In this episode of Wave Media’s Roughly Chinese podcast, hosted by Mimi Zhu and recorded live in Shanghai in October 2025, Martin Jacques (British academic and author of the bestselling When China Rules the World) and Carlos Martinez (co-editor of Friends of Socialist China and author of The East is Still Red) discuss their motivations for researching and writing about China; the trajectory of Britain-China relations; changing perceptions of China in the West; the long-term crisis of capitalism and its manifestation in an ascendant far-right in Britain; and more.
Category: Britain
Trump makes fools of Britain’s China hawks
In this witty and perceptive article, originally published on his Substack, ‘The Rest is Bullshit’, Steve Howell excoriates Britain’s right wing anti-China hawks in politics and the media, arguing that Donald Trump’s positive meeting with President Xi Jinping in the Republic of Korea has exposed their foolishness.
Having noted that, “The US and China surprised almost everyone last week by calling off their trade war – for now at least. The summit between presidents Xi and Trump ended with both parties dropping plans for tougher trade restrictions and tariffs,” Howell adds:
“This was awkward for the British media. For weeks, they had been pumping out headlines on what they called the China spy scandal – the collapse of the prosecution [of] two men accused of passing information to China. There were virtually no dissenters to the view that the charges being dropped was bad news. The only issue for the media was who to blame for the failure to convict the two defendants, as if the small matter of their actual guilt was not in doubt.”
Giving the recent historical background, he writes that:
“In the build up to the US elections of 2016, both Bernie Sanders and Trump – from very different perspectives – made cheap imports from China an issue and blamed them for the de-industrialisation of the Midwest ‘rust belt’ states. On being elected, Trump introduced the first wave of tariffs on China, marking the start of a new Washington consensus that President Biden not only continued but escalated. True to form, Britain fell into line.”
However: “Amid the furore over the China ‘spy’ case, our commentariat appears not to have noticed the emerging change of policy in Washington.
“The Telegraph’s Sherelle Jacobs was certainly caught out badly, having written shortly before the summit that the government’s ‘refusal to break with China has explosive geopolitical implications.’ She thought that Britain’s ‘inaction over China’ could send Trump ‘over the edge’ and claimed that ‘if anything ends up destroying the Special Relationship it will be our gutless cosying up to Beijing.’ She must have been mortified when Trump described his meeting with Xi as ‘the G2 summit’, relegating the G7 – of which Britain is a member.”
He adds: “It remains to be seen what Trump’s China game plan is. The trade agreement arising from his summit with Xi has yet to be finalised. There is talk of Xi visiting Washington. Whatever happens, a couple of things are clear. Firstly, Britain’s long-standing policy – whoever occupies Downing Street – of hanging on to America’s coattails is a recipe for being badly bruised when there is a sudden change of direction. Secondly, if the US has had to treat China with respect, it is absurd for Britain to act as if it is ready to send gunboats up the Yangtze again.”
Steve Howell served as the Labour Party’s deputy director of strategy and communication in 2017, during the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. He is the author of ‘Game Changer: Eight Weeks That Transformed British Politics’, about Britain’s 2017 general election; ‘Collateral Damage’, a political and international relations thriller; and ‘Cold War Puerto Rico: Anti-Communism in Washington’s Caribbean Colony (Culture and Politics in the Cold War and Beyond)’ (forthcoming).
The US and China surprised almost everyone last week by calling off their trade war – for now at least. The summit between presidents Xi and Trump ended with both parties dropping plans for tougher trade restrictions and tariffs. Asked to evaluate it on a scale of one to ten, Trump said that he thought “it was a 12.”
This was awkward for the British media. For weeks, they had been pumping out headlines on what they called the China spy scandal – the collapse of the prosecution two men accused of passing information to China. There were virtually no dissenters to the view that the charges being dropped was bad news. The only issue for the media was who to blame for the failure to convict the two defendants, as if the small matter of their actual guilt was not in doubt.
When a death in Brixton united the Irish and Chinese revolutions
On Sunday 26 October, the Irish community in London, together with friends, gathered outside Brixton Prison for the annual Terence MacSwiney Commemoration. This year’s gathering marked 105 years since the death of the Lord Mayor of Cork, after 74 days on hunger-strike, and was once again organised by the Terence MacSwiney Committee [London].
Committee Chair Frank Glynn welcomed the approximately 60 people gathered outside the south London prison. The day’s keynote speaker was Thomas Gould, Sinn Féin TD (member of the Irish parliament) for Cork North-Central, who delivered a powerful address that appealed to the solidarity and internationalism of those living in London to support the campaign to build a new and united Ireland.
Drawing inspiration from the example of Terence MacSwiney, Gould extended solidarity to the suffering people of Palestine amidst the ongoing occupation of their land and Israel’s genocidal war. He appealed for class unity at this time, noting that the establishment and those in power are desperately seeking to turn poor people against one another. He equally paid tribute to those Irishmen and women who were forced to leave their country over the past decades, assuring them that their sacrifice is not forgotten back home.
The commemoration also heard from Pat Reynolds of the Irish in Britain Representation Group (IBRG); Pam Blakelock, who spoke about her husband’s descendance from Muriel MacSwiney (Terence MacSwiney’s widow); and the Palestinian activist, Samar Maquishi, who spoke about the unwavering support of the Irish people for the cause of Palestine. As Samar observed, “Even if the whole world was quiet, the Irish won’t be silenced!”
Longstanding London-based Irish republican Denis Grace read the Proclamation of Easter Week 1916 on behalf of the Commemoration Committee. Music was provided by the stalwart London-Irish balladeer Seán Brady and Achill Island’s own Tom Lynch on the Uilleann Pipes. Special mention was also made of the election of Catherine Connolly as the next President of Ireland. There was overwhelming support expressed for Ms Connolly, whose campaign was supported by a broad range of left-wing and progressive forces in Ireland, particularly as a candidate who placed voting rights for Irish citizens outside of the twenty-six-county state and the ongoing struggle for Irish reunification at the centre of her election platform.
(The above is an edited version of the press statement issued by the Terence MacSwiney Committee [London].)
McSwiney’s 1920 death on hunger strike, during the 1919-1921 Irish war of independence, had a profound international impact, including on such leaders of the Indian freedom movement as Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi. A young Ho Chi Minh, who was working in London at the time, was profoundly moved, saying: “He died for his country. How courageous! How heroic ! A nation which has such citizens will never surrender.”
