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January 15 marked the anniversary of the 1919 murder of Rosa Luxemburg. A fearless practical revolutionary leader and organiser, the co-founder with Karl Liebknecht of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD), Rosa Luxemburg stands out as one of the greatest and most original theoreticians of Marxism and of the international working-class movement. Together with Liebknecht, she was one of the few prominent leaders of the working class to join VI Lenin and the Bolshevik Party in resolute opposition to the inter-imperialist slaughter of the First World War. Luxemburg and Liebknecht were murdered on the same day by the Freikorps, right-wing mercenary militia, acting on the orders of social democrat leader Friedrich Ebert.

Marking this year’s anniversary, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation published an article by Wang Junyan, a project manager in their Beijing office, outlining Luxemburg’s influence on a century of revolution in China.

Wang notes that Luxemburg’s brutal murder was reported at the time in the Chinese magazine Jin Hua. Shortly after, Li Da, a founding member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and one of its leading early intellectuals, published several articles about Luxemburg in the Republican Daily News, a radical newspaper aligned with the New Culture Movement. In these articles, he briefly introduced some of her key works, including The Accumulation of Capital, widely considered to be her theoretical masterpiece.

“Published in 1913, The Accumulation of Capital was one of the first Marxist works to explore why capitalist countries competed for colonies and control over underdeveloped, non-capitalist countries. She wrote: ‘Capitalism is the first mode of economy with the weapon of propaganda, a mode which tends to engulf the entire globe and to stamp out all other economies, tolerating no rival at its side. Yet at the same time it is also the first mode of economy which is unable to exist by itself, which needs other economic systems as a medium and soil.’”

According to Wang: “She [Luxemburg] initiated a paradigm shift in the social sciences, switching the focus from the dominant capitalist states to colonial and dependent states, and from developed Europe and the Americas to the Global South — a shift Lenin himself would undertake at the Second World Congress of the Communist International in 1920.” (For a summary of Lenin’s criticism of Luxemburg’s position on the national question, specifically on the right of nations to self-determination, see Chapter 4 of The Right of Nations to Self-Determination.)

Wang’s article notes that, “Rosa Luxemburg was commemorated by the CPC throughout the Chinese revolution. For instance, when the party suffered a major defeat in 1927, it invoked Luxemburg as a fearless fighter against revisionism. In 1937, during the war against Japanese occupation, the party held her up as an ‘internationalist vanguard’ role model to encourage the Chinese people in their fight against Japanese imperialism.”

After the founding of the People’s Republic, some of her key works were translated and published in Chinese from the 1950s, but a willingness to explore some of her more controversial ideas only began in 1981. This was followed by the publication of two volumes of her Selected Works in 1984 and 1990. The Chinese translation of Rosa Luxemburg’s Complete Works, which were first issued in German in the 1970s and are currently being translated into English, was initiated in 2014. (The English edition of the Complete Works is being published by Verso.)

Relating Luxemburg’s contribution to the path of the Chinese revolution, Wang Junyan argues that: “Rosa Luxemburg witnessed the birth of the first socialist country in history, the Soviet Union, and embraced it whole-heartedly, even while expressing measured criticisms of it… In the mid-1950s, Chairman Mao began to see the defects and limitations of centralised planning and initiated de-centralisation reforms by delegating more power to local regions and promoting economic democracy in the industrial sector… [Later], China began to develop an interest in reforms taking place in Eastern Europe, with high-level delegations travelling to Yugoslavia and Romania in the 1970s to conduct more thorough studies of the debates around economic accounting, the law of value, and market mechanisms being held there… As President Xi Jinping remarked in his report to the Twentieth National Congress of the CPC, as China works to build a ‘great, modern socialist country’ by 2050, considerable obstacles persist in the form of formalism, bureaucratisation, and privilege-seeking. Here, Luxemburg also has illuminating insights to take into account.”

Luxemburg’s last known words, written on the evening of her murder, strongly echo the concept of the mass line, which has long occupied a central place in Chinese Marxism:

The contradiction between the powerful, decisive, aggressive offensive of the Berlin masses on the one hand and the indecisive, half-hearted vacillation of the Berlin leadership on the other is the mark of this latest episode. The leadership failed. But a new leadership can and must be created by the masses and from the masses. The masses are the crucial factor. They are the rock on which the ultimate victory of the revolution will be built. The masses were up to the challenge, and out of this ‘defeat’ they have forged a link in the chain of historic defeats, which is the pride and strength of international socialism. That is why future victories will spring from this ‘defeat’. ‘Order prevails in Berlin!’ You foolish lackeys! Your ‘order’ is built on sand. Tomorrow the revolution will ‘rise up again, clashing its weapons,’ and to your horror it will proclaim with trumpets blazing: I was, I am, I shall be!

