists, in stark contrast to the Soviet Union’s reluctance. Ibrahim, in his book, says that this sympathy towards the Communist Party of China could have been another factor that led Khrushchev to be wary of a communist victory in Iraq.”

Having explained how Ibrahim Allawi’s later work prefigured China’s development of a socialist market economy, independently reaching similar conclusions, Ali concluded:

“I had the privilege of visiting China twice this year with my colleagues from Friends of Socialist China. Visiting party schools and engaging with Chinese comrades provided deep insights into the creative application of scientific Marxism by the Communist Party of China since the early days of Mao Zedong’s leadership. Much of this history is documented in the ‘Concise History of the Communist Party of China’. China’s communist history has much in common with Iraqi communist history. Both parties started in regions with great histories and ancient civilisations, both have diversity of nationalities and religions, and the founders of the two parties sought to use Marxism not only as a scientific tool for change but also to unite the people. Yet the outcome was tragically different for Iraq.

“Let’s not forget that nearly one-fifth of humanity is participating in a bold and successful experiment in socialism. This is a great achievement for humanity and a source for much optimism in the future.”

In his speech, Majed Allawi, spoke about the proletarian origins of the Iraqi Communist Party, stressing. in particular, the role of its secretary Yusuf Salman Yusuf (Fahd), who was a worker in an ice factory.

“This deep class foundation gave the Iraqi Communist Party relative independence in its national decisions. This stance caused some kind of discomfort for the international communist centre, the Comintern. This was clear in the Soviet efforts to impose the recognition of Israel.

“The planning to eliminate the leadership of Comrade Fahd, who was sentenced to death with his comrades in 1948 – later reduced to life imprisonment after a global wave of protests – culminated in a retrial in 1949 while they were in prison, resulting in their execution. Dr. Ibrahim Allawi was convinced that the lack of a global campaign against this sentence contributed to their execution.

“Fahd’s execution represented a tremendous loss to the communist movement, as his leadership was exceptional in integrating class and national struggles and in deepening theoretical and cultural awareness. This quality was largely absent from the leadership that followed Fahd due to the circumstances of persecution, incarceration, and exile, despite their remarkable achievements in resolving internal conflicts that arose in the few years following Fahd’s execution.”

Farouk Mustafa Rasool, who was one of Ibrahim Allawi’s closest comrades and collaborators from the late 1950s to his death, and who today, as the Founder of the Faruk Investment Group and of Asiacell (in which capacity he first introduced technology from China’s Huawei to Iraq more than two decades ago and still maintains strong ties with China’s technology industry), is one of Iraq’s leading businessmen, said that he regarded himself, and still regards himself, as a modest student of Ibrahim Allawi. It was an honour to have worked with him. He was a brave man who made many sacrifices, including of his family life, for the cause in which he believed.

Hani Lazim stressed Allawi’s self-discipline and his democratic style of work, where he was prepared to listen to everyone’s opinion. He also taught his comrades the importance of self-reliance and that a revolutionary movement could not depend on others.

Following the meeting, a reception was held at Palestine House, where Professor Kamal Majid, another long-term comrade of Allawi, shared his insights into his character, philosophy and work.

Below is the main gist of Keith Bennett’s speech to the meeting. The full text may be found here. The speeches of Ali Al-Assam and Majed Allawi are also available here and here. The meeting may be viewed on YouTube and details of the book, including a free PDF, are on the Iskra Books website. A brief report of the meeting was published by the Morning Star.

First published in Arabic a little over 40 years ago, this book will be of more than academic interest. Although it will undoubtedly be of great interest to academics interested in the study of Marxism, Iraq, Islam, and the Arab and Muslim worlds, as well.

But in the Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels wrote:

“The Communists are distinguished from the other working-class parties by this only: 1. In the national struggles of the proletarians of the different countries, they point out and bring to the front the common interests of the entire proletariat, independently of all nationality; 2. In the various stages of development which the struggle of the working class against the bourgeoisie has to pass through, they always and everywhere represent the interests of the movement as a whole.”

These are the two key tests that Ibrahim Allawi’s text meets. While addressing immediate political issues of his day, not least the question of Palestine, still of course the issue of the day, it attempts to sum up the historical experience of building socialism whilst looking to the future. So, while grounded in Iraqi realities, from ancient times to time of writing, it concerns itself with some of the most pressing issues facing humanity as a whole.

That’s why I wrote in my Foreword to the book:

“Ibrahim Allawi is one of many great Global South Marxists whose work has simply not been known in the Global North in particular, but whose vision and insights, born from the triumphs, vicissitudes, and tragedies of revolutionary praxis, need to be known, debated and studied by those who aspire to a better world.”

The famous words on Marx’s tombstone say that hitherto philosophers have only interpreted the world. The point is to change it. And this is also key to the importance of Allawi’s work. If the most advanced revolutionary theory largely emanates from the Global South, which has been the case since fairly early in the last century, it is not least because this has been the locus of the most advanced revolutionary practice, from the winning of independence against imperialism to attempts at building socialism.

Continue reading ‘Reading in Al-Mushtarak’ an important contribution to Marxist thought

Those that stand for socialism and peace should build solidarity with China

At the invitation of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez attended the 14th World Socialism Forum, held in Beijing from 9-10 September 2024.

The theme of this year’s forum was Current changes in the world and our times, and addressed the possibilities for furthering the cause of socialism around the world. There were over 200 delegates from China, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Britain, Cameroon, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Nepal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Syria, Uruguay, Vietnam and Zambia. Keynote speakers included Zhen Zhanmin (Vice President of CASS), Cheng Enfu (Former President of the Academy of Marxism) and Zhang Weiwei (Dean of the China Institute at Fudan University).

Carlos spoke in one of the parallel sessions, introducing the book The East is Still Red – Chinese Socialism in the 21st Century and explaining the rationale for writing it. We reproduce his contribution below.

A write-up of the forum can be found on China Daily.

The East is Still Red: Chinese Socialism in the 21st Century was published in English by Praxis Press last year and will soon be available in Chinese through Jiuzhou Press, having been translated by comrade Zhuo Mingliang from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Many books have been written by Westerners about China. Did the world really need another one?

Looking at the US and UK best-selling book lists, you can find titles such as:

  • How China Derailed Its Peaceful Rise
  • China’s New Tyranny
  • How China Took Over While America’s Elite Slept
  • How the Chinese Communist Party is Reshaping the World

And so on.