But whilst Ho Chi Minh could see for himself the very public outpouring of grief on the part of London’s Irish community, another young progressive, who was later to become an important Asian communist leader, was following the news from Japan, where he was studying at the time.
That student was Guo Moro, who was to become a senior leader of the People’s Republic of China and a close comrade of Mao Zedong. He served as Chairman of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles from their inception after liberation in 1949 to his death in 1978.
In a 2020 article written for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ, the Irish broadcasting service), Francis Kane, a lecturer at Ulster University, explains:
“In 1920, China was in chaos, a divided country dominated by foreigners and warlords, its ancient empire having finally collapsed in 1911. In his idealistic youth, the poet Guo Moruo cannot have known that one day he would become a man of enormous power and prestige… He died not long after his comrade and friend Chairman Mao, whom he praised relentlessly.”
Kane writes that Guo penned “an astonishing poem, an emotional ‘in real time’ commemoration of fellow writer MacSwiney in 1920, usually translated as ‘Victorious in Death’.”
Continue reading When a death in Brixton united the Irish and Chinese revolutions
Cuban culture celebrated in London
Friends of Socialist China co-editors Carlos Martinez and Keith Bennett were pleased to join a celebration of Cuban Culture Day on October 21. Held in a packed Bolivar Hall, the cultural premises of the Venezuelan Embassy in London, ‘Cuban Mosaic: A Night of Identity and Resilience’ brought together Cuban artists and friends of Cuba from cultural and artistic circles for a dazzling medley of music, dance and poetry that served to well illustrate the vibrancy and diversity of Cuban culture and the society it reflects.
Organised by the Cuban Embassy in London, with support from the Cuba Solidarity Campaign (CSC), the evening was presided over by Ambassador Ismara Mercedes Vargas Walter, who expressed her pride in the artistic quality and warmth of the gathering, which strengthened ties between Cuba and people in Britain. Friends of Cuba from all walks of life were present at the invitation-only gathering.
The following report was originally published on the website of the Cuban Foreign Ministry.
On 21 October, in London, the Cuban Embassy, with the support of the Campaign for Solidarity with Cuba (CSC), hosted an unforgettable gala in celebration of Cuban Culture Day. Entitled ‘Cuban Mosaic: A Night of Identity and Resilience,’ the event brought together Cuban artists and friends of the island in the United Kingdom to offer a broad and exciting sample of our music, dance and poetry. The result was a vibrant and emotional evening at the Bolívar Hall of the Venezuelan Embassy in the United Kingdom.
The programme combined virtuosity, tradition and contemporary creativity, with Cuban artists presenting a variety of performances and instruments, from classical pieces to modern compositions, allowing the audience to experience the cultural richness of Cuba and the celebrations that take place in our country during October.
At various points, classics from the Cuban tradition were revived alongside arrangements and performances that reflected the vitality and relevance of our culture. The evening was opened by pianist Eralys Fernández and clarinettist Lester Chío Alonso, who offered a highly lyrical start. Guitarist Nikos Baroutsakis captivated the audience with his repertoire, while Ramon Goose and John Woodham brought rhythm and flavour with guitar and congas. Singer and multi-instrumentalist Sergio Marciano shone with pieces that connected directly with the audience. Dance talent was represented by Damarys Farres & CSA Dance Company, who offered choreographic moments of great expressive power, and the London Lucumi Choir provided the voices needed to complete the evening’s sound palette.
The diverse and enthusiastic audience included British parliamentarians, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of cultural, business, consular and academic institutions, as well as the CSC. They all joined in the celebration, enjoyed the displays of Cuban culture up close and learned more about the significance of Cuban Culture Day, which commemorates the identity, resilience and creativity of our people.
Ambassador Ismara Mercedes Vargas Walter presided over the evening and expressed her pride in the artistic quality and warmth of the gathering, which strengthened ties between Cuba and the British public. The presence of diplomats, cultural representatives and friends of Cuba underscored the international and dialogue-oriented nature of the event.
Symposium held in London: New Development of China, New Opportunities for the World
On Friday 24 October 2025, the Chinese Embassy in the UK organised a symposium on the topic New Development of China, New Opportunities for the World. The symposium was focused on the complex and ever-changing international situation; the challenges facing the United Nations and multilateralism; and China’s recently-proposed Global Governance Initiative, which addresses itself to the critical issue of “how to build a global governance system and how to reform and improve global governance”.
The event introduced by Minister Zhao Fei, followed by a keynote speech by Ambassador Zheng Zeguang. Counsellor Mu Yongpeng provided an introduction to the Global Governance Initiative, and Counsellor Kong Xiangwen introduced China’s position on the questions of Taiwan and UN Resolution 2758.
British participants were then invited to contribute remarks:
- Robert Griffiths, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Britain
- Andy Brooks, General Secretary of the New Communist Party of Britain
- Stephen Perry, Honorary President of the 48 Group Club
- Martin Albrow, Fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences
- Kerry Brown, Director of the Lau China Institute at Kings College, London
- Ollie Shiell, CEO of UK National Committee on China
- Frances Wood, Sinologist
- Keith Bennett, Co-editor of Friends of Socialist China
- Hugh Goodacre, Managing Director of Xi Jinping Thought Study Group
- Max Browning, Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University
- Janet St John-Austen, Director of Xi Jinping Thought Study Group
- Carlos Martinez, Co-editor of Friends of Socialist China
- George Korkovelos, Central Committee Member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
We reproduce below the Embassy’s report of the event, followed by the contributions by Keith Bennett and Carlos Martinez.
Ambassador Zheng Zeguang Briefs Representatives of Different Sectors in the UK on the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee
On 24 October 2025, the Chinese Embassy in the UK held a symposium on “New Development of China, New Opportunities for the World” to brief participants on the important decisions made by the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang delivered a keynote speech at the symposium. Representatives of several UK political parties and those from different sectors attended the symposium and joined in the discussions.
In his speech, Ambassador Zheng noted that the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee comes at a time when China is marching towards the second Centenary Goal and represents a call to action for the entire country to seize the momentum and advance Chinese modernisation.
With this meeting, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core sets to unite and lead the Chinese people to write yet another chapter on the miracles of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability and to open up new horizons for Chinese modernisation.
