Author: Friends of Socialist China

Chinese FM meets head of Fatah delegation

Following the conclusion of talks in Beijing between representatives of 14 Palestinian resistance groups, which resulted in the signing of the Beijing Declaration on Ending Division and Strengthening Palestinian National Unity, on July 23, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with the head of the Fatah delegation Mahmoud al-Aloul.

Wang stressed that a top priority now is to proceed from the fundamental interests of all the Palestinian people, seize the opportunity and seek common ground while shelving differences, so that unity and reconciliation among the various factions could be realised.

Mahmoud al-Aloul, who is also deputy leader of Fatah, thanked China for its efforts to promote reconciliation among Palestinian factions and for its support and assistance to Palestine over the past decades, calling China a true friend and brother of the Palestinian people.

The following report was first published by the Xinhua News Agency.

BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with the head of the Fatah delegation Mahmoud al-Aloul in Beijing on Tuesday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, stressed that no matter how the international situation changes, China will always firmly support the just cause of the Palestinian people.

Noting that the conflict in Gaza has caused a huge humanitarian disaster, Wang said to resolve this historical injustice, the principle of “Palestinian-owned, Palestinian-led and Palestinian-ruled” must be upheld.

Wang said the top priority now is to proceed from the fundamental interests of all the Palestinian people, seize the opportunity and seek common ground while shelving differences, so that unity and reconciliation among the various factions could be realized, and they could form a unified position, define a common goal, and create necessary conditions for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the realization of an independent state and the implementation of the two-state solution.

Mahmoud al-Aloul, also deputy chief of the Fatah Movement, thanked China for its efforts to promote reconciliation among Palestinian factions and its support and assistance to Palestine over the past decades, calling China a true friend and brother of the Palestinian people.

The Fatah Movement will do its utmost to promote reconciliation and unity among Palestinian factions and contribute to a thorough settlement of the Palestinian issue. 

Xi’s special representative mourns passing of Nguyen Phu Trong in Vietnam

Funeral and memorial services for the late Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), who passed away on July 19, were held in the capital, Hanoi over July 25-26.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), as the Special Representative of General Secretary Xi Jinping, led a CPC delegation to participate in the mourning activities.

Paying his respects at the National Funeral Hall, on behalf of Xi and the CPC Central Committee, and in the name of Xi’s special representative, Wang laid a wreath, paused to observe a moment of silence before bowing three times to Trong’s coffin, conveyed sincere condolences from Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan to Trong’s widow Ngo Thi Man, and left a message in the condolence book.

Meeting with Vietnamese President To Lam and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Wang expressed deep grief over the passing of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, saying that after learning the sad news, Xi went to the Embassy of Vietnam in Beijing to pay tribute to the late leader and the CPC Central Committee sent condolences to the CPV Central Committee.

Appointing Wang as Xi’s special representative to lead a CPC delegation for the mourning shows once again the heartfelt grief and sincere condolences of Xi and the CPC Central Committee to the CPV Central Committee and Trong’s family. At this special moment, the party and people of China stand firmly with the party and people of Vietnam, Wang said.

Wang noted that Trong is a staunch Marxist, a great leader of the CPV and the Vietnamese people, and a great friend of the Chinese people. His death is a great loss to the cause of socialism in Vietnam and to the cause of peace and progress of humanity.

The Vietnamese leaders said that Vietnam is more determined to follow the national development path established by the older generation of leaders and Trong, stressing that China is the only country that has all the priority factors in Vietnam’s foreign policy.

Vietnam will keep in mind Trong’s entrustment that “so profound is the friendship between Vietnam and China, because we are both comrades and brothers,” always give top priority to the development of relations with China, and firmly promote the building of a Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance in accordance with the important consensus reached between Trong and Xi.

During his stay in Hanoi, Wang also met with Esteban Lazo Hernandez, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power, who led the Cuban delegation to the condolence activities.

Besides the representatives from China and Cuba, high-level delegations from many parts of the world came to Hanoi to mourn Trong. Those representing other countries with a deep historic connection to the Vietnamese revolution included General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR) Thongloun Sisoulith, President of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and President of the Cambodian Senate Hun Sen, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s State Duma Petr Olegovich Tolstoy, and Minister of War Veterans and Rights Holders of Algeria Laid Rebiga.

On behalf of Friends of Socialist China, our co-editor Keith Bennett visited the Vietnamese Embassy in London to participate in the mourning activities and expressed condolences to Ambassador Do Minh Hung.

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

HANOI, July 25 (Xinhua) — As General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping’s Special Representative, China’s top political advisor Wang Huning led a CPC delegation to Hanoi to mourn the passing of Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), on Thursday.

Wang, 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, also met with Vietnamese President To Lam and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Continue reading Xi’s special representative mourns passing of Nguyen Phu Trong in Vietnam

AUKUS submarine deal will damage Australia’s interests

In the following article, Richard Cullen dissects the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement between Australia, Britain and the United States, which was first unveiled in September 2021.

Cullen draws on the recently published book, ‘Nuked: The Submarine Fiasco that Sank Australia’s Sovereignty’ by Andrew Fowler, an award-winning investigative journalist and former reporter with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Fowler argues the AUKUS fiasco will, in particular, haunt the current Australian Labor Party (ALP) government for years to come. He claims that the ALP displayed unalloyed folly when it made zero effort to contain its reckless impulse to endorse then Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s first AUKUS announcement, lest the ALP be seen to be soft on defence.

In March 2023, the former ALP prime minister Paul Keating said that the endorsement of the AUKUS plan by the ALP government of Anthony Albanese, who assumed office in May 2022, was “the worst international decision” by an ALP government in over 100 years. He noted that, “China has never threatened to attack us”, yet the ALP had now “screwed into place the last shackle in the long chain which the Americans have laid out to contain China.” China’s “great sin”, Keating added, was to build an economy equal to the size of that in the US, suggesting that “Americans would have preferred” that 20 percent of the world’s population remain in poverty.

Cullen concludes: “Fowler’s exposition confirms that, just when the ALP should have stood back and acutely considered Australia’s sovereign interests, it manifestly failed to do so.”

The article was originally published in China Daily.

The now-notorious AUKUS agreement was secretly conceived between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States prior to being publicly announced in September 2021 by the Morrison government in Canberra. It was aimed at eventually allowing Australia to acquire at least eight nuclear-powered submarines at an exceptionally high, initial estimated cost of up to A$368 billion ($249.1 billion), with the joint assistance of the US and the UK.

The existing contract, dating from 2016, for the Royal Australian Navy to acquire 12 conventionally powered submarines from France at an estimated cost of A$90 billion, was canceled virtually overnight. Shortly after this, President Emmanuel Macron of France was asked whether he thought then-Australian prime minister Scott Morrison had lied to him by not revealing Australia’s dialogue with the UK and the US over the acquisition of nuclear submarines. Macron replied, “I don’t think, I know.”

Andrew Fowler, an award-winning investigative journalist and former reporter with the Australian Broadcasting Corp, has just published a new book titled Nuked: The Submarine Fiasco that Sank Australia’s Sovereignty. Based on discussions with a range of global sources, this book “pieces together the plot to sink the French and switch to a nuclear-powered US submarine”, adding that this “botched operation compromised Australia’s ability to defend itself”.

Fowler argues the AUKUS fiasco will, in particular, haunt the current Australian Labor Party (ALP) government for years to come, and he is surely right about this. The ALP displayed unalloyed folly in 2021, when it made zero effort to contain its reckless impulse to endorse Morrison’s first AUKUS announcement, lest the ALP be seen to be soft on defense.

Apart from the colossal cost estimate, a range of other crucial aspects make this project look like it was holed below the waterline from day one. First, just consider who is going to supply these new submarines and when.

After the announcement, it became clear, according to The Guardian newspaper, that the first three to five submarines were to be acquired from the US in about a decade — as secondhand Virginia-class submarines.

A senior American congressman said, in 2023, that the US would not be foisting secondhand “clunkers” on Australia. Somewhat reassuring — but the delayed supply of sometimes outmoded American weapons to other allies at high cost is less reassuring.

Meanwhile, other senior American politicians have raised questions about whether the US can hand over any submarines to Australian control given the manifest lack of building-capacity in the US to meet American needs; and because of the risk to American national security in sharing submarine technology with Australia.

Then there is the UK, which is meant to work with Australia with a view to supplying a further five nuclear submarines. In February, The Daily Telegraph, in England, highlighted how Britain’s two newest aircraft carriers “aren’t fit for purpose”. The HMS Prince of Wales and the HMS Queen Elizabeth were both beset with significant operational faults that prevented or delayed their participation in a major NATO exercise.

And what about Australia? In 2014, the Australian defense minister said that he would not trust the government-owned Australian Submarine Corp “to build a canoe”, such was its low level of ship-building competence. The defense minister subsequently found he had to resign as a consequence of his candidness. But a huge question remains as to how Australia could possibly develop the very large, highly expert workforce needed to undertake major aspects of building a series of extremely complex nuclear submarines.

One argued advantage of nuclear-powered submarines is that their comparative operational silence presently makes them hard to detect once submerged. However, experts say that this advantage is already fading, and by the time that Australia might possibly have a full fleet of nuclear submarines over two decades from now, any such advantage is unlikely to apply. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute said, in March 2023, that their analysis showed the new AUKUS submarines “might be so easily detected (by the 2050s) they could become billion-dollar coffins”.

Then there is the question as to whether these will actually be Australian submarines — or American-controlled and partly manned submarines allowed to fly an Australian flag — all paid for by Canberra. In May, The Guardian ran a lead story claiming that the “US won’t guarantee that Australia will have complete control of AUKUS submarines”, in which they quoted US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell as saying that “when submarines are provided from the United States to Australia, it’s not like they’re lost — they will just be deployed by the closest possible allied force”.

Penetrating criticism of the AUKUS project has also been offered by a number of respected experts in Australia.

Sam Roggeveen of the Lowy Institute argues that AUKUS “is a project of vaulting ambition that is out of step with Australian tradition as a middle military power, wildly at odds with our international status and, most importantly, a wasteful expenditure of public money that will make Australia less safe”.

Hugh White, professor emeritus of strategic studies at the Australian National University and one of Australia’s principal defense commentators, published a withering essay in the journal Australian Foreign Affairs in February titled Dead in the Water: The AUKUS Delusion. White began by asking if Australia needs nuclear-powered submarines. His answer was a flat no. He argued that the likelihood of the plan unfolding effectively “is extremely low”, adding that “outright failure is a real possibility”. Reviewing White’s essay, another commentator, Nick Deane, highlighted how the UK end of the project has encountered major problems stretching back decades (see above), while in Australia, “long delays and cost overruns are certain”.

Bear in mind, too, that primary transatlantic media outlets like The New York Times and The Economist, and many other leading commentators, are now stridently telling the world that neither of the presumptive candidates (Joe Biden and Donald Trump) set to seek election as the next US president in November is fit to be appointed to that office.

In March 2023, the former ALP prime minister Paul Keating said that the AUKUS plan was “the worst international decision” by an ALP government in over 100 years. He noted that “China has never threatened to attack us”, yet the ALP had now “screwed into place the last shackle in the long chain which the Americans have laid out to contain China”. China’s “great sin”, Keating added, was to build an economy equal to the size of that in the US, suggesting that “Americans would have preferred” that 20 percent of the world’s population remain in poverty.

In his new book, Fowler provides a devastating critique of the entire AUKUS project based on extensive research, which ratifies the blistering evaluation of AUKUS offered by Keating in March last year. Fowler’s exposition confirms that, just when the ALP should have stood back and acutely considered Australia’s sovereign interests, it manifestly failed to do so.

