Obituaries Archives - Friends of Socialist China

China deeply mourns the passing of Sam Nujoma

The death of Sam Nujoma, the Founding Father of Namibia and the country’s first President, has been deeply mourned both in his own country as well as throughout Africa and by progressive humanity worldwide.

Comrade Nujoma passed away on 8 February 2025 at the age of 95 in a hospital in the national capital Windhoek, to which he had been admitted three weeks previously. He had led the Namibian struggle for freedom since the 1950s and was the last of the iconic leaders of the liberation struggle in southern Africa. He now joins his comrades-in-arms, Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Samora Machel of Mozambique, Agostinho Neto of Angola, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, and Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia.

Sam Nujoma was a great and lifelong friend of China, who met Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai and many other Chinese leaders of succeeding generations. Socialist China in turn has consistently supported the people of Namibia and the South West African People’s Organisation (SWAPO), founded by Nujoma, in both the struggle for national liberation and in the building of a new society.

In a message to current Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba, Chinese President Xi Jinping, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, expressed deep condolences over the passing of Nujoma and extended sincere sympathy to the family of Nujoma, the Namibian government and people.

Xi said that Nujoma was a statesman and revolutionary of the older generation in Africa who made historic contributions in leading the Namibian people in their pursuit of national independence and liberation, and a development path suited to the country’s conditions. Throughout his life, he remained a firm friend of China and actively promoted traditional China-Namibia friendship and China-Africa cooperation. Noting that the passing of Nujoma is a tremendous loss for the people of Namibia, Xi said that the Chinese people have also lost an old and dear friend.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that China deeply mourns the passing of former President Nujoma and expresses sincere condolences to Namibian government, people, and Nujoma’s family. He added that Nujoma was a freedom fighter and revolutionary leader who led the Namibian people in their pursuit of national independence and liberation. He was the founding father highly respected and loved by the Namibian people and made positive contributions to the cause of human peace and development.

Guo went on to say that former President Nujoma was one of the founders of the China-Namibia friendship and made important contributions to the development of China-Namibia relations and China-Africa relations. In this time of sorrow, the Chinese people will stand firmly with the Namibian people, turning grief into strength, and jointly promoting the continuous flourishing of China-Namibia and China-Africa friendship and shared development.

A patriot, a Pan-Africanist and an internationalist, the role played by Nujoma can be adduced from the numerous awards bestowed on him, including the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union, the Ho Chi Minh Peace Prize by Vietnam, the International Kim Il Sung Prize by the DPRK, the Order of José Martí by Cuba, and the Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo by South Africa.

Declaring three days of national mourning for the Namibian leader, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, stated: “He demonstrated throughout his life a special affection for Cuba and support for the Cuban Revolution, from the time he led the heroic Namibian people in the struggle for independence, and later, when he assumed the highest leadership of his nascent independent state, and also as an African leader, a symbol of firmness and defence of just causes.

“He was a fervent promoter of solidarity and cooperation with Cuba and never ceased to recognise and appreciate the Cuban contribution to the struggles for the liberation of Africa and the end of apartheid. The Cuban people and government will always be grateful for his support in the struggle against the blockade.”

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “As neighbours and compatriots, South Africa is united in grief with Namibians who have lost the leader of the Namibian revolution, who is inseparable from our own history of struggle and liberation.

“Dr Sam Nujoma was an extraordinary freedom fighter who divided his revolutionary programme between Namibia’s own struggle against South African colonialism and the liberation of South Africa from apartheid.

“In exile and on home soil, he led the Ovambo People’s Organisation, the South West Africa People’s Organisation and the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia against the seemingly unshakeable might of colonial and apartheid authorities and forces.

“Sam Nujoma inspired the Namibian people to pride and resistance that belied the size of the population. Namibia’s attainment of independence from South Africa in 1990 ignited in us the inevitability of our own liberation.

“President Nujoma’s leadership of a free Namibia laid the foundation for the solidarity and partnership our two countries share today – a partnership we will continue to deepen as neighbours and friends.”

The South African Communist Party stated: “In paying tribute to Comrade Sam Nujoma, the SACP reiterates its support for the Namibian people’s efforts to develop their country further, grounded in national sovereignty and self-determination. In this respect, the SACP will strengthen its ties with its historical ally, SWAPO.”

South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters party noted of Nujoma’s early struggles: “From working as a railway cleaner while attending night school, to organising black workers against forced removals, he embodied the spirit of defiance that would define his lifelong struggle for justice.”

Former President Thabo Mbeki said he met Nujoma for the first time in Lusaka in 1971. He said they would call Nujoma ‘Uncle Sam’. “President Nujoma was one of our leaders in the true sense of the world. We did not treat him as a leader from another organisation. He was one of our leaders during the struggle, not only Swapo’s leader.”

Speaking to the media, President Nangolo Mbumba said: “This is the man without whom you would still be under colonialism. Don’t forget that… He made ordinary workers – from farm workers to mine workers – trained them and made them brilliant soldiers.”

These sentiments were echoed by survivors of the attacks on the Cassinga and Vietnam camps in Angola, who said Nujoma has left a legacy that is difficult to match.

A statement from the Cassinga and Vietnam Survivors Committee said :“The passing of Comrade Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma marks the end of an epoch … He will always be remembered in Namibia’s history as a great patriot, revolutionary, fearless freedom fighter and a unifying leader.

“For us survivors of the Cassinga massacre barbarically committed by the colonial apartheid regime of South Africa … Comrade Nujoma left us with fond memories of a caring leader. He not only made sure that our wounded compatriots received the required medical treatment, but he also personally visited them at the hospitals in Angola and other countries. Comrade Nujoma also made sure that many children who survived the Cassinga massacre were sent by SWAPO to study in friendly countries, such as Cuba and the German Democratic Republic at the time.”

SWAPO Youth League secretary Ephraim Nekongo said Nujoma has profoundly shaped the country’s identity and values, leaving an enduring legacy that continues to inspire all.

“One of my most cherished memories of Nujoma is his unwavering commitment to the principles of freedom, justice and equality. His resilience during the protracted struggle for independence served as a beacon of hope for countless Namibians, inspiring us to stand firm and united in the face of adversity.”