There are dozens, even hundreds, of books describing China as authoritarian, dystopian, aggressive, repressive and reactionary.

These are not serious works of politics, economics and history; they are part of an increasingly wide-ranging propaganda campaign aimed at building public support for an anti-China New Cold War.

One of the key reasons for the book to help build a movement against that New Cold War.

In the West, the most disgraceful slanders are being hurled at China: that it’s committing human rights abuses against Uyghur people in Xinjiang Province; that it’s suppressing religious freedoms; that it’s preventing the use of minority languages; that it’s engaged in predatory policies in its trade and investment relations with the countries of Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and the Pacific; that it’s an aggressive, expansionist power seeking to violate the sovereignty of other countries in the region; that it’s cracking down on basic democratic rights; and so on.

This is ultimately propaganda in favour of the West’s anti-China foreign policy, and in support of the US’s mission to maintain its hegemony, to hold on to its global economic and strategic advantages, and to pursue a Project for a New American Century.

Continue reading Those that stand for socialism and peace should build solidarity with China

Jointly advance the building of an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future

On September 6, Chinese President Xi Jinping held his final round of bilateral meetings with African leaders who had come to Beijing to take part in the summit meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

In the morning he met with President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso, who was also paying a state visit to China.

Xi Jinping congratulated the Republic of the Congo on taking over the African co-chair of FOCAC. He commended Denis Sassou Nguesso for his important contributions to the success of the FOCAC Beijing Summit. Xi pointed out that developing solidarity and cooperation with African countries is an important cornerstone of China’s foreign policy. He recalled that during his visit to Africa in 2013, he put forth the principles of China’s Africa policy – sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and pursuing the greater good and shared interests, which have become the guiding principles for China’s relations with all other developing countries. China is ready to work with the Republic of the Congo to better play their leading role as FOCAC co-chairs, implement the outcomes of the summit, ensure that the “golden brand” of FOCAC shines even brighter over time, and show the international community the firm resolve of China and Africa to jointly advance the building of an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.

Xi Jinping pointed out that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the Republic of the Congo. The rock-solid friendship between the two countries is rooted in a high degree of political mutual trust, the common pursuit of ideas and the firm support for each other. China-Africa relations have embarked on a new journey, and friendly cooperation between China and the Republic of the Congo will embrace the next 60 years with even more brilliance.

Xi Jinping suggested that China and the Republic of the Congo play the “four roles”, i.e. a standard-bearer for building a community with a shared future, a pioneer in Belt and Road cooperation, a model of people-to-people bonds, and an example of solidarity and collaboration. China supports the Republic of the Congo in developing a diversified economy and encourages Chinese enterprises to participate in the construction of major infrastructure and regional connectivity projects in the country. China is ready to carry out cooperation in agriculture, digital economy, green development and other fields, deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and encourage the two peoples to actively participate in the cause of friendship between China and the Republic of the Congo. China is ready to work with the Republic of the Congo to carry forward the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, strengthen international cooperation in global governance and other fields, and create a more favourable international environment for the development and revitalisation of developing countries.

Denis Sassou Nguesso recalled that 60 years ago, he was one of the first batch of young people from the Republic of the Congo to visit China. Over the years, he has visited China multiple times and witnessed its continuous and remarkable economic and technological development. China has become a powerful country in the world, which fills its people with great pride and earns deep admiration and heartfelt congratulations from the people of the Republic of the Congo. The Republic of the Congo firmly abides by the one-China principle and supports the Chinese government in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. This position remains unwavering.

Meeting with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Somalia enjoy a long history of friendly exchanges. Somalia is the first East African country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, and the friendship between the two countries has withstood many tests. China is ready to work with Somalia to uphold the original aspiration of establishing diplomatic relations and push for more new achievements in bilateral relations to better benefit the two peoples.

Xi Jinping emphasised that both China and Somalia shoulder the historical mission of achieving complete national reunification. [Here Xi Jinping refers respectively to China’s Taiwan province and to the secessionist ‘Republic of Somaliland’.] China supports Somalia in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity and supports the peace and development process in Somalia.   China is willing to continue to support Somalia’s economic and social development, tap cooperation potential and expand development space with Somalia, and take the implementation of the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation in such areas as economy, trade, fishery and human resources training.  Xi Jinping congratulated Somalia on its election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and its official accession to the East African Community. 

Continue reading Jointly advance the building of an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future

Tunnel Warfare – From China and Vietnam to the Gaza Strip

A specific military art of tunnel warfare, as a distinct component of people’s war, was developed by the Chinese communists in the 1930s during the war to resist Japanese aggression. It was subsequently utilised by the Korean and Vietnamese peoples in their wars against US imperialist aggression and is now playing an important part in the Arab resistance to Zionism and imperialism in Palestine, Lebanon and Yemen.

In a recent article written for The Palestine Chronicle, Enrico Di Gregorio, a Brazilian journalist who currently writes for A Nova Democracia, explains:

“More than 80 years after the Chinese communists began building tunnels to resist the Japanese invasion of their country, this tactic of the people’s war, derived from a broader military theory, is still current and developing.

“On July 16, the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah released a video about an underground military base with impressive capabilities: in the footage, fighters circulate on foot, on motorcycles and in trucks fuelled with rockets, through carefully dug tunnels… Elsewhere on the same base, soldiers work and are treated in a field hospital and provided with supplies that will allow them to survive for a year underground, according to the Al-Mayadeen news outlet.”

The 1965 Chinese film, ‘Tunnel Warfare’, “portrays the different tricks invented by the masses in the tunnels, such as a system that captured the water sent by the Japanese in flood attempts and redirected it to the villages, to reuse it for basic day-to-day operations.

“Experts point out that there is a relationship of influence between the tactics used in Asia and those employed by the Arab peoples. ‘Tunnels have been used for thousands of years, but the Vietnamese and Chinese have used them particularly successfully. There are several direct references to these experiences in Fatah and PFLP [Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine] materials,’ argues researcher Alberto García Molinero, from the University of Granada.”

