Author: Friends of Socialist China

Entrevista: Como China está construyendo el socialismo

We are pleased to republish below the Spanish translation of Freedom Road Socialist Organization Central Committee member Sydney Loving’s interview in FightBack News, in which she reflects on her experiences of the 2025 Friends of Socialist China delegation.

Nos complace republicar a continuación la traducción al español de la entrevista concedida por Sydney Loving, miembro del Comité Central de la Organización Socialista Freedom Road, a ¡Lucha y Resiste!, en la que reflexiona sobre sus experiencias con la delegación de Friends of Socialist China de 2025.

Noticiero ¡Lucha y Resiste! se sentó con Sydney Loving, participante de la delegación de Amigos de China Socialista, que recientemente regresó de una visita de diez días a cinco ciudades en China. De bases revolucionarios a ciudades de alta tecnología y desarrollo verde, la delegación presenció de primera mano el poder del socialismo a levantar las vidas de la gente. Loving es miembro del Comité Central de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad.

¡Lucha y Resiste!: ¿Cómo llegaste a China? ¿Cuál fue el propósito del viaje?

Sydney Loving: La delegación fue organizada por Amigos de China Socialista, un proyecto político dedicado a fortalecer la comprensión y apoyo para China según la solidaridad y la verdad. Yo representé la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad, y la delegación incluyó la gente de la Alianza Negra por la Paz, Mundo de Obreros, Internacional Progresista, Partido Comunista de Britania Liga de Comunistas Jóvenes, la Alianza de Liberación Negra, Libros Iskra, y otros.

Fuimos invitados por la Red China de ONG de Intercambios Internacionales, y durante 10 días visitamos Xi’an, Yan’an, Dunhuang, Jiayuguan y Shanghái.

Durante nuestro viaje a una variedad de lugares, tuvimos la oportunidad de descubrir cómo China está construyendo el socialismo, los avances increíbles que han hecho en 76 años de construcción socialista, y tuvimos diálogos maravillosos sobre cómo podemos rebatir mejor las narrativas negativas y las mentiras estilo Guerra Fría con las que estamos bombardeadas dentro del oeste. Al final, lo que encontramos fue un país encabezado por un partido político con una visión de futuro, con una meta que crea un mejor futuro para todos.

¡Lucha y Resiste!: ¿Cómo describirías el camino de desarrollo de China?

Loving: Para entender verdaderamente lo extraordinario que es el desarrollo de China, hay que entender la historia y cómo fue la vida anterior para la mayoría de la gente. Antes de la revolución en 1949, China fue totalmente devastada por el imperialismo y la ocupación extranjera, feudalismo brutal, las hambrunas provocadas por el hombre, el caudillismo y más. La expectativa de vida en las áreas rurales era tan baja como 24 años. En Xi’an fuimos a unos sitios históricos antiguos, y los generales de terracota y las estatuas de mujeres nobles estaban rollizos – porque la hambruna masiva era una característica de la sociedad por siglos. Entonces, el socialismo tenía que superar todo esto.

Fuimos para Yan’an, que fue verdaderamente la cuna de la revolución de 1935 y 1947. El Ejército Rojo se reagrupó allá después de la Marcha Larga, y el PCCh [Partido Comunista de China] tuvo el 7mo Congreso Nacional, (16 largos años después del 6to Congreso, porque estaban luchando contra el imperialismo japonés y el KMT) en el cual el Pensamiento Mao Zedong fue cristalizado y adoptado. Ellos pelearon contra el dogmatismo y tomaron la decisión de ser el partido de las masas de la gente China. Cuando construyeron las estructuras políticas y eligieron representantes al Congreso, tenían un sistema de platos hondos y frijoles para las personas que no podían leer para votar por sus candidatos.

Ahora, 76 después, vimos un país que es la economía más grande del mundo medido por Paridad de Poder Adquisitivo. Incluso en las ciudades más pequeñas son tecnológicamente avanzadas y cada día más verde, la expectativa de vida es de más de 78 años, y claro donde más de 800 millones de personas han salido de la pobreza extrema – y no solo estamos hablando en términos de cantidades de dólares. Estamos hablando de alimentación, ropa, vivienda, electricidad y agua, atención médica y educación garantizadas.

El capitalismo no es capaz de cumplir esa clase de proyecto. Lo lograron con el planeo central y la movilización en masa. Cada ciudad que visitamos mostró cómo el Partido Comunista está guiando el desarrollo que prioriza a la gente primero.

¡Lucha y Resiste!: ¿Cuáles diferencias notaste en la vida cotidiana?

Loving: Se siente sinceramente diferente a las ciudades en los EE. UU., incluso nuestras ciudades más grandes. Las calles están limpias, caminables, y bien ordenadas a pesar de lo pobladas que están. Hasta el punto de que las madres y sus hijos simplemente caminaban tras cada intersección, con confianza de que los carros tenían que pararse. Muchos vehículos y cosas son diseñados con consideración a las necesidades de los viejos, los niños y los obreros. Aun en uno de los hoteles, los trabajadores se reunían en la plaza para hacer baile/ejercicio por las mañanas. Fue verdaderamente tranquilo pero animado, con parques y jardines en todas partes, y muchas actividades gratuitas y acceso a la cultura y a sitios históricos.

En Xi’an y Dunhuang en particular vimos como miles de años de civilización están siendo preservados como parte de la identidad viva de la gente. Y ya que el turismo interno es tan importante, los museos y sitios estaban llenos de niños, ancianos y familias. Para mí, me quedó claro que mantener el pueblo como dueño de su historia y su cultura es parte fundamental del espíritu revolucionario.

Y no como las ciudades de los EE. UU., no vimos casi ninguna falta de vivienda. En diez días, viajando por cinco ciudades, solo vi a una persona pidiendo limosna en la calle con un código QR en el fondo de una olla. Compáralo con San Francisco o Nueva York, donde hay barrios enteros de campamentos.

Además de eso, la tecnología fue increíble. Desde pequeños robots que toman el elevador para entregar comida a tu cuarto de hotel a los aeropuertos donde solo te paras frente a una cámara y te muestra toda la información de tu puerta de embarque y vuelo. Nuestros anfitriones nos avisaron contra tomar el tren bala porque nosotros los occidentales somos muy lentos con tanto equipaje y seguro íbamos a llegar tarde, pero el tren normal también fue genial.

¡Lucha y Resiste!: Fuiste al noroeste, una región bastante pobre de China. ¿Qué fue lo que más notaste?

Loving: Si, fuimos a la provincia de Gansu, en el borde del desierto de Gobi, una de las partes más empobrecidas de China. Pero realmente nos impresionó lo que están haciendo allí.

En Jiayuguan, visitamos JISCO, una empresa siderúrgica estatal alrededor de la cual los obreros construyeron la ciudad entera en los años 1950s. Hoy tiene una cobertura verde de 42%, con estanques y parques — y recuerda que esto es el desierto Gobi. Es un testamento del nivel de desarrollo de las fuerzas productivas que ahora JISCO incluso tiene una granja lechera y una vinatera con la bodega de vino techada más grande de Asia (sí, probamos el vino — delicioso). También recorrimos la planta de poder solar de sal fundido de Dunhuang, que puede almacenar energía por la noche y un centro de control con IA para una red eléctrica inteligente que ayuda a reducir la producción de carbón en toda la providencia. Le preguntamos a un trabajador allí cuál es la diferencia tecnológica entre cómo funciona su red eléctrica y la de EE. UU., y modestamente nos dijo: “Bueno, nuestra red nunca se cae”. Desafortunadamente, eso me hizo reír – siendo de Texas.

Hay un gran énfasis en la modernización ecológica. Realmente están transformando el desierto en un lugar habitable y sostenible. Es un testamento de cómo van juntos el alivio de la pobreza y el ambientalismo bajo el socialismo.

China también está demostrando que la tecnología no es inherentemente anti-humana. En Shanghái fuimos a una fábrica de robótica en donde demostraron los avances en la cirugía e industria, y una fábrica de Lenovo donde mostraron cómo colaboran con el sistema escolar para llevar tecnología avanzada a escuelas rurales. La diferencia está en quién controla la tecnología, bajo qué sistema y para qué propósito.

Para China, un desarrollo que deja gente atrás simplemente significa un fracaso. Por eso se enfocan en equilibrar el desarrollo de las regiones, impulsando el occidente y el noroeste en lugar de permitir que la riqueza se concentre solo en las costas. Así, tras el éxito de los masivos proyectos de aliviar de la pobreza – que ni la ONU puede negar – la siguiente fase es la “prosperidad común”.

¡Lucha y Resiste!: ¿Cuál fue el papel del Partido Comunista en la vida cotidiana?

