Friends of Socialist China, Author at Friends of Socialist China

Towards a shared vision, a shared prosperity and a shared partnership between China and Vietnam

We are pleased to reproduce the following articles from CGTN and Nhân Dân, reporting on Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent visit to Vietnam. Both reflect a growing consensus between the two states to deepen cooperation, reject US interference and trouble-making, and settle historic differences in the spirit of peace and friendship.

CGTN: For Vietnam, China is a bulwark against Western interventionism

As a part of his tour of regional countries, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Vietnam and participated in the 13th meeting of the China-Vietnam Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation. Vietnam official media described the visit and the meeting as two countries maintaining positive trends and that Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh sees win-win cooperation in a number of areas, including senior leadership visits, security issues, economic cooperation and COVD-19 management.

Elias Jabbour: Socialist China is the last frontier between reason and barbarism

This speech by Elias Jabbour (Adjunct Professor of Economics, Rio de Janeiro State University) at the recent launch of Through Pluripolarity to Socialism usefully describes the current state of international relations, the global trajectory towards socialism, and the vanguard role of the People’s Republic of China.

First of all, I would like to thank the organizers of this Manifesto for the invitation to be here with you today. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of a document which summarizes not only the fundamental contradictions of our epoch, but mainly the solutions towards pluripolarity and socialism. This Manifesto not only demonstrates the defense of socialist experiences, but also shows to the world that we don’t deny the history of the international communist movement. On the contrary. We are proud of our history. The Soviet Union was responsible, for the first time in history, for giving women equality before the law.

Review: Serve the People – The Eradication of Extreme Poverty in China

This article by Carlos Martinez was originally published – in slightly condensed form – in Beijing Review on 10 September 2021.

In late 2020, the Chinese government announced that its goal to eliminate extreme poverty by 2021 (the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China) had been met. At the start of the targeted poverty alleviation programme in 2013, just under 100 million people were identified as living below the poverty line; seven years later, the number was zero.

To eradicate extreme poverty in a developing country of 1.4 billion people, which just 72 years ago (at the time of the founding of the People’s Republic of China) was one of the poorest countries in the world – characterised by widespread malnutrition, illiteracy, foreign domination and technological backwardness – is a truly extraordinary achievement.

Webinar: Why Meng Wanzhou should be released NOW! (22 September)

The Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War is organising a webinar on Wednesday 22 September 2021 at 7pm EDT with a set of expert panelists explaining the many reasons why Meng should (and can legally be) released now in order to restore friendly relations with China, and to set a new and independent course in foreign policy for Canada.

Hong Kong: From Royal Colony to Color Revolution

In this China Is Not Our Enemy webinar, hosted by CODEPINK and Massachusetts Peace Action, Madison Tang interviews Julie Tang (co-founder of Pivot to Peace and Hong Kong native) and Michael Wong (Vice President of Veterans for Peace San Francisco) about the context and consequences of British and US interference in Hong Kong.

The liberation of Shanghai: ‘I found PLA soldiers sleeping on the pavement’

In this short video from CGTN, Betty Bar and her husband George Wang discuss their experiences living in Shanghai, from the 1930s up to the present. They remember the intense poverty in the city before liberation; the horrors of the Japanese occupation; the professional, disciplined and people-oriented nature of the People’s Liberation Army when entering Shanghai; and the extraordinary improvements in people’s lives in the ensuing decades. George Wang comments: “Without the Communist Party, without Mao Zedong, what would our life be today?”

Infographic: on China’s achievements in the Mao era

9 September marks the 45th anniversary of Mao Zedong’s death. After all this time, historians in the capitalist world continue to portray Mao as a monster. But China’s achievements under his leadership (1949-76) tell a completely different story.

Wang Yi on the 50th anniversary of the restoration of China’s seat at the UN

This speech by China’s foreign minister Wang Yi, delivered at the Join Hands for a Shared Future Seminar to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Restoration of The Lawful Seat of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations, provides a succinct and powerful outline of China’s foreign policy framework and its approach to international relations. It sets out a clear vision of multilateralism and cooperation to tackle shared problems and build global peace and prosperity.

