India Archives - Friends of Socialist China

President Xi urges China and India to strengthen communication and cooperation

During his recent visit to the Russian city of Kazan, where he attended the October 22-24 summit meeting of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, Chinese President Xi Jinping also held a number of important meetings on the sidelines.

Among the most significant was his October 23 meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two men’s first formal talks since October 2019. Clashes on the two countries’ disputed border (an issue left over from the days of British colonialism) in the Galwan Valley in 2020 had led to a sharp deterioration in bilateral relations. Two days before the Kazan meeting, the Indian Foreign Ministry had announced that an agreement had been reached on patrolling arrangements, which had been the immediate cause of the clash.

At the meeting, President Xi urged China and India to strengthen communication and cooperation, enhance strategic mutual trust, and facilitate each other’s pursuit of their development aspirations. He pointed out that as time-honoured civilisations, large developing countries and important members of the Global South, China and India both stand at a crucial phase of their respective modernisation endeavours.

It is in the fundamental interest of the two countries and two peoples to keep to the trend of history and the right direction of bilateral relations, he said, urging the two sides to shoulder their international responsibility, set an example in boosting the strength and unity of developing countries, and contribute to promoting a multipolar world and greater democracy in international relations.

For his part, Prime Minister Modi noted that maintaining the steady growth of India-China relations is critical to the two countries and peoples. It not only concerns the well-being and future of 2.8 billion people, but also carries great significance for peace and stability of the region and even the world at large.

Against a complex international landscape, cooperation between India and China, two ancient civilisations and engines of economic growth, can help drive economic recovery and promote multipolarity in the world.

The two leaders commended the important progress the two sides had recently made through intensive communication on resolving the relevant issues in the border areas. Modi made suggestions on improving and developing the relationship, which Xi agreed to in principle.

Stressing the need to ensure peace and tranquillity in the border areas and find a fair and reasonable settlement, they agreed on holding talks between their foreign ministers and officials at various levels to bring the relationship back to sound and steady development at an early date.

They further agreed to strengthen communication and cooperation in multilateral fora to safeguard the common interests of developing countries and were of the view that their meeting was constructive and carries great significance. They agreed to view and handle China-India relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, prevent specific disagreements from affecting the overall relationship, and contribute to maintaining regional and global peace and prosperity and to advancing multipolarity in the world.

India’s main communist parties were quick to voice their support for the meeting and its outcome.

People’s Democracy, the newspaper of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) wrote that:

“The economic problems confronting the Indian bourgeoisie have forced them to lobby for easing the ability to do business with China. According to the data of the Ministry of Commerce, China has emerged as India’s top import source with 56.29 billion dollars’ worth of inbound shipments during the April-September period of this fiscal year. In a globalised economic world order, it is increasingly recognised that it is beneficial for both countries to increase economic cooperation. Certain industries for the production of goods like electric vehicles (EVs), smartphones, solar panels and medicine have been identified by the Indian government to transform the country into a manufacturing hub. Most of these industries require the restoration of economic relations with China.”

Rest in power, comrade Sitaram Yechury

Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), tragically passed away on 12 September 2024. Sitaram was a lifelong communist, intellectual, activist and leader, who had been a politburo member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) since 1992.

A brief biographical sketch by the Student Federation of India (SFI) UK branch reads as follows:

Comrade Sitaram first got involved in the student movement while studying at Jawaharlal Nehru University in 1974, where he became a leader of the Students Federation of India and was elected president of the JNU Students Union. He became a full-time member of the CPI(M) in 1975 and like hundreds of other activists in India, he was arrested during the emergency. His photograph reading out charges against the Indira Gandhi government has gained iconic status where he demanded the resignation of the Chancellor and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

His clarity on uniting India’s working class and overcoming deep divisions of caste, gender, religion, and geography, made him one of India’s most important political voices. For the general elections held this year, Yechury was central to forging broad unity and building the secular and democratic opposition alliance INDIA. Comrade Sitaram carried forward the left’s legacy of anti-imperialism and internationalism with his constant solidarity with popular movements across the globe, such as the Palestinian movement for liberation and popular movements in Latin America.