Loving: El Partido Comunista estuvo en todas partes. Digo acaban de celebrar haber alcanzado 100 millones de miembros. Aldeas, hospitales, escuelas y fábricas tienen ramas del Partido. En Jiayuguan pasamos por uno de los “Centros del Partido,” donde nuestros guías nos dijeron que las personas pueden ir a hacer preguntas o pedir ayuda de los cadres, hasta el cuidado de los niños.

Continue reading Entrevista: Como China está construyendo el socialismo

Webinar: World War Against Fascism – Remembering China’s role in victory 80 years on

📆 Sunday 21 September 2025, 4pm Britain, 11am US Eastern, 8am US Pacific

Register on Eventbrite

The old adage that history is written by the victors does not seem to apply to the real victors of the Second World War, the Soviets and the Chinese on the Eastern and Pacific fronts respectively.

This webinar will mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender – marked in China with spectacular celebrations attended by an array of heads of state and government – focussing in particular on the contributions of the Chinese and other Asian forces which are forgotten in the largely Eurocentric narrative of the Second World War.

We will uncover some crucial but little-known aspects of the war: for example, that China was the first country to wage war against fascist occupation; that in the course of 14 years of war (1931-45) China suffered over 35 million casualties; and that without the contribution of Chinese, Korean, Mongolian and largely Communist-led resistance forces across the region, the Japanese imperial armies would have had free rein to deploy their forces against the Soviet Union and the Western Allies.

This webinar is the companion to our commemoration of VE or Victory in Europe Day, ‘The Fight Against Fascism Then and Now: 80 Years after the defeat of Nazism’. Just as that webinar discussed the re-emergence of fascist forces in the West, so in this one, we assess the renewed threats to China and other Asian countries emanating from the US, Japan and the rest of the capitalist world.

Speakers

  • Ken Hammond (Historian and China scholar)
  • Chen Weihua (Former EU bureau chief of China Daily)
  • Jodie Evans (Co-founder of Code Pink)
  • Jenny Clegg (Author and peace activist)
  • Keith Bennett (Co-editor of Friends of Socialist China)
  • KJ Noh (Journalist, writer and educator)
  • Radhika Desai (International Manifesto Group), Moderator.

Organisers

This webinar is organised jointly by the International Manifesto Group and Friends of Socialist China.

Register on Eventbrite

Xi Jinping: At all times, our work must be for the people and we must do our best to improve the well-being of all the people

Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, held on September 3 in Beijing’s Tienanmen Square, just prior to the commencement of the military parade.

Xi described it as “an occasion for us to remember history, honour fallen heroes, cherish peace, and create a better future” and paid “high tribute to our veteran soldiers and comrades, patriots, and officers who fought in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and to the Chinese nationals from home and abroad who made important contributions to our victory. I express my sincere thanks to foreign governments and friends that supported and assisted the Chinese people in resisting aggression. I also extend a warm welcome to our guests from around the world who are with us today.”

He added: “The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was a great war fought with tenacity and valour. Under the banner of the national united front against Japanese aggression established at the initiative of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people stood up to fight the formidable enemy with an iron will, formed a great wall with flesh and blood to defend the nation, and ultimately achieved the first complete victory in resisting foreign aggression in modern times… The Chinese nation is a great nation that is never intimidated by any bullies and always values independence and forges ahead. In the past, when faced with critical struggles between good and evil, light and darkness, progress and reaction, the Chinese people rallied together to defy the enemy. They fought for the survival of the country, for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and for justice for the whole of humanity. Today, humanity again has to choose between peace and war, dialogue and confrontation, win-win cooperation and zero-sum game. The Chinese people firmly stand on the right side of history and the progress of human civilisation. We will remain committed to the path of peaceful development and join hands with all peoples around the world in building a community with a shared future for humanity.”

Towards the conclusion of his remarks he stated: “On the new journey in the new era, the Chinese people of all ethnic groups should, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, follow Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents and the Scientific Outlook on Development, and fully implement the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era.”

Shortly afterwards, Xi hosted a lunch in the Great Hall of the People for visiting foreign heads of state and government, other prominent politicians, and the relatives of international friends and comrades who had supported the Chinese people during the war, among others.

He noted: “Eighty years ago, the Chinese people thoroughly defeated the Japanese militarist aggressors after fighting a bitter and heroic war of resistance for 14 years. This marked the complete victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. It was a historic turning point for the Chinese nation emerging from the grave crises in modern times to embark on the journey toward great rejuvenation; it was also a major turning point in the course of world history.

“The Chinese people won the great victory through their united efforts with the anti-fascist allied forces and the people around the world. The Chinese government and people will never forget the foreign governments and international friends who supported and assisted the Chinese people in resisting aggression.”

He said the purpose of the commemoration was to “remember history, honour fallen heroes, cherish peace, and create a better future,” adding:

“Might may rule the moment but right prevails forever. Justice, light and progress will inevitably triumph over evil, darkness, and regression. At all times, we must advocate the common values of humanity, resolutely defend international fairness and justice, and ensure righteousness prevails and brightness shines in our world.

“The people are the creators of history, and the pursuit of a better life is a shared aspiration of all nations. At all times, our hearts must be with the people, our work must be for the people, and we must do our best to improve the well-being of all the people.”

We reprint the full texts of both speeches below as originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Continue reading Xi Jinping: At all times, our work must be for the people and we must do our best to improve the well-being of all the people

Xi Jinping meets UN Secretary General and leaders from Egypt, Myanmar and Kazakhstan

With the largest ever gathering of the quarter century old Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin (August 31-September 1) and the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War in Beijing (September 3), China’s high-level diplomacy has recently experienced a particularly busy period.

President Xi Jinping began a round of bilateral meetings in Tianjin on August 30, the eve of the SCO Summit, meeting with United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Myanmar’s Acting President Min Aung Hlaing in the afternoon and with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in the evening.

Meeting with António Guterres, President Xi noted that the founding of the United Nations was the most important decision made by the international community at the end of the Second World War. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations. History teaches that multilateralism, solidarity and cooperation are the right way to address global challenges.

Guterres expressed his gratitude for China’s strong and solid support to the UN. He noted that at a time when multilateralism, international law and the authority of the United Nations are being challenged, and the international governance architecture is in urgent need of reform, it is all the more important to recall the founding mission and values that led to the creation of the UN 80 years ago. China has made significant contributions to safeguarding international law and ensuring international rule of law and has been a cornerstone of multilateralism. The UN will strengthen cooperation with China to uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, defend the basic norms of international relations, advance a multipolar world, enhance the representation of developing countries, and enable the UN to play a greater role in international affairs.

Meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, President Xi noted that Egypt was the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. Next year marks the 70th anniversary of China-Egypt diplomatic ties. The two sides should take it as an opportunity to steer the bilateral relationship toward the goal of building a China-Egypt community with a shared future in the new era, add new impetus to China-Arab and China-Africa relations, and make greater contributions to upholding world peace and stability and promoting global development and prosperity. The two countries should be good friends that closely collaborate in multilateral affairs, shoulder historical and major-country responsibilities as important members of the Global South, safeguard the victorious outcomes of World War II, jointly oppose unilateralism and bullying practices, and defend the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order underpinned by international law.

Prime Minister Madbouly said China is a true partner and friend of Egypt, and the two sides have always trusted and supported each other. Egypt places high importance on its relations with China and is firmly committed to the one-China principle. Egypt stands ready to take next year’s 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties with China as an opportunity to increase high-level exchanges, expand trade and investment, and deepen cooperation in such areas as new energy, electric vehicles, finance and seawater desalination, in a bid to achieve greater progress in bilateral relations.

Meeting with Myanmar’s Acting President Min Aung Hlaing, President Xi noted that Myanmar was part of the Eastern battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War and it is an important dialogue partner of the SCO. The China-Myanmar pauk-phaw (brotherly) friendship, rooted in the hearts of the two peoples, is as strong and relevant as ever. The two sides should seize the opportunity of the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations to deepen strategic cooperation, accelerate the building of their community with a shared future, and bring greater benefits to people in both countries.

The two sides should advance key projects of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor and promote economic and trade cooperation. Joint efforts should be made to combat cross-border crimes, maintain peace and tranquility in the China-Myanmar border region, and ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel, institutions, and projects in Myanmar.

Acting President Min Aung Hlaing said that Myanmar and China share a deep pauk-phaw friendship and a common pursuit of peace and stability, and both countries made significant contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. China has always been a good neighbour and a good friend to Myanmar, providing long-term assistance to Myanmar’s economic and social development, supporting its post-disaster rehabilitation efforts, and playing a constructive role in facilitating peace and stability in northern Myanmar.

Continue reading Xi Jinping meets UN Secretary General and leaders from Egypt, Myanmar and Kazakhstan

Largest ever gathering of SCO family held in Tianjin

On August 31-September 1, immediately prior to China’s grand celebration of the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the north China coastal city of Tianjin, near to Beijing, hosted the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) followed by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Plus meeting.

