Author: Friends of Socialist China

Podcast: Celebrating the achievements of Chinese socialism and opposing the New Cold War

We embed below the latest episode of CommieCast, the podcast of the Communist Party of Britain, in which Roger McKenzie (International Editor of the Morning Star), Georgina Andrews (General Secretary of the Young Communist League of Britain) and Carlos Martinez (co-editor of Friends of Socialist China) discuss a range of topics related to China, including their recent visits to the People’s Republic, the achievements of Chinese socialism, the nature of the US-led New Cold War, and the crucial importance of building solidarity with China in the face of imperialist aggression.

The next episode, to be recorded in the coming weeks, will take a deeper dive into the escalating campaign of containment and encirclement of China.

People power crushes South Korean president’s martial law order

In the following article, originally published by the US online journal People’s World, its Managing Editor, CJ Atkins outlines the abortive coup staged December 2-3 by Yoon Suk Yeol, the hard right President of the Republic of Korea (ROK), an incident that carries major ramifications for the entire region and not least for China.

Atkins notes that, “A combination of instant mass street protests, a united parliamentary opposition, and the threat of a nationwide general strike by Korea’s working class snuffed out the attempted return to military rule.”

He analyses in some detail how Yoon’s desperate move came against the backdrop of a steadily mounting class struggle in the face of his anti-working class, anti-women and anti-communist agenda, along with the pervasive stench of corruption surrounding himself, his wife and his political allies.

According to Atkins: “By the time he made the decision to declare martial law on December 3, Yoon essentially had only the arm – and the United States – at his side.

“Alongside 30,000 troops, the US has long stationed nuclear weapons in South Korea, ostensibly as a deterrent against North Korea but in practice also aimed at China. Under Yoon, the arrangement has been beefed up, with US nuclear-armed submarines now docking regularly in South Korean ports and nuclear-capable bombers poised to strike from South Korean airfields. He and his defense officials have even mused about South Korea developing its own nuclear weapons.

“Tying South Korea even tighter into the anti-China coalition has been one of the key foreign policy achievements of the outgoing Biden administration. Winning the American-Japanese-Korean (JAROKUS) trilateral pact, the US-led military alliance aimed at China, was largely credited to Yoon. He dropped South Korea’s longstanding reparations request against Japan for war crimes committed during World War II.

“Helping advance US imperial interests in East Asia earned Yoon praise and strong support from Biden. In February, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell claimed Yoon deserved the Nobel Peace Prize, and a short time later, the White House social media team blasted out a gushing video of Yoon singing ‘American Pie’ at a state dinner.

“Yoon’s contempt for democracy and his anti-people policies were already well known in Washington when he was being lauded as such a wonderful ally; no one can claim they didn’t know of his dictatorial proclivities or corruption.”

In conclusion, he writes that:

“While the fallout from Yoon’s coup attempt certainly won’t dislodge South Korea from its firm place in the US imperial orbit, his likely departure from the political scene will rob US imperialism of its key man in Seoul. It’s not clear who might eventually succeed him or whether they will be as keen to continue his belligerent anti-North Korea stance, willingness to buddy up to Japan, or eagerness to pack the Korean peninsula with more nuclear weapons.”

The chaos in Korea—like the genocide in Gaza and the stalemated war in Ukraine—stands as one more item on the list of crises that the Biden administration will leave behind as its foreign policy legacy.

Declaring “emergency martial law” on Tuesday, South Korea’s conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol—known domestically as “K-Trump”—said he was shutting down democracy to combat what he called “shameless pro-North Korean” forces who were “plotting rebellion” and threatening the state.

Less than 48 hours later, however, the president’s coup collapsed, nearly his entire cabinet resigned, and he looked set to only barely survive an impeachment vote (but even that is not guaranteed). A combination of instant mass street protests, a united parliamentary opposition, and the threat of a nationwide general strike by Korea’s working class snuffed out the attempted return to military rule.

Though Yoon’s ditching of democracy and the overwhelming show of people power both caught the world by surprise, the martial law declaration actually capped a crisis that has been building in South Korea for the past few years.

Concentrating mostly on the president’s anti-North Korea foreign policy stances, much of the mainstream corporate media is missing the fuller story here, which is that Yoon’s coup is a sign of the sharpening class struggle in South Korea and poses new uncertainties for U.S. imperial strategy in East Asia.

Continue reading People power crushes South Korean president’s martial law order

“Nothing like before” — China is out-competing the West on EVs

The following article, written by Paweł Wargan for Progressive International, examines the neverending accusations by Western media and politicians regarding China’s putative ‘overcapacity’ in electric vehicles (EVs). Paweł explores the reasons for these accusations, and comprehensively refutes them.

The article observes that China’s industrial utilisation rates and inventory levels are similar to those of the US, and furthermore Chinese profit margins are soaring. These factors indicate that there is no significant overcapacity in China’s EV sector.

As for the notion that China’s rise has caused the decline of Western industry, Paweł points out that the decline of Western manufacturing predates China’s rise. “In the US, the trade balance has seen a sustained deficit since the late 1970s. As the productive structure of its economy shifted, industrial capital made way for financial capital. The number of manufacturing jobs decreased from around 20 million at their peak in 1979 to under 13 million today — a period in which the US saw its population rise by 100 million.”

Describing some of the extraordinary innovations taking place in China’s EV sector – in particular a ‘road-cloud-vehicle’ integration that improves safety and reduces energy use – Paweł comments that “this degree of integration is only possible through control over the entire EV value chain”. Particularly in the light of US-led sanctions and tariffs, “China began to move quickly towards technological sovereignty in all areas, from chips and artificial intelligence to cars and batteries”. As a result, “it competes not only with the automobile industry — historically the domain of the West. It also now competes with the tech giants of Silicon Valley”. Obviously, this speaks to the superiority of a socialist economy where decision-making lies ultimately with the people, rather than a few billionaires.

Paweł writes that the accusations of overcapacity provide a convenient pretext for the West to embark upon its own program of protectionism – exactly what it accuses China of doing – as well as “allowing the Western leadership to blame China for the structural long-term decline of the global capitalist economy”. Alarmingly, the situation also shows that the West would rather sabotage China’s economy and the global green transition than cooperate sensibly with China on the basis of mutual benefit.

Paweł Wargan is an activist, researcher and organiser. He serves as Political Coordinator at the Progressive International, an international coalition of over 100 popular movements, political parties, and unions. He contributed to our conference marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

The past year has seen a concerted effort by Western politicians, regime intellectuals, and media stenographers to accuse China of “overcapacity”. The coordinated narrative has accompanied a choreographed escalation in the West’s economic war on China. What is motivating these accusations?

In May 2024, the White House announced a series of new tariffs on Chinese products, including a 100% tax on imports of Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), set to take effect later this year. The European Union followed closely behind. In July, the Commission announced duties ranging from 17.4% to 37.6% on Chinese EV manufacturers. And in August, Canada announced 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs along with 25% tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminium.

The White House insisted that the measures would “protect American manufacturers from China’s unfair trade practices” and ensure that “the future of the auto industry will be made in America by American workers.” The European Commission cited China’s “unfair subsidisation” and Canada warned of the threat of China’s “intentional, state-directed policy of overcapacity”. In this narrative, now choreographed and ritualized across the West, China’s “overcapacity” is to blame for the West’s rising trade deficits and persistent inability to reindustrialize.

China has responded firmly to these accusations. In a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and the European Commission’s Ursula von der Leyen in May, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that there is no such thing as “China’s overcapacity problem”, and emphasised China’s contribution to the green transition. China’s Foreign Ministry said that the “overcapacity” thesis was a “pretext” to create new restrictions on China’s energy products.

China’s “overcapacity” and the West’s industrial decline

Overcapacity can be measured in three ways. First, we can look at the “capacity utilization rate”, or the degree to which available industrial capacity is being used. Second, we can look at inventory levels; a high number of unsold goods gathering dust in warehouses might suggest that production exceeds demand. Third, we can look at profit margins, which would have to fall to help empty the brimming warehouses and make way for new goods.

As French economics commentator Arnaud Bertrand found, China does not show signs of “overcapacity” across any of these measures. On the contrary, its industrial utilization rates and inventory levels are similar to those of the United States, and Chinese profit margins are soaring.

Continue reading “Nothing like before” — China is out-competing the West on EVs

Assessing recent high level encounters between Britain and China

In the following article, which was originally published by the Morning Star, Kenny Coyle assesses the significance of two recent high level encounters between Britain’s new Labour government and China, namely Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s China visit in October and Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s meeting with President Xi Jinping the next month, in the margins of the G-20 Summit in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.

Comparing and contrasting the Chinese and British read outs of the two meetings, Kenny notes how Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi rebuffed Lammy’s attempts to interfere in China’s internal affairs, forcing him, with what Kenny wittily describes as a “double-Lammy”, into stating that: “Britain  remains steadfast in honouring its commitment to the Taiwan question since the establishment of diplomatic relations and will stick to it in the long term.”

Kenny then spells out exactly what this means: “Although you wouldn’t know from Britain’s readout, which does not mention Taiwan even once, Wang Yi made Lammy squirm. The British side essentially had to reiterate longstanding British policy, dating back to 1972 in the [Sir Edward] Heath era, where Lammy’s predecessor as foreign secretary, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, stated to the House of Commons that: ‘The government of the United Kingdom acknowledge the position of the Chinese government that Taiwan is a province of the People’s Republic of China.

“‘Both the government of the People’s Republic of China and Taipei maintain that Taiwan is a part of China. We held the view both at Cairo and at Potsdam that Taiwan should be restored to China. That view has not changed. We think that the Taiwan question is China’s internal affair to be settled by the Chinese people themselves.’”

It need only be added that given Lammy’s general level of (in)competence and manifest unsuitability for his current position, it is highly likely that he was utterly clueless as to what Alec Douglas-Home might have said on the matter when the two countries established full diplomatic relations. It is at least equally likely that Douglas-Home’s knowledge of the international agreements forged towards the end of World War II was considerably superior to that of the present Foreign Secretary.

Kenny also focuses on the absence of any mention of Xinjiang in the British read out of Starmer’s meeting with President Xi, let alone of any question of supposed genocide in the Chinese autonomous region, a preposterous charge that the hapless Lammy in particular was previously all too happy to bandy about.

