Category: Speeches

China, multipolarity and the rise of the Global South

We are pleased to publish below an article by Francisco Domínguez, secretary of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign (Britain) and Friends of Socialist China advisory group member, based on a speech he delivered to our September 28 conference celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

The article begins by highlighting some of the parallels between the Chinese Revolution and the 20th century revolutionary movement in Latin America, particularly with regard to the role of the peasantry and the relative weight of the struggle against colonialism and imperialism. Francisco draws in particular on the work of Peruvian Marxist, José Carlos Mariátegui, in the 1920s.

Francisco goes on to outline the impact of Hugo Chávez’s strategy of regional integration and its complementarity with the global strategy of multipolarity – in which China plays a key role – as well as the blossoming economic and diplomatic relationship between Latin America and the People’s Republic of China.

The article concludes: “The rise of Latin America with the Pink Tide as a dynamic and active component of the Global South is a clear manifestation both of multipolarity and the region’s desire to play an leading role in building a Global Community of Shared Future.”

Introduction

The Chinese Revolution has reached 75 years and its extraordinary economic development has turned into the second largest economy in the world on the basis of impressive technological advances and becoming a highly beneficial hub to the Global South, which is the current manifestation of multipolarity. We examine how Latin America embarked on a process of progressive transformation and regional integration (known as the Pink Tide) leading, since about 1999, to enter into a growing collaborative and multifaceted relationship with the People’s Republic of China.

Significance of the Chinese Revolution

In 1957 Mao Zedong identified three key forces on a world scale: US imperialism engaged in policies and wars of aggression; other developed capitalist countries; and countries fighting for national independence and national liberation movements in Asia, Africa and Latin America. […] As for the oppressed nations’ liberation movements and countries fighting to gain national independence, the Party advocated giving them active support and developing extensive friendly relations with them. Regarding capitalist countries other than the U.S., the Party’s view was that China should also win them over and develop friendly relations with them. As to the United States, the Party advocated determined opposition to U.S. armed aggression and threats to China, on the one hand, while still striving for peaceful co-existence with the it and settling disputes between the two countries through peaceful consultation, on the other.[1]

The novelty of the Chinese Revolution, already a feature of the Russian Revolution, was an immense peasant base in a country where in 1949 there was hardly a working class. Well over 85% of the country was made of peasants and where the working-class movement had been destroyed by a combination of the Kuomintang’s brutal repression in 1925-1927, followed by the Japanese invasion (1931-1949). The proletariat had almost disappeared.

Thus, the Chinese Communist Party mobilised the peasantry endowing that mobilization with proletariat leadership and revolutionary dynamic, which, by demolishing its feudal structures, would lead to the accomplishment of the democratic tasks of the revolution. However, its consolidation required to move simultaneously to the undertaking of the socialist tasks by primarily start the construction of a proletarian state that rested on the power of the People’s Liberation Army under the leadership of the CCP. The latter gave the revolution its socialist character.

In this regard in 1959, Lui Shaoqi, a leader of the Revolution said, the Chinese revolution exerts a formidable “attraction for the peoples of backward countries that have suffered, or are suffering imperialist oppression. They feel that they should also be able to do what the Chinese have done.”[2]

A similar strategy had been put forward in Latin America by Peruvian Marxist, José Carlos Mariátegui as early as 1928.[3] He argued that due to its backward nature, the nations in Latin America had a weak, small and dependent bourgeoisie, subordinated to the landed oligarchy and imperialism, therefore, unable and unwilling to undertake the carrying out of the national democratic tasks to modernise society to fully develop capitalism. Thus, the only way to carry through the national democratic tasks was by a socialist revolution led by the proletariat enjoying hegemony over the majority peasantry for land reform as the sine qua non condition of its success.

Continue reading China, multipolarity and the rise of the Global South

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!

Chen Weihua: China’s peaceful rise is a miracle unprecedented in human history

We are pleased to reprint below the speech delivered by Chen Weihua to our September 28 conference celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Chen describes the founding of the People’s Republic as a turning point in Chinese history: “Chairman Mao’s declaration 75 years ago that the Chinese people have stood up made Chinese extremely proud of being Chinese, after the nation had suffered a century of humiliation inflicted upon by imperial and colonial powers.”

China’s progress since then – lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty, developing universal healthcare and education, massively improving living standards, and becoming a global leader in green technology – has been remarkable, but has also raised alarm in Washington, which sees China’s rise as a threat to its strategy of hegemony.

This is the context for the trade war, for the US’s unilateral sanctions on China, and for the escalating military encirclement campaign. It also provides the context for a relentless propaganda war, in which China is demonised and labeled a threat to peace and democracy. “The US often portrays China as a major threat to global peace. The truth is that China has one of the best records for peace. The US has been engaged in constant wars and regime changes, from Afghanistan to Iraq to Libya, just to name a few.”

Chen points out that, in an interconnected world, “it is more important than ever for the world to come together to tackle common global challenges from climate change, nuclear proliferation and pandemic to economic growth and global governance”, and concludes by calling for a coordinated struggle against the New Cold War.

Chen Weihua is a prominent Chinese journalist and EU bureau chief of China Daily.

It’s a great honor for me to speak to you in my personal capacity at this important event marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

I want to express my appreciation for Friends of Socialist China for your good work in advocating world peace and justice and in supporting China against the US new Cold War and its reckless smearing campaigns against China.

Chairman Mao’s declaration 75 years ago that the Chinese people have stood up made Chinese extremely proud of being Chinese, after the nation had suffered a century of humiliation inflicted upon by imperial and colonial powers.

China’s rapid peaceful rise, especially since the reform and opening up in the late 1970s, is a miracle and unprecedented in human history. China has lifted 800 million people out of poverty, greatly raised the living standards of its people, advanced its capacity in education, public health, science and technology. And China has become a global manufacturing powerhouse, including in renewable energy and other clean industries.

China has been playing an important and responsible role on the world stage and as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and as a voice for the developing world.

It’s exactly such China’s independent foreign policy, unique development path and rapid peaceful rise that have made many in Washington feel threatened in sustaining US global hegemony. That is why the US has been going all-out to contain China’s development.

The US has been waging trade wars and tariff wars against China. It has put hundreds of Chinese tech companies on its notorious Entity List of export control. The US has been forcing countries to choose sides in its bid to divide the world into Cold War type political blocs.

Continue reading Chen Weihua: China’s peaceful rise is a miracle unprecedented in human history

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

People’s China and Western Marxism

On Thursday 24 October, Friends of Socialist China participated in an event in New York City to celebrate the release of two revolutionary books: People’s China at 75: The Flag Stays Red, and Western Marxism by Domenico Losurdo, translated into English for the first time.

The event, which was held at the International Action Center HQ, featured a panel discussion with Carlos Martinez (co-editor of People’s China at 75), Gabriel Rockhill (editor of Western Marxism), and Danny Haiphong (independent journalist and broadcaster). The panel was chaired by Sara Flounders of the International Action Center.

Embedded below is a video of the event, which was live-streamed on Danny Haiphong’s YouTube channel, followed by the approximate text of Carlos’s remarks connecting the two books.

What was the reason for putting People’s China at 75 together?

The main motivation was that this milestone, the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, when Mao Zedong famously proclaimed in Tiananmen Square that “the Chinese people have stood up”, provided an opportunity to reflect on the significance of that event.

And it’s an evolving significance. The Chinese people are still living that history; indeed the world is living that history. The Chinese Revolution changed the world forever, and the processes of building socialism and struggling against imperialism are ongoing processes that modern China is very much a part of.

So we wanted to examine China’s trajectory since 1949 and to help people get to grips with China’s socialist project in all its different phases. Certainly this is a topic that’s very little understood in the Western world, including among many on the left.

And that’s perhaps where the overlap lies between the two books we’re discussing this evening.

The Western Marxism described by Losurdo is essentially dogmatic; it considers socialism from an abstract, purely theoretical viewpoint.

For these Western Marxists, it’s a handful of academics spending their time in conferences and writing vast impenetrable volumes that are at the cutting edge of knowledge production.

For the Eastern Marxists on the other hand – the people that are oriented to the actually existing struggle against imperialism and for socialism – it’s precisely those states, movements and parties that are engaged in the process of building socialism and struggling against hegemony that are making the major contribution to moving humanity’s collective understanding forward.

The dialectical relationship between theory and practice is at the core of Marxism. As Mao famously put it in his essay ‘On Practice’, “if you want knowledge, you must take part in the practice of changing reality. If you want to know the taste of a pear, you must change the pear by eating it yourself.”

Abstract theory won’t help us much when it comes to understanding modern China.

Where in Marx’s Capital or Theories of Surplus Value can you find a reference point for China’s reform and opening up process, which was launched in 1978? Nowhere.