Distinguished Guests,

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations. It is of great significance that we have in-depth discussions under the theme “Join Hands for a Shared Future.” Let me extend my congratulations on the successful opening of the seminar and express my appreciation to all the guests for your active participation and contribution.

At its 26th Session in 1971, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 with an overwhelming majority, restoring all the lawful rights to the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations. This was a landmark in history. It signified that the UN had truly become the most representative and authoritative inter-governmental organization. It also opened a new chapter in China’s cooperation with the UN. Over the past 50 years, China, with concrete actions, has lived up to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and has served as an important builder of world peace, the biggest contributor to global development, and a firm defender of international order.

Li Jingjing interviews Medea Benjamin from CODEPINK on US militarism, China’s poverty alleviation, and the New Cold War

Embedded below is a very interesting and useful interview by Li Jingjing (for CGTN) with CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin. They discuss CODEPINK’s history of opposing US militarism, PBS’s shameful censoring of the documentary ‘Voices from the Frontline: China’s War on Poverty’, the China is Not Our Enemy campaign, and the dangers of a New Cold War.

Cheng Enfu speech at the launch meeting of ‘From Pluripolarity to Socialism’

On 5 September 2021, the International Manifesto Group held a launch meeting for its manifesto, entitled From Pluripolarity to Socialism. Friends of Socialist China’s editors support the manifesto, and we encourage people to read and sign it.

We reproduce below the text of a speech given at the launch event by Cheng Enfu, former president of the Academy of Marxism at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), currently Academician of CASS, principal professor of the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and president of the World Association for Political Economy (WAPE).

I would like to thank the drafters of the manifesto for presenting many new ideas of contemporary Marxism, and for writing a declaration that reflects the voices of a vast number of workers and oppressed nations. After reading it, I found the following elements and features are particularly important:

First, it objectively describes the tortuous history of the socialist movement under the theoretical guidance of scientific socialism founded by Marx and Engels.

A century of struggle: the glorious achievements and historic contributions of the Communist Party of China

This reflection on the history of the CPC, written by Qu Qingshan – Director of the Central Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee – was originally published in Qiushi. It provides an overview of each generation of leadership of the CPC (under Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping) and describes how they each feed in to an overall trajectory towards an advanced socialism and national rejuvenation. It highlights the party’s clear position that Marxism must continue to provide the ideological base of its work: “If we deviate from Chinese socialism, all our previous efforts will go up in smoke”.

As General Secretary Xi Jinping has said, the past century has witnessed the Communist Party of China (CPC) work with devotion in pursuit of its founding mission, blaze new trails while enduring bitter hardships, and strive toward a brighter future. Since its founding in 1921, the CPC has surmounted one obstacle after another and achieved victory after victory by relying closely on the people. In this ancient land of China, it has brought about epic milestones in the history of human development and made groundbreaking contributions to the Chinese nation.

CGTN video interviews regarding the situation in Afghanistan

Embedded below are two important video interviews conducted recently by CGTN regarding the situation in Afghanistan and China’s potential role in helping to construct a future of peace, stability and development in that country. Both interviewees make it clear that China is ready and willing to engage with the new government; China encourages the Taliban to govern in a tolerant, pluralistic and inclusive way, respecting the rights of women and of ethnic minorities; China encourages the Taliban to end its support for terrorist forces such as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement; and China will work with the Afghan government and other countries in the region to support Afghanistan’s reconstruction.