As Kenny notes: “The current and previous British governments stand accused of complicity in a televised, live-streamed genocide, namely the one in Gaza. Starmer’s own rancid apologetics for Israeli war crimes is a matter of public record.”

Indeed, it was in the same month as Starmer’s meeting that 37 rights organisations excoriated Lammy’s wilful obfuscation and denial with regard to the all too real ongoing genocide in Gaza. (The full text and list of signatories may be found here.)

Similarly, and ironically on the very day that Starmer met Xi, William Schabas, former president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars and the author of more than 20 books on genocide and other international law topics, lacerated both Starmer and Lammy for their denial of the Gaza genocide. He told Middle East Eye:

 “These people are hypocrites. They speak with a forked tongue. They do not interpret or apply the Genocide Convention in a consistent manner.”

Regarding the situation in Xinjiang, he added: “There is no serious evidence of killings. Not millions. None. The treatment of Uyghurs in China and that of Palestinian Arabs cannot be compared.”

TWICE over the past two months, senior British government figures have met with their Chinese counterparts. The first encounter was Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s meeting with Chinese foreign policy chief Wang Yi in Beijing in October; the second was the talk between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil in November.

As is usual with high-level diplomatic bilateral meetings, the full transcripts of the discussions have not been disclosed. Aside from initial pleasantries and photo opportunities, the substantial items of these bilateral talks are always private and confidential.

What we can glean from these two meetings for now is set out in the official “readouts” issued by each government. These readouts are usually predictably formulaic. First, each side indulges in diplomatic pleasantries, second, they highlight areas of broad agreement, and then subtly, the readout may mention issues of disagreement. Finally, it often ends with anodyne suggestions along the lines of “We really should catch up more.”

A careful inspection of the readouts of Lammy’s meeting with Wang Yi and the Starmer-Xi Rio talks is helpful for revealing not just what they say but what they don’t.

If we look at Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FDCO) interpretation of the October Lammy meeting, it starts positively enough. It sets out shared aims of “achieving the global green transition” and “promoting secure and resilient growth through increased trade and investment, which creates jobs, drives innovation, boosts productivity and provides economic stability and certainty” for the British economy. They agreed that Britain and China can support both countries” growth objectives.”

Britain’s readout then moves on to obvious areas of difference on the Nato-Russian war in Ukraine and the crises in west Asia (Middle East).

“The Foreign Secretary urged Wang Yi to take all measures to investigate and to prevent Chinese companies from supplying Russia’s military. The Foreign Ministers agreed to continue to discuss this and other broader foreign policy issues, such as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.”

No mention of preventing Britain from supplying Israel’s military, of course, but no big surprises here.

Then Lammy unwisely turns to China’s internal affairs.

“Human Rights were discussed, including in Xinjiang, and the Foreign Secretary referenced this as an area in which Britain and China must engage, even where viewpoints diverge. Hong Kong is a shared interest, and the Foreign Secretary raised serious concerns around the implementation of the National Security Law and the ongoing treatment of British national Jimmy Lai, again calling for his release.”

How does China’s readout of the same meeting compare? Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs note largely agrees with the FCDO on the obvious benefits of co-operation rather than conflict.

“The British Labour government has put forward the proposal to develop a long-term, stable and strategically significant relationship with China. The Chinese side has positively evaluated this proposal, as it conforms to the historical logic and practical needs of the bilateral relationship, serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples, and aligns with the historical trend and the international situation.”

But then comes the pushback. First of all, Wang Yi gently reminds Britain’s Foreign Secretary that an MP for Tottenham lecturing China on Chinese soil about Chinese issues is hardly conducive to the “bilateral engagement” that Britain leaders claim to seek.

“Noting that Taiwan and Hong Kong affairs are China’s internal affairs, and non-interference in internal affairs is a fundamental principle of international relations, Wang said both sides should respect each other’s concerns, strengthen dialogue on the basis of equality, enhance understanding, and create an atmosphere for communication and co-operation.

Then the Chinese move in for the second strike, a double-Lammy, if you will.

“Britain remains steadfast in honouring its commitment to the Taiwan question since the establishment of diplomatic relations and will stick to it in the long term, Lammy said.”

Although you wouldn’t know from Britain’s readout, which does not mention Taiwan even once, Wang Yi made Lammy squirm. The British side essentially had to reiterate longstanding British policy, dating back to 1972 in the Heath era, where Lammy’s predecessor as foreign secretary, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, stated to the House of Commons that: “The government of the United Kingdom acknowledge the position of the Chinese government that Taiwan is a province of the People’s Republic of China.

“Both the government of the People’s Republic of China and Taipei maintain that Taiwan is a part of China. We held the view both at Cairo and at Potsdam that Taiwan should be restored to China. That view has not changed. We think that the Taiwan question is China’s internal affair to be settled by the Chinese people themselves.”

Naturally, this does not sit well with the increasingly visible and well-funded Taiwan-separatist lobby at Westminster. It shows, of course, that what British leaders tell China is not necessarily what they tell the British people.

Tellingly, Lammy downgraded the Xinjiang question from one of alleged and utterly unproven “genocide,” a pre-election position held by the Parliamentary Labour Party, to the vague but unimpeachable appeal to human rights.

The Downing Street readout on the November 18 Rio summit was terse, just eight paragraphs. This is the key one.

“The Prime Minister said that he also wanted to engage honestly and frankly on those areas where we have different perspectives, including on Hong Kong, human rights and Russia’s war in Ukraine.”

No mention of Xinjiang at all, nor of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, not even Taiwan.

A number of commentators have assumed that the policy shift on Xinjiang is related purely to the Starmer government’s hope to reset economic relations with Beijing, see for example, “Labour backtracks on Uighur ‘genocide’ stance as Lammy heads to China” (Daily Telegraph, October 17). However, given Britain’s continued utilisation of the Hong Kong situation, this is unlikely to be the whole story.

One other explanation is that the Xinjiang genocide propaganda simply hasn’t worked where it was supposed to. The majority Muslim countries of west, central and south-east Asia have, more often than not, expressed guarded support or at least sympathy for China’s view that one key factor in the Xinjiang question is the role of global Islamist extremist networks and terrorist groups.

Uighur terrorists have been apprehended as far afield as Thailand and Indonesia, for example. The recent resurgence of terrorist attacks in Syria’s Aleppo region, which by sheer coincidence synchronised with the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire, involves armed groups drawn from several Turkic-speaking terror groups. These include Chinese Uighur fighters from the Al Qaida-linked Katibat al Ghuraba al Turkistan (KGT).

Or perhaps, just as with the allegations of Tibetan genocide, which notably intensified in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and then gradually dissipated, there is neither the evidence nor continuing credulity to sustain these propaganda projects.

However, there may be yet another rather more obvious reason.

The current and previous British governments stand accused of complicity in a televised, live-streamed genocide, namely the one in Gaza. Starmer’s own rancid apologetics for Israeli war crimes is a matter of public record.

Whether through shame, embarrassment, or guilt, the British Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have good reason to drop the term genocide from their anti-China rhetoric. It seems Starmer and Lammy, or their advisers, are fully conscious of this absurd and self-incriminating juxtaposition.

Xi Jinping holds talks with Cambodia’s senate president Hun Sen

Veteran Cambodian leader Samdech Techo Hun Sen, who is currently the President of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) as well as of the country’s Senate, paid an official goodwill visit to China, December 2-4, at the invitation of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, met with Hun Sen on December 3 and called for firm mutual support to consolidate the ironclad friendship between the two countries. He said that China has always regarded Cambodia as a high priority in its neighbourhood diplomacy and is willing to work together with the country to build a high-quality, high-level and high-standard China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era.

Xi called on both sides to deepen exchanges and mutual learning to seek common development. He said the CPC is willing to strengthen strategic communication and cooperation in cadre training with the CPP, and to assist Cambodia in exploring a development path that aligns with its national conditions.

Against the backdrop of an international landscape fraught with instability, change and various global challenges, Xi added, China will continue to support Cambodia in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs, and help boost the strength of the Global South.

He expressed China’s support for ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations) to adhere to its strategic autonomy and its opposition to external forces introducing Cold War mentality into the region. China is ready to work with Cambodia with firm determination to strengthen collaboration and coordination, and jointly address various risks.

Noting that the Cambodia-China friendship has withstood the test of history and time, Hun Sen expressed his country’s gratitude to China for its invaluable support and assistance in Cambodia’s political, economic, and social development over the years. He added that China is Cambodia’s most trusted friend. Friendship with China is a consensus within the CPP, which will not undergo any changes with intergenerational leadership transitions in Cambodia, he added.

The following day, Hun Sen met with Zhao Leji, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, who noted that the building of the China-Cambodia community with a shared future has entered a new era of high quality, high level and high standard.

Hun Sen said that Cambodia-China cooperation is of great significance to Cambodia’s economic development and poverty alleviation. Cambodia will deepen all-round friendly cooperation with China and firmly push forward the building of a Cambodia-China community with a shared future.

On December 2, he had met with Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Hun Sen spoke highly of China’s development achievements under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. He said that Cambodia and China are iron-clad friends, and that Cambodia is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China in various fields, provide firm mutual support, work together to meet challenges, and promote the building of a Cambodia-China community with a shared future.

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

Xi holds talks with Cambodia’s senate president Hun Sen

BEIJING, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) — Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, held talks with Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) President and Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen in Beijing on Tuesday, calling for firm mutual support to consolidate the ironclad friendship between the two countries.

Xi said China has always regarded Cambodia as a high priority in its neighborhood diplomacy and is willing to work together with Cambodia to build a high-quality, high-level and high-standard China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era.

Xi called on both sides to deepen exchanges and mutual learning to seek common development. He said the CPC is willing to strengthen strategic communication and cooperation in cadre training with the CPP, and to assist Cambodia in exploring a development path that aligns with its national conditions.

The two sides should seize opportunities to make new progress in win-win cooperation, Xi said, adding that China is ready to work with the Cambodian side to continuously enrich the “Diamond Hexagon” cooperation framework, and promote the effective implementation of key cooperative projects.

Against the backdrop of an international landscape fraught with instability, change and various global challenges, Xi said, China will continue to support Cambodia in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs, and help boost the strength of the Global South.