Marcus Garvey, Mao and Gandhi: Notes on Black-Asian solidarity in times of Cold War politics and neoliberal fragmentation

In this interesting piece for People’s Dispatch, Eugene Puryear reflects on the century-long history of solidarity between the Black liberation struggle in the US and the revolutionary movements in China and India.

He notes that, as early as 1927, Black newspapers and colleges in the US were reporting on the Chinese Revolution and opposing US intervention. The article also references the famous 1934 visit to China by the great poet, playwright and activist Langston Hughes, who was inspired by the anti-imperialist struggle of the Chinese people. In 1937, “People’s Voice – a joint project of the Communists and civil rights leader Adam Clayton Powell – read by 40,000-50,000 Black New Yorkers a week, often used the slogan ‘Free India, Free China, Free Africa!'”

Following the victory of the Chinese Revolution in 1949, the Chinese people consistently showed solidarity with oppressed communities in North America. For example, following Mao’s Statement in Support of the Afro-American Struggle Against Violent Repression in 1968, people gathered in workplaces, schools and neighborhoods throughout China. “Chants like ‘Oppressed nations and peoples of the world, unite! Down with the reactionaries of all countries! Support our Black brothers and sisters!’ rang out.”

Eugene points to the continuing relevance of these historical connections:

Recovering stories from an earlier time, underpinned by a more liberatory vision, helps us find reference points for our movements and parties to conduct the radical course corrections needed to save humanity.

These themes are explored in some depth in our webinar Black Liberation and People’s China: Rediscovering a History of Transcontinental Solidarity.

The movements that gave us modern India, China, and Black America were, for a time, deeply conversant with one another. Jawaharal Nehru was a lifetime member of the NAACP, whose founder, W.E.B. Du Bois was on friendly terms with Mao Tse-Tung. James Lawson, a Black Methodist Minister, who refused to fight in Korea, traveled to India, studied Gandhi, and later brought his teachings to the Civil Rights Movement. China would name Paul Robeson the Chairman of its relief efforts in World War Two. He would then go on to publish a newspaper in the heart of McCarthyism tying these strands together.

Amidst the rise of the “Asian Century” and the era of Black Presidents, the legacies of those movements are in danger. Risking being turned into a caricature by the Cold War politics, a fascistic upsurge, and the fragmentation of the world into a poorer, hungrier, more dangerous, and less livable place; recovering stories from an earlier time, underpinned by a more liberatory vision, helps us find reference points for our movements and parties to conduct the radical course corrections needed to save humanity.

Haryana to Harlem

In 1948, a journalist traveling in India reported:

“When I asked some farmers in a village in West Bengal how they felt about American assistance to “raise the standard of living/of people in underdeveloped areas such as India, one elderly farmer replied: “We will believe in America’s altruistic motives after we see the American government raise the living standard of the Negroes and extend to them full justice and equality.”[1]

This consciousness of Jim Crow policies was rooted in a long history of interaction between the Indian freedom movement and Black America. A 1922 report from US Naval Intelligence noted with concern: “the present Hindu revolutionary movement has definite connection with the Negro agitation in America.” They took note of the African Blood Brotherhood, whose leader, Cyril Briggs, noted the Indian Freedom Movement as one of a few “factors” that “help us here, right here in Harlem.”[2]

Continue reading Marcus Garvey, Mao and Gandhi: Notes on Black-Asian solidarity in times of Cold War politics and neoliberal fragmentation

Starmer should develop balanced strategy

In the following article, Grenville Cross dissects the likely foreign policy trajectory and options of Britain’s new Labour government which took office following the July 4 general election. 

Regarding the manifesto on which the Labour Party fought the election, he notes that its references to foreign policy are relatively sparse, but that it committed the party to “working with the US, supporting NATO, enhancing the AUKUS pact, and backing Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, so no surprises there. They mirrored the policies of Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government, and [now Prime Minister Sir Keir] Starmer was trying to steal its clothes,” adding that he had also thrown in some Cold War rhetoric of his own:

“This will have delighted the US and its military-industrial complex, even though it is the long-suffering Ukrainian people who will pay the price of their bellicosity.”

Having noted that the manifesto promised that “Labour will bring a long-term and strategic approach to managing our relations” [with China] and committed to an “audit of our bilateral relationship” to  “understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities China poses,” Cross observes, “If Starmer can be more principled on the world stage, this will be welcome, although the early signs are less than reassuring,” adding:

“On July 7, his new foreign secretary, David Lammy, eager to make a splash on his second day in office, said he hoped China would not become involved in the Ukraine conflict. He warned that Beijing had to be ‘very careful’ about ‘deepening its partnerships with Russia, Iran and North Korea’. As China has remained neutral in the conflict, has not supplied weapons to either side, and is pressing for a ceasefire, Lammy should have congratulated it upon its continuing role as an honest broker. Unfortunately, years of instinctive prejudice toward Beijing have taken their toll on British foreign policy.”

However, as China was Britain’s fifth-largest trading partner in 2023, the last thing the UK needs is a political neophyte like Lammy trying to worsen relations. Citing Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s congratulatory message to Starmer on his election, where he expressed his willingness “to work with the new UK government to consolidate mutual political trust and expand mutually beneficial cooperation”, Cross opines that it is regrettable that Lammy did not respond in kind.

He argues that: “The hypocrisy that was the hallmark of Sunak’s administration in other areas is again rearing its ugly head and suggests the two governments have more in common than people realised. After a Russian air raid (accidentally, according to Putin) hit a children’s hospital in Kyiv, killing 22 people, Starmer, on July 9, accused him of ‘the most depraved of actions’. However, his words came back to bite him.

“The former First Minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf, whose relatives have suffered in Gaza, immediately took Starmer to task. He compared Putin’s invasion of Ukraine with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bombardment of Gaza. Writing on X, Yousaf told Starmer that if he condemned Russia for killing children but continued ‘to sell arms to Israel, who have killed over 14,000 children (and counting) and destroyed Gaza’s hospitals with impunity, then you are a hypocrite.”

The author argues that: “Starmer would do well to heed Yousaf’s words. If he wishes to be taken seriously, he cannot slavishly follow his predecessor’s policy of condemning Putin’s actions in Ukraine while allowing Netanyahu to get away with blue murder in Gaza. In the general election on July 4, pro-Palestinian candidates became effectively the sixth-largest party in parliament when five independents opposed to the Gaza massacres were elected, and they will undoubtedly hold Starmer’s feet to the fire.”

Grenville Cross is a senior counsel and law professor and was previously Hong Kong’s Director of Public Prosecutions.

The article originally appeared in China Daily Hong Kong edition.

On June 13, when the UK Labour Party issued its manifesto for the general election on July 4, its focus was domestic issues. This was understandable, as elections are won and lost on bread-and-butter issues. There were, however, some references to foreign policy, albeit nothing too beefy. Signed by the Labour Party leader (now prime minister), Sir Keir Starmer, the manifesto committed the party to working with the US, supporting NATO, enhancing the AUKUS pact, and backing Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, so no surprises there. They mirrored the policies of Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government, and Starmer was trying to steal its clothes.

He also threw in some Cold War rhetoric of his own, claiming that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, was “attempting to break European security with his full-scale invasion of Ukraine”. If nothing else, this showed that he, like Sunak, favored turning an eastern European territorial dispute into a “forever war”. This will have delighted the US and its military-industrial complex, even though it is the long-suffering Ukrainian people who will pay the price of their bellicosity.

However, despite the similarities, Starmer insisted his party would “end the chaotic approach to foreign affairs”. The UK would “once again stand strong on the world stage”, which sounded fine. A new approach to UK-China relations was also foreshadowed, and time alone will tell if this is serious.

The manifesto declared, “After 14 years of damaging Conservative inconsistency over China, Labour will bring a long-term and strategic approach to managing our relations.” This meant “we will cooperate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must,” all very nice sound bites. Moreover, an “audit of our bilateral relationship” was also envisaged for improving the UK’s ability to “understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities China poses”.

As Sunak cynically enfranchised the estimated 140,000 BN(O) passport holders who have relocated to the UK since 2021, hoping they would then vote Conservative in gratitude, Starmer decided he better go after their votes. His manifesto said the Labour Party would “stand with and support members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK”, and many undoubtedly voted for Labour.

If nothing else, Starmer was right about the inconsistencies of successive Conservative governments in their policies toward Beijing. Whereas then-prime minister David Cameron (2010-16) saw the development of UK-China relations as heralding a “golden era”, his successors, notably Boris Johnson and Liz Truss (2019-22), switched to confrontation (albeit under US pressure).

Not only did Johnson join the US in imposing hostile measures upon Hong Kong when China acted decisively to end the insurrection that sought to wreck the “one country, two systems” policy in 2019, but he also hoodwinked China in 2020. Having granted Huawei a 35 percent stake in the UK’s 5G network in January 2020, he then, at US insistence, reneged on the agreement six months later. If Starmer can be more principled on the world stage, this will be welcome, although the early signs are less than reassuring.

On July 7, his new foreign secretary, David Lammy, eager to make a splash on his second day in office, said he hoped China would not become involved in the Ukraine conflict. He warned that Beijing had to be “very careful” about “deepening its partnerships with Russia, Iran and North Korea”. As China has remained neutral in the conflict, has not supplied weapons to either side, and is pressing for a cease-fire, Lammy should have congratulated it upon its continuing role as an honest broker. Unfortunately, years of instinctive prejudice toward Beijing have taken their toll on British foreign policy.

However, as China was Britain’s fifth-largest trading partner in 2023, the last thing the UK needs is a political neophyte like Lammy trying to worsen relations. When the Chinese premier, Li Qiang, congratulated Starmer on his election, he said China was “willing to work with the new UK government to consolidate mutual political trust and expand mutually beneficial cooperation”, and it is regrettable that Lammy has not responded in kind.

However, while Lammy was busy stoking tensions, the peacemakers were at work. The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, having discussed the conflict over several days with both the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, met with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on July 8, in what he described on X (formerly Twitter) as “Peace mission 3.0”. Although Hungary currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, the EU, which is pouring cash and arms into the conflict, distanced itself from Orban’s initiative. Instead of wishing Orban well, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that “appeasement will not stop” the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, which was music to the ears of the warmongers.

However, Orban refused to be deterred, given that peace in Ukraine benefits not only Europe but also mankind. He said China was a “key power in creating the conditions for peace,” which was “why I came to meet with President Xi”. He described China as a stabilizing force during global turbulence and praised its “constructive and important” peace initiatives. These included China’s six-point peace plan, which it issued with Brazil on May 23 and which the West downplayed.

It is a pity that Starmer has yet to take a leaf out of Orban’s book, although hope springs eternal.

According to CCTV, Xi said, “Only when all major powers exert positive energy rather than negative energy can the conflict see the dawn of a cease-fire as soon as possible,” and Lammy was hopefully listening. However, it was not only the EU that was unhappy with the peace talks. The US National Security Council spokesman, John Kirby, also weighed in. He said the Xi-Orban meeting was “concerning” for the US and did not hold any promise “of trying to get things done in Ukraine”.

It is, moreover, not only with Ukraine that the new Labour government has been found wanting. The hypocrisy that was the hallmark of Sunak’s administration in other areas is again rearing its ugly head, and suggests the two governments have more in common than people realized. After a Russian air raid (accidentally, according to Putin) hit a children’s hospital in Kyiv, killing 22 people, Starmer, on July 9, accused him of “the most depraved of actions”. However, his words came back to bite him.

The former first minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf, whose relatives have suffered in Gaza, immediately took Starmer to task. He compared Putin’s invasion of Ukraine with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bombardment of Gaza. Writing on X, Yousaf told Starmer that if he condemned Russia for killing children but continued “to sell arms to Israel, who have killed over 14,000 children (and counting) and destroyed Gaza’s hospitals with impunity, then you are a hypocrite”.