Apart from anything else, Marx and Engels didn’t live to see the emergence of socialist states – beyond the early experiment of the Paris Commune – and couldn’t be expected to predict what problems might face a socialist state, recently emerged from semi-colonial semi-feudal status, thirty years after its founding, faced with imperialist encirclement and nuclear blackmail, and dealing with the responsibility of feeding a fifth of the world’s population with 6 percent of the world’s arable land.

Just as no battle plan survives contact with the enemy, no revolutionary process proceeds along straight and predictable lines. Or as Lenin put it when discussing the heroic 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland: “Whoever expects a ‘pure’ social revolution will never live to see it. Such a person pays lip service to revolution without understanding what revolution is.”

People see huge inequality in China, people see private capital in China, people see billionaires in China, people see McDonalds and KFC in China, and they pronounce: this isn’t socialism.

But what about the elimination of absolute poverty? What about the extraordinary improvements in people’s living standards? What about the fact that in this vast Asian country of 1.4 billion people, nobody suffers malnutrition, everybody has sufficient food, everybody has a roof over their head, everyone has clothing, everyone has access to education, healthcare, running water and modern energy.

Here we are in New York, in the heart of global capitalism. Do people here have those basic rights? How far would I have to walk from this building to find someone that doesn’t have a roof over their head, or who doesn’t have healthcare? I suspect not very far.

Why is it that China’s been able to solve these problems? Why is it that China is so focused on living standards and meeting people’s most fundamental human rights? Why is it that China is so far out in front when it comes to renewable energy, electric vehicles, forestation and biodiversity protection? Why is it that China made so much effort to prevent loss of life during the Covid-19 pandemic, whereas in the US over a million people died?

Clearly, the answer relates to China’s economic, political and social project. That China remains on the path to socialism, that has a mixed economy in which the commanding heights are publicly owned, that is run by a Marxist-Leninist party, and where the capitalist class is denied the right to organise in its own political interests.

So in terms of the line Losurdo draws in Western Marxism, I think it’s reasonable to say that on one side of that line you have people who only criticise and condemn China, who label it as capitalist or imperialist, who push the slogan ‘Neither Washington Nor Beijing’; and on the other side you have people who stand in solidarity with China, who seek to learn from China, who showcase China as an example of what can be achieved under socialism, and who resolutely oppose the US’s plans to contain and encircle China.

Xi Jinping: Global South countries marching together toward modernisation is monumental in world history

The summit meeting of the BRICS cooperation mechanism was held, October 22-24, in Kazan, the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan in the Russian Federation, and was hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Alongside dozens of other events within its framework, the summit of the nine full members of BRICS was held on October 23, under the theme “Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security”. This was the first such gathering in which Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa were joined by Ethiopia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran, since the 2023 summit meeting held in South Africa invited the latter four countries to take up full membership in the first wave of BRICS expansion.

This meeting was followed, on October 24, by the “BRICS Plus” Leaders Dialogue, the first gathering of its kind, which was held under the theme, “BRICS and the Global South: Building a Better World Together”.

In all, the Kazan gathering drew the participation of leaders of 36 countries and territories, including 22 heads of state. The leaders of six international organisations, including the Secretary-General of the United Nations, also attended.

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered keynote speeches at both the October 23 and 24 meetings. Together, they provide correct strategic guidance to advance the collective agenda and shared goals of the Global South at the present time.

On October 23, President Xi addressed the BRICS Summit, with a speech entitled, “Embracing a Broader View and Cutting Through the Fog of Challenges to Advance High-Quality Development of Greater BRICS Cooperation”.  He said:

“I would like to take this opportunity to once again welcome new members to our BRICS family. The enlargement of BRICS is a major milestone in its history and a landmark event in the evolution of the international situation. At this summit, we have decided to invite many countries to become partner countries, which is another major progress in the development of BRICS…

“As the world enters a new period defined by turbulence and transformation, we are confronted with pivotal choices that will shape our future. Should we allow the world to descend into the abyss of disorder and chaos, or should we strive to steer it back on the path of peace and development? This reminds me of a novel by Nikolay Chernyshevsky entitled ‘What Is to Be Done?’ The protagonist’s unwavering determination and passionate drive are exactly the kind of willpower we need today. The more tumultuous our times become, the more we must stand firm at the forefront, exhibiting tenacity, demonstrating the audacity to pioneer and displaying the wisdom to adapt. We must work together to build BRICS into a primary channel for strengthening solidarity and cooperation among Global South nations and a vanguard for advancing global governance reform.”

Setting out the key tasks for BRICS members at present, Xi said that:

– We should build a BRICS committed to peace and we must all act as defenders of common security. In this context he specifically referred to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. “The Ukraine crisis still persists. China and Brazil, in collaboration with other countries from the Global South, initiated a group of Friends for Peace to address the crisis. The aim is to gather more voices advocating peace. We must uphold the three key principles: no expansion of the battlefields, no escalation of hostilities, and no fanning flames, and strive for swift de-escalation of the situation. While the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, the flames of war have once again been rekindled in Lebanon, and conflicts are escalating among the parties. We must promote an immediate ceasefire and an end to the killing. We must make unremitting efforts toward a comprehensive, just and lasting resolution of the Palestinian question.”

– We should build a BRICS committed to innovation, and we must all act as pioneers of high-quality development. China has recently launched a China-BRICS Artificial Intelligence Development and Cooperation Centre. We are ready to deepen cooperation on innovation with all BRICS countries to unleash the dividends of AI development.

– We should build a BRICS committed to green development, and we must all act as promoters of sustainable development. Green is the defining colour of our times. It is important that all BRICS countries proactively embrace the global trend of green and low-carbon transformation.

– We should build a BRICS committed to justice and we must all act as forerunners in reforming global governance. In light of the rise of the Global South, we should respond favourably to the calls from various countries to join BRICS. We should advance the process of expanding BRICS membership and establishing a partner country mechanism and enhance the representation and voice of developing nations in global governance. 

– The current developments make the reform of the international financial architecture all the more pressing. The New Development Bank should be expanded and strengthened.

– We should build a BRICS committed to closer people-to-people exchanges, and we must all act as advocates for harmonious coexistence among all civilisations.

In conclusion he stated: “China is willing to work with all BRICS countries to open a new horizon in the high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation and join hands with Global South countries in building a community with a shared future for humanity.”

Xi Jinping addressed the BRICS Plus Dialogue on the theme, “Combining the Great Strength of the Global South to Build Together a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity”. He said that:

“The collective rise of the Global South is a distinctive feature of the great transformation across the world. Global South countries marching together toward modernisation is monumental in world history and unprecedented in human civilisation.”

He went on to argue that:

– We should uphold peace and strive for common security. Last July, Palestinian factions reconciled with each other in Beijing, marking a key step toward peace in the Middle East. We must stop the flames of war from spreading in Lebanon and end the miserable sufferings in Palestine and Lebanon.

– We should reinvigorate development and strive for common prosperity.

– We should promote together the development of all civilisations and strive for harmony among them.

Xi Jinping concluded: “No matter how the international landscape evolves, we in China will always keep the Global South in our heart and maintain our roots in the Global South. We support more Global South countries in joining the cause of BRICS as full members, partner countries or in the “BRICS Plus” format so that we can combine the great strength of the Global South to build together a community with a shared future for humanity.”

The following is the full text of the two speeches. They were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.

Full Text: Address by Chinese President Xi Jinping at 16th BRICS Summit

KAZAN, Russia, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday delivered an important speech at the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia.

The following is the full text of the speech:

Embracing a Broader View and Cutting Through the Fog of Challenges to Advance High-Quality Development of Greater BRICS Cooperation

Your Excellency President Vladimir Putin,

Colleagues,

First of all, I wish to extend my warm congratulations on the successful opening of this summit. I also wish to thank President Putin and our host Russia for the thoughtful arrangements and warm hospitality.

I would like to take this opportunity to once again welcome new members to our BRICS family. The enlargement of BRICS is a major milestone in its history, and a landmark event in the evolution of the international situation. At this summit, we have decided to invite many countries to become partner countries, which is another major progress in the development of BRICS. As we Chinese often say, “A man of virtue regards righteousness as the greatest interest.” It is for our shared pursuit and for the overarching trend of peace and development that we BRICS countries have come together. We must make full use of this summit, maintain the momentum of BRICS, and consider and devise our strategy to address issues that have a global impact, determine our future direction, and possess strategic significance. We must build on this milestone summit to set off anew and forge ahead with one heart and one mind.