The first interview is with Yue Xiaoyong, Special Envoy for Afghan Affairs, Chinese Foreign Ministry:

The second interview is with Senior Colonel Zhou Bo (retired), a senior fellow of the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University and former director of the Center for Security Cooperation at the Chinese Ministry of National Defense:

Video about Isabel Crook: She saw history in the making

This short biographical video from CGTN tells the story of Isabel Crook. Isabel and her husband David were prominent supporters of the Chinese Revolution from its early days, witnessing and reporting on how the CPC organised land reform in the village of Ten Mile Inn, Hebei, in 1947 (two years before the founding of the People’s Republic). They continued to live in China and to be friends of its ongoing revolution. Isabel is now 105 years old, and still lives in China.

Yang Jiechi on the CPC’s century of achievement in foreign affairs work

We are republishing this wide-ranging and valuable article by Yang Jiechi, Chinese politburo member and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2007 to 2013. The article describes the basic goals underlying the CPC’s foreign policy since its inception: maintaining a peaceful environment for China’s development, and contributing to a peaceful future for humanity. Yang describes the four major periods of the CPC’s foreign affairs work, and presents his vision of how China will engage in international relations in the coming period. The article originally appeared in Qiushi Journal, the leading theoretical journal of the CPC.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Having been founded for 100 years, this major Party is right in its prime. China is now on course to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, thus realizing the first centenary goal. Building on this momentum, we will embark on a new journey toward the second centenary goal of fully building a modern socialist country. Around this historic point of advancing from the first centenary goal to the second one, it is of great significance that we take a thorough and systematic review of the glorious journey traveled by the Chinese people under the leadership of the Party. It will inspire the whole Party, the entire nation, and all ethnic groups to rally more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, press ahead on the new journey toward a modern socialist country, and work tirelessly for realizing the Chinese dream of great national rejuvenation.

China says it has built the world’s largest housing guarantee system

We are republishing this report from CGTN about the expansion of China’s social housing network and housing guarantee system. China’s progress in this area is impressive and inspiring.

China has built the world’s largest housing guarantee system and will keep cracking down on housing speculation, the country’s urban planning authorities said on Tuesday.

In 2019, the housing area per capita of urban residents reached 39.8 square meters. Meanwhile, that of rural residents reached 48.9 square meters, said Wang Menghui, Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, during a press conference.

Wang said the urbanization rate of China’s long-term residents reached 63.89 percent last year, adding that the urban built-up area was 61,000 square kilometers.

US intelligence agents are not scientists but experts in making chaos

The latest article by Danny Haiphong, published on CGTN on 1 September 2021, addresses the recent report by the US Office of National Intelligence, commissioned by the Biden administration, on the origins of Covid-19. The article points out that US intelligence agencies have no competence or mandate in this matter; they are simply being used for the same purpose they have so often been used for in the past: furthering the political interests of the US imperialist ruling class.

The lab leak theory has received another blow to its questionable legitimacy following the report by the U.S. Office of National Intelligence (ONI) on its “investigation” into whether the virus now known as SARS‑CoV‑2 was intentionally or accidentally leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). The report released on August 27 came to a number of conclusions. It asserted that SARS‑CoV‑2 was not developed as a “biological weapon” and speculated that the virus might have initially spread from an infected animal. No evidence for any “lab leak” at the WIV was offered. Still, the report left open the possibility that such a scenario could have occurred in the November leading up to the first discovered cases in Wuhan.

Biden’s 90-day intelligence investigation was never meant to be a genuine inquiry into the origins of novel coronavirus. The ONI’s continued speculation into a “lab leak” at the WIV left the door open for U.S. officials and their allies to blame China for a virus that was circulating in Europe and the United States well before the first known cases in Wuhan. Rather than build from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) late March report indicating the likely natural origins of the virus, U.S. intelligence agencies have chosen to operate outside of their scope of practice. Their interference in the origins-tracing process has only led to further confusion in the scientific community.

DSA International Committee condemns recent Congressional legislation that fuels a new Cold War with China

The following statement, posted by the Democratic Socialists of America International Committee on 30 August 2021, is an important and powerful condemnation of the US strategy of waging a New Cold War against China. It correctly highlights that such a war presents a danger to humanity, while offering nothing to ordinary people in the US.