Ambassador Zheng pointed out that the meeting has identified the critical role the next five years will play in China’s development. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China has achieved pioneering progress, breakthrough transformation, and historic accomplishments in its economic and social development. Over these five years, China has reached new heights in terms of economic, scientific and technological capabilities, and composite national strength. China’s economy will grow by about 4 trillion pounds.
carlosmartinez
Sinister spy hysteria risks poisoning UK-China relations
The decision by Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to drop charges brought under the Official Secrets Act 1911 against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, far from drawing a line under the matter, has seen the country become engulfed in a wave of spy hysteria and mania redolent of the worst features of the US McCarthyite persecution in the 1950s. Whilst the script seems to owe more to Slow Horses than George Smiley, being rich in farcical ineptitude and improbable story lines, it is no less sinister for that.
For the unfortunate Cash and Berry, the always hypocritical claim that under the British justice system a person is ‘innocent until proven guilty’ has become a case of being ‘guilty despite being proven innocent’. Meanwhile, we see blatant acts of political interference by figures such as Ken McCallum, Director General of MI5, the Security Service, and blatant acts of political interference in the judicial process by figures in both the government and opposition parties. And whilst on the part of at least some players – certainly including the Conservative Party and the right wing press – the target of this campaign seems at times to be as much the Labour government as it is China, Starmer and members of his hapless and utterly mediocre administration are typically only capable of responding with a toxic cocktail of capitulation, disingenuity, incompetence, pusillanimity, counter-accusation and hypocrisy, serving only to perpetuate and compound their own deepening crisis, not to mention undermining the basis for stable, rational and mutually beneficial UK-China relations.
On October 16, the Spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in London responded to what it described as the “hype” over the issue, specifically the release of three CPS “witness statements”, a highly unusual move occasioned by an all too usual Starmer ‘u-turn’, and the trading of accusations by the Labour and Conservative parties, emphasising that the statements “are nothing but sheer fabrications made out of thin air.” The spokesperson added that:
“The attempt by some British politicians to smear China is doomed to fail. We urge the relevant parties in the UK to stop making an issue of China at every turn, stop hyping up anti-China narratives, and stop undermining China-UK relations.”
The same day, at the regular Foreign Ministry press conference in Beijing, spokesperson Lin Jian was asked several questions related to China-UK relations and responded to one from Bloomberg by stating: “The accusations are nothing but smears. We urge relevant personnel in the UK to stop their vilification and stop this kind of political manipulation.”
In a further post on the Chinese Embassy website the same day, the spokesperson responded to the provocative remarks made by the head of MI5, stating: “China does not pose a threat to any country, and has neither the intention nor the interest to interfere in the UK’s internal affairs. The UK’s intelligence agencies should focus on real security threats facing their own country rather than concoct and spread disinformation about China for ulterior political motives. Such actions are irresponsible and unprofessional. They will only further damage the credibility of the UK’s intelligence agencies.”
Amidst this atmosphere of growing and irrational hysteria, it was almost inevitable that new Housing Minister Steve Reed would yet again postpone a decision on planning permission for the new site of the Chinese Embassy, something that has been a political football for a number of years now, from 21 October to 10 December.
The Embassy Spokesperson stated: “We strongly deplore the UK’s repeated postponement of the approval deadline for the new Chinese Embassy project.
“It is an international obligation of the host country to provide support and facilitation for the construction of diplomatic premises. Both China and the UK have plans to build new embassies in each other’s capitals, and both sides should facilitate each other’s efforts.”
At the October 17 Foreign Ministry press conference, Lin Jian responded, again to Bloomberg, with remarks that appear to, not unreasonably, indicate a growing exasperation on the part of China:
“China expresses strong concern and opposition to the UK’s latest decision on the new Chinese embassy project, which has been put off by the UK for seven years. In the recent rounds of communication between the two sides for the early approval of the project, China has shown utmost sincerity and patience, while the UK over the years has shown a total lack of the spirit of contract, credibility and ethics, and has repeatedly put off the approval of the project citing various excuses and linked the project with other issues, constantly complicating and politicising the matter. That goes entirely against the UK’s commitments and previous remarks about improving China-UK relations. We once again call on the UK to fulfill its obligation and honor its commitments at once, otherwise the consequences arising therefrom shall be borne by the UK side.”
In its editorial for October 15, the Morning Star described the whole affair as “a concocted controversy to shackle us to Trump” and noted that Cash and Berry, “have not even been afforded a trial by media: instead, the right-wing press, the Tory Party and even the Labour government have hurled themselves into a blame game in which their guilt is assumed and only the failure to jail them needs explaining.”
It adds: “The media storm is not really about the men in question. It is an attempt to derail any improvement in Britain-China relations, and is wholly political… This is a concerted political offensive designed to shackle Britain ever more closely to Donald Trump’s United States. Some hint at this openly, warning Labour that the White House will look askance if it hesitates to denounce Beijing.”
The same angle was also analysed in an article carried in the Chinese newspaper Global Times on 12 October, citing British media reports that, “the White House has sent a warning to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, claiming that Britain’s failure to prosecute the two alleged ‘China spies’ risks damaging their special relationship and jeopardising intelligence sharing between London and Washington.”
The paper quotes Cui Hongjian, a leading Chinese scholar of international relations, as pointing out that the US is forcing the UK to make a binary choice between the “special relationship with the US” and “improving relations with China,” which is, in essence, a threat to the UK’s policy autonomy.
Earlier, on 7 October, in his Opinion column in the South China Morning Post, Alex Lo analysed both the UK case and recent attacks on the Chinese community in Canada, writing:
“Both cases in the UK and Canada have many similarities. The security services in both countries pushed for them with flimsy evidence and went public with their allegations, effectively imputing guilt in the mind of the public. And anti-China politicians in both countries jumped on the bandwagon, thereby helping to build up momentum before anyone could or dare to challenge the basis of their charges or allegations.”
Regarding the British case, Alex notes: “The latest row over the case stems less from the alleged intelligence breach or its sudden collapse but more from the infighting between the Starmer cabinet and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on the one hand, and MI5 and the Home Office, both of which are under the Home Secretary.
“Without even bothering to hide it, officials from MI5 and/or the Home Office appear to be providing background briefings to such outlets as the Financial Times, Sunday Times and The Telegraph, among others.”
The following articles were originally published on the website of the Chinese Embassy in London and by the Morning Star, Global Times and the South China Morning Post. The latter is republished with the kind permission of the author.
Embassy Spokesperson on the UK’s Hype over the So-called “China Spy Case”
October 16 (Embassy of China in the UK) – Question: For some time now, there has been repeated hype in the UK about the collapse of the so-called “China spy case”. The UK government said that it was disappointed by the CPS’ decision to drop the charges, and released three “witness statements” yesterday. There has also been finger-pointing between the government and opposition parties. What is your comment?