Nekongo added that Nujoma consistently emphasised that independence was not merely a political victory, but a shared triumph of the Namibian people.

“As a former contract labourer, he experienced labour exploitation and mobilised workers. Nujoma realised that Namibian workers’ plights can only be solved in a conducive political environment, thus he mobilised them to join the armed liberation struggle of Namibia.” Nujoma’s decision to leave the country and garner international support for Namibia’s armed struggle will remain a watershed moment in Namibia’s liberation history.

“Namibians will always cherish Nujoma’s political ideals and his immense leadership strength during the struggle for independence and afterwards.”

Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA), the successor organisation to Britain’s Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM), commented:

“This achievement [the defeat of apartheid and the winning of national independence] would have been enough to secure Sam Nujoma’s reputation, but he was also a man of great vision. He argued for and persuaded SWAPO to recognise the rights of women and children, long before they became the government of their country. He argued for good education and good health services, and his government began to put those things into place. He took care of his people.”

At the time of writing, Namibia had entered an undeclared period of national mourning with funeral arrangements and related protocols yet to be announced.

The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency and Global Times.

Xi extends condolences over passing of Namibian founding president

BEIJING, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday extended condolences to his Namibian counterpart, Nangolo Mbumba, over the passing of Namibia’s founding President Sam Nujoma.

On behalf of the Chinese government and people, Xi expressed deep condolences over the passing of Nujoma and extended sincere sympathy to the family of Nujoma, the Namibian government and people.

Alex Salmond – a great and sincere friend of China

Friends of Socialist China expresses its sincere condolences following the shocking death of Alex Salmond, who died on October 12, 2024, from a massive heart attack while attending an international conference in North Macedonia. The enduring contribution he made to political life was reflected in the tributes paid from across the political spectrum, in Scotland, the UK and beyond, as well as from people of all walks of life, not least in the minute of applause by thousands of Scotland football fans ahead of their team’s international match against Portugal on October 15.

The founder and leader of the Alba Party, Salmond served as the First Minister of Scotland from 2007-2014. He also served as the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 1990-200 and from 2004-2014. He founded the Alba Party in 2021.

Alex Salmond was a great and sincere friend of China. He strongly supported friendship and cooperation with China throughout his time as Scotland’s First Minister. The March 2014 edition of ‘Voice of Friendship’, the magazine of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, reported on his November 2013 visit to Beijing, describing him as, “an old friend who visited China successively in the years from 2009-2011.”

On that occasion, Salmond presented State Councillor Yang Jiechi with his government’s document, ‘Scotland’s Strategy for Stronger Engagement with China’.

Reporting his visit to the Confucius Institute Headquarters, ‘Voice of Friendship’ noted: “Since he took office, Mr. Salmond has attached great importance to carrying out cultural exchanges with China. Right now, Confucius Institutes have been set up in four universities and Confucius Classrooms in 13 primary and secondary schools in Scotland, with a total of 150 schools and institutions teaching Mandarin.”

When the Conservative government threatened to ban Confucius Institutes in 2022, in contrast to some fair-weather ‘friends’, Salmond retorted:

“This is the sort of Cold War mentality on display by Westminster which ends in hot wars. The Scottish Government should defend these valuable cultural exchanges and oppose any attempts by the UK Government to close them down. We have nothing to fear from talking and exchanging culture. The real danger is from those who wish to divide the world into armed camps and who wish to shut Scotland out from the international community.”

Just last month, he gave an interview to the Xinhua News Agency, in which he identified wind energy as one of the potential areas for cooperation between Scotland and China. He expressed enthusiasm for Chinese involvement in Scotland’s wind energy sector, “particularly given both sides’ substantial expertise in both onshore and offshore wind power.”

“I hope to see greater collaboration between Chinese and Scottish experts in both continental and offshore wind power,” he said.

Salmond’s unwavering backing for friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation with China, and his opposition to the new Cold War, was consistent with his overall political stance. Along with Jeremy Corbyn and George Galloway – both of whom paid tribute to him – he was one of a handful of leading British politicians to oppose all imperialist wars in his political lifetime, including those against Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

He was a strong and passionate supporter of the Palestinian people. Middle East Eye reported:

“The former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, who died unexpectedly during a conference in North Macedonia at the weekend, was one of the most vocally pro-Palestinian western leaders of his generation and a vociferous opponent of the Iraq war.

“The former SNP leader was a longtime supporter of the Palestinian cause. In 2004, he opposed Britain’s abstention on a UN resolution condemning Israel’s assassination of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

“Then in 2010, as SNP leader, Salmond slammed Israel’s assassination of Hamas member Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai.

“As first minister, he called for an embargo on arms sales to Israel in August 2014, amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

“Salmond later stirred controversy in 2016 as a representative for UK in Europe by attacking the Israeli representative for criticising Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s presence in France during a Holocaust commemoration service.

“His pro-Palestinian stance continued after his departure from the SNP in 2018, and when he became leader of a new pro-independence party called the Alba Party from 2021 onwards.

“Earlier this month Salmond slammed Britain’s Labour government on social media platform X, asking: ‘Is the UK to ‘stand with Israel’ in Gaza, in Lebanon, in flagrant breaches of international law, in tens of thousands of civilian deaths over the last year?’

‘This was in response to Starmer promising support for Israel after it was hit by an Iranian missile attack.

“Salmond added: ‘Britain is the former colonial power and the Middle East is one of the few areas where what is said by the PM actually matters.

“‘Would a better policy not be to simply say ‘we stand to uphold international law and unequivocally back the UN’s pursuit of peace?’”

“Earlier this year he also made headlines for demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be arrested ‘and sent to the courts’ if he steps foot on Scottish soil, following the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli and Hamas leaders.”

Middle East Eye further reported:

“Salmond firmly opposed Britain’s invasion alongside the US of Iraq in 2003, and later said there was ‘substantial evidence’ that Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair had intended to deceive the public.

“In 2016 as the SNP foreign affairs spokesperson, Salmond tabled an unsuccessful motion in the House of Commons calling for parliamentary committees to investigate Blair.

“In 2015, Salmond… led a mission to Tehran to boost business and cultural links between Scotland and Iran.”

