Friends of Socialist China, Author at Friends of Socialist China

Panama Canal: the next flashpoint of US imperialism?

In this eyewitness account, Tan Wah Piow reports on the mood in Panama, along with the background to the issue, following US President Donald Trump’s brazen threats to “take back” the canal that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Referring to Trump’s “audacity”, Wah Piow notes that: “This is a thriving sovereign nation, a regional financial powerhouse, and, as of January 2025, a newly elected [non-permanent] member of the UN Security Council.”

Citing a vast field of Panamanian flags he saw from his taxi, he notes: “His [the taxi driver’s] words brought back memories of the Museo Canal exhibit on the 1964 Martyrs Day incident when US troops killed 21 Panamanian students for asserting their right to raise the national flag in the US-controlled Canal Zone. The 1964 incident remains deeply ingrained in Panamanian consciousness, symbolising the people’s struggle for independence and control of the Canal.

“That incident was a rallying cry for international solidarity against US imperialism in Latin America. Even Chairman Mao of China issued a statement on January 12, 1964, published in Hong Qi, the Chinese Communist Party’s official organ, supporting the ‘great patriotic struggle’ of the Panamanian people. Back then, China had no diplomatic ties in the region beyond Cuba, and there was no Chinese shipping through the Canal.

“The 1964 Martyrs Day protests ultimately led to the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties, which ceded sovereignty of the Canal to Panama. Under these agreements, Panama gained full control of the Canal in perpetuity.”

Trump’s remarks, he explains, were not merely a one-off provocation or a bargaining tactic, followed as they were by a threatening visit by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“Today,” Wah Piow notes, “the Panama Canal sees 14,000 vessels annually, handling 5 per cent of global shipping. China-US trade accounts for about 20 per cent of its traffic, while China-Latin American trade represents another 15-20 per cent. Studies suggest this volume is set to rise, with China already having surpassed the US as the primary trading partner of countries such as Brazil, Chile, and Peru. Trump’s renewed interest in the Canal appears driven by the fear that China is outpacing the US in Latin America.”

He calls on the international community to defend Panamanian sovereignty, “otherwise, a US power play to uphold its imperialist interests could threaten not just Panama but the economic stability of an entire region long hindered by dependence on Washington.”

Tan Wah Piow, a retired London lawyer, has been in exile from Singapore since 1976. He was imprisoned as a student leader for his activism and is Singapore’s most well-known exile. He is also a member of the Friends of Socialist China Advisory Group. He visited Panama in February 2025. This article was originally published in the Morning Star.

Leaving the Museo Canal at Panama Viejo, a Unesco World Heritage Site, I made my way to the Miraflores visitor centre — now a popular spot to witness US imperialism’s refocus on its Central and South American backyard.

It was a pleasant drive along a well-landscaped avenue lined with modern office buildings, banks, and shopping centres that reflect Panama’s booming economy. The ride quickly transitions from the historic ruins of the first European city on the Pacific coast to the sleek skyline of Costa del Este, a planned urban district filled with glass skyscrapers, luxury condos, and multinational corporate headquarters.

The Pacific Ocean stretches toward the horizon, and on the right, high-rise buildings tower in the distance. Downtown Panama City, with its unmistakable F&F Tower’s twisting glass structure, the gleaming towers of global banks, upscale malls, and five-star hotels — symbol of Panama’s role as an international trade hub.

Panama City stands as a testament to the country’s modernity; some may say it is a trophy of neoliberalism. Home to about 55 per cent of Panama’s 4.5 million people, this is hardly the image of a forgotten backwater.

As I took in the urban skyline, I wondered how US President Donald Trump could have the audacity to utter his “take back the Canal” rhetoric as though Panama was some insignificant, godforsaken failed state. This is a thriving sovereign nation, a regional financial powerhouse, and, as of January 2025, a newly elected member of the UN security council.

Approaching Miraflores, my Uber driver pointed out a striking sight — a vast field of Panamanian flags planted on the lawn. At first, I thought it was a modernist art installation. “Planting flags very popular — after Trump’s ‘Recuperar el Canal’ and ‘tomar el Canal de nuevo,’” he explained in broken English. Even without full knowledge of Spanish, I got the gist.

His words brought back memories of the Museo Canal exhibit on the 1964 Martyrs Day incident when US troops killed 21 Panamanian students for asserting their right to raise the national flag in the US-controlled Canal Zone. The 1964 incident remains deeply ingrained in Panamanian consciousness, symbolising the people’s struggle for independence and control of the Canal.

Martyrs Day is still a public holiday, commemorating the sacrifices made to reclaim national sovereignty. The flag-raising dispute even made the cover of Newsweek on January 24, 1964.

That incident was a rallying cry for international solidarity against US imperialism in Latin America. Even Chairman Mao of China issued a statement on January 12, 1964, published in HongQi, the Chinese Communist Party’s official organ, supporting the “great patriotic struggle” of the Panamanian people. Back then, China had no diplomatic ties in the region beyond Cuba, and there was no Chinese shipping through the Canal.

The 1964 Martyrs Day protests ultimately led to the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties, which ceded sovereignty of the Canal to Panama. Under these agreements, Panama gained full control of the Canal in perpetuity, nullifying any lingering US claims of unilateral intervention. At the formal handover ceremony on December 14, 1999, former US president Jimmy Carter told Panama’s President Mireya Moscoso, “It’s yours.”

For Panamanians, the 50-mile-long Panama Canal is a powerful symbol of national sovereignty and identity, serving as the foundation of their nation’s role as a vital link between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Hence, when Trump in January 2025 described the Canal’s transfer as a “disgrace” and alleged that it had fallen under Chinese influence, it reignited painful memories of the 1964 massacre.

The Chinese embassy in Panama swiftly rejected the accusation, as did Hong Kong-based Hutchison, which manages two Panamanian ports. Notably, Hutchison, a publicly traded company, does not control the Panama Canal’s operations.

At the Miraflores Locks, as a massive vessel passed through, a taped announcement reassured visitors that the Panama Canal was under the sole control of the Panama Canal Authority, an independent Panamanian entity. The message emphasised that all vessels transiting the Canal must be piloted by Panamanian captains, who know “every inch” of the waterway. The repetition of this assurance suggested it was directed at US tourists, encouraging them to counter misinformation back home.

Unfortunately, Trump’s remarks were not merely a one-off provocation or a bargaining tactic for free US shipping passage. He complained about transit fees despite all nations paying the same rates. More alarmingly, he dispatched Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Panama with a message that Washington wanted to reclaim control of the Canal, citing alleged Chinese influence. Rubio warned that unless there were “immediate changes,” the US would take necessary steps to “safeguard its rights.”

Even before Rubio’s arrival, protests erupted. The Tico Times reported that demonstrators “categorically reject the US attempts to turn Panama into a protectorate and a colony again.” Teachers’ union leader Diogenes Sanchez declared, “We are going to fight to defend our national sovereignty.”

Meanwhile, Senator Ted Cruz spearheaded a parallel attack from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. A veteran anti-China hawk, Cruz made unsubstantiated claims about China’s threat to the neutrality of the Canal, stating, “The Panama Canal is too important to be left vulnerable to Chinese influence. The US has a responsibility to ensure that the Canal remains neutral and secure, even if that means taking decisive action.”

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino firmly asserted that the Canal’s sovereignty is “non-negotiable,” yet some domestic critics accused him of yielding to US pressure. Mulino denied claims that US government vessels were exempted from transit fees, calling such reports “lies and falsehoods” propagated by the US State Department. Although Rubio did not repeat the “free transit” claim, he protested that the fees were “absurd.”

Up to 15 per cent of Panama’s GDP is derived from the Canal and its related industries, and with the country’s dollarised economy making the US its largest trading partner, Washington has leverage to exert economic blackmail. Newsweek reported in January 2025 that Panama had abruptly decided not to renew a trade and development agreement with China — a decision President Mulino attributed to “external pressures.”

Had a non-Western nation applied such coercion, the US and European capitals would have responded with deafening condemnations. Yet, Western champions of the “rules-based international order” remain conspicuous in their silence.

Today, the Panama Canal sees 14,000 vessels annually, handling 5 per cent of global shipping. China-US trade accounts for about 20 per cent of its traffic, while China-Latin American trade represents another 15-20 per cent. Studies suggest this volume is set to rise, with China already having surpassed the US as the primary trading partner of countries such as Brazil, Chile, and Peru.

Trump’s renewed interest in the Canal appears driven by the fear that China is outpacing the US in Latin America. The global community, especially the EU and Britain — which claim to uphold international law — must act decisively to protect the Canal’s neutrality and, most importantly, Panama’s sovereignty.

Otherwise, a US power play to uphold its imperialist interests could threaten not just Panama but the economic stability of an entire region long hindered by dependence on Washington.

Communicating the principles of Marxism-Leninism to the young generation

What follows is the text of a speech given by Fiona Sim (co-founder of the Black Liberation Alliance and member of the Friends of Socialist China Britain Committee) at our recent bilateral webinar with Renmin University of China, held on 26 February 2026.

Fiona describes the economic, political and ideological conditions faced by young people in the West in the present era: a brutal neoliberalism, characterised by rising poverty, inequality and alienation; witnessing devastating wars and seemingly inevitable climate collapse; and being fed relentless propaganda fomenting “a culture of nihilism and pessimism”.

In academia, ruling class ideology prevails and seeks to either ignore Marxism or to paint it as some sort of failed experiment. Certainly young people are “protected” from the fact that “there is another world possible and it is being built now – by China, Cuba, Vietnam, DPRK, Laos, and many more entering their own revolutionary processes” that people can take inspiration from. And yet objective reality is increasingly radicalising young people; increasingly they understand that they “can organise, unite, and work together to resolve the contradictions and build a socialist alternative”.

The young generation are rejecting the right-wing and neoliberal ideologies that shamelessly capitulate to the reactionary rhetoric of the far-right. In Venezuela, we have seen how young people formed the biggest demographic that voted for Maduro. In Britain, young people started encampments in support of Palestine and continue to turn out in their tens, if not hundreds of thousands to protest the fascists on the streets as well as the government’s war mongering policies in lieu of the “cost of living crisis” and plummeting employment rates. In China, we see how Socialism with Chinese Characteristics has shown the proof is in the proverbial pudding and the young people are drawn to the hope it brings, with 74 million young people as proud members of the Communist Youth League.

Fiona concludes:

Right now the contradictions of imperialism are at their sharpest. Presidents like Donald Trump expose the barefaced brutality of US hegemony and the capitalist system is leaving millions in destitution and despondence. The conditions could not be more ripe for revolution. To get there, the young people must be prepared. The young generation must be encouraged to study the revolutionary histories and ongoing resistance movements of the world because in a world so rife with despair, Marxism-Leninism remains humanity’s hope for the future.

For young people, there is a lot of reason to be nihilistic about the future and the current state of the world. We have inherited a world that is heating up. With the global average temperature rise predicted to climb permanently above 1.5°C, a mass extinction event of thousands of species grows more likely by the day. In recent decades, millions have died in the wars and genocides in Palestine, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Ukraine, and so on. Millions more around the world have died from the sanctions regime of the United States government whether by Democrat or Republican. Many young people have been permanently displaced from their homelands as a result.

The young people are the next generation, but will this next generation be the last of humanity? What will be left for the generations to come?

In the West, these are the logical questions for a generation that has been conditioned to believe that the everyday person has no influence on the systems of a society or the governance of the world. The neoliberal philosophy has poisoned the human psyche, presenting Capital as a god and capitalists as its angels. The proletariat make offerings of commodities to the bourgeois gods while driven to fight among themselves for the scraps that fall off the table. Here the idea of “meritocracy” takes root.

