Friends of Socialist China, Author at Friends of Socialist China

Former premier Zhu Rongji passes away

Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, a key architect of China’s economic reforms and of the country’s transition to a socialist market economy, died of illness on August 12 at the age of 98.

Zhu had served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 14th and 15th Central Committees of the Communist Party of China (CPC). An official obituary extolled him as an excellent Party member, a time-tested and loyal communist fighter, and an outstanding proletarian revolutionist, statesman and leader of the Party and the state.

Zhu was born in October 1928 in Changsha, Hunan Province. He studied in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Tsinghua University from 1947 to 1951. He joined the CPC in October 1949.

In March 1998, he was appointed premier of the State Council. Facing the impact of the Asian financial crisis and the catastrophic flooding in China, he implemented the plans of the Party Central Committee to shift from a moderately tight fiscal and monetary policy to a proactive fiscal policy and a prudent monetary policy, expand domestic demand and deepen reforms in key areas, thereby sustaining steady and rapid economic growth.

Whilst a staunch proponent of economic reform, Zhu was always deeply concerned about the immediate as well as the long-term interests of the working class and the majority of the people.

He worked to establish the basic living security system for laid-off workers from state-owned enterprises, the unemployment insurance system, and the minimum living guarantee system for urban residents. He also made great efforts to address issues such as wage arrears and the re-employment of laid-off workers.

The obituary stressed that Zhu had deep affection for the people. He emphasised that government officials must always bear in mind that they are public servants and should have the courage to speak the truth, not fear giving offence, and refrain from seeking special privileges. He also stressed the need to take the initiative, with a strong sense of responsibility, to shoulder heavy burdens, take on tough problems and go all out to deliver real results for the people.

After retiring from leadership posts, he steadfastly upheld and supported the CPC Central Committee with Hu Jintao as general secretary, and then the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core. He continued to care about the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics and firmly supported efforts to improve conduct, promote integrity and fight corruption.

The obituary concludes that Zhu’s life was a revolutionary, fighting and glorious one. His death is a great loss to the Party and the state.

Xi Jinping acclaims Fidel Castro on his centenary

A number of international political events have taken place in Cuba to mark the August 13 centenary of the birth of Fidel Castro, the founder of socialist Cuba and one of the outstanding figures in the history of the international socialist movement and of human history in general. The events acquire particular significance as they take place in the midst of an intensified genocidal blockade of the heroic socialist island imposed by US imperialism.

Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), led a Communist Party of China delegation primarily to attend the First International Colloquium “Fidel, Legacy and Future” hosted by the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) on August 10.

Immediately prior to the opening of the event, Liu met with Miguel Diaz-Canel, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and Cuban President.

Diaz-Canel asked Liu to convey sincere greetings from Cuban Revolution leader Raul Castro and himself to General Secretary Xi Jinping and expressed gratitude to General Secretary Xi and the CPC Central Committee for attaching importance to and supporting Cuba’s commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Fidel Castro. Diaz-Canel stated that the visit by the Chinese cadres represents firm support for Cuba during a difficult time and embodies the fraternal friendship between the two Parties, the two countries, and two peoples. He thanked the CPC, the Chinese government, and people for the long-term support and assistance for Cuba. Cuba stands ready to work with China to further advance the special and friendly relations between the two Parties and the two countries. Attaching great importance to learning from the CPC’s successful experience in party governance and state administration, particularly the experience in reform and opening up, Cuba is ready to deepen exchanges and mutual learning with China to better advance Cuba’s economic and social transformation.

Liu conveyed the warm greetings and best wishes from General Secretary Xi Jinping to Raul Castro and Diaz-Canel and handed over a letter signed by General Secretary Xi Jinping addressed to them. Liu stated that General Secretary Xi Jinping and the CPC Central Committee attach great importance to the commemorative events marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Fidel Castro and have specifically dispatched a CPC delegation to Cuba to attend these activities. China and Cuba are good friends, good comrades, and good brothers. Having withstood the test of over six decades of a changing international landscape, the relations between the two countries have become a model of solidarity and cooperation among socialist nations and of sincere mutual assistance among Global South countries.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the colloquium, Liu first read out the personally signed letter from General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping to Cuban Revolution leader Raul Castro, and Miguel Diaz-Canel, First Secretary of the PCC Central Committee and Cuban President, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Fidel Castro. He emphasised that Fidel Castro was an outstanding leader of the PCC and the cause of the Cuban revolution, who devoted his entire life to the magnificent cause of the Cuban people’s struggle for national liberation, safeguarding national sovereignty, and building socialism. He made immortal historic contributions to the Cuban people as well as to the development of the world socialist cause. Fidel Castro was the founder and promoter of China-Cuba relations and made historic contributions to the development of bilateral relations. It was precisely thanks to his vision and foresight and personal efforts that Cuba became the first Latin American country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. Through the long-term joint efforts of both sides, China-Cuba relations have become a model of unity and cooperation among socialist countries and of sincere mutual assistance among Global South countries. Under the current complex and volatile international situation, China firmly supports Cuba in exploring a path of socialist development suited to its own national conditions, firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding national sovereignty and security and opposing foreign interference.

Ningxia: the Global South meets to study China’s ‘Long March’ to abolish absolute poverty

Continuing our series of articles related to the ‘Path to Modernisation: Takeaways from China’s Theory and Practice of Poverty Alleviation’ conference which took place in Yinchuan, Ningxia, in July 2026, David Peat, Secretary of Friends of Socialist China Britain Committee, recounts his experiences in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, including local site visits, attending the conference, meeting local leaders, and highlighting how all of China’s regions worked together (in ‘paired assistance’ programmes) to achieve the goal of abolishing absolute poverty, and tying together the many ethnic minorities, varying geographical regions, and different levels of development in the Chinese nation.

David’s first article can be read here.

Our delegation continued overland, crossing the border from Gansu to Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China’s smallest autonomous region or province, and one equally known for its rugged terrain and (up until recently) persistent poverty. Even in this area, however, high-speed rail can be found and we enjoyed a journey taking in the changing landscapes. As its name also denotes, the region is an area with a relatively large ethnic minority population (38% Hui Muslim, with 62% Han) and as such it is one of China’s five designated ‘autonomous regions’, which have the ability to exercise certain additional rights, relative to standard Chinese provinces. China’s territory and population is enormous and extremely diverse, and, as will be seen below, its success has been due to a combination of finding solutions that work for local conditions, as well as cooperation between regions.

The delegation’s first stop in Ningxia was Minning Town, a flagship poverty alleviation project and moreover a case study of the ‘paired assistance’ model, which sees more developed regions of the country pairing with less developed ones in order to support their journey to achieve better living conditions for their residents. This particular partnership, which has been in place for 30 years, is revealed in the town’s name ‘Minning’, which is built out of the old name ‘Min’ for today’s Fujian, a relatively wealthy coastal province in China’s southeast, and ‘Ning’ from Ningxia. The story of the partnership, and Minning’s overall journey, is vividly portrayed in a popular Chinese television drama Minning Town, and the entire series is available to watch for free with English subtitles on YouTube.