Xi expressed China’s support for the ASEAN to adhere to its strategic autonomy and its opposition to external forces introducing Cold War mentality into the region. China is ready to work with Cambodia with firm determination to strengthen collaboration and coordination, and jointly address various risks, he added.

Noting that the Cambodia-China friendship has withstood the test of history and time, Hun Sen expressed Cambodia’s gratitude to China for its invaluable support and assistance in Cambodia’s political, economic, and social development over the years.

Continue reading Xi Jinping holds talks with Cambodia’s senate president Hun Sen

Remains of 43 Chinese Korean War martyrs returned to China

On November 28, the remains of 43 Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) soldiers who died during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China from the Republic of Korea (ROK).  A Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force plane carried the remains of the fallen soldiers and 495 of their personal effects from Incheon International Airport in the ROK to Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province.

After the ROK handed over the martyrs’ remains and belongings to the Chinese side, China held a memorial ceremony at Incheon International Airport, during which the Chinese national anthem was played, and each casket was draped with the national flag. Attendees bowed three times to the martyrs before their remains were placed onto the plane.

From 2014-2023, China and the ROK, in accordance with international laws and humanitarian principles, successfully completed 10 consecutive handovers involving the remains of 938 CPV martyrs, along with related artifacts.

The Korean War broke out in June 1950, eight months after the People’s Republic of China was founded. At the request of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Chinese ground forces under the CPV banner entered the Korean peninsula on October 19, 1950. A total of 2.9 million CPV soldiers joined the war that lasted almost three years and more than 360,000 were killed or injured.

Describing the atmosphere surrounding the martyrs’ return, the Xinhua News Agency reported:

“The flight from Incheon to Shenyang lasted about an hour and 20 minutes, but for many of the martyrs, this journey home spanned almost seven decades. In the past few days the city of Shenyang has been decorated with slogans that read ‘welcome back, our heroes’.

“As the Y-20 military transport aircraft prepared to land at Shenyang airport, the air traffic control tower transmitted a heartfelt message: ‘The mountains and rivers remain intact, our country is prosperous, and our military is strong. With the utmost respect, we welcome the loyal martyrs back home.’”

The Xinhua report further noted: “The ceremony was also livestreamed online. Among the viewers were faculty and students of a primary school in Shenyang, which was named after CPV martyr Mao Anying, the son of late Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong. In memory of the martyrs, the students had selected personal gifts to take to the martyr’s cemetery at a later date.”

The remains of the 43 martyrs were laid to rest in a solemn ceremony the following day.

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

China Focus: Remains of 43 Chinese martyrs in Korean War returned to homeland from ROK

SHENYANG, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) — The remains of 43 Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) soldiers who died during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK).

At 12:07 p.m., a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force Y-20 transport aircraft, carrying the remains of the fallen soldiers and 495 of their personal effects, landed at Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province.

The plane’s touch down was met with a water cannon salute, as soldiers carried the caskets off the plane before a remembrance ceremony was held at the airport.

Nearly 1,000 people, including representatives from central and local authorities, the military, war veterans, and relatives of CPV martyrs, attended the ceremony.

Following the placement of the caskets, which were covered with the Five-star Red Flag, the participants bowed three times in dignified silence to the soldiers’ remains.

The remains will be laid to rest in a martyrs’ cemetery in Shenyang.

After the ROK handed over the martyrs’ remains and belongings to the Chinese side in Incheon on Thursday morning, China held a memorial ceremony at Incheon International Airport. During the ceremony, the Chinese national anthem was played, and each casket was draped with the national flag. Attendees bowed three times to the martyrs before their remains were placed onto the plane.

From 2014 to 2023, China and the ROK, in accordance with international laws and humanitarian principles, successfully completed 10 consecutive handovers involving the remains of 938 CPV martyrs in the ROK, along with related artifacts.

Continue reading Remains of 43 Chinese Korean War martyrs returned to China

Xi calls for advancing strategic partnership of cooperation with Nepal

Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli paid an official visit to China from December 2-5 at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Premier Li Qiang.

On December 3, Oli, who is also the Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) (CPN-UML) met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Xi expressed appreciation for Oli’s firm commitment to promoting friendship between the two sides over a long period of time. He added that China and Nepal, linked by the same mountains and rivers, are good neighbours, good friends and good partners, and bilateral relations have maintained sound and steady development.

Noting that next year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, Xi said China places Nepal in an important position in its neighbourhood diplomacy and is willing to work with Nepal to consolidate their traditional friendship and push for new progress in advancing the China-Nepal strategic partnership of cooperation featuring ever-lasting friendship for development and prosperity.

Stressing that China respects Nepal’s choice to follow a development path suited to its national conditions, he said that China supports Nepal in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Oli said that as a friend of China, Nepal is deeply proud of and inspired by China’s remarkable development achievements and hopes to learn from China’s experience to boost its own development.

The Nepalese Prime Minister also met with Premier Li Qiang the same day.

Li said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties nearly 70 years ago, China-Nepal relations have maintained sound and steady development. In 2019, in particular, the bilateral relationship was elevated to the strategic partnership of cooperation featuring ever-lasting friendship for development and prosperity, which has driven the vigorous expansion of exchanges and cooperation in various fields between the two sides and brought tangible benefits to the two peoples.

China firmly supports Nepal in exploring a development path suited to its national conditions and stands ready to enhance the synergy of development strategies with Nepal, leverage the leading role of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation in bilateral cooperation, actively expand two-way trade and investment, and strengthen connectivity at ports, roads, railways and airlines.

Oli also met on December 3 with Zhao Leji, Chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

A Joint Statement was issued by the two countries.

The two sides agreed that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nepal in 1955, the bilateral relationship has enjoyed sustained, stable and healthy development. In particular, President Xi Jinping paid a historic state visit to Nepal in 2019, during which the relationship was upgraded to a Strategic Partnership of Cooperation Featuring Ever-lasting Friendship for Development and Prosperity, taking China-Nepal relations into a new historical stage.

As the year 2025 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nepal, the two sides comprehensively discussed the ways and means to make the celebration of the anniversary a momentous one. They are ready to take this opportunity to further accelerate the implementation of the important common understandings reached by the leaders of the two countries, maintain high-level exchanges, strengthen political mutual trust, and deepen and expand mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the principle of good neighbourliness and friendship, so as to further grow bilateral relations to the benefit of the two countries and peoples in the spirit of a community with a shared future.

The Nepali side warmly congratulated the Chinese side on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, highly commended the remarkable achievements made by China in the new era and expressed support for China’s efforts to build a great modern socialist country in all respects and achieve national rejuvenation through the Chinese path to modernisation.

The Chinese side spoke highly of the efforts made by the government of Nepal to maintain political stability and promote economic and social development and wished the Nepali people an early realisation of the national aspiration of “Samriddha Nepal, Sukhi Nepali” (“Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali”).

The two sides agreed to strengthen the synergy of their development strategies and pursue deeper and even more concrete high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. They expressed their readiness to sign the MoU on building the Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network and the Framework for Belt and Road Cooperation between the two Governments as soon as possible. Both sides expressed their commitment to strengthening connectivity between the two countries in such areas as ports, roads, railways, aviation, power grids and telecommunication, to help Nepal transform from a land-locked country to a land-linked country.

The Nepali side expressed its appreciation to China for granting Nepal, as one of the least developed countries, zero-tariff treatment under 100 percent tariff lines. China welcomes Nepal to further expand the export of high-quality agricultural products to China.

Continue reading Xi calls for advancing strategic partnership of cooperation with Nepal

People over profit: How China is tackling climate change

The article below, written by Scott Scheffer for Struggle for Socialism, provides an overview of China’s remarkable progress in recent years in developing renewable energy and electric transport, and the role played by socialism in this process.

What China has accomplished shows how people’s ownership of the world’s productive forces, instead of a tiny clique of billionaires owning everything, will solve this planetary crisis.

Scott discusses the global impact of China’s innovation and investment in renewable energy. The production cost of wind and solar power has reduced drastically over the last decade, primarily a function of China-led economies of scale. The impact of this on the Global South is transformative: “For instance, a struggling country in Africa, Latin America, or Asia relying on coal for energy can now replace a decrepit coal-fired power plant with a solar or wind farm more cheaply than repairing or replacing that coal plant.”

Scott further notes that the Communist Party of China (CPC) has “taken the significant step of incorporating environmental protection into both its party constitution and the constitution of the People’s Republic of China”. The nature of China’s socialist system is such that, in its pursuit of an ecological civilisation, the Chinese government “does not face opposition from super-rich monopoly corporations” and can therefore direct its efforts to meeting the needs of people and planet. Scott concludes:

2024 will prove to be the hottest year on record globally. Alongside the horrors of the genocide in Gaza and the U.S. proxy war against Russia, capitalism has dished out the most punishment of the planet in recent memory. Only socialism can end imperialist war and save the planet.

It’s so fitting that just after the 75th anniversary of China’s revolution on Oct. 1, a milestone in China’s efforts to deal with greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) has emerged in the narrative surrounding global warming. What they have accomplished shows how people’s ownership of the world’s productive forces, instead of a tiny clique of billionaires owning everything, will solve this planetary crisis.

Climatologists and scientists widely recognize that China will likely reach its peak greenhouse gas emissions in 2024, although further research will be needed to confirm this with complete accuracy. If the data ultimately shows that the peak does not occur in 2024, it is almost certain to happen in 2025. Even in that case, China would still achieve peak emissions five years earlier than its official target, which President Xi Jinping announced at the 2020 UN General Assembly. This target aimed to reach peak emissions by 2030.

Other countries have reached peak emissions as well, but because China is so huge, UN figures and climatologists are buzzing with excitement over this development. It has great implications for the entire world, particularly for the Global South. 

U.S. corporate media often portray China’s crowning achievement as a problem rather than progress.

Mass production of renewables

Chinese mass production of renewable energy components — wind and solar — has driven down the prices globally. It isn’t just the solar panels on rooftops that millions are aware of; China has developed renewables on an industrial scale — wind and solar farms built at much lower costs and capable of supplying energy for cities and industry. 

What this means to the Global South cannot be overstated. For instance, a struggling country in Africa, Latin America, or Asia relying on coal for energy can now replace a decrepit coal-fired power plant with a solar or wind farm more cheaply than repairing or replacing that coal plant. 