These were the biggest gatherings to date in the SCO’s quarter century history, drawing more than 20 heads of state or government, along with the heads of 10 international organisations, including the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

As we previously reported, at the latter meeting, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), which aims at establishing “a more just and equitable global governance system and advancing toward a community with a shared future for humanity.”

Presiding over the SCO Summit, President Xi delivered an important statement entitled, “Staying True to SCO Founding Mission and Ushering in a Better Future.”

He said that the SCO has established itself as a model for a new type of international relations. The organisation was the first to set up a military confidence-building mechanism in its member states’ border areas and the first to take multilateral actions against the three forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism, thereby maintaining peace and tranquility in the region. The SCO was the first to launch Belt and Road cooperation, providing a robust driving force for development and prosperity and further improving the multidimensional connectivity network across the region. The SCO was the first to conclude a treaty on long-term good-neighbourliness, friendship and cooperation, and proclaim the member states’ commitment to forge lasting friendship and refrain from hostilities, bringing the hearts of the peoples closer to each other. The SCO was the first to put forth a vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit as an effort to practice true multilateralism, thus becoming a proactive force for world peace and development.

President Xi emphasised that the SCO has grown into the world’s largest regional organisation, and its international influence and appeal are increasing day by day. Looking ahead, the member states should carry forward the Shanghai Spirit, forge ahead with solid steps, and better tap into the potential of the SCO in the following five ways:

  • Seeking common ground while putting aside differences. SCO member states should respect their differences, maintain strategic communication, build up consensus, and strengthen solidarity and collaboration.
  • Pursuing mutual benefit and win-win results. SCO member states need to better align their development strategies and promote the high-quality implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, improve trade and investment facilitation, enhance cooperation in such areas as energy, infrastructure, green industry, the digital economy, scientific and technological innovation, and artificial intelligence, so as to march toward modernisation hand in hand by bringing out the best in one another and working together for a shared future.
  • Championing openness and inclusiveness. SCO member states need to enhance mutual understanding and friendship through people-to-people exchanges, firmly support one another in economic cooperation, and jointly cultivate a garden of civilisations in which all cultures flourish in prosperity and harmony through mutual enlightenment.
  • Upholding fairness and justice. SCO member states must promote a correct historical perspective on World War II, oppose the Cold War mentality, bloc confrontation and bullying practices, safeguard the UN-centred international system, support the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, and make the global governance system more just and equitable.
  • Striving for real results and high efficiency. SCO member states should continuously promote the reform of the Organisation, increase resources input and enhance capacity building to improve its institutional structure and make its decision-making more scientific and its actions more efficient, and provide stronger underpinnings for security and economic cooperation among them.

The leaders of the member states signed and issued the Tianjin Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, approved the SCO Development Strategy to 2035, released a statement on the victory of World War II and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, a statement on supporting the multilateral trading system, and adopted 24 outcome documents covering enhanced cooperation in security, economy, people-to-people ties, and organisational development.

Continue reading Largest ever gathering of SCO family held in Tianjin

BRICS countries seek common stand on ‘tariff wars’

On the evening of September 8, 2025, (Beijing Time) Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a Virtual Summit of the ten full members of the BRICS cooperation mechanism and delivered a speech entitled “Forging Ahead in Solidarity and Cooperation.”

The summit was convened and chaired by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose country holds the current rotating Chair of BRICS. Lula’s initiative was largely triggered by the economic, political and psychological warfare currently being waged by the US Trump administration against many BRICS members, including Brazil, South Africa, India, Russia and China.  Besides Presidents Xi and Lula, it was also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Khaled bin Mohamed representing the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the representatives of India and Ethiopia. India was represented by Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, with the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi being widely interpreted as indicating his continued vacillation between the interests of the Global South and those of the imperialist camp headed by the United States.

In his speech, President Xi noted that transformation unseen in a century is accelerating across the world. Hegemonism, unilateralism, and protectionism are getting more and more rampant. BRICS countries, standing at the forefront of the Global South, should act on the BRICS Spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, jointly defend multilateralism and the multilateral trading system, advance greater BRICS cooperation, and build a community with a shared future for humanity.

To this end, President Xi made three proposals:

  • Upholding multilateralism to defend international fairness and justice. Multilateralism is the shared aspiration of the people and the overarching trend of our time. It provides an important underpinning for world peace and development. The Global Governance Initiative that President Xi recently proposed is aimed at galvanising joint global action for a more just and equitable system. Active efforts should be made to promote greater democracy in international relations and increase the representation and voice of Global South countries.
  • Upholding openness and win-win cooperation to safeguard the international economic and trade order. BRICS countries should promote a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation, place development at the heart of the international agenda, and ensure that Global South countries participate in international cooperation as equals and share in the fruits of development.
  • Upholding solidarity and cooperation to foster synergy for common development. BRICS countries account for nearly half of the world’s population, around 30 percent of global economic output, and one-fifth of global trade. The more closely they work together, the more resilient, resourceful and effective they are in addressing external risks and challenges.

Other participating leaders said that unilateralist and bullying acts are disrupting the international order, international law and international rules are under threat, and trade is being used as a tool to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, which severely jeopardises world peace and development. BRICS countries need to strengthen solidarity and collaboration, jointly respond to crises and challenges, safeguard multilateralism, uphold the international system of free and open trade, and protect the common interests of the Global South.

The Bloomberg financial news service further reported  Lula as stating that, “Tariff blackmail is being normalised as an instrument to seize markets and interfere in domestic affairs… Our countries have become victims of unjustified and illegal trade practices.”

Calling for unity, he added: “It is up to BRICS to show that cooperation overcomes any form of rivalry. We have the necessary legitimacy to lead the renewal of the multilateral trading system on modern, flexible foundations geared to our development needs.”

South African President Ramaphosa said developing nations are facing “great hardships and danger” and that South Africa has already experienced negative economic effects from the trade upheaval. He called on BRICS to “play a critical role in strengthening the multilateral system.”

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

Continue reading BRICS countries seek common stand on ‘tariff wars’

Shoulder to shoulder: British people’s solidarity with the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression

During his recent visit to China for the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Chinese people’s victory in the war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the world anti-fascist war, our co-editor Keith Bennett participated in an international symposium organised by the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Academy of Military Science, on September 2, and the Chinese Modernisation Forum (2025), organised by the School of Marxism, the Institute of Chinese Communist Party History and Party Building, and the Institute of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, all of Tsinghua University, on September 4.

We print below the text of the paper presented by Keith, which outlines the solidarity extended by people in Britain to the Chinese people’s heroic resistance, from internationalists like George Hogg who made the journey to China, to the China Campaign Committee which organised and agitated the length and breadth of the country, to the singular contribution of the South Wales miners.

During his state visit to the United Kingdom in 2015, the 70th anniversary year of victory in the global anti-fascist war, in a speech in Buckingham Palace, President Xi Jinping recalled how our two countries had once stood together as allies and fought shoulder to shoulder.

Saying that the Chinese people would never forget this help during their hard time, he mentioned one individual in particular.

George Hogg died of tetanus aged just 30 on 22 July 1945 after devoting the last nearly eight years of his tragically short life to the Chinese people and their struggle for liberation, initially as a journalist and finally as headmaster of the Shandan Bailie School, caring for children orphaned by Japan’s brutal war of aggression.

He is perhaps best remembered for leading his pupils on a month-long 1,100 kilometre (700 miles) journey, most of it on foot and over snow covered mountain paths, to the relative safety of Gansu.

Long acclaimed as a national hero in China, Hogg remained almost entirely unknown in his native country for decades.

This began to be partially rectified with the 2008 publication of James MacManus’s biography, ‘Ocean Devil’.

The same year saw the release of the perhaps overly fictionalised feature film, ‘The Children of Huang Shi’, also called ‘Children of the Silk Road’ or ‘Escape from Huang Shi’, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Hogg and Chow Yun-fat as the legendary Chinese communist Chen Hansheng.

George Hogg came to China as a young idealist. Although from a privileged background, he had a strong family background in pacifism, specifically in the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and rooted in non-conformist Christianity. However, he not only served China. His world outlook was transformed by China, as is well expressed in the title of his book, ‘I see a new China’.

In his 1954 book, ‘The People have Strength’, his mentor, the New Zealand internationalist Rewi Alley wrote: 

“The sixty-odd peasant and refugee kids who carried him out to his grave in what has now become a playing field in a school training new technicians for a new China, will not forget the day. For them it meant the passing of a comrade who was very close to them. It is not given to everyone to live with heroic disciplined revolutionary armies. George had had inspiration from his tour, as correspondent, with the Eighth Route Army and then he came at my bidding, to work with Gung Ho [the Chinese Industrial Cooperatives], where there was little glory, many problems and a simple grave at the end of the trail.

“As he fought with tetanus in his last days of the summer of 1945, he asked to have the ‘Communist Manifesto’ read to him. I read it and he said, ‘That makes sense.’”