On 23 September, the SFI held an event at Marx Memorial Library in London to honour and remember comrade Sitaram’s life. The meeting was addressed by SFI General Secretary Mayukh Biswas, Indian Workers’ Association (GB) Vice President Harsev Bains, National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers President Alex Gordon, Economic Counsellor from the Cuban Embassy Marta Castillo, SFI UK Secretary Nikhil Mathew, Young Communist League London Secretary Ben Woodward, Communist Party of Britain London Secretary Robin Talbot, and Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez.

Carlos highlighted the urgently-needed clarity that Sitaram Yechury and other key leaders of the CPI(M) had brought to the world communist movement in the confusing period of the late 1980s and early 90s – the ‘end of history’, when European socialism had all but collapsed and the Washington Consensus reigned supreme. Many at that time assumed that China was following, or had already followed, a path of capitalist restoration. However, as Deng Xiaoping commented to Julius Nyerere in 1989: “so long as socialism does not collapse in China, it will always hold its ground in the world.” Comrade Sitaram was a trailblazer in understanding Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, building solidarity with China and the other remaining socialist countries, and helping to explain to the global movement the evolving reality of China’s Marxist project.

Harsev Bains noted that Sitaram had rearranged his busy schedule in order to be able to address in person the conference in London on 28 September celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of People’s China. Comrade Yechury will be very sadly missed at that event.

We republish below an article from People’s Democracy, the English weekly newspaper of the Communist Party of India, containing a number of tributes to Sitaram from around the world.

Communist and Workers’ Parties from around the world have expressed their condolences on the passing away of Comrade Sitaram Yechury, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, sent a condolence message to the Party: “With great sadness, we have learned today, in the spirit of affection and solidarity that characterizes us, of the passing of Comrade General Secretary, brother Sitaram Yechury, an outstanding champion for the rights of the peoples.” He expressed his ‘sincere and profound sentiments for the departure of this brother for all of us, a comrade in struggles,’ who has ‘contributed to fighting the battles of justice, truth, and fraternity among the human community.’

The Communist Party of China (CPC) lauded Comrade Sitaram Yechury in its condolence message, praising him as an outstanding leader and Marxist theorist. “He contributed significantly to promoting Left forces and the socialist movement, as well as national development and social progress in India,” they stated. They also highlighted his ‘significant contribution to China-India friendship’ and extended their condolences to the Party and his family.

In a message from the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), Emilio Lozada Garcia, head of the International Department, expressed his deepest condolences to the leadership of the CPI(M), all Party members, and the family of Comrade Sitaram Yechury. He recalled Yechury’s immense contribution to building the Cuba solidarity movement in India.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) paid tribute, noting that Comrade Sitaram Yechury was an influential leader of the CPI(M) and the Left movement in India. They remembered his contributions to the international movement for peace, solidarity, and the comprehensive friendship and strategic partnership between India and Vietnam.

The Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) extended their condolences, recalling Comrade Sitaram Yechury’s numerous visits to the DPRK and his contributions to strengthening fraternal relations between both the parties.

Gennady Zyuganov, chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF), sent his condolences, remembering Comrade Sitaram Yechury as a fighter for the socialist future of India, a respected leader of the international communist movement, and a friend of Russia.

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE), in its condolence message, expressed great sadness over the death of Comrade Sitaram Yechury. “Comrade Sitaram made a significant contribution to the international communist movement and the International Meetings of the Communist and Workers’ Parties (IMCWP), remaining faithful to the principles of proletarian internationalism,” they stated. They also recalled Comrade Sitaram’s visit to Greece and his role in strengthening relations between the two parties.