This model was put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was then Deputy Party Secretary of Fujian Province. In 1997 he visited a site where the new town would be built (and would be populated by villagers who would relocate from their older, unsuitable residencies.) The paired assistance model involves the sharing of resources, expertise, funding and investment, and personnel, between the two regions. Those with technical knowhow were able to come from Fujian to improve the capacities of the rural residents, and alternately, those from Ningxia were able to share agricultural expertise with those in Fujian who could assist with wider rural revitalisation projects. Furthermore, financial support between the regions allowed for major infrastructural improvements to take place in the poorer districts. The evidence of the success of this long-term partnership can be seen in income levels: annual per capita disposable income for rural residents in Ningxia has risen from about 1,400 yuan in 1996 to more than 20,000 yuan in 2025. The model of East-West collaboration within China (such as that between Fujian and Ningxia) has shown huge success, as exemplified by Minning, and is set to continue to expand to support China’s ongoing development goals.

As seen in Gansu, any poverty alleviation project requires consideration of both the development of basic infrastructure to support wellbeing, as well as the development of ways of making a living for the residents. Minning is no different, and our delegation was able to witness (and even participate in) one aspect of its economic development: its e-commerce infrastructure, which has been put into place to assist residents to expand the market access for their (primarily agricultural) products. Local villagers reported how they had received vocational training, and how in particular this kind of work provided opportunities for those with disabilities, who represented 30% of the workforce in the company we visited. One villager remarked on their change of circumstances: “Previously we didn’t know how to use computers, but now we are able to become e-commerce influencers.” Delegates were given the opportunity to appear directly on a livestream and assisted the locals in selling their products (which, at that time, was goat milk). A local news report captured some opinions of delegates at the site.

A book launch event was held in Minning, which told its redevelopment story, alongside other such stories from the length and breadth of the country: Leaving No One Behind: China’s Stories of Poverty Alleviation, published by Contemporary World Press. The book is available in English and the launch was to celebrate its translation into Khmer language, for distribution in Cambodia.

Following the explorations of the rural regions on the road from Gansu to Ningxia, we arrived at the region’s capital of Yinchuan, which sits on the Yellow River, considered the “mother river” of Chinese civilisation. Several delegations, with over 120 representatives from more than 55 countries, who had inspected poverty alleviation projects in other parts of the country, all convened here for the conference on the theme of ‘Path to Modernisation: Takeaways from China’s Theory and Practice of Poverty Alleviation’, which took place on July 9, 2026.

The conference was convened by International Department of the CPC (IDCPC) Vice Minister Sun Haiyun, who remarked that Ningxia had been chosen as the location since it was so central to General Secretary Xi Jinping’s vision for poverty alleviation, as represented by the Fujian-Ningxia East-West paired assistance model, and stated that the purpose of the gathering was for all attendees to be able to apply some of the lessons learned in their own national contexts. Vice Minister Sun also noted the timeliness of the gathering, taking place not long after China had celebrated the 105th anniversary of the founding of the CPC.

George Bernard Shaw’s 1933 Shanghai visit recalled

The brief 1933 visit to Shanghai by the famed Irish playwright and socialist George Bernard Shaw was the theme of the third Shanghai Public Relations Academic Symposium on Irish Literature, held on July 26.

An article published in this regard by the website Sixth Tone notes: “Before his arrival, articles about Shaw had been published in various newspapers and magazines. Some discussed his communist advocacy in Hong Kong, while others talked about how his satirical writing style had influenced European society.”

Shaw was welcomed to the city by Soong Qingling, the widow of China’s first president Dr. Sun Yat Sen, who remained true to his revolutionary ideals and ended her days as Honorary President of the People’s Republic of China and with her long-standing wish to be admitted to membership of the Communist Party of China granted.

With help from Soong, Shaw met and talked with several leading left-wing Chinese intellectuals, including Yang Xingfo, a social activist and patriotic democrat, former Peking University president Cai Yuanpei, literary icon Lu Xun, writer and linguist Lin Yutang, and the American journalists Harold Isaacs and Agnes Smedley. He also met Mei Lanfang, the renowned Peking opera artist and founder of Shanghai’s Left Theatre Club.

According to Sixth Tone: “Although Shaw spent just over eight hours in Shanghai, his visit sparked considerable discussion and reverberations among the city’s left-wing intellectual circles. The writer and poet Yu Dafu wrote in Free Talk, a supplement of the Shun Pao newspaper, that he hoped Shaw could tell the world, in his own sarcastic tone, about Japanese imperialism and its invasion of China.”

Following the visit, a group of left-wing writers and cultural workers, including Lu Xun, began compiling reports from various newspapers and periodicals about the Irish writer’s short visit. The collection was published in March 1933 by Yecao Shudian, or Wild Grass Bookshop, under the title ‘George Bernard Shaw in Shanghai’.

In his preface, Lu Xun wrote: “Those who truly welcomed him were the Chinese people, as well as the literary and artistic circles that stood by the people. The Chinese people did not regard him as a ‘revolutionary leader’ or a ‘thoroughgoing socialist writer,’ much less as an idol. They regarded Shaw as a loyal friend of the oppressed people of the world, and of China.”

In a video address to the symposium, Chinese Ambassador to Ireland Zhao Xiyuan said that despite the great distance between China and Ireland, the two countries share long histories, splendid cultures, and rich literary traditions. He emphasised that three years ago, President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI), highlighting the need for civilisations to live together in harmony.

“As long as the two countries remain committed to openness, inclusiveness, and mutual learning, and continue to transcend estrangement through dialogues, overcome conflict through exchanges, and transcend superiority through mutual respect and inclusiveness, we will further strengthen the public foundations of China-Ireland friendship. In doing so, we will make new contributions to the sustained and sound development of China-Ireland relations, and to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.”

Former president of Ireland Michael D. Higgins also made reference to Shaw’s visit to Shanghai during his state visit to China in December 2014.

In a speech delivered at the Sun Yat Sen Museum on December 11, he noted:

“A Nobel Prize winning playwright and novelist, Shaw was also an essayist and polemicist, a free-thinker and a stout defender of the rights of the working classes and the marginalised.

“George Bernard Shaw continues to inspire us as the epitome of the engaged public intellectual, somebody who put his talent to the service of emancipatory change. Indeed, Shaw was an astute observer of his times but never a bystander – he consistently sought to translate his ideas into actual, public realisations. For example, he was a co-founder of the distinguished London School of Economics, and he helped to establish the New Statesman magazine; two ‘institutions’ which have been handed on to us.

“Shaw’s visit to Shanghai coincided with an era of great turbulence globally – a period when foreign powers were pushing rival claims onto China, as the Chinese people struggled to assert national sovereignty and define both an appropriate form of government and a new model of society for themselves.