The flaw of wind and solar power’s intermittent availability is still there. China is still running coal plants in its territory as a backup for those times when the sun goes down, or the wind stops. 

On average, Chinese coal plants run half the time or less. This simple first step provided what seems to be an outsized result, and it can be replicated where it is needed in the Global South until the intermittency problem with renewables is resolved via other methods. 

Continue reading People over profit: How China is tackling climate change

China-Peru friendship blossoms with Xi Jinping visit

From November 13-17, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Peru at the invitation of his Peruvian counterpart Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra, to attend the 31st APEC [Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation] Economic Leaders’ Meeting and to pay a state visit to the country. He then visited Brazil from November 17-21 at the invitation of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to attend the 19th G20 Summit and pay a state visit.

Immediately prior to his Peruvian visit, Xi published an article in the El Peruano newspaper entitled, “China-Peru Friendship: Setting Sail Toward an Even Brighter Future”.  He noted that:

“It is widely believed in the archaeology communities of China and other countries that the Chinese civilisation and the civilisations of the Americas were in fact created by descendants of the same ancestors at different periods and in different locations,” and added:

“Peruvian thinker José Carlos Mariátegui once said, ‘Spiritually and materially, China is closer to us than Europe. The psychology of our people is more Asian than Western.’ This is the ‘code of civilisation’ that explains the inseparable bond between immigrants of Chinese origin and the local people, forged through seamless integration and familial ties over the past 175 years.”

Xi’s reference to Mariátegui is of special significance. In his speech to our September 28 conference marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Dr. Francisco Dominguez noted:

In 1959, Lui Shaoqi, a leader of the revolution said, the Chinese revolution exerts a formidable ‘attraction for the peoples of backward countries that have suffered, or are suffering, imperialist oppression. They feel that they should also be able to do what the Chinese have done.’

A similar strategy had been put forward in Latin America by Peruvian Marxist, José Carlos Mariátegui as early as 1928. He argued that due to its backward nature, the nations in Latin America had a weak, small and dependent bourgeoisie, subordinated to the landed oligarchy and imperialism, therefore, unable and unwilling to undertake the carrying out of the national democratic tasks to modernise society to fully develop capitalism. Thus, the only way to carry through the national democratic tasks was by a socialist revolution led by the proletariat enjoying hegemony over the majority peasantry with land reform as the sine qua non condition of its success.

Mariátegui posited that the peasantry could play a revolutionary role based on its traditions of primitive agrarian communalism. For him, proletarian leadership meant a Marxist party to lead the revolutionised peasantry and the working class to carry out a socialist revolution to accomplish the national democratic tasks (especially land reform) and move simultaneously to the setting up a proletarian state.

In his introduction to the Selected Works of José Carlos Mariátegui, published by Iskra Books, editor and translator Christian Noakes writes:

Considered by many to be the father of Latin American Communism, he is celebrated for being the first person to utilise Marxist methods of analysis in order to better understand concrete reality in Peru and for carving a path to revolution based off of these particular historical conditions. As such, he was one of the first Latin American socialists to acknowledge the revolutionary potential of the peasantry and Indigenous peoples… His influence on revolutionaries in Nicaragua and Cuba has been particularly pronounced.

Xi Jinping goes on to state that: “Peru is one of the first Latin American countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. For over 50 years, our bilateral relations have been progressing steadily… It is also among the first in Latin America to participate in cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China has been Peru’s largest trading partner and largest export market for 10 consecutive years. Last year, Peru’s exports to China accounted for 36 percent of its total exports.” (China and Peru established diplomatic relations on November 2, 1971, during the anti-imperialist and progressive presidency of Juan Velasco Alvarado.)

As a major BRI project, Xi’s visit also saw the inauguration ceremony of Chancay Port: “This is not only an important project under Belt and Road cooperation, but also the first smart port in South America. The first phase of the project, when completed, will reduce the sea shipping time from Peru to China to 23 days, thus cutting logistics costs by at least 20 percent. It is expected to generate US$ 4.5 billion in yearly revenues for Peru and create over 8,000 direct jobs… The port’s development plan also includes establishing animal rescue services to fulfil its social responsibility for the rescue and protection of penguins, seals, and birds and to improve the environment of wetlands, beaches, and habitats.”

Continue reading China-Peru friendship blossoms with Xi Jinping visit

Reflecting on the history of solidarity between the peoples of China and Wales

The Communist Party of Britain (CPB) held its Welsh national congress in Pontypridd on November 30, 2024.

In addition to summing up its work since its last Congress, analysing the current situation in Wales and charting its path ahead in the next period, it welcomed Liz Payne from the CPB’s Executive Committee, along with four guest speakers, namely:

  • Beth Winter, Labour MP for Cynon Valley, 2019-2024, who recently resigned her Labour membership in protest at the party’s steady rightward trajectory under Keir Starmer
  • Owain Meiron from Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society)
  • Twm Draper from Cymru Cuba; and
  • Keith Bennett from Friends of Socialist China

In his contribution, Twm said in part:

I was lucky enough to visit Cuba for May Day in 2022 as part of a Young Workers Trade Union delegation. I had the opportunity to see firsthand the benefits a socialist country can bring. One example was the creation of vaccines to protect people against Covid and sharing their supplies with developing countries. A true sign of solidarity and internationalism.

We also heard about how the Young Communist League in Cuba was at the forefront during lockdowns, helping their neighbours in isolation to get essentials whilst keeping the community safe.

May Day had to be the highlight of the trip and something I’ve never experienced before or since. The march saw close to one million workers being celebrated for their contributions to society and every role was seen as equally important. The respect for workers and the importance of union organisation could be seen in all aspects of society.

Whilst this brought me hope that a different future is possible in Britain, it was clear how the inhumane 64-year-old US blockade impacts Cuban lives on a daily basis.

Whilst Cuban doctors were able to create five Covid vaccines, this was out of necessity because the US blockade played with Cuban lives, preventing them getting medical supplies such as needles to administer the vaccines.

At the beginning of this month, Cuba was without electricity for a second time in a matter of weeks following another hurricane. Due to the US blockade, Cuba was unable to import repair parts or fuel, leaving millions without electricity

These are just a couple of examples of many where the US blockade impacts Cubans’ lives daily. And despite everything Cuba is faced with, they remain true to their internationalist values of sharing the resources and expertise that they have with the rest of the world.

We have been promoting and enjoying the people’s release of ‘Comrade Tambo’s London Recruits’ this week. Cuba was at the forefront of internationalist action. In the words of Nelson Mandela, ‘if it were not for Cuba, I would not be a free man today.’”

In his contribution, Keith focused on outlining some of the history of people-to-people ties between Wales and China and of the mutual support and solidarity between the working class and peoples of the two nations.

The main congress resolution, adopted unanimously, identified one of the party’s priorities in the coming period as being to: “Improve and increase the work of the Communist Party in the peace and international solidarity movements in Wales, not least through Stop the War Cymru, CND Cymru, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Cymru-Cuba and Friends of Socialist China.”

We publish the text of Keith’s remarks below. A report on the congress was published by the Morning Star.

Dear Comrades

First, on behalf of Friends of Socialist China, I would like to extend warmest greetings to all members of the Communist Party in Wales. Thank you for the invitation to attend your Congress and to make a presentation. We wish success to all your deliberations.

Friends of Socialist China is a young organisation. We were set up in May 2021, with the goal of supporting the People’s Republic of China and spreading understanding of Chinese socialism. We have, throughout, enjoyed excellent working and comradely relations with the Communist Party of Britain, along with the Young Communist League and the Morning Star. One of our very first activities was a joint webinar, organised with the Morning Star, to celebrate the centenary of the Communist Party of China, held on July 3, 2021.

With China playing an ever more important role in the world, with its continuing advance along the road to socialism, as well as the daily more acute international situation, not least the new Cold War, we believe that the need for an organisation such as ours has never been greater.

I could speak further about this, but you can find plenty of material on our website, socialistchina.org, in the books and pamphlets available at the back, including ‘The East is still Red’, written by my comrade Carlos Martinez and ‘People’s China at 75: The Flag stays Red’, as well as in the regular excellent features and editorials in the Morning Star, including today’s centre spread on ‘China’s bridges to a socialist future’.

Continue reading Reflecting on the history of solidarity between the peoples of China and Wales

Understanding the role of BRICS+ in global progress

In the following important article, Dr. Jenny Clegg sets out and responds to eight key criticisms and questions concerning the BRICS+ cooperation mechanism – its nature, significance and role -and argues that, in representing a significant challenge to US hegemony, it contributes to the movement towards a multipolar world.

Noting that, the rise of the BRICS+ has divided left opinion, Jenny writes that: “Critics see, at best, a collection of disorderly capitalist states which, tied to the dollar and lacking political coherence, are in no position to form a real alternative to the existing global order and, in fact, do not even aspire to do so.” She acknowledges that: “The significance of BRICS+ should not be exaggerated: they are in no position to serve as a counterweight to the advanced capitalist states.”

However, “BRICS+ is, in fact, the driver of global growth. In the last 10 years, China and India alone comprised 47 per cent of world growth; now, according to the IMF, the average growth of the BRICS+ this year will be close to 4 per cent while the sluggish G7 barely makes 1 per cent.”

And whilst “talk of dedollarisation has indeed been overhyped… the group is developing a sanctions-proof cross-border payments system and has seen a notable increase in intra-BRICS trading in local currencies, greatly reducing losses in exchange rate charges and currency fluctuations. With BRICS+ partners now added to the scheme, potentially 30-plus per cent of global trade could begin to transition away from using the dollar.”

Turning to the accusation that “the larger BRICS+ members are just pursuing sub-imperialist and neo-imperialist agendas,” whilst acknowledging that “ambitions of national aggrandisement are at play among some of the more powerful BRICS members”, she argues that, “BRICS+ has emerged amidst a rise in diplomatic activity within the developing regions and should not be divorced from this wider momentum in the Global South. To assume that smaller developing countries are passively succumbing to subordinate positions under regional hegemons is frankly patronising.

“From the proposals of Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley on tackling debt to the former colonised states’ demands for reparations at the recent Commonwealth Summit to the Caribbean Islands’ proposals for a fund to cover the damage caused by extreme climate events, to name but a few, smaller developing countries are asserting their own agency.”