Embassy Spokesperson: We have emphasised from the outset that the allegation about China instructing the relevant British individuals to “steal British intelligence” is pure fabrication and malicious slander, which we firmly reject.
The so-called “witness statements” released after the CPS dropped the case are rife with unfounded accusations against China. They are nothing but sheer fabrications made out of thin air. We strongly condemn such acts.
Continue reading Sinister spy hysteria risks poisoning UK-China relations
Unearthing solidarity across continents – the Morning Star Nanjing connection
A chance discovery during an office move has rekindled historic ties between the Morning Star and China’s Xinhua Daily.
In 2021, assistant business manager Bernadette Keaveney unearthed a 1950 letter in traditional Chinese characters, written by Xinhua to the Daily Worker — the Morning Star’s predecessor — congratulating it on its 20th anniversary. Rediscovered thanks to the widow of former editor Pat Devine, the letter has now been formally presented to Xinhua Daily’s museum in Nanjing by a delegation from the Star.
Founded in 1938 by Zhou Enlai and other prominent leaders, Xinhua Daily was the first national newspaper of the Communist Party of China. Its history of resilience — publishing under Japanese bombardment and Kuomintang censorship — resonated with the Morning Star delegation, who recalled the Daily Worker’s own sacrifices during the Spanish Civil War and the Blitz.
At a ceremony in Nanjing, Xinhua vice-president Chen Renyun hailed the “deep historical roots and similar values” of the two papers, calling them comrades-in-arms united by “a friendship which crosses national borders and is based on common ideals.” Chen proposed deepening content collaboration and embracing digital co-operation to revitalise this relationship in the modern era.
Morning Star editor Ben Chacko emphasised the significance of renewing ties at a time when the West is pushing a New Cold War narrative. “We want to challenge those voices who present China’s rise as a threat,” he said, praising China’s commitment to peace, development and win-win co-operation. He concluded: “Like our past comrades who corresponded all those decades ago, we live far apart, but are united by our shared ideals.”
The following report by Roger McKenzie first appeared in the Morning Star on 27 September 2025.
A chance find during an office move led a delegation from the Morning Star to a reception thousands of miles away in China this week to renew a decades-old comradeship.
While clearing out our old building in 2021, the Star’s stalwart assistant business manager Bernadette Keaveney came across a historic letter.
The letter, written in old style Mandarin from China’s Xinhua Daily to the Morning Star’s predecessor the Daily Worker in 1950, congratulates our paper on its 20th anniversary.
This rediscovery of the letter from the Nanjing, east China-based newspaper would not have been possible without Gloria Findlay, the widow of former Daily Worker international editor Pat Devine — the letter’s addressee. She sent the letter back to us after his death knowing it was an important piece of our history.
Continue reading Unearthing solidarity across continents – the Morning Star Nanjing connection
Socialist China Conference another landmark in the work of building friendship and solidarity with China
On Saturday 27 September 2025, Friends of Socialist China held a successful conference at Bolivar Hall, London, to mark the 76th National Day of the People’s Republic of China. Attended by well over a hundred people, the event featured panel discussions on China’s role as a force for peace and multipolarity, its achievements in overcoming poverty and building socialism, and its leadership in combating climate breakdown.
Introducing the event, Professor Radhika Desai reflected on the importance of this annual gathering, noting that China’s “size and level of development give it an objectively critical role in the global transition to socialism, having subtracted a sixth of humanity from the ravages of capitalism and its imperialism, and promised to make it a modern socialist society by 2049”. Meanwhile, “while the West is the fomenter in chief of the world chaos, China and its allies are emerging as the centre of a spreading and steadying calm.” Radhika emphasised that it is essential for progressive forces worldwide to build understanding of, and friendship with, China.
The opening rally was addressed by a number of senior diplomats based in London: Jiang Zhouteng, Minister Counsellor at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China; Pablo Arturo Ginarte Sampedro, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba; Timofey Kunitskiy, Counsellor of the Embassy of the Russian Federation; Wilfredo Hernández Maya, Counsellor of the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; and Thavone Singharaj, Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission, of the Embassy of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Each of them brought greetings from their respective governments and expressed solidarity with Socialist China and with our conference. A video of greetings from Zhang Weiwei – Professor of international relations at Fudan University – was also shown.
Former MP and leader of the Workers Party of Britain, George Galloway, was expected to speak at the opening rally, but was prevented from doing so due to being detained, with his wife Gayatri, by Sussex Police on their arrival at Gatwick Airport under Schedule 3 of the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019. As we noted in a website post the following day: “Friends of Socialist China vehemently condemns this further brazen assault on democratic rights by the British state and its attacks on anti-imperialists. We extend our full support and solidarity to George and Gayatri and to the comrades of the Workers Party, as we do to all those subject to state repression on account of their political work against imperialism and war and in support of peace, democracy and social progress.”
Following the opening rally, we had a panel discussion on the theme 80 years since the defeat of fascism: China as a force for peace and multipolarity, with contributions from Mick Wallace (Former MEP; Former TD [Member of the Irish Parliament] for Wexford); Keith Bennett (Co-editor of Friends of Socialist China); Jenny Clegg (author and peace activist); Luke Daniels (President of Caribbean Labour Solidarity) and Francisco Domínguez (Secretary of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign).
The second panel was on China’s achievements in overcoming poverty and building socialism, chaired by R Islam (Friends of Socialist China Britain Committee) and featuring contributions from Ali Al-Assam (Managing Director of the NewsSocial Cooperative); Eben Williams (Education Officer for the Young Communist League); and Fiona Sim (Co-founder of the Black Liberation Alliance).
The final panel was on the theme How China is leading the fight against climate breakdown, chaired by David Peat (Iskra Books) with contributions from Paul Atkin (environmental campaigner); Yanan Song (lecturer in Global Politics at SOAS University of London) and Carlos Martinez (co-editor of Friends of Socialist China).
The closing rally featured speeches from Robert Griffiths (General Secretary of the Communist Party of Britain); Aswathi Asok (Executive Committee member of the Association of Indian Communists); and Gearóid Ó Machail (National Executive Committee member of the Communist Party of Ireland). It was chaired and introduced by Ileana Chan of Empire Watch.
We were also delighted that Dr Jenny Clegg’s new book, Storming the Heavens – Peasants and Revolution in China, 1925-1949, was launched at the conference. Drawing on decades of research, the book examines land, class and revolution, analysing peasant struggles, imperialism, and the Communist Party of China’s evolving strategy in crucial phases of the revolution.