Referring to the developments in the Palestinian revolution in the 1960s, Molinero adds: “The success of the guerrilla struggle strategy was very much inspired by China and Vietnam. Both Asian countries were a major global inspiration for the world’s revolutionaries, much more so than the Soviet Union. This was due to various factors, including the essence of Maoism. Both Mao, with his concept of people’s war, and the Vietnamese demonstrated that it was possible to defeat an infinitely superior enemy, such as imperialism, as long as you mobilise the people for the cause.”

Tunnels began to be built in Gaza in the 1980s and later by Hezbollah in Lebanon and by the Ansarallah movement (more commonly known as the Houthis) in Yemen.

“Today, there is no denying that tunnels play a fundamental role in the anti-imperialist war waged by the various Arab organisations. The scale that these structures have reached is impressive: in 2016, the former head of Hamas’ Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh (assassinated by Israel in July 2024), said that the tunnel network in Gaza is twice the size of the Cu Chi tunnels [which had around 250 kilometres of interconnected passages interspersed with small chambers used as classrooms and outpatient clinics and entrances and exits scattered throughout the rainforest.]”

Di Gregiorio concludes: “The anti-imperialist struggle in the Middle East has shown, more than any other revolutionary experience in the 21st century to date, the incredible relevance of the armed struggle and military doctrine developed in China and applied, even partially, by the Arab peoples.”

We reprint the article below.

More than 80 years after the Chinese communists began building tunnels to resist the Japanese invasion of their country, this tactic of the people’s war, derived from a broader military theory, is still current and developing.

On July 16, the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah released a video about an underground military base with impressive capabilities: in the footage, fighters circulate on foot, on motorcycles and in trucks fueled with rockets, through carefully dug tunnels.

In large chambers, combatants plan day-to-day military operations, while others drive several trucks to gates that, when opened, allow missiles to be fired directly at Israeli territory.

Elsewhere on the same base, soldiers work and are treated in a field hospital and provided with supplies that will allow them to survive for a year underground, according to the Al-Mayadeen news outlet.

Everything takes place in secret. High-tech equipment guarantees absolute encryption of the information, which is transmitted in a combination of speed and clandestinity.

The video shows the remarkable development of tunnel warfare by oppressed peoples, particularly the Arabs, some 50 years after experiences such as the Vietnam War (1955-1975) – one of those conflicts responsible for making this guerrilla tactic famous throughout the world.

Continue reading Tunnel Warfare – From China and Vietnam to the Gaza Strip

António Guterres: China’s cooperation will help Africa achieve peace and development

On September 5, Chinese President Xi Jinping continued his bilateral meetings with African leaders who were in Beijing to participate in the summit meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Following the summit’s opening ceremony, that was held that morning, Xi Jinping met at noon with Botswanan President Dr. Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi.

The Chinese President pointed out that China and Botswana enjoy traditional friendship and have always offered sincere support to each other. In recent years, the two sides have regarded solidarity and cooperation as the cornerstone of their policies, prioritised improving the well-being of the people, and promoted solid progress in bilateral relations. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The two sides should systematically review the successful experience gained over the past half century since the establishment of diplomatic relations and remain committed to being partners of mutual trust, common development and close people-to-people bonds. He also called on the two sides to firmly support each other and strengthen cooperation in industry, agriculture, minerals, clean energy, education, and medical and health care, among others.

China and its African brothers have just gathered together once again, he said, integrating more closely the development of China, Africa and the world. This has yielded fruitful results and unleashed the positive energy of the Global South in promoting world peace, security, prosperity and progress. China is ready to work with Botswana to follow through on the outcomes of the summit and bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Dr. Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi said that today marks a historic moment for Africa-China relations. President Xi Jinping just delivered an excellent address at the opening ceremony of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, announcing new measures to advance the China-Africa partnership for modernisation, including the policy of further opening up to Africa, which greatly excited and encouraged the African side. Botswana fully supports this and believes that the vision outlined at the summit will surely be realised. Botswana firmly adheres to the one-China principle and believes that the Chinese people should and can realise national reunification. He thanked China for its long-term valuable support to Botswana, saying that his country is willing to take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries next year as an opportunity to push for further development of bilateral relations.

Xi Jinping also met with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who was attending the FOCAC summit as a special guest.

President Xi said that China attaches great importance to developing China-Africa relations. After the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), his first overseas visit was to Africa, where he put forward in Tanzania the principle of sincerity, real results, amity, and good faith towards Africa and attended all subsequent FOCAC summits. China has no selfish interests in its cooperation with Africa. Half a century ago, in the face of its own economic difficulties, China responded to the expectations of its African brothers by vigorously assisting the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, writing a touching story of China-Africa friendship. Just now, at the opening ceremony of the summit, he had announced new actions and measures for practical cooperation with Africa. 

António Guterres thanked the Chinese side for inviting him to attend the FOCAC Beijing Summit. He said that historically, Africa has been the primary victim of colonialism. China’s cooperation with Africa will help reduce the historical injustice suffered by Africa and help Africa achieve peace and development. China’s peaceful development is a noble cause in the history of mankind and is conducive to the peace and progress of all humanity. The United Nations is ready to strengthen cooperation with China to resist actions that create division and undermine common progress, jointly practice multilateralism, promote more just and equitable global governance, and build a community with a shared future for humanity. The United Nations is making every effort to prepare for the Summit of the Future and hopes to have close communication with China to promote the reform of the international financial architecture and strengthen global AI governance.

In the afternoon, Xi Jinping met with Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba.

He stressed that the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) of Namibia are both long-ruling progressive parties. He praised SWAPO for having incorporated “building socialism with Namibian characteristics” into its party constitution. China is willing to work with Namibia to enhance friendly cooperation between the two countries and between the two parties, strengthen the exchange of experience in party and state governance, share development opportunities, and jointly advance the modernisation process of their respective countries. 

Nangolo Mbumba said he was honoured to be invited to China for the FOCAC Beijing Summit and had received a warm and friendly reception with Chinese characteristics and tradition. The two outcome documents adopted by the FOCAC Summit in the morning are conducive to consolidating the brotherly friendship between Africa and China and promoting Africa-China cooperation in various areas. In particular, a series of new measures announced by President Xi Jinping for Africa and China joining hands to advance modernisation will guide the two sides to create a bright future of common development and prosperity and promote the building of an Africa-China community with a shared future. 