Wang’s article concludes:

As China moves forward in its social and political development, Rosa Luxemburg’s thought will continue to accompany and inform that development — now more than ever, as her work successively becomes available through the Chinese edition of her Complete Works.

We reprint the article below.

In January 1919, the Chinese magazine Jin Hua reported on the brutal murder of German Marxist revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg in Berlin soon after it happened. The report may have been one of the first times that Luxemburg showed up on the radar of a Chinese audience, but it certainly would not be the last. Since then, she has been a fixture of the country’s political and intellectual horizon.

Li Da, a founding member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and one of its leading early intellectuals, published several articles about Luxemburg in the Republican Daily News, a radical newspaper aligned with the New Culture Movement in the early 1920s. He also briefly introduced some of her main works to Chinese readers, including Reform or Revolution, The Industrial Development of Poland, The Crisis of German Social Democracy, and her crowning achievement, The Accumulation of Capital.

Published in 1913, The Accumulation of Capital was one of the first Marxist works to explore why capitalist countries competed for colonies and control over underdeveloped, non-capitalist countries. She wrote: “Capitalism is the first mode of economy with the weapon of propaganda, a mode which tends to engulf the entire globe and to stamp out all other economies, tolerating no rival at its side. Yet at the same time it is also the first mode of economy which is unable to exist by itself, which needs other economic systems as a medium and soil.” Lenin echoed her argument in his 1916 study, Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism.

Continue reading Rosa Luxemburg’s Chinese career

The following article by Yang Ran, first published in China Daily, provides a useful overview of the unprecedented climate challenges faced by the world in 2024: “This year has seen a series of devastating extreme weather events, including wildfires in Canada and the Amazon, heat waves in France, Mali, and Mexico, fatal floods in Spain, Nepal, and Sudan, and destructive cyclones in the United States and Southeast Africa.” Of nearly 750 extreme weather events and trends recorded over the course of the year, three-quarters “were made more likely or severe due to climate change”.

The need for urgent global action and cooperation could hardly be clearer, and yet the developed countries are failing to take the necessary steps, and in many cases are moving backwards.

The recent COP29 conference in Azerbaijan reached a climate finance deal in which wealthy nations agreed to provide $300 billion annually by 2035 to help poorer countries with energy transition and climate change mitigation. However, this “falls far short of the $1.3 trillion that experts believe is needed”. Meanwhile, economic downturn is leading Western governments to deprioritise their climate goals, and the US and its allies are privileging anti-China measures (including tariffs and sanctions on electric vehicles and solar panels) over climate cooperation. Donald Trump’s threat to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement (again) complicates matters further.

The article quotes Teng Fei, deputy director of Tsinghua University’s Institute of Energy, Environment, and Economy: “Trade wars and tariffs initiated by the EU (European Union) and the US actually hinder global efforts to reduce emissions — such approaches disrupt the global industrial chain and may even increase the global cost of renewable energy.”

China in recent years has invested heavily in renewable energy, electric vehicles and low-carbon industry, emerging as by far the global leader in these fields. China’s commitment has led to dramatic global price reductions in solar and wind energy. The world urgently needs the developed countries to follow China’s example.

The year 2024 was marked by unprecedented climate challenges, with record-breaking heat and increasingly severe weather events becoming the new norm. Climate change, a topic that has dominated global headlines for years, has become more of a reality, rather than an impending crisis.

In early December, the Copernicus Climate Change Service announced that 2024 was almost certain to be the hottest year on record, surpassing records dating back to 1940. Last year was also set to be the first one in which the global average temperature exceeded the 1.5 C limit above pre-industrial levels, a critical threshold established by the Paris Agreement.

The agreement aims for “keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius”.

Teng Fei, deputy director of Tsinghua University’s Institute of Energy, Environment, and Economy, said that while this does not indicate a breach of the Paris Agreement — since the temperature target is based on a long-term average — it does highlight a worrying warming trend. “From now on, each year might be the hottest on record, but also the coolest we’ll see in the future,” Teng said.

This year has also seen a series of devastating extreme weather events, including wildfires in Canada and the Amazon, heat waves in France, Mali, and Mexico, fatal floods in Spain, Nepal, and Sudan, and destructive cyclones in the United States and Southeast Africa.

According to a study published in November by Carbon Brief, a United Kingdom-based climate website, 74 percent of nearly 750 extreme weather events and trends were made more likely or severe due to climate change. Some events were deemed virtually impossible without human influence on global temperatures.

