June 2026 - Friends of Socialist China

Multi-party delegation from Türkiye visits China

A multi-party parliamentary delegation from Türkiye recently visited China and met with Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee (IDCPC), on June 11.

Liu said that under the leadership of President Xi Jinping and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, China-Türkiye relations have maintained overall stability and kept forging ahead amid a fluid international environment. In recent years, the Belt and Road Initiative has aligned closely with Türkiye’s Middle Corridor Initiative. Bilateral cooperation has flourished in economy, trade, energy, infrastructure, digital economy and other sectors, while exchanges and collaboration in education, culture, arts, cultural relics, sports and other fields have deepened continuously, and people-to-people bonds are growing stronger through bilateral exchanges.

The Turkish side said that Türkiye and China are both nations with time-honoured histories and splendid civilisations, bound closely together by the ancient Silk Road. Speaking highly of the remarkable achievements China has made in economic growth, scientific and technological advancement, poverty alleviation and other areas under the leadership of President Xi Jinping and the CPC, the Turkish side appreciates China’s correct stance on the Middle East issue. Türkiye is committed to promoting the long-term stable development of Türkiye-China relations, regards China as an important partner, believes that the Middle Corridor Initiative and the Belt and Road Initiative are mutually supportive and complementary, and is confident that China’s 15th Five-Year Plan will not only benefit itself but also contribute to the economic and technological development of other countries, including Türkiye.

The website of the IDCPC lists eight parties as being represented on the delegation. They include the ruling Justice and Development Party and representatives from across the political spectrum, including liberal, pro-European parties and conservative Islamic and nationalist parties. Significantly, the largely Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party and the Marxist Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) were also represented. The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) was not listed.

China issues detailed White Paper on global governance

China’s State Council Information Office released a white paper entitled “More Just and Equitable Global Governance: China’s Principles, Proposals and Actions” on June 17.

The paper presents a comprehensive exposition of China’s vision for reforming and improving global governance at a moment of profound global transformation. It underscores China’s longstanding commitment to multilateralism, fairness, and shared development, while calling on the international community to unite in building a more just and equitable global governance system. As the paper states, global governance “is a common endeavour that bears on the wellbeing of all humanity,” and the world must “uphold multilateralism, unite forces, and pursue a fair future.”

A World at a Crossroads

The white paper begins by assessing the severe and complex challenges confronting humanity. It notes that the world has entered “an era marked by profound change on a scale unseen in a century,” with geopolitical tensions, economic fragmentation, and emerging security risks converging to create unprecedented uncertainty. Armed conflicts have surged, with the number of active conflicts in 2025 reaching the highest level since World War II. Economic globalisation faces headwinds as some countries pursue protectionism, unilateral sanctions, and technological containment, undermining global supply chains and widening the development gap.

The paper warns that unilateralism and hegemonism threaten the international rule of law, citing actions by “a certain major power” that has withdrawn from international agreements, obstructed multilateral institutions, and weaponised economic and technological issues. Such behaviour, it argues, undermines the UN-centred international system and destabilises global order. The document stresses that the world must choose between “fairness and justice, or the law of the jungle,” urging all nations to reject power politics.

At the same time, the rise of the Global South is reshaping global governance. Developing countries now account for over 60 percent of the world economy (in Purchasing Power Parity [PPP] terms) and contribute 80 percent of global growth. Mechanisms such as BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and the G77 + China have become increasingly influential, reflecting the international community’s demand for greater representation, equity, and inclusiveness.

The Global Governance Initiative: China’s Answer to the Challenges of the Times

Against this backdrop, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) in 2025, offering China’s systematic response to the question of what kind of global governance system the world needs and how to reform it. The GGI is grounded in five core concepts: sovereign equality, the international rule of law, multilateralism, a people-centred approach, and real actions.

Sovereign Equality

The white paper emphasises that sovereign equality is the cornerstone of international relations. All countries—large or small, rich or poor—must have equal rights to participate in global governance. Major powers, it stresses, must set an example by refraining from coercion and interference. Only through equality can nations build the political trust necessary for solidarity and cooperation.

International Rule of Law

The document calls for strict adherence to the UN Charter, noting that global instability stems not from the Charter being outdated but from its principles not being effectively implemented. International law must be applied universally rather than selectively. The paper warns that without the rule of law, “anyone at the dining table today could appear on the menu tomorrow.”

Multilateralism

True multilateralism—rooted in consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits—is described as the only viable path for humanity. The UN must remain the central platform for global governance, and multilateral mechanisms should be strengthened rather than weakened.

A People-Centred Approach

Global governance must serve the wellbeing of all peoples. Development should be restored to the centre of the international agenda, the North-South divide must be bridged, and global challenges such as climate change and public health must be addressed through cooperation.

Real Actions

The GGI stresses practical, results-oriented cooperation. It calls for coordinated progress across governance agendas, addressing both symptoms and root causes, and enhancing synergy between North-South and South-South cooperation.

China’s Contributions to Global Governance

The white paper devotes extensive attention to China’s concrete actions in promoting global peace, development, and cooperation.

Championing Universal and Common Security

China upholds a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security. It fulfils its responsibilities as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and is the second-largest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations. More than 50,000 Chinese peacekeepers have served in 29 missions, and China maintains an 8,000-strong standby force.

China has played constructive roles in addressing international flashpoints:

Ukraine: China released its position paper on the political settlement of the crisis and, together with Brazil, launched the Group of Friends for Peace.

Palestine–Israel: China supported the first UN Security Council ceasefire resolution for Gaza since the outbreak of renewed conflict and facilitated Palestinian reconciliation efforts.

Middle East: China brokered the historic Saudi-Iran rapprochement and advanced regional peace initiatives.

Asia: China facilitated ceasefire agreements in northern Myanmar and contributed to resolving disputes in Southeast and South Asia.

China also leads global efforts against terrorism, transnational crime, drug trafficking, and cyber threats, and has taken pioneering steps such as scheduling the entire class of fentanyl-related substances.

Promoting Openness, Cooperation, and Shared Development

China stresses that its own development is inseparable from global development. It has become the main trading partner of over 160 countries and regions and continues to expand high-standard opening-up. The country has removed all restrictions on foreign investment in manufacturing, shortened negative lists, and created major platforms such as the China International Import Expo.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has entered a new stage of high-quality development. China has signed cooperation documents with more than 150 countries, and the China-Europe Railway Express has surpassed 130,000 trips. Trade between China and BRI partners reached RMB 23.6 trillion in 2025.

The Global Development Initiative (GDI) has mobilised over US$23 billion in development funds, launched more than 1,800 projects, and trained 80,000 people, helping developing countries enhance their capacity for independent development.

Practicing True Multilateralism

China is the second-largest contributor to the UN regular budget and supports the UN in implementing the Pact for the Future and the UN80 Initiative. It has helped establish new UN institutions in China and increased the presence of Chinese professionals in international organisations.

China also supports the International Organisation for Mediation (IoM), headquartered in Hong Kong, which provides a new mechanism for peaceful dispute resolution.

In the G20, China has championed development-centred cooperation and supported the African Union’s accession. In APEC, China promotes an Asia-Pacific community of shared future and will host the 2026 APEC meeting under the theme “Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together.”

Supporting the Global South

China positions itself as a natural member of the Global South and a steadfast partner in its development. It has advanced BRICS expansion, strengthened the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and supported reforms to increase developing countries’ representation in global financial and governance institutions.

China has elevated relations with Africa to an all-weather community of shared future, deepened cooperation with Arab states, expanded partnerships with Latin America and the Caribbean, and supported Pacific Island countries through the “Four Fully Respects” principles.

Promoting Exchanges and Mutual Learning Among Civilisations

Through the Global Civilisation Initiative, China advocates equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness among civilisations. The UN General Assembly adopted China’s proposal to establish June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue Among Civilisations. China has hosted major cultural forums, expanded cultural cooperation with over 100 countries, and promoted youth exchanges.

China also plays an active role in global human rights governance, emphasising development-based and cooperation-oriented approaches.

Providing Global Public Goods

China has taken the lead in climate governance, pledging to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. It has built the world’s largest renewable energy system and supplies 70 percent of global wind power equipment and 80 percent of photovoltaic panels.

China also advances global AI governance, supports WHO-centred global health cooperation, leads biodiversity protection through the Kunming-Montreal Framework, and promotes governance in cyberspace, oceans, and outer space.

Guiding the Direction of Change

The white paper argues that the GGI has gained broad support because it aligns with global trends toward multipolarity, inclusiveness, and multilateralism. China’s governance philosophy draws from the Communist Party of China’s global vision, China’s diplomatic traditions, and the heritage of Chinese civilisation, including ideals such as “great harmony under Heaven” and “the people are the foundation of the state.”