Xi Jinping also met with Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The Chinese leader noted that Ghana is the second sub-Saharan African country [after Guinea] to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 64 years ago, the friendship between the two countries has remained strong and enduring, regardless of changes in the international landscape. China is ready to carry forward the deep friendship forged by the elder generation of the leaders of the two countries [who include Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai  and Chairman Liu Shaoqi] together with Ghana, so as to constantly enhance political mutual trust, promote exchanges and cooperation in various fields and be good friends who trust each other, good partners for common development, and good brothers with close cooperation. 

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said that Ghana was one of the first batch of African countries to establish diplomatic relations with the PRC. China has been Ghana’s most trustworthy friend and partner for over 60 years. Ghana highly cherishes its friendship with China, firmly pursues the one-China policy and supports China’s stance on human rights and other issues.

Meeting with Prime Minister of Sao Tome and Principe Patrice Trovoada, Xi Jinping pointed out that in recent years, China’s relations with Sao Tome and Principe have maintained a sound momentum of development and the two countries have achieved fruitful results in practical cooperation in various fields. Facts have proved that Sao Tome and Principe’s return to the China-Africa family of friendly cooperation fully conforms to the common interests of the two peoples. [China and Sao Tome and Principe established diplomatic relations in 1975 when the country won its independence from Portuguese colonial rule. However, they were suspended between 1997-2016 when the then government established “diplomatic relations” with the authorities on Taiwan in violation of the one-China principle.]

Patrice Trovoada said that every time he visits China, it feels like returning home. He thanked China for providing invaluable assistance to Sao Tome and Principe’s economic development, saying that the new measures announced by President Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony of the FOCAC Summit in the morning will significantly boost the development of Sao Tome and Principe and Africa.

In the evening, Xi Jinping met with President of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embaló.

Continue reading António Guterres: China’s cooperation will help Africa achieve peace and development

Zhang Weiwei: NATO is a relic of history that should have been disbanded long ago

In the video embedded below, Friends of Socialist China co-founder Danny Haiphong interviews Professor Zhang Weiwei, a Chinese professor of international relations at Fudan University and the director of its China Institute. The interview covers a wide range of topics, including the Western media portrayal of China as aggressive, the concept of the civilizational state, China’s preference for a peaceful approach to international relations, the conflict in Ukraine, China’s diplomatic breakthroughs in the Middle East, and the changing global balance of power.

Zhang Weiwei notes that, while the US and its allies insist on describing China as a threat to regional and global peace, China’s record of peaceful development speaks for itself. China has not fired a single shot in over 40 years, and is the only nuclear power to have a consistent policy of no first use of nuclear weapons. When the US was economically ascendant, it was already waging wars around the world. China however is now the world’s largest economy in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms, and yet it maintains a powerful commitment to peace and to solving problems through negotiations. Zhang highlights China’s diplomatic breakthroughs this year with regard to Middle East politics, including its mediation of the rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and its role in bringing together 14 Palestinian factions.

Professor Zhang points out that the conflict in Ukraine is mainly the result of US policy and the insistence on NATO expansion, stating that most Chinese feel that NATO is a relic of history that should have been disbanded long ago. China will be resolute in opposing NATO’s expansion into Asia.

Discussing the concept of “changes unseen in a century”, Zhang Weiwei highlights the emergence of a credible alternative for the Global South in the form of the BRICS grouping – whose GDP is already larger than that of the G7 – along with the Belt and Road Initiative, the economic emergence of several countries, and the failure of the US’s tech war against China.

Counselling the US to adopt a more peaceful approach to international relations, Zhang Weiwei notes that the Biden administration’s nuclear strategy is based on the concept of mutually assured destructions, when what the world needs is mutually assured prosperity.

Professor Zhang is providing a video contribution to our events to mark the 75th anniversary of the Chinese Revolution, in London and New York City.

China and Senegal – friends and partners on the path to national development and revitalisation

On September 4, 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping held 10 bilateral meetings with African leaders who were visiting China to attend the Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

In the morning, he met with the new progressive President of Senegal Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was also paying a state visit.

Xi Jinping stressed that China and Senegal are friends and partners on the path to national development and revitalisation. Over the years, the two sides have carried out cooperation in the spirit of sincerity, friendship, equality, respect and win-win cooperation, and achieved tangible results, benefiting the two peoples.

China will continue to send agricultural technological experts to support Senegal in building industrial parks, expand cooperation in new energy and other emerging fields, and boost Senegal’s industrialisation and agricultural modernisation process. China and Senegal hold similar positions on many major international issues, and China is ready to work closely with Senegal in multilateral coordination to jointly safeguard international fairness and justice and the common interests of developing countries.

Xi Jinping pointed out that FOCAC is a golden brand of South-South cooperation, leading international cooperation with Africa and making important contributions to world peace and development. Over the past six years since China and Senegal assumed the co-chairs of FOCAC, China and Africa have overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and other difficulties and successfully completed the eight major initiatives and nine programs launched at the two previous FOCAC conferences, advancing China-Africa relations into a new stage. As the fourth African co-chair of FOCAC, Senegal has made important contributions to China-Africa solidarity and cooperation. China is ready to work closely with Senegal to lead the summit to achieve complete success, join hands to advance China-Africa modernisation and start a new journey of China-Africa relations.

Bassirou Diomaye Faye said that it is a great honour for him to pay his first state visit to China and attend the FOCAC Beijing Summit. He thanked the Chinese side for the warm hospitality that has made him appreciate the beauty and friendliness of China. Since the establishment of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Senegal and China in 2016, bilateral cooperation has made continuous progress.  Senegal is willing to learn from China’s successful experience in party and state governance, advance cooperation in agriculture, industry, digitalisation, vocational training, youth and other fields, and elevate the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Senegal and China to a higher level. The establishment and development of FOCAC is based on friendship, trust, mutual respect, solidarity, cooperation, practicality and efficiency, and has made important contributions to Africa’s economic and social development.

Xi Jinping also met with President of Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. 

Xi Jinping emphasised that China and Equatorial Guinea are good friends. High-level political mutual trust, all-round practical cooperation, and profound friendship between the two peoples are the main features of their bilateral relations. China is ready to work with Equatorial Guinea to firmly support each other, expand practical cooperation, deepen defence and security cooperation, help Equatorial Guinea diversify its economy, advance together on their respective modernisation paths, and open up new prospects for the China-Equatorial Guinea comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership. He congratulated Equatorial Guinea on its assumption of the co-chairmanship of FOCAC from 2027 to 2030. 