Studies on attributing extreme weather events confirm that human-caused climate change significantly impacts the frequency, severity, and likelihood of these events.

“More than half the weather and climate disaster losses in China can be attributed to climate change,” Teng said.

“As temperatures rise, human-induced climate change will increasingly contribute to extreme weather. Both the frequency and intensity of these events will grow as climate change worsens.”

Despite the growing evidence of climate change’s impact, global efforts to combat it remain insufficient. Ma Jun, director of the Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, said despite a controlled growth rate, global emissions are still rising.

Continue reading China’s success can lead climate battle, say experts

On Tuesday 19 November, Friends of Socialist China held an event in London (and online) to report back on recent delegations to Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Each of the respondents shared impressions and experiences from their respective visits to the region, alongside giving cultural and historical context, and geopolitical analysis highlighting the reasons why Xinjiang in particular is at the centre of the propaganda campaign as part of the New Cold War the Western states are waging against the People’s Republic of China. 

The event, which was held at the Marx Memorial Library, featured a panel discussion with David Peat (editor of Iskra Books), Ali Al-Assam (founder and secretary of the NewsSocial Cooperative), and Roger McKenzie (International Editor of the Morning Star and vice president of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament). The panel was chaired by Rashida Islam.

The first presentation, by David Peat, reported back from a commercial delegation in September 2024 arranged by China National Tourism Organisation. This trip was arranged for a large group of European travel agents to encourage international tourism in Xinjiang. Alongside historical and demographic information about the region, David highlighted the diversity of the peoples, the beautiful landscapes, the modern infrastructure and green development, and the many other charms that can be found in Xinjiang. Also discussed was China’s policy of using international and domestic tourism to support the development of regions within the country – to counteract the economic sanctions, and to promote and preserve Intangible Cultural Heritage, including of China’s 56 ethnic minorities, many of which live in the region.

Ali Al-Assam reported back from his visit in June-July 2024, as part of a political delegation. Ali’s contribution focussed on the reality of multinational society in Xinjiang – which stretches back thousands of years – with comparative comments based on his own experience of the struggle for socialism in Iraq.

Roger McKenzie, who attended the same delegation as Ali Al-Assam, gave an account of the extreme disconnect in the preconceptions of people in the West compared to his experiences of everyday life in Xinjiang. He also described the profound impact that the progress in celebrating diversity and fostering socialist internationalism had on him, particularly in relation to Xinjiang’s multicultural society.

Each of the delegates highlighted the substantial and ongoing development of the region, which is improving the livelihoods of its diverse population. It was also indicated that the continuing propaganda campaign has ultimately failed in its aim of causing destabilisation, but it had been effective in colouring the impressions of large sections of Western populations, including parts of the ‘progressive’ movement. As such, the speakers stressed that we must be vigilant with regard to ongoing and new attempts to seed division in the region, and counter the propaganda in our communities. 

Embedded below is a video of the event, which was live-streamed on the Friends of Socialist China YouTube channel.

The following article, outlining the political importance of this year’s Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), held in Beijing from September 4-6, was written by our Co-Editor Keith Bennett and originally published by ChinAfrica on September 12.

Keith notes that the “long historical connection between the peoples of China and Africa is all too often ignored, suppressed or dismissed in the West. Rhetoric from politicians and biased and ignorant media reporting all too often assert that China’s ties with Africa began only in the very recent period as an economically booming China required large-scale access to minerals and raw materials. This is far from the truth.”

Citing the support extended by China to the South African liberation struggle from at least 1954, as well as its support to the Eritrean liberation movement from the 1960s, Keith writes: “As a young communist in the 1970s, I heard from South African exiles how the arrival of copies of China Reconstructs (the forerunner of China Today [by whom the article was originally commissioned]), smuggled at considerable risk into the country, were eagerly awaited, and passed from hand to hand, as a source of inspiration and hope.”

Here, Keith refers principally, but by no means exclusively, to his close friend, comrade and mentor Melville Fletcher. The national organiser of the Textile Workers’ Union of South Africa and a member of the Congress of Democrats (which organised progressive white people and later merged into the African National Congress) as well as of the underground South African Communist Party (SACP), Melville is seen here (on the right of the photo), as a member of the delegation of the South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU) at the June 1955 Congress of the People, which adopted the Freedom Charter, the program of the liberation movement, together with his comrades, Moses Mabhida, later the General Secretary of the SACP, and Monty Naicker of the Natal Indian Congress.