China’s four major global initiatives—Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilisation Initiative, and Global Governance Initiative—together form a comprehensive framework for addressing development, security, cultural exchange, and governance challenges, contributing to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Moving Forward Together

The white paper concludes by calling on all countries to act in the long-term interests of humanity, rise to challenges with confidence, and unite in implementing the GGI. It stresses that global governance is a long-term endeavour requiring perseverance, solidarity, and concrete action. The UN must remain the core platform, and major countries must shoulder their responsibilities.

As the document states, “This is an era of challenges. But it is also one of hope.” China stands ready to work with all nations to let “the light of fairness and justice illuminate the world” and to build a brighter future for humanity.

Wang Yi meets with Iranian security official

At the invitation of India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, attended the 16th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisors and High Representatives on National Security, which was held in the Indian capital New Delhi from June 22-23.

Among the first of Wang Yi’s reported bilateral meetings in New Delhi was that with the Deputy Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Qadir Nizamipour.

Wang Yi stated that China welcomes the launch of follow-up consultations – with the assistance of Pakistan and Qatar – between Iran and the United States based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries. The core provisions of the 14-point MoU are hard-won. These provisions clearly call for an immediate and permanent cessation of hostilities, refraining from the use or threat of force, mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. These elements embody the spirit of equality, align with the purposes of the UN Charter, and conform to the norms governing international relations. China, as a comprehensive strategic partner of Iran, has always maintained a fair position and supported all efforts conducive to peace, supported Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and national dignity, and supported Iran in improving relations with the Gulf countries and regional countries. China is willing to continue to provide assistance in its own way and play a constructive role in restoring regional peace and tranquility at an early date.

Qadir Nizamipour sincerely thanked the Chinese side for its persistent efforts to promote peace and halt the war, and highly commended President Xi Jinping’s four-point proposal on promoting peace and stability in the Middle East. He stated that China-Iran relations are of great importance. Iran has always attached great importance to its relations with China and highly appreciates the positive role China has played in international and regional affairs. Deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries is the consensus of all sectors in Iran.

Two roads for the world: notes from “Imperialism vs multipolarity” webinar

On 21 June, Friends of Socialist China and the International Manifesto Group co-hosted a webinar, “Imperialism vs multipolarity”, bringing together a distinguished international panel to discuss the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, the tariff and Iran wars, US military aggression across the Global South, and the emerging shape of the world order.

The discussion was moderated by Radhika Desai (Professor at the University of Manitoba and convenor of the International Manifesto Group), and brought together Ben Norton (founder and editor-in-chief of Geopolitical Economy Report); Cheng Enfu (President of the World Association for Political Economy), whose paper was presented by Professor Ding Xiaoqin; Ken Hammond (Professor of History at New Mexico State University and a founder of Pivot to Peace); Jacquie Luqman (coordinator with the Black Alliance for Peace); Mick Dunford (Emeritus Professor at the University of Sussex); Mike Klonsky (educator, author and veteran activist); Jenny Clegg (author of China’s Global Strategy: Towards a Multipolar World); and Carlos Martinez (co-editor of Friends of Socialist China).

The full livestream can be viewed at the end of this article, below our report of the discussion.

Chinese hybrid rice brings new hope for bountiful harvests to Guinean farmers

China’s partnership with Africa is too often reduced and distorted, in the Western media, to a caricature of debt and extraction. The reality on the ground tells a very different story. In Guinea, as the Xinhua feature reprinted below describes, Chinese hybrid rice – the legacy of the late agronomist Yuan Longping – is helping farmers in Boffa Prefecture more than double their incomes and quadruple the area under modern cultivation, with yields reaching nine tonnes per hectare.

This is no isolated example. From the Gambia to Madagascar, Chinese agricultural teams have spent years working alongside local farmers, rehabilitating irrigation systems, transferring techniques and training thousands of growers in the pursuit of genuine food security. The emphasis throughout is on building local capacity rather than fostering dependency – precisely the kind of cooperation that the colonial and neo-colonial powers never offered.

Such projects are part of a far broader and deepening relationship. Under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Beijing has extended zero-tariff treatment to 53 African countries, opening the Chinese market to African exports, while the Belt and Road Initiative continues to finance the roads, railways, ports and power grids that decades of Western aid conspicuously failed to deliver.

For all the talk in Western capitals of a “new scramble for Africa”, it is China that treats African nations as equals and genuine partners in development. The humble bag of rice from Koba, stamped “Chinese Hybrid Rice, Made in Guinea”, is a fitting symbol of that friendship.

China stands with Africa in fight against Ebola

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong attended the High-Level Meeting of African Heads of State and Government and Partners on the Ebola Disease Outbreak on June 16 via video link. Liu, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, was invited by the African Union.

Liu told the meeting that China stands ready to provide more medical support to Africa within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and calls for the international community to enhance solidarity and cooperation to increase support for African countries, regarding the renewed outbreak of Ebola on the continent.

Noting that China and Africa have always been a community with a shared future, Liu said China has already provided emergency humanitarian assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the African Union (AU), and dispatched medical expert teams to the DRC. Meanwhile, nearly 1,000 Chinese medical professionals who are working in African countries stand side by side with local people in combating the disease.

At the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s June 17 press conference, spokesperson Lin Jian briefed the media on China’s participation in the meeting, saying that China will implement the Partnership Action for Health under the framework of FOCAC, and provide assistance “to the best of our capability” in combating the outbreak.

Burundian President and current Chairperson of the AU Evariste Ndayishimiye chaired the meeting and heads of state and government from more than 10 African countries, including South Africa, Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe, attended.

Also on June 17, the Chinese government announced that it had decided to provide additional emergency humanitarian assistance on top of its previous anti-outbreak support for Africa. The assistance includes continued aid to the DRC, a batch of anti-outbreak supplies for Uganda, and sustained support for Africa CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) to fulfil its mandate, helping Africa to contain the outbreak at an early date, according to Tang Ying, spokesperson for the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA).

As of mid-June 2026, the current Ebola outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, has so far seen 780 confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 19 in Uganda.

Nepal Foreign Minister reaffirms friendship with China

At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal visited China from June 14-17. This was the first high-level diplomatic exchange between the two countries since a NGO-inspired ‘colour revolution’ toppled Nepal’s communist-led government in September 2025.

Shisir Khanal held talks with Wang Yi on June 15.

Wang Yi said that China and Nepal are linked by mountains and rivers and share a common future. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, amid changing international dynamics and domestic developments in Nepal, the two countries have always upheld the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and maintained the sustainable development of bilateral relations. President Xi Jinping paid a historic visit to Nepal in 2019, during which the two sides established a strategic cooperative partnership featuring ever-lasting friendship for development and prosperity, setting the direction for the growth of China-Nepal relations. Last year, people of the two countries celebrated the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties hand in hand. China stands ready to carry forward the traditional friendship with Nepal, enhance political mutual trust, and advance China-Nepal strategic cooperation to deliver new outcomes in step with the times.

He added that China has always placed its relations with Nepal high on its neighborhood diplomacy agenda. China’s friendship policy toward Nepal embraces all Nepalese people. We will continue to support Nepal in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, back the new Nepali government in its smooth governance with the support of its people, and support Nepal in pursuing a development path suited to its national realities. History and facts have proven that China-Nepal friendship serves the fundamental interests of Nepal as a country, its ethnic communities and its people. China is ready to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with Nepal, focusing on cooperation in power grids, highways, ports, aviation and other fields to assist Nepal in turning itself from a “land-locked country” into a “land-linked country”.

Shisir Khanal stated that Nepal-China friendship stretches back thousands of years and grows ever stronger with time. He thanked China for its long-standing support for Nepal’s national development and improvement of people’s livelihood, for consistently treating Nepal as an equal, and for respecting Nepal’s national sovereignty and independence. The new Nepali government is committed to people-centred development and adheres to the policy of non-alignment.

Nepal, he added, unswervingly pursues the one-China policy, supports China’s full reunification, and will never allow any forces to use Nepali territory to undermine China’s interests. China’s development presents opportunities for Nepal. Nepal welcomes Chinese investment and will provide a fair, law-based and friendly business environment for Chinese enterprises. Nepal is willing to learn from China’s experience in national governance, admires China’s achievements in poverty alleviation and ecological conservation, and will actively participate in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation to boost connectivity between the two countries, advance mutually beneficial cooperation across all sectors, and strengthen multilateral coordination for common development and prosperity. Nepal endorses the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and will actively support a series of global initiatives proposed by China.

Also, on June 15, Khanal met with Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC).

