Multipolarity Archives - Friends of Socialist China

China, the construction of multipolar world, and the pursuit of sovereignty

In the following article, which was originally published on the website of Al Mayadeen, Pedro Monzón Barata argues that, through a series of major initiatives and practical programs, China is offering the Global South tools for financial autonomy, strategic alliances, and development beyond US hegemony:

“At a historic moment when the Western liberal order shows clear signs of exhaustion… China emerges not merely as an economic competitor, but as the architect of a geopolitical alternative… China is no longer an emerging power: it is the only nation with the economic, technological, financial, and diplomatic scale capable of seriously challenging US unipolar hegemony.”

Faced with this reality, he suggests that “Western elites have revived the old rhetoric of the ‘Yellow Peril’ – racist and manipulative narrative that seeks to criminalise the peaceful rise of a non-Western country and justify policies of containment, blockade, and confrontation.”

But for its part: “China’s strategy does not aim simply to displace Washington, but rather – through historical patience and strategic pragmatism – to weave the pillars of a multipolar world in which power is no longer concentrated in a single pole but distributed among multiple centres of sovereign decision-making.”

An example is how the SWIFT international payments mechanism, which has been misused to disconnect Cuba, Russia and other countries from the international financial system, has been answered by China’s rolling out of the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), “an infrastructure that, while not replacing SWIFT, offers a sovereign, more efficient, and less costly channel for international transactions.”

On a grander scale, the significance of BRICS+ goes beyond statistics: “By bringing together the world’s leading oil and gas producers – controlling over 40% of global reserves… and now also incorporating strategic actors from the Caribbean, the Southern Cone, and Southeast Asia, the bloc has acquired unprecedented geopolitical weight.”

Moreover: “Cuba’s inclusion – historically a symbol of anti-imperialist resistance in Latin America, with a small economy but a vast medical, scientific, educational, ethical, solidarity-based, and diplomatic capital – marks a shift of notable significance: for the first time, a socialist Third World country that has resisted more than six decades of blockade joins the core of a bloc aspiring to redefine the global order away from neoliberalism and toward fraternity. This reinforces the BRICS+’s plurinational, anti-hegemonic, and civilisational diversity, distancing it even further from the exclusive G7 club.”

However, the nature and role of BRICS+ should not be overestimated or misrepresented. “Beneath its discourse of South-South solidarity and equitable multipolarity, historical bilateral tensions persist (traditionally between India and China), alongside ideological differences and often contradictory energy and geopolitical agendas. Thus, BRICS+ is not a unified front, but a complex negotiating space where cooperation and competition coexist.”

Latin America is a key arena: “Historically trapped in the dynamics of dependency, the region now sees China as an opportunity to diversify partners and break from its traditional subordination to the West. Yet opposing forces exist: on one side, oligarchic interests subordinate to the United States and Western capitalism; on the other, those who genuinely support deeper relations but simultaneously aim to protect national interests…

“Venezuela and Nicaragua represent paradigmatic cases of how the pursuit of national sovereignty intertwines with the construction of a multipolar order. Both countries, subjected for decades to unilateral sanctions, financial blockades, and destabilisation operations orchestrated from Washington, have found in China a strategic ally that respects their right to self-determination.”

How China’s initiatives are paving a new path to a better world

The following article, originally published in Xinhua, provides an overview of the four major global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping over the last five years – the Global Development Initiative (GDI, 2021), the Global Security Initiative (GSI, 2022), the Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI, 2023) and the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) – and discusses how these proposals link together to form a unified framework for building a community with a shared future for humanity, addressing, respectively, material development, peace and stability, cultural understanding, and institutional reform.

The article notes that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has described the initiatives as being “totally compatible with the UN Charter” and that they have attracted broad support from countries around the world, particularly the Global South.

The piece argues that systems of international cooperation are increasingly fractured by unilateralism, sanctions, protectionism and bloc confrontation, contrasting these trends with China’s emphasis on sovereign equality, dialogue and multilateralism. It highlights deepening global crises: development is in reverse in parts of the world, the poverty gap is widening, and security tensions are intensifying. The article states that progress toward the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals has stalled: only 35 percent of targets are on track, nearly half are moving too slowly, and 18 percent have regressed. It stresses worsening global inequalities, noting the poorest half of humanity holds only 2 percent of global wealth, billions face food insecurity exacerbated by conflicts, and climate-adaptation financing gaps are growing.

The article describes the GDI as a break from Western-dominated development models, emphasising China’s long-term planning combined with market dynamism. Projects funded by the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund in Nepal and major infrastructure cooperation such as the China-Laos Railway are cited as examples of China “teaching a man to fish”: the Laos railway cut logistics costs by over 30 percent and created 100,000 jobs, while China-Africa Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centres increased crop yields by 30-60 percent and benefited over a million farmers. Meanwhile, China-Brazil clean-energy cooperation centres are extending power access to remote communities, linking development to ecological protection.

The Global Governance Initiative, which was announced in September this year, proposes a program of global governance reform rooted in respect for sovereign equality, international rule of law, genuine multilateralism, adherence to the principles and purposes of the UN Charter, and a people-centred focus on employment, education and healthcare. China is turning these ideas into practice by supporting reforms in multilateral institutions, expanding BRICS and SCO cooperation, promoting South-South platforms such as FOCAC (Forum on China-Africa Cooperation) and the China-CELAC Forum, and advancing new governance norms in data security, AI, and cross-border data flows. The article notes China’s increased funding to the China-UN Peace and Development Fund, and highlights the creation of the International Organisation for Mediation headquartered in Hong Kong, established with more than 30 countries, as an example of security governance via law rather than force.

Group of Friends of Global Governance launched at UN

The formation of the Group of Friends of Global Governance was formally announced at the United Nations in New York on December 9. This follows President Xi Jinping launching the Global Governance Initiative at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Plus Meeting in Tianjin on September 1.