Given his background as a human rights lawyer, Starmer would do well to heed Yousaf’s words. If he wishes to be taken seriously, he cannot slavishly follow his predecessor’s policy of condemning Putin’s actions in Ukraine while allowing Netanyahu to get away with blue murder in Gaza. In the general election on July 4, pro-Palestinian candidates became effectively the sixth-largest party in Parliament when five independents opposed to the Gaza massacres were elected, and they will undoubtedly hold Starmer’s feet to the fire.

On July 10, moreover, when at least 29 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in an Israeli air strike on a camp for displaced people outside the al-Awda school in southern Gaza, it was immediately condemned by the European Union. It was the fourth attack on or near schools sheltering displaced people in four days, and the German Foreign Ministry, in a statement on X, said, “The repeated attacks on schools must stop and an investigation must come quickly.” However, there were no such words of condemnation from Starmer (or Lammy), and his silence cannot be explained away by his absence abroad.

If, as seems likely, the International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants shortly against Netanyahu, Starmer must give it his full support. The warrants have been sought by Karim Khan KC, the ICC’s British chief prosecutor. Like Starmer, Khan made his mark as a human rights lawyer, and Starmer must stand with him, even if it upsets the US. He must also immediately end arms sales to Israel, as the UK can no longer be a party to Netanyahu’s crimes against humanity.

On July 10, Starmer arrived in the US for the NATO summit hosted by the US president, Joe Biden. Like his predecessors, he decided that some tough talking at China’s expense would not go amiss. He declared he would be “robust” with Beijing, and willing to challenge China about human rights and security concerns.

Although this undoubtedly pleased Biden, he must have been ecstatic when Starmer announced that, although he plans to force members of the UK’s House of Lords to retire at 80, it did not mean that Biden was too old to carry on serving as president at the age of 81 (and beyond).

If Starmer imagined this type of sycophancy could advance the so-called “special relationship” between the UK and the US, so be it. He will have to learn the hard way that all the US is really concerned about is British subservience, including unquestioning support of its hegemonistic policies around the world.

Biden would also have been relieved that Starmer’s concern for human rights in China did not extend to Gaza, where Israel, with US connivance, is committing human rights violations on an industrial scale on an almost daily basis.

Although it is still early days, the Labour government has already misstepped on foreign policy. While its ministers are on a learning curve, they must quickly master their briefs and make a clean break from the past. If they can stop kowtowing to the US, build a constructive relationship with China, support the peacemakers, and plow an independent furrow, a new dawn is still possible.

In his manifesto, Starmer declared “This election is about change,” and this must encompass foreign affairs. He needs to develop global strategies that are honest, pragmatic and balanced. If he can achieve this, he will not only undo much of the harm caused by his predecessors, but also promote the UK’s best interests and those of humanity.

China’s Third Plenum directed towards quality growth and improved living standards

The following analysis of the Third Plenum of the CPC Central Committee, written by British Marxist economist Michael Roberts, counters the “China collapse” narrative that continues to pervade Western media coverage.

Roberts observes that “Western media and economists argue for a ‘rebalancing’, by which they mean a switch to a consumer-led, private sector-led economy from the current investment-led, export oriented, state directed one.” Essentially, they want to see an economy more akin to that of the US and Europe – deregulated, privatised, and directed towards the interests of shareholders. In contrast, the Third Plenum communique indicates that China will continue to focus on planning, regulation, improving living standards, developing new productive forces and placing ecological issues at the heart of its economic decision-making.

“China is fast developing a ‘new economy’ based on high value-added tech sectors. These sectors have significantly outpaced headline GDP growth in recent years.” Furthermore, “far from shifting towards a more Western-style economy, “the Third Plenum release reminds us that China still has planning, not the centralized one of the Soviet Union, but ‘indicative planning’ with targets set for many sectors”.

China’s economists probably don’t need to take advice from their Western counterparts, given that “China’s economy is still expanding at around 5 percent a year, more than twice as fast as the US economy, the best performing of the top seven capitalist economies.”

Roberts cites another useful recent piece in Asia Times:

Do we really want tech billionaires or do we really want tech? Value is not being destroyed; it’s accruing to consumers ins lower prices, higher quality and/or more innovative products and services… What is economic success, what is value creation? Maybe, just maybe, it’s the approach that delivers the most tangible improvements in people’s lives, instead of trillion-dollar companies and billionaire CEOs.”

NB the article refers to China as a “one-party state”. While the CPC is the leading party in the government, there are eight other political parties represented in the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

The Third Plenum of the Communist Party of China ended last week.  The Third Plenum is a meeting of China’s Communist Party Central Committee composed of 364 members which discusses China’s economic policy for the next several years.  As China is a one-party state, in effect this sets out the policies of the government and, in particular, that of President Xi.

What did we learn from the Third Plenum about China’s economic policies?  Not very much that we did not already know. According to the state media release, the Plenum agreed that economic policy should concentrate on achieving a new round of “scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation,” Chinese-style. In the next decade, “education, science and technology, and talents are the basic and strategic support for China’s modernization.”

So it appears that the CPC leaders are looking to sustain economic growth and meet all their proclaimed social objectives through what they have called ‘quality growth’.  The expansion of the economy mainly through using plentiful labour from the countryside coming into the cities to work in manufacturing, property development and infrastructure is over.  It has been over for some time.  Urbanisation is slowing.

Continue reading China’s Third Plenum directed towards quality growth and improved living standards

Palestinian factions sign Beijing Declaration on ending division and strengthening Palestinian national unity

Three days of intensive talks in the Chinese capital Beijing between 14 Palestinian resistance organisations culminated on July 23, 2024, with the signing of the Beijing Declaration on Ending Division and Strengthening Palestinian National Unity by the movements represented.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attended the closing ceremony and witnessed the signing.

According to the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, in his remarks at the closing ceremony, Wang Yi noted that, 14 Palestinian factions are gathering in Beijing with the greater good of their nation in mind. This is an important historical moment in the Palestinian liberation cause. China commends the reconciliation efforts made by all the factions and congratulates them on the success of the Beijing dialogue and the signing of the Beijing Declaration.

Wang Yi pointed out that only when Palestinian factions speak as one can the voice of justice be loud and clear, and only when they join hands and march forward shoulder to shoulder can they succeed in their national liberation cause. The most important consensus from the Beijing talks is to achieve the reconciliation and unity among the 14 factions; the core outcome is the affirmation of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of all Palestinian people; the biggest highlight is the agreement on establishing an interim government of national reconciliation focusing on the post-conflict reconstruction of Gaza; and the strongest call is for truly establishing an independent State of Palestine in accordance with relevant UN resolutions. The key to the Palestinian reconciliation process is to bolster confidence, keep to the right direction, and make incremental progress. Only by making continuous efforts to build consensus and put it into practice can the reconciliation process yield more and more substantive progress and greater unity. Reconciliation is the internal affair of Palestinian factions and cannot happen without international support. On the path toward reconciliation, China shares the same direction and destination with Arab and Islamic countries.

The Chinese Foreign Minister further noted that the Palestinian question is at the core of the Middle East issue. China never has any selfish interests on the Palestinian question. China was among the first countries to recognise the PLO and the State of Palestine. China all along firmly supports the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights. We value fairness and advocate for justice.

To help get out of the current conflict and predicament, China proposes a three-step initiative:

  • First is to achieve a comprehensive, lasting and sustainable ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible, and ensure access to humanitarian aid and rescue on the ground.
  • Second is to make joint efforts toward post-conflict governance of Gaza under the principle of “Palestinians governing Palestine.”
  • Third is to help Palestine become a full member state of the UN and get down to implementing the two-State solution.

Wang Yi said that intra-Palestinian reconciliation will bring hope and a future to the Palestinian people. It is an important step toward resolving the Palestinian question and achieving peace and stability in the Middle East. Unwavering efforts must be continually made in this direction. China sincerely hopes that Palestinian factions will achieve reconciliation and, on that basis, realise independent statehood at an early date.

Head of the Fatah delegation Mahmoud al-Aloul and head of the Hamas delegation Musa Abu Marzouk delivered remarks on behalf of the Palestinian factions. They noted that China holds an important place in the heart of Palestinian people, and expressed sincere appreciation for President Xi Jinping and China’s unchanging, firm support and selfless assistance to Palestine over a long period of time. They expressed deep appreciation for China’s strong support for intra-Palestinian dialogue and reconciliation. 

Diplomatic envoys from Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Russia and Türkiye also attended the closing ceremony.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Beijing, Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, one of the 14 factions to sign the accord, said that the agreement goes “much further” than any other reached in recent years.

He said its four main elements are the establishment of an interim national unity government, the formation of unified Palestinian leadership ahead of future elections, the free election of a new Palestinian National Council, and a general declaration of unity in the face of ongoing Israeli attacks.

The move towards a unity government is especially important, he said, because it “blocks Israeli efforts to create some sort of collaborative structure against Palestinian interests.”

Barghouti said the war in Gaza was the “main factor” motivating the Palestinian sides to set aside their differences. “There is no other way now but for Palestinians to be unified and struggle together against this terrible injustice… The most important thing now is to not only sign the agreement, but to implement it.”

Addressing the Beijing meeting, Jamil Mezher, Deputy Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said in part that:

China has proven, through its long history, its steadfast support for the Palestinian cause, through its political and diplomatic stances and its support for the Palestinian people in international forums.

What is required today is a unified Palestinian stance that clearly declares that we are all united behind the goals of our people in achieving freedom, self-determination, the return of refugees, and realising the dream of a Palestinian state with Al-Quds [Jerusalem] as its capital.

It is essential to announce the restoration of Palestinian national unity, uniting our forces and people and the Palestine Liberation Organisation as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, through the convening of a unifying Palestinian National Council with the participation and representation of all Palestinian forces.

Today, our people are not only facing a genocide war but also the consequences of decades of comprehensive political failure and deficiency, as well as the price of international bias led by the United States and supported by all governments and tools of the dominant colonial system in this world.

Our urgent and pressing demand is not only to end and stop the genocide but to secure our people’s rights to freedom, self-determination, the return of refugees, and the establishment of an independent state with Al-Quds as its capital.

Peoples have never achieved their rights through blame, contention, and disputes over descriptions and conflicting wills; rather, by uniting around major national goals, deeply understanding the meaning of historical responsibility, and having leadership capable of bearing responsibility and translating popular will. This is our duty today… Is there a stronger and more precious incentive than 40,000 Palestinian martyrs?

Being united in the face of this aggression is the only guarantee to achieve our major national goals. Let us work with all our strength and sincerity to achieve this goal, knowing that history will not forgive the complacent, and our people will not forgive those who fail in their national and humanitarian duty.

Let us pledge today, before our people and the martyrs of this nation, that this moment will be the beginning of a journey towards freedom, independence, the state, and the return of refugees, and let our unity be the strongest weapon in facing this oppressive enemy.

Majida Al-Masri, Deputy Secretary-General of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) said in her speech:

Continue reading Palestinian factions sign Beijing Declaration on ending division and strengthening Palestinian national unity

History has amply proved that wherever NATO’s hand extends, turmoil and chaos will ensue

On July 16, the United Nations Security Council held an Open Debate on ‘Multilateral Cooperation in the Interest of a More Just, Democratic and Sustainable World Order’. The meeting was convened on the initiative of the Russian Federation and chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

In his speech during the debate, China’s UN Ambassador Fu Cong, noted that the world body had been founded in 1945, to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war” and continued:

“Since then, a large number of countries have emerged from waves of national independence and liberation.” Seventy years ago, “the Chinese leaders put forward the five principles of peaceful coexistence, namely, mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefits, and peaceful coexistence. The five principles of peaceful coexistence embody the spirit of the [UN] Charter.”