Domestically, as First Minister of Scotland, Salmond implemented a number of progressive policies favourable to working people, including free prescriptions and free university tuition.

China’s Consul General in Edinburgh has sent a letter of condolences to the First Minister of Scotland mourning the death of Alex Salmond.

We take this opportunity to express our condolences to Alex’s wife Moira, his other family members, his colleagues in the Alba Party and his countless friends.

We reprint below the statement from the family and also embed a short clip from Alba’s conference in May this year, in which Alex speaks on the ongoing genocide in Gaza with passion and principle.

Family Statement on the Death of Alex Salmond

The family of Alex Salmond would like to extend our sincere thanks for the many hundreds of kind messages, calls and cards.

Alex was a formidable politician, an amazing orator, an outstanding intellect, and admired throughout the world. He loved meeting people and hearing their stories, and showed incredible kindness to those who needed it. He dedicated his adult life to the cause he believed in – independence for Scotland. His vision and enthusiasm for Scotland and the Yes movement were both inspirational and contagious.

But to us, first and foremost, he was a devoted and loving husband, a fiercely loyal brother, a proud and thoughtful uncle and a faithful and trusted friend.

In our darkest of family moments, he was always the one who got us through, making this time even more difficult, as he is not here for us to turn to. His resilience and optimism knew no bounds.

He led us to believe in better. Without Alex, life will never be the same again. But he would want us to continue with his life’s work for independence, and for justice, and that is what we shall do. “The dream shall never die.”

Moira, Margaret, Gail, Bob, Neil, Ian, Karen, Christina and Mark

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.

Nguyen Phu Trong made unforgettable contributions to Vietnam–China relations

Since Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), passed away on July 19, the Vietnamese party newspaper Nhân Dân has carried many articles extolling the late leader’s great contributions to the friendly relationship between Vietnam and China, which has socialism at its core.

On July 20, it carried an interview with Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo who said: “Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is a person who persisted in Marxism and a great leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people.”

He added that: “Nguyen Phu Trong attached special importance to the strengthening of the corruption fight and party building and rectification. Especially after the 13th Congress of the Party, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam headed by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has pushed up the corruption fight with a spirit of ‘no off-limits zones’ and reaped many important results, firmly ensuring the maintenance of social order and security and the following of the way to socialism suitable to the situation in the country.”

He described Trong’s well-known strategy of ‘bamboo diplomacy’ as “underlining that sturdy root means consistently following the CPV leadership and the path to socialism. At the same time, it is necessary to be flexible in terms of strategy on the basis of firmly maintaining independence and self-mastery, and actively developing friendly relations with countries in the world. Under the leadership of the CPV Central Committee headed by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnamese diplomacy has gained many important achievements as described by the CPV leader that Vietnam ‘has never enjoyed such fortune, power, international standing and prestige as it does today.’”

Moreover, “Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is a close comrade and a sincere friend of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people. He was the one who inherited and developed the traditional friendship of ‘comradeship and brotherhood’ between the two parties and countries of China and Vietnam, forming a passionate friendship with the Communist Party of China and Chinese leaders.”

Recalling his personal relationship and friendship with Trong, the Ambassador said:

“The event that left the deepest impression on me took place on August 25 last year. At the invitation of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, I accompanied him in the visit to the Huu Nghi International Border Gate in the northern province of Lang Son, which is located at the border between the two countries. Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong repeatedly emphasised that the Vietnam-China Friendship border gate is unique in the world, sending out an important message to the people of both countries and the international community on the traditional friendship between China and Vietnam.

“Together with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, I planted the Vietnam-China friendship tree. The party leader affectionately said: ‘This friendship tree has strong roots like the Vietnam-China relationship. With the care of the people of the two countries, this friendship tree will surely grow strong and healthy.’ That Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong himself promoted the traditional relations of friendship between the two countries made me feel extremely touched.”

On July 23, the paper reported Li Minghan, a Hong Kong-based scholar on Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh, as saying that he is extremely saddened by Trong’s passing. It added that:

“Observing and studying Vietnam’s development for more than a decade, Li realised that General Secretary Trong had good and noble virtues of a leader like President Ho Chi Minh. Vietnam’s achievements have had a profound impact on all socialist countries in the world, especially its anti-corruption results in recent years. General Secretary Trong looked small and simple but he was so strong-willed to order the stringent settlement of corrupt officials strictly, even those holding high positions in the party and state leadership.”

Trong also left an extremely good impression of his integrity and simplicity during his whole life devoted to the party, the nation and the people.

Noting that the General Secretary used only an old car for about 20 years while working in various positions, including three terms as the leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Li shared that to effectively fight against corruption and negative phenomena, leaders themselves must set good examples first.

Li, who is 80 years old, said that both he and his wife used to learn Vietnamese at Beijing Foreign Studies University. His father-in-law had the honour to prepare a meal for President Ho Chi Minh when he worked at the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi. That inspired his interest in studying Vietnam in general and President Ho Chi Minh in particular.

Regarding Vietnam-China relations, Li said that one of the bilateral ties’ highlights under Trong’s leadership is an appropriate and effective foreign policy in harmonising Vietnam’s relations with major countries, as well as strengthening and developing connections with socialist countries and communist parties.

The following articles were originally published by Nhân Dân.

Ambassador Xiong Bo: Contributions by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to Vietnam – China remain unforgettable

July 20 (Nhân Dân) — General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong passed away on July 19 afternoon at the age of 80, according to the board of health protection and care for central officials. Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo expressed his sentiment and ideas on the late leader following the event.

Reporter: In the great loss of the Vietnamese Party, State and people, how do you assess the role and contributions by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to the revolutionary cause of Vietnam?

Ambassador Xiong Bo: First of all, I am deeply grieved and would like to express the deepest condolences on the passing away of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China immediately sent its message of condolences to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, respectfully commemorating Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is a person who persisted Marxism and a great leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Vietnamese people. He was elected as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam at the Party’s 11th, 12th, and 13th Congresses, and supported and loved by the Vietnamese people. Over the past more than 10 years, he has led the Party, Government, and people of Vietnam in recording many important development achievements. Party General Nguyen Phu Trong is an outstanding politician who has profound perception on the maintenance of the Party’s leadership and the persistence of the way to socialism, leaving deep imprints on me.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong attached special importance to the strengthening of the corruption fight and Party building and rectification, especially after the 13th Congress of the Party, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam headed by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has pushed up the corruption fight with a spirit of “no off-limits zones” and reaped many important results, firmly ensuring the maintenance of social order and security and the following of the way to socialism suitable to the situation in the country.