All speeches from the event can be found on the YouTube channels of Friends of Socialist China and the event’s media partner, Empire Watch.
The conference was supported by a broad range of progressive organisations: The Morning Star, Communist Party of Britain, Workers Party of Britain, Communist Party of Ireland, International Manifesto Group, Black Liberation Alliance, Iskra Books, Praxis Press, Manifesto Press, Young Communist League, Caribbean Labour Solidarity, Third World Solidarity, No 2 NATO, and Institute for Independence Studies.
The conference marks another landmark in the work of building friendship and solidarity with China, and understanding of its role in the world.
The videos of the opening and closing rallies, and the panel discussions, are embedded below.
George Galloway prevented from speaking at FoSC China Conference by airport detention
Friends of Socialist China successfully held its second annual China Conference on Saturday September 27. More than 100 people gathered in London’s Bolivar Hall to hear expert presentations from a broad range of progressive scholars and activists on such topics as 80 years since the defeat of fascism: China as a force for peace and multipolarity; China’s achievements in overcoming poverty and building socialism; and How China is leading the fight against climate breakdown.
We were honoured to be addressed in our opening session by senior diplomats from the embassies of China, Russia, Cuba, Laos and Venezuela. The closing session was addressed by leaders of the Communist Party of Britain, Communist Party of Ireland and the Association of Indian Communists (the UK and Ireland organisation of members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)).
We will be carrying more material on the conference in coming days.
But most immediately, we draw attention to the fact that our opening session was also due to be addressed by George Galloway, leader of the Workers Party of Britain (WPB) and former Member of Parliament (1987-2005 – Glasgow Hillhead and Kelvin; 2005-2010 – Bethnal Green; 2012-2015 – Bradford West; and 2024 – Rochdale). However, that morning George and his wife, Gayatri Galloway, also a leading member of the Workers Party, were detained by Sussex Police on their arrival at Gatwick Airport under Schedule 3 of the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019. This draconian, anti-democratic law, as the BBC reported, “allows an officer to stop, question, search and detain a person at a port or the border area in the UK to determine if they have engaged in hostile activity. Those being detained can be required to provide information including passwords to devices.”
In other words, in terms of the right to remain silent, access to legal representation, and in other ways, detention under this law accords its victims even fewer rights than those enjoyed by those formally arrested. It has increasingly been used by the repressive Starmer government against journalists, activists and now a prominent political figure, who oppose its reactionary and war-mongering policies at home and abroad.
The WPB released two statements on their Telegram channel and other social media regarding the detention of George and Gayatri in the afternoon of September 27 and on their release without charge in early evening. They stated:
“Our party condemns the attempt to intimidate those who seek amity rather than enmity with the rest of the world… We were obstructed from providing legal support and the conduct of the affair has been designed to intimidate political opponents of the drive towards war with Russia and China.”
Friends of Socialist China vehemently condemns this further brazen assault on democratic rights by the British state and its attacks on anti-imperialists. We extend our full support and solidarity to George and Gayatri and to the comrades of the Workers Party, as we do to all those subject to state repression on account of their political work against imperialism and war and in support of peace, democracy and social progress.
At time of writing, George Galloway was due to make a full statement on the detention of himself and Gayatri at 7pm BST, Sunday September 28 on his Mother of All Talk Shows (MOATS).
URGENT STATEMENT BY THE WORKERS PARTY
At 11am we were informed by police officers in Gatwick that our party leader George Galloway and his wife have been detained at the airport @sussex_police @BTP .
The police agreed that they would pass a message to our comrades from us and pass back a reply from them.
Despite repeated attempts to gather further information, and despite repeated calls to the police, we have no further information on their wellbeing, nor on the observation of their Rights.
There is no information on charges or alleged offences. Therefore we may conclude this is politically motivated intimidation.
We call on all supporters and friends to amplify this message and demand the IMMEDIATE RELEASE of our leaders.
PARTY STATEMENT ON RELEASE OF GEORGE AND GAYATRI GALLOWAY
Our party condemns the attempt to intimidate those who seek amity rather than enmity with the rest of the world.
Our leader George Galloway and our deputy chair Gayatri Galloway have now been released without charge.
There was never any chance of an offence.
We were obstructed from providing legal support and the conduct of the affair has been designed to intimidate political opponents of the drive towards war with Russia and China.
A fuller account will be given, tomorrow night so be sure to watch and follow @MoatsTV for the full account.
ENDS
Discovery in Manchester Museum sheds light on Hong Kong guerrillas contribution to allied victory
The Xinhua News Agency recently carried an article on how a discovery, “tucked away in Manchester’s People’s History Museum, a fragile, yellowing notebook – its cover emblazoned with bold red letters reading ‘E.R.C (The East River Column) and the Allies’ – bears witness to one of the World Anti-Fascist War’s most extraordinary partnerships.”
“It is the first time that an archive drafted and collected by Raymond Wong, or Huang Zuomei, has been discovered by Xinhua. This rare document sheds new light on the story of the East River Column, a resistance force led by the Communist Party of China in southern China that fought Japanese aggressors… Its rediscovery offers a vivid reminder of how Chinese and other allied forces once stood shoulder to shoulder against fascism.”
The East River Column was primarily active in Guangdong Province and in Hong Kong, including the New Territories.
In June 1947, the London Gazette listed Wong as one of the recipients of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), awarded by King George VI, “for services to the Forces during military operations in South-East Asia prior to 2nd September 1945.”
One entry in the notebook recalls February 11, 1944, when US pilot Donald Kerr from the Chinese-American Composite Wing was shot down by Japanese forces over Hong Kong. Two female guerrillas from the East River Column found him in the New Territories and escorted him to safety. Kerr later penned a heartfelt letter of gratitude, which is now part of the collection.
The records detail at least 80 allied servicemen rescued by the East River Column, including British soldiers, Indian troops and American pilots. General Claire Lee Chennault, commander of the US 14th Air Force, reportedly cabled that “without your utmost cooperation, the result of this war would be very difficult to accomplish.”
In 1947, Wong was a co-founder of the London Bureau of the Xinhua News Agency. Its first office was in Soho’s Gerard Street, which today is the centre of London’s Chinatown. However, at the time, Gerard Street had no Chinese connections, with London’s first Chinatown being in East London’s Limehouse.