Now, President Xi Jinping’s proposal of building a community with a shared future for humanity has been put forward with the aim of carrying forward the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the five principles of peaceful coexistence under the new circumstances.

Fu Cong went on to say that today, “some obvious truths [are] being willfully distorted, while certain specious arguments gaining currency.” Responding to this, he continued, making pointed reference to a number of imperialist countries, principally the United States and Britain:

“We often hear the talk about a rules-based international order by some countries. But what kind of rules are they talking about? And who are the rule makers? No one has given us a clear and precise answer. In fact, the so-called rules-based international order advocated by some is really intended to create another system outside the existing system of international law and to seek legitimacy for double standards and exceptionalism. I would like to emphasise that there is only one order in the world, that is the international order based on international law. There is only one set of rules, and they are the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.”

And, while many peace-loving countries and people are working tirelessly to achieve peace in response to the conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine:

“NATO, a regional military bloc left over from the Cold War, has been seeking to expand its sphere of influence, stopping at nothing to create false narratives, pouring oil on the fire wherever they go, stirring up confrontation between camps, and even shifting the blame to countries outside the region to frame them on the issue of Ukraine.”

This last comment clearly refers to accusations levelled against China at NATO’s Washington Summit earlier in July, when China was ludicrously described as being a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s Special Military Operation. 

Doubtless with such wars of aggression as those waged against Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia in mind, Fu Cong went on to say that: “History has amply proved that wherever NATO’s hand extends, turmoil and chaos will ensue. China hereby advises NATO and certain countries to conduct some soul-searching and stop being the troublemakers who jeopardise common security at the expense of others.”

He also said that common development and common security are mutually reinforcing. A just and equitable international order cannot be built on the basis of developed countries getting ever richer while developing countries remain locked in poverty and the lack of development.

We reprint below the full text of Ambassador Fu Cong’s remarks. They were originally published on the website of China’s Permanent Mission to the UN.

President.

China appreciates Russia’s initiative to convene this open debate. I welcome Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov presiding over today’s meeting. 

To build a just, democratic, and sustainable international order is the joint pursuit of humanity. In 1945, to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, our forefathers, upholding the spirit of multilateralism, established on the ruins of the Second World War the most universal, representative, and authoritative international organization, that is, the United Nations. The UN Charter, laying down the cornerstone of the modern international order and establishing the basic norms of contemporary international relations, is an embodiment of our noble ideal of working towards a just and equitable international order. 

Continue reading History has amply proved that wherever NATO’s hand extends, turmoil and chaos will ensue

Wang Yi: The historic step from peaceful coexistence to a shared future for humanity

With China having recently celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, on July 17, Foreign Minister Wang Yi published an important article outlining the historical progression from the Five Principles to President Xi Jinping’s vision of a shared future for humanity and their interrelationship of continuity, inheritance, application and development.

Wang points out that this occurs against the backdrop of accelerated global transformation not seen in a century and profound adjustment of the international landscape and that it sends a powerful message of the Global South working together with people across all countries working together for a better future.

He expounds on the relevance of championing the essence of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence under the new circumstances from historical, realistic, theoretical and practical perspectives:

  • From a historical perspective, it is an inevitable development of the trend toward multipolarity and greater democracy in international relations. Born at a time when national independence and liberation movements were sweeping across Asia, Africa and Latin America, the Five Principles embodied the legitimate aspiration of newly independent countries to safeguard their sovereignty and grow their national economy, provided a powerful rallying force behind the efforts of developing countries to pursue cooperation and self-strength through unity, and pushed forward the historic process of reforming and improving the international order. In the new century, the collective rise of emerging market and developing countries is unstoppable. The Global South stands out with a strong momentum, and groupings such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation have gained notably stronger influence. The trend toward multipolarity and greater democracy in international relations is irreversible. Championing the essence of the Five Principles under the new circumstances is a crucial step to fully capture the political and economic reality of today’s world and move toward a more just and equitable international order.
  • From a realistic perspective, it is a response to the urgent call for uniting all progressive forces across the world and tackling global challenges together.  Championing the essence of the Five Principles under the new circumstances is an inevitable choice for enhancing solidarity and cooperation among all countries to meet challenges and build a better future together.
  • From a theoretical perspective, it is an important cornerstone for building a new type of international relations.As the first systematic theory of international relations proposed by developing countries, the Five Principles stress the importance of mutuality and equality in handling state-to-state relations and highlight the essence of international rule of law. Replacing power politics, bullying and the law of the jungle with respect for sovereignty, equality and mutual benefit, the Five Principles have served as the prime guidance for the establishment and development of relations between countries with different social systems, and set an important benchmark for international relations and international rule of law. Facing the various practices of unilateralism, protectionism, power politics and bullying, humanity must make a historic choice between peace and war, prosperity and recession, and unity and confrontation.
  • From a practical perspective, it offers a path to upholding the UN Charter and international rule of law.The Five Principles are highly consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Shortly after their debut in Asia, the Five Principles soon ascended to the world stage, forming the basis for the ten principles outlined at the 1955 Bandung Conference and becoming the guiding principles of the Non-Aligned Movement that rose in the 1960s.

Regarding the need to sustain, promote and upgrade the Five Principles under the new circumstances, Wang Yi notes that:

“General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the baton of history is passed from generation to generation, and the cause of human progress moves forward from one era to another as humanity seek answers to the questions of the times. Seven decades ago, leaders of China, India and Myanmar jointly advocated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, giving the answer of their times to the major question of how to handle state-to-state relations. Seven decades on, bearing in mind the common and fundamental interests of people around the world, General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward the important Vision of Building a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity, the response of our times to the question of ‘what kind of world to build and how to build it.’ The Vision both carries forward and renews the spirit of the Five Principles… This is a new historical step forward in the progressive cause of humanity.”

Explaining the Vision of Building a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity, he explains that the world today has become a community with a shared future, i.e. the future of all countries is bound more closely together for good or ill by common challenges, common interests and common responsibilities. Living in such an era, we need to take more proactive steps to pursue win-win cooperation under the principles of equality and mutual benefit and take peaceful coexistence to the higher level of harmony and shared prosperity.

“The building of a community with a shared future for humanity meets the prevailing aspiration of people around the world, points the direction for the progress of world civilisation, and underscores the Communist Party of China’s commitment to pursuing not only happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation but also human progress and world harmony.”

The article stresses the need for the Global South to achieve greater strength through unity.

“China is always a member of the Global South and always stands with all countries of the South through thick and thin. China will accelerate the implementation of the eight measures in support of Global South cooperation, ensure the success of the upcoming Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, develop the ‘five cooperation frameworks’ in concert with Arab states, upgrade its relations with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and deepen cooperation with Pacific Island countries. China will stay committed to the development and revitalisation of the Global South and walk side by side with other Global South countries in our common pursuit of modernisation.”

Writing on China’s proposals for better global governance, Wang Yi says that China will take an active part in the reform and improvement of the global governance system, support the Summit of the Future in adopting a Pact for the Future that reflects the trend of our times and the aspirations of people around the world, actively participate in international cooperation on climate change, build greater consensus on the Global AI Governance Initiative, and work for improving the governance rules for such new frontiers as deep sea, polar regions, outer space and cyberspace. It is important to deepen cooperation under the expanded BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, support Brazil and Peru in hosting G20 and APEC meetings respectively and augment the strength of the South in global governance.

In conclusion, he writes that:

“The implementation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence is an ongoing process. So is the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. Taking the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence as a new starting point, China will work with all countries to draw wisdom from history, undertake the responsibility for our times, and keep striving for the great goal of building a community with a shared future for humanity.”

We reprint below the full text of Wang Yi’s article. It was originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The year 2024 marks the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. On June 28, General Secretary Xi Jinping attended and delivered an important address at the conference marking the occasion. This is a major home-court diplomatic event held by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, against the backdrop of accelerated global transformation not seen in a century and profound adjustment of the international landscape and with both domestic and international imperatives in mind, to promote international solidarity and cooperation and humanity’s cause of peace and development.

Continue reading Wang Yi: The historic step from peaceful coexistence to a shared future for humanity

Xi Jinping mourns passing of Nguyen Phu Trong

On Saturday July 20, Comrade Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and President of the People’s Republic of China, accompanied by other senior Chinese leaders, visited the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Beijing to mourn the passing of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), the previous day.

The Xinhua News Agency said that Xi praised Trong as a staunch Marxist and a great leader of the CPV and the Vietnamese people, adding that he had devoted himself entirely to the CPV and the country, to the Vietnamese people and to the cause of socialism in Vietnam, and had been deeply respected and admired by the party, military and people of Vietnam.

“The passing of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong has deprived us of a promoter of China-Vietnam relations and a companion for the cause of socialism, and we are deeply saddened,” said Xi, adding that Trong’s outstanding contribution to the relations between the two parties and the two countries and to the cause of the global socialist movement will always be remembered.

The newspaper Nhân Dân further reported that Vietnamese Ambassador to China, Pham Sao Mai expressed gratitude to the Chinese leader for paying respect to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and extending condolences to the party, state, and people of Vietnam. He also thanked the CPC Central Committee for sending condolences to the CPV Central Committee at the earliest, demonstrating the importance the Chinese party, state, people, and the leader personally attach to the relationship between Vietnam and China, as well as the special sentiment he holds for General Secretary Trong.

The Ambassador emphasised that Nguyen Phu Trong was a great intellectual and talent of the Vietnamese revolution; a thinker, a cultural figure, and a theoretical leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam; and an outstanding disciple who continuously studied and followed the ideology, morality, and lifestyle of President Ho Chi Minh, dedicated his entire life to the revolutionary cause of the Vietnamese party and the people, and lived for the country and its people. 

During his lifetime, Trong devoted a lot of love and enthusiasm and made many important contributions to the relationship between the two parties and the two countries, the Ambassador stated, stressing that under the attention and direct instructions of the two General Secretaries, the relations between the two parties and the two countries have made gigantic progress over the past 10 years, becoming a community with a shared future which carries strategic significance, and receiving the support of their people.

The other socialist countries have also expressed their deep condolences to their Vietnamese comrades. 

The Korean Central News Agency reported that, on July 19, Comrade Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, had written to the CPV Central Committee, stating that “Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, true to the idea and desire of Comrade Ho Chi Minh, devotedly struggled for the strengthening and development of the party and state of Vietnam and the well-being of its people and made great efforts to further develop the friendly and cooperative relations between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Vietnam in conformity with the spirit of the agreement reached at the Hanoi summit in March 2019.”

Although he passed away, his immortal exploits will be etched in the history of the Vietnamese people’s revolutionary struggle and the history of friendship between the two countries, the message said, and went on to express the belief that the party, government and people of Vietnam would overcome the pain of loss and continue to dynamically advance the socialist cause. 

The KPL news agency of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR) reported that the country’s leadership said that the loss of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, “signifies the departure of a revolutionary leader who dedicated his life, energy, and wisdom to the noble cause of national liberation, reunification, and the transformative journey of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

“Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong played a pivotal role in strengthening and empowering the Vietnamese party, state, and people. His unwavering commitment to defence, anti-corruption, and the elevation of Vietnam’s standing on the regional and international stage has made him a distinguished hero of the new era.

“The passing of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong is not only a loss for the party, state, and people of Vietnam but also for the Lao party, state, and people. Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, a revolutionary leader in the modern era, carried forward the mission of President Ho Chi Minh and made significant contributions to fostering the exceptional friendship, special unity, and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam.” 