The group initially consists of 43 members. Besides China, among them are Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Palestine, Senegal, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

The founders state that they reaffirm their firm commitment to upholding the legacy won by the Second World War, including the international system with the UN at its core, the international order underpinned by international law, and the basic norms of international relations based on all the purposes and principles of the UN Charter in their entirety, including respecting sovereign equality, territorial integrity and political independence of any state, and the principle of non-interference in internal affairs of other states, and refraining in their international relations from the threat or use of force.

They express particular concern over the serious under-representation of the Global South, the erosion of the authority of international law, including the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. “We emphasise the need to achieve sustainable development in its three dimensions, economic, social and environmental in a balanced and integrated manner and address other urgent and emerging global challenges.”

They further welcome the Global Governance Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, and its five core concepts – sovereign equality, international rule of law, multilateralism, a people-centred approach and taking real actions.

“Through this Group, we commit to deepening dialogue and coordination on global governance issues, engaging with relevant stakeholders, amplifying our collective voice, building and expanding consensus, and delivering concrete outcomes that respond to the yearns of our peoples and the legitimate aspirations of our nations.

“We emphasised that the international community must address the challenges and needs faced by developing countries, especially countries in special situations in particular, African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States.”

Finally: “We extend a cordial invitation to all like-minded Member States to join this Group of Friends. Together, we stand ready to strengthen solidarity and cooperation in pursuit of a more just and equitable global governance system and a brighter future of peace, security, prosperity, and progress for all.”

Two complementary strategies in support of Palestine and multipolarity

We are very pleased to publish the following contributed article by Comrade Massimiliano Ay, General Secretary of the Communist Party (Switzerland), which makes an original analysis of the present state of the Palestinian struggle, and the role of various international actors in this regard, within the context of the multipolarity trend and on the basis of Marxism-Leninism.

He notes that, back in September 2024, he had written that, from a tactical viewpoint, Israel was apparently winning, but from a strategic one, it would lose, and this is now being reflected in a range of tactical adjustments on the part of various imperialist forces.

Against this background, he continues: “China (and its Communist Party) will probably tactically follow a different line from us Western communists (and perhaps also from Arab communists) who lack governmental responsibility. This potential difference in method must in no way be read as a capitulation or, worse, as a Chinese betrayal of the Palestinian cause, but rather as an intelligent political move complementary to our struggle! For although, as stated by the top Chinese representative at the UN, “the Palestinian question is at the heart of Middle Eastern issues” and is therefore not an insignificant element in the path of the New Silk Road, it is also true that the conflict between imperialism and multipolarism is fought on a global level and not only in Gaza: Ukraine, for example, is at this moment a war scenario potentially much more dangerous for the world than Gaza, and Moscow therefore has this priority. Beijing for its part must win the battle against Trump’s tariffs, otherwise the entire Chinese economic strategy would be weakened.”

In this way, Comrade Ay creatively utilises and applies the same dialectical approach advanced by Mao Zedong, for example in his speech to the November 1957 Moscow Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties, where he said that the compromises made by socialist countries in their relations with capitalist states should not necessarily be followed by others. “Each party and country must consider its own conditions.”

Ay adds: “It is therefore no surprise that last November 17th, both Beijing and Moscow abstained in the UN Security Council, thus allowing the (awful) Donald Trump plan to pass de facto. Comrade Fu Cong, China’s ambassador to the UN, while stressing that this resolution, put to a vote rather hastily, was ‘deficient in many aspects and deeply concerning’, especially because it does not establish that ‘Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people and to no one else’, explicitly reiterated that Beijing’s priority remains, at all costs, ‘a lasting ceasefire, alleviating the humanitarian disaster, and starting post-war reconstruction to rekindle the hope of peace and development for the population of Gaza’.

China and the West: two systems, two futures

In the video embedded below, Jyotishman Mudiar of the popular India and Global Left channel interviews Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez on a range of topics related to China and global political economy, including: the dimensions of China’s economic progress since 1949; the differences between the first three decades of socialist construction and the Reform and Opening Up period; the differences between Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and capitalism; the definition of socialism; the political system that enables China’s unprecedented progress on poverty alleviation and green energy; the nature of multipolarity; the differences between today’s emerging multipolarity and the inter-imperialist rivalry of the early 20th century; how multipolarity opens a path for advance to socialism; the nature of the current long crisis of capitalism; and the meaning of “changes unseen in a century”.

Change unseen in a century: The collective rise of the Global South with Socialist China at the core

The 15^th World Socialism Forum was held in Beijing from November 3-4. Organised by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the forum was hosted by the World Socialism Research Centre, the Academy of Marxism, and the Institute of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, all of which operate as units of CASS.

With an overall theme of ‘At the Crossroads of World History: The Choice of all Nations’, the forum addressed a number of topics, namely:

Chinese Modernisation and a New Form of Human Advancement
The Rise of Global South Countries and Transformation of the Global Governance System
Rejecting Unilateral Power Politics and Upholding International Equity and Justice
New Features and Trends of World Socialism amid Profound Global Changes
Safeguarding the Outcomes of the World Anti-fascist War and the Postwar International Order

Several hundred Chinese delegates were joined by comrades from Vietnam, Laos and Cuba and by senior representatives from communist parties from around the world, including:

Communist Party of Peru (Red Fatherland)
Peruvian Communist Party
Communist Party of Argentina
Colombian Communist Party
Communist Party of Uruguay
Communist Party of Spain (Party of the European Left)
Communist Refoundation Party of Italy (Party of the European Left)
Italian Communist Party
Communist Party (Italy)
Communist Party of Italy
Hungarian Workers’ Party
Communist Party (Denmark)
Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia [Czech Republic]
Communist Party (Switzerland)
Communist Party of Finland
German Communist Party
Progressive Party of the Working People of Cyprus (AKEL)
Communist Party of Ireland
Portuguese Communist Party
Communist Party of Armenia
Communist Party of the Russian Federation
Belarusian Communist Party
Socialist Platform (Georgia)
New Socialist Movement of Georgia
South African Communist Party
Japanese Communist Party
Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist)
Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Socialist) [On November 5, this party was one of 10 that united to form the Nepali Communist Party]
Communist Party of Bangladesh
Communist Party of Lebanon
Iraqi Communist Party

Other participants included academics and scholars of Marxism from Venezuela, Colombia, Tanzania, Russia, Hungary, Ireland, Britain and other countries, think tanks and Marxist study institutions, including from Latin America, Russia, India, Germany, Italy and Cyprus, and young scholars of Marxism currently studying in China, including from the United States, Denmark and India.

