Category: Solidarity

Khamtay Siphandone, former President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, passes away

A pioneer and hero of the Lao revolution, Khamtay Siphandone, former President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR) and former Chairman of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP), passed away in the capital Vientiane on April 2, at the age of 101.

In a message sent the same day to his Lao counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith, Chinese President Xi Jinping was reported by the Xinhua News Agency as extending profound condolences and sincere sympathies, hailing Comrade Khamtay as a steadfast communist, outstanding leader of the older generation of the Lao party and state, and close comrade and friend of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people, who will always cherish his memory.

Noting that China and Laos are socialist neighbours linked by the same mountains and rivers, Xi said the two countries are not only good neighbours, but also good friends, good comrades and good partners.

His message was also reported by the KPL Lao News Agency.

The newspaper Laotian Times reported that Khamtay was born into a poor family in 1924. He plunged into the movement for national liberation against French colonial rule in the immediate aftermath of World War II and became a founder member of the LPRP in 1955.

Laos has declared a period of national mourning until April 7.

On April 3, the leaders of the LPRP gathered to pay their respects to the late President. General Secretary and State President Thongloun Sisoulith stated: “Comrade General Khamtay was a courageous and outstanding revolutionary and national leader who dedicated his life to the cause of national liberation, protection, and development, contributing to the prosperity of the Lao nation… His name will remain eternally intertwined with the revolutionary cause of our Party.”

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam visited Laos to express condolences. Meeting with Thongloun Sisoulith, he stressed that the loss of Comrade Khamtay is not only a great sorrow for Laos but also for Vietnam, as he was a cherished comrade and close friend who stood side by side with Vietnam in their shared struggles. He reaffirmed Vietnam’s commitment to further strengthening the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

Sonexay Siphandone, the son of Khamtay, who currently serves as the Prime Minister of Laos, expressed sincere gratitude to Lam and the Vietnamese delegation, noting that they were the first to come to Laos to offer condolences to the Lao Party and State, and the late leader’s family. This gesture, he noted, reflects the deep bond and affection for their beloved father, a great leader of the Lao party, state, and people.

To Lam described Khamtay as an eminent figure of the first generation of Lao revolutionaries, who played a pivotal role in building the Lao revolution, leading the national democratic revolution, and safeguarding and developing the country. He was also a pioneer in implementing the LPRP’s comprehensive renewal policy, and a loyal, close and steadfast friend of Vietnam who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Vietnamese people through their struggles for national protection and nation building. His passing is a great loss to the party, state, and people of both Laos and Vietnam.

To honour Khamtay’s contributions, Lam announced that the Vietnamese party and state have decided to observe two days of national mourning.

Lam and the Lao leaders reflected on Khamtay’s illustrious revolutionary career, which began with his involvement in the Indochinese Communist Party. They underscored his close ties to the Vietnamese revolution and his strong relationships with Vietnam’s senior revolutionary leaders, describing these as vivid manifestations of the rare unbreakable and loyal relationship between the parties, states, and revolutionary causes of both nations.

The Lao leaders affirmed that future generations of Lao leaders will continue to work alongside their Vietnamese counterparts to nurture the special friendship and solidarity between Vietnam and Laos, built and nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh, President Kaysone Phomvihane, President Souphanouvong, and other leaders of both countries.

The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency, the KPL Lao News Agency, Nhân Dân and the Laotian Times.

Xi extends condolences over passing of Laos’ former president

BEIJING, April 3 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday sent a message to Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith, extending his deep condolences over the passing of Khamtay Siphandone, former president of Laos and former chairman of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP).

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, extended profound condolences to the LPRP, the Lao government and people over the passing of Khamtay Siphandone, and expressed sincere sympathies to his family on behalf of the CPC, the Chinese government and people, and in his own name.

Continue reading Khamtay Siphandone, former President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, passes away

Daniel Ortega: The continuing Chinese Revolution brings peace, wellbeing and solidarity

We are pleased to republish this article from the Tortilla con Sal website, consisting of the speeches given on March 8, International Women’s Day, at the latest ceremony to mark the handover of buses as part of the comradely support of the People’s Republic of China to the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua.

Speaking first, Santi Zhou, representative of the Yutong Company, the bus manufacturer, said:

“Since the start of our collaboration, we have introduced several batches of buses, with a total of 2,000 units in Nicaragua. Yutong accompanies Nicaraguans in their development.

“We thank Compañero Comandante Daniel Ortega and Compañera Rosario Murillo for the opportunity to contribute to the modernisation of Nicaraguan public transport, which is now not only present in Managua… but also expanding to other territories.

“It gives us pride to strengthen the bonds of friendship between our peoples, expanding new horizons for the growth of transport and the important tourism industry, promoting access to the beautiful landscapes of Bluefields and Bilwi… Our team is committed, living and working here, to provide the greatest possible support to the Nicaraguan people.”

Fátima del Carmen German, a transport worker, said: “On this special day, March 8th when we celebrate this important date, we commemorate the struggle that women waged for equal rights; and likewise, we celebrate the strength, resilience and passion of every woman… On behalf of all these strong, brave, hardworking and empowered women, we reiterate our gratitude to our good government and our brothers and sisters in China for having confidence in us.”

China’s Ambassador to Nicaragua Chen Xi noted that this was the fifth time that he has participated in the handover of Chinese vehicles to Nicaragua.

“I wanted to salute the Nicaraguan people for the recent publication of the Constitution of the Republic of Nicaragua, unanimously approved by the Legislators of the National Assembly of Nicaragua. A revolutionary and democratic constitution, a constitution that strengthens and further consolidates the rights of education, health, security, wellbeing and all the rights that assist the honourable Nicaraguan people.

“I also want to salute Co-President Daniel Ortega, Co-President Rosario Murillo, for their great responsibility and commitment, their determination to lead the Nicaraguan people to a brighter future.

“Of course, I also cannot fail to salute you, the Nicaraguan transport workers, for the successes you have been able to achieve, to improve the means of transport, supported by the Sandinista government led by your Co-Presidents, so that you can, with all your goodwill, with all your professionalism, improve the transport service to the Nicaraguan people, so that the Nicaraguan people can enjoy better bus services, which have been a very important means of transport for the country and the people, to achieve a better development.

Noting that due to its special geographical and climatic situation, Nicaragua is particularly susceptible to national disasters and the effects of climate change, the Ambassador said that:

“But really human beings now do not have to face this with just their bare hands, we can now resort to technology, and China is an immense country but also vulnerable to natural disasters, we too face typhoons, earthquakes, floods, and so on but thanks to the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese government, and the efforts of the Chinese people, of the technicians, we have been able to develop some experiences, some very efficient, advanced technologies, to face all those emergency situations.

“And we have wanted to share those experiences, those Chinese technologies, with the Nicaraguan people, so that we can fight together against all those emergency situations, all those natural disasters; so that our peoples can enjoy life in tranquility, in security, more and more every day… And to sum up, China is willing to work together with our Nicaraguan brothers and sisters to develop many other projects, especially projects dedicated to the social sector, so that the Nicaraguan people can enjoy the benefits of our friendship, of our brother and sisterhood.”

Co-President Daniel Ortega began his speech by noting that March 8 was International Women’s Day. Noting its history, he said it was, “Clara Zetkin, who in 1910 at a Conference of Socialist Women, in Copenhagen, proposed and approved the celebration of Working Women’s Day, because it was mainly working women who were marginalised and exploited. And very soon, the following year, in the month of March, the first commemoration took place.

He went on to say that this is a “struggle that we have been waging here in Nicaragua as well, to defeat and eliminate, to extirpate, from our nation, the manifestations of machismo, which in some cases result in causing pain, even tragedy in some families.

“And there, fighting for the peace and security of the Nicaraguan people, the right of women was incorporated, and has also been enshrined in the laws, that when aggression and crimes are committed against working women, Self-sacrificing Women, then the maximum penalty goes to those who commit this type of crimes.”

Ortega pointed out that the ceremony was taking place at the Comandante Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías Roundabout and highlighted the role that the late Venezuelan revolutionary leader had played in the resumption of diplomatic relations between Nicaragua and China:

“A few days ago, on March 5th, we commemorated the 12th Anniversary of his Departure on the Journey to Immortality, but he is present here with us and we remember him well for how he connected with the Nicaraguan people.

“And I remember, dear Ambassador, that on the occasions when I would talk with Comandante Hugo Chávez, he would say to me: Well, and when…? The brothers of the People’s Republic of China are waiting for us. And he loved the People’s Republic of China, like the love we have too have for China.

“But, unfortunately, when the neoliberal governments arrived, they broke our relations with the People’s Republic of China, and three neoliberal Governments passed. And we had to return to the government and achieve a majority in Congress, in the National Assembly, to finally make Comandante Chávez’s dream come true.

“And we can tell you: Here we are, united as brothers and sisters, with the People’s Republic of China, with the Chinese people, with the Chinese Communist Party, and we are proud of that unity, which is a unity in which, we well know, the heroic people of China made an extraordinary revolution led by Mao Zedong, one to which President Xi Jinping has come giving it continuity and new brilliance.

“That is, the revolution in China has not stopped, the revolution in China continues, and now offers itself to the world as a revolution bringing peace, bringing wellbeing, bringing solidarity to the peoples. It does not carry sanctions, nor does it carry threats, nor does it carry wars. It is a revolution of peace, the revolution led by the Chinese Communist Party.”

The final speaker was Co-President Rosario Murillo, who said:

“While Comandante Daniel was talking about that plague, the plague of machismo, which is still something in our culture that we have to combat and overcome, I was remembering how we always thought and said that without revolution it is difficult to achieve women’s rights. And 45 years after the triumph of the revolution, 45 years later, what do we see? That it has been possible to achieve justice for us women, from us as women, because we have a revolution, a revolution in which we all participate with our strength, with our work, with our pride, with our sense of national dignity…

“For years immemorial, the years of the guerrilla Sandinista struggles, women have been there… But now women are in power! At that time, women were combatants, guerrillas, fighters, warriors, and we have always been warriors, fighters and combatants, but now we also constitute power, institutional power.”