Reporter: Over the recent years, Vietnam has pushed up the implementation of the “bamboo diplomacy” featuring strong roots, solid stems, and flexible branches. How do you assess the role of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in shaping and developing this diplomatic policy?

Ambassador Xiong Bo: Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong initiated the persistent implementation of the “bamboo diplomacy”, underlining that sturdy root means consistently following the CPV leadership and the path to socialism. At the same time, it is necessary to be flexible in terms of strategy on the basis of firmly maintaining independence and self-mastery, and actively developing friendly relations with countries in the world. Under the leadership of the CPV Central Committee headed by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnamese diplomacy has gained many important achievements as described by the CPV leader that Vietnam “has never enjoyed such fortune, power, international standing and prestige as it does today.”

We found that Vietnam’s diplomacy underscores the priority to developing relations with neighbours and world powers as well as partners sharing traditional friendship. At the same time, Vietnam has persistently supported true multilateralism, attached importance to the protection of international equality and justice, and opposed the interference in internal affairs of other states. China highly evaluates this.

Reporter: What are your comments on the imprints that Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has left in the Vietnam-China overall relations? During the Vietnam visit by General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and Chinese President Xi Jinping in late 2023, the two sides established a “new positioning” for bilateral relations, elevating the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, and building a Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance. How do you assess Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s contributions to this event?

Ambassador Xiong Bo: Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is a close comrade and a sincere friend of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people. He was the one who inherited and developed the traditional friendship of “comradeship and brotherhood” between the two Parties and countries of China and Vietnam, forming a passionate friendship with the Communist Party of China and Chinese leaders. Since taking office as the General Secretary of the CPV, comrade Nguyen Phu Trong had made considerable contributions to promoting the development of relations between the two Parties and the two countries, especially through the exchange of three historic visits with General Secretary Xi Jinping, during which they oriented the development of relations between the two Parties and countries of China and Vietnam in the new era together.

In the past two years, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited China right after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and warmly welcomed General Secretary Xi Jinping last year. The two leaders announced the building of a Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, defining a new positioning of the ties between the two countries in the new era, elevating the relations between the two Parties and countries to a new historical height. We recognise, highly appreciate and will never forget this.

Reporter: Could share your impressions on Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong? What is the deepest impression the Party General Secretary has left on you?

Ambassador Xiong Bo: I have been the Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam for more than five years, and my work has received great assistance and help from Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. After taking office in 2018, I was very honoured to present my credentials to General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong. This was the first time the Party leader received a foreign ambassador presenting credentials after he had assumed the position of the State President. Since then, I have met with the Party leader many times and had opportunities to listen to his important and profound ideas on developing the relationship between the Parties and countries of Vietnam and China, which has left deep impression on me.

The event that left the deepest impression on me took place on August 25 last year. At the invitation of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, I accompanied him in the visit to the Huu Nghi International Border Gate in the northern province of Lang Son, which is located at the border between the two countries. Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong repeatedly emphasised that the Vietnam – China Friendship border gate is unique in the world, sending out an important message to the people of both countries and the international community on the traditional friendship between China and Vietnam. Together with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, I planted the Vietnam – China friendship tree. The Party leader affectionately said: “This friendship tree has strong roots like the Vietnam-China relationship. With the care of the people of the two countries, this friendship tree will surely grow strong and healthy.” That Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong himself promoted the traditional relations of friendship between the two countries made me feel extremely touched.

Thank you for your conversation!

Vietnamese Party chief makes life-long dedication to nation: Chinese scholars

23 July (Nhân Dân) — The passing of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is a huge loss to not only the Party, State and people of Vietnam but also international friends, including Chinese scholars who have spent years studying Vietnam.

Li Minghan, a Hong Kong-based scholar on Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh, said that he is extremely saddened by the passing of the communist, who is one of respectable Vietnamese leaders.

Observing and studying Vietnam’s development for more than a decade, Li realised that General Secretary Trong had good and noble virtues of a leader like President Ho Chi Minh. Under his leadership, the country has achieved outstanding progress in politics, economy, defence and security, and secured increasing prosperity and happiness for its people.

Li said that Vietnam’s achievements have had a profound impact on all socialist countries in the world, especially its anti-corruption results in recent years. General Secretary Trong looked small and simple but he was so strong-willed to order the stringent settlement of corrupt officials strictly, even those holding high positions in the Party and State leadership.

The leader also left extremely good impression of his integrity and simplicity during his whole life devoted to the Party, the nation and the people.

Noting the General Secretary used only an old car for about 20 years working in various positions, including three terms as the leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Li shared that to effectively fight against corruption and negative phenomena, leaders themselves must set good examples first.

The scholar found that General Secretary Trong learned and applied much of the style, virtues and ethics of President Ho Chi Minh, especially the loyalty and dedication to the Party, the State and the people of Vietnam.

Mourning the Vietnamese Party chief, Li was so moved that he made a poem to share with his Vietnamese friends and people in Hong Kong. He held that the General Secretary deserves to be one of President Ho Chi Minh’s excellent disciples.

Meanwhile, Wang Feng who is a former reporter of the Xinhua News Agency, said that she felt down to hear about Trong’s passing. The leader dedicated his entire life to the development of Vietnam as well as the friendship in all fields between the two countries.

Wang shared that she met Trong once and felt that he was very friendly, smart and flexible. There are not many leaders like him.

Researching many works by the General Secretary, she perceived that Trong was a person with a deep theoretical foundation, in terms of both politics and economics. He applied Marxism-Leninism into practice, made great contributions to anti-corruption efforts and economic and cultural development in Vietnam, and promoted the two countries’ exchanges and cooperation.

Under Trong’s leadership, the China – Vietnam relationship has achieved many highly positive results in various fields, especially people-to-people exchanges, Wang added.

Xi Jinping mourns passing of Nguyen Phu Trong

On Saturday July 20, Comrade Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and President of the People’s Republic of China, accompanied by other senior Chinese leaders, visited the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Beijing to mourn the passing of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), the previous day.