Liu said that the Communist Party of China has maintained regular friendly exchanges with major political parties in Nepal over the long term, playing an important role in the development of bilateral relations. The Communist Party of China is willing to consolidate and develop friendly exchanges with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (the ruling party in Nepal since the general election of March 5, 2026), strengthen exchanges at all levels, strengthen strategic communication, enhance political mutual trust, deepen mutual learning of governance experience, promote cooperation in various fields through the “Party+” channel, and contribute party strength to the development of China-Nepal relations.

On the following day, Khanal met with Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

The visit by the Nepalese minister served to further underline the importance attached by China to neighborhood diplomacy. Besides Khanal’s visit, in just the last two weeks, China has hosted state visits by the presidents of Laos and Myanmar (preceded by the foreign minister of Myanmar), President Xi Jinping has paid a state visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Wang Yi has visited Mongolia.

Xi Jinping: China’s policy of friendship toward Myanmar is for all the people of Myanmar

At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, President of Myanmar Min Aung Hlaing paid a state visit to China from June 15-19.

President Xi Jinping held talks with President Min Aung Hlaing on the morning of June 16.

Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Myanmar enjoy a deep pauk-phaw [brotherly] friendship. Over the 76 years since the two countries established diplomatic ties, China and Myanmar have always stood together through thick and thin and helped each other and jointly advocated and practiced the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, setting a fine example of state-to-state relations featuring equality and mutual benefit. China pursues a principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness and places its relations with Myanmar in an important position of its neighbourhood diplomacy. China is committed to the principle of noninterference in internal affairs. Its policy of friendship toward Myanmar is for all the people of Myanmar. China firmly supports Myanmar in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity and supports Myanmar’s new government in coordinating development and security and pursuing a right path of development that fits its national conditions and has the support of its people.

Xi added that the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor is a flagship project of the Belt and Road cooperation. The two sides need to steadily advance the construction of major projects on the basis of ensuring safety and security, to support Myanmar in growing its economy and improving livelihoods. China stands ready to step up support for Myanmar’s post-earthquake reconstruction, implement more “small and beautiful” assistance programs, and jointly tell the stories of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. The two sides need to continue cracking down on criminal activities including online gambling, telecom fraud and drug trafficking, and fully safeguard the interests and security of the two peoples. China supports various parties in Myanmar in pursuing peace and reconciliation through peace talks and realising lasting peace and security in northern Myanmar, which serves the fundamental and long-term interests of Myanmar and its people. [Myanmar is home to numerous ethnic armed organisations, some of which have concluded agreements with the union government or are engaged in a peace process. Particularly in the north of the country, China also maintains traditional ties with various organisations, including based on ethnic affinity as well as on their genesis in the Communist Party of Burma. Among the most significant of such organisations – all of which are aligned to political parties – are the United Wa State Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Ta’ang National Liberation Army, Arakan Army, Kachin Independence Army, Karen National Army and the Shan State Army.]

President Min Aung Hlaing said that Myanmar and China share a long-standing pauk-phaw friendship. The two countries have always assisted and supported each other, upheld the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and forged a strong good-neighbourly partnership, and are jointly moving toward a new phase of building a community with a shared future through thick and thin. Myanmar appreciates China’s long-standing selfless support for Myanmar’s development, stability, peace and reconciliation, and remains firmly committed to the one-China principle. The new government of Myanmar is making full efforts to advance domestic peace and development, and actively exploring a political system and development path suited to its national conditions. China’s implementation of its 15th Five-Year Plan offers important opportunities for its Asian neighbours including Myanmar. Myanmar looks forward to strengthening all-round cooperation with China, jointly building the Myanmar-China Economic Corridor, and elevating trade and investment. Myanmar stands ready to work closely with China to resolutely combat online gambling and telecom fraud and safeguard security and stability in the border areas. Myanmar fully supports the four global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping and is ready to enhance multilateral communication and coordination with China.

Also on June 16, President Min Aung Hlaing met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

Li said that China stands ready to work with Myanmar to follow the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, carry forward traditional friendship, consolidate political mutual trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and promote the steady progress of bilateral relations to better serve the modernisation drive of the two countries and jointly promote regional stability and prosperity. He pointed out that China is willing to deepen high-quality cooperation with Myanmar on jointly developing the Belt and Road Initiative, expand cooperation in areas such as renewable energy, artificial intelligence and digital economy, and continue to move forward hand in hand on the path of common development.

Min Aung Hlaing expressed gratitude to China for providing valuable assistance to Myanmar’s economic and social development, adding that Myanmar is willing to enhance strategic alignment with China, promote cooperation on the Myanmar-China Economic Corridor, deepen cooperation in trade, investment and other fields, strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and push the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Myanmar and China to a higher level.

The Myanmar president also met with Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, on the same day.

On June 17, the two countries released the Joint Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar on Accelerating the Building of a China-Myanmar Community with a Shared Future.

Its key points include:

Both sides emphasised that since the establishment of diplomatic relations 76 years ago, China and Myanmar have been sincere, mutually trusting, and supportive good neighbours, good friends, and good partners. China and Myanmar enjoy a longstanding friendship and close partnership. They have always adhered to equality and mutual benefit, and firmly supported each other in safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests. In light of the profound changes taking place in the regional and international landscape, both sides agreed to uphold the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, further carry forward the China-Myanmar “pauk-phaw” friendship, deepen practical and mutual beneficial cooperation across various fields on the basis of equality, mutual respect, consultation, and shared benefit, and continue advancing the building of a China-Myanmar community with a shared future, and better benefit the people of both countries.
The Chinese side firmly supports the Myanmar side in following a development path that suits its national conditions and enjoys the support of its people, firmly supports the Myanmar side in safeguarding national sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and national dignity, and firmly supports the Myanmar side in realising national peace and stability, national reconciliation, social harmony and lasting peace.
The Myanmar side reiterated its commitment to the one-China policy, recognising that there is only one China in the world, that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People’s Republic of China, and that the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. Myanmar opposes any form of “Taiwan independence,” will not conduct any form of official exchanges with Taiwan, and firmly supports all efforts made by China to achieve national reunification, emphasising that the authority of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 is indisputable.
Both sides reaffirm that neither country will allow its territories to be used for activities detrimental to the other’s security interests.
Both sides attached importance and expressed readiness to finalise and sign the “Belt and Road” cooperation plan in a timely manner. The two sides agreed to promote the implementation of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) and steadily promote cooperation on major corridor projects such as the Kyaukpyu Deep-Sea Port and the Muse-Mandalay Railway. These projects will be guided by the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefit, commercial viability, financial sustainability, in full alignment with laws, regulations, and national conditions of both countries. Furthermore, both sides will leverage the China-Myanmar oil and gas pipelines, steadily advance power grid interconnection, and explore economically and environmentally sustainable energy partnerships. The Chinese side reiterated its willingness to provide ongoing development support for which the Myanmar side expressed gratitude.
The Chinese side actively supports Myanmar’s post-earthquake reconstruction. On the basis of the emergency humanitarian disaster relief assistance previously provided, China is willing to further provide support within its capacity. The two sides will jointly promote the reconstruction of landmark projects such as the Aungsan Stadium in Yangon, deepen development cooperation in disaster prevention and mitigation, medical and healthcare services, and implement further community-focused human resources development, and explore more “small and beautiful” livelihood assistance projects.
The Chinese side supports the Myanmar side in advancing its domestic peace and reconciliation process through political dialogue. The Myanmar side appreciates China’s positive and constructive role in this regard, particularly in facilitating peace talks in northern Myanmar. Both sides agreed to strengthen communication and coordination to maintain peace and stability and common development along their shared border areas.
The two sides agreed to firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order based on international law, and the basic norms of international relations founded on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Both sides are committed to promoting an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation. Both sides oppose all forms of unilateralism, protectionism and oppose practices that undermine regional peace and stability, such as the creation of exclusive “small circles”, the instigation of bloc confrontation, and the return of militarism and other practices that endanger regional peace and stability, and will firmly uphold the victory of World War II and the post-war international order. The two sides emphasise the importance of maintaining regional peace, stability and prosperity, as well as advocate for dialogue, mutual respect, and cooperation in addressing regional and global challenges, and underscore the need to avoid actions that may intensify tensions among countries.
The Chinese side appreciates Myanmar’s joining of the “Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative”. Both sides are ready to deepen cooperation under the Global Development Initiative framework to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. China appreciates Myanmar’s joining of the Group of Friends of Global Governance and the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed).
The Myanmar side welcomes China’s initiative to establish a World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO) to ensure AI development serves the common benefit. The Chinese side welcomes the Myanmar side’s positive consideration to join the WAICO to jointly promote global governance and international cooperation on AI.
Both sides agreed to strengthen China-ASEAN cooperation, working together to build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home, and strive to promote a higher level of regional economic integration and build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future based on equality and mutually beneficial cooperation. Both countries reaffirm their commitment to promoting peace, stability, prosperity and sustainable development in the region, advancing regional economic integration, narrowing development gaps, and contributing to an open and inclusive region.