It is interesting to note that the Hong Kong branch of the Chinese Seamen’s Union (CSU) was instrumental in the formation of the East River Column. One of Wong’s co-founders of the Xinhua London Bureau was the Jamaican-born Sam Chinque ( Chen Tiansheng; Sam Chen), who had organised and led the CSU’s Liverpool Branch.
Sam Chinque’s archives were deposited with the London Metropolitan Archives in 2008.
The Xinhua article continues: “Wong’s devotion to his country was indeed profound. After founding Xinhua’s London Bureau in 1947, he returned to Hong Kong and served as the director of the Hong Kong branch of Xinhua News Agency in 1949. In April 1955, Huang was killed aboard the Kashmir Princess, the aircraft destroyed by a bomb planted by Kuomintang agents en route to Indonesia’s Bandung Conference.”
It is widely believed that the aircraft was bombed in the mistaken belief that Premier Zhou Enlai was to travel on it to Bandung.
A detailed study of the East River Column, ‘East River Column – Hong Kong Guerrillas in the Second World War and After’ by Chan Sui-jeung was published by Hong Kong University Press in 2009 and is distributed by The University of Chicago Press.
The following article was originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.
Tucked away in Manchester’s People’s History Museum, a fragile, yellowing notebook — its cover emblazoned with bold red letters reading “E.R.C (The East River Column) and the Allies” — bears witness to one of the World Anti-Fascist War’s most extraordinary partnerships.
Continue reading Discovery in Manchester Museum sheds light on Hong Kong guerrillas contribution to allied victory
Scottish people’s contributions to China’s war of resistance remembered
As part of its commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Chinese people’s victory in the war to resist Japanese aggression and the world anti-fascist war, China has remembered Scottish people who stood alongside them in those difficult years.
In an article entitled, “We will never forget the Scottish heroes who made contributions and sacrifices for the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War”, published on its website on August 28, China’s Consulate-General in the Scottish capital Edinburgh writes:
“The Chinese people will never forget that during the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War – a struggle that determined the future and destiny of humanity – a great number of Scots made contributions and sacrifices for the victory of this war. They were Scottish warriors, but also heroes of the world. Among them were the great internationalist fighter Dr. Norman Bethune, heir to a Scottish family of doctors, whom Chairman Mao Zedong praised as ‘a man of noble character, a man of pure spirit, a man of moral integrity, a man free from vulgar interests, a man who was of benefit to the people,’ and who is still deeply remembered by hundreds of millions of Chinese people; Eric Liddell, the Scottish Olympic champion who traveled to China to support the Eighth Route Army’s resistance against Japanese Aggression and who passed away in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp; the valiant Scottish soldiers who fought side by side with the Chinese Expeditionary Force on the Burmese battlefield; and countless unnamed Scottish heroes who suffered inhumane atrocities in Japanese POW camps in the Far East.”
According to the Consulate-General: “The British survivors from the Japanese Far East prisoner-of-war camps were all required not to talk about their ordeals in captivity. As a result, the world knows little of their stories. Even after their passing away, their families continue to search for traces of their experiences in the camps – an awakening agony that we should be aware of, a conviction that justice will ultimately triumph over evil, and a historical truth that must never be concealed.”
The article does not elaborate but this doubtless relates to the way in which US and British imperialism sought to prevent the punishment of Japanese war criminals or to demilitarise the country, within the context of the Cold War, where yesterday’s enemy soon became a frontline, if subordinate, ally against the Soviet Union and the forward march of communism in Asia, specifically against the Chinese revolution and the wars of liberation in Korea, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
The article concludes: “We pay tribute to the Scottish heroes who made contributions and sacrifices for human progress and for the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and we extend our deepest condolences to the families of Scots who suffered in the Japanese POW camps in the Far East during World War II.”
On September 9, the Xinhua News Agency devoted a feature article to the legacy of Eric Liddell:
“To most Scots, the name ‘Eric Liddell’ needs no introduction. Known as the ‘Flying Scotsman,’ his story has become part of national legend. Yet few realise that the Olympic champion who once stunned the world later spent much of his life in China, where he taught and preached, but finally died in a Japanese internment camp.”
Xinhua correspondents Zheng Bofei and Jin Jing write: “At the 1924 Paris Olympics, Eric Liddell captured gold in the men’s 400 metres in 47.6 seconds, setting a new Olympic and world record. Upon returning to Edinburgh, Liddell was honoured as a hero by schools, churches and sports clubs across Scotland… A century later, he remains one of Scotland’s most admired sports figures, topping the public vote when inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.”
But after the Paris Olympics, the devout Christian made a choice that again surprised many: he returned to Tianjin, the northern Chinese city of his birth. Born in 1902 to Scottish missionary parents, he had spent his early years in China before returning to Britain.
In Tianjin, he taught at an Anglo-Chinese college and left a visible legacy in sports by helping to design and promote the Minyuan Stadium. Modeled after London’s Stamford Bridge (home of Chelsea Football Club), the stadium became one of Asia’s most advanced sporting venues at the time, hosting international competitions and serving as a training ground where Liddell himself won several medals.
Continue reading Scottish people’s contributions to China’s war of resistance remembered
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
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
London concert honours China’s victory over fascism
More than 300 people gathered at the Royal College of Music in London’s Kensington district on the evening of August 28 for a concert arranged by the Chinese Embassy in 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.
With the theme, Honour History for a Better Future, the concert featured ten pieces of Chinese and Western music presented by the Hunan Provincial Song and Dance Theatre and New Elements Music.
Founded in 1953, the Hunan Provincial Song and Dance Theatre is one of China’s most prestigious performing arts groups. New Elements Music was founded in London in 2019 and is dedicated to building bridges between Chinese and global music cultures. There were also guest performers from the London City Orchestra and the Camden Philharmonia Orchestra.
Opening with the Ode to the Red Flag, a classic of revolutionary Chinese music composed by Lü Qiming in 1965, the program featured Chinese modern folk music from the period of war and revolution along with contemporary work inspired by the vision of building a community of shared future for humanity. Western pieces included Sir Edward Elgar’s Nimrod.
Particularly poignant for a number of people in the audience was Long Way from Home, the theme song from the documentary film The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru, performed live by Elly O’Keeffe, the London-based Irish singer, who also sings it in the film, accompanied by clips from the film.
A stirring finale was provided by the piano solo Ode to the Yellow River, performed by Di Xiao, Professor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, followed by the choral singing of Defend the Yellow River and My Motherland.