Jenny also argues that the BRICS+ approach is dual: developing cooperative economic arrangements step by step directed at strengthening the development of member states, so shifting the overall material economic and political balance to build pressure on the World Bank, IMF and WTO to become more inclusive.

“To dismiss this incremental approach as global social democracy, diluting true socialist opposition to imperialism, is to fail to come to terms with the reality of unequal world power so as to develop a concrete strategy for change.”

Taking issue with those who assail BRICS+ for a supposed lack of sufficient anti-imperialist rigour, Jenny responds that:

“It is in its resistance to taking sides in the US’s new cold war that BRICS+ is of such immense significance – a brake on the US-led path of war. Each member brings its own perspective – non-aligned, multi-aligned, anti-imperialist — to the organisation, but no matter how cautious and tentative their individual foreign policies may be, these are all to be valued as ways of exercising independence against the US new cold war.

“It is in the diversity of the BRICS+ that its strength lies. This is not about pro- and anti-Western blocs –  the real choice is between peaceful coexistence and the road to a third world war.”

Answering those who say that BRICS+ is too riven by disputes among its members to build a peaceful world, she draws attention to the recent agreement, on the eve of the BRICS+ summit in Kazan, between key members China and India on the management of their border dispute.

She concludes, in words that have only acquired even more cogency and urgency with US President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose 100% tariff rates on the BRICS+ nations should they attempt to develop alternatives to dollar hegemony:

Measuring BRICS+ against preconceived notions of socialism or even anti-imperialism is abstract and utopian, absent of any strategy to end US hegemony and Western dominance. It is in removing these obstacles that the door to socialist advance can be opened.

Taking BRICS+ out of context to knock them down is to wave a false red flag in the face of the very real dangers of war. Now, as Donald Trump brings new international challenges, and with liberal internationalism beyond resuscitation, it is imperative for the left to look South, not least to BRICS+ with its offer of a viable progressive project.

Jenny is an anti-war activist and China specialist. The author of ‘China’s Global Strategy: Towards a multipolar world’ (published by Pluto Press), she is also a member of our advisory group. Her article was first published by the Morning Star.

THE Brics+ Kazan summit in Russia stood out as a pillar of stability in an increasingly volatile and dangerous world. With wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East, pushing the UN system to breakdown, it kept the spirit of multilateralism alive.

Gathering leaders and representatives from 36 countries, the meeting was the first for the enlarged grouping, which last year added UAE, Ethiopia, Egypt and Iran to the existing Russia, China, India, Brazil and South Africa.

The rise of the Brics+ has divided left opinion. Supporters claim it to be transformative, tipping the global balance against the G7 and spelling the end of US hegemony as bearers of a new international financial order and a more peaceful world.

Critics see, at best, a collection of disorderly capitalist states which, tied to the dollar and lacking political coherence, are in no position to form a real alternative to the existing global order and, in fact, do not even aspire to do so.

The significance of Brics+ should not be exaggerated: they are in no position to serve as a counterweight to the advanced capitalist states.

Brics+ comprises 33 per cent of world GDP (purchasing power parity), overtaking the G7 at 29 per cent. Nevertheless, given their members’ much lower per capita income and technological advancement, they remain far weaker.

What should not be missed here, though, is that Brics+ is, in fact, the driver of global growth. In the last 10 years, China and India alone comprised 47 per cent of world growth; now, according to the IMF, the average growth of the Brics+ this year will be close to 4 per cent while the sluggish G7 barely makes 1 per cent.

The adoption of partnerships for countries at Kazan as a stage to full membership also considerably amplifies Brics+ influence. The as-yet unconfirmed list of 13 partners includes Nigeria and Algeria, making all five of Africa’s largest economies part of the Brics+ zone while bringing in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, as well as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to extend Brics+ influence across the whole of Asia, a continent containing the world’s fastest-growing regions.

The Brics+ real significance lies in the future: in 10 to 15 years, China may become the leading world economic power; India, number three; new partner Indonesia, number five; with other new partners Malaysia, Nigeria and Thailand moving up the top 20.

Right now, with its reach into the different developing continents opening up new corridors of trade and communication, Brics+ is well placed to shape the multipolar future.

Predictions of Brics+ replacing the dollar-based global financial system are no more than a pipe dream.

Brics came together originally for economic reasons: to share opportunities for development, trade and investment, their large populations offering great mutual potential. Following the West’s freeze on Russian assets after its invasion of Ukraine, concerns about reducing reliance on the US dollar also became a priority.

Talk of dedollarisation has indeed been overhyped. The Brics+ aim as a collective is to end dollar hegemony — not to replace the dollar system but to reduce dependence on it. To this end, the group is developing a sanctions-proof cross-border payments system and has seen a notable increase in intra-Brics trading in local currencies, greatly reducing losses in exchange rate charges and currency fluctuations.

With Brics+ partners now added to the scheme, potentially 30-plus per cent of global trade could begin to transition away from using the dollar. Such a shift could spark the sell-off of US dollars on a large scale.

The fact is that much of world’s future development will not take place under US economic hegemony. Put another way, the Brics+ trajectory is towards gradually breaking the US monopoly of financial power.

Continue reading Understanding the role of BRICS+ in global progress

Xi Jinping visit to Peru and Brazil strengthens pivotal China-Latin America relationship

In the following article, commissioned by China Daily, Carlos Martinez provides a brief overview of Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Latin America, where he attended the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Lima, paid a state visit to Peru, attended the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, and paid a state visit to Brazil.

Carlos highlights the significance of the newly-inaugurated Chancay Port, which is set to provide enormous economic benefit not only to Peru but all the countries of the region, and which will substantially strengthen Latin American integration and trans-Pacific trade relationships.

Carlos contrasts the mutually-beneficial relationship between China and Latin America – and indeed the Global South more generally – with that between the US and Latin America, the US’s supposed “back yard”. China’s approach of respect for sovereignty, support for development, and non-interference in other countries’ affairs “stands in stark contrast to the neoliberal hegemony of the ‘Washington Consensus’, with its wars, destabilisation, unilateral sanctions, economic coercion, blackmail, tariffs, nuclear bullying, military alliances and overseas military bases.”

A version of this article is expected to appear in China Daily Global Edition in the coming days.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Lima, Peru, on 14 November to attend the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and to pay a state visit at the invitation of Peruvian President Peru Dina Boluarte Zegarra.

While in Peru, Xi participated by video link in the opening of the Chancay Port, about 48 miles north of Lima. Chancay is a deep-water port with 15 berths, capable of accommodating some of the world’s largest ships. A shared project of China and Peru, built as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), it will serve as a crucial gateway linking Latin America and Asia, as well as promoting Latin American economic integration. Furthermore, it is Latin America’s first smart, green, low-carbon port, featuring advanced technologies such as automated cranes and electric driverless trucks.

With the opening of the port, average transportation time from South America to the Asian market will be reduced from 35 to 25 days. The Chancay Port will be a major boost for the regional economy, will create vast numbers of jobs, and will help to reduce poverty and inequality. In Peru alone, the port is expected to generate an additional 4.5 billion US dollars of revenue – just under 2 percent of the country’s GDP – and to create thousands of jobs.

Given that Peru shares borders with Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia, the port will serve as the starting point of a land-sea corridor between China and Latin America, giving rise to a dramatic increase in trade, investment, cooperation and friendship.

On 17 November, President Xi travelled from Peru to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to attend the 19th G20 Summit and to pay a state visit at the invitation of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Particularly under the Workers Party (PT) governments of Lula and Dilma Rousseff, China-Brazil relations have gone from strength to strength in recent years. China has been Brazil’s largest trading partner for the last 15 years, and is a major investor in Brazilian industry and agriculture. Furthermore, Brazil is the largest supplier of agricultural imports to China.

At the conclusion of their bilateral meeting on 20 November, Presidents Xi and Lula announced that China Brazil ties would be elevated to a “community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet”. Furthermore, the two sides will cooperate closely to align Brazil’s development strategy with the BRI.

Far from treating Brazil simply as a source of primary goods, China is increasingly cooperating with the Latin American giant on green energy, digital innovation, economic diversification, advanced infrastructure and industrial modernisation.

Unlike the West, which has always jealously guarded its technological supremacy, China’s vision of a global community of shared future involves encouraging sustainable development and modernisation throughout the Global South. With China’s support, the countries of Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific are starting to break the chains of underdevelopment that were imposed by the colonial and imperialist powers.

Aside from the growing economic relationship, Xi Jinping wrote in a signed article in Brazilian media that “China and Brazil, embracing our roles and responsibilities as major countries, have contributed to a multipolar world, promoted greater democracy in international relations, and injected positive energy into global peace and stability”.

China and Brazil have taken the lead in trying to reach a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis and are aligned on attempting to bring about an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Both countries are pursuing sustainable development and modernisation, and both support a fair globalisation characterised by equality and common prosperity. In short, this is a relationship that is not only of great benefit to the two countries, but to the world as a whole.

In his speech at the G20 Summit, President Xi made a powerful call to “see the world as one community with a shared future, and shoulder our responsibility for history, take historical initiative and move history forward”. He insisted on the crucial importance of addressing global inequality, of supporting developing countries to achieve modernisation and pursue sustainable development, of supporting developing countries to adopt and integrate digital technologies, and of cooperating globally to tackle the environmental crisis.

The speech resonated loudly with the peoples of the Global South in particular. Xi’s words were a clear reiteration of China’s global vision of peace and common prosperity – which stands in stark contrast to the neoliberal hegemony of the ‘Washington Consensus’, with its wars, destabilisation, unilateral sanctions, economic coercion, blackmail, tariffs, nuclear bullying, military alliances and overseas military bases.

As the great Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro wrote in 2004, “China has objectively become the most promising hope and the best example for all Third World countries … an important element of balance, progress and safeguarding of world peace and stability”.

For that reason, the US is desperate to throw a spanner in the works; to disrupt the growing ties between China and Latin America, and between China and the Global South more generally. In October, Biden’s trade representative Katherine Tai said she “would encourage our friends in Brazil to look at the risks” of closer ties to China, hinting that the US would punish such unacceptable behaviour.