Address by Compañero Santi Zhou
Representative for Central America from the Yutong Company

Dear Co-President-Comandante Daniel Ortega; dear Co-President, Comrade Rosario Murillo; dear Ambassador Chen Xi, of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China.

Dear Gentlemen, Compañero Laureano Ortega; Vice Minister Mauricio Aguilar; Compañero Fidel Moreno; Compañeras Fátima and Idalia and your compañeras and compañeros.

Compañeras and compañeros, cordial greetings. A very good afternoon to everyone, and a happy Women’s Day to all the Compañeras present today.

It is a pleasure and an honor for me to be present here. On behalf of Yutong, I want to express to you our pleasure at being able to continue as part of the growth and development of public transport in Nicaragua by supporting its People.

We have been part of this vision of the Government since 2023 and we are grateful to have been chosen for this important development. Yutong is a partner in this challenge and proof of this is our interest and commitment to accompany you throughout the process.

Since the start of our collaboration, we have introduced several batches of buses, with a total of 2,000 units in Nicaragua. Yutong accompanies Nicaraguans in their development.

We thank Compañero Comandante Daniel Ortega and Compañera Rosario Murillo for the opportunity to contribute to the modernization of Nicaraguan public transport, which is now not only present in Managua, Ciudad Sandino and Tipitapa, but will also expanding to other territories, such as Chinandega, Carazo, Masaya, León, Matagalpa, Estelí, Jinotega, Boaco (…)

In addition, it gives us pride to strengthen the bonds of friendship between our Peoples, expanding new horizons for the growth of transport and the important tourism industry, promoting access to the beautiful landscapes of Bluefields and Bilwi.

We are working and moving forward together to offer new Yutong products in the future. Our Team is committed, living and working here, to provide the greatest possible support to the Nicaraguan People, and guarantee accompaniment throughout the life cycle of our products.

Finally, I sincerely hope that the quality of life of the Nicaraguan people continues to improve every day.

Thank you very much, everyone.

Continue reading Daniel Ortega: The continuing Chinese Revolution brings peace, wellbeing and solidarity

CPC congratulates Brazil’s Workers’ Party on its 45th founding anniversary

The Communist Party of China (CPC) has sent a warm message of greetings to the Workers’ Party (PT) of Brazil on the occasion of its 45th founding anniversary.

The message notes that since the PT returned to power in 2023, Brazil’s economy has grown steadily, with rising comprehensive national strength and international influence and status. Alluding to the PT’s stance of promoting national development, poverty alleviation and the interests of working people, its commitment to BRICS and the Global South, and its socialist orientation, the message says that the CPC and the PT share similar ideals, adding that they have understood, trusted and supported each other for a long time, and forged a deep friendship.

The following article was originally published on the website of the CPC International Department (IDCPC).

Recently, the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC) sent a congratulatory letter to the National Executive Committee of the Workers’ Party (PT) of Brazil on the Party’s 45th anniversary. 

The IDCPC expressed in the letter that since the founding of the PT 45 years ago, it has played an active role in promoting Brazil’s economic and social development, advancing regional integration in Latin America, and upholding international fairness and justice. Since President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the PT came to power again in 2023, they have been committed to reform and proactive in making progress. As a result, Brazil’s economy has grown steadily, with rising comprehensive national strength and international influence and status.

Sharing similar ideals, the CPC and the PT both regard pursuing happiness for the people and national development as the mission. The two Parties have understood, trusted and supported each other for a long time, and forged a deep friendship. In the new era, the CPC is willing to deepen the traditional friendship with the PT, consolidate friendly cooperation, strengthen experience exchanges and mutual learning of party building and state governance, promote the construction of each Party and the development and revitalization of each country, and constantly enrich the significance and strategic connotation of China-Brazil community with a shared future, so as to better benefit the two countries and peoples.

China open to good ties with Czech Republic provided core interests respected

Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee (IDCPC), met on February 17 with a delegation led by Kateřina Konečná, Chairwoman of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia and Member of the European Parliament.

Liu said the Czech Republic was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese side attaches importance to China-Czech relations and maintains a stable policy towards the Czech Republic. It is willing to, together with the Czech side, adhere to win-win cooperation, respect each other’s core interests, transcend ideological differences, and push the relationship between the two countries back to a healthy and stable development track at an early date.

The background to this remark is that in recent years, China-Czech relations, which had been very friendly, have significantly deteriorated, with the pro-western government and some other leading politicians adopting hostile and provocative positions on such core issues for China as Taiwan and Xizang (Tibet).

Liu went on to say that the CPC regards the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia as a comrade and friend, appreciates its long-term support for the development of Czech-China and Europe-China relations, and is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in various fields with the party.

Konečná said, at present, Czech-China relations are facing some difficulties, but this is not the mainstream of the relationship between the two countries. The friendship between the Czech and the Chinese people remains unchanged. The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia cherishes its friendly relations with the CPC and is willing to strengthen bilateral exchanges and promote the improvement and development of relations between the two countries.

Two days previously, on February 15, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, held a meeting with his Czech counterpart Jan Lipavsky on the sidelines of the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany.

Wang said that China is willing to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation with the Czech Republic provided that the Czech side respects China’s core interests. The Czech Republic was among the first countries to establish diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China and the two peoples have maintained good feelings toward each other. Bilateral relations, however, have experienced a downturn in recent years, a situation that China does not wish to see.

He expressed the hope that the Czech side would engage in earnest self-reflection, develop the right perspective about China, and take concrete actions to rebuild trust with China. The key is to respect China’s core interests, particularly adherence to the one-China principle, and to safeguard the political foundation of China-Czech relations, so as to bring bilateral ties back to a healthy and stable track as soon as possible. Only on this basis would China be willing to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields with the Czech side.

Lipavsky acknowledged that, in the context of looming trade wars, maintaining dialogue and cooperation between the Czech Republic and China, as well as between the EU and China, is of great importance. The Czech government, he insisted, pursues a one-China policy and does not support “Taiwan independence.” The Czech Republic is willing to work with China to develop sound political relations and advance bilateral cooperation for better results.

The following articles were originally published on the website of the IDCPC and by the Xinhua News Agency.

Liu Jianchao Meets with a Delegation of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia

Feb. 19 (IDCPC) — Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), met here today with a delegation led by Kateřina Konečná, Chairwoman of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia and Member of the European Parliament. 

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On the history of working-class solidarity and people-to-people friendship between Wales and China

The Morning Star held its first Wales Conference on Saturday February 15, 2025, at the Cardiff offices of the UNISON trade union, with the theme ‘Which way for Wales? Developing progressive policies’ and a stated aim of setting the progressive agenda in Wales to combat the far right ahead of the 2026 Senedd [Welsh Parliament] elections. The Reform Party led by Nigel Farage is predicted to make a major breakthrough in these elections, with no single party securing a majority. This threat was underlined on the eve of the conference with the election of a Reform councillor in a Torfaen Council by-election – the party’s first such election victory in Wales.

In a full day of discussion, Friends of Socialist China co-editor Keith Bennett spoke in an afternoon session on Wales for peace and anti-imperialism. He was joined on the panel by Betty Hunter, Honorary President of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC); Roger McKenzie, Foreign Editor of the Morning Star; Dylan Lewis-Rowland, National Secretary of CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) Cymru; and Jim Scott, a PARC Against DARC campaigner. (DARC, or Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability, involves plans to build space radar dishes that would allow the United States “to militarily dominate all of space” from Wales and has a key role in the AUKUS project aimed at China. An update on the campaign can be read here.)

With an opening keynote address by Morning Star editor Ben Chacko, the array of speakers included Shavanah Taj, TUC (Trades Union Congress) Cymru General Secretary; Jess Turner, UNISON Wales Regional Secretary; Pasty Turner, UNITE Wales Political Officer; Steve Skelly, RMT Regional Organiser; Luke Fletcher, Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd; Robert Griffiths, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB); Beth Winter, former Labour MP who recently resigned from the party; Hussain Said from Black Lives Matter; Jo Galazka, UNITE Wales Equalities Officer; Jenny Rathbone, Labour Member of the Senedd; and Mairead Canavan, national executive member for Wales of the National Education Union (NEU).

In his speech, Keith focused on the history of working-class solidarity, people-to-people friendship and sub-national diplomacy between Wales and China and the benefits that could accrue from a revival and strengthening of such links, including in trade, two-way investment, sustainability and the rural economy, and education.

We reproduce the text of his speech below. A preview of the conference and a subsequent report were carried by the Morning Star.

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this discussion on Wales for peace and anti-imperialism.

We established Friends of Socialist China in May 2021 as a platform based on supporting the People’s Republic of China and promoting understanding of Chinese socialism. With China playing an ever more important role in the world, as well as the daily more acute international situation, not least the new Cold War, we believe that the need for an organisation such as ours has never been greater. China is also the most prominent force pushing for the establishment of a multipolar system of international relations and a new international economic order. And it is emerging as the global leader in the struggle to avoid climate catastrophe.

For all these reasons and more, we see the building of people-to-people friendship with China as an important part of the type of overall progressive agenda for peace and socialism that this conference aims to help develop.

The People’s Republic of China has always maintained that there are three types of international relations, defined by the country’s first Prime Minister Zhou Enlai as government-to-government, party-to-party and people-to-people.

Of course, these three strands are inter-related, but they are also distinct and have their own dynamics. And in recent years, along with a renewed emphasis on people-to-people diplomacy, China has also been promoting what it calls sub-national diplomacy. By this they mean engagement with devolved administrations, regional and provincial assemblies and parliaments, and local authorities and local government generally.

Now, in terms of people-to-people friendship and solidarity, on the part of the organised working class in particular, as well as on sub-national diplomacy, Wales already has a good tradition and history which can be inherited and can help to build the future.

In 1983, Cardiff became the first city in the UK to sign a twinning agreement with a Chinese city – with Xiamen, a major port in Fujian province.