In such a system, working class young people become cogs in the capitalist machine–taught to worship brands and TikTok trends while being forced into minimum-wage jobs that keep them trapped in poverty, living at the behest of slum-like landlords and lining the pockets of CEOs of privatised infrastructure (whether that be water, rail, or energy). This form of alienation is a means of crushing revolutionary spirit: separating the individual from the collective, from the community, from the vanguard. At its core, as Mao says in Combat Liberalism, liberalism is “a corrosive which eats away unity, undermines cohesion, causes apathy and creates dissension.” This is demonstrated in its highest form under neoliberalism.

Donald Trump’s Reverse Kissinger strategy

In the following article, Vijay Prashad analyses what is being referred to as Donald Trump’s ‘Reverse Kissinger Strategy’, namely an apparent attempt to end the conflict in Ukraine and improve relations with Russia to a certain extent, with a view to concentrating US firepower on China.

Vijay first outlines Trump’s moves regarding Ukraine and NATO and towards the arms industry at home and continues:

There is a fundamental misreading of these moves by the Trump administration. They are sometimes seen as the idiosyncratic flailing of a far-right president who is committed to putting ‘America First’ and so is unwilling to pursue expensive wars that are not in its interest. But this is a short-sighted and erroneous assessment of Trump’s phone call with Putin on Ukraine and approach to the US military. Rather than see this as an isolationist manoeuvre, it is important to understand that Trump is attempting to pursue a ‘Reverse Kissinger Strategy’, namely, to befriend Russia to isolate China.

According to Vijay, Trump understands that Russia is not an existential threat to the United States. “However, China’s rapid development of technology and science as well as of the new productive forces genuinely poses a threat to US domination of the key sectors of the global economy. It is the US perceived ‘threat’ from China that motivates Trump’s approach to alliances and enemies.”

He notes that both US President Richard Nixon and his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger closely followed the steadily worsening split between the Soviet Union and China: “When Nixon became president, the USSR-PRC border dispute around Zhenbao Island almost escalated with a potential Soviet nuclear strike against Beijing.” It was this tragic division that provided the opening for the United States. “Nixon’s epochal visit to China was entirely driven by US interests to divide Russia and China so that the US could establish its power around the Asian continent.”

Vijay concludes that what the United States is now doing is to attempt to break the relation established between China and Russia since 2007, but:

It is worth remembering Kissinger’s assessment of the Chinese leadership in 1971: ‘Their interest is 100 percent political… Remember, these are men of ideological purity. Zhou Enlai joined the Communist Party in France in 1920… before there was a Chinese Communist Party. This generation didn’t fight for 50 years and go on the Long March for trade’. This view captures not only Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedong, but also Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. They too have been steeled in a struggle against the United States over the course of the past decade. It is unlikely that a few baubles will attract Putin to adopt Trump’s ‘Reverse Kissinger Strategy’.

The article was originally published by No Cold War.

US President Donald Trump called Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and told him that his government is committed to a peace process in Ukraine. As part of the deal, Trump’s administration made it clear that sections of eastern Ukraine and the Crimea would remain in Russian hands. Speaking at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Trump’s Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that it was ‘unrealistic’ to assume that Ukraine would return to its pre-2014 borders, which means that Crimea would not be part of any negotiations with Russia. NATO membership for Ukraine, he said, was not going to be possible as far as the United States was concerned. The United States, Hegseth told NATO, was not ‘primarily focused’ on European security, but on putting its own national interests first and foremost. The best that the European leaders at NATO could do was to demand that Ukraine have a seat at the talks, but there was very little said against the US pressure that Russia be given concessions to come to the table. Ukraine and Europe can have their say, Hegseth said, but Trump would set the agenda. ‘What he decides to allow and not allow is at the purview of the leader of the free world, of President Trump’, Hegseth said with characteristic midwestern swagger. The cowboys, he said with his body language, are back in charge.

While Hegseth was in Brussels, Trump was in Washington, DC with his close ally Elon Musk. Both are on a rampage to cut government spending. Over the past five decades, the US government has already shrunk, particularly when it comes to social welfare provision. What remains are areas that have been jealously guarded by the large corporations, such as the arms industry. It had always seemed as if this industry was inviolate and that cuts in military spending in the United States would be impossible to sustain. But the arms industry can rest easy (except Lockheed Martin, which might lose its subsidy for the F-35 fighter jet); Musk and his team are not going to cut military contracts but go after the military and civilian employees. During his confirmation hearing, Hegseth told the Senators that during World War II the United States had seven four-star generals and now it has forty-four of them. ‘There is an inverse relationship between the size of staffs and victory on the battlefield. We do not need more bureaucracy at the top. We need more war fighters empowered at the bottom’. He said that the ‘fat can be cut, so [the US military] can go toward lethality’.

Promoting and developing Marxism in the 21st century

On Wednesday 26 February, Friends of Socialist China and Renmin University of China’s School of Marxism held a bilateral online seminar on the theme of Promoting and developing Marxism in the 21st century. The event was attended by around 50 people, and featured contributions on topics such as: key developments in Marxist theory in recent decades; communicating the principles of Marxism-Leninism to the young generation; Marxist education in China; Marxist perspectives on the digital economy; and the role of Chinese Marxists in consolidating and translating the complete works of Marx and Engels.

Carlos Martinez, Fiona Sim and Roger McKenzie made contributions on behalf of Friends of Socialist China, while professors Zhao Yulan, Wang Li and Ma Shenxiao spoke on behalf of Renmin University. The presentations were followed by a lively Q&A session, and the event concluded with a discussion of future collaboration between the two organisations.

The following is the text of Carlos Martinez’s contribution to the seminar, taking up the overall theme of promoting and developing Marxism in the 21st century.

The task of promoting and developing Marxism in the 21st century is an urgent one.

From the point of view of addressing the existential threats that humanity faces – most notably climate breakdown, nuclear conflict and pandemics – and meeting the needs of the people of the world for peace and development, the diffusion, application and development of Marxism is of critical importance.

It was 110 years ago that the heroic Polish-German revolutionary and theoretician Rosa Luxemburg popularised the idea that humanity faced a stark choice: between socialism and barbarism. And in fact she was citing Engels from a generation before. So this notion of socialism or barbarism is not new, but today it resonates louder than ever.

The capitalist system is increasingly becoming a hindrance to human progress, and a threat to human survival. The capitalist countries no longer constitute the major driving force in the development of the productive forces, and the capitalist system is beset by intractable problems and insuperable contradictions: economic crisis, rising poverty, declining life expectancy, declining rate of profit, widening inequality, expanding unemployment, breakdown of social cohesion, war, racism, sexism, and environmental destruction.

And yet there is nothing inevitable about capitalism’s collapse being followed by the construction of global socialism. As the Danish Marxist Torkil Lauesen points out in his The Long Transition Towards Socialism and the End of Capitalism, recently released on Iskra Books: “Capitalism could collapse in a brutal, chaotic endgame of wars and natural disasters. To avoid this is our task; and to accomplish that task, we must fulfil the transition to socialism. To do this, we need to learn from the past and mobilise, organise, and develop a strategy for future struggles.”

In my view, this concisely encapsulates the tasks facing those seeking to develop Marxism in the 21st century.

It’s important to remember that the global socialist movement, in spite of setbacks, has scored remarkable successes, from 1917 onwards, and these should be studied and understood. The global working class must take ownership of its own history.

Reviewing the progress made by the Soviet Union since its formation in 1922, Yuri Andropov, then the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, said in 1982 that “history perhaps has never known such a spectacular advance from a condition of backwardness, misery and ruin to the grandeur of a modern great power with highly advanced culture and steadily growing welfare of the people.”

This was not simple hyperbole or hubris. Soviet socialism wiped out feudalism; defeated European fascism; built the world’s first comprehensive welfare state; made unprecedented advances in terms of building equality for women and supporting national rights; provided a bedrock of support for anti-colonial liberation movements; and modernised the country. And unlike in the advanced capitalist countries, this modernisation was achieved without recourse to colonialism, imperialism and war.

Cold Peace with Russia / Cold War with China: Trump’s foreign policy agenda

The following article by C.J. Atkins, published first in People’s World, analyses the apparently drastic differences between the Trump and Biden administrations’ foreign policy agendas, explaining the underlying strategic and ideological agenda behind Trump’s pivot on Ukraine, and debunking the assorted “simplistic hot takes centered on Trump’s admiration for strongmen or conspiratorial allegations that hinge on Russian blackmail and compromising material”.

Atkins gets to the heart of the issue by pointing out that the differences between Republicans and Democrats over Ukraine are “evidence of a split within the US ruling class which has exploded into the open. At the heart of that split are differences over how to resolve the long-term crisis of US capitalism and confront China’s rise to prominence in the world economy.” He explains that the Washington foreign policy establishment has spent years attempting to weaken Russia, seeing “the further extension of US power in Europe as an important milestone along the road to dealing with China”. Trump on the other hand aims to “take confrontation with Russia off the table”, considering it an “expensive distraction”.

The author further opines that Trump’s tariffs and coercive measures against Canada, Mexico, and Latin America are aimed at bringing those parts of the world “into a tighter embrace with the US economy”, consolidating a trade bloc that excludes and attempts to isolate China. That is, they extend the “decoupling” agenda pursued during Trump 1.0 as well as by the Biden administration.

With US monopoly capital increasingly feeling the competition from China, “the foreign policy being pursued by the Trump administration is an expression of the fears of a large section of the capitalist class, and those fears are why we have witnessed a rush toward the Trump camp by industrial sectors which had previously been skeptical of or neutral toward him.”

If the war in Ukraine can be swiftly ended, this is undoubtedly positive. But people should not think Trump’s overtures to Russia reflect some overarching orientation towards peace. Aggression against Russia is set to be replaced with “a new Cold War against China, the carving up of the world into blocs on behalf of big corporations, more destruction in the Middle East, and the ditching of democracy at home—along with all the things that entails, like labor laws, women’s rights, racial equality, and more.”

Trump labeled President Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator” and called him out for not holding elections earlier this week. He said the Ukrainian leader only wants to “keep the gravy train” of U.S. money rolling in, and blamed him for starting the war with Russia.

Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, was said to be committed to “common sense.” The White House declared him to be someone Trump can “work together” with “very closely.”

What a world of difference from just a few months ago when a different U.S. president called Zelensky a “courageous and determined” defender of democracy and denounced Putin as a “war criminal.”

This dramatic turnaround is just the latest example of the about-face that’s happened in U.S. foreign policy over the last several weeks—a change that’s sparked confusion and bewilderment as 80 years of U.S. imperial strategy is seemingly being thrown overboard.

In Europe, Vice President J.D. Vance recently trashed political leaders there for not working together with fascists and initiated what one commentator called “the opening salvo in a trans-Atlantic divorce proceeding.” Snubbing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Trump’s V.P. met with Alice Weidel, leader of the neo-Nazi Alternative for Germany party, instead.

Chinese modernisation offers a new option for others

The annual meetings of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), collectively known as the ‘two sessions’, opened in Beijing on March 5 and March 4 respectively.

Prefiguring this, our co-editor Keith Bennett was interviewed by Wang Zixuan of Global Times regarding his expectations for the meetings and the global significance of Chinese modernisation.

Keith notes that this year, the two sessions take place against a background of an internationally volatile and unstable situation, which poses challenges not only to China, but to other countries and the global economy as a whole. Faced with the unpredictable behavior of the US, even other developed economies will more deeply appreciate that China is a steady, reliable and trustworthy partner.

Referring to the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held in July last year, Keith notes that now China’s reform and opening up is no longer simply a matter of making foreign things serve China, but it is also about what China contributes to the world.

“What recently caught the world’s attention was the sudden emergence of DeepSeek. In relation to this, I expect to see the ‘two sessions’ making an affirmation of the important role of the private sector within the broader system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. President Xi’s recent meeting with entrepreneurs sent a strong signal in this regard. It was notable in that meeting that the attention was given to areas including high-tech and AI. I think this shows that the emphasis is being placed not only on the real economy but also on sustainability and developments that offer benefits to all humanity.”