Shortly after the inauguration of the Chancay Port, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken turned up in Peru to announce a deal for 6 billion dollars’ worth of decades-old trains – presumably an unfortunate attempt to show that the US still has something to offer. A report in South China Morning Post remarked: “as Chinese President Xi Jinping inaugurated the US$3.5 billion Chancay port in Peru this month that promises to jump-start exports in the region and create a gateway to China, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken oversaw a ceremony just a few miles away to give US$6 million in 1980s diesel locomotives to the Andean nation… One was about the future, the other about the past.”

Donald Trump meanwhile is packing his cabinet with both China hawks and Latin America hawks, and will likely be even more aggressive in pressuring countries to toe the US line on China.

Such tactics will not work. The Financial Times reported on 20 November that “Joe Biden is losing to Xi Jinping in battle for Latin America”, noting that China is meeting the region’s enormous need for infrastructure investment.

The days of the Monroe Doctrine – enshrining the entire American super-continent as the US’s “sphere of influence” – are over. The nations of Latin America are asserting their sovereignty and are joining hands with the peoples of the world to reject hegemony and to create a future of global peace and common prosperity.

China’s global vision benefits all humanity

November 28, 2024, marked the 10th anniversary of Chinese President Xi Jinping first proposing the idea of major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.

Marking the anniversary, in a front-page article, China Daily noted that, “many scholars and officials have been impressed by how Beijing has showcased distinct Chinese characteristics, style and ethos in its diplomacy, and how it has been working on building the image of a confident, self-reliant, open and inclusive major country with a global vision over the past 10 years.”

It went on to quote our co-editor Keith Bennett, who spoke to the paper during his recent visit to Beijing, as saying that the Chinese characteristics of the country’s major country diplomacy include a number of components, including commitment to peace, dialogue, equality, mutual respect, non-interference and win-win cooperation.

“The Chinese policies are not based solely on the narrow national interest, or interest at the expense of other countries”, but instead have a global vision and “are for the benefit of all of humanity,” Keith noted.

The following article was first published by China Daily.

As President Xi Jinping wrapped up his trip to Latin America last week, observers noted that the year 2024 has been special for marking the 10th anniversaries of a range of landmark events, such as China’s hosting of the 2014 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Beijing and the founding of the Forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

Following these memorable moments, Thursday also marks the 10th anniversary of another landmark event in China’s foreign policy history — Xi’s proposing of the idea of major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.

Many scholars and officials have been impressed by how Beijing has showcased distinct Chinese characteristics, style and ethos in its diplomacy, and how it has been working on building the image of a confident, self-reliant, open and inclusive major country with a global vision over the past 10 years.

In the eyes of Keith Bennett, a London-based senior analyst on international relations and co-editor of the Friends of Socialist China platform, the Chinese characteristics of the country’s major country diplomacy include a number of components, such as the country’s commitment to peace, dialogue, equality, mutual respect, noninterference and win-win cooperation.

“The Chinese policies are not based solely on the narrow national interest, or interest at the expense of other countries”, but instead have a global vision and “are for the benefit of all of humanity,” he said.

On Nov 28, 2014, Xi stated in his speech at the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs that China “must have a major country diplomacy with its own characteristics”.

In March 2016, the concept of major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics was for the first time clearly stated in the annual Government Work Report.

Analysts said the concept has been developed in the past decade and has seen its theoretical architecture greatly taking shape and its supporting pillars being built.

The Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs held in December last year identified the theme of China’s external work as building a community with a shared future for mankind, which is also the noble goal pursued by China in conducting major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.

The conference decided that the current and future work on foreign affairs should follow the principles of “self-confidence and self-reliance, openness and inclusiveness, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation” — the guidelines of major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.

“The concept helps to explain the definition and the underlying logic of China’s diplomacy,” said Chen Xulong, a professor of multilateral diplomacy and United Nations’ reform studies at the University of International Business and Economics.

The concept calls for the country to act as a major country should, shoulder its duties, meet the challenges, and make contributions to global governance, he said.

“A range of outstanding, distinct qualities of Chinese culture have been endorsed by this concept, including the consistent pursuit of a peaceful rise, objecting to hegemony and subscribing to innovation,” he added.

In an article published in January in Qiushi Journal, the flagship magazine of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrote that “major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era builds on and carries forward New China’s diplomacy”.

“China has become a responsible major country with enhanced international influence, stronger capacity to steer new endeavors and greater moral appeal,” he wrote.

“Head-of-state diplomacy has played an important and irreplaceable role in major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era”, he added.

At a bilateral meeting with Xi on the sidelines of the 31st APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Lima, Peru, on Nov 15, Chilean President Gabriel Boric brought a copy of the fourth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, one of Xi’s books.

Boric presented the book to Xi and invited him to sign it.

Nadia Helmy, an associate professor of political science at Beni Suef University in Egypt and an expert on Chinese politics and Asian affairs, said, “We find that China has achieved fruitful diplomatic results, as the diplomacy of the Chinese head of state, Comrade Xi Jinping, played a strategic guiding role.”

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics “led China to achieve tangible achievements in the field of Beijing’s foreign policy and international relations, (and) brought China closer to assuming the forefront of the global scene”, she wrote in an article published in January.

She listed some main points of China’s major country diplomacy, such as “maintaining justice while seeking to achieve common interests at the political and economic levels”, “sincere and friendly international relations with the developing countries” and “building a new type of relations between major countries”.

Regarding his expectations for China’s major country diplomacy in the next 10 years and beyond, Bennett, the London-based international relations analyst, said that China is expected to win more support and more understanding from more countries, as there is “quite a strong contrast” between “the worldview and practice of China and the worldview and practice of most other major powers”.

China-facilitated reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran continues to make progress

The reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which was facilitated by China last year, continues to make progress despite imperialist attempts to derail it, which would see Saudi Arabia return to the tawdry path of the ‘Abraham Accords’, recognise Israel and also return to confrontation with Tehran and other contingents of the ‘Axis of Resistance’.

In a significant step, with important regional ramifications, the second meeting of the China-Saudi Arabia-Iran Trilateral Joint Committee was held in the Saudi city of Riyadh on November 19, 2024, to follow up on the implementation of the Beijing Agreement of April 2023. All three countries were represented at deputy foreign minister level.

Saudi Arabia and Iran reaffirmed their commitment to all provisions of the Beijing Agreement as well as their continued efforts to consolidate good-neighbourly and friendly relations between the two countries by adhering to the United Nations Charter, the Charter of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and international law, including respecting national sovereignty, independence and security. Saudi Arabia and Iran welcomed the continued positive role of China and held that China’s support and follow-up to the implementation of the Beijing Agreement is of great importance.

They noted that the current escalation of regional tensions will have serious consequences for regional and global security. Against this backdrop, it is very important for senior officials from Saudi Arabia and Iran to engage in contacts, meetings, and mutual visits. The participating parties appreciated the progress made in consular services between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which enabled more than 87,000 Iranian pilgrims to perform Hajj, and more than 25,000 Iranian pilgrims to perform Umrah rituals with ease and security in the first ten months of 2024. (Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca [the most sacred city in Islam], Saudi Arabia, which all Muslims are required to perform at least once in their lives if they are able. It takes place in a ten-day period, starting on 1 and ending on 10 Dhu al-Hijjah, the twelfth and last month of the Islamic [lunar] calendar. The Umrah is also a pilgrimage to Mecca but, unlike Hajj, may be undertaken at any time of the year.)

The three countries also called for an immediate end to the Israeli military operations in both Palestine and Lebanon, condemn the Israeli attack and its violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran, and call for ensuring the unimpeded flow of humanitarian and relief aid to Palestine and Lebanon. And they reaffirmed their support for a comprehensive political solution to the Yemeni issue in accordance with internationally recognised principles and under the auspices of the United Nations.

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

The second meeting of the China-Saudi Arabia-Iran Trilateral Joint Committee was held in Riyadh on November 19, 2024, to follow up on the implementation of the Beijing Agreement. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Eng. Waleed bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji, with the participation of the Chinese delegation headed by Vice Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China Deng Li and the Iranian delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran for Political Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi.

Saudi Arabia and Iran reaffirmed their commitment to all provisions of the Beijing Agreement, and their continued efforts to consolidate good-neighborly and friendly relations between the two countries by adhering to the United Nations Charter, the Charter of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and international law, including respecting national sovereignty, independence and security. Saudi Arabia and Iran welcomed the continued positive role of China and held that China’s support and follow-up to the implementation of the Beijing Agreement is of great importance.

China stressed its readiness to continue to support and encourage the steps taken by Saudi Arabia and Iran towards developing their relations in various fields.

The three countries welcomed the continuous progress in Saudi Arabia-Iran relations, which provides opportunities for direct exchanges between the two countries at all levels and across all sectors. The current escalation of regional tensions will have serious consequences for regional and global security. Against this backdrop, it is very important for senior officials from Saudi Arabia and Iran to engage in contacts, meetings, and mutual visits. The participating parties appreciated the progress made in consular services between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which enabled more than 87,000 Iranian pilgrims to perform Hajj, and more than 25,000 Iranian pilgrims to perform Umrah rituals with ease and security in the first ten months of 2024. They also appreciated the convening of the first meeting of the Saudi-Iranian Joint Media Committee, and the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Prince Saud Al-Faisal Institute for Diplomatic Studies and the Institute of Political and International Studies of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Saudi Arabia and Iran also expressed their readiness to sign a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, and the three countries look forward to expanding trilateral cooperation in economic, political and other fields.

The three countries call for an immediate end to the Israeli military operations in both Palestine and Lebanon, condemn the Israeli attack and its violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran, and call for ensuring the unimpeded flow of humanitarian and relief aid to Palestine and Lebanon. The three countries hold that the ongoing cycle of violence and escalation poses a serious threat to the security of the region and the world, including maritime security.

The three countries reaffirm their support for a comprehensive political solution to the Yemeni issue in accordance with internationally recognized principles under the auspices of the United Nations.

Interview: Socialism holds its ground and grows stronger with China’s contribution

In a recent interview with the Global Times, Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez discusses China’s development over the past 75 years and the role it plays in the world today.