As the world enters a new period defined by turbulence and transformation, we are confronted with pivotal choices that will shape our future. Should we allow the world to descend into the abyss of disorder and chaos, or should we strive to steer it back on the path of peace and development? This reminds me of a novel by Nikolay Chernyshevsky entitled What Is to Be Done? The protagonist’s unwavering determination and passionate drive are exactly the kind of willpower we need today. The more tumultuous our times become, the more we must stand firm at the forefront, exhibiting tenacity, demonstrating the audacity to pioneer and displaying the wisdom to adapt. We must work together to build BRICS into a primary channel for strengthening solidarity and cooperation among Global South nations and a vanguard for advancing global governance reform.

Continue reading Xi Jinping: Global South countries marching together toward modernisation is monumental in world history

Andrew Murray: China’s poverty alleviation is not just an achievement, it is a socialist achievement

We are pleased to reprint below the speech delivered by Andrew Murray to our September 28 conference celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

In his remarks, Andrew refers to Xi Jinping’s observation that without China socialism might have become marginal to world development.

He notes that China has been central to two major reconceptualisations of socialism – on the role of the peasantry in the revolution and regarding the close association of socialism with national liberation and the struggle against imperialism.

He explains that two key aspects of socialist development are the transformation of social relations and the development of the productive forces and explains how the PRC has adjusted the relative weight given to each in the periods before and after 1978.

He also stresses the continuity in the Chinese position regarding the protracted nature of the transition to socialism.

Andrew Murray is the political correspondent of the Morning Star. He has served as the Chair of the Stop the War Coalition, Chief of Staff at Unite the union, and as an adviser to Jeremy Corbyn MP when he was Leader of the Labour Party. He has written many books including ‘The Fall and Rise of the British Left’ and ‘Is Socialism Possible in Britain?’

First let me congratulate the Chinese comrades on the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC).  It is an event which reveals new layers of significance today, when other landmarks of the twentieth century have faded.

It is significant of course for world politics and for the Chinese people themselves.  But here I want to discuss its significance for socialism.  As Xi Jinping has said, without China socialism might have become marginal to world development.  There are of course other socialist countries, but none have the size and international importance of the PRC.

Some deny the socialist character of China.  I recall discussing with the eminent Marxist political economist David Harvey his views. He said that when he visited a location in China – he has been many times – he might see a landscape of paddy fields and then come back a few years later and see a city with factories, a high-speed railway and so on in the same spot.  I asked him how this could be done, when such a pace of development would be quite impossible in Britain.  He replied, “no private property rights to get in the way”.  That might not be a scientific definition of the dictatorship of the proletariat, but it is certainly an aspect!

Socialism is not an invariant concept.  It was developed in nineteenth century Europe and could not possibly remain the same as it spreads across the world and new experience from various countries accumulates.  Socialism has already been reconceptualised, and China has been at the centre of two major such developments.  First, it recentred socialism upon the peasantry in the Chinese revolution, and to a certain extent decentred its reliance on the industrial working class of developed capitalist countries.  And secondly, it associated socialism closely with national liberation and the struggle against imperialism, building on the analysis of Lenin and the Communist International.  This has relocated the nexus of socialism to what we now call the Global South.

Of course, socialism cannot be reduced to simply being whatever one chooses to call it.  It has real content.  Two aspects of the development of socialism are the transformation of social relations and the development of the productive forces. Both are essential, and China has laid the emphasis first on one and then the other since 1949.  Until 1978 transforming social relations took pride of place, although there was of course significant advance in the productive forces through that period.  But the focus was on class struggle, sometimes practised in counter-productive ways.  Since 1978 the emphasis has been on the development of the economy and the productive forces.  This has been accompanied by a concern to maintain social stability, but it is certain that the class struggle, which the Communist Party of China (CPC) acknowledges may be decisive in some circumstances, will need to be reasserted if the full achievement of socialism is to be reached.  The two aims are linked dialectically.

Continue reading Andrew Murray: China’s poverty alleviation is not just an achievement, it is a socialist achievement

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

Building a peaceful, nuclear-free tomorrow

The following text is of a speech by Sophie Bolt, incoming general secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), at the World We Want conference held in London on 12 October 2024.

Sophie’s speech outlines the current geopolitical situation, in particular the risk of nuclear war, and the need for a mass movement to demand peace and disarmament. She observes that US global dominance is the number one obstacle in the way of a “peaceful, just, sustainable and nuclear-free world”. While many may have hoped that the end of the Cold War would have brought about a more peaceful world, the US developed an aggressive new strategy – the “Wolfowitz doctrine” – which aimed to prevent the rise of any rival power that could challenge US hegemony. “Using its political, economic and military might, the US has attempted to force countries to subordinate their economic and political interests to it. A carrot-and-stick approach, in which the US nuclear arsenal is the ultimate stick.”

Sophie notes that the global economic and political situation is changing, particularly with the emergence of China and the rise of BRICS. In a state of relative decline, the US is increasingly resorting to the use of military power to maintain and reassert its hegemony. “This is the key driver of global tensions which is pushing the world to the brink of destruction.”

The speech calls on the peace movement to mobilise against the US-led drive to war – including the New Cold War on China – and to support peace initiatives emerging from the Global South. For example, Brazil and China are coordinating towards peace talks between Russia and Ukraine; meanwhile South Africa has been blazing a trail on international legal action against Israel for its war crimes in Gaza.

Sophie concludes:

We must take hope and courage from these significant, progressive developments taking place across the global South. And the determined, committed movements that are growing here in the global North.

The text of the speech was first published in the Morning Star on 14 October 2024.

So, the world we want to see! For the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, we want a peaceful, just, sustainable and nuclear-free world. But, given where we currently are, how can we secure such a world?

From CND’s perspective, central to this question is overcoming the major obstacle — which is US global dominance.

Since the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the US has pursued a military doctrine that allows no rival economic or military power to emerge that can challenge it.

Far from ending the second world war, the dropping of these nuclear bombs was a ruthless, barbaric act to ensure the US emerged as the major superpower. It was a warning to every other country.

The bombing unleashed the nuclear arms race and started the cold war, taking the world to the brink of nuclear annihilation.

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, this doctrine was explicitly formalised, coined the “Wolfowitz doctrine,” after Paul Wolfowitz, under-secretary of defence to Dick Cheney. This is why — rather than disbanding Nato — the US aggressively expanded the nuclear-armed alliance right up to Russia’s borders.

Using its political, economic and military might, the US has attempted to force countries to subordinate their economic and political interests to it. A carrot-and-stick approach, in which the US nuclear arsenal is the ultimate stick.

But today, China’s economic growth has overtaken the US, and it is now the biggest economy in the world. Economic co-operation between Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — known as Brics — means these combined economies are larger than the G7. And this economic co-operation is growing, with Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates joining this year.

Continue reading Building a peaceful, nuclear-free tomorrow

Paweł Wargan: China’s peaceful rise points to the promise of a socialist future

The following text and video are from a pre-recorded contribution by Paweł Wargan at the London conference organised by Friends of Socialist China to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Paweł’s contribution was very moving, coming from a Polish organiser who is well versed in the history of that country. Being able to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the PRC “feels miraculous to me, because I come from a country that abandoned its socialist path. Knowing what was lost in Poland — in Eastern Europe as a whole — sharpens the appreciation for what has persisted in China.”

Paweł observes that when Poland abandoned the socialist path, “we sold off our public institutions, we joined NATO, and we helped destroy Iraq”. Socialist Poland had built a foreign policy based on solidarity and internationalism, but after 1989, “we lost our solidarity, and we lost a sizeable chunk of our humanity”.

Addressing the standard critique of China as having turned its back on socialism, Paweł poses the question of what China would really look like today if it truly had abandoned the socialist project:

Without socialism, would China build the world’s largest network of high-speed rail? Would China lift 850 million people out of poverty? Would China achieve its climate targets six years ahead of schedule? Without socialism, would China come to lead the global green transition, dramatically cutting the costs of renewable energy for everyone? Would China export its development expertise to countries that for centuries had been denied the right to modernise on their own terms? Would China remain peaceful? 

The speech concludes by urging listeners to take inspiration from China’s continuing successes:

China’s peaceful rise points to the promise of a socialist future on our horizon… In a period in history dominated by the merciless violence we see committed daily against the Palestinian and now Lebanese people by what is a relic of the past — a European colonial project that had no right to survive the era of decolonisation — we can take great hope from the knowledge that there exists somewhere a project of the future.

Paweł Wargan is an activist, researcher and organiser. He serves as Political Coordinator at the Progressive International, an international coalition of over 100 popular movements, political parties, and unions.

In some ways, it feels miraculous to be celebrating the continuation of a socialist project in 2024. And I think that we have to insist on these words: celebration, socialism. Even in the ranks of the left, too many dismiss the seriousness of China’s socialist process, and the idea that there is anything left to celebrate.

This celebration feels miraculous to me, because I come from a country that abandoned its socialist path. Knowing what was lost in Poland — in Eastern Europe as a whole — sharpens the appreciation for what has persisted in China. 