Outlining the key features of Chinese modernisation, he concludes: “With its distinct features, Chinese modernisation demonstrates that modernisation no longer means Westernisation. Chinese modernisation and its suitability and efficacy for the majority of humanity will be expressed both quantitatively – by the largest number of people living in modernised conditions – and qualitatively, as it represents a better form of modernisation that benefits all in society. It doesn’t rely on oppressing other nations or peoples and avoids polarisation.”

He adds that: “Some people in the West are blaming China for their own problems, but the West is responsible for its own issues. It’s been a kind of political trick in capitalist societies to find an external enemy to explain internal problems. In fact, China’s rapid development has greatly benefitted the West on a number of levels… The significance of Chinese modernisation to the world is that it offers a new option for other countries who want to speed up development while preserving independence.”

We reprint the text of Keith’s interview below.

GT: The third session of the 14th National People’s Congress and the third session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, or “two sessions” in short, will convene in Beijing on Wednesday and Tuesday respectively. What are your expectations about this event?

Bennett: I think that there’s going to be more international attention on the “two sessions” than usual this year. The reason for this is the background against which they will take place in an internationally volatile and unstable situation, which poses challenges not only to China, but to other countries and the global economy as a whole.

How China responds will affect not just China, but the world economy as a whole. So, obviously, China will have to take the current situation into account and make necessary policy adjustments. However, I think the main thing that we will see is that China is prepared for any challenge. And if China continues on a long course of steady, measured and high-quality development, it can rely on the vast potential of its internal market which has been highlighted by the dual circulation strategy. Faced with the unpredictable behavior of the US, even other developed economies will more deeply appreciate that China is a steady, reliable and trustworthy partner.

Xi Jinping speech at the Forum on Literature and Art

Qiushi, the theoretical journal of the Communist Party of China (CPC) recently published the full text of the Speech at the Forum on Literature on Art, delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping on October 15, 2014, but now officially published in full.

The main body of Comrade Xi’s speech is divided into five parts, and these are some of the key points he makes in each section:

A thriving Chinese culture is essential for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation

Every leap forward for human society and civilisation has been accompanied by historic cultural progress… Throughout history, China’s position and influence in the world has never relied on military might or outward expansion, but rather on the compelling power and appeal of its culture.

Literature and art serve as a clarion call for progress in every age… During the European Renaissance, giants like Dante, Petrarch, Giovanni Boccaccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Michel de Montaigne, Miguel de Cervantes, and William Shakespeare ushered in the dawn of a new era and awakened people’s minds. Remarking on the Renaissance, Engels noted that it was “a time which called for giants and produced giants – giants in power of thought, passion, and character, in universality and learning.”

The famous Chinese writer Lu Xun once said that to transform the intellectual world of our compatriots, we must first work on literature and art. Our endeavours to provide intellectual guidance, forge inner strength, and build a common cultural identity are all inseparable from literature and art. At a time when towering skyscrapers are rising across the land, we must also make sure that the intellectual and cultural towers of our nation stand tall and majestic.

2. We should produce excellent works worthy of the times

Excellent works are not confined to one style, form, or standard. They can be highly refined compositions or popular entertainments, monumental masterpieces or universally accessible creations. What makes a work great is its capacity to warm and inspire audiences, to spread and endure through time, and to win people’s affection with its positive energy and appeal.

When I visited Russia last March, I met with several Russian sinologists and mentioned that I had read many works by Russian authors, including Chernyshevsky’s What Is to Be Done?, which had such a profound impact on me when I read it in my youth. During a visit to France this March, I discussed the influence of French literature on my life, explaining that I developed a strong interest in French literature and art in my youth, because many of our Party’s early leaders had studied in France. While in Germany, I shared my experience of reading Faust. At the time, I was working in rural Shaanxi Province. When I learned that a fellow student had a copy of the book, I walked 15 kilometres to borrow it from him. Later, he walked the same distance to retrieve it. Why do I share these stories with foreigners? I do it because literature and art are a universal language. When we talk about literature and art, we are really talking about society and life. This makes it one of the easiest ways to create understanding and connection with others.

Problems such as plagiarism and imitation are leading to a sameness in many works, while assembly-line production and fast-food-style consumption are also problems. In some works, we see a mockery of the sublime, a distortion of classical narratives, and a subversion of history, as well as the denigration of ordinary people and heroic figures. Some works fail to distinguish between right and wrong or good and evil; they glorify the ugly as beautiful and exaggerate the dark side of society. Others indulge in sensationalism, catering to low tastes and treating creation as a “money tree” for personal gain or a “party drug” for sensory gratification. Some works are poorly written, hastily produced, and contrived, contributing to the creation of “cultural garbage.” Some creators overemphasise luxury, excessive packaging, and ostentation, allowing form to overshadow content. Moreover, some are fixated on the notion of “art for art’s sake,” focusing solely on personal experiences – tempests in teacups that are of no relevance to the general public or real life. All this serves as a warning: literature and art must not lose their direction in the tide of the market economy, nor deviate from the question of whom they are supposed to serve. Otherwise, literature and art will be devoid of vitality.

I have spoken with several artists about the most pronounced issues in literature and art today. Coincidentally, they have all mentioned the same word to me: impatience. Some people believe that it is not worth their time to continue refining a work until it reaches its potential because they cannot quickly convert their efforts into practical value – or, in other words, they cannot swiftly cash in. Not only is this attitude misguided, it also allows low-quality works to thrive and leads to a situation where the bad drives out the good. The history of artistic development shows that the pursuit of quick success, excessive resource exploitation, and shoddy production harm not only art but the cultural life of society. Vulgarity is not the same as accessibility; desire does not equate to hope, and mere sensory entertainment does not equal spiritual joy. For literature and art to gain the people’s recognition, superficiality, opportunism, self-promotion, and empty grandstanding will not cut it. Mutual flattery and self-congratulation are also not going to work.

We should adhere to the principle of “letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend,” in order to promote academic and artistic democracy, create a positive, healthy, and harmonious atmosphere, encourage open discussions among different viewpoints and schools of thought, and advocate the development of various genres, themes, forms, and techniques. This will help promote mutual learning and exchange of ideas, content, style, and schools of thought.

The internet and new media have transformed artistic forms, giving rise to many new genres and profoundly changing how art is conceived and practiced. The shifts toward digitised text, more visually-oriented books, and online reading have spurred a major transformation in the arts and broader social culture. To adapt to these developments, we should focus on the creation of online art and provide stronger positive guidance in this evolving landscape.

The recent years have seen a surge of new artistic organisations, such as private studios, private cultural agencies, and online artistic communities. New artistic groups, including online writers, contracted writers, freelance writers, independent producers, independent actors and singers, and freelance artists, have all become very active. There is a strong likelihood that future artistic masters will come from among these groups, given that throughout history and across cultures, many renowned artists have emerged from society and from among the people. We should broaden our outreach efforts, expand our connections, and look at these groups with a fresh perspective. With new policies and methods, we can unite and engage such artists and guide them to become a vital force in the flourishing of socialist art.

We should encourage people-centred cultural creation

Book launch: People’s China at 75 – The Flag Stays Red

Date	Thursday 20 March 2025
Time	6:30pm Britain / 1:30pm US Eastern
Venue	Marx Memorial Library London EC1R 0DU And Zoom

Speakers

Keith Bennett
Andrew Murray
Radhika Desai
Jenny Clegg
Chair: Carlos Martinez

Information

Edited by Friends of Socialist China co-editors Keith Bennett and Carlos Martinez, and published by Praxis Press, People’s China at 75 – The Flag Stays Red brings together a range of perspectives regarding the trajectory of Chinese socialism over the past 75 years, with the aim of presenting China’s achievements and challenging popular misconceptions.

Today’s China is at the forefront of the world economy. It has eliminated absolute poverty and is leading the world in tackling climate change, as well as in the development of the cutting-edge technologies that will be essential to building a sustainable future for humanity.

China has achieved this unprecedented development in less than a century, yet these achievements are frequently misinterpreted or distorted. People’s China at 75 – The Flag Stays Red, featuring chapters by Andrew Murray, Cheng Enfu, Roland Boer, Radhika Desai, Ken Hammond, Jenny Clegg, Keith Bennett, Carlos Martinez, Kenny Coyle, Mick Dunford, J Sykes and Efe Can Gürcan, aims to provide the political, historical and economic context that best explains China’s astonishing rise.

We will be officially launching the book at London’s historic Marx Memorial Library. Join us in person or online for fascinating talks from contributors to the volume, and gain fresh insights on the much misunderstood and misrepresented People’s Republic of China.

There will be copies of the book available for purchase, at a special price of £10!

Organisers

This event is organised by Friends of Socialist China and supported by the Morning Star and the International Manifesto Group.

Xi’s special envoy attends inauguration of Uruguay’s new president

On March 1^st, Yamandú Orsi was inaugurated as the new President of Uruguay in the national capital Montevideo. Orsi was elected President in a second, run off round of voting on November 24, 2024, as the candidate of the Broad Front (Frente Amplio). The Broad Front is a coalition of 12 left-wing political parties, foremost among them the Communist Party and the Socialist Party. The front returns to the political leadership of the country after five years in opposition, strengthening the left wing and progressive forces in Latin America.

China’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Jun attended the inauguration as the Special Envoy of President Xi Jinping. Among other prominent political figures in attendance were the presidents of Brazil, Colombia and Chile.

Meeting with President Orsi on March 2^nd, Han conveyed the greetings and best wishes of Xi Jinping and said that China attaches great importance to the development of China-Uruguay relations and is willing to work hand in hand with Uruguay to lift bilateral relations to higher levels so as to better benefit the two peoples, inject more stability and certainty into Latin America and the international community, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Orsi said that successive governments of Uruguay have attached great importance to developing relations with China, and there is broad consensus on this across all sectors of society. The new Uruguayan government is willing to work with China to continuously deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, steadily strengthen practical cooperation in various fields, and make joint efforts to defend multilateralism and free trade and cope with global challenges.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) has long maintained close friendly relations with the Broad Front. In August 2024, during his visit to Uruguay, Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), met with a number of its leaders, including Orsi, then the prospective presidential candidate.

Liu said that political parties play an important role in the political life of a country. The CPC attaches importance to its relations with the Broad Front and is willing to further strengthen exchanges between the two Parties at all levels, carry out various forms of exchanges and cooperation, deepen pragmatic cooperation through the channel of political party relations, promote sub-national exchanges, and push the continuous development of China-Uruguay relations.

The Uruguayan side welcomed the CPC delegation, which visited the headquarters of the Broad Front. They said that not long ago, a delegation of the Broad Front cadres visited China at the invitation of the CPC, enhancing their understanding of China and the CPC.

During his visit, Liu also met with Ana Olivera, President of the House of Representatives of Uruguay, who is also a leading member of the Communist Party of Uruguay. She fondly recalled her visit to China and appreciated China’s commitment to comprehensive reform and its great achievements in poverty alleviation and other fields. She said, since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Uruguay and China, successive Uruguayan administrations have advocated friendship with China, with new progress having been made in bilateral relations.

The above-mentioned Broad Front delegation had visited China the previous month, July 2024, and was led by its general coordinator Jorge Gotta.

Meeting the delegation, Minister Liu noted that the CPC and the Broad Front of Uruguay are partners who share the same goals. The two sides should strengthen friendly exchanges, deepen exchanges and mutual learning of experience in state governance and administration, promote practical cooperation in various fields through inter-party channels, and promote the development of China-Uruguay relations and the friendship between the two peoples.

Science fiction or science reality: China makes impressive progress towards space-based solar power

The article below, written by J Hagler for Workers World, reports on the Chinese Academy of Space Technology’s project of building a Space Solar Power Station (SSPS), expected to launch into low orbit by 2028.