In 1987, Swansea signed a friendship agreement with Nantong in Jiangsu province. A double ceremony saw the Welsh red dragon flying over Nantong while in Swansea, then Deputy Council Leader Charles Thomas helped raise the Chinese five star red flag over the Guildhall.

In 2006, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by First Minister Rhodri Morgan, on behalf of the Welsh government, and the municipal government of Chongqing, in the west of China. (Incidentally, the municipal area of Chongqing is approximately the size of Austria, only with a population of 32 million compared to Austria’s 9 million.) This was followed by a formal cooperation agreement, again signed by Rhodri Morgan in Chongqing, during his second visit in 2008. This agreement had originally been proposed by then Vice Premier (and later Premier) Wen Jiabao when he visited Wales in 2000.

Continue reading On the history of working-class solidarity and people-to-people friendship between Wales and China

China and Vietnam marching together on the journey of socialist modernisation

The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) recently celebrated its 95th founding anniversary. Founded as the Communist Party of Indochina (CPI) on February 3, 1930 in Hong Kong, the CPI may also be considered as the root of the ruling Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and Cambodian People’s Party (CPP).

Greeting the anniversary, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) wrote to its Vietnamese counterpart that: “In the past 95 years, the CPV has united and led the Vietnamese people in successfully realising national unification and liberation with remarkable achievements in the cause of the country’s socialist construction and transformation.

“The CPC and the CPV share a long-standing revolutionary friendship and amicable partnership. Under the personal guidance and careful nurturing of the leaders of previous generations including Mao Zedong and Ho Chi Minh, the two peoples have supported each other in revolutionary struggles, marching together in socialist construction, in the drive of reform and opening up and on the journey of socialist modernisation.

“The CPC is willing to work with the CPV to implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties, uphold the 16-word guideline of ‘long-term stability, future orientation, good-neighbourly friendship and comprehensive cooperation’ and the spirit of ‘good neighbours, good friends, good comrades and good partners,’… and push for more progress in building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future to bring greater benefits to both peoples and contribute further to the cause of peace and progress for humanity.”

At time of writing, the CPV newspaper Nhân Dân is continuing to publish a series of articles highlighting the greetings received from fraternal and friendly parties on the anniversary. The first such article was devoted to those parties with which the CPV maintains historic special relations and, besides that from the CPC, reported greetings from the Central Committee of the LPRP, President of the CPP Hun Sen, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez and Leader of the Cuban Revolution General Raúl Castro Ruz, and General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea Kim Jong Un.

The message from the LPRP Central Committee underlined that over the past 95 years, the CPV, founded and led by President Ho Chi Minh, with its sound, skilful and creative policies has led the Vietnamese people to many glorious victories in the struggle for national liberation and reunification.

“We firmly believe that by upholding its glorious revolutionary tradition and building upon these great and comprehensive achievements, the Party, State, and people of Vietnam will continue to reap new and even greater successes in implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the CPV and preparing for the upcoming Party congresses at all levels, leading to the successful organisation of the 14th National Congress of the CPV, ” the message read.

On this occasion, the LPRP would like to express its profound gratitude for the Party, State, and people of Vietnam for their invaluable, effective, and timely support for the revolutionary cause of Laos over the years. The Party, State, and people of Laos will continue to stand side by side with the Party, State, and people of Vietnam to do their utmost to preserve and promote the rare and cherished relationship for the common interests of both nations, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

The message from the Cuban leaders reaffirmed Cuba’s commitment to deepening the friendship, solidarity and cooperation between the two nations, based on the legacy of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, and beloved President Ho Chi Minh.

Kim Jong Un wrote that he was delighted to see that under the leadership of the CPV, the Vietnamese people have made remarkable progress in developing a prosperous and strong nation. He expressed his belief that the traditional friendship between the two Parties will continue to grow in the common struggle to safeguard and preserve the socialist cause.

Nhân Dân also reported that Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko wrote that the CPV members are always examples of true patriots who have pioneered in the political and socio-economic development of the fatherland to build a strong sovereign country. Today, the CPV is continuing the cause of socialism building and promoting Vietnam’s role and prestige in the region and the world. He added that Belarus and Vietnam have been faithful friends and responsible partners whose relationship is based on the principle of mutual respect and assistance.

At a meeting of Sri Lankan political parties in the capital Colombo, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra, on behalf of the People’s Liberation Front (Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna – JVP), highlighted Vietnam’s development achievements under the CPV’s leadership in recent years. He emphasised that the CPV’s steadfast and sound leadership is a crucial factor in the struggle for national liberation and reunification of Vietnam, as well as in its current economic development and poverty reduction efforts.

Continue reading China and Vietnam marching together on the journey of socialist modernisation

Friends of Socialist China holds roundtable discussion with visiting delegation from Fudan University School of Marxism

On Tuesday 14 January 2025, Friends of Socialist China hosted a roundtable discussion in London with a group of seven academics from the School of Marxism at Shanghai’s Fudan University, one of China’s leading academic institutions. The meeting was attended by ten members and allies of Friends of Socialist China’s Britain committee, and was coordinated by Efe Can Gürcan, an adjunct professor at Shanghai University and visiting professor at the London School of Economics (LSE).

The delegates from Fudan – professors Gao Guoxi, Mei Xian, Zhang Xinning, Wu Haijing, Gao Xiaolin, Zhang Qifeng and Cui Hanbing – described their areas of research, which include moral philosophy, Marxist ethics, political economy, the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and the image of the CPC overseas.

Following introductions, there was a wide-ranging discussion based on a number of questions posed by the Fudan delegates.

A particularly lively discussion took place in response to the question of what European socialists think about China’s development. Friends of Socialist China co-editor Keith Bennett provided an overview of the British left’s relationship with the Chinese Revolution and the People’s Republic of China, starting with the work of the Communist Party of Great Britain in extending solidarity to the CPC and the Chinese people’s struggle for liberation from the 1920s.

Keith noted that this relationship weakened from the 1960s with the emergence of the Sino-Soviet Split. Meanwhile there were a variety of trends in the British (and Western) left, broadly falling within the parameters of what Domenico Losurdo writes about in his Western Marxism (published for the first time in English last year), that have always tended to display a dismissive, doctrinaire and ultra-left approach to Chinese socialism and actually existing socialism in general. Nevertheless, despite these twin challenges, and although to a lesser extent compared to some other developed countries in Europe, North America and Australasia, many people mobilised by the youth and student upsurge and the emergence of new social movements, were inspired by events in China to varying extents. However, changes in China’s economic strategy and its engagement with the global left from the late 1970s contributed to confusion and disillusionment among significant sectors of the socialist and progressive movements in the West.

Keith added that in recent years however, for a number of reasons, this dynamic is starting to shift in a positive direction, with renewed interest in Chinese socialism and China’s role in the world. Partly this is due to the very clear emphasis placed under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping on the importance of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought. But it also reflects a deepening economic and political crisis in the West, and the comparison between Western dysfunction and the extraordinary progress being made in China on poverty alleviation, improvement of people’s living standards, environmental protection, and so on. As a result, there is more scope now for building understanding of Chinese socialism than there has been for at least four decades.

Comrades who had recently returned from representing Friends of Socialist China at the inauguration of President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas commented on how differently China is perceived in Venezuela and other countries outside the Global North. They noted that Britain’s colonial history continues to impact people’s worldviews, and that a decolonial perspective is needed in order to develop a deeper understanding of China’s rise and its role in the struggle against imperialism.

The comrades from Fudan also introduced the issues of the changing nature of the working class as well as to the structure of global capitalism in recent decades. Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez highlighted the importance of continuing to define class in terms of relationship to the means of production, as part of a process of building unity around the shared interests of the working class. This connects to the importance of building understanding of China, since China provides an inspiring example of what the working class and its allies in power can achieve. The fundamental reason that China has had world-historic successes in poverty alleviation, technological development, improvement of living standards and more is that it is led by a Communist Party, guided by the principles of Marxism adapted to Chinese reality and traditions, and with a state system led by the working class and based on an alliance of workers and peasants.

A number of comrades contributed to a discussion of capitalism in its current neoliberal, financialised form, describing how the system’s declining rate of profit and inability to suppress China’s rise are leading the US and its allies to ever more reckless militarism and adventurism.

Concluding the meeting, the delegates from Fudan University and Friends of Socialist China discussed several interesting and inspiring ideas for further cooperation and coordination in the coming period.

Death anniversary of Canadian surgeon Norman Bethune commemorated in China

The following article, which we reprint from the Xinhua News Agency, reports on a commemorative event held in Shijiazhuang, the capital of China’s Hebei Province, on December 21, 2024, to honour the memory of Canadian internationalist surgeon and member of the Communist Party of Canada, Norman Bethune.

November 12, 2024, was the 85th anniversary of Bethune’s death at the age of 49 from blood poisoning, while assisting the Chinese people in their war of resistance against Japanese aggression. Earlier he had served in the International Brigades supporting the Spanish Republic in the fight against fascism.

December 21, 2024, marked the 85th anniversary of the publication of Mao Zedong’s article, ‘In Memory of Norman Bethune’, one of the most famous writings of the late Chinese leader.

The Xinhua article highlighted the participation in the commemoration of Michael Crook. The son of internationalist communist fighters David and Isabel Crook, Michael is the Chairman of the International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives (known as ‘Gung Ho’) and a member of the Friends of Socialist China advisory group.

“My father met Norman Bethune in Spain during his recovery from battle injuries. Influenced by him, my father aspired to come to China, where he met my mother and later had me,” the article quotes Michael as saying.