Just last week, on 24 September, an anniversary passed by that is scarcely remembered in my country. 65 years ago, before the rubble from the Second World War had been fully cleared, Władyslaw Gomułka, the leader of the socialist Polish People’s Republic, announced that Poland would build 1,000 schools — one for every year of our country’s existence. 

The war had devastated Poland’s social infrastructure. In 1961, there were 74 children for every classroom, and 700,000 children were born every year between 1949 and 1959. By the end of the 1000 Schools for the Millennium program, the state had built over 1,400 schools and 6,349 homes for Polish teachers — an achievement that it would never repeat in its history. We still go to these schools today.

The experiences gained in our post-war reconstruction were not confined to Poland. Polish architects and builders travelled around the world, helping countries emerging from the ravages of colonialism build their own schools, houses, concert halls, universities, and other public buildings. One of the companies involved in this process, Budimex, helped design a master plan for the city of Baghdad in Iraq, which charted a path for its development until the year 2000.

Then our socialist project collapsed, we sold off our public institutions, we joined NATO, we helped destroy Iraq, and just a couple of years ago Budimex finished work a border wall to stop the victims of US wars in West Asia from crossing into the European Union through Belarus. This is what the collapse of socialism has meant for Poland’s role in the world. We lost our ambition, we lost our solidarity, and we lost a sizeable chunk of our humanity. 

When some on the left expect China to conjure up — as if out of thin air — the socialism imagined in the bedrooms or university halls of Britain or the United States, they ignore not only the continuing achievements of Chinese socialism, won through the arduous effort and tremendous creativity of the Chinese people and the leadership of the Communist Party of China. They also ignore the counterfactual. What would have been lost had China abandoned the path of socialist construction? 

Without socialism, would China build the world’s largest network of high-speed rail? Would China lift 850 million people out of poverty? Would China achieve its climate targets six years ahead of schedule? Without socialism, would China come to lead the global green transition, dramatically cutting the costs of renewable energy for everyone? Would China export its development expertise to countries that for centuries had been denied the right to modernize on their own terms? Would China remain peaceful? 

We find the answers to these questions in the many tragedies that have gripped the former socialist bloc in Eastern Europe. Fraternal nations have been torn apart by the scourge of ethno-nationism — carefully cultivated by the Atlanticist bloc — and entire regions were consumed by war. The social safety net was pulled from under people’s feet, and seven million died early deaths as a result. The very horizon of the future has disappeared.  

That is why we now celebrate the People’s Republic. 

In China, we have proof that the socialist era is not behind us — that we have not, as too many of us insist, been defeated. To the contrary, China’s peaceful rise points to the promise of a socialist future on our horizon. China built on the legacies of the October Revolution, found ways to navigate the contradictions of a global economy captured by imperialism, and has set itself the goal of building an advanced socialist society within our lifetimes. 

In a period in history dominated by the merciless violence we see committed daily against the Palestinian and now Lebanese people by what is a relic of the past — a European colonial project that had no right to survive the era of decolonization — we can take great hope from the knowledge that there exists somewhere a project of the future. 

Zhang Weiwei: China’s astounding success has been achieved in peace and under socialism

The following text and video are from a pre-recorded contribution by Professor Zhang Weiwei at the London conference organised by Friends of Socialist China to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Professor Zhang notes that China has “accomplished almost one industrial revolution every decade since the early 1980s”, with the result that it is now at the forefront of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Furthermore, it is sharing its progress with the world, in particular the developing countries.

Zhang further observes that, whereas the West’s modernisation was achieved through war, plunder, colonialism and imperialism, “China’s stunning success has been achieved in peace and under socialism under the leadership of the Communist Party of China”.

He concludes:

Of course, China is by no means perfect, and it is still faced with many challenges, yet I also believe that with China’s extraordinary achievements over the past 75 years, we will be able to overcome these challenges and do even better in the years and decades to come.

Zhang Weiwei is a professor of international relations at Fudan University and a senior research fellow at the Chunqiu Institute, in Shanghai. He has written extensively in English and Chinese on China’s economic and political reform, China’s development model and comparative politics. In the mid-1980s, he worked as a senior English interpreter for Deng Xiaoping and other Chinese leaders. He is one of China’s leading public intellectuals.

Hello, everyone,

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, I am more than happy to join you to celebrate this great occasion from Shanghai. With 75 years of socialist construction, China has become the world’s largest economy by purchasing power parity since 2014, and today China is the largest industrial, manufacturing and trading nation, with the world’s largest middle class and extreme poverty eradicated and life expectancy two years higher than the United States. Furthermore, thanks to Chinese socialism, at a speed of accomplishing almost one industrial revolution every decade since the early 1980s, China is now at the fore-frontier of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (with big data, AI and quantum technologies, etc) and now the only country capable of providing goods, services and experience from all the four Industrial Revolutions to the whole world. All this has changed China and the world forever.

Indeed, the first group of countries rising up during the 18th and 19th centuries like Britain and France had a population around tens of millions; the second group of countries rising up during the 20th century like the US and Japan had a population around one hundred million; and China’s rise in the 21st century represents a population of over one billion, which is more than the total populations of the previous two groups combined. Furthermore, China’s stunning success has been achieved in peace and under socialism under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, rather than through wars and plunders under colonialism and imperialism for the West.

What’s more important, China’s rise is not that of an ordinary country, but that of a socialist civilizational state, which means, China is an amalgam of the world’s longest continuous civilization and a super-large modern socialist state, with has at least four features, i.e. (i) a super-large population, (ii) a super-vast territory, (iii) super-long traditions and (iv) super-rich cultures, each of which is a blend of ancient and modern, more specifically, a blend of China’s past and its modern socialist adaptations and innovations.

Taking the super-long traditions as an example, China’s ancient traditions have evolved, develped and adapted in virtually all branches of human knowledge and practices. For instance, the West is critical of China’s one-party system, yet to most Chinese, it’s nothing extraordinary: since its first unification in 221 BC, China has been mostly governed by a unified ruling entity, otherwise the country would have disintegrated. China had copied the American political model following its 1911 Republican Revolution and the country degenerated into warlords fighting each other with millions of lives lost.

In its history, China’s unified ruling entity was mostly sustained by a system of meritocracy, with officials selected through public exams or the Keju system since the Sui Dynasty close to 1500 years ago. Since 1949, under the CPC’s leadership, this ancient system has been adapted into today’s what I call “selection + election”. China’s top echelon leaders have almost all served at least twice as the No.1 of a Chinese province, which means they have administered in most cases more than 100 million people before taking up their current positions. As a result, China’s top echelon leadership is obviously among the most competent in the world.

The tradition of a unified ruling entity has carried with it a holistic way of political governance. I would describe Western-style political parties as partisan interest parties and the CPC as a holistic interest party. This explains why China is able to reform and reinvent itself all the time, pioneering the way to overcome all kinds of vested interests and ensure an overall balance between political, social and capital powers in favor of the vast majority of its people. As a result, most Chinese are the beneficiaries of China’s dramatic transformation, a hallmark of Chinese socialism today.

Of course, China is by no means perfect, and it is still faced with many challenges, yet I also believe that with China’s extraordinary achievements over the past 75 years, we will be able to overcome these challenges and do even better in the years and decades to come. On this positive note, I stop here and wish your celebration a great success!

Laos-China friendship: “Let us build socialism together”

We are pleased to reprint below the speech given by Comrade Phonesy Boulom, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR) in London, at the opening session of our September 28 conference celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

The representative of the LPDR outlines the course of Laos-China friendship, which has socialism at the core, as well as her country’s achievements and goals along the road of socialist-oriented development. She concludes with the rousing call: “Let us build socialism together.”

Excellency Ambassadors, colleagues from the Diplomatic Corps

Dear Comrades

At the outset, I would like to apologise that Ambassador Douangmany is unable to join us today due to his earlier commitment in Scotland. I have a great pleasure and honour to attend this important event today. On behalf of the Embassy of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR), I would like to convey my heartfelt congratulation to our Chinese comrades and friends on the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, it has made a great number of impressive accomplishments in securing national stability, peace and economic growth.  China embraced the centenary of the Communist Party of China and ushered in a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics and built a prosperous society in all aspects. This is a historic accomplishment by the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people striving for unity and raising a high profile of China in the world, especially in economic development.

Laos and China have enjoyed a long-standing relationship and stable strategic partnership for a long time based on ‘four goods’, namely good neighbours, good friends, good comrades and good partners.  The two parties and the two governments have sympathised with and supported each other in the struggle for national independence, liberation and building socialism, which has created an absorbing and deep friendship. Laos and China are socialist countries with the same ideals, with similar political regimes and development paths. Although the regional and international conditions are rapidly changing and complicated, both countries have continued to adhere to the direction of relations based on mutual trust, which provides assistance and creates mutual benefits at a high level.