Whilst there were also other British friends who made their contribution to China’s struggle against Japanese militarism in China itself, such as Michael Lindsay, later 2nd Baron Lindsay of Birker, whose expertise in radio engineering was much appreciated and personally commended by Mao Zedong, and the Friends Ambulance Unit, organised by the Quakers and composed of conscientious objectors, roughly 200 of whom, with the British contingent being the largest group, served in China, including by providing medical supplies to the Shandan Bailie School, this was obviously an option that was open to relatively few.

But the solidarity of people in Britain with China’s war of national salvation, as a vital, and the first, front of the world peoples’ struggle against fascism was by no means confined to those who made that journey.

By far the most important and effective organisation in this regard was the China Campaign Committee (CCC), which was founded in late August or early September 1937, that is scarcely two months after the July 7 Lugou ‘Marco Polo’ Bridge Incident that heralded Japan’s full-scale invasion and the start of China’s nationwide resistance.

Seven days later, on July 14, the Daily Worker, the newspaper of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB), described this as a “plain case of aggression” in its editorial, adding: “The Chinese people must be backed up.”

In an August 20 resolution passed by its Executive Committee, the CPGB stated: “The cause of peace throughout the world depends to a considerable extent upon the success of the heroic Chinese people… Unless peace forces can be rallied the Japanese attack on Central China will be followed by a German fascist outbreak in Central Europe… The defence of China is the defence of peace.”

Although it operated on an unprecedented scale and with unprecedented breadth of support, the China Campaign Committee did not emerge from a void or a vacuum.

Jenny Clegg, writing for the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding (SACU), noted that the “roots of this activism are to be found in Chartist opposition to the first Opium War” and refers to the ‘Hands off China’ Campaign (1925-27) and the ‘Friends of the Chinese People’ (1927-37), founded by the British Section of the League Against Imperialism.

Her father, Arthur Clegg, who served as the CCC’s National Organiser practically from the campaign’s inception, in his memoir, ‘Aid China – 1937-1949’, published in 1989, traces the roots of such solidarity back even further:

“Movements like the China Campaign Committee have long been part of the democratic tradition in Great Britain. They date back to the English Revolution [of the 1640s] when the Levellers took a stand for Irish independence and the end of English interference in Ireland.”

Arthur Clegg details the extraordinary range of forces mobilised by the CCC. They included church and missionary societies, businesses, some of the leading intellectual and cultural figures of the time, members of the House of Lords, the Chinese community, people with a specialised interest in China and Chinese culture, and many others.

On one occasion he even personally received a financial donation from a Colonel Younghusband. Only years later did he realise that it was the same Younghusband who had led the 1905 British invasion aimed at separating Xizang (Tibet) from the rest of China. He writes: “The only explanation I can find was that he was trying to make amends for his past efforts to weaken China.”

Support was forthcoming from many members of the Labour and Liberal parties and even from the occasional Conservative MP. However, Clegg is at pains to point out:

“Our greatest and most consistent supporter was the Communist Party, both directly and indirectly, for in those days it had influence far beyond its small but increasing membership. It was the first party to take a position defending China, the first to issue a pamphlet for China, the first to organise a Hyde Park meeting, where on August 23 [1937], J.R. Campbell demanded a Japanese withdrawal. Its branches and members loyally supported our meetings, distributed our handbills, posted our posters and saw in this a reinforcement for, rather than any rivalry with, the similar work they were doing for Spain. We all knew the issue of Spain and the issue of China were one and the same, the issue of preventing a world war.”

A clear example of how such direct and indirect support worked in practice is provided by the South Wales miners.

Continue reading Shoulder to shoulder: British people’s solidarity with the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression

Taking inspiration from Chinese socialism: British delegates report back from China

The following is a report back from the recent Friends of Socialist China delegation, written by Callum Norris and Twm Draper of the Young Communist League of Britain.

Callum and Twm note that delegates explored revolutionary history in Yan’an, where Mao and other leaders developed the core ideas of Mao Zedong Thought, and in Shanghai, at the site of the CPC’s first congress. These visits highlighted China’s transformation from one of the world’s poorest countries in 1949 into a modern socialist state that has eliminated extreme poverty.

At the Fourth Dialogue on Exchanges and Mutual Learning Among Civilisations in Dunhuang, speakers from over 60 countries celebrated China’s role fostering cooperation and infrastructure development in the Global South. Concrete examples from Botswana, Laos, Nepal, and Egypt countered Western claims of “debt traps.”

The authors note China’s strong cultural preservation, accessible public spaces, and vibrant use of history, contrasting this with commodified cultural access in the West. They also commend China’s commitment to green development, evidenced by the Dunhuang Salt Tower solar plant and the extensive system of parks and green belts.

Discussions at Fudan University reflected growing confidence in the concept of Chinese socialism as a model with global relevance. Delegates also observed how technology is applied for social benefit, from AI-driven renewable energy management to robotics in industry.

Callum and Twm conclude that Chinese socialism offers valuable lessons in poverty eradication, ecological development, and international solidarity; and that British leftists should “take inspiration from Chinese socialism … but build socialism based on the conditions in Britain”.

Introduction

We were fortunate to be part of Friends of Socialist China’s delegation, including delegates from Britain and the US, involved in a range of organisations including the Young Communist League/Communist Party of Britain, Progressive International, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Workers World Party, Black Liberation Alliance and Qiao Collective. We were hosted by the China NGO Network for International Exchanges (CNIE).

We visited a number of cities in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, as well as Shanghai.

The themes of the trip were building people to people relations between China and the rest of the world, and China’s construction of n ecological civilisation.

History

In 1949, when the Communist Party of China (CPC) declared the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), it was one of the poorest countries in the world. Average life expectancy was below 35. Illiteracy was rife and disease was common. Imperialist aggression contributed to all this, as the world’s colonial powers sought to carve up China for their own interests, culminating in the Japanese invasion , which claimed the lives of tens of millions of people.

The delegates were able to witness this history first hand and see the success of 76 years of Chinese Socialism, with visits to important revolutionary and historical sites across the country. This began in Yan’an where, more than 90 years ago, the communist forces concluded the Long March, when tens of thousands of party members marched the length of China in a strategic retreat from the encroaching Nationalist Party (Kuomintang (KMT)). They arrived in Yan’an with greatly depleted numbers and held the 7th National Congress, more than a decade later in 1945, during which the party adopted a number of important resolutions, including an endorsement of the guerrilla warfare strategy which  contributed decisively to victories in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the ensuing Revolutionary Civil War.

Continue reading Taking inspiration from Chinese socialism: British delegates report back from China

Interview: China’s successes are based on socialism

On the Global Majority for Peace podcast, Ileana Chan talks with Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez about why so much of the Western left doesn’t support China; what the differences are between Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and capitalism; the nature of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the aims of the multipolar project; whether China’s engagement with the world can be considered “imperialist”; the nature of China’s relationship with the Democratic Republic of Congo; the state of the semiconductor wars; and China’s remarkable progress in green energy.

The first half hour of the interview is embedded below. Readers are also welcome to access the full 53-minute video, which is currently unlisted.

The Silk Road Tango: Can the elephant and dragon share one stage?

In the following article, Mayukh Biswas argues that India and China, in spite of ongoing tensions, have deep historical, cultural, and economic ties that position them as key actors in reshaping the global order, with much to gain from friendship and cooperation.

The article opens by noting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s embrace of Trump and the US’s long-term strategy to leverage India against China. The US side disrupted this process recently by imposing punitive tariffs on Indian imports, thereby exposing the limits of US–India alignment.

Globally, Mayukh situates India–China relations within wider shifts: Brazil’s leftward turn under Lula, Africa’s escalating resistance to neo-colonialism, and growing anger around the world at Western sanctions and militarism. BRICS and the other institutions of an emerging multipolarity offer a counterweight to US hegemony.

Tracing two millennia of exchange, the author highlights how Buddhism, science, mathematics, art, and trade linked India and China peacefully. From the Bandung Conference and Panchsheela to today’s BRICS, cooperation between the two countries has also made an important contribution to the construction of the Global South.

Yet political contradictions remain. The BJP’s ideological base fuels anti-China rhetoric, while Western powers exploit tensions through forums like the Quad, seeking to draw India into the US-led strategy of China containment. Despite this, India and China share overlapping interests: strengthening the Global South, addressing climate change, and resisting Western dominance.

Mayukh concludes that the “elephant and dragon” should choose the path of greater cooperation, helping to guide a more multipolar and peaceful global future.

Colonial “divide and rule” only breeds conflict. Long before Europe’s rise, India and China traded and exchanged culture. In the 21st century, this cooperation is vital for global peace.

Mayukh Biswas is former All India General Secretary of the Students’ Federation of India, current Communist Party of India (Marxist) West Bengal state committee member, and a researcher in International Relations at Jadavpur University.