Similarly, Melville’s friend Norman Levy, the father of the acclaimed novelist Deborah Levy, writing in his memoirs, The Final Prize, describing the events that were to lead to him facing charges of treason, recalled:

“The regime’s threats were followed up with police raids on 19 September 1955. On that occasion I came home to find two members of the special branch outside our front door, one of them waving a warrant authorizing them to investigate charges of treason, sedition and offences under the Suppression of Communism Act. Instructions to keep cool, think fast on your feet and have a steady hand during these encounters went out of my head as I thought of all the things that I should have taken care of in anticipation of these raids. I let the men in gingerly, trying hard to recall whether any incriminating documents, notes, names and papers were lying about, exposed. There were so many items to remember: banned publications, especially ‘Marxist-Leninist’ books; periodicals and journal articles from China, Eastern Europe and the USSR; lists of subscribers to Fighting Talk; names of people in the Congress of Democrats and the African Education Movement; and documents of the SACP. The illegal Party had not yet publicly ‘emerged’ and evidence of its existence was hardly anything I wanted to reveal through careless possession of its documents. In any case, membership of the illegal organization carried with it a severe jail sentence.”

Keith’s article goes on to note the different attitudes towards Africa displayed by China and the United States: “The contrast between the equality accorded in Beijing and the peremptory treatment bordering on racism accorded to them in Washington will not have been lost on the African leaders. In contrast with President Xi’s 40 bilaterals, when the US-Africa Leaders Summit was held in December 2022, US President Joe Biden could just about stir himself for one.”

Citing reports by the Financial Times, New York Times and Bloomberg, he writes, “Such is the stark contrast that, amidst the usual patronising cynicism, a hint of realism even managed to penetrate the Western media.”

He concludes that: “China is the greatest ally of the countries and peoples of Africa in [the] struggle for complete emancipation and the 2024 FOCAC Summit marks a significant step in that long journey.”

Meeting in Beijing from 4 to 6 September, this year’s Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) has been repeatedly described by China as its most important diplomatic event of 2024. 

Considering the frenetic pace of Chinese diplomacy, this is a bold claim. But it is also a modest one. It can also easily lay claim to being the most important global diplomatic gathering in 2024. 

Hosted by President Xi Jinping, the summit was attended by leaders from 53 African countries, along with the chairperson of the AU Commission and the secretary-general of the United Nations, as well as representatives of over 30 international and reginal organisations. 

Delivering a keynote address at the opening ceremony on the morning of 5 September, Xi said that, “Thanks to nearly 70 years of tireless efforts from both sides, the China-Africa relationship is now at its best in history.” On his proposal, bilateral relations between China and African countries having diplomatic ties with China have been elevated to the level of strategic relations and the overall characterisation of the China-Africa relations has been elevated to an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. 

Continue reading FOCAC Summit marks significant step in long journey of Africa’s complete emancipation

We are pleased to publish below the text of a pre-recorded speech by Professor Cheng Enfu for the London conference marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Cheng Enfu is one of China’s leading Marxist economists. He is former President of the Academy of Marxism, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; President of the World Association for Political Economy; Editor-in-Chief of the World Review of Political Economy; and Editor-in-Chief of the World Marxism Review.

In this speech, which is based on his contribution to the edited volume People’s China at 75 – The Flag Stays Red, Professor Cheng discusses the significance of, and progress towards, China’s second centenary goal of building a rich, strong, democratic, civilised, harmonious and beautiful modern socialist country.

Challenging the view typically held by bourgeois economists that there was very little development in pre-reform China, Cheng opines that “the first miracle of creating a preliminarily rich and strong China was achieved before the reform and opening-up”. He explains that New China broke out of underdevelopment, pushed forward science and technology, established an independent industrial system, significantly improved living standards, and achieved comprehensive development in education, culture, health and sports. In the period 1952-78, China’s GDP growth rate was more than twice the global average of 3 percent.

Development accelerated even faster from 1978, with the result that “China’s economic growth rate since the founding of New China has exceeded that of almost all capitalist countries, which vividly illustrate the historic achievements of China’s economic development.”

Professor Cheng observes that the US and its allies are trying to prevent China’s further rise. However, China’s consistent foreign policy – promoting peace and rejecting hegemonism – puts it at the heart of a global multipolar process in which the countries of the South and East are gaining importance. “Even if the US-led West launches a cool war, a cold war or a hot war against China, and keeps increasing illegal sanctions to the extent of a total blockade, China will be able to unite the vast number of developing countries and the countries of the South to fully realise the second centenary goal in a self-reliant manner.”