Cuba declared a period of mourning for the late Vietnamese leader. A message from Army General Raúl Castro and President Miguel Díaz-Canel sent to Vietnamese President To Lam, said that:

“The passing away of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong is an irreparable loss for Cuba. Cuba will always remember Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong as a great brother who tirelessly promoted the special friendly relationship between the two parties, parliaments, governments, and peoples.” 

Cuba’s revolutionary leaders stated that Trong’s life and career are a priceless legacy for future generations. “His contributions regarding the role of the Communist Party, the creative application of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s Thought, and his vision of international relations in the current context are among his outstanding contributions to the building of socialism in Vietnam, which is evidenced in the victories in the Doi Moi [renewal] cause in Vietnam under the wise leadership of the CPV.” 

The following articles were orignally published by the Xinhua News Agency and Nhân Dân.

Xi mourns passing of Nguyen Phu Trong

BEIJING, July 20 (Xinhua) — Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, went to the Embassy of Vietnam in China on Saturday to mourn the passing of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong.

Praising Trong as a staunch Marxist and a great leader of the CPV and the Vietnamese people, Xi said that Trong had devoted himself entirely to the CPV and the country, to the Vietnamese people and to the cause of socialism in Vietnam, and had been deeply respected and admired by the party, military and people of Vietnam.

Xi recalled that over the past decade, he and Trong had maintained close contact and developed a deep camaraderie, and that last year they jointly announced the elevation of bilateral ties to a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, a milestone in bilateral ties.

“The passing of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong has deprived us of a promoter of China-Vietnam relations and a companion for the cause of socialism, and we are deeply saddened,” said Xi.

He said that Trong’s outstanding contribution to the relations between the two parties and the two countries and to the cause of the global socialist movement will always be remembered.

Xi stressed that the CPC and the Chinese government firmly support the CPV in uniting and leading the Vietnamese people to develop socialism that suits Vietnam’s national conditions.

It is believed that under the strong leadership of the CPV Central Committee, the Vietnamese people will surely be able to turn grief into strength and continue to make greater achievements in the cause of reform, opening up and socialist construction, Xi said.

He said he firmly believes that China and Vietnam will continue to work together to make profound and solid progress in building the China-Vietnam community of a shared future.

Top Chinese leader mourns passing of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong

July 20 (Nhân Dân) — General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping on July 20 came to the Vietnamese Embassy in Beijing to mourn the passing of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong.

He was accompanied by Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Chief of the CPC Central Committee’s Office; Wang Yi, Politburo member, Director of the Office of the CPC Central Committee’s Commission for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Liu Jianchao, member of the CPC Central Committee and head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee; and many other Chinese officials.

Writing in the condolence book, Xi expressed his deep sympathy over the death of the Vietnamese Party leader.

He told Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Sao Mai that Trong is a consistent Marxist and a great leader of the Vietnamese Party and people.

He devoted his whole life to the Vietnamese Party, State and people, led the nation to carve out major achievements in the socialism building cause, and received support and love from the whole Party, military and people, Xi said, affirming that China always bears in mind the significant contributions by the Vietnamese leader to bolstering the traditional “comrade and fraternal” friendship between the two countries.

According to the top Chinese leader, the CPC Central Committee consistently backs the CPV Central Committee in its development path, as well as supports and believes in the further success of Vietnam’s renewal and socialism building cause. Besides, it stands ready to join hands with Vietnam to make efforts to promote the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance in a deeper and more substantive manner.

Ambassador Mai expressed gratitude to the Chinese leader for paying respect to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and extending condolences to the Party, State, and people of Vietnam. The ambassador also thanked the CPC Central Committee for sending condolences to the CPC Central Committee at the earliest, demonstrating the importance the Chinese Party, State, people, and the leader personally attach to the relationship between Vietnam and China, as well as the special sentiment he holds for General Secretary Trong.

Mai emphasised that Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong was a great intellectual and talent of the Vietnamese revolution; a thinker, a cultural figure, and a theory leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam; and an outstanding disciple who continuously studied and followed the ideology, morality, and lifestyle of President Ho Chi Minh, dedicated his entire life to the revolutionary cause of the Vietnamese Party and the people, and lived for the country and its people. Therefore, the passing of General Secretary Trong is a great loss to the Party, State, and people of Vietnam.

During he was alive, Trong devoted a lot of love and enthusiasm and made many important contributions to the relationship between the two Parties and the two countries, the diplomat stated, stressing that under the attention and direct instructions of the two General Secretaries, the relations between the two Parties and the two countries has made gigantic progress over the past 10 years, becoming a community with a shared future which carries strategic significance, and receiving the support of their people, he said.

The ambassador affirmed that the Party, State and people of Vietnam always consider developing relations with the their Chinese counterparts a top priority and a strategic choice. He added that he will, together with the Chinese side, thoroughly implement the common perceptions of the two General Secretaries, and is ready to work with the Party, State and people of China to further develop the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in a healthy, stable and sustainable manner, in accordance with the “six more” orientation, towards jointly building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

The same day, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Wang Huning, and members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi sent wreaths.

The CPC Central Committee, the State Council, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the Central Military Commission of the CPC, and several central and Beijing agencies and organisations also sent wreaths in tribute to Party General Secretary Trong.

Earlier on July 19, the CPC Central Committee sent condolences to the CPV Central Committee over the passing of the Vietnamese leader.

CPC Central Committee: Eternal glory to Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong

The day after announcing that Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), required intensive medical treatment, on July 19, it was announced that the revolutionary leader had passed away at 1:38pm local time at the age of 80. 

Shortly after, the Xinhua News Agency released the text of the condolences sent by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to their Vietnamese counterpart, deeply mourning Trong’s death. The message said that the CPC and the Chinese people had lost a good comrade, a good brother and a good friend. It described Trong as a staunch Marxist and a great leader of the CPV and the Vietnamese people. Besides his work for the country, he had also made outstanding contributions to the development of the world socialist movement.  The message added that Trong was a close comrade and a sincere friend of the CPC and the Chinese people. He inherited and developed the traditional friendship of “comrades plus brothers” between the two parties and two countries and forged a profound friendship with the CPC and Chinese leaders. The CPC, the Chinese government and the Chinese people would always miss him. 

“We believe that the CPV and the Vietnamese people will turn grief into strength, carry on the legacy of Trong, unite and strive to make new and greater achievements in the cause of Doi Moi [reform] and socialist construction,” the message added.

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

The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Friday sent condolences to the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and deeply mourned the death of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

The following is the full text of the condolence message:

General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong passed away. The CPC and the Chinese people lost a good comrade, a good brother and a good friend. With immense grief, we extend our deepest condolences and sincerest sympathies to the Central Committee of the CPV, the Vietnamese government and the Vietnamese people.

Trong was a staunch Marxist and a great leader of the CPV and the Vietnamese people. He dedicated his entire life to the causes of his party and nation, making outstanding contributions to Vietnam’s Doi Moi (reform), socialist construction, and the development of the world socialist movement.

Trong was a close comrade and a sincere friend of the CPC and the Chinese people. He inherited and developed the traditional friendship of “comrades plus brothers” between the two parties and two countries, and forged a profound friendship with the CPC and Chinese leaders.

Trong and General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping have jointly elevated China-Vietnam relations to a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance and vigorously promoted the continuous development of China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. The CPC, the Chinese government and the Chinese people will always miss Trong.

We believe that the CPV and the Vietnamese people will turn grief into strength, carry on the legacy of Trong, unite and strive to make new and greater achievements in the cause of Doi Moi and socialist construction.

China and Vietnam are socialist neighbors connected by mountains and rivers and a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance. China has always regarded Vietnam as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy and stands ready to work with Vietnam to continuously consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, and push forward the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future to benefit the two peoples and contribute to regional and world peace and development.

Eternal glory to Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong.

China boosts ties with Solomon Islands and Vanuatu

Chinese President Xi Jinping met separately in Beijing with the Prime Ministers of Solomon Islands and Vanuatu on July 12. The premiers of the two South Pacific island nations were on official visits that underscored China’s policy of treating all countries, big or small, as equal.

Meeting Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele of Solomon Islands, Xi noted that China regards the Solomon Islands as a good friend, good partner and good brother. China supports the Solomon Islands in pursuing a development path that suits its national conditions and in safeguarding its national sovereignty, security, and development interests.

China, he added, is ready to enhance strategic communication with the Solomon Islands to firmly support each other in safeguarding core interests and addressing major concerns, enhance the synergy between the Belt and Road cooperation and the development strategy of the Solomon Islands, deepen cooperation in areas such as rural development, medical services, infrastructure, sustainable development and climate change response, and work together to build a community with a shared future between the two countries in the new era, thereby bringing greater benefits to the two peoples.

China has always been committed to an independent foreign policy of peace and advocates that all countries, regardless of size, strength or wealth, are equals. China’s friendly cooperation with the Solomon Islands and other Pacific Island countries is a sincere effort to assist these island nations in achieving development, falls within the framework of South-South cooperation, and is part of the common development of the Global South, without targeting any third party or seeking any selfish gain, he added.

Manele said his visit to China began in Fujian province, where he witnessed China’s remarkable development achievements and felt the immense potential and broad prospects of cooperation between the Solomon Islands and China. Noting that China has set an example for developing countries, he added that China advocates the common values of humanity, upholds multilateralism, avoids forming exclusive cliques or playing geopolitical games, does not require other countries to take sides, and calls on the international community to strengthen unity and cooperation.

The previous day, Manele had met with his Chinese counterpart, Premier Li Qiang, who called for further development of their bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era.

Li said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties five years ago, bilateral relations have maintained strong development, setting an example of South-South cooperation among developing countries. China is ready to share more development experience with the Solomon Islands, and strengthen cooperation in infrastructure, rural development, information and communications and low-carbon transition. And it  hopes to import more quality agricultural and food products from the Solomon Islands and encourages Chinese enterprises to invest there. The two sides should strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of education, health, sports, culture and youth to further facilitate personnel exchanges and cement the social foundation of bilateral cooperation.

Manele expressed appreciation for China’s strong support for the economic and social development of the Solomon Islands. He said that the Solomon Islands firmly abides by the one-China principle, supports the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the three major global initiatives, supports the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and highly appreciates China’s important contribution to world peace and development.

The Solomon Islands is willing to deepen exchanges and cooperation with China in fields such as economy and trade, infrastructure construction, medical and health care, people-to-people exchanges and poverty alleviation, jointly cope with global challenges such as climate change and push forward the comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era.

In a joint statement, the two sides reaffirmed that they will continue to follow the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, firmly support each other in independently exploring a development path suited to national conditions, and further enhance sharing and mutual learning of governance experience.

The Chinese side will continue to provide help to the best of its capacity for Solomon Islands’ pursuit of independent and sustainable development, to help Solomon Islands graduate from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) category by 2027 as scheduled.

They agreed to expand exchanges and cooperation in such areas as culture, education, health including malaria eradication, sports, law enforcement, youth and media. The Chinese side will continue to provide government scholarships and various training opportunities for Solomon Islands, continue to send medical teams and police liaison teams to Solomon Islands, and continue to provide Solomon Islands with support in Chinese language teaching.

The two sides share the view that climate change is a global challenge that requires all countries to respond with joint efforts under the framework of multilateralism and in accordance with the principles of equity, common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. The two sides will jointly promote the full and effective implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement.

They also reiterated their commitment to firmly upholding the international nuclear non-proliferation regime with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as the cornerstone and the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, and call on relevant countries to fulfill international obligations and prudently handle issues such as the ocean discharge of nuclear-contaminated water and cooperation on nuclear submarines.