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo said that as soon as he arrived in Beijing, he felt the sincere friendship of the Chinese people towards Equatorial Guinea and the African people. The organisation of the Summit is meticulous, and the theme is in line with the dream of African countries to pursue modernisation.  Equatorial Guinea’s relations with China are based on profound friendship and a high degree of mutual trust, with fruitful cooperation and close coordination in international affairs. The investment and cooperation of Chinese enterprises have helped Equatorial Guinea take on a new look, and China has made important contributions to promoting world peace.

Continue reading China and Senegal – friends and partners on the path to national development and revitalisation

London and NYC: Celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of People’s China

October 1, 2024 will mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, when Mao Zedong declared that “the Chinese people have stood up”.

Friends of Socialist China is initiating two events to mark this historic occasion, in London on Saturday, September 28 and in New York City on Sunday, September 29.

These events will highlight the extraordinary achievements of Chinese socialism over the past 75 years and bring people together to counter the rising tide of anti-China propaganda and the U.S.-led New Cold War. Details below.

London: Celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of People’s China (Saturday 28 September)

Register on Eventbrite

📆 Saturday, September 28
⏰ 10am – 4:30pm BST
📍Bolivar Hall, 54 Grafton Way, London, W1T 5DL (map)

The event is jointly organised by Friends of Socialist China and the Communist Party of Britain, and supported by a number of other organisations.

There will be panels discussions on:

  • China, multipolarity and the rise of the Global South
  • China’s road to socialism
  • Standing up against the New Cold War

Confirmed speakers include:

  • HE Felix Plasencia (Venezuelan Ambassador to the UK)
  • Minister Zhao Fei (Chinese Embassy in the UK)
  • George Galloway (Leader, Workers’ Party of Britain; Former MP)
  • Robert Griffiths (General Secretary, Communist Party of Britain)
  • Senator Mushahid Hussain (Chair, Pakistan-China Institute)
  • Alex Gordon (President, RMT)
  • Chen Weihua (China Daily EU Bureau Chief)
  • Zhang Weiwei (Director, China Institute, Fudan University)
  • Victor Gao (Chair, Professor of Soochow University)
  • Jenny Clegg (Author and peace activist)
  • Radhika Desai (Convenor, International Manifesto Group)
  • Ben Chacko (Editor, Morning Star)
  • Andrew Murray (Parliamentary Correspondent, Morning Star)
  • Roger McKenzie (International editor, Morning Star)
  • Cheng Enfu (President, World Association of Political Economy)
  • Liz Payne (British Peace Assembly)
  • Pawel Wargan (Progressive International)
  • Murad Qureshi (Former Member, Greater London Assembly)
  • Kevan Nelson (International Secretary, CPB)
  • Fiona Sim (Black Liberation Alliance)
  • Francisco Domínguez (Secretary, Venezuela Solidarity Campaign)
  • Myriam Kane (Black Liberation Alliance)

NYC: China at 75 – Changes Unseen in a Century (Sunday 29 September)

Register on Eventbrite

📆 Sunday, September 29
⏰ 10am – 6pm EDT
📍The Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center, 3940 Broadway New York, NY 10032 (map)

Discussions will include the ongoing processes of poverty alleviation and modernisation; China’s role in the struggle against climate catastrophe; China’s contribution to Marxist thought; the significance of the recent meeting of all the Palestinian organizations in China and more.

Confirmed speakers include:

  • Gerald Horne – Author and Historian
  • Danny Haiphong – Journalist and Co-Founder of Friends of Socialist China
  • Margaret Kimberley – Executive Editor, Black Agenda Report
  • Larry Holmes – First Secretary, Workers World Party
  • Mick Kelly – Political Secretary, Freedom Road Socialist Organization
  • Lee Siu Hin – Director, China/US Solidarity Network
  • Omowale Clay – International Secretariat, December 12th Movement
  • Ken Hammond – Party for Socialism and Liberation, Author of multiple books on China
  • Radhika Desai – Coordinator, International Manifesto Group
  • Charles Xu – Qiao Collective
  • Michael Wong – VP, Veterans for Peace and VFP China Working Group
  • KJ Noh – Journalist and Analyst of the geopolitics of the Asia Pacific region
  • Sara Flounders – International Action Center, Friends of Socialist China
  • Dee Knight – Author and Peace Activist
  • Sharon Black – East Coast Co-Coordinator of Struggle/La Lucha
  • Bahman Azad – President, US Peace Council
  • Julie Tang – “Comfort Women” Justice Coalition, Co-Founder of Pivot to Peace
  • Ju-Hyun Park – Nodutdol for Korean Community Development

The event will also include representatives of the following organizations:

  • Black Alliance for Peace
  • Iskra Books
  • CPUSA International Department
  • Black Workers League

Interview: a growing interest in Chinese socialism

At the invitation of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez attended the World Socialism Forum, held in Beijing from 9-10 September 2024, alongside delegates from China, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Russia, Brazil, Zambia, Ghana, Lebanon, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark and several other countries. Keynote speakers included Zhen Zhanmin (Vice President of CASS), Cheng Enfu (Former President of the Academy of Marxism) and Zhang Weiwei (Dean of the China Institute at Fudan University).

On the first day of the forum, CGTN journalist Li Jingjing interviewed Carlos, along with Blaise Tulo – Convener of Accra Collective of the Socialist Movement of Ghana – and Adham Sayed – Research Fellow at Zhejiang Gongshang University and member of the Lebanese Communist Party. The interview covers a range of topics, including the significance of the World Socialism Forum, the rising popularity of socialism, and China’s role in the world today.

The video is embedded below. It was originally posted on Li Jingjing’s YouTube channel.

AU Commission chairperson: China has been firmly supporting Africa’s struggle against colonialism, imperialism and racial discrimination

Chinese President Xi Jinping continued his bilateral meetings with African leaders who came to Beijing to attend the summit meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) on September 3.

In the morning he met with Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) Moussa Faki Mahamat. 

Xi Jinping pointed out that the African Union (AU) is a banner for Africa to seek strength through unity and an important platform for conducting international cooperation. In recent years, China and the AU have continued to deepen political mutual trust and maintained close coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs. He added that he is glad to see that the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, aided by China for the AU, have been established and put into operation, contributing to African people’s health and well-being.