We also reproduce – from the Marxist Internet Archive – Chairman Mao’s article, in which he writes:

“What kind of spirit is this that makes a foreigner selflessly adopt the cause of the Chinese people’s liberation as his own? It is the spirit of internationalism, the spirit of communism, from which every Chinese Communist must learn. Leninism teaches that the world revolution can only succeed if the proletariat of the capitalist countries supports the struggle for liberation of the colonial and semi-colonial peoples and if the proletariat of the colonies and semi-colonies supports that of the proletariat of the capitalist countries. Comrade Bethune put this Leninist line into practice. We Chinese Communists must also follow this line in our practice. We must unite with the proletariat of all the capitalist countries, with the proletariat of Japan, Britain, the United States, Germany, Italy and all other capitalist countries, for this is the only way to overthrow imperialism, to liberate our nation and people and to liberate the other nations and peoples of the world… Comrade Bethune’s spirit, his utter devotion to others without any thought of self, was shown in his great sense of responsibility in his work and his great warm-heartedness towards all comrades and the people.”

Death anniversary of Canadian surgeon Norman Bethune commemorated in China

A commemoration event was held in north China’s Hebei Province on Saturday to honor Canadian surgeon Norman Bethune for his selflessness and spirit of internationalism.

Titled “Memories Through Time and Space,” the event was hosted by the North China Military Martyrs Cemetery in the provincial capital Shijiazhuang.

Around 100 people, including soldiers, students and individuals from various walks of life, attended the event.

This year marks the 85th death anniversary of Bethune, who died of blood poisoning at the age of 49 on Nov. 12, 1939 in China while aiding the Chinese people in their fight against Japanese aggression. His remains were relocated to the cemetery in 1953.

The commemoration began at 10 a.m., with participants bowing before the surgeon’s tomb and presenting flower baskets.

“My father met Norman Bethune in Spain during his recovery from battle injuries. Influenced by him, my father aspired to come to China, where he met my mother and later had me,” said Michael Crook, chairman of the International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives.

His parents, David and Isabel Crook, played an important role in training a large number of foreign-language professionals for China.

“The spirit of Bethune has not faded with time; instead, it has been widely inherited and carried forward in both China and Canada,” said Hu Jinqiang, director of the North China Military Martyrs Cemetery.

Hu noted that today Bethune is not just a name but a symbol of internationalism, humanism and selfless dedication. “We commemorate him to inspire more people to remember history and carry forward his spirit.”

In memory of Norman Bethune

Comrade Norman Bethune,[1] a member of the Communist Party of Canada, was around fifty when he was sent by the Communist Parties of Canada and the United States to China; he made light of travelling thousands of miles to help us in our War of Resistance Against Japan. He arrived in Yenan in the spring of last year, went to work in the Wutai Mountains, and to our great sorrow died a martyr at his post. What kind of spirit is this that makes a foreigner selflessly adopt the cause of the Chinese people’s liberation as his own? It is the spirit of internationalism, the spirit of communism, from which every Chinese Communist must learn. Leninism teaches that the world revolution can only succeed if the proletariat of the capitalist countries supports the struggle for liberation of the colonial and semi-colonial peoples and if the proletariat of the colonies and semi-colonies supports that of the proletariat of the capitalist countries.[2] Comrade Bethune put this Leninist line into practice. We Chinese Communists must also follow this line in our practice. We must unite with the proletariat of all the capitalist countries, with the proletariat of Japan, Britain, the United States, Germany, Italy and all other capitalist countries, for this is the only way to overthrow imperialism, to liberate our nation and people and to liberate the other nations and peoples of the world. This is our internationalism, the internationalism with which we oppose both narrow nationalism and narrow patriotism.

Comrade Bethune’s spirit, his utter devotion to others without any thought of self, was shown in his great sense of responsibility in his work and his great warm-heartedness towards all comrades and the people. Every Communist must learn from him. There are not a few people who are irresponsible in their work, preferring the light and shirking the heavy, passing the burdensome tasks on to others and choosing the easy ones for themselves. At every turn they think of themselves before others. When they make some small contribution, they swell with pride and brag about it for fear that others will not know. They feel no warmth towards comrades and the people but are cold, indifferent and apathetic. In truth such people are not Communists, or at least cannot be counted as devoted Communists. No one who returned from the front failed to express admiration for Bethune whenever his name was mentioned, and none remained unmoved by his spirit. In the Shansi-Chahar-Hopei border area, no soldier or civilian was unmoved who had been treated by Dr. Bethune or had seen how he worked. Every Communist must learn this true communist spirit from Comrade Bethune.

Comrade Bethune was a doctor, the art of healing was his profession and he was constantly perfecting his skill, which stood very high in the Eighth Route Army’s medical service. His example is an excellent lesson for those people who wish to change their work the moment they see something different and for those who despise technical work as of no consequence or as promising no future.

Comrade Bethune and I met only once. Afterwards he wrote me many letters. But I was busy, and I wrote him only one letter and do not even know if he ever received it. I am deeply grieved over his death. Now we are all commemorating him, which shows how profoundly his spirit inspires everyone. We must all learn the spirit of absolute selflessness from him. With this spirit everyone can be very useful to the people. A man’s ability may be great or small, but if he has this spirit, he is already noble-minded and pure, a man of moral integrity and above vulgar interests, a man who is of value to the people.

NOTES

1. The distinguished surgeon Norman Bethune was a member of the Canadian Communist Party. In 1936 when the German and Italian fascist bandits invaded Spain, he went to the front and worked for the anti-fascist Spanish people. In order to help the Chinese people in their War of Resistance Against Japan, he came to China at the head of a medical team and arrived in Yenan in the spring of 1938. Soon after he went to the Shansi-Chahar-Hopei border area. Imbued with ardent internationalism and the great communist spirit, he served the army and the people of the Liberated Areas for nearly two years. He contracted blood poisoning while operating on wounded soldiers and died in Tanghsien, Hopei, on November 12, 1939

2. See J. V. Stalin, “The Foundations of Leninism”, Problems of Leninism, Eng. ed., FLPH, Moscow, 1954, pp. 70-79.

Liu Jianchao meets with Senior Vice Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre)

Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee (IDCPC), met with Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Senior Vice Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) on 9 December 2024.

Liu said that the CPC is ready to strengthen friendly exchanges and political dialogue with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), deepen experience exchanges and mutual learning of party management and governance, and enhance cooperation between the two parties and the two countries.

Shrestha said, China has all along respected Nepal’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, supported Nepal’s economic and social development, and lent a helping hand to Nepal in difficult times. China is a good friend of Nepal who has shared weal and woe. The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) supports the two countries in signing a framework agreement on cooperation in the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and is willing to strengthen exchanges at all levels with the CPC, promote exchanges and cooperation in party school, think tank, local government and other fields, deepen exchanges and mutual learning of experience in state governance and administration, and promote the development of the socialist cause.

Earlier, on 20 November 2024, Liu had met with General Secretary Shankar Pokhrel of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist).

The following article was originally published on the IDCPC website.

Beijing, December 9th—Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), met here today with Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Senior Vice Chairman of Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Center).

Liu said, not long ago, President Xi Jinping met with Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in Beijing, charting the course for the future development of bilateral relations. China has always pursued a friendly policy towards Nepal and is willing to work with Nepal to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, firmly safeguard each other’s core interests, and promote cooperation such as the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The CPC is ready to strengthen friendly exchanges and political dialogue with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Center), deepen experience exchanges and mutual learning of party management and governance, and enhance cooperation between the two Parties and the two countries. It is hoped that major political parties of Nepal, including the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Center), will continue to contribute to China-Nepal friendship.

Shrestha said, China has all along respected Nepal’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, supported Nepal’s economic and social development, and lent a helping hand to Nepal in difficult times. China is a good friend of Nepal who has shared weal and woe. The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Center) supports the two countries in signing a framework agreement on cooperation in the joint construction of the BRI, and is willing to strengthen exchanges at all levels with the CPC, promote exchanges and cooperation in party school, think tank, local government and other fields, deepen exchanges and mutual learning of experience in state governance and administration, and promote the development of the socialist cause.

Sun Haiyan, Vice-minister of the IDCPC, was present.

China donates 70 tons of equipment to help Cuba restore its electric system

The following article from Brasil de Fato reports on China’s donation of almost 70 tons of power generator parts and accessories to Cuba. Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Déborah Rivas said that the donation “reflects the high sensitivity of the Chinese government authorities to Cuba’s needs, and their firm support for Cuba under all circumstances, joining, in a true expression of fraternity, the Cuban government’s efforts to achieve energy sustainability”.

Cuba faces a major energy crisis, largely as a result of the US’s cruel and illegal economic blockade. The article notes: “The import of fuel, like any other good, is hampered by the sanctions that Washington unilaterally imposes on countries that trade with Cuba because any ship that arrives at a Cuban port is sanctioned, which generates staggering prices the island has to pay to import the products it needs.”

China is cooperating with Cuba, under the framework of the Belt and Road Energy Partnership, to construct several new photovoltaic parts, which will allow the island to modernise its energy infrastructure and meet its goal of generating all its energy from renewable sources by 2050.

The People’s Republic of China has donated almost 70 tons of power generator parts and accessories to Cuba, aiming to contribute to the recovery of the Caribbean island’s electricity system.

The materials arrived in the country on Sunday (29) and were received by China’s ambassador to Cuba, Hua Xin, and Cuba’s deputy ministers of Foreign Trade and Investment, Déborah Rivas, and Energy and Mining, Tatiana Amarán.

According to Ambassador Xin, the shipment is part of China’s second assistance package in 2024 to help restore Cuba’s electricity generation capacity to around 400 megawatts (MW). As part of an “emergency project list,” the donations were included to provide Cuba with effective and rapid aid according to what the Chinese government calls “convenience for the most urgent.”

“The next batches are expected to arrive soon by freight, commercial flights or container transportation,” he said.

During the brief ceremony to receive the donations, Deputy Minister Déborah Rivas said that it “reflects the high sensitivity of the Chinese government authorities [to Cuban’s needs] and their firm support for Cuba under all circumstances, joining, in a true expression of fraternity, the Cuban government’s efforts to achieve energy sustainability.”

The deputy minister also stated that the island government estimates that this donation will benefit about 53,200 homes in the country.