The Xinhua News Agency said that Xi praised Trong as a staunch Marxist and a great leader of the CPV and the Vietnamese people, adding that he had devoted himself entirely to the CPV and the country, to the Vietnamese people and to the cause of socialism in Vietnam, and had been deeply respected and admired by the party, military and people of Vietnam.

“The passing of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong has deprived us of a promoter of China-Vietnam relations and a companion for the cause of socialism, and we are deeply saddened,” said Xi, adding that Trong’s outstanding contribution to the relations between the two parties and the two countries and to the cause of the global socialist movement will always be remembered.

The newspaper Nhân Dân further reported that Vietnamese Ambassador to China, Pham Sao Mai expressed gratitude to the Chinese leader for paying respect to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and extending condolences to the party, state, and people of Vietnam. He also thanked the CPC Central Committee for sending condolences to the CPV Central Committee at the earliest, demonstrating the importance the Chinese party, state, people, and the leader personally attach to the relationship between Vietnam and China, as well as the special sentiment he holds for General Secretary Trong.

The Ambassador emphasised that Nguyen Phu Trong was a great intellectual and talent of the Vietnamese revolution; a thinker, a cultural figure, and a theoretical leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam; and an outstanding disciple who continuously studied and followed the ideology, morality, and lifestyle of President Ho Chi Minh, dedicated his entire life to the revolutionary cause of the Vietnamese party and the people, and lived for the country and its people.

During his lifetime, Trong devoted a lot of love and enthusiasm and made many important contributions to the relationship between the two parties and the two countries, the Ambassador stated, stressing that under the attention and direct instructions of the two General Secretaries, the relations between the two parties and the two countries have made gigantic progress over the past 10 years, becoming a community with a shared future which carries strategic significance, and receiving the support of their people.

The other socialist countries have also expressed their deep condolences to their Vietnamese comrades.

The Korean Central News Agency reported that, on July 19, Comrade Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, had written to the CPV Central Committee, stating that “Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, true to the idea and desire of Comrade Ho Chi Minh, devotedly struggled for the strengthening and development of the party and state of Vietnam and the well-being of its people and made great efforts to further develop the friendly and cooperative relations between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Vietnam in conformity with the spirit of the agreement reached at the Hanoi summit in March 2019.”

Although he passed away, his immortal exploits will be etched in the history of the Vietnamese people’s revolutionary struggle and the history of friendship between the two countries, the message said, and went on to express the belief that the party, government and people of Vietnam would overcome the pain of loss and continue to dynamically advance the socialist cause.

The KPL news agency of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR) reported that the country’s leadership said that the loss of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, “signifies the departure of a revolutionary leader who dedicated his life, energy, and wisdom to the noble cause of national liberation, reunification, and the transformative journey of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

“Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong played a pivotal role in strengthening and empowering the Vietnamese party, state, and people. His unwavering commitment to defence, anti-corruption, and the elevation of Vietnam’s standing on the regional and international stage has made him a distinguished hero of the new era.

“The passing of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong is not only a loss for the party, state, and people of Vietnam but also for the Lao party, state, and people. Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, a revolutionary leader in the modern era, carried forward the mission of President Ho Chi Minh and made significant contributions to fostering the exceptional friendship, special unity, and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam.”

Cuba declared a period of mourning for the late Vietnamese leader. A message from Army General Raúl Castro and President Miguel Díaz-Canel sent to Vietnamese President To Lam, said that:

“The passing away of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong is an irreparable loss for Cuba. Cuba will always remember Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong as a great brother who tirelessly promoted the special friendly relationship between the two parties, parliaments, governments, and peoples.”

Cuba’s revolutionary leaders stated that Trong’s life and career are a priceless legacy for future generations. “His contributions regarding the role of the Communist Party, the creative application of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s Thought, and his vision of international relations in the current context are among his outstanding contributions to the building of socialism in Vietnam, which is evidenced in the victories in the Doi Moi [renewal] cause in Vietnam under the wise leadership of the CPV.”

The following articles were orignally published by the Xinhua News Agency and Nhân Dân.

Xi mourns passing of Nguyen Phu Trong

BEIJING, July 20 (Xinhua) — Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, went to the Embassy of Vietnam in China on Saturday to mourn the passing of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong.

Praising Trong as a staunch Marxist and a great leader of the CPV and the Vietnamese people, Xi said that Trong had devoted himself entirely to the CPV and the country, to the Vietnamese people and to the cause of socialism in Vietnam, and had been deeply respected and admired by the party, military and people of Vietnam.

Xi recalled that over the past decade, he and Trong had maintained close contact and developed a deep camaraderie, and that last year they jointly announced the elevation of bilateral ties to a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance, a milestone in bilateral ties.

“The passing of Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong has deprived us of a promoter of China-Vietnam relations and a companion for the cause of socialism, and we are deeply saddened,” said Xi.

He said that Trong’s outstanding contribution to the relations between the two parties and the two countries and to the cause of the global socialist movement will always be remembered.

Xi stressed that the CPC and the Chinese government firmly support the CPV in uniting and leading the Vietnamese people to develop socialism that suits Vietnam’s national conditions.

It is believed that under the strong leadership of the CPV Central Committee, the Vietnamese people will surely be able to turn grief into strength and continue to make greater achievements in the cause of reform, opening up and socialist construction, Xi said.

He said he firmly believes that China and Vietnam will continue to work together to make profound and solid progress in building the China-Vietnam community of a shared future.

Top Chinese leader mourns passing of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong

July 20 (Nhân Dân) — General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping on July 20 came to the Vietnamese Embassy in Beijing to mourn the passing of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong.

He was accompanied by Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Chief of the CPC Central Committee’s Office; Wang Yi, Politburo member, Director of the Office of the CPC Central Committee’s Commission for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Liu Jianchao, member of the CPC Central Committee and head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee; and many other Chinese officials.

Writing in the condolence book, Xi expressed his deep sympathy over the death of the Vietnamese Party leader.

He told Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Sao Mai that Trong is a consistent Marxist and a great leader of the Vietnamese Party and people.