The Modi government had left no stone unturned in praising Trump – from “Namaste Trump” to “Howdy Modi.” Not long ago, far-right Hindutva groups celebrated Trump’s birthday and even performed rituals for his victory. But despite all the theatrics, Trump has imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods, the highest in Asia. This import duty, applied as “punishment” for buying cheap oil from Russia, will severely impact India’s leather, textiles, IT, and agriculture sectors, risking millions of jobs. 

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is the ideological lodestar of the ruling BJP, had supported Trump’s anti-Muslim policies, seeing his divisive moves align with their communal agenda; they thought Trump was their ‘long-lost brother.’ Now, Modi is in a deep dilemma. Meanwhile, despite their cold relations, China has made its stance clear. Chinese Ambassador Zhu Feihong tweeted in support of New Delhi: “Give the bully an inch, he will take a mile.” He highlighted how the U.S. weaponizes tariffs, violating UN and WTO rules to suppress other nations, destabilizing the world. 

Continue reading The Silk Road Tango: Can the elephant and dragon share one stage?

The “Far East” was never far – a Chinese journalist reflects on the potential for cultural exchange and people’s friendship

We are pleased to publish the below contributed article by Gao Wencheng, a London-based journalist with the Xinhua News Agency, which takes the 80th anniversary of the victory over Japanese militarism as a starting point to highlight the prospects and opportunities of enhanced cultural exchange and people-to-people friendship between Britain and China.

He writes that, “Living in London, I am constantly struck by how near China feels” and notes that: “Only a week after World War II commemorations, London’s Shaw Theatre hosted performances of traditional Chinese Yue Opera.” An August 22 Xinhua report further notes:

“As early as 2016, the Xiaobaihua troupe staged in London a cross-cultural production that brought together characters from Shakespeare’s Coriolanus and Chinese great playwright Tang Xianzu’s The Peony Pavilion. Written around the same time, Coriolanus is a Roman tragedy, while The Peony Pavilion tells of a young woman’s tragic love and resurrection.”

He concludes:

The war against fascism was won through the collective effort of many peoples; no single nation could have achieved victory alone. This truth holds greater significance today than ever before. The ties forged between different nations in the flames of war remind us that peace and justice know no borders.

On August 15, Britain marked the 80th anniversary of VJ (Victory over Japan) Day and the end of the Second World War, with an unusually high-profile tribute. Many iconic sites, from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, were illuminated with a “V” for “Victory,” a symbol that has long been more associated with Britain’s participation in the European theatre of World War II.

In this country, the fall of Berlin in May 1945 has always loomed larger in public memory than the surrender of Japan three months later.

But this year felt different. Perhaps it was because it’s a round-number anniversary. Or perhaps it was because of King Charles III’s unusually pointed words, which stressed that those who fought and died in the Pacific and Far East “shall never be forgotten.” At noon, the country even paused for two minutes of silence marking VJ Day.

Continue reading The “Far East” was never far – a Chinese journalist reflects on the potential for cultural exchange and people’s friendship

China proposes Global Governance Initiative

On Monday 1 September at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Plus meeting in Tianjin, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), which aims at establishing “a more just and equitable global governance system and advancing toward a community with a shared future for humanity”.

He set out five guiding principles for the GGI:

  • Adhere to sovereign equality: all countries, regardless of size, strength or wealth, have their sovereignty and dignity respected; have the right to independently choose their social system and development path; and have the right to participate in, make decisions in and benefit from the global governance process as equals.
  • Abide by international rule of law: The purposes and principles of the UN Charter are universally recognised as the basic norms of international relations. International law and rules must be applied equally and uniformly, without double standards.
  • Practise multilateralism: Global affairs should be decided by all, the governance system built by all, and the fruits of governance shared by all.
  • Commit to a people-centred approach: The people of all nations are the fundamental actors in global governance, and their well-being is its ultimate benefit.
  • Focus on results: Effective global governance is essentially one that resolves real problems.

The proposal makes clear that the GGI is not about overturning the UN-based system or trying to create a parallel international order. Rather, it aims to improve the existing international system and make it more effective in addressing global challenges. In his speech announcing the initiative, Xi Jinping observed that “while the historical trends of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit remain unchanged, Cold War mentality, hegemonism and protectionism continue to haunt the world”, and noted that new threats and challenges to peace and development are emerging.

The GGI concept paper notes some important deficiencies in global governance that need to be urgently addressed:

  • First, serious underrepresentation of the Global South. “The collective rise of emerging markets and developing countries necessitates boosting the representation of the Global South and redressing historical injustice.”
  • Second, erosion of the UN’s authority, particularly due to unilateral measures and violations of international law taken by some countries.
  • Third, the need for greater effectiveness. Urgent issues such as climate change, the digital divide, AI regulation and cyberspace need to be effectively managed within a global framework.

The concept paper insists:

We must stand firmly on the right side of history, and join hands with all progressive forces in the world to build a community with a shared future for humanity and make relentless efforts for mankind’s noble cause of peace and development.

The GGI is the fourth major initiative proposed by China, following the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and the Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI), which collectively aim to foster global development, peace, friendship, understanding and cooperation. Xinhua reports that Russia, Cuba, Pakistan, Nicaragua, Nepal and Venezuela – as well as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres – have already stated their support for the initiative.

Continue reading China proposes Global Governance Initiative

Remembering China’s role in the global anti-fascist war

The following article by Carlos Martinez, a condensed version of which appeared in Beijing Review on 3 September, highlights the often-overlooked role of China in the global victory against fascism during World War II. While mainstream accounts foreground the US and Britain, Carlos stresses that China was the first nation to wage war against fascist occupation and sustained the longest campaign, suffering 35 million casualties and massive displacement.

Japanese aggression began with the invasion of northeast China in 1931. For six years, Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang (KMT) prioritised suppressing the Communists over resisting Japan. Resistance in the northeast was led by the Communist Party of China (CPC), supported by the Soviet Union and joined by Korean fighters (including Kim Il Sung). Mounting student protests and patriotic pressure culminated in the 1936 Xi’an Incident, forcing Chiang into an United Front with the CPC, enabling a coordinated national resistance after Japan’s full-scale invasion in 1937.

The CPC’s people’s war strategy mobilised peasants and established base areas for guerrilla operations, and landmark battles such as Pingxingguan and the Hundred Regiments Campaign broke Japan’s aura of invincibility. Despite being subjected to some of history’s most horrific war crimes, including the Nanjing Massacre, Chinese forces tied down over a million Japanese troops—two-thirds of Japan’s military strength—crippling Tokyo’s expansionist plans and bolstering Allied success in both Europe and the Pacific.

The war had a decisive role in ending China’s century of humiliation, re-establishing its status as a major power, and laying the foundations for the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949. Globally, China’s resistance not only contributed to fascism’s defeat but also inspired anti-colonial struggles across Asia. Carlos concludes:

The courage, sacrifice, daring and strategic brilliance demonstrated by the Chinese people in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression form an indelible chapter in the history of the struggle for a world free from fascism, militarism, colonialism and imperialism.

The second of September 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, bringing an end to World War 2.

China’s role in the war, and indeed the very existence of the Pacific Theatre, has to a significant degree been written out of history. In his book China’s War with Japan: 1937 – 1945, British historian Rana Mitter writes that, “for decades, our understanding of [World War 2] has failed to give a proper account of the role of China. If China was considered at all, it was as a minor player, a bit-part actor in a war where the United States, Soviet Union and Britain played much more significant roles” (Rana Mitter, 2014. China’s War with Japan: 1937 – 1945; the Struggle for Survival. Penguin Books, p5).

However, China was the first country to wage war against fascist occupation, and the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was of decisive importance to the overall global victory over fascism. In the course of 14 years of war (1931-45), China suffered over 35 million casualties, and around 20 percent of its people were made refugees.

The war started in 1931

Following its emergence as a capitalist country in the second half of the 19th century, Japan had been steadily expanding its colonial ambitions in relation to China, Korea and the Russian Far East. Taiwan, the Penghu Islands and the Liaodong Peninsula were ceded by China to Japan in 1895 under the terms of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, at the conclusion of the First Sino-Japanese War.

Continue reading Remembering China’s role in the global anti-fascist war

The message of the Victory Day parade: justice will prevail, peace will prevail and the people will prevail

In the following report, our co-editor Keith Bennett reflects on witnessing the grand parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the Global Anti-Fascist War.

Keith notes that the parade impressively showcased advanced military technology—ranging from hypersonic missiles and drones to nuclear-capable systems—demonstrating China’s defensive strength. Yet, the article stresses, China’s military power is not for domination but to safeguard the Chinese people and contribute to world peace.