The donations come as the Caribbean country is facing a serious energy crisis that has worsened in recent months. This year, Cuba has suffered three total blackouts in the national electricity system, leaving the country completely in the dark. Currently, power cuts are becoming more and more constant, affecting over 40% of the population daily. The situation has seriously damaged economic activity and the population’s quality of life.

### Bloc and energy

The donations are part of agreements signed between Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, seeking to expand cooperation in strategic initiatives such as energy, transportation, food security and trade.

Cuba’s electricity generation comes from old thermoelectric plants – most of which are more than 30 years old – which require constant maintenance to operate. However, due to the US blockade on the country – considered illegal by most UN countries – Cuba has for decades faced serious financial difficulties in making the necessary investments and maintenance to keep its electricity system running.

The import of fuel, like any other good, is hampered by the sanctions that Washington unilaterally imposes on countries that trade with Cuba because any ship that arrives at a Cuban port is sanctioned, which generates staggering prices the island has to pay to import the products it needs.

In recent months, the Chinese government has donated various components for the installation of photovoltaic parks (renewable energies based on sunlight) on the Caribbean island. The region’s climatic conditions make sunlight the most favorable source of renewable energy for the country.

Currently, more than 95% of the country’s power generation comes from fossil fuels, while only 5% comes from renewable sources. Cuba aims to generate up to 25% of its electric energy from renewable sources over the next five years. By 2050, the aim is to cover the entire energy matrix with electricity generation based on renewable energy sources.

In mid-December, the Chinese government and Cuba officially announced the construction of several photovoltaic parks on the Caribbean island, with funds donated by the Asian country. It is estimated that these photovoltaic parks could save up to seven million US dollars.

CPC reaffirms friendly relations with India’s left-wing political parties

Alongside the improvement of relations between China and India at the state level, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has reaffirmed and reinforced its friendly relations with India’s left-wing political parties.

On December 5, Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), met with a delegation of the Communist Party of India (CPI) led by Rama Krushna Panda, a member of the party’s national secretariat.

Liu said that China and India are both ancient civilisations in the east, emerging economies and important members of the Global South. “Our common interests far outweigh the differences.” The CPC, he added, is willing to strengthen exchanges and dialogues with the CPI and play a positive role in improving and developing China-India relations.

Panda said that the CPI cherishes its friendly relations with the CPC. The CPC has led the Chinese people to successfully build socialism with Chinese characteristics, bringing hope to the peace-loving people in the world, especially the left-wing political parties. The CPI, he added, is willing to exert its influence and strive to improve India-China relations.

Earlier, on November 5, Sun Haiyan, Vice-Minister of the IDCPC met with a delegation of the All-India Forward Bloc, led by its General Secretary, G. Devarajan.

Sun said that recently, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Russia, reaching an important consensus on improving and developing China-India relations and charting the course for China-India relations to return to the track of stable development. The CPC is willing to strengthen friendly exchanges with the All-India Forward Bloc and other major Indian political parties, deepen exchanges and mutual learning on party governance and state administration, and contribute to the steady improvement of China-India relations.

Devarajan said that the All-India Forward Bloc and other Indian left-wing political parties admire the great achievements made by the Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC and look forward to strengthening exchanges between the two Parties and promoting India-China friendship.

The All-India Forward Bloc was founded in 1939 by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who had previously been the President of the Indian National Congress, and who also commanded the Indian National Army, which fought against British colonial rule, from 1943 until his death in a plane crash in 1945. Today, the party is a constituent in the Left Front, an electoral alliance whose other national members at present are the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation and the Revolutionary Socialist Party.

The following articles were originally published on the IDCPC’s website.

Liu Jianchao Meets with a Delegation of the CPI

Beijing, December 5th (IDCPC) — Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, met here today with a delegation of the Communist Party of India (CPI) led by Rama Krushna Panda, a national secretariat member of the CPI.

Liu said, China and India are both ancient civilizations in the east, emerging economies and important members of the Global South. Our common interests far outweigh the differences. The healthy and stable development of China-India relations is not only in line with the fundamental interests of the 2.8 billion people of the two countries, but is also conducive to world and regional peace, stability, development and prosperity. The CPC is willing to strengthen exchanges and dialogues with the CPI and play a positive role in improving and developing China-India relations.

Panda said, the CPI cherishes its friendly relations with the CPC. The CPC has led the Chinese people to successfully build socialism with Chinese characteristics, bringing hope to the peace-loving people in the world, especially the left-wing political parties. China is an emerging major country, and has an important influence in international politics. The CPI appreciates the Chinese side’s just position on the international stage and expects China to play a greater role in international affairs. The CPI is willing to exert its influence and strive to improve India-China relations.

Sun Haiyan Meets with G. Devarajan, General Secretary of All India Forward Bloc of India

Beijing, November 5th (IDCPC) — Sun Haiyan, Vice-minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, met here today with G. Devarajan, General Secretary of All India Forward Bloc of India and his delegation.

Sun said, as two ancient civilizations, major developing countries, and prominent members of the Global South, China and India are both at critical stages in respective modernization process. Recently, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Russia, reaching an important consensus on improving and developing China-India relations and charting the course for China-India relations to return to the track of stable development. The CPC is willing to strengthen friendly exchanges with the All India Forward Bloc and other major Indian political parties, deepen exchanges and mutual learning on party governance and state administration, and contribute to the steady improvement of China-India relations.

Devarajan said, maintaining the sound and steady development of India-China relations and strengthening bilateral cooperation are in line with the common interests of both sides and are of vital importance to the two countries and two peoples. The All India Forward Bloc and other Indian left-wing political parties admire the great achievements made by the Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC and look forward to strengthening exchanges between the two Parties and promoting India-China friendship.

Reflecting on the history of solidarity between the peoples of China and Wales

The Communist Party of Britain (CPB) held its Welsh national congress in Pontypridd on November 30, 2024.

In addition to summing up its work since its last Congress, analysing the current situation in Wales and charting its path ahead in the next period, it welcomed Liz Payne from the CPB’s Executive Committee, along with four guest speakers, namely:

  • Beth Winter, Labour MP for Cynon Valley, 2019-2024, who recently resigned her Labour membership in protest at the party’s steady rightward trajectory under Keir Starmer
  • Owain Meiron from Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society)
  • Twm Draper from Cymru Cuba; and
  • Keith Bennett from Friends of Socialist China

In his contribution, Twm said in part:

I was lucky enough to visit Cuba for May Day in 2022 as part of a Young Workers Trade Union delegation. I had the opportunity to see firsthand the benefits a socialist country can bring. One example was the creation of vaccines to protect people against Covid and sharing their supplies with developing countries. A true sign of solidarity and internationalism.

We also heard about how the Young Communist League in Cuba was at the forefront during lockdowns, helping their neighbours in isolation to get essentials whilst keeping the community safe.

May Day had to be the highlight of the trip and something I’ve never experienced before or since. The march saw close to one million workers being celebrated for their contributions to society and every role was seen as equally important. The respect for workers and the importance of union organisation could be seen in all aspects of society.

Whilst this brought me hope that a different future is possible in Britain, it was clear how the inhumane 64-year-old US blockade impacts Cuban lives on a daily basis.

Whilst Cuban doctors were able to create five Covid vaccines, this was out of necessity because the US blockade played with Cuban lives, preventing them getting medical supplies such as needles to administer the vaccines.

At the beginning of this month, Cuba was without electricity for a second time in a matter of weeks following another hurricane. Due to the US blockade, Cuba was unable to import repair parts or fuel, leaving millions without electricity

These are just a couple of examples of many where the US blockade impacts Cubans’ lives daily. And despite everything Cuba is faced with, they remain true to their internationalist values of sharing the resources and expertise that they have with the rest of the world.

We have been promoting and enjoying the people’s release of ‘Comrade Tambo’s London Recruits’ this week. Cuba was at the forefront of internationalist action. In the words of Nelson Mandela, ‘if it were not for Cuba, I would not be a free man today.’”

In his contribution, Keith focused on outlining some of the history of people-to-people ties between Wales and China and of the mutual support and solidarity between the working class and peoples of the two nations.

The main congress resolution, adopted unanimously, identified one of the party’s priorities in the coming period as being to: “Improve and increase the work of the Communist Party in the peace and international solidarity movements in Wales, not least through Stop the War Cymru, CND Cymru, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Cymru-Cuba and Friends of Socialist China.”

We publish the text of Keith’s remarks below. A report on the congress was published by the Morning Star.

Dear Comrades

First, on behalf of Friends of Socialist China, I would like to extend warmest greetings to all members of the Communist Party in Wales. Thank you for the invitation to attend your Congress and to make a presentation. We wish success to all your deliberations.

Friends of Socialist China is a young organisation. We were set up in May 2021, with the goal of supporting the People’s Republic of China and spreading understanding of Chinese socialism. We have, throughout, enjoyed excellent working and comradely relations with the Communist Party of Britain, along with the Young Communist League and the Morning Star. One of our very first activities was a joint webinar, organised with the Morning Star, to celebrate the centenary of the Communist Party of China, held on July 3, 2021.

With China playing an ever more important role in the world, with its continuing advance along the road to socialism, as well as the daily more acute international situation, not least the new Cold War, we believe that the need for an organisation such as ours has never been greater.

I could speak further about this, but you can find plenty of material on our website, socialistchina.org, in the books and pamphlets available at the back, including ‘The East is still Red’, written by my comrade Carlos Martinez and ‘People’s China at 75: The Flag stays Red’, as well as in the regular excellent features and editorials in the Morning Star, including today’s centre spread on ‘China’s bridges to a socialist future’.

Continue reading Reflecting on the history of solidarity between the peoples of China and Wales

Interview: Socialism holds its ground and grows stronger with China’s contribution

In a recent interview with the Global Times, Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez discusses China’s development over the past 75 years and the role it plays in the world today.