The notion of space-based solar power has existed for decades, but has been considered too expensive and technically challenging to be feasible. The concept essentially consists of launching solar panels into space, where they can receive sunlight (at a far higher intensity than on Earth, and constantly rather than intermittently), and then converting the energy into microwaves, which are beamed to Earth and converted back into electricity. While this technology sounds far-fetched – and will likely not be economically competitive for some time to come – it has some significant advantages over terrestrial solar power, including the ability to generate power 24/7, and the potential to direct power to specific locations on Earth according to need.

Long Lehao, a rocket scientist and member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, was cited in the South China Morning Post as saying: “Imagine installing a solar array 1km wide along the 36,000km geostationary orbit… The energy collected in one year would be equivalent to the total amount of oil that can be extracted from the Earth.”

It’s no accident that People’s China is taking the lead in this field. As Hagler writes, “the project illustrates socialist China’s ability to do long term planning… The potential to create free clean energy is here and is being led by a country with a planned economy, actively pursuing socialist development.” A capitalist system oriented towards short-term profit is increasingly incapable of conducting such large-scale research in the public interest. “It’s easier for capitalist enterprises to make quarterly profits supplying weapons for killing women and children in Palestine than to develop an economy in a way that benefits all of society, instead of just a wealthy few.”

The article concludes:

The Communist Party of China has proven that innovations capable of seeing humanity through this storm are possible with central planning and socially directed investment, if necessary over a long term.

“The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force in our lives. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity,” said fictional Captain Picard of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

Humanity is standing on the cusp. Climate change is presenting the U.S. with the same choice nature has gifted all its species: evolve or die; change is the only constant.

As the cost of basic goods and, more importantly, energy continues to rise across the capitalist economies of Japan, Western Europe and North America, others have decided to utilize their economy to actually innovate. Instead of phallic vanity projects of the impotent super-wealthy, presented by SpaceX and Blue Origin, the “Chinese Academy of Space Technology” (CAST) has shown humanity a different way forward into the stars.

The construction of a “Space Solar Power Station” (SSPS) has already begun and is expected to launch into low orbit by 2028. Over 100 researchers and students across a multitude of disciplines are collectively leading the project for the SSPS at Xidian University.

An article in cgtn.com, website of the Chinese Global Television Network, published in June 2022 read: “SSPS is a space-based power generation system used to collect solar energy before converting it to electricity and then microwaves. Next, the energy in microwaves is to be transmitted and harvested by the receiving antenna either in space or on the Earth’s surface, which converts microwaves back into electricity.” (tinyurl.com/cgtn-ssps1)

The project illustrates socialist China’s ability to do long term planning. The same article says: “By 2035, the microwave transmitting antenna is expected to be enlarged to about 100 meters plus power generation of 10 megawatts. The goal in 2050 is to build a commercially operated solar plant that generates electricity of two gigawatts with an antenna that would be around one-kilometer and a complex solar cell array to be assembled in space.”

This project is a monumental undertaking and has the power to generate more kilowatt hours of energy in one year than all of the oil contained within the Earth. It has been called everything from the “Manhattan Project of Energy” to the “Three Gorges Dam of Space.” (tinyurl.com/scmp-ssps)

The potential to create free clean energy is here and is being led by a country with a planned economy, actively pursuing socialist development.

U.S. scientists knew it since 1968

The irony of this announcement is that scientists in the capitalist-led United States have known about this technology since 1968 when scientist and aerospace engineer Peter Glaser conceptualized the idea. U.S. corporations could have spearheaded the development of this technology decades ago. Instead, the government invested a measly $17.5 million into Northrop Grumman in 2013 so the weapons manufacturer could “research” the development of an SSPS.

Similar investment is also going into other weapons companies like Lockheed Martin. Imagine, instead of spending 1.5 trillion U.S. tax dollars on the boondoggle of all weapons systems, the F-35, the U.S. had spent that money building the groundwork of an SSPS. If the U.S. government had something akin to a “five year plan,” they could have made progress in developing this energy source.

It’s easier, however, for capitalist enterprises to make quarterly profits supplying weapons for killing women and children in Palestine than to develop an economy in a way that benefits all of society, instead of just a wealthy few.

Projects like the SSPS could not be coming online at a more crucial time. Climate change is putting into question the future of humanity and, if the worst-case scenarios are to unfold, of most other species as well. The rate of CO2 being pumped into the atmosphere is unprecedented in planetary history. Humanity is truly in uncharted waters.

Running an entire economy and society based on what is most profitable is what led the U.S. into these crises. The capitalist class cannot lead the U.S. out of the crises, because the very incentives which make the gears of capitalism turn would grind to a halt if profits are even interrupted, never mind if they ceased entirely due to technologies capable of providing near limitless, scarcity-free energy.

The Communist Party of China has proven that innovations capable of seeing humanity through this storm are possible with central planning and socially directed investment, if necessary over a long term. The U.S., Western Europe, Japan and world capitalism are going through yet another economic crisis while engaged in yet more “forever” wars as the falling rates of profit continue to fall.

The working and oppressed masses of these countries do not have to continue letting their leaders take them down the primrose path of ecocide and World War III. Rosa Luxemburg’s challenge of “socialism or barbarism” is being replaced by a new one: Conjured by the physical limits of the planet itself, the challenge is now becoming “socialism or extinction.”

China firmly supports the DRC in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity

The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has deteriorated sharply in recent weeks, with M23, an armed group backed by, and widely considered a surrogate for, the government of Rwanda, having captured a wide swathe of territory, including the major cities of Goma and Bukavu, the latter the country’s second largest. These developments threaten a humanitarian catastrophe and the return to the full-scale regional war, which led to millions of fatalities earlier this century.

Speaking at a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing on the situation, on February 19, Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong noted that:

“M23’s offensive has seriously violated the decision of the joint EAC-SADC [East African Community-Southern African Development Community] summit [adopted in Tanzania on February 8] requesting all parties to have an immediate ceasefire, completely breached the commitment of a unilateral ceasefire, and caused the situation to escalate further. China strongly condemns the military operations by M23 and reiterates that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC should be respected and that the UN Charter and international law should be observed.”

The Chinese representative went on to stress a number of points including:

The international community should urge M23 to immediately and unconditionally cease its offensive and immediately withdraw from the occupied areas. China reiterates its hope that Rwanda will heed the call of the international community, stop its military support for M23, and immediately withdraw all its military forces from the DRC territory.

The international community must spare no effort in preventing the conflict in eastern DRC from spiralling into a larger scale regional conflict. The Congo war over 20 years ago caused millions of casualties. A similar tragedy must not recur.

The international community should urge all parties to abide by international humanitarian law, protect the safety and security of civilians and humanitarian personnel, urgently open up more humanitarian corridors, reopen the airports in Goma and Bukavu, and fully restore essential services such as water and electricity.

The international community should continue to support the mediation efforts by the AU [African Union] and sub-regional organisations. All parties should call upon the DRC and Rwanda to promptly return to the track of diplomacy and address each other’s security concerns, including neutralising the threat of the FDLR [Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda – an armed group drawn from members of the Hutu ethnic group based in eastern DRC and opposed to the Rwandan government].

On February 21, the UNSC unanimously adopted a resolution proposed by France that strongly condemned the ongoing offensive by M23, demanded that it immediately cease hostilities, withdraw from all areas that it controls, “and fully reverse the establishment of illegitimate parallel administrations in the DRC territory.” It further called on the Rwandan armed forces to stop supporting the armed group and immediately withdraw from Congolese territory “without preconditions.”

Explaining China’s vote, Fu Cong stated: “After capturing Goma, M23, in violation of the international and regional calls for a ceasefire, and in breach of its own unilateral ceasefire commitment, went on to take Bukavu and other places, causing further escalation in the eastern DRC and pushing up the risks of a wider regional conflict. The Security Council, in the just adopted resolution, demands that M23 immediately cease hostilities and withdraw from the areas it is occupying. This is in line with the expectations of the international community and regional countries for a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, and it is also an act of the Council to discharge its responsibilities. China voted in favour of the draft resolution, and we welcome the unanimous adoption of the resolution by the Council…

“China reiterates its firm support for solving African issues in the African way, and that Council resolutions should be designed to support regional processes to build synergy with the mediation efforts at the regional level… The DRC and Rwanda are neighbours, and as such, their differences and tensions, we believe, are not irreconcilable. What truly matters is for both sides to show readiness to return to the negotiating table without delay.

“The Great Lakes region is at a historical juncture, and to stand on the side of peace is our shared responsibility. China firmly supports the DRC in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity and remains committed to working tirelessly with the rest of the international community until the fighting is stopped and the situation is eased.”

The following articles were originally published on the website of China’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations and are reprinted here from the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

An analysis of the situation by the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB) may be read here.

Remarks by China’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Fu Cong at the UN Security Council Briefing on the Democratic Republic of Congo

Feb. 19 (MFA) — Colleagues,

To begin with, I thank Special Representative Bintou Keita and Special Envoy Xia Huang for their briefings. I welcome Ms. Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, Foreign Minister of the DRC, at today’s meeting.

Recently, after capturing Goma, M23 launched another offensive and entered Bukavu, the second largest city in eastern DRC. The drastic developments in the situation in eastern DRC have stirred the nerves of the international community. Secretary-General Guterres recently warned that the continued offensive by M23 threatens to push the entire region over the precipice. The statements by colleagues just now have all further highlighted the gravity and danger of the situation in eastern DRC.

M23’s offensive has seriously violated the decision of the joint EAC-SADC summit requesting all parties to have an immediate ceasefire, completely breached the commitment of a unilateral ceasefire, and caused the situation to escalate further. China strongly condemns the military operations by M23 and reiterates that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC should be respected and that the UN Charter and international law should be observed. I wish to stress the following points.

First, the international community should urge M23 to immediately and unconditionally cease its offensive and immediately withdraw from the occupied areas. China reiterates its hope that Rwanda will heed the call of the international community, stop its military support for M23, and immediately withdraw all its military forces from the DRC territory.

Second, the international community must spare no effort in preventing the conflict in eastern DRC from spiraling into a larger scale regional conflict. The Congo war over 20 years ago caused millions of casualties. A similar tragedy must not recur. China calls upon relevant regional countries to stay calm and exercise restraint and refrain from actions that could escalate tensions and aggravate antagonism among the parties.

Third, the international community should urge all parties to abide by international humanitarian law, protect the safety and security of civilians and humanitarian personnel, urgently open up more humanitarian corridors, reopen the airports in Goma and Bukavu, and fully restore essential services such as water and electricity. MONUSCO carries out its task of protecting civilians in accordance with the Security Council mandate, and all parties must refrain from interference and obstruction. The safety and security of foreign missions, foreign nationals and enterprises should also be fully guaranteed.

Fourth, the international community should continue to support the mediation efforts by the AU and sub-regional organizations. China welcomes the dedication of the AU PSC summit to promoting the political settlement of the issue of eastern DRC, and expects the outcome of the joint EAC-SADC summit to be implemented without delay. All parties should call upon the DRC and Rwanda to promptly return to the track of diplomacy and address each other’s security concerns under the framework of the merged Luanda and Nairobi processes, including neutralizing the threat of the FDLR.

Fifth, the major stakeholders should fully leverage their influence by actively exerting it on the countries concerned to promote deescalation of the situation, China supports the Security Council in actively fulfilling its responsibilities in maintaining international peace, taking responsible actions, and forming synergies with regional mediation efforts. China will continue to call on all parties to achieve a ceasefire, end the fighting, and resume dialogue, and will work tirelessly for the deescalation of the situation.

Thank you.