Lao PDR, under the leadership of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP), nowadays continues to enjoy political stability, peace, and social order, and steady economic growth, which are the foundation and precondition for social and economic development. Laos was one of the fastest-growing economies in the world prior to the Covid 19 pandemic, averaging growth of 7.5-8% per year. But then the outbreak of the pandemic came, by which the country has been heavily affected. 

In the first 6 months of 2024, the economy grows at about 4.7%. The government adopted in 2021 the 9th 5 year National Social-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP) for 2021-2025, with the aim to graduate from least developed country (LDC) status by 2026, to become a self-reliant and an upper-middle income country by 2030.  This Five-Year Plan sets out the fundamental direction for creating a new turning point in socio-economic development in the coming years.

Once again, we are all here today to commemorate the 75th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. On behalf of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and on my own behalf, I would like to express my warmest congratulations and best wishes to Minister Zhao Fei and the entire friendly people of China for good health, well-being and greater success in your noble tasks, as well as continued progress and prosperity.

I am pleased to note that the existing bonds of friendship and close cooperation between our two countries have been further enhanced continuously and widely in various areas. I am confident that our bilateral relations will be further enhanced in the coming years. Let us build socialism together.  

 Thank you!

Venezuelan ambassador: Venezuela and China are pioneering nations in the construction of a multipolar world

We are very pleased to publish below the text of the statement delivered by His Excellency Ambassador Félix Plasencia González, Head of Mission of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the United Kingdom, at the conference held in London on Saturday 28 September to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Ambassador Plasencia started by welcoming the audience to Bolívar Hall, a historic venue in Central London which is owned by the Venezuelan Embassy, and “a space of open doors for brotherhood and solidarity between our peoples”.

Plasencia was formerly Venezuela’s ambassador to China and knows the country well. After congratulating the Chinese people on their remarkable achievements over the last 75 years, he went on to discuss China-Venezuela relations and the role the two countries are playing in global politics.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the People’s Republic of China are pioneering nations in the construction of a multipolar and multicentric world, where cooperation, solidarity, and respect for international law play a fundamental role.

Comrade Plasencia noted that, while the US and its allies have been subjecting Venezuela to illegal and arbitrary unilateral coercive measures, “China has consolidated itself as a true friend and a beacon of hope for sovereign nations and governments still striving for full independence”.

He concluded by expressing Venezuela’s willingness to continue expanding cooperation and solidarity with China to ever-wider areas of life, “to contribute to the well-being of our peoples, the development of both nations, and to build strengths that will help create a fairer, more inclusive, peaceful, and equitable multipolar world”.

On behalf of the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Moros, the People and the Bolivarian Government, I am pleased to extend to you a warm greeting, as well as the most cordial welcome to the Bolívar Hall, a space of open doors for brotherhood and solidarity between our peoples, provided by the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in London.

It is a great honour for me, as a former Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic to the People’s Republic of China, to be able to accompany our sister nation, China, in this warm and close gathering organised by social movements and friends of the solidarity in London and the United Kingdom, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

This significant date for the Chinese people and government reminds us of the greatness of the Chinese nation, which we in Latin America and particularly in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, recognise for its millennia of historical greatness and contributions to the development of humanity.

Likewise, on this day we are called to reflect on the profound transformations that the People’s Republic of China has undergone over the last 75 years, during which historic achievements have been made to improve the quality of life for the Chinese people.

China has been remarkably successful in achieving major goals, such as the eradication of extreme poverty, a milestone that fills all our developing nations with hope.

Continue reading Venezuelan ambassador: Venezuela and China are pioneering nations in the construction of a multipolar world

Working together for peace, development and a brighter future for BRICS

During his recent visit to New York to attend the annual general debate of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and related activities, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi addressed a meeting of foreign ministers from the BRICS cooperation mechanism, which was held at the UN headquarters on September 26.

Wang Yi told his counterparts that: “As leading members of the Global South, we BRICS countries should pursue our own success while promoting the greater good and make our contribution to an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation.”

He went on to say that the BRICS members should promote common security and strive for lasting peace. In today’s world where countries are dependent on each other, humanity lives in an inseparable community of security. No country has the right to manipulate the global security agenda or seek its own security at the expense of others.

On Ukraine, the BRICS should “uphold the principles of no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no fanning the flames by any party, and encourage dialogue and negotiation for the settlement of the crisis. The six-point common understanding jointly released by Brazil and China to this end has received varying degrees of positive response from over 100 countries.

“On Palestine, China stands firmly with Arab countries. We must push for the early realisation of a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire in Gaza, support Palestine’s full UN membership, and implement the two-State solution, in a bid to bring enduring peace to the Middle East.”

The BRICS countries should stay focused on development, follow true multilateralism and improve global governance:

“When hegemonic and bullying acts run unchecked, human civilisation will revert to the law of the jungle. It is important that we firmly defend the international system with the UN at its core, uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and reject a selective application.”

He added: “Next month, BRICS will hold its first summit following its membership expansion… We should support Russia’s chairmanship, and take the summit as an opportunity to send a strong message of upholding fairness and justice and promoting common development… We should also step up efforts to set up the Partner Country category, which is a consensus reached by BRICS leaders at the Johannesburg Summit last year and a mission we must accomplish. We need to keep the door open to new members, so as to provide more vigour and drive to the development of BRICS.”

The following is the full text of Wang Yi’s speech. It was originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Dear colleagues,

It is a great pleasure to meet you all in New York.

The current international situation is marked by change and instability, and the world is experiencing disorder, slowing growth, uneven development, and a loss of focus in governance. The theme of this year’s General Debate—“Leaving no one behind”—highlights the widely shared aspiration for greater equality, security and prosperity in our world. As leading members of the Global South, we BRICS countries should pursue our own success while promoting the greater good, and make our contribution to an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

—We should promote common security and strive for lasting peace. In today’s world where countries are dependent on each other, humanity live in an inseparable community of security. No country has the right to manipulate the global security agenda or seek its own security at the expense of others. It is important that we make good use of such BRICS mechanisms as the Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs / International Relations and the Meeting of National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security to strengthen coordination on international and regional hotspots and make a joint response to the various challenges we face. On Ukraine, we should uphold the principles of no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no fanning the flames by any party, and encourage dialogue and negotiation for the settlement of the crisis. The six-point common understanding jointly released by Brazil and China to this end has received varying degrees of positive response from over 100 countries. On Palestine, China stands firmly with Arab countries. We must push for the early realization of a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire in Gaza, support Palestine’s full U.N. membership, and implement the two-State solution, in a bid to bring enduring peace to the Middle East.

—We should stay focused on development as a priority and remove hinderance to development. Development is an eternal pursuit of humanity and a major yardstick of the progress of times. The Global Development Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping has received active support from the U.N. and a vast number of developing countries. BRICS should harness its strengths to drive development to the center of the U.N. agenda, stay attentive to the difficulties facing developing countries, urge developed countries to honor their promises, and give a stronger boost to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is important to keep in mind the urgent needs of developing countries in poverty reduction, development financing, and energy and food security, and seize the opportunities presented by the technological revolution and industrial transformation to foster new drivers for high-quality development.

—We should follow true multilateralism and improve global governance. When multilateralism is under attack, the world will be in disarray. When hegemonic and bullying acts run unchecked, human civilization will revert to the law of the jungle. It is important that we firmly defend the international system with the U.N. at its core, uphold the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter, and reject a selective application of these purposes and principles. We could take the follow-up to the Summit of the Future as a chance to advance the reform of the international financial architecture, support countries of the South in participating fully in international economic decision-making, governance and rules-making, and increase their voice and representation. “Enhancing International Cooperation on Capacity-Building of Artificial Intelligence,” the resolution cosponsored by China and many other countries of the South, has been overwhelmingly adopted at the General Assembly. We welcome BRICS countries on board for its implementation so that more developing countries can benefit from it.

Colleagues,

Next month, BRICS will hold its first summit following its membership expansion. All eyes will be on this highly significant meeting. We should support Russia’s chairmanship, and take the summit as an opportunity to send a strong message of upholding fairness and justice and promoting common development. We could strive for new milestone outcomes in such areas as finance, AI, and energy and minerals to get the greater  BRICS cooperation off to a good start. We should also step up efforts to set up the Partner Country category, which is a consensus reached by BRICS leaders at the Johannesburg Summit last year and a mission we must accomplish. We need to keep the door open to new members, so as to provide more vigor and drive to the development of BRICS.

Colleagues,

Not long ago, the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held its third plenary session. At the session, a new blueprint was drawn up to further advance Chinese modernization. As China pursues high-standard opening up and high-quality development, we will continue to view fellow BRICS countries as good companions and good partners. China will share development opportunities with BRICS countries and other countries around the world and seek more cooperation in building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Thank you.