Continue reading China boosts ties with Solomon Islands and Vanuatu

China and Venezuela: building a Great Wall against imperialism and hegemonism

The following text is based on a presentation given by Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez at a discussion forum titled The Emancipatory Struggle for Independence in Latin America, held on 18 July 2024 at the historic Casa Miranda in London, where the celebrated Venezuelan revolutionary Francisco de Miranda lived from 1802 to 1810. The event was organised by the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and was hosted by His Excellency Ambassador Félix Plasencia González.

Carlos’s presentation focuses on the relationship between sovereignty and internationalism, and the importance of that dynamic to the ideology of the Bolivarian Revolution. He details the ways in which Venezuela has been a key protagonist of revolutionary internationalism, as well as some of the ways it has been a beneficiary of such internationalism. He explains that Venezuela’s geopolitical positioning “is based on a coherent worldview in which the primary contradiction in global politics is defined as that between US-led imperialism – determined to hold onto its hegemony and to pursue a Project for a New American Century – and the freedom-loving peoples of the world.”

Carlos concludes by discussing the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, first put forward by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1954, and which have since become a basic principle in international relations and a longstanding consensus of the peoples of the Global South. He opines that the five principles recognise a fundamental reality of the current stage of history: that “all the socialist countries, the developing countries, the countries of the Global South, the non-imperialist countries, have a common interest in opposing imperialism; in having the freedom to develop according to their own chosen path and to work towards meeting the needs of their people.” As such, “the five principles establish the norms for a multipolar world”.

The event was also addressed by Francisco Domínguez, secretary of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign and member of the Friends of Socialist China advisory group. A summary of the event appeared in the popular Venezuelan newspaper Últimas Noticias.

Comrade-ambassador Félix Plasencia, friends and comrades, it’s an honour to be here with you this evening.

I would like to speak about a specific aspect of independence, which is: the relationship between sovereignty and internationalism.

To my mind this is a very important part of Venezuela’s political project since the election of Hugo Chávez in 1998. Venezuela has been fierce in defending its sovereignty, and it also has an exemplary record of internationalism and solidarity.

The two things are inextricably linked. And Chávez understood this in a very deep way, that sovereignty and independence are not the same as isolationism. And that to embrace internationalism does not mean to give up your sovereignty.

Indeed the opposite is the case: sovereignty cannot be won, and cannot be defended, outside of the context of the broadest possible unity against imperialism; against those countries that seek to deny others’ sovereignty.

The history of the last century provides ample evidence of this.

In his famous pamphlet on imperialism, Lenin observed that by the beginning of the 20th century, “the territorial division of the whole world among the biggest capitalist powers was completed”. Which is to say, the entire planet had been divided into two: a small number of imperialist countries on the one hand, and a vast number of oppressed countries on the other.

Lenin’s pamphlet was written in 1916. A year later, as you all know, a new factor emerged in global politics: the existence of a socialist country, leading in the following decades to the establishment of a socialist group of countries.

The existence of this socialist group of countries was in turn a powerful boost for the national liberation struggles in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean and elsewhere. These movements were able to win and defend their sovereignty – to struggle against imperialism – through the heroic efforts of their people of course, but combined with the solidarity of other countries, other movements. In the process they created a new group of liberated countries, such that the division of the world back that of a small number of imperialist countries on the one hand, and a vast number of non-imperialist countries on the other.

The brilliant Vietnamese revolutionary Ho Chi Minh famously stated that “nothing is more precious than independence and freedom.” And the Vietnamese people won their independence and freedom, with the support of the Soviet Union, with the support of China, and with the solidarity of progressive movements and people the world over.

Studying the liberation wars in Vietnam, in Mozambique, in Angola, in Algeria, in Zimbabwe, in Guinea-Bissau, the movements leading these struggles were all profoundly internationalist, all looked for inspiration and support to the socialist countries, and all were grounded in the revolutionary internationalism that forms such a key component of Venezuela’s political ideology, of Chavismo.

Today the example that stands out is that of Palestine. The Palestinians are fighting for their sovereignty, for their independence, for their basic national rights; against colonialism, against racism, against apartheid, against ethnic cleansing. They are taking on a genocidal aggressor in Tel Aviv, backed by genocidal aggressors in Washington and London. But the people of the world stand with them. The entire Global South stands with them and demands their legitimate national rights be restored.

Continue reading China and Venezuela: building a Great Wall against imperialism and hegemonism

Xinjiang genocide “a total fabrication manufactured by the West”

In the second of three eyewitness articles from Xinjiang, Roger McKenzie addresses the widespread allegations that China is engaged in authoritarian repression (up to and including genocide) of the Uyghur people. He notes that the accusers “appear to have created their own definition of genocide while singularly failing to apply such a label to Israel and its onslaught against the Palestinians in Gaza”.

Meanwhile the facts of the case in Xinjiang are perfectly clear: “There is no genocide taking place in Xinjiang. I saw zero evidence of any kind of oppression of the Uighurs. All the evidence was in fact to the contrary.” The very idea of there being such a genocide is a “total fabrication manufactured by the West” with the purpose of manufacturing consent for the New Cold War on China.

What is true is that China is engaged in long-term counter-terrorism efforts in Xinjiang, in response to a series of deadly terrorist incidents carried out by extremist and separatist forces. As Roger points out, “in most countries where deadly terrorist attacks take place, one would expect the authorities to take steps to protect its citizens”. But as far as Western media and politicians are concerned, terrorist attacks aren’t the problem in China but rather the government’s understandable response – which it should be noted has been far more humane and measured than that of the US, which to this day maintains a torture camp in occupied Guantanamo Bay.

Roger observes that, while the Western imperialist countries are hurling these lurid accusations against China, the countries of the Global South – including the vast majority of Muslim-majority countries – are defending China’s record. Indeed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that it was a “hard fact … that residents of various ethnicities are living happily in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region thanks to China’s prosperity”.

It’s essential that progressive and anti-war forces in the West reject the propaganda war on China. That some elements buy into these lies is based on “an opportunistic anti-communism laced, in some quarters, with a nasty dose of Sinophobia”.

This article originally appeared in the Morning Star.

There are 56 ethnic groups in the Chinese autonomous region of Xinjiang in the north-west of the country.

These groups help to form a Chinese population of 25 million.

The Uighurs were one of these groups and I was fortunate enough to spend some time with them as I travelled across five cities in nine days in the region.

They represent around 51 per cent of the region’s population.

In the past, the West has accused the Chinese government of committing genocide against the Uighurs. They appear to have created their own definition of genocide while singularly failing to apply such a label to the Israelis and its onslaught against the Palestinians in Gaza.

I am the first to admit that I am no international legal expert but the word genocide conjures up images in my mind of what is taking place in Gaza and what we have seen in Rwanda and in Sudan’s Darfur in the past.

There is no genocide taking place in Xinjiang. I saw zero evidence of any kind of oppression of the Uighurs.

All the evidence was in fact to the contrary.

Continue reading Xinjiang genocide “a total fabrication manufactured by the West”

Wang Yi: The Global South is rising and great changes are taking place

We previously reported on the meeting of Foreign Ministers from the BRICS cooperation mechanism, which was held on June 10 in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod prior to the BRCS Summit, which will be held in Kazan later this year.

The following day, Nizhny Novgorod was also the venue for the first Foreign Ministers meeting of the BRICS Plus platform, which provides a forum for dialogue between the BRICS countries and other emerging markets and developing countries (EMDCs), many of whom have applied to join BRICS or have expressed an interest in doing so in due course.

In his speech to this meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that “we are gathered here to enhance solidarity and cooperation of the Global South, and also to provide answers of the South to a world experiencing changes unseen in a century.”

Noting that the world is now in a volatile and unstable era where changes and turbulence are intertwined, he continued:

“The Ukraine crisis and the conflicts in Gaza are dragging on. Challenges keep coming at us in areas such as cybersecurity and climate change. The United States tries to maintain its unipolar hegemony, by roping in allies to impose unilateral sanctions, erect protectionist barriers and turn economic and financial measures into tools and weapons… The North-South gap is widening. More than 100 million people are displaced and nearly 800 million suffer from hunger. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development remains a distant goal.”

However, “this is also an era where the South is rising and great changes are taking place. The collective rise of EMDCs has greatly advanced multipolarity in the world… The Global South now accounts for over 40 percent of the world economy.” In the face of this situation, Wang Yi advised his counterparts, “Solidarity is the only right way forward, while disunity leads nowhere.”

On the Ukraine issue, he noted, “China stands on the side of justice and objectivity and works consistently to facilitate peace talks.” While on Palestine, “China firmly stands with Arab states. China is making every effort for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza… and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine, so as to redress once and for all the historical injustice that has dragged on for over half a century.”

Seventy-five years ago, he said, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were proposed amid the historic rise of emerging forces. The principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence have become norms governing international relations observed by the international community, especially by developing countries. He also alluded to a criticism of multipolarity advanced in some quarters, stating: “We must debunk the myth that multipolarity is about a few big countries.”

Finally, Wang Yi noted that Nizhny Novgorod is the hometown of the great Russian writer Maxim Gorky. Evoking Gorky’s famous 1901 poem, ‘Song of the Stormy Petrel’, the Chinese Foreign Minister said: “Amidst the ever-changing international landscape, we should act like Gorky’s stormy petrel who’s certain that the clouds will not hide the sun, and fly together toward a brighter future of peace, development and win-win cooperation.”

We reprint below the full text of Wang Yi’s speech. It was originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. We also reproduce Gorky’s poem from the Marxists Internet Archive.

Remarks by H.E. Wang Yi at the BRICS Dialogue with Developing Countries

Nizhny Novgorod, June 11, 2024

Fellow Foreign Ministers,
Colleagues,

It gives me great pleasure to join old and new friends for the first BRICS Plus foreign ministers’ meeting after the expansion of BRICS. BRICS Plus is an important platform for BRICS countries to hold dialogue with emerging markets and developing countries (EMDCs). It has long been a source of vitality and impetus for BRICS development, and has grown to be a banner in South-South cooperation. Today, we are gathered here to enhance solidarity and cooperation of the Global South, and also to provide answers of the South to a world experiencing changes unseen in a century.

We are now in a volatile and unstable era where changes and turbulence are intertwined. The Ukraine crisis and the conflicts in Gaza are dragging on. Challenges keep coming at us in areas such as cybersecurity and climate change. The United States tries to maintain its unipolar hegemony, by roping in allies to impose unilateral sanctions, erect protectionist barriers and turn economic and financial measures into tools and weapons. Global economic recovery faces setback. The North-South gap is widening. More than 100 million people are displaced and nearly 800 million suffer from hunger. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development remains a distant goal.

But this is also an era where the South is rising and great changes are taking place. The collective rise of EMDCs has greatly advanced multipolarity in the world. Many countries have entered a fast track of development, and the Global South now accounts for over 40 percent of the world economy. The latest round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is demonstrating a strong momentum, and EMDCs are embracing unprecedented opportunities for achieving leapfrog development. The Global South is no longer the “silent majority,” but an awakening new force.

Continue reading Wang Yi: The Global South is rising and great changes are taking place

Algerian foreign minister: China-Algeria friendship has deep roots

As part of a regional tour, Zhai Jun, the Chinese government’s Special Envoy for Middle East issues, visited Algeria on July 3, which afforded both governments the opportunity to reiterate their long-standing solidarity forged during the Algerian people’s war of independence against French colonialism. 

Meeting Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, Zhai Jun warmly congratulated Algeria on the upcoming 62nd anniversary of the victory of the independence revolution, and thanked Algeria for its consistent and firm support for the Chinese side on issues related to China’s core interests. He said that China will continue to firmly support Algeria in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and following a development path that suits its national conditions to achieve national development and revitalisation. 