President Xi’s address summed up the principal lesson of China’s victory: that justice will prevail, peace will prevail and the people will prevail. Keith observes:

That this vision enjoys ever greater support was shown by the presence of more than two dozen heads of state and government, along with numerous other dignitaries, the majority of them from the Global South, or Global Majority. This underlined, as did the largest ever gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation just two days previously, that the days when a handful of colonialist, imperialist or hegemonist powers could dominate world affairs have gone forever. If some countries choose to stay away from or seek to undermine this inexorable multipolar dynamic it will only precipitate their decline.

The article was also published by China Today and Morning Star, and is quoted extensively in China Daily.

To be able to witness the grand military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War was an unforgettable experience.

As President Xi pointed out, this was the first complete victory won by the Chinese people in their struggle against foreign aggression and also made a major contribution to the triumph of the people of the world against fascism.

China had promised to show the world the advances in its defensive capabilities. And with an array of new equipment displayed for the first time, including nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles; a land, sea and air nuclear triad; all-weather hypersonic missiles; reconnaissance and strike drones; unmanned ship-based helicopters; advanced electronic counter-measure equipment; cyberspace warfare equipment; unmanned aerial vehicles; hypersonic anti-ship missiles; long range artillery and new generation tanks, among others, it certainly didn’t disappoint on that front.

But that was not all that left a lasting impression. Unlike some other countries, China’s military might is not there to dominate others, not to bully, oppress, occupy or exploit, but solely to provide a secure basis, a great wall of iron and steel, for the Chinese people to live a peaceful and happy life and to help secure, preserve and defend world peace.

In stark contrast to those who grotesquely speak of other countries being “on the menu”, President Xi again pledged his country to peaceful development. Only when nations across the world treat each other as equals and mutually support one another, he pointed out, can the root cause of war be eliminated, and can we prevent historical tragedies from recurring, by building a community of shared future for humanity.

The lesson of the great victory, he pointed out, was that justice will prevail, peace will prevail and the people will prevail.

That this vision enjoys ever greater support was shown by the presence of more than two dozen heads of state and government, along with numerous other dignitaries, the majority of them from the Global South, or Global Majority. This underlined, as did the largest ever gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation just two days previously, that the days when a handful of colonialist, imperialist or hegemonist powers could dominate world affairs have gone forever. If some countries choose to stay away from or seek to undermine this inexorable multipolar dynamic it will only precipitate their decline.

The western media may express consternation, whether real or feigned, at the foregrounding of Russian President Vladimir Putin and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un among the honoured foreign guests. They choose to overlook the undeniable fact that it was the peoples of China and the Soviet Union who made the greatest national sacrifice to rid the world of fascist barbarism and save human civilisation. And they equally choose to overlook that Kim Jong Un’s own grandfather fought shoulder-to-shoulder with his Chinese comrades-in-arms against the Japanese aggressors in northeast China. All this found poignant expression as the three leaders greeted war veterans together at the start of the ceremony.

Many other things touched me today. The culmination featuring the release of 80,000 doves and 80,000 multicoloured balloons, reminding us that everything China does is for the sake of peace.

The pride, passion and patriotism with which service men and women and civilians alike joined in singing the national anthem and the Ode to the Motherland.

As you would expect for an event of this scale, organisation was meticulous and logistics were complex but flawless. Security was, of course, necessarily tight. But unlike in any capitalist country none of the security personnel carried arms. And whilst they were there to assist people as much as anything else, they were by far outnumbered by the kind, self-confident and enthusiastic young women and men volunteers one encountered every few steps, on hand to offer whatever help anyone might need. Every one of them a credit to socialist China and a guarantee of its bright future. Every one of them able to realise their dreams thanks to the heroes and martyrs who laid down their lives 80 years ago.

Putin: Russia and China are united in our vision of building a just, multipolar world order, with a focus on the nations of the Global Majority

We are pleased to republish below the full text of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interview with Xinhua News Agency, conducted on the eve of his visit to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Tianjin Summit and the commemorations in Beijing for the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

The interview touches on a wide range of important issues, including Russia-China relations, the global balance of power, the significance of the SCO, and the lessons to be learned from the Second World War.

On the issue of the Global Anti-Fascist War, Putin notes:

The peoples of the Soviet Union and China bore the brunt of the fighting and suffered the heaviest losses. It was our citizens who endured the greatest hardships in the struggle against the invaders and played a decisive role in defeating Nazism and militarism. Through those severe trials, the finest traditions of friendship and mutual assistance were forged and strengthened – traditions that today form a solid foundation for Russian–Chinese relations.

I would remind you that even before the full-scale outbreak of the Second World War, in the 1930s, when Japan treacherously launched a war of aggression against China, the Soviet Union extended a helping hand to the Chinese people. Thousands of our career officers served as military advisers, assisting in strengthening the Chinese army and providing guidance in combat operations. Soviet pilots also fought bravely alongside their Chinese brothers-in-arms.

He adds:

The historical record leaves no doubt as to the scale and ferocity of those battles. We remember the great significance of the famous Hundred Regiments Offensive, when Chinese Communist forces liberated a territory with a population of five million from Japanese occupation. We also recall the unparalleled feats of Soviet troops and commanders in their clashes with Japan at Lake Khasan and the Khalkhin Gol River. In the summer of 1939, our legendary commander Georgy Zhukov won his first major victory in the Mongolian steppes, which in effect foreshadowed the later defeat of the Berlin–Tokyo–Rome Axis. In 1945, the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation played a decisive role in liberating northeast China, dramatically altering the situation in the Far East and making the capitulation of militarist Japan inevitable.

And, correctly remembering the crucial role played by China in the defeat of fascism and militarism and the birth of the modern international order, he states:

In Russia, we will never forget that China’s heroic resistance was one of the crucial factors that prevented Japan from stabbing the Soviet Union in the back during the darkest months of 1941–1942. This enabled the Red Army to concentrate its efforts on crushing Nazism and liberating Europe. Close cooperation between our two countries was also an important element in forming the anti-Hitler coalition, strengthening China as a great power, and in the constructive discussions that shaped the post-war settlement and helped to reinvigorate the anti-colonial movement.

Putin observes that, in the West, there are ceaseless attempts to rewrite the history of the Second World War, to downplay the role of the Soviet Union and China in the victory over fascism, and to whitewash the crimes of fascism and militarism. “Historical truth is being distorted and suppressed to suit their current political agendas. Japanese militarism is being revived under the pretext of imaginary Russian or Chinese threats, while in Europe, including Germany, steps are being taken towards the re-militarisation of the continent, with little regard for historical parallels.”

Continue reading Putin: Russia and China are united in our vision of building a just, multipolar world order, with a focus on the nations of the Global Majority

What is behind China’s successful leadership in tackling the climate crisis?

Ganesh Tailor, writing in People’s Voice, newspaper of the Communist Party of Canada, argues that China’s success in tackling the climate crisis stems from its socialist system and long-term planning:

China’s Five-Year Plans allow for the massive, state-led mobilisation of resources with long-term sustainable goals in mind. These initiatives, necessary for the common good, have led to the PRC’s rise as the world leader in solar panel production and installation and its dominance in wind and hydroelectric projects, along with rapid expansions in electric vehicles and high-speed rail.

Ganesh observes that Chinese innovations around sustainable development are having a global impact, particularly in the Global South:

Through the Belt-and-Road Initiative, Global South countries have received loans to build green infrastructure and develop their sovereign economies without having to concede to structural adjustment or austerity programs, as infamously required by the IMF and World Bank. Instead, China has worked with Pakistan and Zambia to build solar farms, Ethiopia and South Africa to build wind turbines, and Laos and Ecuador to build hydroelectric dams – to name only a few. These projects enable partner countries to diversify their energy sources, especially away from fossil fuels, and strengthen their sovereignty through economic growth and stability.

While the US imposes a criminal blockade on Cuba, “China has donated solar farms, along with at least 70 tons of power generator parts and accessories to aid in Cuba’s energy grid’s robustness. China has additionally provided significant financing for solar infrastructure, with projections for solar powering two-thirds of present-day Cuban demand by 2028.” The article continues:

A stabilized power grid directly translates to a better quality of life for everyday Cubans. Solar farms reduce the frequency and duration of blackouts and free up foreign currency, otherwise spent on oil, to be spent on crucial resources like food and medicine imports. Partnership with the PRC in energy diversification away from imperialist-led fossil fuel hegemony bolsters Cuba’s ability to serve its people and continue defending its hard-fought revolution.

Ganesh concludes that capitalism cannot resolve the climate crisis, as profit-driven systems inherently obstruct real solutions. China’s achievements demonstrate that socialism offers the only viable path to a collective, internationalist, and sustainable future.

We are living through the prime existential threat facing life on this planet. The climate crisis is an undeniable reality born from the inherent contradictions of capitalism. The profit motive and its ecological impacts in development are increasingly borne by the planet and its peoples. We are continually told of supposed “solutions” that are, in reality, nothing more than greenwashing and toothless accords meant to at best manage decline, and at worst open new carbon markets.