He advocates the adoption of a new Marxist internationalism, with three core aims:

First, to promote the development of the community of human destiny on the basis of the common values of humankind; second, to promote the development of world socialism on the basis of the core values of Marxism and socialism; and third, to unite all progressive forces at the international level to counter the hegemonic forces and monopolistic oligarchies that have attempted to besiege peace-loving countries and socialist forces such as China, Cuba, North Korea and Iran.

Professor Cheng concludes by calling for a broad unity in “opposition to neo-hegemonism, neo-imperialism, neo-colonialism, neo-racism, neo-liberalism, and neo-fascism, especially in the struggles against Russian-Ukrainian conflicts and Middle Eastern conflicts triggered by the US-led West, and against their attempts to trigger conflicts in a number of Indo-Pacific regions.”

A video of the speech is embedded below the text.

Dear comrades and friends,

First and foremost, congratulations from me and the World Association for Political Economy that I represent to the opening of the conference in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China co-organized by the British Communist Party and Socialist Friends of China.

As we all know, the Chinese nation, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), has gone through the bitter modern history of a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society, and finally established a new China in 1949, which not only cleansed itself of the humiliation of being constantly invaded by imperialist powers, but also set off a brand-new situation of becoming stronger. Nowadays, on the basis of fully realizing the first goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects in the first century after the founding of the Party, the second goal of building a rich, strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious and beautiful modern socialist country in the first hundred years of the founding of the country is being rapidly realized. I have submitted articles on this subject to the conference. Here I would like to share two points.

1. China has been continuously surpassing the United States in various economic respects and will become the world’s largest economy and a “top country in the center”. The growth rate of China’s economy since 1949 suggests that it will surpass the United States by 2049.

Continue reading Cheng Enfu: The countries of the South must unite to oppose imperialism and neoliberalism

London’s Marx Memorial Library was packed on the evening of Wednesday August 21 for the launch of ‘Reading in Al-Mushtarak: Islam, the Commons, and Systems for Democratic Socialism’, published by Iskra Books. This important work was written by the late Ibrahim Allawi, the long-serving General Secretary of the Communist Party of Iraq (Central Command). It was originally published in Arabic in 1983 and has now been published in English for the first time, having been edited and translated by two of his long-time comrades, Ali Al-Assam and Majed Allawi.

The event was chaired by David Peat, an Editor for Iskra Books, who oversaw its publication and who is also the Secretary of Friends of Socialist China (Britain), with four speakers, all of whom were longtime comrades of Allawi, namely Ali Al-Assam, Majed Allawi, Farouk Mustafa Rasool and Hani Lazim, as well as Keith Bennett, Co-editor of Friends of Socialist China (FOSC), who contributed a Foreword to the book and supported the project throughout. Majed Allawi and Farouk Mustafa Rasool had travelled especially from Iraq to participate in the launch, along with other family members and comrades of Allawi, who had come from Iraq, Europe and the United States.

Ali Al-Assam, who is also a committee member of FOSC (Britain), after describing the huge growth of the communist movement in Iraq, said that “a significant setback occurred in 1959 when the party’s leadership, under Soviet influence, decided against seizing power despite its widespread popular support and control over Iraq’s military. This decision followed the sending, ‘for re-education’, of party leaders Salam Adil and Jamal Haidari to Moscow. The Soviet Union, particularly under Khrushchev, feared that a communist takeover in Iraq would destabilise its relations with the West during the Cold War.”

China, he noted, took a contrasting stance: “In contrast to the Soviet Union’s cautious stance, as Ibrahim covered well in his 1990 book, ‘Berlin Baghdad the Barter’, China took a more supportive approach towards the 14 July Revolution. He cites a 1958 article from the Chinese newspaper Renmin Ribao, which stated, ‘China cannot stand idle in the face of American aggression in the Arab region. We want peace, but we do not fear war. If the imperialist aggressors lose their balance and insist on a test of strength, then everyone who rejects slavery must prepare the necessary measures.’ According to the Chinese press at the time, thousands of Chinese officers and soldiers volunteered to fight in Iraq after the US landed its forces in Beirut in July 1958. China’s strong stance and support for Iraq’s sovereignty made it popular among the Iraqi people and communists, in stark contrast to the Soviet Union’s reluctance. Ibrahim, in his book, says that this sympathy towards the Communist Party of China could have been another factor that led Khrushchev to be wary of a communist victory in Iraq.”