“As a Fabian, Shaw was undoubtedly alive to the possibilities of a wider socialist awakening in China. As an Irishman he would have been sensitive to the Chinese calls for national sovereignty. At the same time, he was mindful not to be prescriptive in his conversation with his Chinese counterparts – conscious as he was of the travails of Europe’s own economic and political affairs.

“In the message he addressed to the Chinese people on the occasion of his visit, Shaw thus wrote:

“‘It is not for me, belonging as I do to a quarter of the globe which is mismanaging its affairs in a ruinous fashion to pretend to advise an ancient people striving to set its house in order.’”

Higgins concluded by, “by saluting all the academics and students in the Irish Studies Network who are here with us this afternoon. Shaw recognised no boundaries in the commitment to international solidarity. I believe that your interest in our culture and language, as well as the revived interest in your great civilisation currently manifest in Ireland, offer a robust and fruitful base for the future of Irish and Chinese relations.

“May the relations between our two peoples, Irish and Chinese, continue to be infused by the spirit of cross-border friendship and mutual curiosity which animated George Bernard Shaw’s visit in 1933.”

Chinese ambassador reiterates support for Palestine

Chinese Ambassador to the State of Palestine Sun Zhen has reaffirmed China’s unwavering commitment to supporting the Palestinian cause, continuing to provide humanitarian and development assistance, and working to elevate Palestinian-Chinese relations to new levels.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Chinese embassy in Ramallah on August 1, he said that his meetings with the Palestinian leadership had reinforced his awareness of the hardships facing the Palestinian people, stressing that China will continue strengthening bilateral ties, particularly as this year marks the third anniversary of the establishment of the China-Palestine strategic partnership. He added that China is working on implementing development projects in the West Bank, including infrastructure projects such as artificial turf fields, a Chinese school, Beijing Street, and the Palestinian-Chinese Friendship Square.

Sun Zhen reiterated his country’s support for Palestinian national rights, stating that China supports the establishment of a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. China rejects all measures that undermine this solution, including settlement expansion in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. China also prohibits investment in and employment in Israeli settlements.

The ambassador explained that China is cooperating with the World Food Programme to alleviate food insecurity in the Gaza Strip. He also noted that China has provided clothing benefiting 38,000 children in the Strip and concluded by affirming that China, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, will continue its unwavering support for the Palestinian cause.

Caring for the Tangshan earthquake survivors half a century on

July 28 this year marked the 50th anniversary of the devastating Tangshan earthquake. Measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, it struck the city in north China’s Hebei province in the early hours of the morning claiming more than 240,000 lives, injuring over 160,000 and leaving 3,817 survivors paralysed while hundreds of buildings were destroyed.

Marking the 50th anniversary of this terrible tragedy, Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited the city entrusted by General Secretary Xi Jinping. He commended the collective endeavour of the people of Tangshan to rebuild a modern city from the ruins of a devastating earthquake, saying that its transformation is a vivid example of the Party leading the public in overcoming great difficulties and challenges. He described the disaster as unforgettable and the relief efforts as deeply moving and inspiring, adding that on the city’s new journey, it is important to carry forward the spiritual strength derived from battling a disaster and rebuilding lives.

During his inspection tour, Li called for continuously improving mechanisms for disaster monitoring and early warning, emergency response, rescue and relief, and post-disaster reconstruction, enhancing disaster prevention, mitigation and relief capabilities, and effectively safeguarding the lives and property of the people. He also called for strengthening support for emergency response equipment and using technology to enhance the precision and safety of rescue operations and for vigorously carrying out science promotion to enhance the awareness and ability of the public to escape danger when a disaster strikes.

Touring a rehabilitation centre for quake survivors he called for improving medical rehabilitation and daily care services as well as strengthening the application of technological innovation in rehabilitation to constantly enhance the services for the disabled.

In a feature article for China Daily, Zheng Jinran writes movingly about the care needs of survivors half a century on:

“Born in an emergency medical team’s field tent just two hours after the devastating 1976 Tangshan earthquake struck, Yang Zhensheng’s destiny was bound to the tragedy. His parents named him Zhensheng, which literally means ‘born after the earthquake’, and in 2001, he started working at the Tangshan Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre.

“For a quarter of a century, Yang has witnessed the courage and determination that have enabled the survivors to endure.

“‘When the rehabilitation centre first opened, many residents had lost not only the use of their legs, but also the courage to live,’ said Yang, who is now the centre’s director. ‘We soon realised that treating injuries alone was not enough. Before helping them recover physically, we had to help them regain the confidence to live.’”

Gao Qingfeng, 69, is among the more than 130 paraplegic survivors of the Tangshan earthquake who still live at the centre.

After being pulled from the rubble and sent to Beijing for treatment as a 19-year-old, he was told by the doctors that there was a chance he might walk again. He had faith, and took his physiotherapy seriously, but never walked again.

“‘The hardest time was right after the earthquake,’ Gao recalled. ‘I didn’t even know what paraplegia was. I never imagined I would spend the rest of my life this way. When I moved into the rehabilitation centre in 1981 and saw so many people living the same life, I no longer felt I was facing it alone. We trained together, lived together and encouraged one another. Their companionship helped me gradually accept reality.’”

During a visit to the rehabilitation centre in July 2016, Xi Jinping encouraged its residents by saying: “If people in sound physical condition can live fulfilling lives, people with disabilities can do so as well.”

To take one example: “Li Dongmei remembers little about the day the earthquake struck. She was 13 when the disaster left her a paraplegic. Li also suffered a brain trauma injury and did not regain consciousness until more than a month later.

“In 1984, she learned about China’s first National Games for Persons with Disabilities. ‘It was as if I suddenly saw hope again,’ she recalled… Li trained for wheelchair racing by wearing gloves and wrapping black tape around the push rims of her racing wheelchair to improve her grip. Within days, both her hands were covered in blisters that later hardened into thick calluses. Three years later, she earned a place on Hebei’s team for the second National Games for Persons with Disabilities, launching a sporting career that spanned decades… Over the following decades, Li won dozens of medals in domestic and international competitions.”

Zhao Lili, a rehabilitation physician, said: “The biggest fear isn’t illness. It’s wondering who will be there when you need help.”

She has spent nearly three decades watching Tangshan’s paraplegic survivors grow older. “When I joined the centre in 1998, rehabilitation was about helping them return to society. Today, our focus is on managing the complications of long-term paraplegia and aging, so they can maintain the best possible quality of life.”

Centre director Yang said the institution represents a promise carried across generations. “From the day it was established, it has embodied the Party and government’s commitment to people affected by the disaster. The survival of 3,817 people left paraplegic by the earthquake — and their ability to go on living meaningful lives — was itself extraordinary. That achievement did not come from one medical breakthrough. It came from a commitment that no one would be left behind.”

Tang Yandong, dean of the School of Emergency Technology and Management at the Institute of Disaster Prevention and vice-chair of the Earthquake Emergency Rescue Committee under the China Association for Disaster Prevention, said Tangshan’s experience has broadened the understanding of what post-disaster recovery means.