Beijing and Tehran coordinate as Iran scores major victory over US imperialism

With the patient mediation of Pakistan, Iran and the United States of America agreed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on June 14-15. This represents a significant victory for the government and people of Iran in their courageous struggle against US imperialism and its various proxies, including the Israeli Zionist regime, not only since the launch of the unprovoked war of aggression on February 28, 2026, but also since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in January 1978 and for decades before that.

Key points of the MoU include:

The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran and their allies in the current war by signing this MoU, declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other, and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other, and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon.
The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran undertake to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs.
The United States of America further undertakes to remove its forces from the proximity of the Islamic Republic of Iran within 30 days after the final deal.
Upon the signing of this MoU, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa… The Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz in discussion with other Persian Gulf littoral states in line with the applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States of America undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least $300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The United States of America undertakes to terminate all types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the United Nations Security Council resolutions, i.e. IAEA Board of Governors resolutions and all unilateral US sanctions, primary and secondary, in an agreed-upon schedule as part of the final deal.
Pending the final deal, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran agree to maintain the status quo. The Islamic Republic of Iran will maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program, and the United States of America will not impose any new sanctions and will not deploy additional forces in the region.
The United States of America undertakes that immediately upon the signing of this MoU until the termination of sanctions, the US Department of Treasury will issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products and derivatives, and all associated services, including banking transactions, insurances, transportation, etc.
The United States of America undertakes to make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran upon the implementation of this MoU.
The final deal will be endorsed by a binding UN Security Council resolution.
The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran undertake to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs.
The United States of America further undertakes to remove its forces from the proximity of the Islamic Republic of Iran within 30 days after the final deal.
Upon the signing of this MoU, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa… The Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz in discussion with other Persian Gulf littoral states in line with the applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States of America undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least $300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The United States of America undertakes to terminate all types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the United Nations Security Council resolutions, i.e. IAEA Board of Governors resolutions and all unilateral US sanctions, primary and secondary, in an agreed-upon schedule as part of the final deal.
Pending the final deal, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran agree to maintain the status quo. The Islamic Republic of Iran will maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program, and the United States of America will not impose any new sanctions and will not deploy additional forces in the region.
The United States of America undertakes that immediately upon the signing of this MoU until the termination of sanctions, the US Department of Treasury will issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products and derivatives, and all associated services, including banking transactions, insurances, transportation, etc.
The United States of America undertakes to make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran upon the implementation of this MoU.
The final deal will be endorsed by a binding UN Security Council resolution.

(Emphases added by us – Eds.)

As the New York Times observed:

“It was less than 15 weeks ago when President Trump, at the height of his bravado about how the war with Iran would end, declared ‘there will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.’

“When the text of the deal intended to wind down the conflict was finally released on Wednesday, read aloud paragraph by paragraph by a senior administration official who stopped to defend each section, it read nothing like a surrender document. Instead, the Iranians emerged from a confrontation with the world’s most powerful military having not only survived, but with much to celebrate.”

Following the agreement, on June 17, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi.

Seyyed Abbas Araghchi briefed Wang Yi on the first-phase memorandum of understanding (MoU) reached between Iran and the United States and expressed sincere gratitude to China for its positive role in advancing the negotiations and concluding the agreement. He stated that the MoU should be implemented practically, including Israel’s halt to military operations against Lebanon. Iran consistently views its relations with China from a strategic perspective and looks forward to deepening mutual trust, expanding cooperation across all sectors, and jointly advancing the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Wang Yi said China welcomes the conclusion of the first-phase MoU between Iran and the United States. Facts have proven that force and power politics cannot resolve disputes, and dialogue and negotiation represent the right path forward. As comprehensive strategic partners, China has always stood by Iran’s reasonable and legitimate propositions, supported Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty and security, backed mediation efforts by Pakistan and the international community, and consistently worked in China’s own way to end hostilities and promote peace. The dawn of peace has emerged. The priority going forward is for all parties to deliver earnestly on their commitments and fend off disturbances from all sides. China supports Iran’s efforts to improve relations with regional countries and explore the joint development of a regional security architecture.

Meanwhile, in Tehran, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf stressed that Tehran is a “full-fledged” partner of China, emphasising the pivotal role the two countries would play in any emerging regional bloc.

Qalibaf, who also serves as Iran’s special representative for China affairs, made the remarks during a meeting with the Iranian Chamber of Commerce, highlighting the Islamic Republic’s significant potential to expand economic cooperation across the region and beyond.

“China is a unique country for us. We must, through our actions and approach, create the belief on the Chinese side (and they will believe) that Iran is not just a customer, but a full-fledged, reliable, and long-term partner for China,” Qalibaf said.

Iran’s Press TV noted: “Iran and China signed a landmark 25-year comprehensive strategic partnership agreement in March 2022, despite unilateral sanctions imposed on both countries by the United States.

“The agreement formally outlines long-term cooperation between Tehran and Beijing across political, cultural, security, defence, regional and international spheres, while reinforcing the Iran-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”

On the evening of June 16, Wang Yi had held a telephone call with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar.

Mohammad Ishaq Dar briefed Wang Yi on the first-phase memorandum of understanding reached between Iran and the United States, and thanked China for maintaining close communication with Pakistan over the past few months and for its valuable support for Pakistan’s mediation efforts. Pakistan looks forward to continuing communication and coordination with China, sustaining the current momentum of peace talks, and jointly playing an active role in achieving lasting peace and stability in the region.

Wang Yi congratulated Pakistan on facilitating the first-phase MoU between Iran and the United States and stressed that working for peace is the international responsibility of all countries, including China and Pakistan. As long as there is hope for peace, it is worth the effort.

Wang Yi noted that the last leg of a journey marks the halfway point. The current consensus is far from an endpoint; it is a new starting point. Lasting peace in the Middle East and Gulf region still requires unremitting efforts from all parties. It is foreseeable that the second-phase negotiations will be even more difficult than the first phase. However, China believes that there should be no turning back, still less a resort to force again. The international community should provide further impetus to the Iran-US negotiations, and multilateral institutions such as the UN Security Council should also play a greater role. The Middle East has suffered greatly from the scourge of war, and its people deserve peace. China is ready to work with Pakistan to tirelessly promote peace and facilitate talks, and to make sustained efforts for the early restoration of peace, stability and development in the Middle East.

For his part, Special Envoy Zhai Jun of the Chinese Government on the Middle East Issue has begun a tour of regional countries to further the drive for peace.

From June 13-14, he visited Oman where he held separate meetings with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi and Undersecretary for Political Affairs of the Omani Foreign Ministry Sheikh Khalifa Alharthy and exchanged views on China-Oman bilateral relations and the current situation in the Middle East.

Zhai said that following the outbreak of the military conflict among the United States, Israel and Iran, China has maintained close communication with Oman and other Gulf countries in the Middle East to promote de-escalation and end hostilities. Guided by the spirit of the four-point proposal put forward by President Xi Jinping for safeguarding and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, China aims to support regional countries in building a community of good-neighbourliness, development, security and cooperation.

He then visited Qatar, June 15-16.

During a meeting with Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, the minister of state at Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhai said China welcomed the United States and Iran reaching agreement on a first-stage memorandum of understanding and praised Qatar and other countries for their efforts to end hostilities and seek peace. He called on all parties to adhere to the path of peace and resolve disputes through dialogue and negotiations.

Al-Khulaifi praised China’s efforts to ease regional tensions and said Qatar was ready to work with Beijing to safeguard security and stability in the Gulf region.

China’s success vindicates the project of the global left

The video below is an interview of Carlos Martinez by Jason Smith, for CGTN’s The Bridge to China podcast. Recorded in the lead-up to the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the wide-ranging conversation covers the nature of China’s economic system, the achievements of Chinese socialism, the state of the left in the West, and the transition to a multipolar world.

Carlos argues that China is best understood on its own terms, as socialism with Chinese characteristics: a fundamentally socialist system with a significant market component, in which the state holds the commanding heights – banking, energy, telecommunications, rail and the top levels of industry – and directs investment through national planning. The presence of markets, billionaires or inequality does not make a country capitalist; what matters is which class holds power, and the ultimate measure is the living standards of ordinary working people.

On that measure, China stands apart: it is the country that has eliminated extreme poverty, effectively ended homelessness, and pursued common prosperity, a world-leading renewable energy build-out and the saving of lives during the Covid pandemic. If China is socialist and succeeding, Carlos contends, that vindicates the project of the global left – which is precisely why the West’s new cold war is aimed at preventing a socialist alternative from succeeding.