He devoted his whole life to the Vietnamese Party, State and people, led the nation to carve out major achievements in the socialism building cause, and received support and love from the whole Party, military and people, Xi said, affirming that China always bears in mind the significant contributions by the Vietnamese leader to bolstering the traditional “comrade and fraternal” friendship between the two countries.

According to the top Chinese leader, the CPC Central Committee consistently backs the CPV Central Committee in its development path, as well as supports and believes in the further success of Vietnam’s renewal and socialism building cause. Besides, it stands ready to join hands with Vietnam to make efforts to promote the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance in a deeper and more substantive manner.

Ambassador Mai expressed gratitude to the Chinese leader for paying respect to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and extending condolences to the Party, State, and people of Vietnam. The ambassador also thanked the CPC Central Committee for sending condolences to the CPC Central Committee at the earliest, demonstrating the importance the Chinese Party, State, people, and the leader personally attach to the relationship between Vietnam and China, as well as the special sentiment he holds for General Secretary Trong.

Mai emphasised that Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong was a great intellectual and talent of the Vietnamese revolution; a thinker, a cultural figure, and a theory leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam; and an outstanding disciple who continuously studied and followed the ideology, morality, and lifestyle of President Ho Chi Minh, dedicated his entire life to the revolutionary cause of the Vietnamese Party and the people, and lived for the country and its people. Therefore, the passing of General Secretary Trong is a great loss to the Party, State, and people of Vietnam.

During he was alive, Trong devoted a lot of love and enthusiasm and made many important contributions to the relationship between the two Parties and the two countries, the diplomat stated, stressing that under the attention and direct instructions of the two General Secretaries, the relations between the two Parties and the two countries has made gigantic progress over the past 10 years, becoming a community with a shared future which carries strategic significance, and receiving the support of their people, he said.

The ambassador affirmed that the Party, State and people of Vietnam always consider developing relations with the their Chinese counterparts a top priority and a strategic choice. He added that he will, together with the Chinese side, thoroughly implement the common perceptions of the two General Secretaries, and is ready to work with the Party, State and people of China to further develop the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in a healthy, stable and sustainable manner, in accordance with the “six more” orientation, towards jointly building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

The same day, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Wang Huning, and members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi sent wreaths.

The CPC Central Committee, the State Council, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the Central Military Commission of the CPC, and several central and Beijing agencies and organisations also sent wreaths in tribute to Party General Secretary Trong.

Earlier on July 19, the CPC Central Committee sent condolences to the CPV Central Committee over the passing of the Vietnamese leader.

CPC Central Committee: Eternal glory to Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong

The day after announcing that Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), required intensive medical treatment, on July 19, it was announced that the revolutionary leader had passed away at 1:38pm local time at the age of 80.

Shortly after, the Xinhua News Agency released the text of the condolences sent by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to their Vietnamese counterpart, deeply mourning Trong’s death. The message said that the CPC and the Chinese people had lost a good comrade, a good brother and a good friend. It described Trong as a staunch Marxist and a great leader of the CPV and the Vietnamese people. Besides his work for the country, he had also made outstanding contributions to the development of the world socialist movement. The message added that Trong was a close comrade and a sincere friend of the CPC and the Chinese people. He inherited and developed the traditional friendship of “comrades plus brothers” between the two parties and two countries and forged a profound friendship with the CPC and Chinese leaders. The CPC, the Chinese government and the Chinese people would always miss him.

“We believe that the CPV and the Vietnamese people will turn grief into strength, carry on the legacy of Trong, unite and strive to make new and greater achievements in the cause of Doi Moi [reform] and socialist construction,” the message added.

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

The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Friday sent condolences to the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and deeply mourned the death of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

The following is the full text of the condolence message:

General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong passed away. The CPC and the Chinese people lost a good comrade, a good brother and a good friend. With immense grief, we extend our deepest condolences and sincerest sympathies to the Central Committee of the CPV, the Vietnamese government and the Vietnamese people.

Trong was a staunch Marxist and a great leader of the CPV and the Vietnamese people. He dedicated his entire life to the causes of his party and nation, making outstanding contributions to Vietnam’s Doi Moi (reform), socialist construction, and the development of the world socialist movement.

Trong was a close comrade and a sincere friend of the CPC and the Chinese people. He inherited and developed the traditional friendship of “comrades plus brothers” between the two parties and two countries, and forged a profound friendship with the CPC and Chinese leaders.

Trong and General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping have jointly elevated China-Vietnam relations to a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance and vigorously promoted the continuous development of China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. The CPC, the Chinese government and the Chinese people will always miss Trong.

We believe that the CPV and the Vietnamese people will turn grief into strength, carry on the legacy of Trong, unite and strive to make new and greater achievements in the cause of Doi Moi and socialist construction.

China and Vietnam are socialist neighbors connected by mountains and rivers and a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance. China has always regarded Vietnam as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy and stands ready to work with Vietnam to continuously consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, and push forward the building of a China-Vietnam community with a shared future to benefit the two peoples and contribute to regional and world peace and development.

Eternal glory to Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong.

Isabel Crook: an appreciation

We are very pleased to publish this touching and informative tribute to the outstanding communist and lifelong friend of China, Isabel Crook (1915-2023), written by her close friend of many decades, Dr. Jenny Clegg.

Jenny, a retired academic, peace activist and member of our advisory group, provides rich insights in the course of summing up Isabel’s lifelong commitment to the Chinese revolution, her unique and path breaking approach to anthropology, her deep empathy for China’s rural poor, and her enduring yet careful optimism regarding the future of socialist China.

We previously reported on Isabel’s death, including here. Among many other obituaries were those published by British newspapers, The Times, Financial Times, Guardian, and Economist; the New York Times and Canada’s Globe and Mail.

“A rare bridge between the West and China”; “a committed communist”; “a peoples’ diplomat”; “a pioneering anthropologist” – so read the obituaries for Isabel Crook (1915-2023). Indeed, she was all of these in one.

Isabel’s 107 years, almost all spent in China, were to span two world wars, two great revolutions, a socialist transition under a Cold War, all through the twists and turns of Mao’s mass campaigns to Deng’s reform and opening up, with China now led by Xi Jinping stepping onto the world stage.