Despite the ruthless propaganda emanating from the worst offenders in Washington and Ottawa, the People’s Republic of China, under the leadership of the Communist Party, is demonstrating the superiority of centralized and long-term economic planning to tackle this global challenge.

Continue reading What is behind China’s successful leadership in tackling the climate crisis?

From Spain to China: remembering shared sacrifices in the World Anti-Fascist War

September 3rd marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. In the following article, originally published in Global Times on 14 August, Spanish geopolitical analyst H. Gomez notes that the history of international solidarity in the World Anti-Fascist War “did not begin in 1939, nor did it end with the fall of the Nazi Germany”.

He highlights the Spanish Civil War of 1936 as an early front in this global fight:

In 1936, when the Spanish Civil War erupted, a little-known but powerful gesture of internationalism took place. Among the first foreign volunteers to arrive in Spain was Xie Weijin, a Chinese Marxist and journalist who had studied in France and was deeply moved by the Republican cause. As bombs fell over Madrid and Barcelona, Xie risked his life to stand with the Spanish people in their resistance against interventions by fascist forces. He was soon followed by other Chinese volunteers who formed part of the International Brigades – multi-national units made up of workers, students and intellectuals from over 50 countries.

At the same time, China itself was resisting Japanese invasion. The horrors of Nanjing and the bombings of Chongqing became symbols of global anti-fascist resolve, and China too received international solidarity: Canadian doctor Norman Bethune, American aviators of the Flying Tigers, Soviet advisors, and volunteers from across Asia and beyond came to China’s assistance. Indeed, 20 medical doctors serving in the International Brigades went from Spain to China to help defend against Japanese aggression.

These acts of transnational support, Gomez stresses, were not about profit or geopolitics but about a shared moral cause. China has preserved this history through monuments, museums, and remembrance of comrades-in-arms. Yet, he warns, historical revisionism and amnesia in parts of the world threaten to distort or erase these sacrifices, particularly China’s role in the Allied victory.

The author writes that commemorating the war is not only remembrance but a moral imperative. In today’s world—facing pandemics, climate change, and geopolitical tensions—the same spirit of solidarity is urgently needed. China, he concludes, upholds this legacy through peace, cooperation, and its vision of a shared future for humanity:

As China commemorates the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, it does so not in isolation but as part of a global family that once stood together in resistance, and must now stand together in rebuilding global trust and cooperation. This is not only a tribute to the past – it is a blueprint for the future.

Commenting on Gomez’s article, Jim Jump, Chair of Britain’s International Brigade Memorial Trust, remarked:

Global Times is to be congratulated for recognising the links between the Spanish Civil War and China’s resistance to Japanese militarism in the long Anti-Fascist War of the 1930s and 40s.

The fight against Franco, Hitler and Mussolini in Spain and against Japanese aggression in China was seen by many people in Britain and around the world as one and the same struggle.

The International Brigade Memorial Trust salutes the memory of all those who sent aid to the people of Spain and China and of the volunteers in the International Brigades who went from Spain to China to continue the epic struggle against fascism.

As China and the world prepare to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression on September 3, it is a fitting moment to revisit the long arc of international solidarity in the World Anti-Fascist War, a history that did not begin in 1939, nor did it end with the fall of the Nazi Germany. 

Continue reading From Spain to China: remembering shared sacrifices in the World Anti-Fascist War

Xi Jinping’s Governance of China illuminating the path ahead

In the following article, which was originally published by China Today, our co-editor Keith Bennett welcomes the publication of the English language edition of the fifth volume of Xi Jinping’s ‘Governance of China’, noting:

“Through the writings and speeches of President Xi one can gain a better understanding of China – where it is going and how it approaches the great issues facing humanity. This is related to the fact that, under Xi’s leadership, China is returning to the centre of the global stage. But it does so, not as an aspiring new hegemon, and not following the old path of colonialism and hegemonism, which have caused, and continue to cause, so much bloodshed and suffering, but rather from a new and visionary paradigm.”

Keith briefly outlines the lineage of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, through the internationalist rallying cry of Marx and Engels in the Communist Manifesto, Lenin’s elevation of the oppressed peoples to stand alongside the working class in the world revolutionary process, and Zhou Enlai’s elaboration of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, through to today’s collective rise of the Global South, with Socialist China in the vanguard.

Xi Jinping’s concept of a community of shared future for humanity can be embraced and welcomed by the great majority of humanity.

Like many people around the world, be they China scholars, friends of China or students of Marxism, I have been looking forward to the publication of the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China and was very pleased to hear that it is now available. 

The eagerness and interest with which this latest volume has been awaited and will be received reflects a number of things. Through the writings and speeches of President Xi Jinping one can gain a better understanding of China – where it is going and how it approaches the great issues facing humanity. This is related to the fact that, under Xi’s leadership, China is returning to the center of the global stage. But it does so, not as an aspiring new hegemon, and not following the old path of colonialism and hegemonism, which have caused, and continue to cause, so much bloodshed and suffering, but rather from a new and visionary paradigm. 

Xi’s grand vision of a community with a shared future for humanity is welcomed by a majority of the world’s nations, particularly the Global South family, who have suffered for centuries under the iron heel of the Global North. Xi’s vision is welcomed precisely because it accords with the interests and needs of the people of every country. 

As far back as 1848, German philosophers and revolutionary socialists Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Friedrich Engels (1820-1895), co-authors of The Communist Manifesto, wrote that, “In the national struggles of the proletarians of the different countries, they [the communists] point out and bring to the front the common interests of the entire proletariat, independently of all nationality.” 

As the foremost proponent of Marxism for the 21st century, Xi has inherited, applied and developed this principle elaborated by Marx and Engels.  

Historically, this development has passed through a number of distinct phases. Taking into account the fact that imperialism had completed the colonial division of the world, and that the modern national liberation movement was coming into being as the most powerful ally of the working class on a world scale, Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924) – founder of the Russian Communist Party – updated the slogan of “workers of the world unite” to also embrace the oppressed peoples. At the same time, faced with the fact that the Soviet Union was likely to remain the world’s sole socialist country, at least for a time, he advanced the concept of peaceful coexistence as an important component of the foreign policy to be pursued by a socialist state. Later, Zhou Enlai (1898-1976), then Chinese premier, in turn, faced with the fact that states with different social systems would continue to exist for a long historical period, raised peaceful coexistence from a policy to the level of theory, encapsulated and summed up in his famous Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.  

Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy inherits and builds on this entire legacy. If, 70-plus years ago, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence gave the socialist countries, and the newly independent countries just embarking on the road of building a new society, freedom to breathe and room to maneuver, today we face a qualitatively different situation.  

As a key component of the changes unseen in a century, we now see the collective rise of the great mass of developing countries, which today we generally refer to as the Global South, with socialist China as the vanguard, an indispensable nation steadily advancing to the center of the world stage. 

This therefore places the question of what kind of world should we build and how should we build it, not simply as a task on the agenda but rather as a task taken up for solution, and so this is precisely a key question to which Xi Jinping Thought addresses itself. 

Around the time I first visited China, back in 1981, and prior to that, practically the first sight that people encountered as they entered the mainland from Hong Kong was the huge banner reading, “Long live the great unity of the peoples of the world!” 

And just as Marx and Engels wrote about the “common interests of the entire proletariat, independently of all nationality,” for his part, Confucius (551 BC- 479 BC) famously advocated the great harmony of all under heaven. 

It is by embodying these precepts of both scientific socialism and fine traditional Chinese culture and civilization, and proceeding from the theory of “adapting the basic tenets of Marxism to China’s realities and to its traditional culture”, that Xi has defined the strategic goal, the task taken up for solution, as the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.  

Of course, some might say that this is just a phrase. And in the mouths of many politicians around the world that would most likely be the case. But in Xi’s case it represents the summation and acme of a whole body of continually developing theories and practices. In particular, it is the cumulative product of a whole series of initiatives, starting with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and proceeding through a series of global initiatives on development, security and civilization. Together, these represent the building blocks of global peace, common prosperity, mutual respect and harmony, which, in turn, are the prerequisites for a sustainable community of shared future. 

Xi is also clear that this cannot be realized solely through relations among states but rather must also embrace people-to-people diplomacy. In fact, he has gone so far as to stress that relations between peoples are the foundation and bedrock of good state-to-state relations. In this he inherits and builds on Mao Zedong’s conclusion that, “The people, and the people alone, are the motive force in the making of world history.” That is why Xi gives so much attention to people-to-people diplomacy, meeting people on his travels, keeping in contact with old friends even after decades, writing personal letters, and never forgetting China’s old friends and their family members and descendants. 