Explanation of Vote by China’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Fu Cong on the UN Security Council Draft Resolution on the Democratic Republic of Congo

Feb. 21 (MFA) — Colleagues,

Since the start of the recent escalation in the eastern DRC, the weeks-long conflict has gripped the international community. After capturing Goma, M23, in violation of the international and regional calls for a ceasefire and in breach of its own unilateral ceasefire commitment, went on to take Bukavu and other places, causing further escalation in the eastern DRC and pushing up the risks of a wider regional conflict. The Security Council, in the just adopted resolution, demands that M23 immediately cease hostilities and withdraw from the areas it is occupying. This is in line with the expectations of the international community and regional countries for a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, and it is also an act of the Council to discharge its responsibilities. China voted in favor of the draft resolution, and we welcome the unanimous adoption of the resolution by the Council.

Colleagues,

The current situation in the eastern DRC is still worsening. China expects all parties concerned to heed the calls of the international community and the Security Council by immediately ceasing all hostilities and refraining from any further action that may exacerbate tensions.

China reiterates its firm support for solving African issues in the African way, and that Council resolutions should be designed to support regional processes to build synergy with the mediation efforts at the regional level. All parties concerned must respond in good faith to regional peace initiatives and be committed to resolving differences through diplomacy and dialogue. The DRC and Rwanda are neighbors, and as such, their differences and tensions, we believe, are not irreconcilable. What truly matters is for both sides to show readiness to return to the negotiating table without delay.

The Great Lakes region is at a historical juncture, and to stand on the side of peace is our shared responsibility. China firmly supports the DRC in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity and remains committed to working tirelessly with the rest of the international community until the fighting is stopped and the situation is eased.

Thank you.

Putin: developing relations with China is a strategic choice made by Russia with a view to the long term

Chinese President Xi Jinping took a phone call from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on February 24. It is the second time that the two men have been known to speak this year and follows the recent dramatic changes in the United States’ position on the Ukraine crisis and the resultant diplomatic contacts between Russia and the US.

President Xi said that both history and reality tell us that China and Russia are destined to be good neighbours, and the two countries are true friends that share weal and woe, support each other and pursue common development. The bilateral relationship has a strong internal driving force and unique strategic value. It is neither targeted at any third party nor affected by any third party. Both countries have long-term development strategies and foreign policies. No matter how the international landscape changes, the relationship shall move forward at its own pace, contribute to both countries’ respective development and revitalisation, and inject stability and positivity into international relations.

For his part, President Putin said that developing relations with China is a strategic choice made by Russia with a view to the long term; it is not an act of expediency, not affected by any temporary incidents, and not subject to interference by external factors. Under the current situation, close communication between Russia and China is in keeping with the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era and will send a positive message that Russia and China play a stabilising role in international affairs. He further provided an update on the latest interactions between Russia and the United States, and on Russia’s principled position on the Ukraine crisis. He said that Russia is committed to removing the root causes of the conflict and arriving at a sustainable and long-term peace plan.

The following article was originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Useful background analysis may be found here.

In the afternoon of February 24, President Xi Jinping took a phone call from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

President Xi recalled that during the virtual meeting with President Putin before the Spring Festival, we provided guidance for the growth of China-Russia relations in 2025 and coordinated position on many major international and regional issues. Our two countries’ competent authorities have acted on our common understandings to steadily advance cooperation in various fields, including commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the world’s anti-fascist war. Both history and reality tell us that China and Russia are destined to be good neighbors, and our two countries are true friends that share weal and woe, support each other and pursue common development. Our bilateral relationship has a strong internal driving force and unique strategic value. It is neither targeted at any third party nor affected by any third party. Both countries have long-term development strategies and foreign policies. No matter how the international landscape changes, our relationship shall move forward at its own pace, contribute to our countries’ respective development and revitalization, and inject stability and positivity into international relations.

President Putin said that Russia attaches great importance to its relations with China. In the year ahead, the Russian side looks forward to maintaining high-level exchanges with China, deepening practical cooperation, jointly commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory in the world’s anti-fascist war and in the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression. Developing relations with China is a strategic choice made by Russia with a view to the long term; it is not an act of expediency, not affected by any temporary incidents, and not subject to interference by external factors. Under the current situation, close communication between Russia and China is in keeping with the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era, and will send a positive message that Russia and China play a stabilizing role in international affairs.

President Putin provided an update on the latest interactions between Russia and the United States, and on Russia’s principled position on the Ukraine crisis. He said that Russia is committed to removing the root causes of the conflict and reaching a sustainable and long-term peace plan.

President Xi noted that soon after the full escalation of the Ukraine crisis, I had outlined China’s basic position, including four points about what must be done to address the crisis. Last September, China and Brazil, together with other Global South countries, launched the group of Friends for Peace to foster the atmosphere and condition for the political settlement of the crisis. China welcomes positive efforts made by Russia and relevant parties to resolve the crisis.

The two sides agreed to maintain communication and coordination in various ways.

China’s DeepSeek AI reveals advantages of socialism

The following article by Hugo East, originally published in Workers World, describes the rapid rise of DeepSeek’s R1 model, the corresponding stock devaluation of the US tech giants, and the role played by China’s socialist market economy in fostering innovation.

Hugo writes that “DeepSeek owes its efficacy to the socialist character of the People’s Republic of China… Socialist planning has enabled the PRC’s meteoric rise as a world power rivaling the US, as evidenced by the success of DeepSeek.” He relates the emergence of DeepSeek to the inauguration ten years ago of the Made in China 2025 initiative, which sought to transform China from an exporter of relatively low-cost manufactured goods into a global leader in innovation.

Citing the Critical Technology Tracker (published by the think tank Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)) the article notes that in the period from 2017 to 2023, China was the leading country in 57 of 64 critical technologies. The author writes that Made in China 2025 “fits squarely within China’s socialist economic development as first initiated by the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1949 under the leadership of its then-leader Chairman Mao Zedong”.

The article also points out that DeepSeek’s success proves the ineffectiveness of US sanctions against China, which have only served to accelerate China’s technological development. “Just like the PRC’s recent ascendency in automotive manufacturing, DeepSeek has found success despite the U.S.’s attempts to starve China’s AI industry of supposedly vital resources through a targeted trade embargo.”

With computing power limited by the US government’s semiconductor war, Chinese researchers have had to rely on “algorithmic innovation” – which has also “had the effect of making DeepSeek much less expensive, both in direct financial cost and in energy consumption”.

Hugo concludes:

DeepSeek is just one of several technological and scientific innovations developed under a socialist economy that challenges capitalist profits while benefiting the whole world.

The Chinese company DeepSeek released its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot to the U.S. market on Jan. 20. By the following week, it was the most downloaded app on the iOS App Store, surpassing Open AI’s ChatGPT.

The rapid rise of DeepSeek caused an unprecedented crash in the valuation of multiple U.S. tech companies, wiping out close to $1 trillion in combined market value from chip giant Nvidia Corp. and other peers. The loss to Nvidia was by far the largest, fastest devaluation of a U.S. company in history.

Socialist economic planning behind DeepSeek’s success

DeepSeek owes its efficacy to the socialist character of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), in which it was developed. The PRC’s economic central planning, through which it seeks to combine the advantages of strictly regulated capitalistic markets with state-owned enterprises designed for the benefit of the Chinese people, conforms to socialist methods of planning initiated by its first leader Mao Zedong. Socialist planning has enabled the PRC’s meteoric rise as a world power rivaling the U.S., as evidenced by the success of DeepSeek.

The latest iteration of that socialist planning is a ten-year initiative that began in 2015 called “Made in China 2025” (MIC 2025). In a report issued in 2017, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said of MIC 2025: “Contrary to key elements of the Third Plenum Decision [PRC’s previous central economic plan], in which the Chinese leadership called for markets to play a decisive role in the allocation of resources across the economy, MIC 2025 instead appears to reaffirm the government’s central role in economic planning.”

Trump’s threats against Chinese immigrants and the history of Chinese Exclusion in the US

Amidst the tsunami of proto-fascist measures unleashed by the Trump-Vance-Musk regime’s ‘carnival of reaction’, a central place is taken by the threats to deport millions of migrant workers and their families – a threat that has already become grim reality for thousands arrested, terrorised, humiliated, and flown, shackled and handcuffed, in military planes to their countries of origin. This obscene spectacle of performative sadism has also already been aped in Britain by the Starmer ‘Labour’ government.

Trailing this policy during the election campaign, Trump claimed that tens of thousands of undocumented Chinese migrants had recently entered the US, warning his audience that “they’re all military age and they are mostly men.” Trump accused these immigrants of “trying to build a little army in our country.”

In a historical essay, published by the World Socialist Website eight days before Trump’s inauguration, and which we reprint below, Paul Montgomery notes:

“In portraying Chinese immigrants as an invading army, Trump and [his ‘border czar’ Tom] Homan echo the worst rhetoric of the Yellow Peril and Chinese Exclusion era of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is an escalation of the anti-Chinese rhetoric Trump used throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and it seeks to place the US ever more openly on a war footing against China.”

Drawing critically, in the first instance, on recent material produced by the National Public Radio (NPR), the author outlines the history of the Chinese Exclusion era, which lasted from the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 to its repeal in 1943. During this period, federal law prevented Chinese immigrants from entering the United States.

However, he correctly points out that: “To understand Chinese Exclusion, it must be placed in the context of the development of capitalism in the United States and the early development of US imperialism in the Pacific and East Asia.” And goes on to quote Karl Marx writing to Friedrich Engels in 1858:

“The real task of bourgeois society is the creation, at least in outline, of a world market, and of a type of production resting on this basis. Since the world is round, this task seems to have been brought to a conclusion with the colonisation of California and Australia and the inclusion of China and Japan.”

Montgomery quotes the late Asian-American historian Ronald Takaki: “Capital used Chinese laborers as a transnational industrial reserve army to weigh down white workers during periods of economic expansion and to hold white labor in check during periods of overproduction.” By recruiting Chinese laborers, employers could “boost the supply of labor and drive down the wages of both Chinese and white workers. The resulting racial antagonism generated between the two groups helped to ensure a divided working class and a dominant employer class.”

This accords with the similar observation of Karl Marx writing to Sigfrid Meyer and August Vogt in April 1870:

And most important of all! Every industrial and commercial centre in England now possesses a working class divided into two hostile camps, English proletarians and Irish proletarians. The ordinary English worker hates the Irish worker as a competitor who lowers his standard of life. In relation to the Irish worker, he regards himself as a member of the ruling nation and consequently he becomes a tool of the English aristocrats and capitalists against Ireland, thus strengthening their domination over himself. He cherishes religious, social, and national prejudices against the Irish worker. His attitude towards him is much the same as that of the ‘poor whites’ to the Negroes in the former slave states of the USA. The Irishman pays him back with interest in his own money. He sees in the English worker both the accomplice and the stupid tool of the English rulers in Ireland.

This antagonism is artificially kept alive and intensified by the press, the pulpit, the comic papers, in short, by all the means at the disposal of the ruling classes. This antagonism is the secret of the impotence of the English working class, despite its organisation. It is the secret by which the capitalist class maintains its power. And the latter is quite aware of this.

In this regard, the article highlights the reactionary role of the early labour aristocratic trade union movement in fuelling and perpetuating anti-Chinese racism:

“Leading labor organizations of this period, formed by craft unions and claiming hundreds of thousands of members, also directed workers toward the anti-Chinese position. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) and the Knights of Labor both called for the exclusion of Chinese workers. At its founding conference in Pittsburgh in 1881, the AFL, then known as the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions, adopted a resolution that declared ‘the presence of Chinese, and their competition with free white labor’ to be ‘one of the greatest evils with which any country can be afflicted.’ The AFL pledged to use its ‘best efforts to get rid of this monstrous evil.’”

One important criticism made by Montgomery of the NPR material is its ignoring of the anti-Chinese and racist positions taken by the Democratic Party in California in the period under review.

He writes: “Absent from NPR’s analysis is the Democratic Party, which championed anti-Chinese policies from the moment California became a state. Portraying the apparent cowardice of the Republican Party before anti-Chinese mobs while ignoring the reactionary politics of the Democratic Party is more convenient for the political aims and assumptions of NPR writers and podcasters. But the Republican Party of the 1870s and 1880s was only adapting itself to positions held by the Democratic Party since the 1850s.”