“From the perspectives of sociology, psychology and emergency management, recovery is a long-term, systematic process that often lasts a lifetime,” he said. “The most valuable experience is not what happened immediately after the earthquake, but what happened over the following decades.”

He added that the experience has also helped shape China’s approach to post-disaster recovery by shifting the focus from rebuilding infrastructure to improving survivors’ long-term quality of life.

China’s exports support Global South development

In the following article, which was originally published by the South China Morning Post and is reproduced here from the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) in Beijing, Zhou Xiaoming takes issue with western narratives that allege that China’s exports are stifling the development of the rest of the Global South. On the contrary, he argues that China’s export portfolio constitutes a positive-sum diffusion of industrial growth.

Zhou enjoins us to “look at the sector where you would expect the fiercest head-to-head competition – labour-intensive consumer goods. If China were truly monopolising the export space of others, its share would be stable or climbing. In reality, it is falling. China’s share of global garment exports fell to just under 30 per cent in 2024, a significant drop from its peak of over 40 per cent about a decade ago.”

China, he continues, “is not shipping goods to outcompete Global South producers; it is shipping the building blocks that make factories viable. According to an Oxford Economics report, nearly half of China’s total exports are intermediate goods – components and raw materials that feed into other countries’ production lines rather than finished products for consumers.

“Take Southeast Asia. Customs data from the first half of 2026 shows China’s intermediate goods exports to Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states rocketed 24.5 per cent year on year to 2.86 trillion yuan. These kinds of inputs help Vietnamese electronics assemblers, Thai auto-part makers and Malaysian chip packagers produce and export their own finished goods. This is deep integration.”

He continues: “Beyond components, there are capital goods. China’s enabling role also comes into play here. For decades, a major barrier to industrialisation was the staggering cost of capital equipment. Today, Chinese-made industrial machinery is dramatically more affordable… As Chinese capital and equipment are building industrial capacity across the Global South, China is turning itself into the ‘mother machine’ of the industrialising world, transforming technology and production know-how that Western development aid never delivered.”

He concedes that, “Yes, China runs surpluses with multiple developing nations. But look closer. Take Vietnam for instance. Its 2025 trade deficit with China stood at around US$115 billion. Yet imports of capital and intermediate goods tell the real story. In 2025, capital goods such as computers, electronics, and machinery accounted for over half of its total imports. Vietnam’s deficit is a receipt for industrialisation.”

Whilst, “we are witnessing a historic reorganisation of global production – one that offers developing nations their first genuine shot at industrialisation without waiting for Western handouts… China’s exports pose a challenge to sectors such as automobile and home appliances in South Africa and Brazil. However, China’s exports are primarily the scaffolding on which other Global South countries are erecting their own industrial futures. Tear that scaffolding down, as some want, and you deprive scores of developing economies of a route out of underdevelopment.”

He also reminds us to look at imports: “China is the top export destination for 79 countries and regions. In May, it expanded its zero-tariff import policy to 53 African countries. Painting China as a threat to development ignores how Beijing is widening its doors to products from the Global South.”

He concludes: “Western critiques are rather paternalistic, assuming developing nations are passive victims, incapable of making rational choices about their own trade relationships. That condescension, echoing the ‘white man’s burden’, is the real obstacle to the Global South’s prosperity.”

Danny Haiphong: Who benefits from rising tensions in the South China Sea?

Tensions in the South China Sea flared again on 20 July, when a Philippine Navy vessel illegally grounded at China’s Ren’ai Jiao sparked a confrontation with the China Coast Guard, followed three days later by the Coast Guard driving away two Philippine vessels near Huangyan Dao. In the following article, Friends of Socialist China co-founder Danny Haiphong – a US independent journalist and researcher specialising in US foreign policy and geopolitics – asks who actually benefits from the escalation.

His answer is that these clashes did not emerge in a vacuum. They came against the backdrop of the tenth anniversary of the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling, marked by a joint statement from the US, Japan, the Philippines and eleven other countries – a ruling China regards as illegal and void, and one advanced most energetically by a United States that is not itself a signatory to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Philippines may have been the nominal filer, but Washington supplied the logistical, diplomatic and legal muscle.

Danny sets out the scale of the militarisation involved: 1,200 US reconnaissance missions over the South China Sea in 2025, nine carrier strike group deployments, and large-scale exercises led by the US, Japan and the Philippines. The Marcos administration, he argues, has badly miscalculated in believing that deeper military integration with Washington gives it leverage over Beijing; the reality is that the Philippines is being positioned as a staging ground for someone else’s war. As he puts it, paraphrasing Kissinger, to be an enemy of the US may be dangerous – but to be a friend of the US is fatal.

Chinese ambassador calls for UK and China to cooperate on AI

Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang recently contributed an article to the Guardian newspaper calling for the two countries to cooperate on AI. He begins by noting that: “Like the steam engine, the harnessing of electricity and the internet before it, it has the potential to transform how we work, live and interact.

“But every technological revolution brings challenges as well as opportunities. As AI systems become more capable, people are asking legitimate questions. How can AI remain safe, accountable and under human control? How should its development be governed? How can its benefits be shared more widely?”

He adds: “These questions were at the heart of the 2026 World AI Conference, held… [recently] in Shanghai.”

Keeping the main focus on the Global South he notes that China will develop international AI-application cooperation centres with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the League of Arab States, the African Union, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and its fellow BRICS countries.

But that does mean there is not ample space and opportunities for China-UK collaboration:

“China and the UK have much to gain from working together. The UK has a competitive edge in frontier research, life sciences, financial services and AI innovation… In healthcare, combining British strengths in biomedical research with China’s capacity to deploy AI at scale can accelerate drug discovery, improve medical imaging and enhance healthcare delivery… Policymakers, researchers and business leaders from China and the UK need to increase exchanges and translate dialogue into joint research, commercial partnerships and closer cooperation on AI governance.”

The pushback against the US militarisation of East Asia

When US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told Washington’s Asian allies at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that they should be spending 3.5 percent of their GDP on defence – quipping “more ships, less Shangri-La” – he was calling for a regional arms build-up unmatched since the end of the Cold War. In the following article, Mike Martin, a member of Scottish CND’s trade union network, surveys the opposition to that project across East Asia and Australasia.

The contradiction he identifies is a sharp one. Since the Cold War, south-east Asia has pivoted from military readiness to commerce and investment, deepened through ASEAN and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, becoming a global manufacturing hub in the process. China sits at the centre of those supply chains and is the leading trade partner of most countries in the region. Yet the states most deeply integrated into China’s economic dynamism are simultaneously being drawn into military structures designed to confront it – new missile systems, bases, naval patrols in contested waters, and military budgets that soar as social budgets stagnate.

Mike’s survey is a valuable corrective to the impression, common in the Western media, that the region is uniformly lining up behind Washington. From the campaign against AUKUS in Australia and Japan’s largest anti-war mobilisations in decades in defence of Article 9, to the peace coalitions of South Korea, the debate over an independent foreign policy in the Philippines, and the overwhelming majority in Taiwan province who reject both independence and confrontation, he documents the countervailing social forces at work. The task, he concludes, is to build the largest possible global majority for peace.