Today, humanity has long since passed the point where its fundamental problems can be contained or resolved within national borders. Not all progressive people in the West realize it yet, but the issue is no longer whether one is for or against globalization, but whether to continue to go down the road of a globalization where the rich continue to get richer and the poor continue to get poorer on a global scale, as practiced by the ruling circles in advanced capitalist countries, or whether to pursue an equitable and inclusive globalization as championed by China. Likewise, the existential threats facing humanity, whether they be from the looming threat of climate catastrophe, the danger of nuclear war or of zoonotic pandemics, all show that a community with a shared future for humanity is a worthy goal, one that can be embraced and welcomed by the great majority of humanity. But even more fundamentally, it is increasingly becoming the very prerequisite for the continuation of human civilization and indeed survival, and most likely for the survival of many other forms of life on earth as well. 

No country, no matter how rich or powerful, can solve the problems facing humanity and Mother Earth on their own, let alone with a “beggar my neighbor” attitude. Rather, it’s the case that we sink or swim together. Xi’s concept of a community with a shared future is the shoreline that humanity has to swim towards. The Governance of China is like a lodestar or lighthouse illuminating the way to a distant shore. That is why I am sure that this latest volume will be eagerly awaited, read, studied and discussed by people on every continent. 

The Chinese scholars keeping the memory of Japanese sexual slavery alive

The following article, which was originally published on Sixth Tone, highlights the work of Su Zhiliang and Chen Lifei, a husband and wife team who are China’s foremost scholar activists researching the Japanese militarists’ heinous ‘comfort women’ system, an insitutionalised practice of mass sexual slavery inflicted on women in China, Korea and elsewhere in Asia during Japanese imperialism’s war of aggression.

This year the couple have published two books: “A Comprehensive History of the Japanese Military ‘Comfort Women’ System,” offers an in-depth analysis of wartime female slavery and is considered the most comprehensive, systematic, and authoritative multi-volume study of its kind to date. The other, “The Search: ‘Comfort Woman’ Park Yong-sim and Her Sisters,” is a revised edition setting out Park Yong-sim’s personal narrative as she was taken from her hometown of Nampo, in what is now the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, to Nanjing, capital of China’s eastern Jiangsu province, and forced into sexual slavery at the age of 17.

Since they began their research and fieldwork in the 1990s, the couple have identified 358 comfort women survivors in the Chinese mainland, nearly tripling previous estimates. Now, there are only seven remaining survivors – the youngest of whom is 95 years old.

Wu Haiyun interviewed Su Zhiliang ahead of this year’s International Memorial Day for Comfort Women, which falls on August 14.

Explaining how the issue came to be hidden for so long, Su said: “After WWII, the Japanese government knew this was a shameful crime and systematically destroyed archival materials related to the ‘comfort women’ system, so the issue only came to international attention in 1991, when a 67-year-old Korean woman, Kim Hak-sun, courageously came forward to testify that she had been forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military in China and to file a lawsuit against the Japanese government.”

There were also further obstacles, especially in the early years: “Local officials in China were often uncooperative, as if this history was something to be ashamed of. This resistance began to ease a bit after 2000 (as more survivors sought litigation and public awareness increased), but the survivors themselves would sometimes still decline interviews. For example, we had once arranged for a Shanghai TV crew to travel with us to northern Shanxi province’s capital, Taiyuan, to interview a survivor. Everything was in place, but just before we departed, she called to say she no longer wished to speak on camera. All I could say was that we understood. It’s incredibly painful to recount the most traumatic experiences of your life to strangers.”

He adds: “The history of ‘comfort women’ represents one of the most horrific, systematic violations of women’s rights in modern history. Our research shows that in China alone, the Japanese military established more than 2,100 ‘comfort stations.’  Throughout the entire war, between 360,000 and 410,000 women were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military. Many died during their captivity.”

He also sounds a warning that the Japanese government’s stance towards these crimes is now only getting worse:

“In the 1990s, Japanese school textbooks still included references to the ‘comfort women’ system. Now, such content is becoming increasingly rare. One major reason is the decline of left-leaning historians and the weakening of progressive forces, while nationalist and right-wing voices grow stronger. As a result, Japan’s current attitude toward the issue is even more regressive than it was 30 years ago. We must remain vigilant about this… The ‘comfort women’ system and the [Nazi] Holocaust represent two distinct but equally heinous forms of fascist violence… Both were state-sponsored crimes against humanity, and both epitomise the brutality of fascism and militarism.”

This year, China’s core scholars on “comfort women” — women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army in World War II — published two career-defining books.

One, “A Comprehensive History of the Japanese Military ‘Comfort Women’ System,” offers an in-depth analysis of wartime female slavery and is considered the most comprehensive, systematic, and authoritative multi-volume study of its kind to date. The other, “The Search: ‘Comfort Woman’ Park Yong-sim and Her Sisters,” is a revised edition about Park Yong-sim’s personal narrative as she was taken from her hometown of Nampo, Korea, to Nanjing, capital of China’s eastern Jiangsu province, and forced into sexual slavery at the age of 17.

In many ways, the works are a fitting capstone to Su Zhiliang and Chen Lifei’s decadeslong scholarship and advocacy, as the husband-and-wife pair, now nearing their 70s, consider stepping back. Taken together, the books encapsulate the dual approach that has defined the Shanghai Normal University scholars’ foundational work to document and identify survivors of the wartime female slavery system.

However, as the couple contemplate the future of their research, challenges remain. Since they began their research and fieldwork in the 1990s, they have identified 358 comfort women survivors in the Chinese mainland, nearly tripling previous estimates. Now, there are only seven remaining survivors — the youngest of whom is 95 years old.

Continue reading The Chinese scholars keeping the memory of Japanese sexual slavery alive

Chen Weihua: Marx’s legacy still relevant in Europe

Brussels says farewell to Chen Weihua

Chen Weihua, correspondent for the Chinese newspaper China Daily in Brussels for the past seven years, returned home on August 4. He recently turned 62 and thus worked two years longer than the retirement age for most Chinese men. 

During his time as bureau chief for his newspaper, he wrote numerous articles about the European Union – his main assignment – but also about Belgium. Among other things, he wrote an interesting piece about Karl Marx’s stay in Brussels, which we reproduce below.

Of course, he also made many local friends, most of whom are professionally interested in China. During a pleasant dinner at the Bozarcafé in Brussels on August 1, a few local friends said farewell to him. Sitting at the table next to Chen (left) are Frank Willems, co-editor of the website Chinasquare.be. In front of him: Marc Vandepitte, co-editor of the alternative news website De Wereld Morgen. Other Belgian fellow editors and journalists complete the picture.

Chen has returned to his home city of Shanghai, where he will continue to write columns in addition to numerous planned trips within his own country. “I have worked as a journalist all my life and cannot simply leave all that knowledge and experience behind me. I will continue to write commentaries in my ‘sea of free time’, as retirement is sometimes described. You are not rid of me yet…”

Jan Reyniers

As one of his last journalistic assignments in Brussels, Chen Weihua wrote an interesting and important article, Marx’s legacy still relevant in Europe,which was published by China Daily on June 20.

Chen writes that, after having been forced to leave Germany and France: “ Marx lived in several different places in Brussels. I have visited the one at 42 Rue d’Orleans, now 50 Rue Jean d’Ardenne. It is the only place with a commemorative plaque, which indicates that the family lived here from 1846 to 1848. It was in Brussels that Marx’s wife, Jenny von Westphalen, Marx’s childhood sweetheart and lifelong companion, gave birth to their son Edgar and daughter Laura.”

He adds: “Belgian historian Edward de Maesschalck, who wrote a book on Marx in Brussels, said that Brussels marked a turning point in Marx’s life and from there, he initiated a revolution that would radically transform the world.

“Brussels was then a city with a rich upper class and a large number of poor people. There was the Potato Famine of 1846 and grain shortages in 1847. Poverty in Belgium reached an all-time high, reinforcing Marx’s belief that revolution could not be long in coming.”

Maesschalck also wrote that Marx arrived as a socially committed scholar, seeking clarity and finding the key to a better understanding of human history. In Brussels, Marx emerged as a revolutionary with a mission. It was in Brussels, too, that his views of historical materialism were formed, and in Brussels… that he and Friedrich Engels wrote the Communist Manifesto.

Chen notes that, in contrast to his stature in China, Marx is not especially popular in contemporary Europe, for example among the social democratic parties that were originally founded as Marxist parties. However, he contends that the increase in workers’ strikes in recent years vindicates Marx’s analysis.

According to Bart Peeters of the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB/PDVA): “Without a thorough scientific understanding of the mechanics of capitalism and its domination of the state apparatus, the struggle cannot be successful. Fortunately, more and more workers are beginning to understand this.”

Marx’s legacy still relevant in Europe

June 20 (China Daily) – The Grand Place is the most famous and photographed tourist attraction in Brussels and was described by Victor Hugo as the most beautiful in the world. Encircled by buildings of Baroque, Gothic and Louis XIV architectural styles and gilded with gold detailing, it is known to Chinese tourists as Golden Grand Square or huangjin da guangchang.

Continue reading Chen Weihua: Marx’s legacy still relevant in Europe