Wang Yi: China, India should properly handle differences, develop mutually beneficial cooperation

During his July visit to Laos, where he attended a number of international meetings held under the aegis of ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations), Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also held a number of bilateral meetings with his counterparts. Among the potentially most significant, on July 25, was that with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

At the meeting, Wang said that, in the face of the current complex international situation and severe global challenges, China and India, as two major developing countries and two major emerging economies living next to each other, should strengthen dialogue and communication, and enhance mutual understanding and trust. They should also work for the improvement, steady and sustainable development of China-India relations with a sense of surmounting differences and frictions.

Wang noted that the two countries’ relationship has an important impact that goes beyond the bilateral scope. An improved relationship should reflect the strategic structure of China and India as two major emerging developing countries. The political wisdom of China and India as two ancient civilisations should be reflected in handling their differences, and the unity and cooperation of countries in the Global South should be reflected in their addressing global challenges. He stressed that the return to the right track of China-India relations not only serves the interests of both sides – it is also the common expectation of countries in the Global South.

Jaishankar said that India and China are the two most populous countries, two major emerging economies and two ancient civilisations with a long history. To maintain the stable and predictable development of bilateral relations fully conforms to the interests of both sides and is of special significance to safeguarding regional peace and promoting multipolarity.

The two sides agreed to work together to maintain peace in the border areas and to push for new progress in consultation on border affairs. They also agreed to strengthen communication within a number of international bodies, among them BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, including to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries.

The following article was originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.

VIENTIANE, July 25 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar here on Thursday, saying the two countries should properly handle differences, and develop mutually beneficial cooperation.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said in the face of the current complex international situation and severe global challenges, China and India, as two major developing countries and two major emerging economies living next to each other, should strengthen dialogue and communication, enhance mutual understanding and trust.

The two sides should work for the improvement, steady and sustainable development of China-India relations with a sense of surmounting differences and frictions, Wang said, adding that the bilateral relationship has an important impact that goes beyond the bilateral scope.

The improvement of bilateral relations should reflect the strategic structure of China and India as two major emerging developing countries, Wang said. The political wisdom of China and India as two ancient civilizations should be reflected in handling their differences, and the unity and cooperation of countries in the Global South should be reflected in addressing global challenges, he added.

It is hoped that the two sides will meet each other halfway, actively explore the right way for the two neighboring major countries to get along, and guide all sectors to build a positive understanding of each other, Wang said.

Wang stressed that the return to the right track of China-India relations serves the interests of both sides and is also the common expectation of countries in the Global South.

Jaishankar said that India and China are the two most populous countries, two major emerging economies and two ancient civilizations with a long history. To maintain the stable and predictable development of bilateral relations fully conforms to the interests of both sides and is of special significance to safeguarding regional peace and promoting multipolarity.

India and China have widely intertwined interests and are also facing the shadow brought by the border situation, but the Indian side is willing to find a solution to differences with a historical vision, strategic thinking and an open attitude and bring bilateral relations back to the positive and constructive track, he said.

The two sides agreed to work together to maintain peace in the border areas and push for new progress in the consultation on border affairs.

The two sides said that they will strengthen communication within the East Asia Cooperation Platform, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Group of Twenty, BRICS and other frameworks, jointly practice multilateralism, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries.

Important bilateral meetings on sidelines of SCO summit promote multipolarity and regional cooperation

Chinese President Xi Jinping held bilateral meetings with a number of his counterparts during their visits to Kazakhstan for the summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

On July 3, he met with the Presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Russia.

Meeting Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Xi said that the two leaders held fruitful talks in Xi’an last May and reached a high degree of consensus on China-Kyrgyzstan relations and bilateral cooperation in various fields. Good neighbours wish each other well, Xi said, adding that China is happy to see a stable and developing Kyrgyzstan and will, as always, firmly support Kyrgyzstan in safeguarding national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and in finding a development path suited to its national conditions.

China is willing to import more high-quality green agricultural products from Kyrgyzstan, support Chinese enterprises in investing and doing business in the Central Asian country, strengthen cooperation in areas such as new energy vehicles and cross-border e-commerce, and accelerate the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project.