British Steel or British Steal?

In July, the British government completed the full nationalisation of British Steel – a move welcomed by the country’s trade unions, and one socialists have no reason to oppose in principle. But as Carlos Martinez argues in the following article, what took place was not simply the homecoming of a strategic industry. It was the expropriation of the Chinese firm that Britain itself invited in to rescue that industry six years ago, and which invested upwards of £1.2 billion doing so.

Comparing the treatment of Jingye Group with the £500 million subsidy handed to India’s Tata Steel for an almost identical transition at Port Talbot, he argues that this is a story about China rather than about steel – part of a wider pattern that takes in the seizure of Nexperia in the Netherlands, the forced sale of TikTok in the United States and the blocking of Chinese rare-earth investment in Australia. Nationalisation, he concludes, need not be reversed; it needs to be completed honestly, with prompt and adequate compensation, and with China engaged as the obvious partner for the green transformation Scunthorpe needs.

China-Africa solidarity and cooperation in action

China’s Xinhua News Agency has recently published a number of articles outlining some of the practical ways in which China has been contributing to development and improving people’s livelihood across the countries of southern and central Africa, drawing appreciation from the presidents of Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the vice presidents of Tanzania and Uganda, as well as building on the success of the Namibian president’s recent state visit to China.

Mozambique

On August 3, a groundbreaking ceremony for the China-aided National Surgical Centre Project was held in the Mozambican capital Maputo. The complex will be built within Maputo Central Hospital and will include a surgical centre building and two utility buildings, with a total floor area of more than 20,000 square metres. The eight-storey facility will also house emergency and trauma services, a medical imaging department, a pharmacy, laboratories, 14 operating rooms, a 19-bed intensive care unit and 456 inpatient beds.

Addressing the ceremony, Mozambican President Daniel Chapo said the groundbreaking marked the beginning of a new stage in Mozambique’s capacity to save lives and treat complex diseases, enabling more Mozambicans to access specialised medical care within their own country.

Describing Mozambique and China as brotherly countries, Chapo said the Mozambican government hopes to work with the Chinese government to end the need for Mozambicans to travel abroad in search of better medical treatment.

A feature published by Xinhua on July 28 highlighted the 50th anniversary of cooperation between China and Mozambique in the field of health care.

On April 15, 1976, the first batch of 29 Chinese medical experts arrived in Mozambique, planting the seed for an enduring partnership that has since blossomed beyond clinical care to include medical training, technology transfer, emergency response, and healthcare infrastructure development.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Mozambican Minister of Health Ussene Isse said that bilateral health cooperation has achieved positive results over the past five decades. The dispatch of Chinese medical teams, in his eyes, is “not merely a medical cooperation project, but a history of solidarity and a partnership that has remained steadfast across generations despite changes in the international environment.”

Over the past 50 years, China has sent 383 medical professionals in 26 teams to Mozambique, where they have treated approximately 1.4 million patients.

Apart from providing medical services, Isse noted that Chinese medical teams have helped build local capacity by training Mozambican healthcare professionals in fields including surgery, anesthesiology, and traditional Chinese medicine, while introducing advanced technologies such as telemedicine and laparoscopic surgery at Maputo Central Hospital.

South Africa

On July 31, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa hailed growing China-South Africa cooperation in clean energy, saying the participation of Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Goldwind in the Ummbila Emoyeni Wind Farm project demonstrates how bilateral partnerships are supporting the country’s just energy transition.

Addressing the launch of commercial operations of the 155-megawatt (MW) wind farm in Mpumalanga Province, Ramaphosa said South Africa welcomes Chinese companies’ participation in the country’s renewable energy development.

He added that South Africa’s future energy mix will combine coal, wind, hydropower, nuclear, solar, gas and other emerging technologies to ensure energy security while advancing decarbonisation. “South Africa’s future energy system will draw on the strengths and resources we already possess while embracing new opportunities.”

Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Wu Peng said: “It has been proven in practice that Chinese enterprises are not merely visitors from afar, but partners deeply rooted in South Africa. More and more Chinese enterprises are contributing to South Africa’s development.”

Zimbabwe

On the same day, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa hailed Chinese investment in lithium processing as key to maximising the value of the country’s mineral resources.

In a speech read on his behalf by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga at the opening of the Mining, Engineering and Transport Expo in Bulawayo, Mnangagwa commended China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt for building Zimbabwe’s first lithium sulphate plant in Goromonzi, Mashonaland East Province. He also praised other Chinese-invested companies for pushing lithium beneficiation, including Sinomine’s subsidiary Bikita Minerals, which is also building a lithium sulphate plant in Bikita, Masvingo Province.

“Once set up, the plants will result in Zimbabwe being the only nation in Africa to host multiple lithium-processing operations,” Mnangagwa said. Zimbabwe had long derived limited benefits from supplying raw minerals to global markets, but “that narrative is changing”.

Zimbabwe, Africa’s major lithium producer, has seen significant investment in its lithium sector in recent years due to growing global demand for the mineral, which is critical to the global energy transition.

On July 23, it was announced that Zimbabwe has officially joined the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB), which will unlock crucial credit and funding opportunities for the country.

Established in 2014 by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the NDB officially began operations in 2015, with a mission to mobilise resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS member nations and other emerging-market economies and developing countries. Zimbabwe applied to join the bank in 2023, with formal accession negotiations progressing earlier this year. The country has also formally applied to join the BRICS group.

And on July 24, the Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe hosted a reception to celebrate the 99th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Zhou Ding said the profound friendship between China and Zimbabwe was forged in the national liberation struggle, giving rise to strong revolutionary bonds between the two countries. He noted that a Zimbabwean veterans’ delegation recently visited China to retrace their revolutionary steps, further consolidating the ties between the two nations.

Commander General of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Emmanuel Matatu expressed his congratulations on the PLA’s 99th anniversary. He noted the coincidence that both militaries celebrate their milestones in August — the PLA marks its 99th anniversary on August 1, while the ZDF celebrates its 46th anniversary on August 11. Matatu also expressed gratitude for China’s unwavering support since the liberation war. “For the ZDF, the PLA has always been a reliable partner in our development,” he said, adding that the ZDF looks forward to further nurturing and cherishing this all-weather relationship for generations to come.

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

On July 29, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Felix Tshisekedi inaugurated a Chinese-built water treatment plant in Kamina, capital of the southern province of Haut-Lomami.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, DRC Minister of Hydraulic Resources and Electricity Aime Sakombi Molendo said the project would help improve living and public health conditions for local residents and would bolster the country’s drinking water treatment capacity.

The project was financed by Sino Congolaise des Mines, a joint venture between the DRC state mining company Gecamines and a group of Chinese companies.

Underlining the importance of such projects, it was reported in the same week that more than 400 million Africans still lack access to basic drinking water, while over 700 million people across the continent remain without safely managed sanitation.