Ahmed Attaf said that the traditional friendship between Algeria and China has deep roots and a time-honoured history, and the Chinese side has provided valuable support for Algeria’s independence revolution, which has been remembered by the Algerian people for generations. Algeria is willing to actively participate in the preparations for this autumn’s summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and to contribute to its success.

The following report was originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

On July 3, 2024, Special Envoy Zhai Jun of the Chinese Government on the Middle East Issue visited Algeria, during which he met with Foreign Minister of Algeria Ahmed Attaf and had an exchange of views on bilateral relations as well as the development of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Zhai Jun warmly congratulated Algeria on the upcoming 62nd anniversary of the victory of the independence revolution, and thanked Algeria for its consistent and firm support for the Chinese side on issues related to China’s core interests. He said that China will continue to firmly support Algeria in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and following a development path that suits its national conditions to achieve national development and revitalization. China is ready to take the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries as an opportunity to deepen practical cooperation between the two countries in infrastructure construction, energy and mining, finance, information and communications, digital economy and other fields, so as to continuously enrich the connotation of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. China is ready to work with Algeria to make good preparations for the summit of the FOCAC and to promote the sustained and in-depth development of China-Africa relations.

Ahmed Attaf said that the traditional friendship between Algeria and China has deep roots and a time-honored history, and the Chinese side has provided valuable support for Algeria’s independence revolution, which has been remembered by the Algerian people for generations. In recent years, Algeria-China relations have maintained high-level development, and the Algerian side is greatly proud of this. Algeria is ready to work with China to further deepen the friendly cooperation in investment, artificial intelligence, mining and other areas to take the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries to a new level. Algeria is willing to actively participate in the preparations for the summit of the FOCAC and contribute to the success of the summit.

On the same day, Special Envoy Zhai Jun held talks with Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Algeria Lounes Magramane, and they had an exchange of views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest and concern.

China and Guinea-Bissau elevate bilateral relations to a strategic partnership

The President of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embalo paid a state visit to China from July 9-13 at the invitation of his counterpart, Xi Jinping. 

At their meeting on July 10, the two leaders elevated their bilateral relations to a strategic partnership.

President Xi noted that in recent years, China and Guinea-Bissau have deepened bilateral relations, strengthened political mutual trust, expanded pragmatic cooperation and enhanced international coordination. China supports Guinea-Bissau in independently exploring a development path that suits its national conditions. He stressed that China stands ready to strengthen friendly exchanges with Guinea-Bissau at all levels, enhance experience-sharing on governance, and expand cooperation in areas such as agriculture, mining, infrastructure construction and the blue economy under the guidance of the high-quality construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

China is willing to continue to provide support within its capacity for Guinea-Bissau’s domestic construction and will continue to send its rice experts and medical teams to assist Guinea-Bissau in ensuring food security and developing public health, he added, calling on the two sides to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in education, youth and other fields to bring the two peoples’ hearts closer.

Both China and Africa have splendid civilisations, both have suffered from the painful history of colonisation and aggression, and both cherish and pursue national independence and liberation, Xi said, adding that mutual support and assistance between China and African countries are sincere and genuine. China and African countries are good brothers with sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and offer an exemplary model for unity and cooperation between developing nations.

Noting that two weeks ago, the commemorative events marking the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were held in Beijing, and this autumn, a new Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit will be held in Beijing, Xi said China is willing to work with Guinea-Bissau and other African countries to champion the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, discuss major plans for China-Africa cooperation in the new era, safeguard the common interests of developing countries and international fairness and justice, and jointly build a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.

Embalo said Guinea-Bissau and China enjoy a solid and cordial relationship marked by unwavering mutual support, adding that whenever Guinea-Bissau faces difficulties, China has always provided invaluable assistance without hesitation, a gesture that the people of Guinea-Bissau will never forget.

Guinea-Bissau admires China’s remarkable development achievements and regards China as its top priority in foreign relations and most important partner. China, he added, has never engaged in colonialism, interfered in the internal affairs of other countries, or pointed fingers at other countries, and China has always treated small countries with equality and respect, consistently matching its words with actions.

Noting that China has brought cooperation projects to Africa, including schools, hospitals and roads, delivering benefits to the African people, Embalo said Guinea-Bissau greatly appreciates China’s important role and positive contributions in helping the development of the African continent, and actively supports China in hosting the new FOCAC Summit. Guinea-Bissau supports the BRI, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilisation Initiative proposed by President Xi and is willing to closely communicate and cooperate with China on multilateral affairs, to jointly build a community with a shared future for humanity.

Meeting Li Qiang on the same day, the Chinese Premier noted that China and Guinea-Bissau are reliable good brothers and good partners. China always attaches importance to developing friendly cooperative relations with Guinea-Bissau. He added that China supports the people of Guinea-Bissau in independently exploring a development path suited to its national conditions and supports Guinea-Bissau in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests.

Noting that Guinea-Bissau sincerely appreciates China’s long-term valuable support for its economic and social development, Embalo said Guinea-Bissau is willing to further strengthen practical cooperation with China in various fields such as economy, trade and infrastructure construction, and continue to move forward for common development.

Announcing  Embalo’s visit at a Foreign Ministry press conference, spokesperson Lin Jian  noted that the Chinese people firmly supported the people of Guinea-Bissau in their struggle for national independence and liberation in the 1970s. And giving a press conference at Bissau airport prior to his departure for China, Embalo said the two countries “have been traditional partners since the beginning of the national liberation struggle of Guinea-Bissau.” 

In a generally hostile article, Germany’s Deutsche Welle nevertheless noted, “Bissau and Beijing are already collaborating in the areas of education, health, agriculture, infrastructure, fisheries and defence. Ahead of the state visit, the next joint projects were announced: China will finance a large conference centre for the upcoming rotating presidency of Guinea-Bissau in the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). Additionally, 300 kilometres of roads will be renovated. Furthermore, a new university campus for 12,000 students will be constructed, among other investments, the Bissau-Guinean president announced.

“‘Before we set off for Beijing, China had already announced a donation of $27.5 million for Guinea-Bissau,’ said  Embalo.” 

It quotes local journalist Bacar Camara as saying that “the relationships date back to the 1970s when Mao Zedong’s China supported our freedom fighter Amilcar Cabral in his fight against the Portuguese colonial rulers. The first soldiers of the liberation organisation PAIGC [the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde] were trained militarily in China.”

(Besides leading the liberation struggle in Guinea-Bissau, Amilcar Cabral was also a significant and creative Marxist-Leninist thinker and theoretician.)

A scholarly article in the journal International History Review dates the relationship between China and the PAIGC to May 1960. A touching feature article carried by the Xinhua News Agency to coincide with the state visit underlined the longevity of this fraternal relationship of solidarity. 

According to Xinhua: “In the square outside the east entrance of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping held an official welcome ceremony for President Umaro Sissoco Embalo of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday, featuring a unique touch: the playing of Guinea-Bissau’s national anthem, ‘This Is Our Well Beloved Motherland.’

“The anthem, written by Guinea-Bissau’s founding father Amilcar Lopes Cabral, has a surprising composer – Chinese musician Xiao He. In the later official meeting between the two presidents, Xi talked with a smile about this intriguing detail. ‘China and Guinea-Bissau have a special history of friendship,’ he said. ‘The national anthem of Guinea-Bissau, ‘This Is Our Well Beloved Motherland,’ which was played at the welcome ceremony just now, was written by Amilcar Lopes Cabral, the founding father of Guinea-Bissau, and composed by Chinese musician Xiao He.”

In response, Embalo said: “President Xi mentioned our national anthem just now, which we sing every day. It was written by our founding father and composed by a Chinese friend. This is something we will never forget.”

He also highlighted China’s support before and after the founding of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, saying the two peoples have always stood together.

The history of the national anthem traces back to 1963, when a delegation from then Portuguese Guinea visited China and heard a piece of music by Xiao He. Cabral, a member of the delegation, then asked Xiao to compose a piece that would inspire his people in their fight for independence. Xiao gladly agreed. Drawing inspiration from African music and set to a 1963 poem by Cabral, Xiao composed a song which later became the national anthem of the western African country.

The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.

Continue reading China and Guinea-Bissau elevate bilateral relations to a strategic partnership

Xi meets Bangladeshi PM, bilateral ties elevated

Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina visited China from July 8-10 at the invitation of her Chinese counterpart Li Qiang.

Meeting with President Xi Jinping on July 10, the two leaders announced that they had elevated their relations to those of a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. Xi said that China and Bangladesh have always respected and supported each other, treated each other as equals and cooperated for win-win results since the establishment of diplomatic ties, setting an example of friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries, especially among Global South countries.

China cherishes the profound friendship forged by the older generation of leaders of the two countries and is willing to take the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties next year as an opportunity to deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, expand cooperation in various fields, and promote the steady and long-term development of China-Bangladesh comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

Xi’s reference to the profound friendship forged by the older generation of leaders of the two countries is particularly significant. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Founding Father of Bangladesh, who is also the father of Sheikh Hasina, visited China in 1952 and 1956, where he formed friendships with the first generation of Chinese leaders, including Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai. On his 1952 visit, he participated in the Asia and Pacific Rim Peace Conference, where he delivered a rousing speech in Bangla, putting the language movement in the then East Pakistan on the international map.

China, Xi continued, is ready to work with Bangladesh to enhance coordination on international and regional affairs, strengthen cooperation within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, uphold the common values of humanity, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Hasina said the Bangladeshi side admires China’s great achievements in overcoming various difficulties and challenges and continuously improving people’s living standards under the brilliant leadership of President Xi. Bangladesh is firmly committed to advancing the cause of national liberation, poverty reduction and development, and thanks China for its valuable support in this process.

Meeting with Li Qiang the same day, the Chinese Premier said that his country will always give priority to developing relations with Bangladesh in its neighbourhood diplomacy, deepen mutual understanding and give firm support to Bangladesh on issues concerning each other’s core interests and major concerns.

Hasina expressed appreciation for China’s valuable support over the years, saying that China has made remarkable development achievements and become an example for other developing countries. She said Bangladesh will continue to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), strengthen cooperation with China on international multilateral affairs, push for further all-round development of bilateral relations and safeguard world peace and stability.

In their joint statement on the establishment of a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, the Bangladesh side “congratulated the Chinese side on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and applauded China’s historic achievements and transformation in economic and social development in the new era. Bangladesh lauded China’s efforts to build itself into a great modern socialist country in all respects and advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through the Chinese path to modernisation and expressed the sincere wish for China to realise the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation as scheduled.

 “The Chinese side congratulated the People’s Republic of Bangladesh on holding the election of the 12th National Parliament, and congratulated the Bangladesh Awami League led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on winning the general election.”

Leaders of the two countries agreed to stay committed to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, carry forward the long-standing friendship, foster greater synergy between development strategies of the two countries, advance the Belt and Road cooperation, and elevate the bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

The two sides decided to take the opportunity of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Bangladesh diplomatic relations in 2025 to plan together for the future development of bilateral ties and take the China-Bangladesh relationship to another new height.

China commended Bangladesh for being the first country in South Asia to join and take part in the BRI and, having reviewed significant Chinese contributions to Bangladesh’s national development, the statement continued:

“The Chinese side expressed readiness to continue providing assistance to Bangladesh to the best of its capacity and positively consider the possibility of building hospitals and bridges and renovating convention centres to support economic and social development of Bangladesh.”

Reflecting the international trend to dedollarisation, the two sides agreed to enhance cooperation in financial regulation and encouraged increased use of local currency settlement in bilateral trade.

