April 2026 - Friends of Socialist China

The claws of a dying beast: US imperialism’s existential quagmire

As the US-Israeli war on Iran enters its second month, a striking vulnerability has emerged that the mainstream media has largely chosen to ignore: the Pentagon’s ability to replenish its rapidly depleting weapons stockpiles is now to a significant degree dependent on China’s rare earth exports, which essential to everything from jet engine coatings to precision guidance systems. Alternative supply chains are three to five years away at best. China’s leading position in critical minerals processing gives important leverage in any confrontation with Washington.

In the following article, Ileana Chan, Director and Producer at Empire Watch, illuminates this contradiction, situating the criminal war on Iran within the broader imperial logic of a system that is simultaneously dependent on China and desperate to contain it – recognising that China will have surpassed the West in most economic and technological measures within the coming years, and calculating that the window for action is closing.

Ileana highlights the role of China’s steady, principled diplomacy as a counterpoint to US belligerence – a model of sovereignty, development and mutual respect that meets the needs of a rising Global South.

While we grieve for lives lost today and those to come, we know the Global South is building something new. A world defined not by bombastic slogans, but by the steady, even-keeled diplomacy China exemplifies, where sovereignty, development, and mutual respect are paramount.

This article was first published on the Empire Watch Patreon.

The latest US-Israeli war on Iran exposes the desperate belligerence of an empire in inevitable freefall.

It is a war decades in the making, completely aligned with Washington’s geopolitical maneuvering to perpetuate a unipolar world. This empire demands fealty from its vassal states and allies, without being able to articulate a rational strategy and objective. It claims self-defense while committing war crimes and breaking international law with impunity. Yet, somehow, behind the shock and awe tactics and tired propaganda tropes, the US seems utterly unprepared for the reality it has unleashed.

China condemns US and Israeli atrocities at UN Human Rights Council

On March 27, at the request of Iran, China and Cuba, the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, held an urgent debate on the attacks on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School in Minab, Iran.

Chinese Ambassador Jia Guide stated that the attacks on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School in Minab, Iran, which claimed the lives of 168 innocent girls, are an act that crosses the line of human morality, the worst violation of human rights, and a blatant contempt of international humanitarian law. China is deeply shocked by the attack, strongly condemns it, and expresses its sympathies for the families of the victims.

The ambassador pointed out that the United States and Israel launched the attack on Iran without the authorisation of the UN Security Council, killed the leaders of Iran, seriously violated the human rights of the Iranian people, and triggered an escalation of conflicts in the Middle East, forcibly dragging regional countries into the fray.

The following article was originally published on the website of China’s Permanent Mission to the UN Office at Geneva and other international organisations in Switzerland.

On March 27, at the request of Iran, China and Cuba, the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council held an urgent debate on the attacks on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School in Minab, Iran. Ambassador Jia Guide, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland, attended and elaborated on China’s position.

Ambassador Jia Guide stated that the attacks on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ School in Minab, Iran, which claimed the lives of 168 innocent girls, are an act that crosses the line of human morality, the worst violation of human rights, and a blatant contempt of international humanitarian law. China is deeply shocked by the attack, strongly condemns it, and expresses our sympathies for the families of the victims.

Ambassador Jia pointed out that the United States and Israel launched the attack on Iran without the authorization of the UN Security Council, which is the root cause of this tragedy. The US and Israel killed the leaders of Iran, seriously violated the human rights of the Iranian people, and triggered an escalation of conflicts in the Middle East, forcibly dragging regional countries into the fray. The sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of all countries should be fully respected. China strongly condemns all acts that violate international law and launch indiscriminate attacks on civilian and non-military targets.

Ambassador Jia stressed that all hotspot issues should be resolved through dialogue and negotiation, and not by the use of force. All parties must seize every opportunity for peace, launch the peace process in good faith as soon as possible, take practical actions to protect the basic human rights of people in the region, and safeguard peace and stability in the Middle East.

See China’s achievements for yourself – Britain’s visa-free travel to China explained

Friends of Socialist China Britain Committee Secretary David Peat recently attended a London event organised by the Chinese National Tourism Office (CNTO) and industry partners celebrating and raising awareness of the Chinese government’s recent policy change allowing British passport holders to visit the People’s Republic of China for tourism or business purposes visa-free for up to 30 days. In the article below David explains how the policy works and how China’s tourism strategy is a fitting and effective way for the country to celebrate its successes and show the world how its system is working to improve its citizens’ lives—a living and vibrant contrast to the increasing chaos and declining living standards in the Western world.

The recent viral phenomenon of “Chinamaxxing”—in which Westerners, increasingly exposed to less biased content highlighting the reality of everyday life in China, are expressing their excitement and admiration of aspects of Chinese culture (see the upcoming online seminar on the topic, organised by Friends of Socialist China)—is set to receive a further boost in Britain as it has just recently joined the group of countries whose citizens can visit the People’s Republic of China (PRC) without requiring a visa, allowing more and more people to conveniently see the country’s achievements for themselves.

The new policy came into effect on February 17 and allows UK passport holders to visit the country for the purposes of “business, tourism, family/friends visit, exchange and transit purposes.” Britain joins around 50 other countries, including most of Europe, Canada, Japan, and many others, to which China has offered a unilateral visa-free policy,^[1] alongside around 30 countries with which China has bilateral agreements. All part of the Communist Party of China’s strategy to facilitate people-people connection and show the world a “more open, accessible China.”^[2]