The interview discusses the forthcoming Chinese translation of Carlos’s book The East is Still Red – Chinese Socialism in the 21st Century, and its significance for Chinese readers:

I hope Chinese readers will feel encouraged to know that there are people in the UK, Europe and the US that oppose the new cold war; that oppose the campaign of containment and encirclement against China; that stand for peace and multipolarity; and that want to see close cooperation in pursuit of peace, prosperity, ecological conservation and a sustainable future for our shared planet. The concepts of “common prosperity” and “building a community with a shared future for mankind” have relevance and resonance among progressive circles in the West.

In response to the question of what the Western left can learn from China, Carlos notes that “China is taking extraordinary, unprecedented steps forward on poverty alleviation, renewable energy, biodiversity protection and more”. These are successes of the global socialist movement, and the Western left can learn and take inspiration from them.

Addressing the “China threat” theory, Carlos points out that China’s record is remarkably peaceful:

China has not been at war for many decades. It does not maintain a global infrastructure of hegemony, unlike the US, which has over 800 overseas military bases, in addition to troop and weapons deployments around the world… On the global stage, China stands consistently and firmly for peace. It has put forward detailed and viable proposals for peace in Ukraine and Gaza. So where is the threat?

Editor’s Note: Recently, an English-language collection of essays, People’s China at 75 – The Flag Stays Red, was launched to examine China’s trajectory since 1949. British author and independent political commentator Carlos Martinez (Martinez) was one of its co-editors. Martinez has been trying to help Western people better understand China’s development in its different phases and aspects. In a recent interview with Global Times (GT) reporters Xia Wenxin and Xu Jiatong, Martinez shared his view on China’s marvellous successes over the past 75 years, as well as its contributions to the world, including to the socialist movement.

GT: When we interviewed you last year, your book The East is Still Red – Chinese Socialism in the 21st Century (hereafter, The East is Still Red) had just come out and gained international attention. Now, the Chinese version of the book is about to come out. How do you feel about this? What do you hope Chinese readers can grasp from this book?

Martinez: I’m very excited and honored that The East is Still Red will be published in Chinese. Although the book was written primarily for the Western audience so that they could come to understand modern China better, I hope it will be useful for some Chinese people to see how Marxists in the West view China and how Chinese socialism becomes an inspiration to the global socialist movement.

I think the analysis of the West’s vicious anti-China propaganda will be interesting for Chinese readers, who may struggle to understand the reasons for the West’s hostility and its slander campaign in relation to Xinjiang, Tibet (Xizang), Hong Kong and other affairs.

And I hope Chinese readers will feel encouraged to know that there are people in the UK, Europe and the US that oppose the new cold war; that oppose the campaign of containment and encirclement against China; that stand for peace and multipolarity; and that want to see close cooperation in pursuit of peace, prosperity, ecological conservation and a sustainable future for our shared planet. The concepts of “common prosperity” and “building a community with a shared future for mankind” have relevance and resonance among progressive circles in the West.

GT: This year marks the 75th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Which aspect of China’s development during this period has impressed you the most? How do you view China’s contribution to the world in the past 75 years?

Martinez: The founding of the PRC constituted a profound turning point for the Chinese people after thousands of years of feudalism and then a century of invasion, domination, unequal treaties, chaos, warlord rule and intense poverty. Living standards have risen continuously since 1949. Life expectancy has risen from around 35 to 78 – several years above the global average.

China has advanced from being a very poor and technologically backward country to being a global leader in science and technology. It has eliminated extreme poverty. It is making by far the greatest contribution to the struggle against climate breakdown. It has leaped from a “low” Human Development Index (HDI) 30 years ago to a “high” HDI today and is on the cusp of moving into the “very high” group. It is building its own path to modernization.

Looking at the global scale, China has provided crucial support to national liberation movements and countries in the Global South. The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence continue to provide a framework for relations between countries, particularly developing countries. Via the Belt and Road Initiative and other initiatives, China is sharing its infrastructure development expertise and providing a means for the countries of Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, the Caribbean and the Pacific to break out of underdevelopment.

And, of course, China is a force for peace. Its foreign policy is based on negotiated solutions to problems, the pursuit of peace, mutual benefit and global friendship. This is a very important contribution to the world.

GT: In a recent article, you urged the Western left to “learn a great deal from China” and “take a great deal of inspiration from it.” Could you please elaborate on this?

Martinez: China, along with the other socialist countries, is building socialism. So, people around the world who support the process of building socialism should seek to learn from China. The people of China are “taking part in the practice of changing reality,” and they are the trailblazers of the left globally, so we should learn from them.

Furthermore, China is taking extraordinary, unprecedented steps forward on poverty alleviation, renewable energy, biodiversity protection and more. In my view, the successes in those areas are successes of the global socialist movement, and the Western left could take inspiration from them. 

In 1989, Deng Xiaoping said that “so long as socialism does not collapse in China, it will always hold its ground in the world.” Thirty-five years later, socialism is still holding its ground in the world, and growing in strength, thanks in no small part to China.

GT: What are the common misunderstandings about China and its development in the West? Why could China’s development lead some in the West to the sense of being “threatened”?

Martinez: The notion of China as a threat to some people in the West is patently absurd. Unlike the NATO countries, China’s record is remarkably peaceful. China has not been at war for many decades. It does not maintain a global infrastructure of hegemony, unlike the US, which has over 800 overseas military bases, in addition to troop and weapons deployments around the world. Of the nuclear powers, China is the only one to maintain a consistent policy of no first use and to pledge never to use – or threaten to use – nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear state.

China is accused of aggression in the South China Sea, and yet there is not a single instance of China preventing normal, non-military navigation. Regarding the Taiwan question, China’s position of working toward peaceful reunification has not meaningfully changed in many decades, and the one-China principle is recognized by the majority of the world’s countries. 

On the global stage, China stands consistently and firmly for peace. It has put forward detailed and viable proposals for peace in Ukraine and Gaza. So where is the threat? This “threat” seems to be unacceptable to those working toward a Project for a New American Century, and therefore, they slander China and wage a propaganda war against it.

GT: You have been introducing the real China to your audience in the West. What do you think is an effective narrative for China to tell its story to the world?

Martinez: On the basis that “actions speak louder than words,” I think China should continue what it’s doing.

Its progress on environmental issues – becoming the world’s first renewable energy superpower and blazing a trail on biodiversity protection and water management – is very inspiring to people around the world who are concerned with preventing climate breakdown.

China’s successes in poverty alleviation and improving the living standards of its people are also drawing admiration. And China’s orientation toward peace and its principled positions in international relations are opening people’s eyes. 

Increasingly, people are coming to reject the relentless anti-China propaganda they’re fed.

Defense of China is solidarity with Palestine

The following is the text of the talk given by Larry Holmes, First Secretary of the Workers World Party (WWP), at the September 29 meeting held in New York City to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, which was initiated by Friends of Socialist China, together with WWP.

Larry begins by extending fraternal greetings to the Communist Party of China. on behalf of the WWP Central Committee, on the 75th anniversary.

After briefly reviewing the current situation in Palestine and Lebanon, he notes that this is part of a wider war against anti-imperialist forces around the world, including China, and explains:

“It’s against China… Why is this? Is it because China supports the Palestinians? That’s part of it. But that’s a small reason. China has, on a number of occasions, brought the Palestinian people together to try to help them forge unity… But the bigger reason… is because China is so powerful now. It’s so powerful and so developed as people are rising up and this has changed the balance of forces in the world. But we need to be very clear about something. China does not want war. China wants peace. It wants to continue its development in peace. It wants to help the world develop in peace, especially the people of the Global South who have been the big victims of imperialism and colonialism. It wants to help them, but US imperialism does not want peace. It doesn’t want China to develop in peace. It doesn’t want the world that it does not control to develop, and this is the problem.”

The text of Larry’s talk was originally published by Workers World.

First, on behalf of the Central Committee of Workers World Party, we would like to extend our fraternal greetings to the Communist Party of China on this historic occasion.

I think it’s relevant, even though our event is about China, to ask ourselves what we should make out of the assassination of the leader of Hezbollah two days ago.

This was so important to them — I’m not forgetting the genocide of Gaza — but this event, coming at this time — they dropped eight bombs on a neighborhood in Beirut. 2,000-pound bombs. One of these military analysts said the only thing bigger they could have dropped would have been a tactical nuclear weapon. These 2,000-pound bombs were given to Israel by who? The U.S. gave them thousands of them. I forget the exact number, but thousands of them.

I do not buy for a second this idea that, well we didn’t know about this, and they didn’t tell the secretary of war here. That’s BS. If they weren’t down with it, they could have stopped it. The message was just not from Netanyahu. It was from Washington, D.C. It was from the Pentagon.

And I’ll tell you why it’s relevant to China and the whole world. Everything in the world’s struggle is connected. Everything is dots all together. They wanted to let the world know that you don’t have to speculate about a wider war. You don’t have to lie to us about “why we don’t want one, and we have all this diplomacy trying to stop it.” That’s not what’s really going on.

The wider war is already here, and it’s not just against the Palestinians, although they are the main target, just as are the Lebanese, you know, the resistance forces of West Asia and, of course, Iran. It’s against People’s Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, the struggling people of West Africa, who, as you might notice recently, have been throwing the colonialists and the imperialists out.

And it’s against Russia through Ukraine, and ultimately, it’s against China.

It’s against China. Wow. Why is this? Is it because China supports the Palestinians? That’s part of it. But that’s a small reason. China has, on a number of occasions, brought the Palestinian people together to try to help them forge unity. Very, very important.

But the bigger reason, the bigger reason, is because China is so powerful now. It’s so powerful and so developed as people are rising up, and this has changed the balance of forces in the world. But we need to be very clear about something.

China does not want war. China wants peace. It wants to continue its development in peace. It wants to help the world develop in peace, especially the people of the Global South who have been the big victims of imperialism and colonialism. It wants to help them, but U.S. imperialism does not want peace. It doesn’t want China to develop in peace. It doesn’t want the world that it does not control to develop, and this is the problem.

And what this murder in Beirut tells us – and there have been almost 1,000 people who have been murdered in Lebanon over the past couple of weeks – and the genocide in Gaza, what it tells us is that U.S. imperialism is willing to go to almost any length, unimaginable lengths of violence and terror to maintain its empire, which is crumbling.