Friends of Socialist China was represented by our co-editor Keith Bennett. Below we publish his speech to the forum on the subject of ‘Changes Unseen in a Century – The Collective Rise of the Global South with Socialist China at the Core.’

Following the World Socialism Forum, Keith also attended the ‘International Academic Conference on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and 21^st Century Marxism’, with sessions in Xi’an and Yan’an, and then the ‘International Forum on Overseas Studies on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era’, held in Beijing.

General Secretary Xi Jinping often reminds us that we are living in a moment of history where we are witnessing changes unseen in a century.

This statement has applicability and relevance across a range of events and numerous spheres of human endeavour. But perhaps it does not express itself quite so cogently, or with such profound import, as it does with regard to the tectonic changes in the world’s geopolitical configuration and the consequent evolution and reform of global governance.

Over a century ago, as Lenin observed, the division of the world among the great powers had been completed. This meant that the world was divided into a small number of oppressor nations on the one hand and a great mass of oppressed nations on the other. Semi-colonial, semi-feudal China, despite being the world’s longest continuous civilisation, was to be found in the latter group.

The US war on China, Venezuela and the international left

Over the past two months, the US has been engaged in an alarming military buildup around Venezuela, launching lethal strikes in international waters and openly weighing plans for direct attacks on Venezuelan territory. It is the largest US military concentration in the region in decades.

The arrival of the USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, along with three destroyers and more than 5,500 troops, has heightened fears of imminent assault. The Ford joins roughly 10,000 US troops already stationed in the region. Ostensibly, these deployments are to counter drug trafficking, but Washington has provided exactly zero to substantiate any such threat. Since early September, US forces have carried out at least 19 airstrikes, killing nearly a hundred people on boats in international waters. These attacks have been widely denounced as being extrajudicial killings and blatant violations of international law.

The article below, written by CODEPINK activists Megan Russell and Michelle Ellner for Counterpunch, argues that the escalation against Venezuela is part of a multi-front war – domestically through repression and abroad through sanctions, tariffs, proxy wars and military aggression – to maintain US hegemony; to assert control over natural resources; and to subvert the global trajectory towards a multipolar world. The US push for war against both China and Venezuela “is but a violent reaction to the impending truth that US hegemonic status is slipping, and with it, its control on global resources, political power, and the ability to dictate the terms of development and sovereignty for the rest of the world.”

A similar point is made by Jeremy Corbyn in a piece for the Stop the War Coalition, in which he writes that the attack on Venezuela “is about the United States reasserting power in its (imperially named) ‘backyard’. It is no coincidence that this action is being taken at a time when countries in Latin and South America are looking increasingly towards BRICS trading partners, particularly China. Military intervention is just one part of a concerted assault on multipolarity.”

Megan and Michelle observe that China’s growing partnership with Venezuela provides a crucial counterweight to US hegemonism. Through loans, infrastructure projects, and friendly, mutually respectful relations, China has provided indispensable support for Venezuela’s sovereign development.

China has, over the past few decades, maintained a strong alliance with Venezuela. Starting in the early 2000s, China began providing Venezuela with tens of billions of dollars in loans to be repaid in oil shipments. This has enabled Venezuela to fund social programs and infrastructure while bypassing Western-controlled financial systems like the IMF and World Bank… China has also helped Venezuela build railways, housing projects, and telecommunications infrastructure as part of its broader Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to foster development across the Global South.

In response to this latest escalation, China has taken a clear and principled stand, continuing to develop its bilateral cooperation with Venezuela and roundly condemning the US’s “unilateral and excessive enforcement operations”, stressing that these violate international law and the UN Charter. China has urged the US to return to proper judicial cooperation frameworks rather than acting as a self-appointed global policeman. In contrast to Washington’s coercion, China’s position rests on respect for sovereignty and international law, and an orientation towards peace.

The article concludes with a call for the broadest possible solidarity:

The struggle against US imperialism is a global struggle. To stand with Venezuela, with China, or with any nation resisting domination is to stand for the possibility of a new internationalism rooted in solidarity across borders.
That is our task–to connect these struggles, to see in every act of resistance the reflection of our own, and to build a world of shared humanity and global equality.

Everywhere you look, the United States is at war– at home, through military occupation of cities, institutional violence, and state-sanctioned kidnappings, and abroad, through economic coercion, proxy warfare, and endless intervention. In times like these, when it is far too easy to be overwhelmed by the inexhaustible nature of the war machine, we must remember that these are not separate crises, but different fronts of the same struggle. And to resist one is to resist them all.

The enemy, in every case, is U.S. imperialism.

Resistance movements against U.S. imperialism have sprouted up all over the world in response to its indiscriminate violence and disregard for human life. Together, they form the living front of the international left, a network of people and organizations that seek liberation from the same systems of domination and colonial control. While their forms differ, from student encampments to workers’ strikes, the purpose remains the same: an end to empire and the creation of a new multipolar world rooted in the simple truth of our shared humanity and the equal worth of every nation and people.

The alliance between China and Venezuela is part of this broader project. And the U.S. push for war against both nations is but a violent reaction to the impending truth that U.S. hegemonic status is slipping, and with it, its control on global resources, political power, and the ability to dictate the terms of development and sovereignty for the rest of the world.

Is China’s foreign policy ‘good enough’?