Having explained how Ibrahim Allawi’s later work prefigured China’s development of a socialist market economy, independently reaching similar conclusions, Ali concluded:

“I had the privilege of visiting China twice this year with my colleagues from Friends of Socialist China. Visiting party schools and engaging with Chinese comrades provided deep insights into the creative application of scientific Marxism by the Communist Party of China since the early days of Mao Zedong’s leadership. Much of this history is documented in the ‘Concise History of the Communist Party of China’. China’s communist history has much in common with Iraqi communist history. Both parties started in regions with great histories and ancient civilisations, both have diversity of nationalities and religions, and the founders of the two parties sought to use Marxism not only as a scientific tool for change but also to unite the people. Yet the outcome was tragically different for Iraq.

“Let’s not forget that nearly one-fifth of humanity is participating in a bold and successful experiment in socialism. This is a great achievement for humanity and a source for much optimism in the future.”

In his speech, Majed Allawi, spoke about the proletarian origins of the Iraqi Communist Party, stressing. in particular, the role of its secretary Yusuf Salman Yusuf (Fahd), who was a worker in an ice factory.

“This deep class foundation gave the Iraqi Communist Party relative independence in its national decisions. This stance caused some kind of discomfort for the international communist centre, the Comintern. This was clear in the Soviet efforts to impose the recognition of Israel.

“The planning to eliminate the leadership of Comrade Fahd, who was sentenced to death with his comrades in 1948 – later reduced to life imprisonment after a global wave of protests – culminated in a retrial in 1949 while they were in prison, resulting in their execution. Dr. Ibrahim Allawi was convinced that the lack of a global campaign against this sentence contributed to their execution.

“Fahd’s execution represented a tremendous loss to the communist movement, as his leadership was exceptional in integrating class and national struggles and in deepening theoretical and cultural awareness. This quality was largely absent from the leadership that followed Fahd due to the circumstances of persecution, incarceration, and exile, despite their remarkable achievements in resolving internal conflicts that arose in the few years following Fahd’s execution.”

Farouk Mustafa Rasool, who was one of Ibrahim Allawi’s closest comrades and collaborators from the late 1950s to his death, and who today, as the Founder of the Faruk Investment Group and of Asiacell (in which capacity he first introduced technology from China’s Huawei to Iraq more than two decades ago and still maintains strong ties with China’s technology industry), is one of Iraq’s leading businessmen, said that he regarded himself, and still regards himself, as a modest student of Ibrahim Allawi. It was an honour to have worked with him. He was a brave man who made many sacrifices, including of his family life, for the cause in which he believed.

Hani Lazim stressed Allawi’s self-discipline and his democratic style of work, where he was prepared to listen to everyone’s opinion. He also taught his comrades the importance of self-reliance and that a revolutionary movement could not depend on others.

Following the meeting, a reception was held at Palestine House, where Professor Kamal Majid, another long-term comrade of Allawi, shared his insights into his character, philosophy and work.

Below is the main gist of Keith Bennett’s speech to the meeting. The full text may be found here. The speeches of Ali Al-Assam and Majed Allawi are also available here and here. The meeting may be viewed on YouTube and details of the book, including a free PDF, are on the Iskra Books website. A brief report of the meeting was published by the Morning Star.

First published in Arabic a little over 40 years ago, this book will be of more than academic interest. Although it will undoubtedly be of great interest to academics interested in the study of Marxism, Iraq, Islam, and the Arab and Muslim worlds, as well.

But in the Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels wrote:

“The Communists are distinguished from the other working-class parties by this only: 1. In the national struggles of the proletarians of the different countries, they point out and bring to the front the common interests of the entire proletariat, independently of all nationality; 2. In the various stages of development which the struggle of the working class against the bourgeoisie has to pass through, they always and everywhere represent the interests of the movement as a whole.”

These are the two key tests that Ibrahim Allawi’s text meets. While addressing immediate political issues of his day, not least the question of Palestine, still of course the issue of the day, it attempts to sum up the historical experience of building socialism whilst looking to the future. So, while grounded in Iraqi realities, from ancient times to time of writing, it concerns itself with some of the most pressing issues facing humanity as a whole.

That’s why I wrote in my Foreword to the book:

“Ibrahim Allawi is one of many great Global South Marxists whose work has simply not been known in the Global North in particular, but whose vision and insights, born from the triumphs, vicissitudes, and tragedies of revolutionary praxis, need to be known, debated and studied by those who aspire to a better world.”

The famous words on Marx’s tombstone say that hitherto philosophers have only interpreted the world. The point is to change it. And this is also key to the importance of Allawi’s work. If the most advanced revolutionary theory largely emanates from the Global South, which has been the case since fairly early in the last century, it is not least because this has been the locus of the most advanced revolutionary practice, from the winning of independence against imperialism to attempts at building socialism.