Japarov said he still vividly remembers his visit to China in May last year, which opened up a new era in bilateral relations. At present, the political relations between Kyrgyzstan and China are developing at a high level, various departments of the two countries maintain close communication, sub-national exchanges and cooperation are booming, and bilateral trade and investment are growing steadily.

He said that in the face of global changes unseen in a century, Kyrgyzstan-China relations have always been rock-solid, and there are no political differences or cooperation obstacles between the two countries.

Meeting with Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, Xi said that China and Azerbaijan have upgraded bilateral relations to strategic partnership, which is a new positioning and a new starting point. China and Azerbaijan are good friends with sincerity and mutual trust, as well as good partners with equality and mutual benefit, and bilateral relations have been developing healthily and steadily, with fruitful cooperation and richer strategic connotations. The two sides should promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, deepen cooperation in such fields as trade, investment, oil and gas, and photovoltaics, strengthen connectivity, advance the construction of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, and ensure the healthy and stable operation of China-Europe freight trains. China supports Azerbaijan in hosting the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

President Aliyev said that Azerbaijan firmly abides by the one-China principle and firmly supports China’s great cause of national reunification, which is the trend of history, and no force can stop it. Azerbaijan is willing to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with China, tap the potential, enhance cooperation in such areas as economy, trade, investment, new energy and culture within the framework of Belt and Road cooperation, closely collaborate within the SCO and other frameworks, oppose external interference and safeguard regional security and stability.

Meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Xi said that during his counterpart’s successful state visit to China in January, China and Uzbekistan agreed to elevate their ties to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era and promote the construction of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future from a higher starting point.

Noting that China firmly supports Uzbekistan in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and security, Xi said China is always a trustworthy friend and partner of Uzbekistan.

He urged the two sides to further advance the Belt and Road cooperation, well implement the medium- and long-term cooperation plan on economy, trade and investment, speed up the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, as well as cooperation in fields of photovoltaic, wind power and new energy vehicles, and continue to strengthen cooperation in poverty reduction and social governance.

China supports the expansion of exchanges between the two countries at the sub-national level, as well as exchanges in tourism, education and other fields, he said, noting China welcomes Uzbekistan’s participation in the seventh China International Import Expo as the guest country of honour.

This meeting was followed up by a July 6-9 visit to Uzbekistan by Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC).

Meeting with President Mirziyoyev, Zhao noted that the Uzbek leader had met with President Xi in Astana just a few days ago and reached a broad consensus, charting the course for the high-level development of China-Uzbekistan relations.

Mirziyoyev asked Zhao to convey his best wishes to President Xi and extended congratulations on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Uzbekistan fully supports the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilisation Initiative, firmly abides by the one-China principle, and is willing to deepen bilateral cooperation in such fields as economy, trade, local governments, education and energy resources.

Closer ties with NATO would be a strategic blunder for India

In the following article, which was originally published in the Morning Star, Keith Lamb argues that Washington’s flattery of India and its encouragement of stronger ties with NATO, citing an alleged “Chinese threat”, is a trap into which New Delhi should not fall. The border dispute between India and China, he notes, is a legacy of British colonial aggression and India’s future lies in greater cooperation with China and the Global South generally. India’s support for the struggle of Mauritius to reclaim the Chagos Archipelago, a territory in the Indian Ocean which remains under illegal British colonial control and is home to a massive US military base, is cited by Keith as an example of how India grasps this imperative on some level. India’s interests, he argues would be well served by further consolidation of the BRICS grouping and greater promotion of regional energy integration and supply chains, not least the long-mooted Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline.

After a recommendation by the congressional committee on strategic competition with China, the US claims that India “is one of Washington’s closest allies.” As such, it is now courting India to join Nato to counter Chinese “aggression.”

India must not fall to Washington’s flattery and the trumped-up China threat. Strategically and economically, India’s future lies with greater co-operation with China and the global South, not Nato, which opposes development.