Drawing on the work of a respected Chinese American historian, he continues: “The Chinese Question, writes historian Mae Ngai, ‘became a bedrock principle of the Democratic Party in California.’ Among the major early advocates for exclusion was Democrat John Bigler, an attorney whose political ambitions led him to become California’s third governor. In an 1852 address to the California legislature, Bigler called for ‘measures to be adopted’ that would halt the ‘tide of Asiatic immigration.’ Insisting that the ‘Chinese Question’ required a national solution, Bigler called on the United States Congress to use its power to ‘entirely exclude this class of Asiatic immigrants.’”

The article concludes:

The anti-Chinese positions now expressed by Donald Trump and Tom Homan, like those of the exclusion era, are clearly racist and xenophobic. But that is not all they are. They come in the midst of growing class struggles and in the context of escalating conflict between US imperialism and the Chinese state. That Trump now claims a Chinese threat lurks behind the Panama Canal, which he proposes to annex by force, if necessary, is enough to demonstrate that the anti-Chinese rhetoric of his past and future administration, just as in the exclusion era, is significant for reasons that extend far beyond the question of racism in the United States. The attempt to portray Chinese immigrants, once again, as an invading army is the domestic expression of the Trump administration’s drive to reassert US global hegemony through a direct confrontation with China.

The incoming Trump administration is preparing to initiate a program of mass deportations and attacks against the rights of immigrants. There are growing indications that Chinese immigrants will be among the first targeted.

Why Donald Trump’s obsession with Greenland is all about China

In the following article, which was originally published on TomDispatch, Joshua Frank dissects the reasons behind US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to seize, possibly by armed force, the Danish colony of Greenland.

Frank looks in some detail at the influence of military bases and strategy, fossil fuels, and minerals, particularly those needed in green technologies, on Trump’s calculations and designs, but his essential conclusion is that, “it’s all about China”:

He wants to boost US mining of critical minerals because he knows that China, his archnemesis, is leading the global charge for their acquisition. [Note: This is one of a couple of places in the article where we believe the argument could have been better phrased. This, however, does not negate its essential validity or importance.] Trump doesn’t seem to understand that it’s hard to stimulate investment in critical minerals if the future appetite for the technologies they support remains uncertain. As a result of his battle against electric vehicles, manufacturing expectations are already being slashed.

While he may not comprehend how contradictory that is or even care, he certainly understands that the US depends on China for many of the critical minerals it consumes. Around 60% of the metals required for renewable technologies come directly from China or Chinese companies. Trump’s tariffs on China have even worried his buddy (and electric car producer) Elon Musk, who’s been working behind the scenes to block additional tariffs on graphite imports. Chinese graphite, an essential component of the lithium-ion batteries in his Teslas, may face new tariffs of as high as – and no, this is not a misprint – 920%. Such pandemonium around imports of critical minerals from China may be the true factor driving Trump’s impetus to steal Greenland from the clutches of Denmark.

Explaining Greenland’s colonial history and status, Frank writes: “Greenland’s Indigenous Inuit people, the Kalaallit, account for 88% of that island’s population of 56,000. They have endured vicious forms of colonisation for centuries. In the 12th century, Norwegians first landed in Greenland and built early colonies that lasted 200 years before they retreated to Iceland. By the 1700s, they returned to take ownership of that vast island, a territory that would be transferred to Denmark in 1814.

“In 1953, the Kalaallit were granted Danish citizenship, which involved a process of forced assimilation in which they were removed from their homes and sent to Demark for reeducation. Recently uncovered documents show that, in the 1960s, Danish authorities forcibly inserted intrauterine devices (IUDs) in Kalaallit women, including children, which post-colonial scholars describe as a ‘silent genocide’.

“In other words, the colonisation of Greenland, like that of the United States, was rooted in violence and still thrives today through ongoing systemic oppression. The Kalaallit want out. In 2016, 68% of Greenlanders supported independence from Denmark, and today, 85% oppose Trump’s neocolonial efforts to steal the territory.”

He quotes the island’s autonomous prime minister, Múte Egede, who leads the democratic socialist Inuit Ataqatigiit party, as saying, “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale.” [Note: The article mistakenly states that Inuit Ataqatigiit won 80% of the votes in Greenland’s last general election. In fact, whilst pro-independence parties, did win 80% backing, the support for Inuit Ataqatigiit was 36.6%. Siumut, like Inuit Ataqatigiit a left-wing pro-independence party, won 29.4%. Another pro-independence party, Naleraq, came third with 12.0% of the votes. Nunatta Qitornai, which advocates a more rapid transition to independence, won 2.4% of the votes but lost its sole parliamentary representative. These results gave pro-independence parties 26 parliamentary seats against five for the unionist parties. A detailed account of the outcome of the April 2021 election can be found here.]

So, for Frank, Egede’s statement “brings us back to what this imperialist struggle is all about. The island is loaded with critical minerals, including rare earth minerals, lithium, graphite, copper, nickel, zinc, and other materials used in green technologies. Some estimates suggest that Greenland has six million tons of graphite, 106 kilotons of copper, and 235 kilotons of lithium. It holds 25 of the 34 minerals in the European Union’s official list of critical raw materials, all of which exist along its rocky coastline, generally accessible for mining operations.”

He concludes: “Greenland and its resources are merely the latest potential casualty of Trump’s quest for global domination and his fear of China’s economic power. His interest in the green energy sector does not signify a change of heart regarding the dangers of climate chaos or the value of renewables but rather a drive for global financial supremacy. Like the billionaires around him, he desires it all – the oil, the gas, and the critical minerals essential for the global energy transition, while China is pushed aside. Regarding the Kalaallits and their aspirations, he could care less.”

Joshua Frank is the author of Atomic Days: The Untold Story of the Most Toxic Place in America.

A viewpoint from one of Denmark’s communist parties, supporting Greenland’s right to self-determination, may be read here.

In early January, Donald Trump Jr.’s private plane landed on a snowy airfield in Greenland. There was little fanfare upon his arrival, but his 14 million social-media fans were certainly tagging along.

“Greenland coming in hot…well, actually really really cold!!!” President Trump’s eldest son captioned a video he posted on X. It was shot from the cockpit of the plane, where a “Trumpinator” bobblehead (a figurine of his father as the Terminator) rattled on the aircraft’s dashboard as it descended over icy blue seas.

It was a stunt of MAGA proportions. Don Jr. was arriving in Greenland on behalf of his father who, along with his new buddy Elon Musk, had announced a desire to seize that vast Arctic landmass from Denmark through strong will or even, potentially, by force. There’s been plenty of speculation as to why Trump wants to make Greenland, the largest island on this planet, a new territory of the United States. And yes, his inflated ego is undoubtedly part of the reason, but an urge for geopolitical dominance also drives Trump’s ambitions.

His fascination with Greenland can be traced back to his first administration when, in late 2019, he signed the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act establishing the U.S. Space Force. “There are grave threats to our national security,” he said shortly after signing the bill. “American superiority in space is absolutely vital. The Space Force will help us deter aggression and control the ultimate high ground.”

Wang Yi: China will always be a trustworthy and reliable friend and partner of South Africa

Whilst attending the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held meetings on the sidelines with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), along with his counterparts from a number of countries.

Wang met with President Ramaphosa on February 20.

Cyril Ramaphosa asked Wang Yi to convey his sincere greetings to President Xi Jinping and expressed his heartfelt thanks to China for its firm support for South Africa’s struggle for national independence and its valuable help in accelerating national development. South Africa cherishes the high-level mutual trust between the two countries, regards China as a reliable friend, and will continue to firmly pursue the one-China policy.

Wang Yi conveyed the cordial greetings from President Xi Jinping, saying that China and South Africa have always understood and supported each other and carried out close exchanges, communication and coordination, which demonstrates the high level of bilateral relations. In the process of South Africa’s development and revitalisation, China will always be a trustworthy and reliable friend and partner of South Africa and is willing to continue to provide assistance within its capacity.

The next day he met with his South African counterpart Ronald Lamola.

Wang said, by assuming the G20 presidency, South Africa represents Africa in making a strong voice on the global stage, which demonstrates the historic shifts in international political and economic landscapes and holds great symbolic significance. As multilateralism faces threats amid the rise of unilateral bullying and protectionism, the foreign ministers’ meeting under the theme ‘Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability’ has reflected the common aspirations of most countries, especially those from the Global South.

Ronald Lamola thanked China for its strong support for South Africa’s G20 presidency. In the face of a volatile international situation, South Africa remains committed to strengthening close coordination and cooperation with China to safeguard the common interests of the Global South countries.

In her meeting with Wang, World Trade Organisation Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said that amid the chaos in the world, China has moved in the right direction, achieved the UN poverty reduction target ahead of schedule, advanced industrialisation rapidly and made remarkable achievements in education. China’s success has set an example and provided references for other developing countries.

One of Wang’s first meetings on arriving in South Africa was with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who had come direct from talks on the Ukraine issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, held in Saudi Arabia.

Wang Yi said that the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era is advancing to a higher level and broader dimensions. The two sides have maintained steady progress in mutually beneficial cooperation and engaged in close and effective strategic coordination, playing a crucial role in safeguarding the common interests of both countries and their peoples and advancing the multipolarity in the world.

This year, he continued, marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations, which is of great historic significance. During that arduous struggle, the peoples of China and Russia fought valiantly on both the Eastern and Western fronts, enduring tremendous national sacrifices and making significant historical contributions in the effort to save their nations from the brink of destruction and strive for world peace. China and Russia, as major victorious nations of World War II and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, jointly bear the crucial responsibility of safeguarding the victorious results of World War II and maintaining the post-war international order. No matter how the situation evolves, the foundation of China-Russia friendship remains unshakable. Both sides should take the opportunity of jointly commemorating the 80th anniversary to deepen China-Russia strategic coordination, actively promote the correct view on World War II, firmly defend the international system with the United Nations at its core and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Global South countries.

Sergei Lavrov said, President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping charted the course for Russia-China relations and strategic coordination. Russia is also willing to work with China to hold a series of events to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of World War II. Russia also highly recognises the global initiatives put forward by China, highly values the high-level mutual trust between the two countries and is willing to continue to strengthen communication and coordination with China within the BRICS mechanism, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the United Nations, the G20, and other frameworks.

Sergei Lavrov also introduced the latest developments in the Ukraine crisis and Russia’s considerations, saying that his country focuses on solving the root causes of the crisis and is committed to seeking a fair and sustainable plan for peace in line with the UN Charter. Russia attaches importance to China’s objective and just position, and the ‘Friends for Peace’ group China initiated with Brazil and other countries, and is willing to maintain communication with China and strengthen cooperation with the countries of the South.

Wang Yi met with Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan at the latter’s request.

China: ‘Palestinians governing Palestine’ is an important principle that must be upheld

Following his visit to New York, where he chaired the high-level United Nations Security Council meeting on ‘Practicing Multilateralism, Reforming and Improving Global Governance’, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi flew to South Africa to attend the Johannesburg meeting of G20 foreign ministers, the first such gathering to be held on African soil.

In a deeply racist and hegemonic move, the meeting was boycotted by the United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with the US citing South Africa’s tentative moves in land reform aimed to redress the iniquities of the erstwhile racist apartheid system and the legacy of colonial rule as well as the host country highlighting the issues of diversity, equality and tackling climate change, all of which are in the crosshairs of the Trump administration. Trump is also determined to punish South Africa for its courageous and principled leading role in unmasking and opposing Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people. It should further be noted that plutocratic capitalists with intimate ties to Trump, such as Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, have deep ties to the old racist system in South Africa. The US retreat into unilateralism, and attempts at bullying, only served to highlight the unique role of China as the major power putting forward constructive strategies and proposals in the common interest of the vast majority of humanity.