The interview surveys the scale of China’s transformation – some 800 million people lifted out of poverty, the “seven guarantees” that underpin poverty alleviation, life expectancy rising from around 35 at liberation to over 79 today, near-universal mortgage-free home ownership, and the most extensive public infrastructure in the world. Comparing China with India – liberated within two years of one another, from similar starting points – Carlos draws out what a revolution and Communist Party-led planning have made possible: sovereign development free of IMF discipline, coherent five-year plans, and the capacity for mass mobilisation, exemplified by the three million cadres deployed in the poverty alleviation campaign.

Turning to the West, Carlos describes the long retreat of the left under the neoliberal counter-revolution – de-industrialisation, the rise of the precariat, and a social peace bought with the super-profits of imperialism that are now drying up. He points to the crisis of confidence deepened by Gaza and to the Corbyn moment as signs that material reality is shifting, and to a growing openness to China – from “Chinamaxxing” and the RedNote migration to the surge in inbound tourism. The dogmatism that still leads much of the Western left to withhold recognition of China’s decidedly socialist achievements, he argues, plays into a US grand strategy whose core is the encirclement and containment of China.

The lesson for developed and developing countries alike, Carlos concludes, is that public ownership is not inefficient but the precondition for any serious industrial policy, that long-term planning beats short-term shareholder value, and that the West must come to terms with an inevitably multipolar world – starting, at a minimum, with adherence to the United Nations Charter.

Wang Yi visits Mongolia: A close neighbour is better than a distant relative

At the invitation of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia Battsetseg Batmunkh, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi visited Mongolia from June 13 to 15.

Soon after his arrival in the capital Ulan Bator, Wang Yi met with Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa.

Khurelsukh Ukhnaa said that he is deeply honoured to have built a profound friendship and mutual trust with President Xi Jinping, maintaining close communication and jointly steering the continuous development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. The Mongolia-China relationship has become a model for inter-state relations in the region. The two sides have always understood and trusted each other, respected each other’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity while deepening mutually beneficial cooperation across various sectors, and the bilateral trade is expected to reach $20 billion this year. The vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and the four major global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping have played a vital role in safeguarding world peace and stability, serving the interests of people around the globe. Mongolia actively supports these major concepts and initiatives put forward by President Xi and stands ready to strengthen cooperation with China in regional and international affairs to jointly implement them.

Wang Yi stated that China and Mongolia, linked by mountains and rivers and sharing a common future, are permanent neighbours and comprehensive strategic partners. China has always put China-Mongolia relations at an important place in its neighbourhood diplomacy, and it has both the will and the capability to be a neighbour that Mongolia can rely on, a trustworthy friend, and a partner in accelerating its development. China respects Mongolia’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the development path that Mongolia has chosen for itself. A close neighbour is better than a distant relative. China appreciates Mongolia’s decision to make developing ties with China the top priority of its foreign policy, which fully serves the fundamental interests of the Mongolian state and its people. China is willing to strengthen solidarity and coordination with Mongolia on multilateral platforms such as the trilateral cooperation among China, Russia and Mongolia and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Together with other Global South countries, the two sides strive for self-strengthening through unity and promote the building of a more just and equitable global governance system.

Wang Yi met with Mongolian Prime Minister Nyam-Osor Uchral on June 15.

Nyam-Osor Uchral stated that Mongolia and China have consistently respected each other’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and chosen paths of development. Mongolia firmly adheres to the one-China principle. He expressed the hope that both sides would introduce additional measures to facilitate trade, diversify trade structures, strengthen connectivity through infrastructure projects such as ports and railways, and expand cooperation in the mining sector.

Wang Yi stated that good-neighbourly friendship, solidarity, cooperation, and working together to create a better future represent the only correct choice for both sides. China highly appreciates Mongolia’s commitment to prioritising relations with China in its foreign policy and its support for China’s legitimate positions on issues concerning its core interests. Having both celebrated their centenary anniversaries, the Communist Party of China and the Mongolian People’s Party could further enhance exchanges on governance and development experience, thereby contributing to national development, improving people’s livelihoods, and deepening the traditional friendship between the two countries.

Wang Yi added that development and national revitalisation are shared goals of both China and Mongolia, while stronger cooperation reflects the common aspirations of both peoples. The two economies are highly complementary with mutual needs, presenting vast space for cooperation. China is willing to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with Mongolia, jointly advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and support Mongolia in making full use of three major engines for development, including bilateral cooperation mechanisms, China-Mongolia-Russia cooperation and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, in pursuing a modernisation path suited to its national conditions.

Wang Yi held talks with his Mongolian counterpart Foreign Minister Batmunkh Battsetseg on June 13.

Wang said that China has always upheld the principle that all countries, big or small, are equal. Guided by the Principle of Amity, Sincerity, Mutual Benefit and Inclusiveness in Neighbourhood Diplomacy, as well as the policy of forging friendship and partnership with its neighbours, China attaches high importance to ties with Mongolia in its neighbourhood diplomacy and actively promotes good-neighbourliness and friendly cooperation between the two countries. The China-Mongolia Treaty of Friendly Relations and Cooperation explicitly stipulates that both sides will adhere to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and not allow any third country to use its territory to undermine the sovereignty and security of the other. This serves as an important safeguard for the sound development of bilateral relations.

He added that as fellow developing countries, China and Mongolia share broad common interests and similar policy stances on international and regional affairs. China supports Mongolia in continuing to make positive contributions to regional peace and development and welcomes its efforts to gain more growth drivers through bilateral cooperation, the trilateral cooperation among China, Russia and Mongolia, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). In the face of rampant unilateralism and rising protectionism, China has consistently advocated and practiced multilateralism and supports the United Nations in playing a central and leading role in international affairs. China stands ready to work with all countries, including Mongolia, to promote the building of a more just and equitable global governance system.

Batmunkh Battsetseg said that Mongolia-China relations have reached a high level of comprehensive strategic partnership. Cooperation across various sectors is thriving, bringing tangible benefits to the peoples of both countries. The two sides have always respected and trusted each other, engaging in equal and mutually beneficial cooperation, making their relationship an exemplary model among neighbouring countries. On all issues concerning China’s core interests, the Mongolian side understands and supports China’s position.

Mongolia attaches great importance to China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and looks forward to strengthening the alignment of development strategies with China. Mongolia hopes to expand trade and investment, enhance connectivity, and deepen cooperation in areas such as critical minerals and ecological governance. Mongolia values multilateral mechanisms including the trilateral cooperation among China, Russia and Mongolia, the SCO, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and it stands ready to play a greater role in regional peace, stability, and prosperity. Last month, during its rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council, China convened a high-level meeting and put forward important proposals on reinvigorating the UN and reforming and improving global governance. Mongolia highly commends these initiatives and looks forward to strengthening cooperation with China to jointly uphold multilateralism and safeguard the U.N.-centred international system.

The two foreign ministers also held a joint press conference.

Both sides stated that, in the face of a volatile international landscape and increasingly prominent global challenges, China and Mongolia should stand together through thick and thin, unite as one, and firmly remain good neighbours and partners built on mutual trust and support. The two sides should continue to work hand in hand towards building a China-Mongolia community with a shared future characterised by peaceful coexistence, mutual assistance, and win-win cooperation.

Wang Yi noted that good neighbours should visit each other frequently, and good partners should offer mutual assistance. The Chinese side supports Mongolia in developing its economy and improving people’s livelihoods and welcomes Mongolia to ride on the express train of China’s development. According to international institutions, every one-percentage-point increase in China’s economic growth contributes to a four percent increase in Mongolia’s exports and a 0.6 percent increase in Mongolia’s economic growth, which demonstrates the strong complementarity and close economic ties between the two countries. The second cross-border railway linking China and Mongolia is currently under construction and is expected to become another major corridor for connectivity between the two countries. China remains a trustworthy and reliable partner for Mongolia and will continue to extend support whenever Mongolia needs it most. To help Mongolia cope with the recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, the Chinese side has decided to urgently supply one million doses of vaccines to the Mongolian side. Furthermore, the China-aided shantytown renovation project in Mongolia has been completed and handed over. Positive progress has also been made in projects closely related to the Mongolian people’s well-being, such as the China-Mongolia Heads of State Sports Centre and the Erdeneburen hydropower plant. Wang Yi said that during this visit to Mongolia he would also have the opportunity to attend the completion ceremony of the Ulan Bator Wastewater Treatment Plant, which will help ensure safe water access for the citizens of Ulan Bator.