In terms of Chinese “aggression,” the US hypes up the border dispute. This dispute is a remnant of British colonialism annexing Chinese territory.

China’s claims are rational, not expansionist — they exist due to British hegemonic attempts to swallow up both China and India.

Importantly, this dispute is managed unprecedentedly well. The line of actual control is patrolled by non-gun-carrying troops. This peaceful status quo would be ruined by US-led Nato machinations, which continue, under a different guise, the hegemonic project of the British empire.

Colonialism hasn’t finished — it is alive under US leadership which has a greater global military presence than under the British empire. It seeks, through its hard power, to divide the global South and bring it to heel — strategically this is what India’s invitation to Nato represents.

On one level, India understands this, which is why India backs Mauritius’s claim on the British-controlled Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, which hosts a US military base capable of threatening the Indian subcontinent.

The US talks about developing India and using India as the new “world factory,” but due to hegemonic strategic concerns, a country the size of India will never be allowed to develop to a comparable standard to that of the US

Hegemonism doesn’t seek development — it seeks to exploit and it seeks unipolarity. Those who try to break out of the net of economic domination will be countered.

China is the perfect example of this. It co-operated with the US, but due to its huge size, even a modest standard of development is seen as a threat to unipolarity.

India, if successful, would encounter the same problem — though if it loses its independence to the cancer of Nato perhaps it will never develop beyond being a low-end factory.

Anyone who doubts the resolve of the US and its power to silently smother its Nato “allies” needs to revisit the Nord Stream pipeline bombing allegations.

Europe is now cut away from Eurasia and is more reliant than ever on transatlantic shipping for its trade and energy.

India, though artificially disconnected from Eurasia, due to politics and connectivity, unlike the Nato-led Europe, still has the independence to overcome these issues.

Political co-operation can be achieved through the Brics coalition, which is currently expanding based on the principle of win-win global South development, rather than Nato’s principle of preventing the rise of the global South.

Carry forward the spirit of Dr Kotnis to strengthen China-India friendship

As part of a tour of South Asian countries in the first week of May, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang visited India to attend the Foreign Ministers Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which was held in Goa. Whilst there, on May 4, Qin Gang met with the family members of Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis (known in China as Ke Dihua), along with representatives of friendship organizations with China and young people from both countries.

Dr. Kotnis was one of a team of five Indian doctors, one of whom had previously served with the International Brigades in Spain, who were sent to help the Chinese people in their war of resistance against Japan by India’s Congress party, then led by Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose, after China’s Red Army leader Zhu De had written a request to Nehru on the suggestion of Agnes Smedley, the American internationalist who maintained deep ties with the freedom movements in both countries.

In the spirit of the great Canadian communist, Dr. Norman Bethune, who the team had gone to replace following his death from sepsis incurred while operating behind enemy lines, Dr. Kotnis worked tirelessly, sometimes for 72 hours without sleep. He refused any special treatment, taught himself fluent Chinese, and passed on his knowledge by writing two textbooks on surgery (one uncompleted, he was actually struck by a fatal seizure as he was writing), and becoming a teacher and then the head of the Bethune Medical School.

It was while teaching at the school that he met, fell in love with and married Guo Qinglan, a nurse and nursing teacher. Their son, Yinhua, whose name means India-China, was born just four months before Dr. Kotnis’s death. In July 1942, Dr. Kotnis was admitted to membership of the Communist Party of China.

After Dr. Kotnis passed away on December 9, 1942, from epileptic seizures exacerbated by prolonged overwork, Mao Zedong wrote the following calligraphy in his memory:

“Dr. Kotnis, our Indian friend, came to China from afar to assist us in our war of resistance. He worked for five years in Yan’an and north China, giving medical treatment to our wounded soldiers and died of illness owing to constant overwork. The army has lost a helping hand, and the nation has lost a friend. Let’s always bear in mind his internationalist spirit.”