Xi stressed that the current transformations of the world unseen in a century are unfolding at a faster pace. The Global South, including China and Africa, is growing stronger, injecting stability and positive energy into world peace and development. Africa is an important pole in the world and an important priority in China’s diplomacy. China is ready to enhance political exchanges with Africa, deepen strategic mutual trust, strengthen practical cooperation, share development experience and promote common development. He called on the two sides to strengthen solidarity and coordination, firmly support each other, advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation, and jointly safeguard international fairness and justice and the common interests of developing countries.

Moussa Faki Mahamat said that for more than half a century, China has been firmly supporting Africa’s struggle against colonialism, imperialism and racial discrimination, providing valuable assistance to African countries in various fields such as infrastructure, health, energy, industry and security, and taking the lead in supporting the AU’s accession to the G20, which the African side highly appreciates and sincerely thanks. For this reason, the African side firmly pursues the one-China policy and firmly supports China in safeguarding its core interests. The African side expects China to continue playing a key leading role and make greater contributions to helping Africa achieve modernisation as well as for world peace and development.

Xi Jinping also met with Malawi President President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera.

He said that China is ready to strengthen cooperation with Malawi in agriculture, telecommunications, infrastructure and other fields, and to encourage Chinese enterprises to invest in Malawi. The two sides should make good use of the Confucius Institute at the University of Malawi to promote cultural exchanges and forge closer bonds between their peoples.

Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera said that every time he comes to China, it feels like coming home. He thanked the Chinese side for the warm and friendly reception. Malawi regards China as its most sincere friend.  Under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has lifted hundreds of millions of Chinese people out of poverty. The Belt and Road Initiative and other major initiatives put forward by President Xi Jinping have provided important opportunities for all countries to achieve common development and prosperity. Malawi also supports strengthening FOCAC’s institutional development and looks forward to taking this summit as an opportunity to further promote Belt and Road cooperation, strengthen regional connectivity and deepen friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation between Malawi and China.

Meeting with President of Chad Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, Xi Jinping said that China has been Chad’s largest trading partner and investment partner for many years in a row, and bilateral practical cooperation has improved the well-being of the two peoples. China is ready to work with Chad to uphold the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation, strengthen the synergy of development strategies, and push for new progress in China-Chad relations.

Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno said that under the wise leadership of President Xi Jinping, China has witnessed rapid development and increasingly rising international standing. Chad admires China’s development achievements, appreciates a series of major ideas and initiatives put forward by President Xi Jinping, and is happy to see China’s continued development and growth. He believes that China’s sustained development will bring more opportunities for the development of Chad, Africa and the world, which is crucial to leading the transformations of the world unseen in a century.

The Chinese President also met with Kenyan President William Ruto. 

Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Kenya have a time-honoured friendship that developed in their struggles for national liberation and deepened on their journey toward national rejuvenation. 

Ruto said that the two sides have successfully implemented major infrastructure construction cooperation projects such as the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, which has strongly promoted Kenya’s economic and social development and become a new symbol for Kenya-China friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation. 

In the afternoon, Xi Jinping met with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was also paying a state visit to China.  

Xi Jinping pointed out that Nigeria is a major and highly influential African country with a large population and great development potential. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations more than half a century ago, China and Nigeria have always respected each other and treated each other as equals and forged a path of self-strength through unity and win-win cooperation. The two countries need to seek greater synergy of development strategies, form a new pattern of practical cooperation featuring complementarity and mutual benefit, promote the interconnected and integrated development of infrastructure, energy and minerals with industries, and create new growth areas for cooperation such as the digital economy and new energy.

He added that FOCAC is not only an effective mechanism for promoting practical cooperation between China and Africa, but also a banner for South-South cooperation. China is ready to take the FOCAC Beijing Summit as an opportunity to review the historical experience of China-Africa friendship, promote the building of a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future, and inject new momentum into the development of China-Africa relations in the new era.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu said that Nigeria hopes to become China’s largest trade and investment partner in Africa and welcomes more Chinese companies to invest in the country, expanding mutually beneficial cooperation in agriculture, manufacturing, minerals, energy, infrastructure and other fields, helping Nigeria and West Africa advance modernisation efforts and effectively eradicating poverty. He thanked the Chinese side for providing important training opportunities for Nigerian youth and expressed willingness to deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges with the Chinese side.

The two countries issued a Joint Statement between the People’s Republic of China and the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Establishing a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and Building a High-level China-Nigeria Community with a Shared Future. The full text may be read here. 

President Xi also met in the afternoon with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa. We already reported the details of that meeting here. 

In the evening, President Xi met with Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani. 

Xi Jinping stressed that China and Mauritania are good friends and close brothers who trust and help each other. China is ready to work with Mauritania to promote Belt and Road cooperation, deepen cooperation in fisheries, infrastructure and other fields, leverage the role of the agricultural and animal husbandry technology demonstration centre in aiding Mauritania and build China-Mauritania relations into a model of friendly exchanges and win-win cooperation between countries.

The Chinese leader appreciated Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani’s active contributions, as rotating chair of the African Union, to the preparations for the FOCAC Beijing Summit, and expressed China’s willingness to work closely with Mauritania to take the summit as an opportunity to pool the strength of the Chinese and African people, build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future, increase the voice and representation of the Global South countries in global governance, and jointly uphold international fairness and justice.

Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani said, the friendship between Mauritania and China is solid and profound, and the Mauritanian side is deeply proud of its friendly relations with China. He thanked China for its valuable support for Mauritania’s economic and social development, including the country’s fight against COVID-19. 

He added that at present, the world is facing many risks and challenges, and deepening cooperation with China is the hope of Mauritania and other countries to achieve sustainable development. Mauritania and China hold highly identical positions on Palestine and other major issues. Both sides firmly oppose interference in other countries’ internal affairs, call for respect for the independence of all countries, and reject violent extremism.

China leads the Paralympic medal table for the sixth consecutive time; find out the reasons for the country’s success

The following article, republished from the Brazilian online newspaper Brasil de Fato, explores the reasons for China’s stunning success at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, where the country won 222 medals, including 95 golds. This was the sixth consecutive time that China topped the medal table at the Paralympics.