Defend the Yellow River is the last movement of the Yellow River Piano Cantata composed by Xian Xinghai during the war against Japanese aggression. In 1970, it was also adapted into the Yellow River Piano Concerto, which incorporates phrases from The East is Red and the Internationale.
The mixed choir was formed by members of the Choir of the Chinese Embassy in London, the London Chinese Philharmonic Choir and a team from the London Branch of the Bank of China.
Special mention should also be made of the evening’s conductors, Ray Lin from New Elements Music and Thomas Payne, Musical Director of the London City Orchestra.
The event was sponsored by the London Branch of the Bank of China.
Among the distinguished friends of China present were Labour member of the House of Lords, Lord Davidson of Glen Cova; Mrs Denise Wynne, daughter of Lisbon Maru survivor Dennis Morley; former President of the British Sociological Association Martin Albrow; and Jack Perry, Chairman of the 48 Group Club. Friends of Socialist China was represented by our co-editors Carlos Martinez and Keith Bennett.
A short report of the evening was carried by the Xinhua News Agency.
Britain is sinking into ‘yellow peril’ hysteria on China
In the article below, written for the Morning Star, Carlos Martinez discusses Britain’s intensifying Sinophobia, describing it as a new McCarthyism aimed at preparing public opinion for confrontation with China. He argues that recent media stories – about Chinese students being pressured to spy on their classmates, Hong Kong separatists facing legal action, and opposition to China’s proposed new embassy in Tower Hamlets – are part of a broader hybrid war being led by the US and followed by Britain.
Underlying this torrent of anti-China stories is a geopolitical reality of the US applying pressure on Britain to downgrade its cooperation and trade with China. As Jenny Clegg has written, “the US elite has convinced itself that China is intent on taking over the world, just as Fu Manchu threatened to disintegrate Western civilisation back in 1912.” Carlos observes that, “in the current geopolitical conjuncture, where the US goes, Britain almost invariably follows.”
The article concludes that ordinary people in Britain have nothing to gain from hostility towards China.
This new McCarthyism and “yellow peril” fear-mongering serve to build public support for the project of waging a new cold war — and potentially a hot war — against the People’s Republic of China. By corollary, it also seeks to demonise and isolate those of us who oppose the new cold war and who are working towards a future of peace, friendship and co-operation.
The British working class has nothing to gain by falling for this nonsense. China’s proposal is for mutual respect and non-interference; an economic relationship based on mutual benefit; and for close co-operation on the central issues of our era: climate change, pandemics, peace and development.
A spectre is haunting Britain: the spectre of the Communist Party of China. The last couple of weeks have witnessed a flurry of news reports reminding the good people of this country about the imminent threat posed to their way of life by Xi Jinping and his henchmen.
Continue reading Britain is sinking into ‘yellow peril’ hysteria on China
Chinese Ambassador recalls wartime solidarity between Chinese and British people
On August 15, which marked the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in the Second World War, Chinese Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang published an article in the Guardian newspaper entitled, ‘China and Britain shared a mission to fight aggression and fascism. And we can work together today’.
Ambassador Zheng wrote: “At the darkest hour of the Second World War, China and the UK fought on different fronts but shared a common mission: to defend humanity against fascism and aggression. Millions of lives were lost, cities razed, and families torn apart. Yet in that darkness, courage and solidarity illuminated the way forward. The Chinese and British peoples stood shoulder to shoulder, united by sacrifice and a shared belief in freedom and justice.”
Among the examples he cites:
- In Asia, Chinese forces made immense sacrifices to support Allied efforts. In 1942, the Chinese Expeditionary Force marched over 1,500 gruelling kilometers through the jungles of Myanmar to rescue British forces trapped by Japanese troops.
- In Britain, thousands of Chinese seamen served with quiet courage in perilous convoys. They braved the freezing Atlantic to deliver fuel and supplies to British forces on the front lines – often with little recognition and no promise of return. [In fact, thousands of them were shamefully deported after the war in an act of egregious racism by the Labour government that tore families apart forever.]
- In October 1942, when the Lisbon Maru, a Japanese transport vessel carrying over 1,800 British prisoners of war, was mistakenly torpedoed by a US submarine… local fishermen risked their lives, dodging volleys of Japanese gunfire, to rescue 384 survivors from the sea.
- Across the UK, ordinary citizens formed aid organisations, held fundraisers, and sent donations to support the Chinese people.
- George Hogg, a young man from Harpenden (a one-time reporter for the Manchester Guardian) [the precursor of today’s Guardian]… journeyed to China to provide schooling and shelter for displaced children, dedicating his youth, passion and ultimately his life to a just cause. His internationalist spirit remains deeply cherished by the Chinese people.
“History has shown,” Zheng Zeguang writes, “what China and the UK can achieve when we stand together. As we commemorate this historic anniversary, China stands ready to work with the UK to carry forward the legacy of those who came before us.”
The following is the full text of the Ambassador’s article as reproduced on the website of the Chinese Embassy in London.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the world anti-fascist war. There will be a two-minute silence at 12 noon in the UK to honour the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. This is a moment not only for solemn remembrance, but also for reflection on the enduring bonds forged in the crucible of history—bonds that continue to resonate in our world today.
At the darkest hour of the second world war, China and the UK fought on different fronts but shared a common mission: to defend humanity against fascism and aggression. Millions of lives were lost, cities razed, and families torn apart. Yet in that darkness, courage and solidarity illuminated the way forward. The Chinese and British peoples stood shoulder to shoulder, united by sacrifice and a shared belief in freedom and justice.
Continue reading Chinese Ambassador recalls wartime solidarity between Chinese and British people
Wales mobilises against AUKUS
Campaigners in southwest Wales say that their campaign against the local installation of US ‘space war’ radar is continuing to grow following an August 7 demonstration along the Pembrokeshire coastline.
Local group PARC Against DARC has been campaigning against Ministry of Defence (MoD) plans to build 27 radar dishes at the local Cawdor Barracks. They are considered to be an integral part of the tripartite AUKUS project that threatens war against China. (PARC = Pembrokeshire Against Radar Campaign; DARC = Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability)
Reporting the launch of the project on December 2, 2023, the Pembrokeshire Herald wrote: “This pioneering initiative aims to significantly bolster the defence capabilities of AUKUS nations (Australia, the UK, and the US) by providing 24/7, all-weather capabilities to monitor objects as far as 36,000 kilometers away from Earth.”