On August 1, China’s third medical expert team for Ebola response arrived in Kinshasa, capital of the DRC, to support the country’s efforts to strengthen its defences against the epidemic.

Luku Maleyo Marius, a representative of the DRC health ministry, welcomed the team at the airport. He said the Ebola situation in the DRC remained severe and response efforts continued to face considerable pressure. The arrival of the Chinese experts would provide strong support for epidemic surveillance, patient treatment and laboratory testing.

On August 4, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson in Beijing said that with the Ebola outbreak still spreading, China will continue to assist African countries and provide the support needed to bring an early end to the outbreak.

The third medical expert team is composed of experts in epidemiology, health quarantine, clinical treatment, and pathogen laboratory testing. Building on the work of the previous teams, it will continue to strengthen exchanges and coordination with the DRC and international organisations in light of the needs of epidemic prevention and control.

Namibia

On July 29, Chinese Ambassador to Namibia Zhao Weiping said at a press briefing that China will work with Namibia to translate the outcomes of President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s recent state visit to China into concrete cooperation.

During the July 5-11 visit, the two countries elevated their relations to a China-Namibia community with a shared future for the new era and signed eight cooperation agreements.

Zhao noted that youth empowerment was given particular emphasis. Agricultural cooperation, which could help Namibia translate improved market access into export growth, was another major outcome. Cooperation will also extend to healthcare, including medical personnel training, disease control and emergency response, as well as the exploration of pharmaceutical production in Namibia.

Tanzania

On July 26, Tanzanian Vice President Emmanuel Nchimbi commended China Railway Construction Engineering Group (CRCEG) for the significant progress made in building the Arusha Stadium, a key venue for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

During an inspection visit, Nchimbi praised both the quality of work and the pace of implementation, noting that the project has reached 88 percent completion and is on track for delivery by the end of August 2026.

AFCON 2027 will be jointly hosted by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, marking the first time East African nations will co-host Africa’s premier football tournament.

Uganda

On July 23, Ugandan Vice President Jessica Alupo hailed the China-Uganda Agricultural Cooperation Industrial Park as a key driver of the country’s agricultural transformation through agro-processing.

Alupo made the remarks while leading a delegation of senior government officials on an assessment tour of the industrial park in the central Ugandan district of Luwero. She commended the FAO [UN Food and Agricultural Organisation]-China-Uganda South-South Cooperation initiative, under which the Chinese private sector-led industrial park was established, saying that it has enabled Uganda to process agricultural products for export to the world. Uganda stands to benefit further from China’s continued high-standard opening-up and its zero-tariff policy for eligible exports.

Luo Heng, chairman of Kehong Uganda Industrial Development Limited, the Chinese company managing the industrial park, said it plans to invest 500 million US dollars over the next five years as part of its second phase of development.

Gansu: from “uninhabitable” to flourishing – China’s poverty alleviation in theory and practice

In July 2026 Friends of Socialist China was invited by the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC) to send a delegate to attend a conference in Yinchuan in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (in north west China), on the topic of ‘Path to Modernisation: Takeaways from China’s Theory and Practice of Poverty Alleviation’. Political representatives, alongside members of think tanks, NGOs, and international media from more than 55 countries attended the conference and related field visits in areas around China, to study the historic achievements of the poverty alleviation programmes and consider what lessons could be learned for application in other parts of the world.

David Peat, Secretary of Friends of Socialist China Britain Committee, recounts his experiences in several articles, and highlights how the Communist Party of China (CPC) sees ongoing poverty alleviation efforts as a revolutionary practice for the New Era, and a continuation of the resoluteness and commitment that was evident from its earliest days, including through the struggles of the ‘Long March’, whose 90th anniversary is celebrated this year.

Wham! – Musical icebreakers in 1985 China

Keith Bennett finds a new documentary film on the first western pop group to perform in the People’s Republic to be a warm, touching and entertaining depiction of a moment in history.

Wham! 10 Days in China, a documentary film with much contemporary footage which went on general release in the UK on July 28, records the extraordinary story of the duo’s 1985 visit, when they became the first western pop group to perform in China, with concerts in Beijing and Guangzhou.

For some of us, the film is a vivid reminder of how China looked at that time. George Michael, then 21, and Andrew Ridgeley, then 22, were true icebreakers. China was still in the relatively early stage of reform and opening up and was very much, in Deng Xiaoping’s words, “crossing the river by feeling the stones”. Although living standards were rising, we were still some way away from the subsequent Chinese economic miracle. However, people’s expectations were definitely rising and with it their eagerness to embrace the outside world (and not without a whole range of misconceptions and naïve expectations) and to experience new things. As others have already noted, in reviews of the film and of course elsewhere, China was a country and a society on the cusp of great change – a change that has in turn profoundly altered the whole course of global development in the twenty-first century in ways that could not reasonably have been envisaged 40 years ago. It is actually extraordinary that these two young men played a modest but very real part in making this happen – in icebreaking and in inventing the future.

According to the film, becoming the first western pop group ever to be invited to perform in the People’s Republic was conceived as just a smart way of making it in the United States. That’s as maybe, but they still had to be prepared to make that leap and take that chance – something that might be seen as a rare moment of real insight on the part of the band’s cynical and manipulative manager. It also necessitated patient and protracted negotiations, something that would be all too familiar to anyone involved in similar work at the time. The art curator James Birch provides a vivid account of what it took to secure the first British contemporary art exhibition in Beijing and Shanghai a few years later in his Gilbert and George and the Communists.

Using China as the gateway to the USA might appear to have been counterintuitive but it showed that there was great interest in and fascination with China in the country at that time, albeit for very different reasons on the part of different sections of the population. As we have previously noted, today’s is not the first iteration of ‘Chinamaxxing’.

‘But at what cost?’: the Yangtze edition

The Economist has reported a striking piece of good news: fish biomass in the Yangtze has risen by more than 200 percent since 2021, reversing seven decades of decline, with a rare sturgeon spawning in the wild for the first time in two decades and finless porpoise numbers climbing again. The turnaround – confirmed by a peer-reviewed study – followed the largest freshwater fishing moratorium ever attempted, the closure of thousands of chemical factories, mass reforestation, and the compensation and retraining of some 200,000 fishermen.

Yet, as the following article argues, the magazine could not resist straining to make an ecological triumph sound sinister – branding China’s approach “eco-authoritarian”. It is the “but at what cost” genre in its purest form: the reflex of a worldview that cannot survive the admission that a socialist country is surpassing the West on both ecological and economic performance.

The Economist has reported a remarkable and very welcome piece of news. Fish biomass in the Yangtze has risen by more than 200 percent since 2021, reversing seven decades of decline. A rare sturgeon has been observed spawning in the wild for the first time in twenty years. Finless porpoise numbers are up from a low of around 1,000 in 2017 to more than 1,400. And this is not Chinese state media talking: it comes from a study, published in the journal Science, by researchers in China, Canada, the United States and France.