The article notes that “as part of efforts to eradicate extreme poverty, support for people with disabilities has increased in recent years in China”. While this support of course includes improving accessibility and service provision, the 14th Five-Year Plan for the Protection and Development of People with Disabilities also focuses on physical activity and sports participation.

The author goes on to cite Wu Yandan, a professor at Fujian Normal University, who explains that sports training also aims to improve people’s general living conditions. “The four motor activity movement modules include hitting, kicking, agility and movement. Combined with the movements of daily life, they help improve the ability to take care of oneself in the future.”

All in all, China’s successes at the Paralympics imply an impressive commitment to the all-round wellbeing of people with disabilities.

China topped the medal table at the Paralympic Games for the sixth consecutive time, winning 95 golds, 75 silvers, and 52 bronzes in Paris, totaling 222 podium finishes. Great Britain came in second with 49 golds, 45 silvers, and 31 bronzes, making 125 medals.

The Chinese success in Paralympic sports is multifactorial. One of the reasons is the adoption of policies to eradicate extreme poverty and tackle inequality. As part of efforts to eradicate extreme poverty, support for people with disabilities has increased in recent years in China. The 14th Five-Year Plan (from 2021 to 2025) has several sections focused on protecting and rehabilitating people with disabilities. The text also includes improvements in access to social security, employment and basic services. 

In China, there are more than 85 million people with disabilities. During the previous Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), 7.1 million people with disabilities living in rural areas were lifted out of extreme poverty. In addition, almost 2 million were employed in urban and rural areas, according to data from the State Council.

The recent Third Plenary Session of the Twentieth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China also emphasized the need to develop these policies.

The resolution of the third plenary – whose goals must be met by 2029 – states that better services will be provided to the elderly population facing special difficulties, “including those who live alone, have disabilities or suffer from physical handicaps.” It also says that “the introduction of insurance schemes for long-term care” for these populations will be accelerated.

Promoting physical activity among people with disabilities

In addition to improving access to services, the so-called 14th Five-Year Plan for the Protection and Development of People with Disabilities focuses on physical activity and sports participation among people with disabilities in the country.

The plan states that sports rehabilitation and fitness services for people with disabilities should be promoted, as well as measures to strengthen research into sports aimed at this population.

The goal is to include what the Chinese government refers to as “mass sports” for people with disabilities in the national development strategy.

International and regional sporting events have been examples of incentives to engage the population in sports-related activities. The Asian Paralympic Games, held in Hangzhou in 2023, for example, served as a boost for organizing sports activities for people with disabilities in communities in that Chinese city. Around 100,000 people took part.

Another example was the city of Chengdu’s organization of a Special Olympics basketball event in 2022, with twelve teams from all over China.

Wu Yandan, a professor at Fujian Normal University, explains that the training also aims to improve people’s general living conditions. “The four motor activity movement modules include hitting, kicking, agility and movement. Combined with the movements of daily life, they help improve the ability to take care of oneself in the future,” she says.

The Winter Paralympics are another example of how China uses sporting events to boost capacity building.

In 2015, the country’s capital, Beijing, was selected to host the Winter Olympics and Paralympics for the first time. China went from a country that had never won a medal at the Winter Paralympics to topping the medal table in that same edition.

The Beijing Declaration is a key step to resolve the Palestinian question

In the following article, which was originally contributed to Al Jazeera, China’s Ambassador to Qatar, Cao Xiaolin explains the significance of the July meeting in Beijing of Palestine’s 14 main resistance movements. 

According to Cao: “The important consensus from the Beijing talks is to achieve reconciliation and unity among the 14 factions. The core outcome is the affirmation of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of all Palestinian people. The biggest highlight is the agreement on establishing an interim government of national reconciliation focusing on the post-conflict reconstruction of Gaza. The strongest call is for establishing an independent State of Palestine in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions.”

In contrast to those who either see the Beijing meeting and its resultant declaration as a panacea or those who dismiss it as of little consequence, the Ambassador highlights the need to make “incremental progress”, noting: “Only by making continuous efforts to build consensus and put it into practice can the reconciliation process yield more and more substantive progress and greater unity. On the path towards reconciliation, China shares the same direction and destination with Arab and Islamic countries.”

He adds that: “China and many of the Middle Eastern countries are bound by similar memories of the devastation wrought by imperialism and colonialism, and share a kindred pursuit of national liberation, independence and self-reliance… China has no selfish interests in the Palestinian question. It was among the first countries to recognise the PLO and the State of Palestine, and all along has firmly supported the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights.”

The Palestinian question is at the core of the Middle East issue. Over the past years, China has put forward proposals and taken action to address the Palestinian question with Chinese wisdom and solutions.

At China’s invitation, senior representatives of 14 Palestinian factions engaged in dialogue in Beijing in July and signed the Beijing Declaration on Ending Division and Strengthening Palestinian National Unity. The Beijing Dialogue was the most inclusive and in-depth reconciliation talks of 14 political factions to date.

The important consensus from the Beijing talks is to achieve reconciliation and unity among the 14 factions. The core outcome is the affirmation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of all Palestinian people. The biggest highlight is the agreement on establishing an interim government of national reconciliation focusing on the post-conflict reconstruction of Gaza. The strongest call is for establishing an independent State of Palestine in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions.

Mousa Abu Marzouk, head of the Hamas delegation to the Beijing Dialogue, declared Hamas’s readiness to implement the Beijing Declaration, strengthen unity among factions and advance the reconciliation process to achieve Palestinian national unity. Mahmoud al-Aloul, deputy chief of the Fatah movement, said China is a light and its efforts to promote reconciliation among Palestinian factions are rare on the international stage. European Union Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process Sven Koopmans stressed it is a remarkable achievement and fully demonstrates China’s positive and constructive role in the Middle East peace process.

The key to the Palestinian reconciliation process is to bolster confidence, keep in the right direction, and make incremental progress. Only by making continuous efforts to build consensus and put it into practice can the reconciliation process yield more and more substantive progress and greater unity. On the path towards reconciliation, China shares the same direction and destination with Arab and Islamic countries.

At present, the Gaza conflict is dragging on and its spillovers continue to spread, as multiple regional conflicts are interconnected. To help get out of the current conflict and predicament, China proposes a three-step initiative.