Building on past achievements and forging ahead together toward a Community with a Shared Future

Chinese Foreign Ministry Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, visited New York from September 22-28 to attend the United Nations (UN) Summit of the Future and the general debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly as the special representative of President Xi Jinping.

During that week, in a hectic program, Wang Yi also attended a number of events hosted by China, including to promote the Global Development Initiative and to enhance international cooperation on AI, as well as multilateral events, including the Security Council High Level Open Debate, the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting and the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting. He also met with the UN Secretary-General, the President of the 79th session of the General Assembly, and with leaders and foreign ministers of numerous countries.

On September 28, Wang Yi addressed the General Assembly, taking as his theme, ‘Building on Past Achievements and Forging Ahead Together Toward a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity’. He stated that:

This institution, the United Nations, embodies the aspirations of people across the world for lasting peace and common prosperity, and bears witness to the glorious journey of the international community coming together in pursuit of progress. President Xi Jinping stressed on multiple occasions that the role of the UN should be strengthened, not weakened.

He went on to note that, in today’s world:

  • The security of all countries is tied together. In the face of various kinds of global challenges and risks, no one can stay immune or enjoy security alone. Countries need to be guided by a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. We should respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, take the legitimate security concerns of others seriously, and resolve disputes and differences through dialogue and consultation.
  • The development of all countries is deeply integrated. If the rich get richer while the poor remain poor, then “everyone is born equal” would become an empty slogan, and fairness and justice would be even more elusive. Achieving modernisation is a legitimate right of the people of all countries, not a prerogative of a few.
  • Each civilisation has its own strengths. President Xi Jinping pointed out that there is no such thing as a superior or inferior civilisation, and civilisations are different only in identity and location. We should respect the diversity of civilisations and strive to replace estrangement and clash of civilisations with exchanges and mutual learning.
  • Countries should all enjoy sovereign equality. As a large number of Global South nations are growing with a strong momentum, gone are the days when one or two major powers call the shots on everything. We should advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world, and see that all countries, regardless of their size, have their own place and role in the multipolar system.

Prior to addressing a number of the acute areas of conflict and tension at present, the Chinese Foreign Minister noted that:

Peace is the most precious thing in our world today. You may wonder if there is a path leading to peace. In fact, peace is the path. Without peace, development will not sustain; without peace, cooperation cannot happen. For the sake of peace, a single ray of hope is reason enough not to give up; the slightest chance deserves a hundredfold effort.

Besides outlining China’s positions on Ukraine and Afghanistan, Wang said:

The question of Palestine is the biggest wound to human conscience. As we speak, the conflict in Gaza is still going on, causing more civilian casualties with each passing day. Fighting has spread to Lebanon; might must not take the place of justice. Palestine’s long-held aspiration to establish an independent state should not be shunned anymore, and the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people should not be ignored any longer.

China, he added, has always been a staunch supporter of the just cause of the Palestinian people to regain their legitimate national rights, and a staunch supporter of Palestine’s full UN membership. We have recently helped to bring about breakthroughs in intra-Palestine reconciliation and will continue to work in concert with like-minded countries for a comprehensive and just settlement of the question of Palestine and durable peace and security in the Middle East.

The Korean peninsula, he stressed, should not experience war again. The important thing is to make persistent effort for de-escalation, commit to seeking solutions through dialogue and consultation, realise a transition from the armistice to a peace mechanism, and safeguard peace and stability on the peninsula.

China, once a victim of foreign power bullying, knows full well the value of peace and the hard-won gains of development. In fact, China is the only major country that has written peaceful development into its constitution, and the only country among the five nuclear-weapon states [recognised by the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)] to pledge no-first-use of nuclear weapons.

Wang further noted that:

In the face of unilateral, bullying acts such as sanctions and blockade, China firmly supports countries in defending their legitimate rights, upholding the equity and openness of the international system, making global development more coordinated and beneficial for all, and jointly opposing technology blockade and rejecting decoupling or severing supply chains. Sanctions and pressure will not bring monopolistic advantages. Suppressing and containing others will not solve problems at home. The right of people of all countries to pursue a better life should not be taken away. Here, we once again urge the United States to completely lift its blockade, sanctions and terrorism-related designation against Cuba.

In the face of aggravating ecological challenges, he said that China is firmly committed to a path of green, low-carbon and sustainable development. We will move from carbon peaking to carbon neutrality in the shortest time span in world history, contributing China’s efforts to harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature.

In conclusion, Wang Yi stated that:

Next year will mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of this very organisation. China stands ready to work with all countries to renew the founding purposes and mission of the UN, reaffirm our steadfast commitment to the UN Charter, advocate and practice true multilateralism, build a community with a shared future for humanity, and jointly usher in a better world.

The following is the full text of the Chinese Foreign Minister’s speech. It was originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Mr. President,
Colleagues,

Continue reading Building on past achievements and forging ahead together toward a Community with a Shared Future

Cuban ambassador: China has been a determined force in promoting global solidarity

We are very pleased to publish below the text of the speech given by Her Excellency Ismara M. Vargas Walter, Cuban Ambassador to the UK, at the conference held in London on Saturday 28 September to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Comrade Vargas Walter gave an overview of the history of solidarity between China and Cuba, noting that, in 1960, Cuba became the first country in Latin America to recognise the People’s Republic of China. In recent times, “China’s support for Cuba in overcoming the devastating effects of the US blockade has been invaluable”, while “Cuba has stood with China in international forums, defending its sovereignty and promoting the vision of a multipolar world in which the nations of the global South can thrive free from the chains of imperialism”.

Vargas Walter went on to describe the emerging multipolar world order, of which China is a powerful advocate. “The struggle for multipolarity is the struggle for a world in which no single nation or bloc of nations can dictate the fate of others”.

She concluded her remarks with a powerful call for revolutionary internationalism:

The friendship between our nations is a testament to what can be achieved when we stand together in solidarity. It is a reminder that internationalism is our greatest strength, no matter how small or isolated a country may seem. Let’s continue to deepen our ties, strengthen our solidarity and continue the struggle for a world free of exploitation and imperialism.

Comrades and friends,

It is a great honour to stand before you today as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. We commemorate not only the rise of a great nation but also the enduring legacy of socialist internationalism of which Cuba and China have been proud torchbearers for decades.

When the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, it marked the triumph of the indomitable spirit of the Chinese people in their struggle for sovereignty, dignity and a future free from colonialism and imperialist domination. This victory impacted far beyond China’s borders, inspiring revolutionary movements in Asia, Africa, Latin America and beyond. It was a beacon of hope for the oppressed, demonstrating that unity, determination and a shared socialist vision can change the course of history.

In 1959, ten years after China’s victory, the Cuban Revolution triumphed under the leadership of our Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro. Our revolution was a direct challenge to U.S. imperialism in the heart of Latin America. In 1960, Cuba became the first country in Latin America to recognize the People’s Republic of China, cementing a partnership based on revolutionary solidarity. Despite our geographical distance, Cuba and China were united in a common struggle – the struggle against exploitation, foreign domination and the capitalist system that seeks to divide and subjugate the people of the global South.

Our two nations, one in the Caribbean and the other in East Asia have shown that internationalism is not just an ideal – it is a necessity. In the face of endless provocations, economic blockades and attempts to isolate our revolutions, both Cuba and China have stood tall, defending the dignity of our people and advancing on the road to socialism.

The bonds between Cuba and China have grown stronger over the decades, nourished by mutual respect, and shared principles. Since the early days of our revolutions, China has extended a hand of friendship to Cuba. China’s support for Cuba in overcoming the devastating effects of the U.S. blockade has been invaluable. Cuba has stood with China in international forums, defending its sovereignty and promoting the vision of a multipolar world in which the nations of the global South can thrive free from the chains of imperialism.

However, despite the indomitable spirit of our people, we continue to face unjust actions aimed at undermining our sovereignty. Cuba continues to be arbitrarily listed as a state sponsor of terrorism, a designation that is not only baseless but deeply unfair. This false narrative is part of the broader strategy of imperialist aggression aimed at destabilizing and suffocating our economy. The real intention behind this label is to cause extraordinary damage to Cuba’s development, just as the criminal blockade has done for more than six decades. To be clear, this label has nothing to do with terrorism and everything to do with punishing Cuba for daring to build socialism on its own terms.

China has been a determined force in promoting global solidarity. From its Belt and Road Initiative, which strengthens economic ties and infrastructure development in the Global South, to its investments in sustainable development, China has shown that internationalism is not a relic of the past, but a living principle shaping the future.