They are willing to flirt with World War Three, which could mean the end of all life on the planet Earth. And you know, when an empire is crumbling, that’s when it’s most desperate and dangerous. That’s when it’s most likely to resort to violence. And this is what we are witnessing, comrades.

There are some in the ruling class here who are afraid of war, a wider war, a world war. They don’t think the U.S. will win. As a matter of fact they think it would hasten the demise of U.S. imperialism. And we think that they are right about that, and they’d like to maintain U.S. hegemony by other means. But whatever that is for the ruling class, they are losing. They’re not in the driver’s seat.

It’s the warmongers who are in the driver’s seat. So we see the people rising up all over the world against the empire. We see the people demonstrating in the streets over the murder of the leader of Hezbollah. Actually, as I was leaving home, I saw on social media that there was a demonstration of thousands of people in Baghdad. They had entered the Green Zone and were trying to get into the U.S. Embassy.

There are people demonstrating everywhere, around the world and particularly in West Asia. It shows you that — this is a hunch — they’re not going to take it by lying down. As a matter of fact, it’s going to wave off the mere resistance and, of course, the countries that are under attack, in particular China, that are in the crosshairs of U.S. imperialism, are going to fight back to defend themselves. They can defend themselves.

But we have to ask ourselves this. Are we going to just leave it up to people in other places, to China, they’re willing to do it, they’ll do what they have to do, but are we just going to leave it up to them? Especially those of us who happen to be at the center of world imperialism, particularly here in the U.S. which they used to call the belly of the beast. We can’t do that. That’s not right.

We have to seriously consider what our responsibilities as anti-imperialist revolutionaries are, and we have to show them those responsibilities, and then we gotta, we gotta do whatever it takes. You see, the people of the world, they’re demanding this of us. History is demanding us. Save this planet if it could talk, is demanding this of us, that we do whatever is necessary, however we need to do it. However long it takes, and it doesn’t have to take too long for the anti-war and anti-imperialist forces to get so big and so strong that we can shut the world down to stop war. What real choice do we have?

We’ve got to get away from complacency if that’s an issue. I know that there are those of us who do whatever we are doing on a day-to-day basis, whenever we can. We’ve got to get away from our routine — what they call routinism. It’s almost like a semi-conscious feeling that, yes, that needs to be done, but somebody else can do it.

Sometimes, I think we have a partial kind of disconnect, a partial, you know, denial of what’s happening. Perhaps we can feel somewhat powerless, but all things we’ve got to push aside now, we got to push them aside, and we got to figure out what we are going to do.

I think, I’m not sure, that comrade Maduro in Venezuela, a couple of months ago, called for an international united front against imperialism. Not sure if it’s just something that he floated, or whether it’s real and how he’s following up on that. But I’ll tell you comrades, if there was ever a time for that, and I’m not talking about just a name — he seems to have a name — I’m talking about something flesh and blood and strength and power that’s real. If there was ever a time for that, it’s now.

I’m thinking about our own plan. The BRICS countries are meeting in Russia in the last week of October. And that’s good. People have talked about … and we can talk about that. But again we can’t just leave it up to the BRICS to push imperialism back, to marginalize it, to diminish its hegemony. We’ve got to do something! The masses have to do something. The working class has to do something decisive. And a lot of us are convinced that they can. And those who are not convinced, better get with it.

Long live the People’s Republic of China!
Long live the struggle for socialism! Defend China!

Margaret Kimberley: The importance of China for Africa and its diaspora

We are pleased to publish below the text of the speech given by Margaret Kimberley to the meeting, ‘China at 75: Changes Unseen in a Century’, initiated by Friends of Socialist China and held in New York City on September 29.

Margaret, who is the Executive Editor of Black Agenda Report, began her remarks with a strong condemnation of recent and ongoing Israeli war crimes against the peoples of Palestine, Lebanon and the entire region, and continued:

“But this is connected. We understand that this effort, imperialist effort to wage war on the entire region of Western Asia, makes this commemoration all the more important. We’re not just commemorating a successful revolution, but also the beginnings of changes in power relationships around the world, which coincided with the post war stirrings for independence across the Global South.”

Contextualising her remarks, Margaret said:

“This year, I had an amazing opportunity to visit China as part of a Friends of Socialist China delegation, as guests of the China NGO Network for International Exchanges, visiting Beijing, Zhejiang and Jilin. I saw for myself why China has leapfrogged over the rest of the world in its economic development, the dedication to the principles of socialism and a commitment to worldwide cooperation that has made relations with China attractive to the entire continent of Africa.”

Margaret reviewed the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) that had been held in the Chinese capital Beijing earlier in the month, including drawing attention to some of the contradictions inherent in such a diverse gathering. She made special mention of Eritrea as “the one [African] country that has maintained its commitment to socialism, which is why it’s always under attack.” She mentioned that Chinese companies have agreed to invest up to $7 billion in infrastructure projects as part of their mining agreements in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

She concluded:

“I think it’s important to mention not just the nations of the African continent, but the relations of the African diaspora. Dr. [Gerald] Horne referred to Shirley Graham DuBois, and there has been constant, on the part of revolutionaries, this urge to connect with China, to see China as this example. Which is why, in general, anti-Chinese propaganda is so dangerous. It’s an effort to indoctrinate. It’s an effort to stop revolutionary activity. And so, WEB DuBois visited China, and Paul Robeson reached out to China, and Huey Newton visited China. It’s all connected, and tells you how important it is that African people maintain these relationships, see China for ourselves and judge for ourselves, and the fact that that is something that is condemned so strongly, tells us quite a lot.”

Thank you all again for being here as we’re just two days away from the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. And I would be remiss if I did not speak of what’s happening in Lebanon with the continuation of Israeli and US war crimes, the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the deaths of, as I said, nearly 200,000 people. But this is connected. We understand that this effort, imperialist effort to wage war on the entire region of Western Asia, makes this commemoration all the more important. We’re not just commemorating a successful revolution, but also the beginnings of changes in power relationships around the world, which coincided with the post war stirrings for independence across the Global South. 

I’m going to talk about Africa and its relationships with the People’s Republic of China, which began first as China was an example of the possibility of freedom from the capitalist, imperialist world. This year, I had an amazing opportunity to visit China as part of a Friends of Socialist China delegation, as guests of the China NGO Network for International Exchanges, visiting Beijing, Zhejiang and Jilin. 

Continue reading Margaret Kimberley: The importance of China for Africa and its diaspora

Top DPRK leader sends wreath to China-DPRK Friendship Tower

On October 25, the top leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and President of the State Affairs of the DPRK, sent a wreath to the Friendship Tower in Pyongyang marking the 74th anniversary of the Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) entering the DPRK to fight in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. The words, “We will remember the martyrs of the Chinese People’s Volunteers forever” were written on the wreath’s ribbon.

KCNA further reported that wreaths were also presented in the name of leading state and government bodies both at the Friendship Tower as well as at the cemeteries and graves of CPV martyrs in various parts of the country.

Wreaths were also laid by the Chinese Ambassador and members of his staff. 

The Friendship Tower was built to remember the Chinese People’s Volunteers who fell in the war of 1950-53. It is situated in the heart of the DPRK capital Pyongyang, on a hill overlooking the Chinese Embassy.

DPRK diplomats paid similar tributes at martyrs’ cemeteries in Shenyang and Dandong, in China’s Liaoning province.

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

Top DPRK leader sends wreath to China-DPRK Friendship Tower

The top leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday sent a wreath to the China-DPRK Friendship Tower in Pyongyang on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of the Chinese People’s Volunteers entering the DPRK to fight in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, the DPRK’s official Korean Central News Agency reported on Saturday.

The words “We will remember the martyrs of the Chinese People’s Volunteers forever” were written on the ribbon of the wreath sent by Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK.

Upon authorization, Ri Il Hwan, member of the Political Bureau and secretary of the WPK Central Committee, laid the wreath before the tower, the report said.

Wreaths Laid at Friendship Tower

Wreaths were laid at the Friendship Tower on October 25 to mark the 74th anniversary of the entry of the Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) into the Korean Front.

Seen standing before the tower was a wreath bearing the august name of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un.

The guard of honor of the Korean People’s Army lined up there.

Present at the wreath-laying ceremony were Kang Yun Sok, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) of the DPRK, Mun Song Hyok, vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Pak Myong Ho, vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, and officials concerned.

The national anthems of the People’s Republic of China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea were played.

Amid the playing of wreath-laying music, wreaths in the names of the SPA Standing Committee and the Cabinet of the DPRK were placed before the tower.

Also laid were wreaths in the names of the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Urban Management and a wreath in the joint name of the Pyongyang Municipal Committee of the WPK and the Pyongyang Municipal People’s Committee.

The participants paid silent tribute to the memory of the CPV martyrs before going round the tower.

On the same day, wreaths were placed at the cemeteries and graves of CPV fallen fighters in Hyongjesan District of Pyongyang Municipality, Anju City and Hoechang County of South Phyongan Province, Onsong County of North Hamgyong Province and Kaesong Municipality.

China and Cuba: Advancing the socialist cause and building a shared future

The close fraternal friendship between China and Cuba was reaffirmed in a recent visit of a delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to the socialist Caribbean island, led Li Shulei, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Central Committee’s Publicity Department.  The delegation was in Cuba to attend the sixth joint theoretical seminar between the CPC and the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), which was held on October 23, with the theme, “Advancing the Socialist Cause and Building a Shared Future.”

The previous day, Li had met with Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the PCC and President of the Republic of Cuba.

Li said China is ready to work with Cuba to implement the important consensus reached by the two top leaders, deepen traditional ties, expand friendly cooperation, and support each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests, while collaborating closely on international and regional issues and jointly building a China-Cuba community with a shared future.

Having received the greetings of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Díaz-Canel asked Li to convey his best wishes to Xi and spoke highly of the special friendship between the two parties and countries.