The interview discusses the forthcoming Chinese translation of Carlos’s book The East is Still Red – Chinese Socialism in the 21st Century, and its significance for Chinese readers:

I hope Chinese readers will feel encouraged to know that there are people in the UK, Europe and the US that oppose the new cold war; that oppose the campaign of containment and encirclement against China; that stand for peace and multipolarity; and that want to see close cooperation in pursuit of peace, prosperity, ecological conservation and a sustainable future for our shared planet. The concepts of “common prosperity” and “building a community with a shared future for mankind” have relevance and resonance among progressive circles in the West.

In response to the question of what the Western left can learn from China, Carlos notes that “China is taking extraordinary, unprecedented steps forward on poverty alleviation, renewable energy, biodiversity protection and more”. These are successes of the global socialist movement, and the Western left can learn and take inspiration from them.

Addressing the “China threat” theory, Carlos points out that China’s record is remarkably peaceful:

China has not been at war for many decades. It does not maintain a global infrastructure of hegemony, unlike the US, which has over 800 overseas military bases, in addition to troop and weapons deployments around the world… On the global stage, China stands consistently and firmly for peace. It has put forward detailed and viable proposals for peace in Ukraine and Gaza. So where is the threat?

Editor’s Note: Recently, an English-language collection of essays, People’s China at 75 – The Flag Stays Red, was launched to examine China’s trajectory since 1949. British author and independent political commentator Carlos Martinez (Martinez) was one of its co-editors. Martinez has been trying to help Western people better understand China’s development in its different phases and aspects. In a recent interview with Global Times (GT) reporters Xia Wenxin and Xu Jiatong, Martinez shared his view on China’s marvellous successes over the past 75 years, as well as its contributions to the world, including to the socialist movement.

GT: When we interviewed you last year, your book The East is Still Red – Chinese Socialism in the 21st Century (hereafter, The East is Still Red) had just come out and gained international attention. Now, the Chinese version of the book is about to come out. How do you feel about this? What do you hope Chinese readers can grasp from this book?

Martinez: I’m very excited and honored that The East is Still Red will be published in Chinese. Although the book was written primarily for the Western audience so that they could come to understand modern China better, I hope it will be useful for some Chinese people to see how Marxists in the West view China and how Chinese socialism becomes an inspiration to the global socialist movement.

I think the analysis of the West’s vicious anti-China propaganda will be interesting for Chinese readers, who may struggle to understand the reasons for the West’s hostility and its slander campaign in relation to Xinjiang, Tibet (Xizang), Hong Kong and other affairs.

And I hope Chinese readers will feel encouraged to know that there are people in the UK, Europe and the US that oppose the new cold war; that oppose the campaign of containment and encirclement against China; that stand for peace and multipolarity; and that want to see close cooperation in pursuit of peace, prosperity, ecological conservation and a sustainable future for our shared planet. The concepts of “common prosperity” and “building a community with a shared future for mankind” have relevance and resonance among progressive circles in the West.

GT: This year marks the 75th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Which aspect of China’s development during this period has impressed you the most? How do you view China’s contribution to the world in the past 75 years?

Martinez: The founding of the PRC constituted a profound turning point for the Chinese people after thousands of years of feudalism and then a century of invasion, domination, unequal treaties, chaos, warlord rule and intense poverty. Living standards have risen continuously since 1949. Life expectancy has risen from around 35 to 78 – several years above the global average.

China has advanced from being a very poor and technologically backward country to being a global leader in science and technology. It has eliminated extreme poverty. It is making by far the greatest contribution to the struggle against climate breakdown. It has leaped from a “low” Human Development Index (HDI) 30 years ago to a “high” HDI today and is on the cusp of moving into the “very high” group. It is building its own path to modernization.

Looking at the global scale, China has provided crucial support to national liberation movements and countries in the Global South. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence continue to provide a framework for relations between countries, particularly developing countries. Via the Belt and Road Initiative and other initiatives, China is sharing its infrastructure development expertise and providing a means for the countries of Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, the Caribbean and the Pacific to break out of underdevelopment.

And, of course, China is a force for peace. Its foreign policy is based on negotiated solutions to problems, the pursuit of peace, mutual benefit and global friendship. This is a very important contribution to the world.

GT: In a recent article, you urged the Western left to “learn a great deal from China” and “take a great deal of inspiration from it.” Could you please elaborate on this?

Martinez: China, along with the other socialist countries, is building socialism. So, people around the world who support the process of building socialism should seek to learn from China. The people of China are “taking part in the practice of changing reality,” and they are the trailblazers of the left globally, so we should learn from them.

Furthermore, China is taking extraordinary, unprecedented steps forward on poverty alleviation, renewable energy, biodiversity protection and more. In my view, the successes in those areas are successes of the global socialist movement, and the Western left could take inspiration from them. 

In 1989, Deng Xiaoping said that “so long as socialism does not collapse in China, it will always hold its ground in the world.” Thirty-five years later, socialism is still holding its ground in the world, and growing in strength, thanks in no small part to China.

GT: What are the common misunderstandings about China and its development in the West? Why could China’s development lead some in the West to the sense of being “threatened”?

Martinez: The notion of China as a threat to some people in the West is patently absurd. Unlike the NATO countries, China’s record is remarkably peaceful. China has not been at war for many decades. It does not maintain a global infrastructure of hegemony, unlike the US, which has over 800 overseas military bases, in addition to troop and weapons deployments around the world. Of the nuclear powers, China is the only one to maintain a consistent policy of no first use and to pledge never to use – or threaten to use – nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear state.

China is accused of aggression in the South China Sea, and yet there is not a single instance of China preventing normal, non-military navigation. Regarding the Taiwan question, China’s position of working toward peaceful reunification has not meaningfully changed in many decades, and the one-China principle is recognized by the majority of the world’s countries. 

On the global stage, China stands consistently and firmly for peace. It has put forward detailed and viable proposals for peace in Ukraine and Gaza. So where is the threat? This “threat” seems to be unacceptable to those working toward a Project for a New American Century, and therefore, they slander China and wage a propaganda war against it.

GT: You have been introducing the real China to your audience in the West. What do you think is an effective narrative for China to tell its story to the world?

Martinez: On the basis that “actions speak louder than words,” I think China should continue what it’s doing.

Its progress on environmental issues – becoming the world’s first renewable energy superpower and blazing a trail on biodiversity protection and water management – is very inspiring to people around the world who are concerned with preventing climate breakdown.

China’s successes in poverty alleviation and improving the living standards of its people are also drawing admiration. And China’s orientation toward peace and its principled positions in international relations are opening people’s eyes. 

Increasingly, people are coming to reject the relentless anti-China propaganda they’re fed.

China takes forward the legacy of the October Revolution

On Saturday October 26, the Newport and Gwent Valleys [South Wales] branch of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB) organized a very successful fund-raising social to celebrate the anniversary of the 1917 October Socialist Revolution. It was attended by members and supporters of the CPB, the Young Communist League and the Communist Party of India (Marxist), along with other friends from the labour, trade union and progressive movements. The more formal part of the afternoon was chaired and introduced by CPB General Secretary Robert Griffiths. Short videos were shown of the 1945 victory parade in Moscow marking the triumph over Nazi fascism and of the famed African-American artist and revolutionary Paul Robeson singing the Soviet national anthem. Following this, Robert introduced the guest speaker, Keith Bennett from Friends of Socialist China.

We publish below the main body of Keith’s talk.

The October Revolution was a truly great event in world history – one that remains worthy of celebration. The account given by the US communist journalist John Reed has a highly apposite title – ‘Ten Days that Shook the World’.

Indeed, this was a revolution that not only shook but changed the world forever. Even though the Soviet Union itself tragically no longer exists, after the October Revolution nothing was ever the same again or could ever be the same again.

The Soviet Union represented the first sustained attempt by working people to hold and maintain power. Throughout its lifetime there were both great achievements as well as some significant mistakes.

But whatever the mistakes or shortcomings, the Soviet Union was the first country to legislate for the equality of women and men. The first to guarantee universal and free education and health care. The first to ensure full employment and the right to paid annual holidays for all workers and farmers.

Entire nationalities were provided with a written script for the first time. Visiting Soviet Uzbekistan in the 1980s, I learned how that vast republic went from some two percent literacy to universal literacy in barely a couple of decades.

Above all, the Soviet Union bore the brunt of the World Anti-Fascist War in Europe, sacrificing the lives of 27 million of its citizens to defeat Nazism.

Support from the Soviet Union played a vital role in the dismantling of the old colonial empires and the victory of the national liberation movements.

And the threat of the Soviet example played a significant role in forcing the ruling class in this and other major capitalist countries to make concessions to the working class in the form of the ‘welfare state’.

Some years ago, when Gordon Brown was Prime Minister, the Tories, who, of course had bitterly opposed the creation of the NHS, took to deriding it as “Stalinist”. On first consideration, this might seem to be a risible and ridiculous claim. Nevertheless, it expresses a certain truth that such gains for working people did indeed flow in no small measure from the fear of the ruling class that their populations might follow the Soviet road.

That mistakes were made, and even crimes committed, in the course of building socialism in the USSR is undeniable. But, whilst detailed assessment of these is not possible today, what we really must do is place them in a context where the imperialist ruling class was never reconciled to the existence of the Soviet Union and the threat it posed. Not the military threat claimed by the cold warriors, but the threat of a good example. In that sense, it is reasonable to conclude that, throughout its entire history, the Soviet Union never enjoyed even a single day of true peace.

We were, however, told that, with the collapse of the Soviet Union there would at last be a ‘peace dividend’. No more wars.

Instead, we got the exact opposite. No peace dividend but rather austerity and the rolling back of the welfare state. And above all, we entered a period of constant and endless wars. In former Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Lebanon, Yemen, Somalia, and elsewhere. Through to today’s appalling genocide in Palestine, and the spiraling conflict throughout the region, as well as NATO’s proxy war in Ukraine.

And this brings me to the question of China.

The October Revolution was by no means a simple national phenomenon. Rather it inaugurated an entirely new period of world history – that of the long transition (with all its victories and setbacks) from capitalism to socialism on a worldwide scale.

In his last published article, ‘Better Fewer But Better’, Lenin turned to consideration as to whether the Soviet state could survive – a matter about which he was never sanguine. But he concluded on a note of revolutionary optimism that:

“In the last analysis, the outcome of the struggle will be determined by the fact that Russia, India, China, etc., account for the overwhelming majority of the population of the globe. And during the past few years it is this majority that has been drawn into the struggle for emancipation with extraordinary rapidity, so that in this respect there cannot be the slightest doubt what the final outcome of the world struggle will be. In this sense, the complete victory of socialism is fully and absolutely assured.”