Continue reading ‘Reading in Al-Mushtarak’ an important contribution to Marxist thought

At the invitation of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez attended the World Socialism Forum, held in Beijing from 9-10 September 2024, alongside delegates from China, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, Russia, Brazil, Zambia, Ghana, Lebanon, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark and several other countries. 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).

On the first day of the forum, CGTN journalist Li Jingjing interviewed Carlos, along with Blaise Tulo – Convener of Accra Collective of the Socialist Movement of Ghana – and Adham Sayed – Research Fellow at Zhejiang Gongshang University and member of the Lebanese Communist Party. The interview covers a range of topics, including the significance of the World Socialism Forum, the rising popularity of socialism, and China’s role in the world today.

The video is embedded below. It was originally posted on Li Jingjing’s YouTube channel.

The following is the text of a speech given by Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez at an online meeting of the Scottish Trade Union Peace Network on 22 August 2024.

Carlos discusses the nature of China’s foreign policy, dealing with common criticisms such as that China seeks to “undermine democracy” in Taiwan, that it is an aggressive and expansionist power in the South China Sea, and that its nuclear arsenal poses a serious threat to world peace.

The speech goes on to analyse the theoretical basis and economic underpinnings of China’s foreign policy, observing that China’s rise “has never been based on dominating the land, labour, resources and markets of the rest of the world. It has never been driven by the expand-or-die logic of capital.”

Carlos concludes by detailing the expanding US-led campaign of containment and encirclement against China, and calling for “progressive and peace-loving people the world over to join hands in building global mass opposition to this insanity”.

Other speakers at the event included Fiona Edwards (No Cold War Britain) and Jonathon Shafi (Stop the War Scotland).

NB. This speech has been published as an article on Xinhua.

Many thanks for inviting me to join you.

I’m going to focus my remarks on China’s foreign policy, comparing that with the US and Britain’s foreign policy, and then discussing the dangers of this escalating New Cold War, which could all too easily end up as a hot war.

China aggressive?

China of course is framed in the Western media as an “aggressive” and “expansionist” power which is hell-bent on subverting the “rules-based international order”.

According to the NATO Heads of State summit in Washington last month, “China’s stated ambitions and coercive policies continue to challenge our interests, security and values”.

What’s the basis for this characterisation? I’m going to talk about some of common themes:

First, Taiwan. China is accused of undermining democracy in Taiwan and threatening imminent invasion.

The funny thing is that China’s position on the Taiwan question has not meaningfully changed in the last seven decades, and it’s entirely consistent with international law and numerous United Nations resolutions – not to mention the various joint agreements between the US and China.

Taiwan is a part of China. It was seized by Japan in 1895 and returned to Chinese control in 1945, at the end of World War 2, as agreed by Britain, the US, the Soviet Union and China at the Potsdam Conference.

In 1949, having lost in the Chinese Civil War, Chang Kai-shek and his people fled to Taiwan and set up a renegade administration, and the US positioned its Navy – the Seventh Fleet – in the Taiwan Strait to prevent the communist government from reuniting the country. But even then, Taiwan never claimed to be a separate country – the Kuomintang simply said that Taiwan was the real China and that the People’s Republic was the renegade. Indeed that idea is still part of Taiwan’s constitution.

So China’s very consistent position is that Taiwan is part of China. This position – the One China Principle – is accepted by more than 90 percent of the world’s countries, including the US and Britain. China has always said that it seeks peaceful reunification but that it reserves the right to use force in case of outside interference or a unilateral declaration of independence. Furthermore it makes the very reasonable point that the Taiwan issue is an internal matter for Chinese people on both sides of the Strait to resolve.

There is nothing particularly bellicose or unusual about such a position. Frankly, if you’ll excuse the slight provocation, China’s historic claim to Taiwan is far stronger than Britain’s historic claim to Scotland, but does anyone think Westminster would avoid the use of force if Scotland, backed and armed by Russia, say, were to unilaterally declare independence.

So nothing has changed with respect to China’s position on the Taiwan question. What’s changed is that the US and its allies, seeking to provoke conflict and undermine China, are increasing their support for separatist elements, are increasing their supply of weapons to the administration in Taipei, and are steadily rowing back on the One China Principle.

Biden has said multiple times that the US would intervene militarily if Beijing were to attempt to change the status quo by force – which goes directly against what was agreed by the US and China back in the 1970s when relations were re-established. It is essentially a way of signalling: we are building towards war against China, and Taiwan will likely be the flashpoint. And the way we plan to win public support for that war is by presenting it as a war to protect democracy in Taiwan.