The following article is a chapter by Friends of Socialist China co-founder Danny Haiphong from the forthcoming compilation China Changes Everything, put together by the FoSC US Committee and featuring chapters by Ken Hammond, Gerald Horne, Paweł Wargan, Kyle Ferrana, Jacquie Luqman, KJ Noh, Margaret Kimberley, Radhika Desai, Dee Knight, Keith Bennett, Carlos Martinez and others.

Danny argues that widespread Western claims about China’s foreign policy – from “debt trap diplomacy” to imperial ambitions – are unfounded and rooted in projection.

The article debunks the “debt trap” narrative, using research by scholars such as Deborah Brautigam showing that most Global South debt is owed to Western lenders, the IMF, and the World Bank rather than China. Cases often cited as examples of Chinese asset seizures, such as Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port or Uganda’s airport, are shown to be fabrications. Meanwhile, the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) focuses on infrastructure development and mutual benefit – building railways, ports, metros, energy systems, communications pathways, schools and hospitals in countries long exploited by colonial powers. These projects create jobs, raise living standards, promote development, and expand global connectivity.

Taking up the complex issue of whether China is “doing enough” in relation to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Danny rejects the accusation that China is passive. He cites China’s resolute stand at the UN demanding comprehensive ceasefire and withdrawal, its mediation efforts among Palestinian factions, and its support for the principal regional backers of Palestinian self-determination, most notably Iran. Demands that China “do more,” he says, misplace responsibility: the genocide is enabled by US military, financial, and diplomatic support. The real task for people in the West is not to pressure China, but to confront their own governments and the US-led imperial system that causes these crises.

There isn’t a single statement from the Palestinian resistance organizations or from the entire Axis of Resistance demanding that China do more. In fact, these forces are building closer ties to China with the aim of strengthening their stability and therefore their effectiveness in resisting imperialism and colonialism. China’s relations with Iran have grown tremendously, helping the biggest supporter of Palestine to survive and to even make military and industrial advances despite U.S. and EU sanctions.

Furthermore, Danny notes that China is operating under significant constraints while working systematically to oppose imperialism and enable a multipolar world order. He concludes:

It is clear that China is operating within the contradictions of a decaying US-led unipolar order, and by doing so can offer many tangible benefits to humanity. The real question we in the West should be asking is, how can we collectively strengthen our movements to put real pressure on the root cause of the genocide in Gaza: the U.S. empire. Once we do, new and ample opportunities will emerge, to end not only the horrors in Gaza, but also the entire system of empire from which they sprang.

The question in the title may seem hyperbolic, but it is one that comes up in one form or another across the U.S. political spectrum.

U.S. elites slam China’s foreign policy as riddled with “debt traps” for poorer countries in the Global South. The Western corporate media asserts that China is pursuing its own kind of empire and has a target on its own province of Taiwan as well as its neighbors in the South China Sea.

For the US ruling circle and its European vassals, China is an imperial competitor seeking to destroy the West’s “rules-based” international order (actually a euphemism for U.S. imperialism).

There are also plenty on the political “left”, even some communists, who view China in the exact same light. They consider China to be “state-capitalist” and therefore pursuing profits at the expense of humanity. And then there are those who, even if they rebuke this criticism and uphold China’s socialist foundation, are profoundly disappointed in China’s foreign policy. To these critics, China falls short of the global solidarity required in this historical moment and is not aggressive enough in the pursuit of justice.

Xi Jinping: Hegemonism causes only war and disaster; fairness and justice ensure global peace and development

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the Republic of Korea (ROK) from October 30-November 1 to attend the 32nd APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Economic Leaders’ Meeting and to then pay a state visit to the ROK.

On October 31, he delivered a written address to the APEC CEO Summit, entitled, ‘Putting the Asia Pacific at the Forefront of the Joint Endeavor for World Development and Prosperity.’

Xi Jinping noted that: “The world has come to a new crossroads – solidarity, cooperation and mutual benefit or return of hegemonism and the law of the jungle; multilateralism, openness and inclusiveness or unilateralism and protectionism. What we choose will profoundly affect the future of the world. We must have vision, step up to our responsibility, and choose what meets the expectation of the people in the Asia Pacific and stands the test of history.

“As the saying goes, ‘He who knows the past understands the present.’ Since the great victory of the World Anti-Fascist War 80 years ago, the international system with the United Nations at its core has been put in place gradually, and multilateral systems in economic, trade, financial and other areas have been established. A new chapter was opened for humanity’s pursuit of peace and development.

“History attests that humanity shares a common destiny. While hegemonism causes only war and disaster, fairness and justice ensure global peace and development. While confrontation and antagonism breed only estrangement and turbulence, win-win cooperation proves to be the right way forward. While unilateralism precipitates division and regression, multilateralism is the viable option for tackling global challenges.”

In the current situation he noted: “We embrace peaceful development and reject the assertion that a strong country will inevitably seek hegemony. We champion win-win cooperation and denounce winner-takes-all practices. We advocate mutual learning among civilisations, and do not believe in clash of civilisations. We promote fairness and justice and oppose power politics. China has successively put forward the Belt and Road Initiative as well as the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilisation Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative. They are China’s solutions to the salient issues across the world, based on Chinese wisdom. We look forward to working with all parties to promote common prosperity and a win-win future for all and building a community with a shared future for humanity.”

He then advanced four proposals as follows:

We should take the lead in safeguarding peace and stability. We must always ensure the equal right of all countries to participate in international affairs regardless of their size, strength, or wealth.

We should take the lead in enhancing openness and connectivity. We should firmly safeguard the WTO-centred, rules-based multilateral trading system, strengthen solidarity and collaboration, oppose protectionism, reject unilateralism and bullying, and prevent the world from reverting to the law of the jungle. We must have the courage to remove barriers, keep global industrial and supply chains stable and unimpeded, advance regional economic integration, push forward the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific, and play the Asia Pacific part in global economic growth.

We should take the lead in promoting win-win cooperation. We should stay true to the vision of harmony without uniformity, fully leverage the diversity of Asia Pacific economies, draw on each other’s strengths, and jointly make the pie of Asia Pacific cooperation bigger.