How was it done? Through a ten-year commercial fishing ban across the river, its major tributaries and the lakes of its basin – the largest freshwater fishing moratorium ever attempted. Thousands of chemical factories were closed or relocated. Forests were planted on the upper reaches to hold the soil. Cities were “spongified” with artificial wetlands and permeable surfaces to absorb rainfall and filter stormwater. And some 200,000 fishermen were taken off the water, compensated and retrained for other work. A river that was being killed is coming back to life.

The Yangtze programme is one component of China’s ecological civilisation strategy – written into the country’s constitution in 2018 and pursued through the same instruments that have sustained China’s economy: long-term planning, massive public investment, and a state with the capacity to override short-term private interest in the name of a collective good. It is the same capacity that has made China the world’s undisputed leader in renewable energy, reforestation and electric transport.

China at UN: The Palestinian question remains at the core of the Middle East issue

China has again spoken out at the United Nations in support of the rights of the Palestinian people.

Addressing an open date at the UN Security Council on July 28, Ambassador Sun Lei said that: “The Palestinian question remains at the core of the Middle East issue and must not be ignored or marginalised. Only by achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question can the vicious cycle of recurring conflict in the Middle East be broken and the dawn of peace truly emerge.”

He went on to make three points:

The suffering of civilians cannot continue, and peace and stability in Gaza must be restored. More than nine months have passed since the Gaza ceasefire agreement was reached, yet bombings, attacks, blockades and sieges have not ceased, and more than two million people remain unable to escape the threats of death and displacement. We call on Israel and the relevant parties to fully implement the ceasefire agreement and achieve a genuine and lasting ceasefire in Gaza. Israel must fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law.

The international rule of law must not be undermined, and tensions in the West Bank must be brought under control. Settler violence in the West Bank is appalling, causing heavy civilian casualties and widespread destruction of homes. The occupying power continues to accelerate settlement expansion and encroach upon Palestinian territory. International law and Security Council resolution 2334 must be observed. Double standards and selective application are unacceptable. We urge Israel to immediately cease all settlement activities, take concrete measures to curb violence, and ensure serious accountability for all attacks.

Fairness and justice must not be absent, and the two-State solution must be implemented. Israel achieved statehood long ago, while the State of Palestine remains far from reality. Any arrangement or new mechanism must adhere to the principle of “the Palestinians governing Palestine,” [and] respect the will of the Palestinian people. China supports the early establishment of an independent State of Palestine based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and enjoying full sovereignty.

Sun further touched briefly on the situation in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, as well as on matters related to Lebanon and Syria, and concluded:

“The Middle East belongs to the people of the Middle East. It should not become an arena for great-power rivalry or a victim of geopolitical competition. China will continue to act in the spirit of President Xi Jinping’s four-point proposal on promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, work with the international community to advance political solutions to hotspot issues in the region, support regional countries in pursuing independence, rebuilding mutual trust, and building a new regional security architecture suited to evolving realities, so as to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East.”

The following is the full text of his speech. It was originally published on the website of China’s Permanent Mission to the UN.

Remarks by Ambassador Sun Lei, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations, at the UN Security Council Open Debate on the Situation in the Middle East

July 28 (China’s Permanent Mission to the UN) – Madam President,

I thank Deputy Special Coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov for his briefing.

Nobody’s backyard: New Solomon Islands government reaffirms friendship and cooperation with China

Since a new government assumed office in Solomon Islands on May 15, following the passing of a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in the former administration a week previously, the small South Pacific island nation has come under intensive pressure from imperialist powers, especially the United States, echoed and sometimes amplified by its “deputy sheriff” (as a former prime minister once proudly described it) Australia, to reverse its friendly relations with China and support for the one-China principle.

Such bullying antics appear to have been given a fitting riposte by a July visit to Beijing by the country’s new Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade Rick Houenipwela.

Meeting with Houenipwela on July 14, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi congratulated the new government of Solomon Islands on taking office, stating that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Solomon Islands in 2019, bilateral relations have maintained strong development, and bilateral cooperation has achieved tangible results in various fields and brought benefits to the people. Facts have proven that the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Solomon Islands serves the interests of both peoples, aligns with the prevailing trend of the times, and stands on the right side of history. He added that that China appreciates the new Solomon Islands government’s reaffirmation of its firm commitment to the one-China principle.

China, Wang continued, will always support Solomon Islands in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence, and legitimate rights and interests, as well as in pursuing a development path of its own choosing. China’s cooperation with Solomon Islands comes with no political strings attached, is not forcibly imposed, and makes no empty promises. China is willing to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with Solomon Islands, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, expand practical cooperation in areas such as green energy, deepen people-to-people exchanges in education, healthcare, and youth, enhance multilateral coordination, safeguard international fairness and justice, and jointly address global challenges such as climate change.

In words that unmistakably and firmly refute the specious charges levelled against China, as well as the chauvinistic and racist bullying and belittling of the South Pacific island nations, by the United States, Australia, and increasingly New Zealand since that country’s Labour Party left office, Wang reiterated that China’s development of relations with Pacific island countries is aimed at strengthening South-South cooperation and promoting common development. It carries no geopolitical intention, seeks no so-called “spheres of influence”, and should not be disrupted by any third party. Pacific island countries are sovereign and independent states, not anyone’s “backyard”, and have the right to independently choose their development partners.

Rick Houenipwela stated that Solomon Islands attaches great importance to its relations with China and expresses gratitude to China for its long-term and positive assistance to the economic and social development of his country. Solomon Islands is firmly committed to the one-China principle. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, as decided by the UNGA Resolution 2758. China’s remarkable achievements have been forged through the hard work of the Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. China’s development has benefited the world, particularly developing countries like Solomon Islands.

He added that Solomon Islands looks forward to expanding trade and investment with China and deepening bilateral practical cooperation in fields such as education, infrastructure, medical and healthcare services, and green development, thereby elevating Solomon Islands-China relations to a higher level. China’s contributions to world peace and development deserve to be remembered, and China’s experience is worthy of study and reference by Solomon Islands and other Pacific island countries. Solomon Islands supports the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and the four major global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping and will continue to step up coordination and cooperation with China within multilateral organisations such as the UN and WTO, so as to jointly safeguard the common interests of developing countries.

Wang Yi holds intensive round of bilateral meetings in Manila

During his recent visit to the Philippines’ capital Manila, to attend the China-ASEAN [Association of South East Asian Nations] Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held meetings between July 21-23 with a broad range of his counterparts who were also in Manila for a series of meetings with the ASEAN countries.

On July 21, Wang met with the Secretary-General of ASEAN as well as with his counterparts from Malaysia, Canada and Australia.

Meeting with Secretary-General of ASEAN Kao Kim Hourn, Wang Yi noted that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC). China was the first major country to accede to the TAC, which encouraged other major countries to follow suit and significantly enhanced ASEAN’s international standing. China will continue to support ASEAN community building and ASEAN’s efforts in seeking strength through unity.