In meeting with Dr. Kotnis’s relatives, Qin Gang carried on a tradition of senior Chinese leaders visiting India, beginning with Premier Zhou Enlai in the 1950s through to President Xi Jinping in recent times.

Qin Gang said that Dr. Kotnis was a great friend of the Chinese people and an outstanding fighter in the anti-fascist war, who devoted his precious youth and life to the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression. His spirit, Qin continued, is a humanitarian one of saving lives, a heroic one of daring to struggle and not being afraid of sacrifice, and an internationalist one of advocating peace, friendship, and a shared future.

One distinct feature of Qin’s meeting, consistent with the change of generations, as well as the fact that May 4 is celebrated as Youth Day in China, in honour of the anti-imperialist May 4 Movement of youth and students in 1919 that contributed significantly to the founding of the Communist Party of China two years later, was the emphasis placed on the need for young people to inherit and carry forward the spirit of Dr. Kotnis so as to firmly safeguard peace and friendship between China and India.

Noting that the young people of both China and India are full of vitality and are the main force for development in their respective countries, Qin Gang called on them to promote people-to-people exchanges and to explore a path for the two major neighbors to coexist in peace, get along in amity and seek rejuvenation together.

He also urged the youths to promote bilateral cooperation for mutual benefit and to boost mutual trust, so as to jointly safeguard the common interests of developing countries and uphold international fairness and justice.

The following articles were originally published by the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Xinhua News Agency.

Qin Gang Meets with Relatives of Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis and Representatives of Chinese and Indian Young People

On May 4, 2023 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with relatives of Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis and representatives of China-India friendship organizations and Chinese and Indian young people in Goa, India.

Qin Gang and relatives of Dr. Kotnis visited the photo exhibition of Dr. Kotnis’ life. Qin Gang said that Dr. Kotnis, a great friend of the Chinese people and an outstanding fighter in the anti-fascist war, devoted his precious youth and life to the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression. The spirit of Dr. Kotnis is a humanitarian one of saving lives, a heroic one of daring to struggle and not being afraid of sacrifice, and an internationalist one of advocating peace, friendship and a shared future.

Tribute to Avtar Singh Jouhl, 1937-2022

In our contribution to the Fifteenth Forum of the World Association for Political Economy (WAPE), hosted by China’s Shanghai International Studies University last December, Friends of Socialist China surveyed the history of support for the Chinese revolution in the working-class movements in the United States and Britain and noted:

“As in the United States, it was again the political representatives of oppressed peoples who came to play an outstanding role in supporting and defending the People’s Republic, be it on the part of the outstanding Trinidadian communist Claudia Jones or of such organisations as the Indian Workers’ Association, its equivalent bodies among Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Kashmiri workers, the Black Unity and Freedom Party, the Black Panther Movement and many others. Very often out of the sight and hearing of much of the predominantly white left, they collectively constituted the mass proletarian base for China friendship and solidarity in Britain, from the early 1960s onwards.”

The working-class movement lost one of the true giants of that movement with the death on October 7th of Avtar Singh Jouhl at the age of 84. Avtar came to Britain in 1958 and joined the Indian Workers’ Association (IWA GB) the same year. He came intending to study at the London School of Economics (LSE) but instead found himself working in a foundry in the West Midlands for many years. His son Jagwant was quoted by the BBC as observing: “Most people think the streets were paved with gold, but the reality was they were paved with soot from the foundries.”

In 1965, Avtar invited Malcom X to Smethwick, near Birmingham, to see the type and extent of racism and the ‘colour bar’ then prevalent in the area, just weeks before the African-American revolutionary leader was assassinated.

Becoming National President of the IWA, Avtar played a very full role in the life of the community, the struggle against racism, the trade union movement, and the struggles of the working class in Britain, along with mobilising support for the revolutionary struggle in India, for anti-imperialist struggles throughout the world, and in support of the socialist countries.