In a very real sense, therefore, the liberation of China, and the founding of the People’s Republic, whose 75th anniversary we have just celebrated, arose from the October Revolution. In his 1949 article, ‘On the People’s Democratic Dictatorship’, Mao Zedong explained:

Continue reading China takes forward the legacy of the October Revolution

Keir Starmer dares to lecture President Xi on human rights?!

As we reported last week, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held his first in-person meeting with President Xi Jinping on November 18 on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. As we noted in our introduction to that report, “much of the goodwill generated by the meeting would have been spoiled by Starmer’s tactless and undiplomatic behaviour in publicly raising a number of contentious issues”.

In the video embedded below, Andy Boreham, a journalist from New Zealand who lives in Shanghai and speaks fluent Mandarin, reports on the meeting, observing that Britain is not in a position to lecture China on human rights, given its shameful support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its repression of British citizens who express solidarity with the Palestinian people, including Asa Winstanley and Craig Murray.

Mr Starmer, you have absolutely no right to lecture anyone on human rights.

Andy notes that Starmer also raised the case of Jimmy Lai, who is charged with conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and to publish seditious material. Andy points out that “Lai used his influence and money to try to destabilize China. He’s now facing the legal consequences of his actions – consequences he’d face in any country, including the UK.”

The video also takes up the story that appeared in the Western media that Chinese officials “kicked out” British journalists when Starmer raised the issue of human rights. Andy explains that it’s standard practice for journalists to only be allowed to attend the first few minutes of meetings between world leaders, before the discussion of substantive issues begins, and this is exactly what happened in this instance.

The video was first posted on the Reports on China YouTube channel.

Fu Cong: Can the deaths of 44,000 people not win even a little bit of sympathy from the US?

In a move that underlined both its shameful and criminal support for the genocide of the Palestinian people, as well as its increasing isolation in the international community, on November 20, the United States yet again vetoed a resolution in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The resolution was jointly presented by the current ten non-permanent UNSC members: Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Republic of [South] Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Switzerland. Four of the five permanent members – Britain, China, France and Russia – also voted in favour of the resolution. It failed to pass due to the single vote of the United States, which, along with the other permanent members, holds the power of veto.

In a heartfelt and eloquent statement following the vote, Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong stated:

“The US single use of veto has shattered the Gazan people’s hope for survival and pushed them further into darkness and desperation… We cannot imagine how the vote today, as well as the Council’s failure to respond to the Gaza conflict over the past 13 months, can escape the harsh judgment of history.”

He continued:

“In the future, when looking back, people will find it hard to believe… Now, nearly 44,000 people have been killed in Gaza, and the US still do not hesitate to use its veto. 44,000. This is not just a number. Behind it could be a child, a nursing mother, or a breadwinner of a family. The loss of each and every one of them means eternal pain for the surviving relatives. People cannot help but ask: do Palestinian lives mean nothing? Can the deaths of 44,000 people not win even a little bit of sympathy from the United States?…

“In the future, when looking back, people will surely feel indignant. Israel has flagrantly breached every red line of international humanitarian law, with its actions causing an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. But even as a famine is about to break out in Gaza, the United States always seems to be able to find justification to defend Israel… People never knew before how low one could stoop in terms of double standard. No wonder people feel angry.”

The next day, the UNSC held a briefing on Syria. Chinese Ambassador Geng Shuang noted:

“Over the past month, Israel has continued to carry out air strikes against Syria, causing heavy casualties. The actions by Israel gravely violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. China expresses its strong condemnation… China calls on the parties concerned to effectively respect the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of Syria and immediately cease their illegal military actions against Syria.”

He continued: “The rising tensions in Lebanon recently have caused an influx of more than 500,000 refugees into Syria, further exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation there. China applauds the positive actions taken by the UN agencies in their efforts to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to those in need. We welcome the Syrian Government’s decision to extend the authorisation for the relevant border crossings and commend the Government’s efforts in making proper arrangements to host refugees… China reiterates that the unilateral sanctions imposed against Syria by certain countries should be lifted without delay, and the illegal plundering of Syrian resources [principally of Syrian oil by the United States] should stop forthwith, in order to create favourable conditions for the Syrian economy to recover and develop.”

Geng Shuang concluded: “China firmly supports the Syrian Government in its efforts to fight terrorism. We call on the international community to reject double standard in accordance with international law and Council resolutions and join hands in the spirit of zero tolerance to support the Syrian Government in combating terrorist forces within its borders.”

Earlier, at a UNSC meeting prior to the vote on the Gaza resolution, held on November 18, Ambassador Fu Cong had stated:

“Over the past 13 months, the conflict in Gaza and the situation in the Middle East have continued to take the most prominent place on the Security Council’s agenda. We considered the issue frequently, yet the situation continued to worsen. We adopted resolutions requesting an immediate ceasefire, yet a ceasefire remains elusive to this day. Instead, the fighting has only intensified. We unanimously requested the protection of civilians, yet we saw that international humanitarian law seemed to exist in name only, with tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians deprived of their lives in collective punishment. Time and again, we requested expanding humanitarian assistance, yet Israel repeatedly cut off humanitarian supplies and attacked humanitarian assistance personnel. We made countless warnings against the spillover of the conflict, yet we saw reckless adventurism and the constantly spreading flames of war. We have to painfully admit that on the Palestinian question, the Security Council has failed to effectively discharge its duties and has failed to respond to the expectations of the international community, which one can say is most disappointing.

“However, it needs to be pointed out that the unsatisfactory performance of the Security Council is not caused by differences between some countries and some others, but rather due to the fact that one permanent member has been on the opposite side of the international community. Had it not been for the repeated exercise of the veto by the US or its claim that Security Council resolutions are not binding, the Security Council would not have been so weak and incompetent. Had it not been for the continued provision of weapons by the US, the war would not have lasted for so long and would not have caused such massive destruction.”

China’s representative further expressed “grave concerns over reports that Israel is seeking to station its military in Gaza for the long term, build its so-called buffer zone, and even rebuild settlements. We reiterate that any acts to change the population or territory of Gaza are unacceptable. The future governance arrangement for Gaza should be determined independently by the Palestinian people. The illegal settlements in the West Bank erode the foundation for establishing an independent state of Palestine. The dangerous attempts to annex the West Bank will completely bury the prospects of peace in the Middle East. The international community must firmly reject them.”

An article by columnist Alex Lo, published in the South China Morning Post on November 22, carried the subtitle, “Disgraceful veto of draft ceasefire resolution by US coincides with arrest warrants by International Criminal Court for Israeli pair [Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Gallant] on war crimes.”

Continue reading Fu Cong: Can the deaths of 44,000 people not win even a little bit of sympathy from the US?

Podcast: Keith Bennett on the past, present and future of the People’s Republic of China

We embed below an interview with our co-editor Keith Bennett produced by Spectre – a Scottish-based communist podcast.

In conversation with Nathan Hennebry, recorded on November 20, 2024, Keith outlines the origins of his own interest in China and how Friends of Socialist China has developed over the last three years.  They go on to discuss a range of topics, including the history of the Chinese revolution, how socialist democracy is practiced in China and the relationship of ‘yellow peril’ Sinophobia to the new Cold War.

Keith’s interview, and Spectre’s other podcasts, can also be listened to across a variety of media.

Xi Jinping meets with Mexican President Sheinbaum and Bolivian President Arce

Among the bilateral meetings that Chinese President Xi Jinping held with his counterparts on the sidelines of the recent 19th G20 Leaders’ Summit, held in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, particular significance should be attached to those with two of Latin America’s progressive leaders.

On November 18, President Xi met with Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, the recently elected President of Mexico.

Xi said that China and Mexico should continue to enhance exchanges, renew friendship, make good use of the highly complementary nature of the two economies, constantly advance practical cooperation and push for all-round development of bilateral relations in the new era. He once again congratulated Sheinbaum on becoming the first female president in the history of Mexico, and recalled his visit to Mexico in 2013, which he said had left a deep and unforgettable impression.

Sheinbaum expressed her pleasure in meeting Xi, noting that she fully agrees with Xi’s assessment of the relationship between the two countries. Although Mexico and China are far apart in distance, their ties are very close. She also expressed her gratitude for China’s generous and sincere assistance during Mexico’s difficult times, such as the hurricane disaster, which is testament to the friendship between the two peoples.

The following day, Xi met with Bolivian President Luis Arce and called on China and Bolivia to align the Belt and Road Initiative with Bolivia’s 2025 development plan.

Noting that China and Bolivia are good friends and good brothers, Xi said that bilateral relations have maintained a sound momentum of development in recent years. China supports Bolivia in independently exploring a development path suited to its national conditions and is willing to take the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Bolivia next year as an opportunity to carry forward the traditional friendship, deepen strategic mutual trust, expand win-win cooperation and lead the China-Bolivia strategic partnership to a new level.

The Chinese leader stressed that the two sides should strengthen exchanges between governments, legislatures and political parties as well as at local level, carry out in-depth exchanges on governance experience, and expand cooperation in infrastructure construction, plateau agriculture, green development and digital economy.

They should also deepen coordination within multilateral mechanisms, including the United Nations and BRICS, to promote unity, self-improvement and common development among Global South countries, he said, adding that China supports the integration of Latin America and stands ready to work with Bolivia to strengthen the building of such mechanisms as the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum.

Hailing the profound and brotherly friendship between Bolivia and China, Arce expressed gratitude to China for helping Bolivia in its fight against COVID-19 and its efforts to promote Bolivia’s economic and social development. China has made remarkable accomplishments in its modernisation process under Xi’s leadership, providing valuable experiences and guidance for the development of Bolivia and other countries, he added.

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

Xi calls for all-round development of China-Mexico relations in new era

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that China and Mexico should continue to enhance exchanges, renew friendship, make good use of the highly complementary nature of the two economies, constantly advance practical cooperation and push for all-round development of bilateral relations in the new era.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo on the sidelines of the 19th G20 Leaders’ Summit.

Continue reading Xi Jinping meets with Mexican President Sheinbaum and Bolivian President Arce