We should take the lead in pursuing benefits for all and inclusiveness. We should put the people first and fully implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We should create greater synergy between our development strategies and step up support for developing economies. We should bridge development gaps, increase people’s well-being, and deliver prosperity to all the people in the Asia Pacific.

Next year, he added, China will host APEC for the third time. “This demonstrates our full commitment to Asia Pacific cooperation and our willingness to fulfill our responsibilities.”

Introducing China’s current domestic situation, he explained:

“China has been a major engine of world economic growth for many years. China’s 14th Five-Year Plan period ends this year. In the past five years, despite increasing external shocks, the Chinese economy has registered an annual growth rate of around 5.5 percent on average, contributing around 30 percent of global growth. A few days ago, the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China adopted the Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan at its fourth plenary session.”

In this regard:

China can provide more growth opportunities for the global business community. It is now the world’s second largest market of consumption and import, and the only developing country that hosts a national-level international import expo and continually opens its market to the world. The China market is huge and promising.

China can provide a good business environment for the global business community. China is universally recognised as one of the safest countries in the world and grants either unilateral visa exemption or full mutual visa-free entry to 76 countries.

China can provide enabling conditions of green growth for the global business community. China is making coordinated advances in decarbonising, mitigating pollution, expanding green transition and promoting growth. It has the largest renewable energy system and the biggest, most complete new energy industrial chain in the world. The increased area of afforestation in China accounts for a quarter of the world total. We are committed to meeting our carbon peaking and carbon neutrality targets. We are actively advancing cooperation in launching green energy projects. We support the free flow of quality green technologies and products and do our best to provide assistance to developing countries.

In his address to the second session of the leaders’ meeting on November 1, President Xi said that:

“At present, the new wave of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is deepening. In particular, the rapid advance of frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence is opening new horizons for humanity. On the other hand, the world faces lackluster economic growth and a widening gap in global development. Challenges such as climate change, food security and energy security are intensifying. Asia Pacific economies must enhance mutually beneficial cooperation, make good use of new opportunities, stand up to new challenges, and forge a sustainable and brighter future together.”

In this regard, he advanced three proposals:

We should further unleash the potential of digital and smart development to give the Asia Pacific region a fresh edge in innovation-driven development. We should fully harness new technologies to empower and propel us forward, seize the opportunities of digital, smart and green development, and move faster to nurture and promote new quality productive forces. AI is very important for shaping the future and should contribute to the well-being of people of all countries and regions. We should bear in mind the well-being of the entire humanity and promote the sound and orderly development of AI while ensuring that it is beneficial, safe and fair.

We should stay committed to green and low-carbon development to build a new paradigm for sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region. Clear waters and green mountains are just as valuable as gold and silver. We should keep in mind our responsibility to our future generations, enhance synergy between green development strategies of all economies, promote free flows of quality green technologies and products, accelerate the green and low-carbon transition, and vigorously tackle climate change. We should ensure the true fulfillment of common but differentiated responsibilities, and urge developed economies to continuously provide necessary support for developing economies in financing, technology, capacity building and other areas.

We should build an inclusive and universally beneficial future to foster a new dynamism in the inclusive growth of the Asia Pacific. We should always put the people first, and strengthen policy communication, experience sharing and results-oriented cooperation to fully implement the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, eliminate poverty together, and promote shared prosperity for all the people in the Asia Pacific.

Also, on the morning of November 1, President Xi attended the handover ceremony of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and announced that China would host the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.

Understanding the changes unseen in a century

The following text is based on a presentation given by Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez at the Thinkers Forum, held at Fudan University, Shanghai, on 16 October 2025, which event brought together thinkers and scholars from around the world to discuss “Global Changes and the Reshaping of the World Order.”

Carlos explores the meaning of Xi Jinping’s observation that “the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century”, arguing that these changes reflect a historic shift from Western-led unipolar dominance toward a multipolar, post-imperialist global order. The article traces these changes back to the October Revolution of 1917, which opened a new era of socialist development and anti-colonial liberation.

After the setbacks of the 1980s and 1990s — including the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of neoliberal globalisation — Western commentators like Francis Fukuyama declared “the end of history”. Yet, as Deng Xiaoping noted, history advances through contradictions and reversals. The 2008 financial crisis, widening inequality and environmental collapse have since exposed the limits of neoliberal capitalism.

Meanwhile, a multipolar world is emerging. China stands at the centre of this process, advancing initiatives such as the Belt and Road, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative — all based on sovereignty, non-interference, and mutual benefit. Such efforts are helping countries of the Global South break from dependency and pursue sustainable, sovereign development.

The US and its allies, meanwhile, cling to hegemony through wars, sanctions, economic coercion and destabilisation. Humanity faces a stark choice: socialism or barbarism, cooperation or confrontation. Carlos concludes by calling for a global united front of socialist, anti-imperialist, and progressive forces to ensure that this century’s transformations lead to peace, justice, and sustainable development.

Carlos’s presentation was summarised in the popular Chinese news website Guancha.

General Secretary Xi Jinping has observed several times that “the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century”. What are these changes, and what are their implications for the current global situation?

Before addressing the changes the world is experiencing today, it is worthwhile reflecting on the major changes that occurred a century ago, since the dramatic shifts of that time laid the foundations for the transformations we are witnessing now.

The October Revolution of 1917 was a watershed moment marking the beginning of humanity’s transition from capitalism to socialism. The revolution in Russia led to the formation of the world’s first socialist state – the Soviet Union – which became a revolutionary base area for the working class and oppressed peoples of the world. The Soviet Union provided crucial support for the liberation of, and construction of socialism in, Eastern Europe, China, Cuba, Korea, Vietnam and elsewhere.

The Soviet Union and China played the decisive role in the defeat of fascism in World War II. This victory gave tremendous impetus to the anti-colonial movement and national liberation struggles around the world – in Africa, in Asia, in Latin America, in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The colonial system was no longer viable.