At the heart of the struggle for a more just and equitable world is the rise of the Global South. Countries like Cuba, Venezuela and China, along with many others in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, are asserting their right to determine their own future, free from the grip of foreign interference. The struggle for multipolarity is the struggle for a world in which no single nation or bloc of nations can dictate the fate of others.

And China has been a powerful advocate of this new multipolar world order. Its policy of peaceful development and win-win cooperation stands in sharp contrast to the coercion and militarism that define imperialist relations. China’s partnerships with nations in the Global South are based on the principles of mutual respect, non-interference and solidarity – principles that Cuba wholeheartedly embraces.

As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, we must remember that our struggle is far from over. The forces of imperialism are relentless, but so too is our determination to defend the sovereignty of our nations, the dignity of our peoples and the road to socialism that we have chosen.

The friendship between our nations is a testament to what can be achieved when we stand together in solidarity. It is a reminder that internationalism is our greatest strength, no matter how small or isolated a country may seem. Let’s continue to deepen our ties, strengthen our solidarity and continue the struggle for a world free of exploitation and imperialism.

Until victory always!

Thank you so much.

Those that stand for socialism and peace should build solidarity with China

At the invitation of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez attended the 14th World Socialism Forum, held in Beijing from 9-10 September 2024.

The theme of this year’s forum was Current changes in the world and our times, and addressed the possibilities for furthering the cause of socialism around the world. There were over 200 delegates from China, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Britain, Cameroon, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Nepal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Syria, Uruguay, Vietnam and Zambia. Keynote speakers included Zhen Zhanmin (Vice President of CASS), Cheng Enfu (Former President of the Academy of Marxism) and Zhang Weiwei (Dean of the China Institute at Fudan University).

Carlos spoke in one of the parallel sessions, introducing the book The East is Still Red – Chinese Socialism in the 21st Century and explaining the rationale for writing it. We reproduce his contribution below.

A write-up of the forum can be found on China Daily.

The East is Still Red: Chinese Socialism in the 21st Century was published in English by Praxis Press last year and will soon be available in Chinese through Jiuzhou Press, having been translated by comrade Zhuo Mingliang from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Many books have been written by Westerners about China. Did the world really need another one?

Looking at the US and UK best-selling book lists, you can find titles such as:

  • How China Derailed Its Peaceful Rise
  • China’s New Tyranny
  • How China Took Over While America’s Elite Slept
  • How the Chinese Communist Party is Reshaping the World

And so on.

There are dozens, even hundreds, of books describing China as authoritarian, dystopian, aggressive, repressive and reactionary.

These are not serious works of politics, economics and history; they are part of an increasingly wide-ranging propaganda campaign aimed at building public support for an anti-China New Cold War.

One of the key reasons for the book to help build a movement against that New Cold War.

In the West, the most disgraceful slanders are being hurled at China: that it’s committing human rights abuses against Uyghur people in Xinjiang Province; that it’s suppressing religious freedoms; that it’s preventing the use of minority languages; that it’s engaged in predatory policies in its trade and investment relations with the countries of Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and the Pacific; that it’s an aggressive, expansionist power seeking to violate the sovereignty of other countries in the region; that it’s cracking down on basic democratic rights; and so on.

This is ultimately propaganda in favour of the West’s anti-China foreign policy, and in support of the US’s mission to maintain its hegemony, to hold on to its global economic and strategic advantages, and to pursue a Project for a New American Century.

Continue reading Those that stand for socialism and peace should build solidarity with China

The heroic Palestinian people are helping to bring about the defeat of imperialism

On Saturday 29 June 2024, the International Manifesto Group and Friends of Socialist China co-organised a webinar on the topic Changes unseen in a century – Gaza, the shifting balance of forces and the rise of multipolarity, bringing together leading analysts of global politics to explore the unfolding geopolitical consequences of Zionism’s genocidal assault on the Palestinian people.

The speakers included Seyed Mohammad Marandi (University of Tehran), Lowkey (Political campaigner and hip-hop artist), Ramzy Baroud (Editor, Palestine Chronicle), Faoud Bakr (Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine), Sara Flounders (International Action Center) and Bikrum Gill (International relations expert).

Embedded below is the full video of the event, followed by the text of the remarks given by Friends of Socialist China co-editors Carlos Martinez and Keith Bennett.

Carlos Martinez: The heroic Palestinian people are in the vanguard of the struggle for a better world

Thank you very much everyone for joining this webinar today, and thanks especially to the speakers.

The speakers are all a great deal more knowledgeable than I am on the subject matter, so I’m going to keep these introductory remarks brief.

I just wanted to explain a little bit about the theme of the event; the rationale for holding it.

The title references “Changes unseen in a century”, which is an expression that’s often been used by Chinese President Xi Jinping over the course of the last five years to describe the global political shift that’s taking place.

What does “changes unseen in a century” mean? And what were the big changes that happened a century ago?

What happened a century ago, in 1917, is that a revolution took place in Russia, which was the start of humanity’s transition from the era of capitalism to the era of socialism. The October Revolution led to the formation of the Soviet Union, which contributed to the building of socialism in China, Cuba, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Nicaragua, and the people’s democracies of Eastern Europe.

It also gave an important impetus to the anti-colonial movement and national liberation struggles around the world – in Africa, in Asia, in Latin America, in the Caribbean, in the Pacific.

It was the first major breach in the imperialist world system, and it hastened the demise of colonialism. It changed the world forever.

Of course, a lot has happened in the intervening period, and not all of it good. A lot of countries won their liberation, but the Soviet Union and many other socialist countries don’t exist any more. We’ve witnessed the rise of neoliberalism and neocolonialism. We’ve lived through the supposed “end of history”.

But times are changing once again. These are the changes unseen in a century. The so-called post-war rules-based international order – that is, US hegemony – is breaking down.

The “end of history” narrative isn’t convincing any more.

Neoliberalism has run out of road.

The countries of the Global South are rising. China is stronger than it’s ever been. Iran is stronger than it’s ever been. Several countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have thrown off the neocolonial shackles and are pursuing sovereign development and explicitly aligning themselves with the forces resistance of worldwide.

Africa is recovering from the period of structural adjustment and moving towards unity and development. BRICS is becoming increasingly important – and has overtaken the G7 in population size, economic size, and global influence.

The US and its allies can no longer impose their will on the world.

They pummelled Afghanistan for 20 years and ended up handing it back to the very same forces that they claimed to be going after in the first place.

Continue reading The heroic Palestinian people are helping to bring about the defeat of imperialism

Xi Jinping: Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence a groundbreaking achievement in the history of international relations

A conference marking the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, a cornerstone of Chinese foreign policy, was held in Beijing on June 28. With guests from around the world, including former political leaders from some 20 countries, President Xi Jinping made an important speech, and the event was moderated by Premier Li Qiang.

In his speech, President Xi said that the five principles, “marked a groundbreaking and epoch-making achievement in the history of international relations.”

He noted:

“The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence answered the call of the times, and its initiation was an inevitable historic development. In the wake of the Second World War, national independence and liberation movements swept across the globe, and the colonial system around the world crumbled and collapsed. At the same time, the world was overshadowed by the dark clouds of the Cold War.”

Meanwhile, newly independent countries aspired to safeguard their sovereignty and grow their national economy. New China followed the principle of independence, actively sought peaceful coexistence with all countries, and endeavoured to improve its external environment, especially in its neighbourhood.

Having been endorsed in joint statements with India and Myanmar, in 1955, “more than 20 Asian and African countries attended the Bandung Conference. They proposed ten principles for handling state-to-state relations on the basis of the Five Principles, and advocated the Bandung spirit of solidarity, friendship and cooperation. The Non-Aligned Movement that rose in the 1960s adopted the Five Principles as its guiding principles. The Declaration on Principles of International Law adopted at the 25th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1970 and the Declaration on the Establishment of the New International Economic Order adopted at the Sixth Special UNGA Session in 1974 both endorsed the Five Principles.”

Xi Jinping went on to note that:

  • The principles fully conform with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, with the evolving trend of international relations of our times, and with the fundamental interests of all nations.
  • When following the Five Principles, even countries that differ from each other in social system, ideology, history, culture, faith, development stage, and size can build a relationship of mutual trust, friendship and cooperation.
  • Inspired and encouraged by the Five Principles, more and more countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America have voiced and extended support to each other, stood up against foreign interference, and embarked on an independent path of development. The Five Principles have also boosted South-South cooperation and improved and further developed North-South relations.
  • The Five Principles were initiated with the purpose of protecting the interests and pursuits of small and weak countries from power politics. They categorically oppose imperialism, colonialism and hegemonism, and reject belligerent and bullying practices of the law of the jungle.