He added that the South China Sea is the common home of regional countries, and the South China Sea issue should not become an obstacle in China-ASEAN relations. Certain elements within the Philippine military and police forces have made deliberate provocations and created maritime incidents, serving the interests of external forces and undermining the improvement of China-Philippines relations as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea. Regional countries must remain on high alert against this.

Kao Kim Hourn recalled that the two sides have established 65 cooperation mechanisms. The ASEAN-China Free Trade Area has been upgraded, and bilateral trade exceeded one trillion US dollars last year. He added that next year marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC). ASEAN supports the dual-track approach and is committed to accelerating consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, so as to make the South China Sea a sea of peace, cooperation and friendship. ASEAN is ready to work with China to jointly maintain regional peace and stability and make important contributions to the development and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific.

Meeting with Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, Wang Yi noted that last year, President Xi Jinping paid a successful state visit to Malaysia, during which the two sides announced the building of a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future, ushering in a new ‘Golden 50 Years’ of bilateral relations. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and ASEAN and the fifth anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership. ASEAN is an important component of the multipolar landscape and a key force of the Global South. China expects Malaysia to play its role well as the Country Coordinator for China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations, safeguard the common interests of China and ASEAN, and uphold peace and stability in East Asia. China is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with Malaysia, so as to keep China-ASEAN relations at the forefront of the times and set an example for Global South countries in pursuing strength through unity.

Mohamad Hasan stated that China is a trusted friend and partner of Malaysia and also Malaysia’s largest trading partner. Malaysia cherishes the traditional friendship between the two countries, firmly adheres to the one-China policy, and is ready to deepen practical cooperation with China in areas such as digital technology and artificial intelligence. Some countries outside the region have nothing to do with the South China Sea, yet they always want to flex military muscles there. Malaysia looks forward to the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea and to jointly maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea.

Meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, Wang Yi noted that since the beginning of this year, China-Canada relations have continued to improve, with increasingly close exchanges at all levels and fruitful cooperation across various fields. In the first half of this year, bilateral trade volume grew by 16 percent year-on-year, with Canadian exports to China increasing by 23.3 percent. Facts have proven that the improvement and growth of China-Canada relations serve the common interests of both countries, are welcomed by the two peoples, and represent the right choice in line with the trend of history.

Why the Western left misreads China: capitalism, imperialism, and the socialist difference

In the following article, Karim Pourhamzavi – an Iranian lecturer specialising in global political economy and West Asian and North African politics at Beijing Foreign Studies University – takes aim at a strand of Western left thinking that treats Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and US capitalism as equivalent. Drawing on the history of capitalism, imperialism and uneven development, he argues that there is no equivalence in power between imperialism and its victims, even when the victim is a rising power like China.

Because the commanding heights of China’s economy remain in public ownership and its socialist state answers to the people rather than to the market, he contends, China is structurally incapable of the imperialism that has defined the West for five centuries – which is why, for the Global South, China’s rise represents the most constructive development since the birth of capitalism.

I recently attended a conference on the critique of global capitalism and possible global reordering in a renowned European city. My paper focused on critiquing imperialism and its expansion in West Asia. However, several presentations from European and North American scholars were unnecessarily and inaccurately Sinophobic in sentiment. Their thesis was astonishingly simplistic: capitalism is just capitalism, whether practiced by the United States or China. Therefore, they believed both are equally exploitative and destructive. This thesis suffers from both epistemological and empirical flaws. Such Sinophobic interpretations, coming from significant sections of the Western left, appear to abandon their emancipatory methodologies aimed at “changing” the world for the better, instead losing themselves in a positivist interpretation of the world. Yet there is no equivalence in power relations – or even sameness – between imperialism and its victims, even when the victim is a rising power like China.

Capitalism is not a universal condition

The aforementioned claims came from scholars in a city whose infrastructure is at least fifty years behind that of Beijing, where I live. These scholars have often never visited China, nor do they intend to, and they possess an ahistorical understanding of the Chinese political economy. Understanding socialism with Chinese characteristics requires revisiting the very term “capitalism.” Capitalism strictly refers to a political-economic system that emerged in Western Europe and expanded by imperial means to the Americas – precisely from 1492 onward. By the early 20th century, some 85 percent of the world’s land surface was under the colonial or semi-colonial domination of the Western powers and Japan. Therefore, China, like the rest of what we now understand as the Global South, was forcibly incorporated into global capitalism – compelled to cope with the enforced uneven development resulting from this historical process and to clean up the mess it left behind, a legacy that persists to this day.

Therefore, China’s modern history is not one experienced by the developed capitalist nations. Nor, at the philosophical and developmental planning levels, does revolutionary China share similarities with the core of capitalism or with those unevenly developed states that unsuccessfully tried to copy them as a way out of their underdevelopment. The first three hundred years of capitalist plundering in the world were based on a mercantilist political economy. This system sought to take everything from conquered nations and leave them nothing, while maintaining a balance of power among European rivals. It was centuries of plundering that enabled the Industrial Revolution – first in England, and then across the rest of Western Europe.

The World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation is tailor-made for the Global South

The 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference was held from July 17-20 in Shanghai, featuring a keynote speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping and the formation of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO), a new intergovernmental body headquartered in the city, with 29 founding members.

Between July 16-18, President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held bilateral meetings with high level guests attending the conference along with the concurrent High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance.

On the afternoon of July 16, President Xi Jinping met with the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

President Xi noted that, in a world undergoing profound and complex changes unseen in a century, the China-Kazakhstan relationship has stood the test of time and grown ever stronger. The permanent comprehensive strategic partnership has maintained excellent development and demonstrated huge cooperation potential and broad prospects. He emphasised that steadily advancing bilateral cooperation across the board serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples. China will work with Kazakhstan to implement the four global initiatives and enhance coordination and collaboration in multilateral mechanisms including the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and the China-Central Asia mechanism to jointly uphold international fairness and justice.

President Tokayev extended warm congratulations on the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and commended China for its remarkable development achievements under the wise leadership of President Xi. Kazakhstan views its relations with China as a top foreign policy priority and is committed to continuously strengthening the permanent comprehensive strategic partnership with China. Kazakhstan is in complete agreement with President Xi’s important observations on the bilateral relations and will make vigorous efforts with China to translate them into action.

The next day Xi met with Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Manet.

President Xi stated that having stood in solidarity and supported each other throughout the years, China and Cambodia have forged an ironclad friendship that has stood the test of time and weathered storms. History has proven that the China-Cambodia friendship is not built on any single occasion or particular issue. Rather, it is rooted in a consensus that transcends the evolving international landscape and has been passed down through generations. It is a precious asset shared by both sides. He emphasised that in the great endeavours of governing and strengthening the Party, the Communist Party of China has formed the thought on party building for the new era, which will continue to galvanise the mighty force driving Chinese modernisation. As this year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Cambodian People’s Party, China stands ready to strengthen experience sharing with the Cambodian side on party building and state governance.