Modernisation, he added, is a shared objective for both China and Mongolia. The two sides will focus on the present while looking to the long term, promote the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with Mongolia’s Steppe Road development strategy, deepen exchanges on governance experience, explore opportunities for cooperation in emerging sectors, and jointly pursue modernisation paths suited to their respective national conditions.

Wang Yi added that both China and Mongolia are constructive forces for global peace, stability, and development. The two countries are willing to strengthen coordination in regional and international affairs and work together to safeguard the common interests of developing nations. China welcomes Mongolia’s active role in international and regional affairs and supports its hosting of the 17th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, to be held in August this year.

The two sides also agreed to uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, safeguard the victorious outcomes of World War II, oppose all forms of fascism and militarism, and reject any words or actions that seek to distort or reverse the course of history. In addition, both countries agreed to enhance coordination within multilateral frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to jointly promote regional stability, development, and cooperation.

In a joint press communique both sides further reaffirmed that they will not join any military or political alliance directed against the other, will not conclude treaties with any third country that undermine the sovereignty and security of the other, and will not allow any third country to use their territory to harm the sovereignty and security of the other.

They agreed to strengthen alignment of their development strategies, advance projects under the frameworks of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and Mongolia’s Steppe Road Program, expand mutually beneficial cooperation in various sectors, and further enhance the scale, quality, and level of bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

China highly appreciated Mongolia’s role in hosting the Ulan Bator Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security in June.

The two sides agreed to oppose and condemn all forms of fascism and militarism, jointly safeguard world peace and security, and uphold international fairness and justice. They spoke highly of the achievements of trilateral cooperation among China, Mongolia, and Russia, expressing their firm belief that the implementation of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor plan plays an important role in promoting regional prosperity and stability.

The two sides also emphasised that the growing political and economic influence of multilateral mechanisms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), APEC, and BRICS has contributed significantly to advancing regional cooperation.

Leaders of friendly countries celebrate Xi Jinping’s birthday

Leaders of a number of friendly countries have sent greetings to Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and President of the People’s Republic of China, on the occasion of his 73rd birthday, which fell on June 15.

Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and President of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, sent a congratulatory verbal message and a flower basket to his Chinese counterpart. He sincerely wished Xi good health and greater success in leading the cause of socialist construction in China as the leading core of the CPC.

Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote: “Under your leadership, the People’s Republic of China has achieved impressive progress in economic, social, scientific and technological development, while steadily strengthening its standing on the international stage. You rightly enjoy great respect and authority both among your fellow citizens and abroad.”

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko wrote: “A modernising and prosperous China today sets the highest standards of global leadership. This is largely the result of your farsighted leadership, your consistent policy of strengthening statehood, and the country’s steady social and economic progress. Your contribution to expanding international cooperation and maintaining global stability is also difficult to overestimate.”

Danny Haiphong: There is reason to hope

The following article by Danny Haiphong – journalist, broadcaster and a co-founder of Friends of Socialist China – argues that, against the nihilism and pessimism spreading through the West, geopolitics and political economy offer genuine grounds for optimism. He frames US unipolar imperialism (less than a century old) and Western colonialism (about four centuries old) as brief blips in human history, met throughout by constant resistance – from Maroon societies to twentieth-century liberation movements.

The US empire, Danny contends, is in material decline: its share of global GDP has fallen from 35–50 percent in 1945 to 20–25 percent now, while manufacturing has shrunk to under 10 percent of the economy, leaving it dominated by finance, insurance, real estate and military contracting. Endless war is therefore a symptom of weakness, not strength – the warmongers can only destroy, not build.

A multipolar reality is emerging. China is the article’s prime example: from being one of the poorest countries in the world at the time of the founding of the People’s Republic, it has managed to eliminate extreme poverty and become a leader in robotics, AI, high-speed rail, renewables and reforestation, with over 90 percent public trust in government grounded in results. Danny extends the case to a resurgent, sanctions-proof Russia; to Iran, whose retaliation against US–Israeli strikes and control over the Strait of Hormuz have significantly increased its global standing; and to smaller states defying sanctions – the DPRK’s construction boom, Zimbabwe’s recovery from the crippling sanctions imposed by the west to punish the country for land reform, and Cuba’s healthcare achievements despite blockade.

Danny concludes:

The sociopathic rulers of US empire (what some have deemed the Epstein class) are committed to taking everyone down with their collapsing system of empire and neoliberal capitalism. Endless war and theft masquerading as economics is the only path left in front of them. US-Israeli genocide in Palestine and Lebanon, not to mention the dozens of other deadly wars and the imposition of abject poverty for more than half the planet to enrich just eight ultra-rich individuals, understandably fuel despair and disgust amongst those in the collective West who detest this reality. But there is reason to hope. We can find it in the billions of people struggling to build a better world.

Pure socialism is pure idealism: a reply to Jacobin on China

In the following article, Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez responds to a recent Jacobin book review which presents China’s economic rise as a simple story of “brutal exploitation” indistinguishable from the horrors of Britain’s industrial revolution.

While not doubting the hardships described in the book under review, Carlos argues that Jacobin’s framing is ahistorical and idealist. China’s growth has not merely enriched a class of capitalists but transformed the lives of the majority, lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty and improving working class wages and conditions at an extraordinary pace.

The book review essentially compares China with an imagined socialist utopia, rather than comparing China with other destinations of outsourced production – where wages are lower, repression harsher, and no comparable rise in living standards is on offer.

Drawing on Friedrich Engels, Deng Xiaoping, Michael Parenti and John Smith, the article shows how China’s socialist land ownership system has protected living standards for hundreds of millions, and how the state is working to expand protections for workers in the “gig economy”. The article concludes:

At a moment when China is the largest and most developed socialist country on earth; when it is the leading proponent of a multipolar world order; and when it is the target of a systematic propaganda war designed to manufacture consent for a New Cold War (and ultimately hot war), for self-described socialists and anti-imperialists to offer this kind of context-free condemnation is, to say the least, deeply unhelpful.

Jacobin has published a review by Daniel Cheng of Adrift in the South, the memoir of the Chinese worker-poet Xiao Hai, detailing the harsh conditions he faced as a migrant worker in the megacities of southern China.

The book itself sounds interesting and worthwhile, and there is no reason to doubt the harshness of the conditions Xiao Hai describes. But the frame the review wraps around his story – that China’s economic miracle was “made possible by the brutal exploitation of millions of workers”, and that China’s development and the dark satanic mills of Britain’s industrialisation can be comfortably placed together in a category of “the universal suffering of capitalism” – is ahistorical, idealist, and, in the present geopolitical conjuncture, actively unhelpful.

Exploitation has to be contextualised

The first thing to say is that China’s growth has not simply enriched a class of capitalists. It has transformed the lives of the great majority. Over the past half-century, China has lifted an estimated 800 million people out of extreme poverty – by the World Bank’s own reckoning, more than three-quarters of the entire reduction in global poverty over the same period. Chinese workers and farmers today live longer, eat better, are far better educated and enjoy a level of material security their grandparents could barely have imagined.

Manufacturing wages roughly trebled between 2005 and 2016, and real wages have continued to climb at an impressive clip. The rate of exploitation of Chinese labour has been falling, not rising.

Palestinian parties visit China

Jin Xin, Vice-minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee (IDCPC), met with a delegation of Palestinian political parties led by Ali Mashal, Assistant Commissioner of Arab and Chinese Relations of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), on May 26.

Jin said that China firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights and will work with the international community to promote a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question at an early date. The CPC stands ready to work with all Palestinian political parties to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen ideological exchanges and friendly cooperation, and continuously enrich the connotation of the China-Palestine strategic partnership.

Mashal said that Palestine adheres to the one-China principle and thanks China for its firm support for the Palestinian people’s just cause. The Palestinian political parties are willing to strengthen exchanges with the CPC, enhance exchanges and mutual learning of experience on state governance and administration, and promote greater development of the China-Palestine strategic partnership.

Webinar: Imperialism vs multipolarity – The US and China’s clashing visions of the international order (21 June)

📆 Sunday 21 June 2026, 2pm Britain, 9am US Eastern, 9pm China

A discussion of the Trump-Xi summit, the tariff war, US military aggression across the Global South, and the prospects for the world to come.

When Donald Trump arrived in Beijing in May for talks with President Xi Jinping – the first visit by a US president in nine years – the observant could detect a major shift in the international order. Successive US administrations’ increasingly desperate efforts to maintain dominance – through tariffs, sanctions, military aggression and technology warfare – have been failing as China’s economic might and diplomatic influence have grown. The trip Trump had hoped to make in triumph had to be made amid the disaster of his failing war on Iran, on top of the earlier failure of his tariff war against China.