No mere observer, Isabel’s participation in the New China along with husband David saw them personally suffer under the excesses of the Cultural Revolution. Isabel was kept in confinement for three years by Red Guards, in a room on the top floor of a campus building separated from her boys, still only teenagers, and with husband David in prison. Freed from detention in 1972, both were cleared of all charges in 1973 and, along with other foreign experts, received an apology from Premier Zhou Enlai.

Her commitment was again put to the test with the suppression of the Tiananmen protests in 1989 – the Crooks had called on the government not to use force. Yet despite all this Isabel was to remain optimistic as to China’s future under CPC leadership.

To properly appreciate Isabel’s special contribution to understanding China, and the reasons why she never succumbed to disillusionment, requires both a consideration of her life experiences as well as her anthropological work on rural China.

In particular, through many months spent in the rural areas, living among the people gathering materials on village life, Isabel was to develop a particular empathy for Chinese country folk. Her two separate studies of villages undergoing reform, under first a Nationalist, then a Communist-led government, provided deep insight from a comparison between the failure of one and the success of the other.

Early influences: the Rural Reconstruction Movement

Isabel was born in China, the daughter of Canadian missionary educators. Leaving for Canada to study, she was to graduate from the University of Toronto with a bachelors and then a masters degree [1] [2] , returning to China in 1939 aged 24 to do anthropological field research in the western province of Sichuan among the Yi, a slave owning society.

From this remote ‘opium country’, she moved nearer to the wartime capital of Chongqing in 1941 to take part in a year-long ‘action research’ project sponsored by the National Christian Council. Hired by rural reformer, THSun, Isabel was to carry out a survey of a small market town of 1,500 households. With the overwhelming majority of its families living in desperate poverty, Prosperity township was decidedly ill-named.

Joining a small team including two experts on cooperatives, Isabel was introduced to the progressive ideas of the rural reconstruction movement. Founded in 1926 by the influential James Yen, whose work in mass literacy, begun amongst the Chinese labourers in France during World War I, was to gain international acclaim, the movement had a strong following among China’s Christian community and the left wing of the nationalist KMT.

Benjamin Zephaniah – lifelong champion of the oppressed

The celebrated British poet, novelist and campaigner Benjamin Zephaniah passed away on 7 December 2023. Zephaniah was a friend of China and owned a flat in Beijing, spending several months a year there, writing and training in martial arts. His famous novels Refugee Boy, Gangsta Rap and Teacher’s Dead were written in China.

His funeral is being held today, 28 December 2023. We publish below a brief obituary by Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez.

One of Britain’s most important and impactful cultural workers breathed his last breath on 7 December 2023, having been diagnosed with a brain tumour eight weeks previously.

Benjamin Zephaniah was widely known as a poet, author and actor, but also as a tireless and courageous campaigner for justice. He never hesitated to speak his mind; he never put his career before his principles. He was quite unique in his ability to cut through ruling class cultural hegemony – a function of his prodigious talent and his strong roots in the British working class, in particular among oppressed communities.

As a black man from a working class Jamaican background, Zephaniah faced racism all his life, and anti-racism was one of his main areas of focus as an activist. For decades, he stood shoulder to shoulder with oppressed peoples demanding equality – indeed he was among those marching in Southall on 23 April 1979 to defend the local population against the National Front, on which occasion the Metropolitan Police, acting in defence of and in cahoots with the fascists, killed Blair Peach.

Zephaniah well understood that the fundamental purpose of racism is to divide working people. He wrote a few years ago:

“I have always thought that poor white people and poor black people should unite and confront the people who oversee all of our miseries… The biggest fear of all of the mainstream politicians is that we all reach a point where we understand how much we have in common and, instead of turning on ourselves, we turn on them. In poetry and prose I have said that unity is strength, and that we should get to a point where we are not talking about black rights or white rights, Asian rights or rights for migrant workers; we are just talking about our rights.”

He elaborated on this point in his 2018 autobiography, The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah, where he talked about the racism he would sometimes face doing miners’ strike solidarity work in the mid-1980s. In response to some miners in Nottinghamshire shouting derogatory remarks while he was performing, another miner jumped on stage and “delivered a diatribe against racism and urged working-class people to stick together, pointing out that I was the person who in the previous week had sent them a donation of £1,500 (a lot of money in those days) from an African-Caribbean association, and they, the miners, were happy to take the money and feed their kids.”

Reflecting on how miners’ attitudes towards black workers shifted over the course of the strike, Zephaniah noted: “The miners realised they couldn’t win the fight on their own; they needed the solidarity of their wives, black poets, Chinese chefs and Bengali factory workers… Those who were involved in that strike will never forget the picket line battles, the workers’ solidarity, the lessons learned through struggle and the dark forces of police and state that were unleashed upon those workers.”

Although his talent won him a level of acceptance within the mainstream, Zephaniah was not afraid to express revolutionary and anti-imperialist views. Interviewed by the Guardian in the aftermath of the 2017 Grenfell disaster, he stated bluntly: “I go on Question Time and I talk to politicians and get involved, but actually I’d like to just burn the lot of them. The system stinks.”

Elsewhere he discusses the hypocrisy of the bourgeois narrative in relation to democracy and freedom of speech: “Some of us think that, because we have so many TV stations, we have freedom. We don’t. We have the illusion of freedom.”

In 2018, with the US escalating its propaganda war against the People’s Republic of China, Zephaniah talked about his experiences in that country, where he had spent several extended periods writing and training in martial arts.

“Back in the year 2000 I did a tour of clubs and schools in Hong Kong. When the performances were over I was asked if I wanted to go for a day trip into what people called mainland China. How I hate that term. I won’t go on about how the British stole Hong Kong (along with lots of other stuff) and then did a ninety-nine-year deal that was completely unfair to the Chinese. Or how hypocritical the British were in criticising ‘undemocratic’ China while at the same time denying citizens of Chinese origin the right to vote in the British bit of China.”

He continued: “I quickly realised I loved the place. This was the time when everyone started talking about China’s rapid growth, and I saw it happening right in front of me. I’ve never seen a country growing so quickly… I met people who by Western standards were middle class, but one generation ago their families were slum dwellers… After that first independent visit, I would return to China many times. I found it a great place to be creative.”