As such, the October Revolution constituted the first major breach in the imperialist world system, thereby marking the start of the current era of human development.

Tianjin Declaration advances roadmap for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

On August 31-September 1, the Chinese coastal city of Tianjin hosted the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

The meeting adopted the Tianjin Declaration. At just over 6,000 words, it sets out a comprehensive roadmap for the next phase of the organisation’s development across a wide range of issues and sectors. It begins by noting that:

“The global political and economic landscape, as well as other fields of international relations, are undergoing profound historical changes. The international system is evolving toward a more just, equitable, and representative multipolarity, opening new prospects for countries’ own development and mutually beneficial cooperation.

“At the same time, geopolitical confrontations are intensifying, posing threats and challenges to the security and stability of the world and the SCO region. The global economy, particularly international trade and financial markets, is suffering severe shocks.

“The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II and the founding of the United Nations. The great victory of peace-loving nations united to defeat Nazism, fascism, and militarism determined the course of world history and created conditions for establishing a stable international relations system ensuring peaceful development for humanity. Member states call for remembering the heroic feats of peoples and the historical lessons of World War II.”

In a clear reference to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, adopted by China’s Premier Zhou Enlai and Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1954, it states:

“Member states advocate respect for the right of all peoples to independently choose their political, economic, and social development paths, emphasising that mutual respect for sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, equality, mutual benefit, non-interference in internal affairs, and the principle of non-use or threat of use of force are the foundation for the stable development of international relations.”

It adds that: “Member states reaffirm the practical significance of promoting the building of a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation, as well as a community with a shared future for humanity, and conducting dialogue based on the concept of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future.’”

Regarding some key international issues at present, the Declaration affirms:

PALESTINE:

“Member states reaffirm their deep concern over the ongoing escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and strongly condemn the actions that have caused numerous civilian casualties and a humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip.

Largest ever gathering of SCO family held in Tianjin

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

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

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

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

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

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

Seeking common ground while putting aside differences. SCO member states should respect their differences, maintain strategic communication, build up consensus, and strengthen solidarity and collaboration.

Pursuing mutual benefit and win-win results. SCO member states need to better align their development strategies and promote the high-quality implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, improve trade and investment facilitation, enhance cooperation in such areas as energy, infrastructure, green industry, the digital economy, scientific and technological innovation, and artificial intelligence, so as to march toward modernisation hand in hand by bringing out the best in one another and working together for a shared future.

Championing openness and inclusiveness. SCO member states need to enhance mutual understanding and friendship through people-to-people exchanges, firmly support one another in economic cooperation, and jointly cultivate a garden of civilisations in which all cultures flourish in prosperity and harmony through mutual enlightenment.

Upholding fairness and justice. SCO member states must promote a correct historical perspective on World War II, oppose the Cold War mentality, bloc confrontation and bullying practices, safeguard the UN-centred international system, support the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, and make the global governance system more just and equitable.

Striving for real results and high efficiency. SCO member states should continuously promote the reform of the Organisation, increase resources input and enhance capacity building to improve its institutional structure and make its decision-making more scientific and its actions more efficient, and provide stronger underpinnings for security and economic cooperation among them.

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

BRICS countries seek common stand on ‘tariff wars’

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

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

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

To this end, President Xi made three proposals:

Upholding multilateralism to defend international fairness and justice. Multilateralism is the shared aspiration of the people and the overarching trend of our time. It provides an important underpinning for world peace and development. The Global Governance Initiative that President Xi recently proposed is aimed at galvanising joint global action for a more just and equitable system. Active efforts should be made to promote greater democracy in international relations and increase the representation and voice of Global South countries.

Upholding openness and win-win cooperation to safeguard the international economic and trade order. BRICS countries should promote a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation, place development at the heart of the international agenda, and ensure that Global South countries participate in international cooperation as equals and share in the fruits of development.

Upholding solidarity and cooperation to foster synergy for common development. BRICS countries account for nearly half of the world’s population, around 30 percent of global economic output, and one-fifth of global trade. The more closely they work together, the more resilient, resourceful and effective they are in addressing external risks and challenges.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He adds:

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

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

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

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

China’s victory in the war against Japanese aggression inspired the oppressed people of the Global South

Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei has stated that the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression was the first complete victory in China’s modern national liberation struggle and added that this greatly inspired the people of colonised and semi-colonised countries around the world that had suffered from aggression and oppression.

He was speaking at an August 28 press conference where he introduced the 26 heads of state or government who will attend Beijing’s September 3 commemoration of the 80^th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War at the invitation of President Xi Jinping.

Responding to a comment regarding the heavy representation of leaders from the Global South, Hong added that China’s victory had given the oppressed nations confidence and courage to fight for national independence and liberation and had exerted a profound influence on their eventual triumph.

Eighty years later, the era when a handful of countries dominated the destinies of others, monopolised international affairs and held exclusive advantages in development has become a thing of the past. The collective rise of the Global South is fundamentally reshaping the global landscape. No longer the “silent majority” or a “vast backward bloc,” the Global South now represents an awakened new force and new source of hope in changes unseen in a century, Hong noted. The following article was originally published by Global Times.

When asked to comment that among the foreign guests and dignitaries attending China’s V-Day commemorations in Beijing, many are leaders from Global South countries, Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei stated that the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression was the first complete victory in China’s modern national liberation struggle, greatly inspiring colonized and semi-colonized countries around the world that had suffered from aggression and oppression.

It gave them the confidence and courage to fight for national independence and liberation, exerting a profound influence on their eventual triumph, said Hong.

Eighty years later, the era when a handful of countries dominated the destinies of others, monopolized international affairs and held exclusive advantages in development has become a thing of the past. The collective rise of the Global South is fundamentally reshaping the global landscape.

Over the past 40 years, the share of Global South countries in global GDP has risen from 24 percent to over 40 percent, and in the past 20 years they have contributed as much as 80 percent of global economic growth. Increasingly, Global South countries are hosting BRICS, APEC and G20 summits, making their voices heard and leaving a clear imprint, said Hong.

