We are pleased to reprint below the speech delivered by Chen Weihua to our September 28 conference celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Chen describes the founding of the People’s Republic as a turning point in Chinese history: “Chairman Mao’s declaration 75 years ago that the Chinese people have stood up made Chinese extremely proud of being Chinese, after the nation had suffered a century of humiliation inflicted upon by imperial and colonial powers.”
China’s progress since then – lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty, developing universal healthcare and education, massively improving living standards, and becoming a global leader in green technology – has been remarkable, but has also raised alarm in Washington, which sees China’s rise as a threat to its strategy of hegemony.
This is the context for the trade war, for the US’s unilateral sanctions on China, and for the escalating military encirclement campaign. It also provides the context for a relentless propaganda war, in which China is demonised and labeled a threat to peace and democracy. “The US often portrays China as a major threat to global peace. The truth is that China has one of the best records for peace. The US has been engaged in constant wars and regime changes, from Afghanistan to Iraq to Libya, just to name a few.”
Chen points out that, in an interconnected world, “it is more important than ever for the world to come together to tackle common global challenges from climate change, nuclear proliferation and pandemic to economic growth and global governance”, and concludes by calling for a coordinated struggle against the New Cold War.
Chen Weihua is a prominent Chinese journalist and EU bureau chief of China Daily.
It’s a great honor for me to speak to you in my personal capacity at this important event marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
I want to express my appreciation for Friends of Socialist China for your good work in advocating world peace and justice and in supporting China against the US new Cold War and its reckless smearing campaigns against China.
Chairman Mao’s declaration 75 years ago that the Chinese people have stood up made Chinese extremely proud of being Chinese, after the nation had suffered a century of humiliation inflicted upon by imperial and colonial powers.
China’s rapid peaceful rise, especially since the reform and opening up in the late 1970s, is a miracle and unprecedented in human history. China has lifted 800 million people out of poverty, greatly raised the living standards of its people, advanced its capacity in education, public health, science and technology. And China has become a global manufacturing powerhouse, including in renewable energy and other clean industries.
China has been playing an important and responsible role on the world stage and as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and as a voice for the developing world.
It’s exactly such China’s independent foreign policy, unique development path and rapid peaceful rise that have made many in Washington feel threatened in sustaining US global hegemony. That is why the US has been going all-out to contain China’s development.
The US has been waging trade wars and tariff wars against China. It has put hundreds of Chinese tech companies on its notorious Entity List of export control. The US has been forcing countries to choose sides in its bid to divide the world into Cold War type political blocs.
The US has also been provoking China in potential hot wars by boosting its arms supply to Taiwan, which is internationally recognized as a part of China. The US has been flexing its muscles for decades in air and sea near China’s shore, not to mention its hundreds of military bases aimed at encircling China.
In March this year, US President Joe Biden approved a classified nuclear strategy to counter the so-called “China threat”. It is an invitation to nuclear arms race and poses a real threat to the existence of humanity. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made similar dangerous nuclear warmongering back in June.
US leaders, lawmakers, politicians and even news media have indulged in demonizing China amid the resurging McCarthyism. The bill recently passed by the US House of Representatives to provide $1.6 billion to deliver anti-China propaganda overseas is just a tip of iceberg of such US smearing and disinformation campaigns against China.
US often portrays China as a major threat to global peace. The truth is that China has one of the best records for peace. The US has been engaged in constant wars and regime changes, from Afghanistan to Iraq to Libya, just to name a few.
The US still refuses to lift its more than six decades of cruel and inhumane embargo on Cuba, despite the condemnation by the UN General Assembly every year for more than three decades.
The world has also witnessed the hypocrisy and double standards exhibited by the US and some of its allies in the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
The US might have succeeded in dictating and influencing some countries’ foreign policy. But many countries in the world have made it clear that they don’t want to be forced to choose side and they don’t want a new Cold War.
We are living in an inter-connected world and it is more important than ever for the world to come together to tackle common global challenges from climate change, nuclear proliferation and pandemic to economic growth and global governance.
It means resisting the US hegemony, firmly opposing a new Cold War, and building a multipolar world, where developing nations have a bigger and equal say.
Chinese are a peace-loving nation. Chinese believe that different civilizations, and nations with different ideologies, political systems, culture and traditions could and should co-exist in peace.
Let’s work together for world peace and justice, and let’s work together against the new Cold War.
Thank you very much.
Your presentation is excellent!