Li also met with Esteban Lazo Hernández, a member of the Political Bureau of the PCC Central Committee, President of Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power and President of Cuba’s Council of State, held talks with Roberto Morales Ojeda, member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organisation of the PCC Central Committee, and visited General Raúl Castro, leader of the Cuban Revolution.

Granma, the official organ of the PCC, quoted Díaz-Canel as telling Li, with unmistakable reference to the severe economic crisis currently being faced by Cuba, characterised not least by repeated nationwide power outages: “This visit, at the moment Cuba is living, is one more proof of the indestructible bonds of friendship that exist between our peoples, parties and governments.”

He added that he was looking forward to meeting again with Xi Jinping at the upcoming BRICS Summit in the Russian city of Kazan. However, Díaz-Canel later cancelled his visit due to the domestic economic situation.

Similar sentiments to those expressed by Díaz-Canel were echoed by Esteban Lazo Hernández, who told the Chinese comrades:

“A visit, in the midst of this situation, is one more expression of the deep ties of unbreakable friendship that exist between the Communist Party of China and that of Cuba and, likewise, between our peoples.”

He further underlined the relevance of the seminar held in Havana, saying: “I want to reiterate the importance and usefulness of the theoretical seminars to exchange experiences on the construction of socialism on the tenth anniversary of the beginning of this inter-party practice.”

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

Cuba’s top leader meets senior Chinese official

HAVANA, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) — Miguel Diaz-Canel, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and Cuban president, met on Tuesday with Li Shulei, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, who led a CPC delegation to Cuba and attended the sixth theoretical seminar of the two parties.

Li conveyed warm greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, to Diaz-Canel, noting that Xi and Diaz-Canel have reached important consensuses on the development of party-to-party and state-to-state relations, charting a clear course for the longstanding friendship between China and Cuba.

Continue reading China and Cuba: Advancing the socialist cause and building a shared future

Alex Gordon: PRC’s 75th anniversary a moment of hope and inspiration for peoples around the world

The following is the text of the speech delivered by Alex Gordon to the opening session of our conference held on September 28 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, “a moment of pride and achievement for the people of China, but also a moment of hope and inspiration for peoples around the world.”

Alex refers to President Xi Jinping’s May Day message this year to the Chinese working class as well as his letter to Serbian steel workers and contrasts this to the looming job cuts at the at the Port Talbot steel plant in South Wales.

He goes on to compare the fiasco of Britain’s HS2 high-speed rail project with the relevant experience in China:

“In the decade it took to turn HS2 from a rail infrastructure project into luxury homes opportunities for billionaires, China developed a 40,000 km publicly owned, high-speed rail network, the largest in world history.”

He also outlines the work of the Chinese trade union movement, noting that Xi Jinping had emphasised that the unions should earnestly safeguard the rights of workers and strive to solve practical problems concerning their vital interests, in particular for workers in new forms of employment.

Alex Gordon is the President of the rail workers and seafarers’ trade union RMT, the Chair of the Marx Memorial Library and Workers’ School and a member of the Political and Executive Committees of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB).

Chair, Minister, Your Excellencies, Comrades and Friends,

On behalf of the Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB), please allow me first to pay tribute to the great work and militant life of our late comrade Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI[M]). CPB General Secretary, Robert Griffiths has paid tribute to Comrade Sitaram in a eulogy published in the Morning Star. Comrade Sitaram was a friend of China, but also a friend of the CPB and did so much to strengthen and deepen the links between our two parties. We mourn his loss and send our condolences to all his comrades. Vale comrade.

The 75th anniversary of the founding of People’s China is a moment of pride and achievement for the people of China, but also a moment of hope and inspiration for peoples around the world.

On behalf of the CPB, I want to recognise also the significance of this achievement for the working class in our country. But my remarks apply to workers more widely across the developed G7 economies and beyond.

In his May Day greeting to China’s working people this year, President Xi Jinping called on them to “actively participate in advancing Chinese modernisation with high-quality development and work tirelessly to promote the building of a strong country and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts.” He asked party committees and government bodies at all levels to “realise, safeguard and develop the legitimate rights and interests of workers.”

President Xi also replied to a letter from Serbian workers at the HBIS Smederevo Steel Plant who he met on a state visit to Serbia in 2016.

Continue reading Alex Gordon: PRC’s 75th anniversary a moment of hope and inspiration for peoples around the world

British communist solidarity with China from the revolution to today

In this, the second of two articles outlining the history of relations between the communists of Britain and China, Robert Griffiths, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB), having briefly recapped some highlights from the 1920s, 30s and 40s, takes up the story from the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949.

Very soon after liberation, the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was instrumental in the formation of the Britain-China Friendship Association (BCFA), which brought together left and progressive trade unionists, co-operators, scientists, academics, artists, writers, musicians and businesspeople, among others. However, in the face of the intensified cold war, and particularly Britain’s participation in the Korean War, the Labour Party placed the BCFA on its list of proscribed organisations. A number of Labour members were expelled from the party as a result, although, in the first half of the 1980s, one of them, Jim Mortimer, was to eventually become the party’s General Secretary.

Against a background of decades of uninterrupted solidarity, CPGB General Secretary Harry Pollitt paid the first of his three visits to China in 1955. The next year, along with Willie Gallacher and George Caborn, he was a fraternal delegate to the eighth national congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).  And in 1959 he was present for the tenth anniversary celebrations of the People’s Republic.

The close friendship between the CPGB and the CPC did not survive the split between the Soviet and Chinese parties, which burst into the open in the early 1960s and divided communists throughout the world. Relations were not restored until the 1980s.

The collapse of the Soviet Union and the socialist countries of eastern Europe in 1989-91 created a new situation, with the first CPB delegation visiting China in 1995.

Comrade Griffiths concludes his article on a note of optimism, with the CPB, together with Friends of Socialist China, jointly celebrating the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China and beginning to plan for further successful initiatives in 2025.

The article was originally published in the Morning Star. The preceding article, reviewing the earlier years, may be read here and the PDF of the full Morning Star supplement, in which it originally appeared can be downloaded here.

Continue reading British communist solidarity with China from the revolution to today

China at 75: A journey of revolution, resilience and redistributive development

In the following contributed article, Bhabani Shankar Nayak salutes the Chinese people on the 75th anniversary of their revolution, noting that the founding of the People’s Republic constituted a triumph over imperialism, colonialism and feudalism. However, imperialist aggression against China continues in the midst of the country’s stellar progress in all fields, which stands in stark contrast to the crises enveloping the capitalist world.

Bhabani Shankar Nayak is a Professor of Business Management at London Metropolitan University. He is the author or editor of numerous books and articles on China and other issues related to development in the Global South.

On October 1, 1949, the revolutionary people of China established the People’s Republic of China (PRC) under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), this being the culmination of a protracted struggle that saw the defeat of Western imperialism, Japanese colonialism, and Chinese feudal warlords, all of whom had unleashed a ‘white terror’ on communists, revolutionaries and the Chinese people generally. Even after the defeat of Japanese militarism, American imperialists supported the so-called nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek in an attempt to defeat the communists and undermine the victory of the Chinese revolution.

Imperialist aggression against China continues to this day, as the Chinese people celebrate seventy-five years of their revolutionary republic, while progressing along the path of revolution, reform, and redistributive development centreed on the people. The peace, progress, and prosperity in China define its development path, shaped by the resilient and revolutionary spirit of its people under the leadership of the CPC, whose motto is ‘Serve the People’. The journey from the semi-colonial period of shame and humiliation from the mid-19th century onwards to China’s rise to the position of the second-largest economy is a testament to the resilience and dignity of the Chinese people. It is celebration of the abilities of Chinese people and their indomitable spirit.

What have China and its people achieved over the last seventy-five years?

In 1949, China was economically backward, feudalism was endemic, and the people suffered from poverty, hunger, and homelessness. Over the past seven and a half decades, the Chinese people have transformed their agrarian society into an industrial powerhouse, producing quality goods and efficient services for the world. Unprecedented economic growth, coupled with redistributive development policies, has led to the complete eradication of extreme poverty and hunger. Universal access to food, education, and healthcare has contributed to the development of a scientifically advanced society in China, with a rising standard of living, while capitalist countries are facing economic and social crises. The Chinese people have built technologically advanced infrastructure, new cities, ports, airports, and high-speed rail networks that are more efficient than their capitalist counterparts in America and Europe. China’s lunar and Mars missions exemplify the significant progress the country has made in space exploration and scientific innovation. Despite this rapid modernisation, the Chinese people have not forgotten to reclaim their cultural heritage, celebrating their diversity through art, film, music, literature, language, and fashion.

The Chinese policy of peaceful coexistence and a collaborative approach to building a global community with a shared and sustainable future, aimed at addressing global challenges, offers an alternative to a divided world plagued by imperialist wars.  The Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI) and Global Security Initiative (GSI) are examples of the Chinese approach to global peace and development based on solidarity and cooperation. Such an alternative is not acceptable to American and European hegemons, as it fundamentally opposes their capitalist interests under the guise of democracy dominated by markets, where the majority of people are marginalised. The Chinese vision for global peace and solidarity stands in stark contrast to the confrontational, dominating, competitive, and rent-seeking capitalist approach, which prioritises large corporations while people suffer from never-ending crises.

Therefore, there is relentless propaganda against China and its hardworking people. Phrases like “Chinese goods are cheap”, “Chinese low-quality products”, “Chinese cheap labour”, “Chinese virus”, “Chinese human rights violations”, “expansionist China”, and “Chinese domination and dictatorship” are part of a propaganda campaign designed to undermine the achievements of the Chinese people and their revolution. The Chinese alternative is an anathema to the racial capitalism  where the budget for war is prioritised over those for education and health. In China, the state works for the people and their welfare, whereas in capitalist countries, governments serve corporate interests for profits. It is time to expose the hypocrisies of the West and celebrate the achievements of the Chinese people over the last seventy-five years. These achievements offer hope for working people around the world. Thus, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China is a global event for working people. It is a milestone in the revolutionary history of working-class achievements.