The statement said that bearing in mind that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, the two sides agreed on the need to carry forward the Five Principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence, with a view to jointly building a community with a shared future for Asia and for humanity. The two sides agreed to firmly safeguard the international system with the UN at its core, the international order underpinned by international law, and the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, uphold true multilateralism together, promote greater democracy in international relations, and work to foster an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation.

China also welcomed Bangladesh’s bid for BRICS membership and its interest in associating with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

The two sides reiterated that the fundamental way out of the ongoing grave crisis in Gaza lies in the implementation of the two-State solution and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine. Relevant resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council are binding and should be enforced effectively to achieve an immediate, unconditional and lasting ceasefire. The two sides called on the international community to address the question of Palestine with a greater sense of urgency and step-up efforts to facilitate the resumption of peace talks and to achieve enduring peace.

Regarding the situation of the Rohingya people, a Muslim minority in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, who have taken refuge in Bangladesh, the two sides share the view that early repatriation is the only way to resolve the issue. They call on all parties in Myanmar to bridge their differences through dialogue and consultation and underscored the cessation of hostilities in Rakhine State as soon as possible. The Bangladesh side expressed its appreciation to and requested China to continue playing a constructive role to facilitate dialogue for the peaceful settlement of the issue concerning the displaced people from Rakhine State. The Chinese side commended efforts made over the years by Bangladesh to provide humanitarian assistance for the displaced people and expressed support for Bangladesh and Myanmar to find a mutually acceptable solution through friendly consultations and following the arrangements on repatriation existing between the countries. China will continue to provide support for this purpose to the best of its abilities, including providing a platform for dialogue to help achieve early repatriation of the displaced people.

The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.

Continue reading Xi meets Bangladeshi PM, bilateral ties elevated

China rebuts NATO declaration as ‘defamatory, provocative, belligerent’

The article below, originally published in Global Times, reports on China’s response to the NATO Summit declaration of 9 July 2024, which accused China of being “a decisive enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine” through the supply of so-called dual-use technology, which the US and its allies claim is critical to Russia’s military efforts.

The accusation marks a significant escalation in the US-led New Cold War – a “major departure for NATO” according to the New York Times. NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg stated: “I think the message sent from NATO from this summit is very strong and very clear, and we are clearly defining China’s responsibility when it comes to enabling Russia’s war”.

The charges against China are of course utterly ridiculous and unfounded. Of all the major countries, China has been most active in pursuit of a peaceful negotiated settlement to the Ukraine crisis. Indeed last year it put forward a comprehensive document outlining the essential steps towards peace. Meanwhile the role of the US and its allies has been to escalate the conflict by arming Ukraine, imposing sanctions on Russia, and preventing Kiev from entering into negotiations.

China has not been supplying war materiel to Russia, but has simply maintained normal economic relations – as opposed to joining in with the West’s illegal and unilateral sanctions. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian pointed out: “Most countries have not participated in sanctions against Russia or cut off trade with it, so the US cannot blame China for its own actions. The US has passed large-scale aid bills for Ukraine while baselessly accusing China and Russia of normal economic and trade exchanges. This is blatant hypocrisy and double standards.”

The reasons for NATO’s accusations are two-fold. First, Ukraine and its backers are losing on the battlefield, and the well-advertised “counteroffensives” have not had the desired effect. As such, the imperialist powers “need to find an excuse, and the ready-made excuse now is that China is supporting Russia”.

Second, there are ongoing efforts to create a global NATO and expand its area of operations to the Pacific so that it can participate more directly in the campaign of China encirclement. According to Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, “they are attempting to achieve NATO’s globalisation by hyping the so-called ‘China threat’ and inciting challenges against China… The hype and intensification of the China issue serve as a catalyst for NATO to accelerate and strengthen its presence, influence, and actions globally, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.”

The US is the leading protagonist of the New Cold War, and it is using NATO to bring Europe onboard with its anti-China strategy. However, European states have their own interests and only stand to lose by blindly following the US.

China voiced strong opposition and lodged stern representations on Thursday with NATO after the Cold War mentality-driven bloc issued a direct warning to China for the first time regarding the so-called support to Russia in the Ukraine crisis, which, some experts said, is essentially another attempt to shift the blame and smear China. 

The NATO Washington Summit Declaration exaggerates tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, which is filled with Cold War mentality and belligerent rhetoric, containing prejudiced, defamatory, and provocative content regarding China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said during a press conference on Thursday. 

NATO’s so-called security comes at the expense of others’ security, and much of the security anxiety NATO peddles is of its own making. The so-called success and strength NATO boasts of pose a significant threat to the world, the spokesperson said. 

Establishing imaginary enemies to maintain existence and expand power is NATO’s usual tactic. Its persistence in the erroneous positioning of China as a systemic challenge and smearing of China’s domestic and foreign policies are exactly that, the spokesperson added. 

The Chinese Mission to the EU also refuted NATO’s claims on Thursday, emphasizing that China’s position on Ukraine is open and above board, and it is known to all that China is not the architect of the Ukraine crisis. China aims to promote peace talks and seek political settlement, and this position is endorsed and commended by the broader global community.

Continue reading China rebuts NATO declaration as ‘defamatory, provocative, belligerent’

Xi meets Hungarian prime minister, exchanging views on ties, Ukraine crisis

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban paid a surprise visit to Beijing on July 8 as part of a whirlwind of diplomatic activity aimed at promoting a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine. Hungary assumed the six-monthly rotating presidency of the European Union (EU) on July 1. Orban then visited Ukraine the very next day, his first visit to the country since Russia launched its Special Military Operation. This was followed by a July 5 visit to Russia, as well as to Azerbaijan, where he attended the Informal Summit of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS). 

Meeting President Xi Jinping, just two months after they had met in the Hungarian capital Budapest and elevated their bilateral relationship to that of an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era, the two leaders exchanged in-depth views on the Ukraine crisis.

Orban briefed Xi on his recent visits to Ukraine and Russia. Xi expressed appreciation for Orban’s efforts in promoting the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis and elaborated on China’s relevant views and propositions.

Xi called on the international community to create conditions and provide support for the resumption of direct dialogue and negotiation between the two sides, saying that only if all major countries inject positive rather than negative energy, can a ceasefire in this conflict emerge as soon as possible, adding that the basic propositions of China and Hungary and the direction of their efforts are the same and that China is willing to stay in communication with Hungary and all relevant parties.

Orban said that over the past two months, the two sides have earnestly implemented the important outcomes of President Xi’s visit to Hungary, strengthened friendship and mutual trust, and laid a solid foundation for the future development of bilateral relations.

In the face of the current turbulent international situation, China not only loves peace but has also put forward a series of constructive and important initiatives, proving with its own concrete actions that it is an important stabilising force for world peace.

He added that Hungary highly appreciates and values China’s role and influence and is willing to maintain close strategic communication and coordination with China.

Far from welcoming Hungary’s efforts for peace, the country has come under intensified imperialist pressure in response. 

The South China Morning Post headline said that Orban’s visits to Moscow and Beijing had “prompt(ed) EU members to seek ways to punish Hungary.” The paper reported:

“At every stop on Orban’s tour, fury has spread like wildfire through the Belgian capital [where the EU is headquartered]. Ambassadors plan to grill Hungary’s representatives in Brussels on Wednesday, a diplomatic source said.

“On Monday, some member states were ‘seriously considering gathering a majority’ to come up with a way to punish Budapest for abusing the terms of the rotating role, a senior EU official said, with the European Commission’s legal service also preparing to give its opinion.”

Two days later, the Financial Times duly reported that the commission’s legal service had concluded that Orban’s  “solo trip to Moscow last week contravened the EU’s treaties.” The Hungarian Prime Minister had, “violated the bloc’s treaties that forbid any ‘measure which could jeopardise the attainment of the Union’s objectives’, according to three people familiar with the matter. He also violated a legal provision that calls on all members to perform foreign policy activities ‘unreservedly in a spirit of loyalty and mutual solidarity’, they added.

“Many EU member states have discussed boycotting the traditional informal ministerial meetings to be held in Hungary during the country’s presidency, several diplomats told the FT. A smaller group of capitals has also begun informal discussions on how to use the EU treaty to restrict Orban’s room for manoeuvre during the presidency. Some EU officials have privately floated stripping Hungary of the rotating presidency, officials said.”

Getting in on the act, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “any leader visiting Russia or China must make NATO’s positions clear that the military alliance is ‘not going anywhere, Ukraine’s not going anywhere, the European Union is not going anywhere’.”

This grotesque display of hegemonic arrogance could scarcely better illustrate the undemocratic nature of the EU, its subservience to Washington, its shameless bullying of its smaller member states, especially those in central, eastern and southern Europe, its use of ‘lawfare’ to suppress dissenting standpoints, its opposition to peace and its increasingly dangerous warmongering against Russia, China and other countries.

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

BEIJING, July 8 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban here on Monday, and the two sides exchanged in-depth views on the Ukraine crisis.

Orban briefed Xi on his recent visits to Ukraine and Russia. Xi expressed appreciation for Orban’s efforts in promoting the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis and elaborated on China’s relevant views and propositions.

Xi stressed that an early ceasefire and a political settlement are in the interests of all sides, adding that the priority is to cool down the situation by observing the three principles of no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting, and no fanning by any party over the flames.

Xi called on the international community to create conditions and provide support for the resumption of direct dialogue and negotiation between the two sides, saying that only if all major countries inject positive rather than negative energy, can a ceasefire in this conflict emerge as soon as possible.

“China has been actively promoting peace talks in its own way and encouraging and supporting all efforts conducive to a peaceful settlement of the crisis,” he said, adding that the basic propositions of China and Hungary and the direction of their efforts are the same and that China is willing to stay in communication with Hungary and all relevant parties.

Xi noted that during his successful state visit to Hungary two months ago, the bilateral relations were elevated to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era, which gave new historical significance to the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year and injected strong impetus into the high-level development of China-Hungary relations.

Noting that the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee will be held next week, Xi said China will further deepen overall reform and promote high-quality development and high-level opening up, which will provide new opportunities and create new momentum for China-Hungary cooperation.

Xi said that the two countries should maintain high-level exchanges, deepen political mutual trust, strengthen strategic communication and coordination, continue to firmly support each other, strengthen practical cooperation in various fields, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and continue to enrich the bilateral all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era to better benefit the people.

He congratulated Hungary on assuming the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU) and said there is no geopolitical contradiction or fundamental conflict of interests between China and the EU.

China-EU relations are of strategic significance and global influence and should maintain steady and sound development, Xi said, calling on the two sides to jointly respond to global challenges.

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the EU, Xi said, adding that the two sides should stay committed to the correct path of bilateral partnership with cooperation as the defining trend, continue to promote two-way opening up, strengthen international coordination, and contribute to world peace, stability, development and prosperity.

It is hoped that Hungary, as the holder of the rotating EU presidency, will play a positive role in promoting the sound and stable development of China-EU relations and facilitating constructive interactions, Xi added.

Orban said that over the past two months, the two sides have earnestly implemented the important outcomes of President Xi’s visit to Hungary, strengthened friendship and mutual trust, and laid a solid foundation for the future development of bilateral relations.

In the face of the current turbulent international situation, China not only loves peace but has also put forward a series of constructive and important initiatives, proving with its own concrete actions that China is an important stabilizing force for world peace, Orban said.

He added that Hungary highly appreciates and values China’s role and influence and is willing to maintain close strategic communication and coordination with China.

Hungary advocates strengthening cooperation with China and opposes forming exclusionary cliques and bloc confrontation, Orban said.

Hungary is willing to take the rotating EU presidency as an opportunity to actively promote the sound development of EU-China relations, he said.