The first step is to achieve a comprehensive, lasting and sustainable ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible, and ensure access to humanitarian aid and rescue on the ground. The international community should build more synergy for ending the hostilities and establishing a ceasefire.

The second step is to make joint efforts towards post-conflict governance of Gaza under the principle of “Palestinians governing Palestine”. Gaza is an inseparable, integral part of Palestine. Restarting post-conflict reconstruction as soon as possible is an urgent priority. The international community needs to support Palestinian factions in establishing an interim national consensus government and realising the effective management of Gaza and the West Bank.

The third step is to help Palestine become a full member state of the UN and get down to implementing the two-state solution. It is important to support the convening of a broad-based, more authoritative, and more effective international peace conference to work out a timetable and road map for the two-state solution.

The three-step initiative lays out a detailed and feasible plan for peacefully resolving the Palestinian question, contributing to building consensus among all stakeholders and guiding the Palestinian question back on the right track of a political solution.

China and many of the Middle Eastern countries are bound by similar memories of the devastation wrought by imperialism and colonialism, and share a kindred pursuit of national liberation, independence and self-reliance. China has never engaged in geopolitical confrontation or seeking proxies in the Middle East, nor does it intend to draw spheres of influence to fill the so-called power vacuum in the region.

China has no selfish interests in the Palestinian question. It was among the first countries to recognise the PLO and the State of Palestine, and all along has firmly supported the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights.

There is no simple solution to the Palestinian question, and peace cannot be achieved overnight. The intra-Palestinian reconciliation will bring hope and a future to the Palestinian people. It is an important step towards resolving the Palestinian question and achieving stability in the Middle East.

China firmly supports the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights and supports the people of Middle Eastern countries in holding their future in their own hands. China looks forward to the day when Palestinian factions achieve internal reconciliation and, on that basis, realise national unity and independent statehood as early as possible. China will continue to work relentlessly to this end, making more contributions to promoting peace and prosperity in the region.

Xi meets with heads of state from Eritrea, Mali, DRC, Comoros, Djibouti, Seychelles and Guinea

On September 2, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with a number of African heads of state who were in Beijing to attend the summit meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Meeting with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Xi Jinping pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic relations more than 30 years ago, China and Eritrea have always trusted and supported each other firmly. President Isaias Afwerki paid a state visit to China in May last year, during which positive progress was made in the important common understandings between the two heads of state. China appreciates Eritrea’s adherence to an independent foreign policy, its efforts to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and dignity, and its strategic and long-term perspective for viewing China-Eritrea relations. He stressed that China and Eritrea should be good brothers having a heart-to-heart affinity, good partners for mutual benefit and win-win results, and good friends for safeguarding fairness and justice.

Noting that he first visited China 57 years ago [when he was one of a number of young Eritrean freedom fighters invited to receive military and political training in China], Isaias Afwerki said that over the past half century and more, he has witnessed firsthand China’s great development achievements and transformative changes. China plays an important role in the world and has increasingly become a key force leading global governance reform. The Eritrea-China relationship is characterised by a long history, solid friendship, sound cooperation, and common understanding on many issues. Its cooperation with China is helping and will continue to help African countries achieve greater development, resist colonialism and hegemonism, and gain equality and dignity in the international community. Eritrea stays committed to the one-China policy and hopes to deepen cooperation with China in such fields as energy, infrastructure and maritime affairs. 

President Afwerki also met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang the next day.

Li Qiang pointed out that under the framework of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, China is ready to work with Eritrea to further expand trade exchanges, deepen cooperation in areas such as mining, agriculture, infrastructure and education, tap into the potential of cooperation in clean energy, blue economy and other areas, and create new growth drivers for bilateral cooperation.

Isaias Afwerki said that under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, China has achieved remarkable development achievements, playing an exemplary role in maintaining world peace and stability and supporting Africa’s development and revitalisation, which Eritrea highly appreciates.  Eritrea is ready to take the opportunity of deepening the strategic partnership with China to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in areas such as infrastructure construction, mining and agriculture, with a view to elevate Eritrea-China and Africa-China relations to higher levels in the new era, work together to tackle global challenges, jointly oppose hegemonism, and make greater contributions to human development and progress as well as international fairness and justice.

Meeting with Malian President Colonel Assimi Goïta, the two heads of state announced the elevation of the China-Mali relationship to a strategic partnership. Xi Jinping pointed out that the China-Mali friendship was personally forged by the elder generation of leaders of the two countries. Sixty years ago, the two sides issued a joint communique, which for the first time included China’s eight principles in foreign aid, advocating respect for national sovereignty, development of an independent economy and non-interference in internal affairs. These principles not only serve as a guide for the long-term friendly cooperation between China and Mali, but also set the tone for China-Africa cooperation in promoting the establishment of a new international order. [Mali, under the leadership of socialist President Modibo Keïta, established diplomatic relations with China on October 25 1960, shortly after winning independence from French colonial rule on September 22 that year. The Eight Principles to govern China’s foreign economic and technical assistance were put forward by Premier Zhou Enlai in Mali in early 1964 during his December 1963-February 1964 visit to 10 African countries. They are: 

China always bases itself on the principle of equality and mutual benefit in providing aid to other nations.

China never attaches any conditions or asks for any privileges.

China helps lighten the burden of recipient countries as much as possible.

China aims at helping recipient countries to gradually achieve self-reliance and independent development.

China strives to develop aid projects that require less investment but yield quicker results.

China provides the best-quality equipment and materials of its own manufacture.

In providing technical assistance, China shall see to it that the personnel of the recipient country fully master such techniques.

The Chinese experts are not allowed to make any special demands or enjoy any special amenities.]

Colonel Assimi Goïta said that the people of Mali and China enjoy a brotherly friendship and bilateral cooperation is sincere and pragmatic. He thanked China for providing various and valuable assistance to Mali’s economic and social development. Mali hopes to further consolidate the friendship with China, elevate the strategic partnership, and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in agriculture, energy, mining, security and other areas. Both Mali and China respect national sovereignty and independence and oppose interference in other countries’ internal affairs. Mali appreciates China’s efforts and contributions to promote regional and world peace and development and looks forward to closer multilateral cooperation with China.

Continue reading Xi meets with heads of state from Eritrea, Mali, DRC, Comoros, Djibouti, Seychelles and Guinea