Rather than projecting power, Trump was left with no alternative but to treat China as a peer. China now accounts for roughly 30 percent of global manufacturing output; the Belt and Road Initiative spans continents; and a growing majority of the world’s people are orientating away from US hegemonism and towards a pluripolar future. Xi’s quietly confident offer of “a new paradigm of major-country relations” and a “constructive relationship of strategic stability” went largely unchallenged.

Trump will undoubtedly flail against this new reality, and that flailing will bring further misery to the world. But there are signs that a critical corner is being turned in the journey towards a multipolar world order based on sovereignty, development and peace.

Join our panel of analysts, activists and scholars for a wide-ranging discussion of the Trump-Xi summit and its aftermath, the tariff war, US military aggression across the Global South, and the prospects for the world to come.

This webinar is organised by Friends of Socialist China and the International Manifesto Group.

Confirmed speakers

Cheng Enfu (President of the World Association for Political Economy)
Ben Norton (Founder and editor-in-chief, Geopolitical Economy Report)
Carlos Martinez (Co-editor, Friends of Socialist China)
Jacquie Luqman (Black Alliance for Peace)
Jenny Clegg (Author and peace campaigner)
Ken Hammond (Professor of History, New Mexico State University; Pivot to Peace)
Mick Dunford (Emeritus Professor, University of Sussex)
Mike Klonsky (Educator, author and activist)
Moderator: Radhika Desai (Convenor, International Manifesto Group)

Complete success of Xi Jinping’s visit takes relations with DPRK to new height

Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and President of the People’s Republic of China, paid a state visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), from June 8-9 at the invitation of his DPRK counterpart Kim Jong Un.

Xi Jinping, together with his wife Peng Liyuan and his delegation, arrived at Pyongyang’s Sunan Airport at around noon where they were greeted by DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that:

“The historic Pyongyang meeting between the top leaders of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the People’s Republic of China was arranged again at a time when the traditional DPRK-China friendship, forged in the long journey for independence against imperialism, peace and the accomplishment of the socialist cause, weathering all hardships of the times, is being developed at a new strategic level.

“Comrade Xi Jinping’s visit to the DPRK in the significant year marking the 65th anniversary of the conclusion of the DPRK-China Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance serves as the important and meaningful one in developing the DPRK-China friendly and cooperative relations, the strategic option and valuable common asset of the two parties and the peoples of the two countries.”

A welcoming ceremony for the Chinese leader was held in Kim Il Sung Square in the heart of the DPRK capital.

As Xi Jinping and his wife arrived by car, a cavalry escort lined up to welcome them while the military band played welcoming tunes. Kim Jong Un and his wife greeted Xi Jinping and his wife at the square. Xi Jinping and his wife, along with Kim Jong Un and his wife, shook hands with their respective accompanying personnel. The top leaders of the two parties and two countries jointly ascended the review stand as the military bands played the national anthems of China and the DPRK, with a 21-gun salute. Accompanied by Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping inspected the honour guard of the three services of the Korean People’s Army. Guardsmen shouted in Korean, “Wish Comrade Xi Jinping good health”. Afterward, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un watched the march-past together.

En route from the airport to Kim Il Sung Square and then from Kim Il Sung Square to the Kumsusan State Guesthouse, where Xi Jinping stayed during his visit, people of the DPRK lined both sides of the streets, waving to welcome Xi’s arrival.

The two leaders held talks during the afternoon.

Xi Jinping noted that after seven years, he is very pleased to once again visit the beautiful city of Pyongyang and feels especially warm and familiar. He expressed his readiness to work with Comrade General Secretary to take this visit as an opportunity to strengthen top-level planning and strategic guidance for China-DPRK relations in the new era, promote bilateral relations advancing with the times and achieving greater progress, so as to better benefit the two countries and peoples, and make positive contributions to peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world.

Xi stressed that China and the DPRK are both socialist countries led by communist parties. The traditional friendship between the two countries is rooted in their shared ideals and beliefs as well as their common goals, and is backed by a profound historical foundation, a solid political basis and strong emotional bonds. Friendship passed down from generation to generation, a shared future and mutual support have always been the defining features of China-DPRK relations. No matter how the international situation changes, the Chinese party and government’s firm stance on highly valuing China-DPRK traditional friendship will not change, the firm support for General Secretary Kim Jong Un in leading the DPRK’s socialist cause will not change, and the firm commitment to safeguarding the shared interests of the two countries and preserving a favorable strategic environment will not change.

Xi Jinping pointed out that, in the face of the profound changes unseen in a century that are accelerating across the world, the two sides should take a broad and long-term view, build on past achievements and open up a new future, draw wisdom from the development process of the relations between the two parties and the two countries, seize opportunities in the prevailing trend of human history, inject new contemporary connotations and strong impetus into the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK, and open up a brighter prospect for the socialist cause of the two countries as well as regional peace and development.

Xi Jinping: The shared socialist ideal is the defining character of China-DPRK relations

Immediately prior to his arrival in the DPRK capital Pyongyang, Rodong Sinmun (Workers’ Newspaper), the central organ of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), published a signed article by Xi Jinping, entitled, ‘Carrying Forward the Past and Opening the Future, Forging Ahead Together – Writing a New Chapter in the Traditional China-DPRK Friendship’.

In the article, Xi states: “China and the DPRK are friendly socialist neighbours that watch over and help each other and share a common destiny. The traditional China-DPRK friendship is the shared precious treasure of the two parties, the two countries, and the people of the two countries. No matter how the times change or how the international situation shifts, the traditional China-DPRK friendship has always been unbreakable and grows stronger over time… Historically, the older generation of leaders of China and the DPRK knew one another intimately and were as close as can be. In recent years, I have met with General Secretary Kim Jong Un six times, maintained close strategic communication, and jointly drawn up the blueprint for the development of China-DPRK relations.”

He adds: “The shared socialist ideal is the defining character of China-DPRK relations. The Communist Party of China and the Workers’ Party of Korea are both Marxist ruling parties, and China and the DPRK are fellow travellers on the socialist road… The traditional friendship of shared destiny is the deep foundation of China-DPRK relations. In the turbulent years of fighting for national independence and national liberation, the people of China and the DPRK shared weal and woe, depended on each other in life and death, and forged a great fighting friendship with their blood. In the development of each country’s socialist cause, the two peoples have stood shoulder to shoulder, sharing comforts and hardships, vividly embodying the comradely friendship of mutual trust, solidarity, and mutual aid.”

Noting that, “in recent years, in the face of accelerating once-in-a-century changes in the world and an international situation entangled by change and turbulence, China and the DPRK have insisted on concentrating their energies on managing their own affairs well, forging ahead and striving unremittingly on the socialist road,” Xi draws attention to the important political events in the two countries this year, noting the commencement of China’s 15th Five Year Plan and the Workers’ Party of Korea’s convening of its ninth congress.

Looking forward, he suggests that China and the DPRK should:

Deepen strategic communication and firmly grasp the correct direction for the development of China-DPRK relations. “We must maintain the fine tradition of high-level exchanges between the two parties and two countries, visiting often and meeting each other like relatives.”
Strengthen exchanges and mutual learning and jointly push forward the steady and sustained advance of the two countries’ socialist cause. “We must hold firm to the path and be unchanged in our resolve, support each other in walking the socialist road that suits our own national conditions… firmly safeguard the political security of both countries… and lead the socialist cause of the two countries to keep moving from one victory to the next.”
Strengthen the alignment of the two countries’ development strategies, tap cooperation potential in all fields, share opportunities, and jointly promote development, so as to better benefit the people of both countries. “Through flexible and varied forms, we must keep friendly exchanges active, deepen mutual understanding, tighten emotional bonds, and pass the baton of China-DPRK friendship from generation to generation.”
Oppose hegemonism and power politics and oppose all schemes and acts that seek to revive militarism and that endanger regional security and stability… and join hands to push forward the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

In conclusion, Xi states that, “We stand ready to forge ahead and write a new chapter together with our DPRK comrades, so that the traditional China-DPRK friendship will shine with an even more brilliant contemporary lustre and make a greater contribution to promoting peace, stability, development, and prosperity in the region and indeed across the world.”

Also on June 8, Rodong Sinmun carried an editorial welcoming the “goodwill mission of the Chinese people” headed by Xi.

It says that the visit, “serves as support and encouragement to our Party and people in the struggle for the comprehensive development of socialism.”

It writes that the relations between the DPRK and China, “are the invincible friendly relations closely united with comradely friendship and bloody ties in the protracted struggle to oppose foreign aggressors and build socialism.

“True to the intention of the great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung, the Korean revolutionaries helped the Chinese revolution with blood in the arduous anti-Japanese struggle. The Chinese people, too, regarded the Korean revolutionaries fighting for the national liberation as their own flesh and blood and rendered material and moral assistance to the Korean people in their struggle.