No longer the “silent majority” or a “vast backward bloc,” the Global South now represents an awakened new force and new source of hope in changes unseen in a century, Hong noted.

More than 80 years ago, in that life-and-death struggle between justice and evil, peace-loving people around the world united to form a broad anti-fascist front, defeating brutal aggressors, creating world peace and laying an important foundation for the postwar international order. Today, China stands ready to work together with Global South countries and others to promote a more equal and orderly multipolar world, advance inclusive and beneficial economic globalization and jointly contribute to the just cause of world peace, development and progress, Hong said.

Beyond victory: Rethinking WWII’s legacy in a fractured world

We are pleased to publish below an original article by Wu Yanni, a Beijing-based political commentator and contributor to Chinese and international media, arguing that the lessons of World War II remain relevant – and indeed urgent – in today’s geopolitical context.

Marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism and the founding of the United Nations, Wu stresses that the war’s devastation—100 million casualties worldwide, including 35 million Chinese lives—is a sobering reminder that militarism “leads not to greatness, but to ruin.” For China, the 14-year resistance against Japan became both a struggle for survival and part of the foundation of its modern nationhood.

A central theme is the danger of selective memory. Wu critiques attempts in Japan to downplay atrocities such as the Nanjing Massacre or Unit 731, a secret research facility in Heilongjiang, northeast China, where criminal and inhumane experiments were carried out on Chinese, Russian, Korean and other prisoners. Globally, she warns, invoking distorted history to justify present-day militarism and aggression undermines the spirit of the UN Charter and runs counter to the multipolar trend.

The article highlights the overlooked role of the Global South in the war: India’s 2.5 million volunteer soldiers, African and Latin American contributions, and Brazil’s combat role. These experiences have been marginalised and largely ignored in Western historical accounts. Wu writes:

As soldiers returned home, many questioned why they had fought for freedom abroad while being denied basic rights at home. From Vietnam to Ghana to Indonesia, national liberation movements accelerated. The 1955 Bandung Conference, where newly independent nations charted a path toward nonalignment and sovereignty, marked a turning point.

Today, however, “the Global South is no longer a silent object of history. From BRICS cooperation to African-led development frameworks and Latin American regionalism, formerly marginalised voices are demanding a say in shaping global rules.”

Wu Yanni concludes by recounting China’s peaceful rise and its consistent orientation towards inclusive development and multilateral cooperation. As such, China is helping to truly apply the lessons of WWII, “building a future where peace is sustained not by dominance but by cooperation, equity, and respect”.

War and peace have always shaped the trajectory of human civilization. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the broader World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the founding of the United Nations.

Eighty years ago, nations came together in the wake of unprecedented devastation to chart a new path for global peace. China, along with the Soviet Union, was among the first to sign the UN Charter, an act symbolizing a shared hope that the horrors of fascism would never be repeated.

The price of that hope was staggering: over 100 million casualties, with half of humanity drawn into the conflict. For China, the war was not just a battleground against foreign invasion; it was a pivotal moment in its modern nationhood. The 14-year resistance against Japanese aggression, which cost 35 million Chinese military and civilian lives, held the Eastern Front and helped shape the moral foundation of the postwar international order.

Looking back from today’s fractured and uncertain world, the lessons of that war remain painfully relevant. Militarism, no matter how technologically advanced or ideologically justified, inevitably breeds destruction. Dominant narratives that claim moral superiority cannot contain the rising currents of multipolarity. Real peace cannot be achieved through alliances defined by exclusion. It requires a shared commitment to inclusion, fairness, and mutual respect.

Trump’s tariffs against Latin America: part of a global battle

In the following Morning Star article, Francisco Domínguez (Secretary of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign and member of Friends of Socialist China’s Britain committee) situates Donald Trump’s escalating tariff war against Latin America within a broader US imperial strategy to block the emergence of a multipolar world — particularly one shaped by China’s growing influence.

While Trump’s tariffs and other coercive economic measures often appear chaotic, their underlying goal is to “slow down, reduce and if possible, eliminate altogether” China’s alternative vision of global order, based on solidarity and mutually beneficial cooperation rather than “weaponisation of the dollar, economic sanctions or military aggression.”

Washington views the increasingly close relationship between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and China as intolerable. China has become South America’s main trading partner and Central America’s second largest, expanding beyond raw materials into infrastructure, electric vehicles, telecommunications and renewable energy. Thus China is helping the countries of the region to break out of centuries of underdevelopment imposed by North America and Europe.

Francisco argues that the US–China relationship is often misrepresented as an inevitable conflict between superpowers (a ‘Thucydides Trap’), when in reality it reflects “two different conceptions of how to organise the global economy.” The US insists on a zero-sum model that creates winners in the developed North and losers in the Global South; China promotes a model based on multipolarity, sovereignty and common prosperity.

The article concludes: “The US considers itself the ‘indispensable nation’ which has always engaged in zero-sum games whose outcome produces winners (the US and its economically developed accomplices) and losers (the vast majority of humanity who reside in the global South). Trump’s tariffs intend to keep it that way, while Latin America’s orientation towards Asia, China and the Brics is correctly pushing in the opposite direction: to a fairer, multipolar world.”

Francisco elaborates on these points in a recent interview on the Global Majority for Peace podcast, which we embed below the article.

Trump’s threat of imposing a crippling 50 per cent tariff on all Brazilian imports to the United States took everyone by surprise, especially, considering the US enjoys a trade surplus with the South American giant (surplus it has enjoyed since 2007). Lula made it clear that Brazil would reciprocate in kind.

Trump tariffs against Brazil are in line with his overall policy of applying tariffs on all countries in the world. Under Trump US imperialism seeks to establish a global system that it suits itself such that it can impose or change any rule any time it wants and attack any country it dislikes.

As with many other global institutions, Trump, following in the footsteps of previous US administrations, is prepared to run roughshod over World Trade Organisation rules that US imperialism itself was central in establishing in 1995.