In his speech delivered on February 20, the first day of the conference, Wang Yi said that China would work with all other parties in the following areas:

Acting as the guardians of world peace. Countries should respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and respect the development paths and social systems independently chosen by each other. Countries should persevere with dialogue and negotiation and seek peaceful settlements to differences and political solutions to international and regional hotspot issues. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, initiated by China and some other Global South countries 70 years ago, remain as relevant as ever under current circumstances.

Acting as the builders of universal security. Humanity is a community with a shared future. It is also an indivisible community of shared security. A country must not pursue its own security at the expense of the security of other countries, and the legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously.

Acting as the defenders of multilateralism. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. It is also the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.

Noting that previous speakers had all spoken about the Ukraine crisis, Wang Yi said: “Although the parties have different positions and it is hard to find simple solutions to complex issues, dialogue is always better than confrontation and peace talks better than fighting… Acting on the wishes of the relevant parties and keeping in mind the concerns of the international community, especially those of the Global South, China will continue playing a constructive role in the political settlement of the crisis.”

And turning to the question of Palestine, he remarked: “The conflict in Gaza has caused an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. The flames of war must not be reignited, and the ceasefire agreement must be implemented in a continuous and effective manner. Gaza and the West Bank are the homeland of the Palestinian people. ‘The Palestinians governing Palestine’ is an important principle that must be upheld in the post-conflict governance of Gaza… The historical injustice on the Palestinian question has remained unaddressed for over seven decades. The issue should not be marginalised once again.”

Wang Yi noted that: “This year represents an ‘African moment’ at the G20. After welcoming the African Union as a full member, the G20 is going to have a summit on the African continent for the first time. We must listen to what Africa has to say, take Africa’s concerns seriously, support Africa’s actions, and work for peace and development in Africa, so as to leave a distinct African mark on the Johannesburg Summit. China firmly supports the African people in independently resolving African problems and opposes external interference in the internal affairs of African countries.”

And in concluding he invoked the words of Nelson Mandela: “It is so easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build.”

Wang Yi made a further speech the next day, saying, “China is ready to join all sides in embracing the theme of ‘Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability’ proposed by South Africa, ushering in a new chapter of G20 cooperation, and working together for a just world of common development” in the following ways:

Through Solidarity we will cement the foundation of G20 cooperation. President Ramaphosa noted that, cooperation has been one of the key markers of human development, which is what the G20 was established for. We should seek common ground, set aside and overcome differences whenever possible, avoid division and discord, and reject bloc confrontation. Major countries should play a leading role in advancing reform of the global economic governance system and improving the representation and voice of the Global South.

Through Equality we will empower the G20 on the way forward. In today’s world, technological revolution is progressing apace, presenting us with both opportunities and risks. China supports South Africa’s establishment of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) task force and supports the Global AI Summit on Africa. China also welcomes you all to attend the 2025 World Artificial Intelligence Conference. Together with Brazil, South Africa and the African Union, we have jointly launched an Initiative on International Cooperation in Open Science, and we look forward to more countries and international organisations coming aboard.

Through Sustainability we will open up new prospects for the G20. China will take an active part in the two newly established task forces on “Inclusive Economic Growth” and “Food Security” set up by South Africa, and support cooperation in priority areas such as disaster relief, debt sustainability, fair energy transition and key minerals.

He further noted that: “Africa is experiencing a new awakening. The G20 should make the most of South Africa’s Presidency, mobilise more development resources, promote synergy in global development actions, and partner with Africa in industrialisation, infrastructure, green minerals and other areas, to accelerate the continent’s advance toward modernisation.”

The following articles were originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Additionally, the welcoming speech to the conference by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa may be read here.

Trump wants US to ‘partner’ with Russia to weaken China: Divide-and-conquer strategy

In the following article on Geopolitical Economy, Ben Norton explores the complex political dynamics underlying the Trump administration’s move towards ending the conflict in Ukraine.

The summary is that “Trump is trying to divide Russia from China, in an attempt to isolate Beijing”, because “the United States sees China as the number one threat to its global dominance”.

Ben notes that Trump and top members of his cabinet have repeatedly expressed their desire to focus on countering China, and that Trump, in an interview with Tucker Carlson last year, openly stated that “you never want Russia and China uniting… I’m going to have to un-unite them, and I think I can do that, too. I have to un-unite them.”

This plan has been described as a “reverse Nixon/Kissinger strategy”, in that it seeks to revive Kissinger’s “triangular diplomacy”, befriending one of the two major enemies in order to isolate the other. Whereas the Soviet Union was the number one enemy in the 1970s, China is now seen as the main threat, as the world’s largest economy in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms, and the driving force behind the trajectory towards a multipolar world.

Ben further notes that such a strategy is consistent with the ideas laid out in Zbigniew Brzezinski’s 1997 book The Grand Chessboard, which argued that the US should prevent the rise of a Eurasian power that could challenge its global hegemony. Brzezinski wrote that “the most dangerous scenario would be a grand coalition of China, Russia, and perhaps Iran, an ‘anti-hegemonic’ coalition united not by ideology but by complementary grievances. It would be reminiscent in scale and scope of the challenge once posed by the Sino-Soviet bloc, though this time China would likely be the leader and Russia the follower.”

In short, “Trump hopes that by trying to divide Russia and China, he can weaken Beijing, reverse US decline, and save the US empire.” However, given the depth of the strategic partnership between Russia and China, it is unlikely that such a strategy will succeed.

The Donald Trump administration is holding talks between the United States and Russia, and he says he wants to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio has even proposed that the US could “partner with the Russians, geopolitically”.

What is happening here? The simple answer is that this is all about China.

Trump is trying to divide Russia from China, in an attempt to isolate Beijing.

The United States sees China as the number one threat to its global dominance. This has been stated clearly by top officials in both the Trump administration and the previous Joe Biden administration.

Rubio dubbed China “the single greatest challenge this nation has ever faced”. Trump’s CIA Director John Ratcliffe asserted that “China was far and away our top national security threat”.

Trump’s plan to split Russia and China

Trump made this strategy clear in an interview with Tucker Carlson, the right-wing talk show host, on October 31, 2024.

Trump said it was a “shame” and it was “stupid” that the US had pushed China and Russia together.

“I’m going to have to un-unite them, and I think I can do that, too. I have to un-unite them”, Trump stated.

The following is a partial transcript of his remarks (emphasis added):

We are a nation in decline. We are a nation in very serious decline. And look at what these stupid people have done. They’ve allowed Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and others to get together in a group. This is impossible to think.

When I was a young guy, I loved, I always loved the whole thing, the concept of the history, and all of the things that can happen. The one thing — and I had a professor at the Wharton School of Finance, but we had history classes also.

He said the one thing you never want to happen is you never want Russia and China uniting. We united them, because of the oil. We united them. Biden united them. It’s a shame, the stupidity of what they have done.

I’m going to have to un-unite them, and I think I can do that, too. I have to un-unite them.

But early on I’ve read, and you’ve learned, you never want Russia and China — and they’re natural enemies, because Russia has massive land, and China needs it.

…

They’re a natural enemy. And we’ve allowed them become, to get together. It’s such a dangerous thing.

Another thing that we’re doing is we’re losing the dollar as the standard, because of these people that are so — if we lose the dollar as the standard, that’s like losing a war. And it’ll never happen with me. There’s no way that will happen with me.

Trump threatens BRICS

What is noteworthy is how Trump immediately linked the close partnership between China and Russia to the issue of de-dollarization, the international drive to create alternatives to the US dollar as the global reserve currency.

China is Russia’s largest trading partner, and the two countries have almost entirely removed the US dollar from their bilateral trade. Instead, they now use their domestic currencies, the renminbi and ruble, in more than 90% of settlements.

Fears of de-dollarization have led Trump to threaten 100% tariffs on BRICS countries and other nations that drop the dollar in international trade and foreign exchange reserves.

Wang Yi meets with António Guterres and foreign ministers of Bolivia, Pakistan, Somalia, Uganda, Hungary, Spain and Austria

While in New York to attend the high-level United Nations Security Council meeting on the theme, ‘Practicing Multilateralism, Reforming and Improving Global Governance’, on February 18, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met on the sidelines with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and foreign ministers of a number of countries also attending the meeting.

António Guterres said that the United Nations highly appreciates China’s adherence to multilateralism and its support for the work of the UN, and positively evaluates China’s proposal for holding this meeting, which injects impetus into reforming global governance and enhancing the voice of developing countries.

Meeting with the Bolivian Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa Lunda, Wang Yi said that last November, President Xi Jinping held a fruitful meeting with President Luis Arce, which enhanced mutual trust and charted the course for the development of bilateral relations. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Bolivia and the 200th anniversary of Bolivia’s independence. Standing at a new historical starting point, China is ready to make joint efforts with Bolivia to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and take China-Bolivia strategic partnership to new heights. China supports Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Bolivia to help the country accelerate development and improve people’s livelihood. He congratulated Bolivia on becoming a BRICS partner country and said that China supports Bolivia in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs.

Clearly alluding in particular to the recent brazen threats of US President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Wang added that Latin America is the homeland of the Latin American people, not the backyard of any country. China supports Latin American countries in safeguarding sovereignty, independence and national dignity, and supports Bolivia in safeguarding its legitimate rights and interests. China will always be a reliable friend and partner of Latin America.

Sosa said, Bolivia and China are good brothers and good partners. Bolivia-China cooperation enjoys huge potential and the Bolivian side welcomes China to increase investment in Bolivia to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results. She thanked China for its strong support in enhancing Bolivia’s capacity for independent development and boosting its international influence. Both Bolivia and China are steadfast members of the Global South, and Bolivia looks forward to deepening and expanding cooperation with China under the China-CELAC [Community of Latin American and Caribbean States] Forum (which this year celebrates its 10^th anniversary) and BRICS mechanisms.

Meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Wang Yi stated that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners, and the two sides have always trusted and supported each other. Not long ago, President Xi Jinping and President Asif Ali Zardari held a successful meeting, injecting fresh impetus into the ironclad friendship between China and Pakistan. China prioritises relations with Pakistan in its neighborhood diplomacy and will continue to uphold justice and speak up for Pakistan on international occasions. China will seek greater synergy of development strategies with Pakistan, and in particular, deepen cooperation on agricultural modernisation and industrialisation, and help Pakistan enhance its capacity for independent development.

Dar said that President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to China was a great success, taking the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between Pakistan and China to a new height, with cooperation in various fields advancing efficiently. Pakistan admires China’s remarkable progress in the development of modernisation and looks forward to strengthening high-level exchanges with China and seeking greater synergy of development strategies.

Meeting with Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, Wang Yi said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Somalia 65 years ago, the two countries have always respected and supported each other and treated each other as equals. Last year, President Xi Jinping and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud held a meeting on the sidelines of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and decided to upgrade bilateral relations to a strategic partnership, which has drawn a new blueprint for bilateral cooperation. The Chinese side is ready to work with the Somali side to implement the outcomes of the Beijing Summit in Somalia and help Somalia achieve stability and development. Somalia is welcome to actively participate in the ten partnership actions for China and Africa to jointly advance modernisation and effectively use China’s zero-tariff policy for the least-developed African countries.

Ahmed Moalim Fiqi said the friendship between Somalia and China has a solid foundation. He thanked China for upholding justice for Somalia in the international arena and said that Somalia firmly abides by the one-China principle and opposes all words and deeds that undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Meeting with Ugandan Foreign Minister Odongo Jeje Abubakher, Wang Yi said that to promote multilateralism, the voice of Africa should not be absent; to improve global governance, the participation of Africa should not be overlooked. China is ready to work with African partners to build a just and equitable global governance system and make joint efforts for world peace, stability, development and prosperity. China appreciates Uganda’s active role as the rotating chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, congratulates Uganda on becoming a BRICS partner country, and stands ready to work together to promote solidarity and cooperation in the Global South and safeguard international fairness and justice.