“The brilliant victories won by the Chinese people in the arduous revolutionary civil war and by the Korean people in the fierce Fatherland Liberation War would have been unthinkable without the fraternal friendship and class ties which have been steadily carried forward and consolidated between the revolutionaries, service personnel and peoples of the two countries.”

It concludes by stating that: “The Korean people sincerely hope that the Chinese people will achieve greater successes in the struggle for comprehensively building a modern and powerful socialist country, rallied close around the Communist Party of China with Comrade Xi Jinping as its core, and firmly defend the national sovereignty, territorial integrity and interests for development.

“We will, in the future, too, join hands with the Chinese comrades on the road of advancing the socialist cause and defending peace and security in the region and the rest of the world.”

Lao leader: China is the leading banner for socialism and the Global South

General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR) Thongloun Sisoulith paid a state visit to China from June 2-6 at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Sisoulith began his visit in Hangzhou, capital of east China’s Zhejiang Province.

On the afternoon of June 5, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and President Xi Jinping held talks with Sisoulith at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry report, Xi Jinping once again congratulated Thongloun Sisoulith on his re-election as General Secretary of the LPRP Central Committee and President of Laos. Xi noted that China has always regarded Laos as a priority in its neighbourhood diplomacy, firmly supports Laos in pursuing a socialist path suited to its own national conditions, and stands ready to work with the Lao side to carry forward traditional friendship, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and enhance solidarity and coordination. China is willing to work with Laos to achieve a new leap in bilateral ties and build an all-weather China-Laos community with a shared future in the new era.

Xi Jinping put forward four points for advancing China-Laos relations and building a higher-standard, higher-quality and higher-level bilateral community with a shared future:

Keep to the socialist path. The two sides should jointly safeguard the socialist system and the leadership of communist parties, maintain close strategic communication, implement the new five-year cooperation plan between the two parties and deepen exchanges on governance experience.
Consolidate the foundation of mutually beneficial cooperation. China is willing to strengthen strategic alignment with Laos and foster new growth drivers for cooperation. The two countries should capitalise on the advantages of the China-Laos Railway as a golden transport corridor. They should deepen cooperation in traditional sectors such as agriculture and electricity while expanding collaboration in emerging areas including artificial intelligence and the digital economy, and China will continue to provide assistance within its capacity to Laos.
Strengthen traditional friendship between the two peoples. Taking the Year of China-Laos Friendship as an opportunity, the two sides should expand cooperation in culture, education, health care and local exchanges, make good use of their shared revolutionary heritage, and enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.
Improve coordination on foreign policies. China appreciates Laos for adhering to the one-China principle, supporting the four major global initiatives, taking an active part in the Belt and Road cooperation, as well as firmly supporting China’s core interests and major concerns. China looks forward to Laos playing a greater role in regional and international affairs. The two sides should strengthen multilateral coordination and safeguard the common interests of the Global South.

Thongloun Sisoulith stated this visit carries great significance, as it is his first official overseas visit since his re-election as General Secretary of the LPRP Central Committee and President of Laos, which also falls on the 65th anniversary of bilateral ties and the Year of Laos-China Friendship. The Lao side expresses sincere gratitude for China’s long-standing support and assistance to Laos.

China now stands as the leading banner for the socialist system and developing countries, and a mainstay in safeguarding world peace and promoting the building of a multipolar world. China’s development has provided valuable experience for the vast number of developing countries, including Laos.

After the talks, the two sides jointly witnessed the signing of cooperation documents covering areas such as inter-party exchanges, people’s wellbeing, finance, customs, trade, youth exchanges and media.

The KPL Lao News Agency also carried a report of the meeting.

The Lao leader also met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the same day.

Li said that China is willing to enhance strategic communication and close collaboration with Laos and promote the building of the China-Laos community with a shared future.

Noting that this year marks the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Li said China and Laos have always relied on each other and offered mutual assistance over the years. Especially in recent years, under the strategic guidance of the top leaders of the two parties and countries, China-Laos relations have ushered in the best period in history.

He added that China is willing to enhance the alignment of development strategies with Laos and fully unleash the positive effects of China’s zero-tariff policy. China will continue to scale up bilateral trade, further advance cooperation on the China-Laos railway, accelerate the construction of the China-Laos Economic Corridor, and expand cooperation in energy and mineral resources, artificial intelligence, the digital economy and other fields to deliver more practical results.

Thongloun expressed gratitude to China for the valuable support and assistance it has provided over a long period of time, adding that Laos will firmly adhere to the one-China principle and firmly support China’s core interests on issues such as Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

The Lao News Agency added that both sides welcomed the growing cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, energy and connectivity, including the recent inauguration of the 500-kilovolt Laos-China power transmission line.

Thongloun Sisoulith also met with Zhao Leji, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

During his visit to Zhejiang prior to his arrival in Beijing, Sisoulith visited Yucun Village in Anji County. This is where President Xi Jinping first advanced the concept that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” in August 2005. (An article reproduced below provides detailed background on this.)

Prior to his high-level meetings in Beijing, on June 4, Sisoulith visited the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China as well as the Beijing Aerospace City, where he was briefed on China’s latest achievements in aerospace science and technology.

He also met with former Chinese ambassadors and Chinese volunteer veterans who supported Laos during its national liberation struggle and participated in road construction projects in northern Laos during the 1960s and 1970s. The meeting provided an opportunity for the Lao leader to express appreciation for their contributions to the longstanding friendship and cooperation between Laos and China.

In a special article written for the 65th anniversary of China-Laos diplomatic relations, Thongloun Sisoulith wrote that: “Regardless of how the international landscape has evolved, the Laos-China friendship has remained steadfast, resilient, and ever stronger, demonstrating the ideological values, and the remarkably stable and vibrant strategic cooperation that characterise the Laos-China relations.

“Guided by the spirit of the ‘Four Goods’, namely good neighbours, good friends, good comrades, and good partners, our two countries elevated relations to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in 2009. This important milestone laid a solid political foundation conducive to expanding cooperation across all fields. In 2017, our two Parties and States further enhanced cooperation and established the Laos-China Community of Shared Future, opening a new chapter of deeper solidarity, greater mutual trust and closer strategic coordination.

“Today, the Laos-China relationship stands at its highest point in history, serving as a model of equality, mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation…

“The Lao PDR reaffirms its unwavering commitment to closely cooperate with the People’s Republic of China, in supporting efforts to coordinate comprehensive joint development strategies, advance mutual development, deepen reform, and broaden international cooperation, and jointly pursuing the path of socialist development in accordance with the respective national conditions.”

On June 4, China’s People’s Daily released a video highlighting the deep friendly ties between China and Laos, told largely through the eyes of successive generations of the Lao Pholsena family, who have long maintained a personal friendship with Xi Jinping, since the children of the family studied at Beijing Bayi School in the 1960s, where they came to know and befriend their schoolmate Xi, inaugurating a friendship that has lasted for over half a century.

Chinese medical team helps Zimbabwe complete country’s first neuromodulation surgeries

A Chinese medical team has helped Zimbabwe carry out its first Deep Brain Stimulation and first Spinal Cord Stimulation surgeries – major neuromodulation procedures used to treat Parkinson’s, drug-resistant epilepsy, post-stroke rehabilitation and chronic pain. The Zimbabwean side led the operations, with Chinese surgeons providing technical support. The technology, developed by Tsinghua University and commercialised by Beijing PINS Medical, meets internationally advanced standards but is significantly cheaper than the US equivalents, making it genuinely deployable in African health systems.

The lead Zimbabwean neurosurgeon, Dr Nathaniel Zimani, captured its significance: “If China wasn’t there, we may get this technology 20 years from now. Because of this collaboration, we’ve advanced such medical technologies by 20 years in our country… It’s teaching us how to fish, than giving us fish.”

The work is being carried out with the help of the 23rd Chinese medical team sent to Zimbabwe since 1985, representing four decades of continuous medical cooperation, now part of the China-Zimbabwe “all-weather community with a shared future”, under which China has pledged to support Zimbabwe’s development and to oppose external interference and illegal sanctions.

It is worth setting this beside the West’s engagement with Zimbabwe over the decades. Britain ruled the country – then Rhodesia – through nearly a century of brutal settler-colonialism, dispossessing the Black majority and fighting a vicious war to prevent independence. When Zimbabwe finally won its liberation in 1980, and in the early 2000s reclaimed its land, the West responded with an illegal sanctions regime that inflicted enormous suffering. Two models of engagement, side by side: one built on plunder, white supremacy, colonialism and neocolonialism; the other on solidarity, development and knowledge transfer.