Thus, his attack on Mexico is not surprising either, country with which it has a substantial trade deficit caused by its southern neighbour’s incorporation into US supply chain arrangements ever since the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta).

The US has had a trade deficit with Mexico ever since 1995, exactly one year after Nafta.

To Trump’s chagrin, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has vigorously defended her country’s sovereignty and has skilfully navigated US provocations.

To the charge of Mexico being a drug-trafficking hub, she has pointed out to US negotiators that the “the US itself harbours cartels, is the largest narcotic consumer market, exports the majority of armaments used by drug barons and hosts money-laundering banks.” She has also resolutely refused the deployment of US troops on Mexican soil.

The Global Civilizations Dialogue Ministerial Meeting: A liberating vista of a multipolar world

In the following article, Russel Harland (Deputy Branch Secretary and International Relations Officer, Surrey County UNISON, and a member of the Friends of Socialist China Britain Committee) reflects on his participation in the Global Civilizations Dialogue Ministerial Meeting held in Beijing in July 2025, as part of a diverse international delegation.

The conference, attended by over 600 delegates from more than 140 countries, aimed to foster intercivilisational dialogue, mutual understanding, and peace—core principles of President Xi Jinping’s Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI), which, Russel writes, provides a transformative alternative to neoliberal and hegemonic worldviews.

The event’s central theme—Safeguarding Diversity of Human Civilisations for World Peace and Development—was especially resonant amidst current global crises, including the genocide being waged in Gaza. Speeches by senior Chinese officials and international guests praised China’s commitment to peace, multiculturalism, and people-centred development. President Xi’s message underscored values of equality, inclusivity, and cooperation among civilisations.

Participants, including former leaders of Belgium, Japan, and Indonesia, expressed admiration for China’s leadership and global vision. The second day featured smaller roundtables on civilisational exchange, where speakers—from astronauts to poets—stressed the need for empathy, solidarity, and shared progress. Delegates from the Global South highlighted their struggles against colonialism and neoliberalism, echoing a shared history of resistance.

Russel found inspiration in the conference and his pre-conference travels with fellow delegates, seeing China as a hub of cultural diplomacy and hope. He drew parallels with Ireland’s colonial past and stressed the need to break historical constraints through dialogue and understanding. Ultimately, he sees the GCI as a platform for building a just, multipolar world in which, as the Irish poet Seamus Heaney put it, “hope and history rhyme.”

It was an honour to attend the Global Civilisations Dialogue Ministerial Meeting on 10-11 July 2025 in Beijing as an Irish delegate from Friends of Socialist China.This momentous event brought togethermore than six hundred delegates from over 140 countries and regions. Its purpose was to enhance cultural exchanges among civilisations so as to strengthen trust and mutual understanding and transcend differences, recognising the importance of working together for the common aspirationsof humanity.

The conference came a month after the first United Nations International Day for Dialogue among Civilisations, which followed a China-sponsored resolution calling for June 10th to be recognised as a global day for furthering civil dialogue and promoting peace among nations. It is rooted in President Xi Jinping’s 2023 Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI). Together with the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative, also proposed by President Xi, they constitute a framework for global transformation away from such neo-liberal maxims as “there is no alternative” and that relations between nations are a “zero-sum game.”

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation prepares for Tianjin Summit

The Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) met in the Chinese city of Tianjin on July 15 to make preparations for the SCO Summit, which will be held in the same city on August 31-September 1, immediately prior to China’s celebration of the 80^th anniversary of victory in the war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the global anti-fascist war, scheduled for September 3.

As China currently holds the rotating presidency of the SCO, the meeting was chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and was attended by:

Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi
Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu
Kyrgyz Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeenbek Kulubaev
Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin
Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov
SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev; and
Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure Ularbek Sharsheev

Wang Yi said that over the past 24 years since its founding, under the strategic guidance of the leaders of member states, the SCO has maintained steady and positive growth, continuously expanded cooperation areas, consistently enhanced its international prestige, and increasingly highlighted its strategic value, becoming a reliable anchor for member states to maintain regional stability and achieve common development.

He noted that at present, profound changes unseen in a century unfold at a faster pace, with intertwined and overlapped turbulence and transformation. While a multipolar world and economic globalisation continue to deepen and the Global South stands out with a strong momentum, at the same time, hegemonism and power politics run counter to the tide of progress, the counter-current of protectionism surges, and regional conflicts keep flaring up. Under the new circumstances, member states need to adopt a responsible attitude toward history and the future and reach further consensus on strengthening the SCO.

Wang Yi put forward five proposals for the SCO’s future development:

Stay true to its founding mission and carry forward the Shanghai Spirit. Mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilisations and pursuit of common development illustrate what a new type of international relations should be.

Share weal and woe and consolidate the foundation of security. China is deeply concerned about the situation in the Middle East. The use of force against Iran’s sovereignty and security is a clear violation of international law and undermines the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. Afghanistan is an important member of the SCO family. Efforts should be made to support Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development, and address both symptoms and root causes to realise lasting peace and stability.

Pursue mutual benefit and win-win results to drive the engine of development. Development is of paramount importance and holds the master key to all problems.

Champion good-neighbourliness and jointly build a beautiful home. Helping one’s neighbours is helping oneself.

Uphold the right path and defend fairness and justice. A certain country puts its own interests over the international public good, undermining the common interests of the international community. The SCO should take the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN) as an opportunity to champion the common values of humanity, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of member states, and work for a more just and equitable global governance system.

At a later press conference, Wang Yi announced that leaders from more than 20 countries and heads of 10 international organisations will attend the August 31-September 1 summit and related events. He added that the meeting made comprehensive preparations for the Tianjin Summit and signed multiple resolutions, including the draft Tianjin Declaration of the Council of Heads of State and the draft SCO Development Strategy for the Next Decade.

In the morning of July 15, prior to the Tianjin meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping had a group meeting with the foreign ministers and heads of permanent bodies of the SCO at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.