Seventy years ago, the Chinese leader continued, “our forefathers, who experienced the scourge of hot wars and the confrontation of the Cold War, concluded that the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence were the crucial way to safeguard peace and sovereignty. This answer has withstood the test of international vicissitudes and has become more appealing rather than obsolete. Seventy years later today, challenged by the historic question of ‘what kind of world to build and how to build it,’ China has answered the call of the times by proposing a community with a shared future for humanity.”

Xi went on to say that both the five principles and the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity “demonstrate the broad vision of the Communist Party of China to contribute more to humanity.”

“Looking at the past and future at this critical moment in history, we believe our exploration for the betterment of human civilisation will not end, and our efforts for a better world will not end. No matter how the world evolves, one basic fact will not change. There is only one Planet Earth in the universe, and the whole humanity have one common home.”

On this basis, Xi set out a number of imperatives:

  • We need to uphold the principle of sovereign equality.

The five principles reject the big subduing the small, the strong bullying the weak, and the rich exploiting the poor.

  • We need to cement the foundation of mutual respect.

We must jointly uphold the “golden rule” of non-interference, and jointly oppose acts of imposing one’s will on others, stoking bloc confrontation, creating small circles, and forcing others to pick sides.

  • We need to turn the vision for peace and security into reality.

All countries must work together to seek peace, safeguard peace, and enjoy peace. In today’s interdependent world, absolute security and exclusive security are just not viable.

  • We need to unite all forces to achieve prosperity.

Here Xi invokes a Latin American proverb: “The only way to be profitably national is to be generously universal.”

  • We need to commit to fairness and justice.

China believes in true multilateralism. Our goal is that international rules should be made and observed by all countries. World affairs should be handled through extensive consultation, not dictated by those with more muscles.

  • We need to embrace an open and inclusive mindset.

All countries are on board the same giant ship. It carries on it not only aspirations for peace, economic prosperity and technological advancement, but also the diversity of civilisations and the continuation of the human species.

Whilst the Five Principles are intended to address the full spectrum of international relations, Xi emphasised that:

“Of all the forces in the world, the Global South stands out with a strong momentum, playing a vital role in promoting human progress. Standing at a new historical starting point, the Global South should be more open and more inclusive and join hands together to take the lead in building a community with a shared future for humanity.”

Addressing the Global South, he made the following calls:

  • Together, we should be the staunch force for peace.
  • Together, we should be the core driving force for open development.
  • Together, we should be the construction team of global governance.
  • Together, we should be the advocates for exchange among civilisations.

He continued by outlining a series of concrete measures that China will take to better support Global South cooperation.

Noting that, “the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence has been written into China’s Constitution long before,” Xi said that:

“China’s resolve to stay on the path of peaceful development will not change. We will never take the trodden path of colonial plundering, or the wrong path of seeking hegemony when one becomes strong. We will stay on the right path of peaceful development. Among the world’s major countries, China has the best track record with respect to peace and security. It has been exploring for a distinctly Chinese approach to resolving hotspot issues. It has been playing a constructive role in the Ukraine crisis, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and issues relating to the Korean peninsula, Iran, Myanmar, and Afghanistan. Every increase of China’s strength is an increase of the prospects of world peace.”

The conference also adopted a Beijing Declaration, summarising key viewpoints of the participants.

We reprint below the full text of President Xi Jinping’s speech and of the Beijing Declaration. They were originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Continue reading Xi Jinping: Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence a groundbreaking achievement in the history of international relations

BRICS and the reconfiguration of the world order

The 37th annual dinner of Third World Solidarity, an organisation that enjoys a close working relationship with Friends of Socialist China, was held on June 4, at the Royal Nawab Restaurant in the west London suburb of Perivale.

Among the guests were Councillor Tariq Dar MBE, Mayor of the London Borough of Brent, Councillor Shakeel Akram, Deputy Mayor of the London Borough of Hounslow, Nisar Malik, prospective parliamentary candidate for Brentford and Isleworth for the Workers’ Party of Britain (WPB), veteran journalist Shafi Naqi Jamie, and many others, from the embassy of Kazakhstan, local government, community activism, the arts, business and other walks of life, including members and friends of Friends of Socialist China from Britain, Luxembourg and Malaysia.

The 135 guests were greeted by Evie Hill of the Znaniye Foundation and its Russian School, who introduced the host, Honorary Alderman Mushtaq Lasharie CBE, the founder and Chairman of Third World Solidarity.

With the ongoing genocidal war of aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza, and with June 14 marking the seventh anniversary of the Grenfell fire, which claimed the lives of 72 people, the first speakers were Palestinian activist for women’s rights, Ahlam Akram, the founder of Basira (British Arabs Supporting Universal Women’s Rights), and Emma O’Connor, a disabled resident on Grenfell’s 20th floor.

The main speaker was Keith Bennett, Co-editor of Friends of Socialist China, who spoke on the BRICS cooperation mechanism and its role in the evolution of a new global order.

A video message of greetings was received from Dave Anderson, former miner, care worker, Labour MP and shadow minister under Jeremy Corbyn, who is now the Chair of Marras – the Friends of the Durham Miners Gala, who was unable to be present.

Following the speeches, Hugh Goodacre sang a song marking the 40th anniversary of the miners’ great strike and this was followed by a virtuoso performance from singer and musician Mubarak Ali to round off the evening.

Keith began his speech by thanking all those who had made the evening possible, especially Mushtaq Lasharie, highlighting his decades of tireless activism and public service.

Referring to the two previous speakers, he expressed solidarity with the struggles of the Palestinian people and the Grenfell community. In the 1960s and 1970s, hundreds of thousands of people in India and Pakistan had taken to the streets raising the slogan, “My name, your name, Vietnam”. Today, for people around the world, their rallying cry has become, “In our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians.”

Grenfell was one of those events where people will remember where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about it. It was an entirely avoidable tragedy, an act of social murder in the memorable words of Friedrich Engels. The council, the government and the companies concerned, knew that the building’s cladding, like that of other residential buildings still standing, was flammable and lethal. The building was known to be a death trap. The fire was one more manifestation, like the Hillsborough football stadium disaster, the Post Office Horizon scandal, the contaminated blood scandal, and the treatment of the Windrush generation, among others, of the ruling class’s contempt for working people. But the multinational working class community of Grenfell, like the others mentioned, is a community that has refused to be silenced and which has courageously persisted in the struggle for justice.

The following is the text of the main body of Keith’s speech.

I’ve been asked to speak this evening about the BRICS and their growing role in the reconfiguration of the world order.

But like a good novel, it takes a while, and there are a few plot twists before things start to fall into place. So please bear with me for a bit.

Let’s start with the origins of our host organization, Third World Solidarity. What world were we living in? What was happening?

The key event that led to the formation of Third World Solidarity was the US bombing, with the support of the Thatcher government here, of Libya on April 15, 1986 – an act of state terrorism in which the adopted baby daughter of head of state Colonel Gaddafi was among those killed.

This was the period when Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher were turning the cold war hot throughout the Global South. (Or Third World as it was then generally called and from which we derive our name.) This was the case from Afghanistan to Nicaragua to Angola. And from Ethiopia to Cambodia.

It was also, although we did not realise it at the time, the period when the Soviet Union, and its allied socialist countries in central and Eastern Europe, were entering their final days.

Their demise also triggered the collapse, or the retreat, of many socialist experiments throughout the Third World.

Although five socialist countries survived, most notably China, elsewhere, attempts to build socialism, or just to pursue independent development, were often replaced by IMF/World Bank Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs), the downgrading of the role of the state, and the decimation of social programs and basic services, including in the vital areas of health and education. Neoliberalism acquired a practically religious aura. In the words of Margaret Thatcher, we were repeatedly told: “There is no alternative.” And for good measure, she added that there was, “no such thing as society, only individuals and their families.”

This neoliberal ideological hegemony was such that US political theorist Francis Fukuyama even proclaimed the end of history. And was catapulted from relative obscurity to intellectual rock star and guru status for his banal observation.

This apparently and now obviously ridiculous claim that history had come to an end meant that the evolution of human society was considered to have reached the destination of its journey with the hegemony of liberal democracy and the free market.

Although if democracy is to have any relationship to people having some measure of actual control over their own lives, and collectively over the evolution and running of their state and society, for hundreds of millions there was plenty of neoliberalism, plenty of economic impoverishment, but precious little democracy.

With the end of history there was also supposed to be a peace dividend. No more wars. And the Soviet Union was effectively persuaded to surrender with US promises that its NATO military alliance would not move one inch further east from a reunified Germany.

Of course, NATO marched inexorably eastwards. Slowly but surely laying the groundwork for today’s Ukraine tragedy.

As for no more wars, even to utter the phrase now can only draw a bitter laugh as we recall Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Syria, Ukraine, Palestine and so many other conflicts, together claiming the lives of millions of innocent children, women and men.

Continue reading BRICS and the reconfiguration of the world order