Uncritically regurgitating British government propaganda, it added: “AUKUS, a landmark security and defence partnership, is set to benefit significantly from DARC, marking a significant step forward in delivering enhanced security capabilities among the partner nations and supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
The paper did however report a spokesperson for the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) as insisting that “The huge sums of money involved would be far better spent building fairer and more equal societies here rather than further militarising space.”
Reporting the August 7 protest, the Morning Star quoted PARC Against DARC campaigner Jim Scott as saying: “ “We believe [it] is intended to allow the US to make a first strike against… China without fear of retaliation, threatening to encumber the world with even more economic and military subservience to America at a time when it has such little regard for international law that it is openly arming a live-streamed genocide in Gaza and the West Bank.”
The following article was originally published in the Morning Star.
More information on the excellent work of PARC Against DARC, including a short introductory video, can be found on its website. It reports that, at its October 2024 conference, the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru unanimously voted to support the campaign. Current polls suggest that Plaid Cymru, which celebrated its 100th birthday on August 5, has become the most popular party in Wales, with support for Labour collapsing. Elections to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) are due in 2026.
Public opposition to plans for a US space radar array in Pembrokeshire “just seems to grow and grow,” campaigners said today, following a demonstration on the famous Welsh coastline.
In action organised by the pressure group PARC (Pembrokeshire Against Radar Campaign), locals linked hands on Newgale beach to protest against Ministry of Defence (MoD) plans to build 27 radar dishes at Cawdor Barracks in Brawdy, Pembrokeshire, known as Darc.
PARC campaigner Jim Scott said: “Although Darc is a hangover from Biden’s AUKUS pact between the US, the UK and Australia, its purpose of allowing the US to target and shoot down other nations’ satellites is exactly in line with Donald Trump’s outrageously aggressive and wasteful plan to create a multi-trillion-dollar ‘Golden Dome’ of satellite weaponry.
“We believe [it] is intended to allow the US to make a first strike against other superpowers like China without fear of retaliation, threatening to encumber the world with even more economic and military subservience to America at a time when it has such little regard for international law that it is openly arming a live-streamed genocide in Gaza and the West Bank.”
The group has “no intention of easing up our pressure on UK and Welsh Labour decision-makers, and their refusal to live up to their jobs as public servants,” he added.
Brian Jones, of Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament Wales, said: “I do wonder how much longer we can walk that tightrope of countries having nuclear weapons poised to launch at a moment’s notice, and there won’t be time to check if something was just a mistake, a false reading, or a miscalculation.”
Boris Johnson plays the fool in Taiwan with provocative remarks against China and Palestine
Serial buffoon and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently visited China’s island province of Taiwan, where, participating in the Ketagalan Forum, a security confab, he made a series of absurd and provocative remarks, not only encouraging the separatist forces seeking to divide China but even going so far as to claim that Taiwan has a “far more robust” claim to statehood than Palestine.
Posting on X/Twitter, our co-editor Carlos Martinez aptly described Johnson as a clown and noted, “the closer parallel is actually between Taiwan and Israel. Both are essentially colonial projects designed to facilitate US power projection and to undermine Global South sovereignty.
“As Mao Zedong said in 1965, ‘Israel and Taiwan are bases of operation for imperialism in Asia. They created Israel for the Arabs and Taiwan for us. They both have the same objective.’
“And it’s no coincidence that Taiwan consistently supports Israel whereas China consistently supports Palestine. [Taiwan even made a big show recently of donating to illegal and fascist settlers in the occupied West Bank.]
“The correct anti-imperialist position is therefore: One China, Free Palestine.”
In a commentary, the website Middle East Monitor called out Johnson for “dismissing the UK’s historic responsibility for Palestinian statelessness and misrepresenting norms around international recognition of states.” It added:
“Johnson’s comments contradict the legal and diplomatic realities. As of August 2025, Palestine is recognised by… a majority of UN member states and the overwhelming majority of states in the Global South. By contrast, Taiwan is recognised by just 12 countries, with most of the international community upholding the One-China policy.
“In a column for the ‘Daily Mail’, Johnson accused UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer of capitulating to ‘Hamas propaganda’ and described the move to recognise Palestinian statehood as ‘craven and pathetic.’
“Yet Johnson’s framing has been criticised for omitting the fact that Palestine’s right to statehood is affirmed in numerous UN resolutions, and that its pursuit of self-determination predates the formation of Hamas in 1987. It has further been pointed out that Israel’s borders remain undefined under international law, as claims to territory beyond the 1967 Green Line have been consistently rejected by the UN Security Council and ruled unlawful by the International Court of Justice.
“Palestinians and legal scholars have pointed to Britain’s own colonial history as a direct cause of Palestinian dispossession… Palestinians view the UK as bearing a direct historical responsibility for creating the conditions that have led to decades of occupation, apartheid, and now genocide in Gaza.”
Continue reading Boris Johnson plays the fool in Taiwan with provocative remarks against China and Palestine
China’s planning holds lessons for Britain – Morning Star
The Morning Star published a significant editorial on August 5 arguing that historic Soviet and contemporary Chinese economic and social planning can provide valuable lessons and reference material for developing a progressive agenda for Britain.
It notes that in 1931 the London publishers Jonathan Cape brought out a 218-page book ‘Moscow has a Plan’, which “contrasted the crisis conditions in the Depression-era economies of the capitalist West with the great progress being made in constructing the Soviet Union’s socialist economy. [It was] remarkably free of hyperbole and grounded in the hard-headed realism of people directly building socialism.” (A full PDF of the book is available here.)
The editorial continues: “Today China is preparing for the next stage in its economic and social development with its fourteenth economic plan. The conditions are vastly different but understanding the continuities between the stellar success of the early Soviet economy and China’s contemporary achievements is critical.”
The editorial grounds these continuities in the fact that, “In the year the book was published in an English translation Stalin warned the Soviet peoples that they had a decade in which to prepare for an attack from the West. It was to the success of their planned socialist economy – combined with a vast patriotic and internationalist mobilisation – that the Nazi extermination machine was itself exterminated.”
Likewise, “A quarter of all World War II casualties were Chinese with 20 million dead, and the Chinese communists took power in a backward country ruined by Japanese occupation and civil war.”
China, it argues, has been remarkably creative in finding ways to integrate into the global capitalist economy, tap into advanced technologies, find markets for their expanding industries and has leveraged the socialist and planned elements in their economic management to challenge the capitalist world.
It also affirms the emphasis placed on expanding the social security, health and education sectors, in perfecting urban planning and in shifting to a carbon neutral economy.
Continue reading China’s planning holds lessons for Britain – Morning Star
