In July, the British government completed the full nationalisation of British Steel – a move welcomed by the country’s trade unions, and one socialists have no reason to oppose in principle. But as Carlos Martinez argues in the following article, what took place was not simply the homecoming of a strategic industry. It was the … Continue reading British Steel or British Steal?
The following article by Paul Atkin, originally published in Socialist Economic Bulletin, analyses the response by British politicians and journalists to the announcement by Jingye – the Chinese company that acquired British Steel in 2019 – that it would be closing the blast furnaces at its Scunthorpe plant on account of making losses of £255 … Continue reading British Steel crisis leads to wave of anti-China propaganda
Republished below are the remarks by a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in London regarding the UK government’s takeover of British Steel. The spokesperson points to the surge of anti-China propaganda among politicians and in the media following the announcement by Jingye, the Chinese company that owns British Steel, that it would be shutting down … Continue reading Chinese Embassy comments on government takeover of British Steel
In this, the second of two articles outlining the history of relations between the communists of Britain and China, Robert Griffiths, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB), having briefly recapped some highlights from the 1920s, 30s and 40s, takes up the story from the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China on … Continue reading British communist solidarity with China from the revolution to today
Chinese President Xi Jinping held phone talks with new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on September 8. Congratulating Burnham on assuming office, Xi noted that China and Britain are comprehensive strategic partners. He urged the two sides to respect and trust each other, overcome differences, seek common ground and expand mutually beneficial cooperation, adding that … Continue reading Andy Burnham: Britain is prepared to restore relations with China to their historic high
The following is the text of the speech delivered by Alex Gordon to the opening session of our conference held on September 28 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, “a moment of pride and achievement for the people of China, but also a moment of hope and … Continue reading Alex Gordon: PRC’s 75th anniversary a moment of hope and inspiration for peoples around the world
This article by Jenny Clegg, originally published in the Morning Star, discusses the recent announcement by Britain’s Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions (CSEU) that it welcomes the Aukus trilateral security deal on the grounds that it will ostensibly create thousands of well-paid jobs for British engineers. Jenny points out that, even on the basis … Continue reading Aukus might create jobs – but at what cost?
In the video embedded below, FoSC co-editor Keith Bennett discusses with George Galloway the recent decision by the British state to designate China as a security threat. Keith points out that this reflects a foreign policy trajectory in Britain of providing unquestioning support to the US; essentially outsourcing its foreign policy to Washington, which, starting … Continue reading Video: Why has China suddenly become a ‘threat’ to the UK?
On Saturday 3 October 2026, Friends of Socialist China held its third annual Socialist China Conference at the Cypriot Community Centre in Wood Green, north London, to mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. More than 150 people attended, and a remarkable number stayed for the full six and … Continue reading Socialist China Conference 2026: another landmark in building friendship and solidarity with China
In this discussion with Radhika Desai, Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez confronts the charge, common even on parts of the left, that Beijing does far too little for Palestine, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela. The conversation traces China’s foreign policy from the internationalism of Bandung and the Non-Aligned Movement, through its rapprochement with Washington … Continue reading Responding to left criticisms of China’s foreign policy
A team at Nanjing University’s Centre for Asia-Pacific Development Studies has published what appears to be the most comprehensive statistical test yet attempted of the “debt trap diplomacy” thesis – examining 197 countries and regions over 2000 to 2023, including the 146 that have signed Belt and Road cooperation agreements. It found no evidence that … Continue reading Study shows Belt and Road Initiative cuts debt and corruption
Following his appointment on July 20 as Britain’s foreign secretary by new prime minister Andy Burnham, Ed Miliband attended meetings around the ASEAN Regional Forum, held this year in the Philippines’ capital Manila, later in the week. Among Miliband’s bilateral meetings was that with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, held on the morning of July … Continue reading Wang Yi meets Britain’s new foreign secretary Ed Miliband
In early June 2026, the Financial Times reported that Nissan’s Sunderland plant – the UK’s largest car factory, employing 6,000 people – has secured its long-term future through a deal to manufacture vehicles for the Chinese carmaker Chery from 2027. In the following article, Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez argues that the agreement … Continue reading Nissan, Chery and the case for cooperation with China
The Qingming Festival, when Chinese people traditionally remember their dead and their ancestors, this year fell on April 5. Far away from China, in Tanzania, east Africa, the festival acquired particular poignancy. On its eve, China and Tanzania jointly commemorated the Chinese experts who sacrificed their lives during the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA), … Continue reading Chinese martyrs remembered in Tanzania
The following article by the Montreal-based political activist and writer Arnold August outlines his observations and conclusions following his seven-day visit to China’s Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region in October 2023 and is reprinted from the recently published book China Changes Everything. Arnold notes that, “the reality before 1951 was stark. Under a feudal theocracy, about … Continue reading Xizang’s leap from serfdom to Socialism with Chinese Characteristics
Cuba’s electricity system has come under intense pressure in recent years, shaped by decades of US sanctions, an ageing oil-based grid, and chronic fuel shortages due to restrictions on imports from Russia and Venezuela – a function of the US’s illegal and suffocating blockade. With peak demand reaching 2,500 MW and shortfalls of up to … Continue reading China’s support helping Cuba advance towards energy sovereignty and sustainability
We’re very pleased to announce the release of a new book, compiled by the Friends of Socialist China US Committee and edited by Kyle Ferrana, exploring China’s remarkable rise and its role in the world. Topics include China’s poverty alleviation program, its progress in developing green energy, the Belt and Road Initiative, the nature of … Continue reading China Changes Everything: An anthology by social justice activists, journalists and commentators
The Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) (CPCML) issued a special supplement of their online newspaper on September 6 to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. In its opening article, CPC(ML) writes: “The contribution made by the peoples of China … Continue reading Canadian communists honour Chinese people’s victory
In the following article, originally published on his website Weaponized Information, Prince Kapone gives an acute analysis and mounts a trenchant defence of China’s Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864), generally regarded as one of the greatest peasant rebellions, as well as bloodiest conflicts, in human history. Describing it as the “spectre of peasant communism”, Kapone situates the … Continue reading The Taiping Rebellion and the spectre of peasant communism
The second Friends of Socialist China delegation to the People’s Republic of China took place from 26 May to 5 June 2025. Invited by the China NGO Network for International Exchanges (CNIE), which works under the direction of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC), 15 comrades (nine … Continue reading Delegates from Britain and the US build friendship with China