Interestingly, the following year another prominent British wordsmith of African-Caribbean origin, Akala, wrote in his book Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire:

Over the past few decades, China has pulled at least 500 million people out of poverty (the Communist propagandists at the World Bank actually put the figure at around 800 million), industrialised at a pace faster than any nation before and today stands at the leading edge of many green technologies, and it has managed to do all of this without invading and colonising half the planet. For these and many other reasons – despite obvious and undeniable injustices in China – you would think China would be universally admired by those who claim to believe industrial capitalism to be the holy grail of human achievement. Yet reading about China in the press, I can’t help but feel a tinge of the old ‘yellow peril’ sentiment still lurking beneath the narratives.

Given the extraordinary pressure on anyone in the public eye to conform to the anti-China consensus, it’s impressive and hugely helpful when a courageous few speak the truth like this.

Benjamin Zephaniah was a longstanding friend of socialist Cuba and patron of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, saying: “I am a proud friend of Cuba. We do what we do to support a small nation that is fighting to defend its sovereignty. We do what we do to gain justice for the Miami Five, to help with hurricane relief, and to support Cuban medical teams wherever they go in the world.”

His vision was truly global. He stood with the oppressed in every continent. He was a stalwart of the struggle against apartheid in both South Africa and Palestine. At a 2019 meeting of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, of which he was a patron, he recalled: “When I was young, there were two things that I really wanted to see: a free South Africa and a free Palestine.”

Visiting the Occupied Territories for the first time in 1988, he wrote: “I have come to the conclusion that Zionism is apartheid.” And three decades later, he was one of very few public figures to loudly defend then-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn against absurd charges of antisemitism, saying on Question Time – to rapturous applause from the studio audience – that Corbyn was “the only mainstream politician who’s been arrested for anti-racism… He’s the kind of person that shouldn’t actually be in politics, because politics is so dirty.”

Zephaniah placed a special emphasis on opposing British colonialism and imperialism, and raised his voice in support of Irish freedom (including performing at Troops Out Movement events) and for the return of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Famously, in 2003 he turned down the offer of an OBE:

“‘Me? I thought, OBE me? Up yours, I thought. I get angry when I hear that word ‘empire’; it reminds me of slavery, it reminds of thousands of years of brutality, it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised… Benjamin Zephaniah OBE – no way Mr Blair, no way Mrs Queen. I am profoundly anti-empire.’

Benjamin Zephaniah will be sadly missed, but he leaves a body of work and a legacy of campaigning that will continue to inspire new generations in their struggles for a better world.

Comrade Li Keqiang passes away

Li Keqiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 17th, 18th, and 19th Central Committees of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and who served as Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China for two terms, from March 2013-March 2023, died of a sudden heart attack at 00.10 on Friday October 27 in Shanghai. He was aged 68.

In an official obituary, Comrade Li was extolled as an excellent CPC member, a time-tested and loyal communist soldier and an outstanding proletarian revolutionary, statesman and leader of the Party and state.

The obituary traced his career from serving as an educated youth on a commune in his native Anhui province from March 1974 and becoming a CPC member in May 1976.

Li Keqiang went on to play leading roles in student and youth work, before taking up leading posts in Henan province, where he put forward the goal of realising the rise of central China. Subsequently, while leading the work in Liaoning province, he championed the revitalisation of the old industrial bases in northeast China.

Surveying his leadership of the country’s economic work during the time he served as Premier, the obituary notes that:

“Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, confronting multiple challenges including fast-changing international situations, the COVID-19 epidemic and downward pressure in the domestic economy, Li followed the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, fully and faithfully applied the new development philosophy on all fronts, worked to create a new pattern of development, promoted high-quality development, and balanced development and security imperatives.”

It adds:

“While serving as the premier, Li also served as head of the State Council’s leading group for revitalising old industrial bases in the northeast and other regions, head of the State Council’s leading group for the development of the western region, head of the country’s leading group for education, science and technology, and head of the country’s leading group for addressing climate change and energy conservation and emission reduction.

“Following the COVID-19 outbreak, Li assumed the post of head of the central leading group for COVID-19 response and helped secure tremendously encouraging achievements in both epidemic response and economic and social development.

“Always bearing China’s realities in mind, Li had been upholding and improving the country’s basic socialist economic systems, and promoting economic reforms.”
It notes that: “To improve the people’s well-being, Li devoted efforts to address prominent issues in employment, education, housing, healthcare, and elderly care.

“In March 2023, Li no longer served as the premier. After retiring from the leadership post, Li continued to firmly uphold the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, care for advancing the cause of the Party and the country, and firmly uphold the Party’s efforts to improve conduct, build integrity, and combat corruption.

“Li’s life was a revolutionary, hard-working and glorious one, and one that was dedicated to wholeheartedly serving the people and the communist cause, says the obituary notice, adding that his death is a great loss to the Party and the state.”

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

Li Keqiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 17th, 18th and 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) central committees and former premier of the State Council, passed away on Friday in Shanghai. He was 68.

Li died of a sudden heart attack at 00:10 on Friday after all-out rescue efforts failed, according to an official obituary notice issued on Friday.

Li was extolled as an excellent CPC member, a time-tested and loyal communist soldier and an outstanding proletarian revolutionist, statesman and leader of the Party and the state.

The obituary notice was jointly issued by the CPC Central Committee, the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, the State Council and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

Born in July 1955, Li was from Dingyuan, east China’s Anhui Province. In March 1974, he went to Dongling Brigade, Damiao Commune, Fengyang County of Anhui as an educated youth.

He became a CPC member in May 1976.

Between November 1976 and March 1978, Li served as the Party chief of Damiao Brigade.

Li went to study at the Department of Law at Peking University between March 1978 and February 1982. He once served as the head of the Students’ Union of the university.

Since February 1982, Li had successively served as secretary of the Peking University Committee of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC), a member of the Standing Committee of the CYLC Central Committee, director of the School Department of the CYLC Central Committee and secretary-general of the All-China Students’ Federation, an alternate member of the Secretariat of the CYLC Central Committee, a member of the Secretariat of the CYLC Central Committee and vice chairman of the All-China Youth Federation, and the head of the National Working Committee of the Chinese Young Pioneers.