Besides the IWA, Avtar played a leading role in the Association of Indian Communists in Britain (Marxist-Leninist) (AICML), which guided the work of the tens of thousands strong IWA, and was at various times a member of different parties in the British working-class movement.

Avtar followed the Marxist-Leninist line of “uniting all those who can be united” and this was reflected in the hundreds of people who attended his funeral, which was widely reported by the BBC and others, as well as in the tributes paid by trade unions like Unite and in the press of a number of left-wing parties, including the Socialist Workers’ Party (SWP).

Whilst sincere and affectionate, most of these tributes left out something that was central to Avtar’s politics. He was not simply a Marxist, but specifically an adherent of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought. Under the guidance of Avtar and a number of his comrades, especially the late Jagmohan Joshi and Teja Singh Sahota, the IWA and the AIC were staunch supporters of the Chinese revolution and friends of China, maintaining close comradely connections with the country, particularly through the 1960s and 1970s. When the Britain-based editors of Friends of Socialist China initiated the Hands off China! campaign in response to the attacks on China in the run up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Avtar was one of the first people to offer his support, joining veteran communist Isabel Crook and Ghanaian diplomat Kojo Amoo Gottfried as a patron of the campaign. Avtar also gave strong support to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Cuba and other socialist countries.

A year ago, Avtar’s son Jagwant recorded a long series of interviews in which his father recalled his life of struggle. We reproduce below two interviews devoted to China as well as a tribute carried in the Morning Star, written by Avtar’s friend Paul Mackney, the former General Secretary of NATFHE/UCU, the trade union for teachers in further and higher education.

We will remember Avtar as a great comrade and as a kind and sincere friend and extend our condolences to his family and all his many comrades and friends.

Avtar Singh Jouhl 1937 – 2022

Paul Mackney, former general secretary of NATFHE/UCU, remembers a beloved comrade, lifelong socialist and union man who once brought Malcolm X to the West Midlands during the fight against racial segregation.

ON Tuesday morning, October 10, a large and loud gathering of UCU strike pickets, outside South and City College Birmingham, stopped their singing, chanting, blowing of whistles and vuvuzela playing to observe a minute’s silence.

Red Salute to Dr DS Kotnis on the 110th anniversary of his birth

October 10 sees the 110^th birthday of Dr. Dwarkanath Shantaram Kotnis, Indian surgeon, internationalist fighter, and member of the Communist Party of China.

The team were seen off from Calcutta (today’s Kolkata) by Congress leaders Bose and Sarojini Naidu, who, at the conclusion of a mass meeting in Jinnah Hall, said: “You are sent to the war-stricken people of China as messengers of goodwill and sympathy. One or some of you may not return home.” Dr. Kotnis is the one who did not return.

It was while teaching at the school that he met, fell in love with and married Guo Qinglan, a nurse and nursing teacher. Their son, Yinhua, whose name means India-China was born just four months before Dr. Kotnis’s death.

Participation in the Chinese revolution had a profound effect on Dr. Kotnis. In an April 1, 1942 letter to his fellow team member, Dr. BK Basu, he wrote: “You know very well how backward I was before reaching Yan’an, my brain full of bourgeois ideas, and though full of national sentiments, hazy ideas of revolutionary methods. During over one year’s stay here, living the life of an Eighth Route Army man, ever receiving criticism from comrades, both during meetings and personal talks, I have myself been experiencing a good deal of transformation in my character, ideas etc.”

In July that year, Dr. Kotnis was admitted to membership of the Communist Party of China. When a student graduated from the Bethune School, Kotnis would write them the following words of encouragement: “Study hard for the sake of the liberation of the oppressed mankind” in English, and “Victory in the war of resistance against Japan” in Chinese.

In Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, the Ke Dihua (Kotnis’s Chinese name) Medical Science Secondary Specialized School, was founded in 1992. More than 45,000 medical professionals have graduated from it. Each of the new students and staff must swear in front of a statue of Kotnis that they will work like him.