Odongo Jeje Abubakher said that in Uganda’s struggle for national independence, China stood with Uganda through thick and thin; in Uganda’s pursuit of independent development, China has provided Uganda with invaluable support. Uganda regards China as a trustworthy and reliable partner, admires the achievements of the Communist Party of China in state governance, and hopes to learn from China’s modernization development path.

Meeting with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, Wang Yi said, in a clear reference to Hungary’s relatively balanced and objective position on the Ukraine situation in particular, that China appreciates Hungary’s rational and objective stance on hotspot conflict issues and believes that Hungary will continue to contribute to peace and stability in Europe, and play an important and unique role in this regard. He also commended Hungary for consistently regarding China as an opportunity for development, emphasising that regardless of changes in the international landscape, China will always be a trustworthy partner for Hungary.

Wang Yi also held numerous sideline meetings during his earlier participation in the Munich Security Conference. We report here on two such meetings, which reflect China’s consistent position of striving to find common ground with middle-level European powers which seek to uphold a degree of independence in their policies and actions.

On February 14, Wang Yi met with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares Bueno.

Wang said that the development of China-Spain relations has seen many highlights, with close interactions between their leaders, important progress in major new energy cooperation projects, and fresh opportunities emerging in economic, trade, and investment cooperation, adding that China and Spain have maintained sound communication and coordination in international affairs.

With the current international situation in transformation and turbulence and the world facing the risk of a return to ‘the law of the jungle’, China and Spain should jointly practice multilateralism, promote the democratisation of international relations, build broad international consensus, and work together toward equal and orderly multipolarity.

Albares, for his part, said Spain is willing to work with China to strengthen high-level exchanges, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and continuously elevate bilateral ties. He noted that China, as a global power with significant influence, plays an indispensable leadership role in key international agendas, such as maintaining world peace and addressing climate change.

The next day, Wang Yi met with Austrian interim Chancellor and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and said that China is ready to work with Austria to jointly voice support for upholding multilateralism, maintaining the authority of the United Nations, defending the international rule of law and rejecting unilateral bullying. He noted that Austria, as a permanently neutral country [a status adopted on October 26, 1955, the day foreign troops withdrew from the country and its full sovereignty was restored post-World War II], has long played the role of a bridge-builder and mediator in international affairs.

Schallenberg, for his part, said that Austria and China respect each other and have conducted close cooperation on bilateral and multilateral issues. Decoupling and the severing of industrial and supply chains do not conform to the common interests of all parties; instead, open cooperation is key to achieving development and prosperity. Austria appreciates China’s adherence to multilateralism and is willing to work with China to uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and defend the post-World War II international order, he noted, adding that Austria highly values China’s influence as a major country and hopes China will apply Eastern wisdom so as to play an important role in promoting peace.

The following articles were originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Xinhua News Agency.

Wang Yi Meets with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres

Feb. 19 (MFA) — On February 18, 2025 local time, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi met with Secretary-General of the United Nations (U.N.) António Guterres on the sidelines of the U.N. Security Council high-level meeting which he chaired in New York.

Wang Yi conveyed President Xi Jinping’s cordial greetings to António Guterres, and said that the current international situation is characterized by changes and turbulence as well as intensifying geopolitical games. The more volatile the world is, the more important it is to safeguard the authority and role of the United Nations. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, which is of great significance in building on the past and ushering in the future. As the rotating President of the Security Council for February, China proposed to hold a high-level meeting on “Practicing Multilateralism, Reforming and Improving Global Governance”, which received positive responses from all parties and kicked off the Security Council’s activities to commemorate the 80th anniversary. All parties reached a high degree of consensus during the discussions and sent a strong call for supporting multilateral cooperation and improving global governance. China unswervingly supports the central role of the United Nations and the work of the Secretary-General and the Secretariat. China is willing to continue to work closely with the United Nations to build greater consensus, pool more resources, jointly practice true multilateralism, and advance the cause of world peace and development.

António Guterres asked Wang Yi to convey his sincere greetings to President Xi Jinping, saying that the United Nations highly appreciates China’s adherence to multilateralism and its support for the work of the United Nations, and positively evaluates China’s proposal for holding this meeting, which injects impetus into reforming global governance and enhancing the voice of developing countries. He said that the United Nations attaches great importance to China’s role and fully agrees with and actively supports the three global initiatives put forth by President Xi Jinping. In the face of the current complex challenges, the United Nations will adhere to its established ideals, implement the purposes and principles of its Charter, and call on all countries to strengthen cooperation, jointly uphold international rule of law, and promote peace and sustainable development.

The two sides also had an exchange of views on the Ukraine crisis, the Middle East issue, and the security situation in Africa.

Wang Yi: The Global South should remain at the forefront of improving the global governance system

Following his visit to Ireland, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proceeded to New York, where, on February 18, on the initiative of China, which holds the rotating Chair of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for February, the UNSC held a high-level meeting on the theme, ‘Practicing Multilateralism, Reforming and Improving Global Governance’. The meeting was chaired by Wang Yi and representatives from over 100 countries participated.

In his address to the meeting Wang Yi noted:

The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. Eighty years ago, our forefathers, with strenuous struggle and tremendous sacrifice, won the great victory of the Anti-Fascist war; the international community drew painful lessons from the scourge of two world wars; and the United Nations was founded. Multilateralism gradually became the main trend of the times…

The past 80 years is a period of accelerated advancement in world multipolarity and economic globalisation, a period that has witnessed people across the world forging ahead and meeting challenges together, and also a period during which the Global South has been rising and growing in strength. Meanwhile, although human society has emerged from the shadows of the Cold War and moved beyond the bipolar standoff, comprehensive peace and shared prosperity remain elusive. In the third decade of the 21st century, peace and development remains a long-term, arduous task… In the face of the profoundly changing international landscape, the Global South should not only achieve the historic feat of moving toward modernisation together but also remain at the forefront of improving the global governance system.

To this end, he made four proposals:

Upholding sovereign equality. All countries are equal, regardless of size or strength. This is the foremost principle in the UN Charter. In advancing global governance, all countries have the right to participate as equals, make decisions as equals, and benefit as equals. We must respect the development paths chosen independently by people of all countries, uphold the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, and not impose one’s will upon others.

Upholding fairness and justice. Since the end of World War II, a large number of countries in the Global South have emerged on the world stage, which has revealed growing incompatibility and irrationality in the global governance structure. Under the new circumstances, international affairs should no longer be monopolised by a small number of countries. Countries in the Global South have the right to speak up for and defend their legitimate rights and interests. The fruits of development should no longer be taken by just a few countries. People of all countries have the right to a happy life.

Upholding solidarity and coordination. The Security Council must rise above narrow-minded geopolitical considerations, champion the spirit of solidarity and cooperation, fulfil its duties conferred by the UN Charter, and effectually play its role for the maintenance of international peace and security.

Upholding an action-oriented approach. In the face of protracted wars, loss of innocent lives, and challenges brought by new technologies, UN agencies should seek solutions rather than chant slogans. Gaza and the West Bank are the homeland of the Palestinian people, not a bargaining chip in political trade-offs. The Palestinians governing Palestine is an important principle that must be followed in the post-conflict governance of Gaza.

Following the meeting, Wang Yi answered questions from the media. On the issue of Gaza, he said that it is important to recognise that the world is facing more than just the Ukraine crisis. Other hotspots, including the Gaza conflict, also require the international community’s attention and should not be marginalised.

Behind the Gaza conflict lies the unresolved Palestinian question. More than 70 years have passed since the UN adopted the resolution to establish two States, Palestine and Israel, but the two-state solution has only been partially implemented. The State of Israel was established long ago, but the Palestinian people still do not have their own country. Many are displaced, becoming refugees. The Palestinian question remains at the core of the Middle East issue. Palestinian factions should truly implement the Beijing Declaration and achieve unity and self-strength. All parties in the Middle East should transcend their differences and support Palestine’s statehood. The United Nations should take action to admit Palestine as a full member.

The following articles were originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Remarks by H.E. Wang Yi at the United Nations Security Council High-Level Meeting “Practicing Multilateralism, Reforming and Improving Global Governance”

Feb. 19 (MFA) — Your Excellency Secretary General António Guterres,
Colleagues,

I would like to thank Secretary General Guterres for attending this meeting and for his briefing.

The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. Eighty years ago, our forefathers, with strenuous struggle and tremendous sacrifice, won the great victory of the Anti-Fascist war; the international community drew painful lessons from the scourge of two world wars; and the United Nations was founded. Multilateralism gradually became the main trend of the times. New historical chapters were opened in global governance.

The past 80 years is a period of accelerated advancement in world multipolarity and economic globalization, a period that has witnessed people across the world forging ahead and meeting challenges together, and also a period during which the Global South has been rising and growing in strength. Meanwhile, although human society has emerged from the shadows of the Cold War and moved beyond the bipolar standoff, comprehensive peace and shared prosperity remain elusive. In the third decade of the 21st century, peace and development remains a long-term, arduous task.

The 80 years of history is enlightenment enough: In the face of the turbulent and changing international landscape, the U.N.-centered international system provides important safeguards for the cause of human progress, and the vision of multilateralism with coordination and cooperation as its cornerstone is the best solution to global issues. In the face of the historical trend of shared future, no country can prosper alone; mutually beneficial cooperation is the right choice. In the face of the profoundly changing international landscape, the Global South should not only achieve the historic feat of moving toward modernization together, but also remain at the forefront of improving the global governance system.

Mr. Secretary General,
Colleagues,

To chart our course for the future, we should not forget why we started out in the beginning. Today, transformation not seen in a century is accelerating across the world, geopolitical conflicts keep escalating, multiple crises are emerging, and instability and uncertainty are increasingly prominent. In a time of intensifying turbulence and transformation, we need, more than ever, to remind ourselves of the founding mission of the U.N., reinvigorate true multilateralism, and speed up the efforts to build a more just and equitable global governance system. In this connection, China proposes the following:

First, upholding sovereign equality. All countries are equal, regardless of size or strength. This is the foremost principle in the U.N. Charter. In advancing global governance, all countries have the right to participate as equals, make decisions as equals, and benefit as equals. We must respect the development paths chosen independently by people of all countries, uphold the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, and not impose one’s will upon others. We must practice international rule of law, ensure the effective implementation of international law, and reject double standards and selective application. Resolutions of the Security Council are binding, and should be observed by all countries. The Security Council is entrusted with authority, and such authority should be upheld by all countries. Any act of bullying, trickery or extortion is a flagrant violation of the basic norms of international relations. Any unilateral sanction that circumvents Security Council authorization lacks legal basis, defies justification and contradicts common sense.

Second, upholding fairness and justice. A critical part of global governance is to ensure that justice prevails. Since the end of World War II, a large number of countries in the Global South have emerged on the world stage, which has revealed growing incompatibility and irrationality in the global governance structure. Under the new circumstances, international affairs should no longer be monopolized by a small number of countries. Countries in the Global South have the right to speak up for and defend their legitimate rights and interests. The fruits of development should no longer be taken by just a few countries. People of all countries have the right to a happy life. The reform of the Security Council should continue to emphasize democratic consultation, increase the representation and say of developing countries, especially African countries, and effectively redress historical injustice.

Third, upholding solidarity and coordination. Promoting international cooperation is an important purpose of the U.N. Charter, and a sure path toward improving global governance. Countries should commit to the principle of extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, replace confrontation with coordination, prevent lose-lose through win-win cooperation, and break down small circles with greater solidarity. Members cannot just sit by and watch multilateral institutions become dysfunctional and ineffective due to their own failure to cooperate. The Security Council must rise above narrow-minded geopolitical considerations, champion the spirit of solidarity and cooperation, fulfill its duties conferred by the U.N. Charter, and effectually play its role for the maintenance of international peace and security.