Summary: The International Committee of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA IC) strongly condemns Congress’s use of industrial policy and other elements of the proposed US Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) to counter China as part of a new Cold War fueled by US imperialist interests, a stance that further destabilizes geopolitical relations and jeopardizes efforts toward greater global cooperation on issues affecting everyone worldwide.

The United States Congress is in the midst of drafting, debating, and presenting significant legislation regarding US industrial, diplomatic, and military policy. Industrial policy in the US is a prominent and important concern, as US infrastructure and development are under increasing strain. Infrastructure failures, privatized utilities, and a gutted social safety net clearly call for state intervention via a positive vision for American society. The most prominent element of the industrial policy legislation that has been drafted is the bipartisan US Innovation and Competition Act (USICA). Unfortunately, the legislation being drafted for infrastructure investments is being crafted to reinforce US imperial control throughout the world and to antagonize China. While there are overtures made toward the underlying need for American industrial policy, this entire discussion has been subsumed into a broader US imperialist position of “combating” China. The DSA International Committee (IC) condemns the use of industrial policy and other elements of the USICA to counter China, which will further destabilize geopolitical relations, entrench a new Cold War, and jeopardize global cooperation on issues no country can solve alone.

Xi Jinping: Understanding the new development stage, applying the new development philosophy, and creating a new development dynamic

We are republishing this important speech by Xi Jinping, made at a seminar for provincial and ministerial level officials on studying and implementing the guiding principles of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, on 11 January 2021. It summarises the transition taking place in China, from ‘building a moderately prosperous society in all respects’ (achieved with the eradication of extreme poverty last year) to building – by the middle of this century – a ‘great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful’. The English translation of the speech originally appeared in Qiushi Journal.

Since the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held in October 2020, all regions and departments have yielded positive results from their hard work to study, publicize, and apply the guiding principles from the Session in line with the Central Committee’s requirements. During this special seminar, the Central Committee hopes that we will gain an accurate understanding of the new stage of development through extensive discussions and exchanges of experience, with a view to fully implementing the new development philosophy, accelerating our efforts to create a new development dynamic, and promoting high-quality development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025). Doing so will see us setting the stage for building a modern socialist country in all respects.

I have spoken of the importance of studying and applying the guiding principles of the Fifth Plenary Session both at the Session itself and on many other occasions, such as meetings of the Central Committee Political Bureau and its Standing Committee, the Central Economic Work Conference, and the Central Rural Work Conference. Today, I would like to focus on the following four subjects.

First, we need to have an accurate understanding of the new stage of development.

An accurate understanding of the historical stage that the cause of our Party and people has entered is essential for defining the central task of the current period and setting the guidelines, principles, and policies for our work. This is an important practice our Party has used to move from victory to victory in leading China’s revolution, development, and reform.

China announces massive greening plan to achieve carbon goals

Important news relating to China’s afforestation program. This article was originally published on China.org.cn on 25 August 2021.

China plans to plant 500 million mu (about 33.33 million hectares) of forests and grasslands in the next five years — 100 million mu per year — to help achieve its carbon emission reduction goals, according to the country’s forestry authorities.

The task includes planting 54 million mu of trees and 46 million mu of grass each year, said Zhang Wei, head of the ecological protection and restoration department of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA).

The afforestation plan is part of China’s efforts to fulfill its commitment to peaking carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, as forests and grasslands are important carbon sinks that absorb and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

China and the Left: a socialist forum (18 September 2021)

Our friends at Qiao Collective are organising a one-day forum with an all-star lineup of speakers on Saturday 18 September 2021 (10am-8pm US Eastern, 3pm-1am Britain, 7am-5pm US Pacific).

The event, co-sponsored by Monthly Review, The People’s Forum and Codepink, will take place in person at the People’s Forum (320 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018) and online on Youtube: youtube.com/c/ThePeoplesForumNYC

You can find more details and RSVP over at the People’s Forum.