Another popular accusation about China’s “aggression” is that it’s engaged in expansionism in the South China Sea, because it patrols its own waters, and because it has a number of complicated territorial disputes over control of an array of tiny uninhabited islands.

The details of the disputes are not particularly relevant for our purposes. These territorial disputes are inherited from previous generations and they’re not easy to resolve. For example, there are numerous disputes in relation to the Arctic Circle, between Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the US. The disputes involving China receive relatively more attention because the US is attempting to leverage them to foment broader anti-China feeling in Southeast Asia and to present China in the most negative light possible.

Again, China hasn’t changed its position on these questions; there has simply been an escalation of anti-China propagandising by the West.

On the South China Sea, it’s worth mentioning that China’s definition of its borders was determined before 1949, before the founding of the People’s Republic. The nine-dash line defining China’s maritime borders was created by the Kuomintang government in 1947, and certainly didn’t cause any stir in Western capitals at the time. After all, China at that time was considered by the West as an important ally in the global war against communism.

The People’s Republic of China has not made a single new territorial claim. And although it patrols the South China Sea and works to protect its trade routes and to prevent any potential blockade being imposed by the US, it has never once impeded international trade.

So when the US carries out its so-called ‘freedom of navigation assertions’ in the South China Sea, it’s not because China is blocking navigation. China is not being aggressive; the US is being aggressive, and according itself the role of world policeman. The US has no jurisdiction in the South China Sea. Can anyone imagine what the US response would be if China carried out freedom of navigation assertions off the coast of California?

Then there’s the question of nuclear weapons. The media is full of alarmist reports about China’s expanding nuclear arsenal. But China has fewer than 500 nuclear warheads, compared to over 5,000 for the US.

China maintains a strictly defensive nuclear posture. Of all the nuclear powers, it is the only one to have a clear policy of no-first use, meaning that it will never use nuclear weapons other than in response to a nuclear attack.

It’s also the only nuclear power to guarantee that it will never use nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear country, meaning that it refuses to engage in the type of nuclear blackmail which the US specialises in.

Continue reading Build global mass opposition to the New Cold War

The following article by Lyn Neeley, first published in Workers World, describes some of China’s achievements on ecological protection. For example, “in 2023 China produced 60% of the world’s electric vehicles, 98% of the world’s electric buses and two-thirds of all the world’s wind and solar projects”. It looks like China will meet its goal of peaking emissions by 2030 ahead of time – indeed the evidence indicates that China’s emissions have already peaked.

Aside from renewable energy, China is the clear world leader in electric vehicles, and Chinese scientists are innovating on a number of fronts including green hydrogen and sustainable cooling materials.

Instead of cooperating with China in response to the climate crisis, “US corporations are threatened by all the Chinese innovations being developed and transforming the world. They know that when privately owned capitalist industries have monopoly control of an industry, their only goal is to maximize profits.”

When the US does invest in renewables, power plants are often built on indigenous lands, without consultation. “China just completed the largest floating solar farm in the world on top of an old coal plant! In contrast, US industries trespass on sovereign Indigenous land to construct solar plants, wind farms, power transmission lines and copper mines for lithium extraction for electric batteries – without consulting with leaders of the Indigenous nations and tribes.”

The contrast reminds us once again that the climate crisis requires socialist solutions.

In 2023 China produced 60% of the world’s electric vehicles, 98% of the world’s electric buses and two-thirds of all the world’s wind and solar projects. Its workers installed more solar panels than they had in the previous three years combined, nearly twice as much as the rest of the world combined.

These figures account for large solar farms that feed directly into the grid. Small solar farms, which make up 40% of China’s solar capacity, make solar power production totals in China much higher. China’s growth in wind power also increased in 2023, faster than in any country except the United States.

China’s goal of peak carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060 may well be reached sooner than expected. The biggest driver of China’s economic growth is innovation and clean energy technology, accounting for 40% of their gross domestic product expansion last year.

Electric vehicles

Chinese EVs now cost $10,000-$15,000 per car on the world market. A few reasons for the drastic price drop of 50% is that Chinese companies are producing their own lithium batteries, which they can produce 51% cheaper. Chinese government subsidies for EVs have risen from $76.7 million in 2018 to $809 million in 2023.

Capitalist industry based in the U.S. is unable to produce and sell EVs at such low prices, and its auto manufacturers are still heavily reliant on expensive cars that burn fossil fuels. The U.S. government is raising tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (now at 25%) to 100% starting Aug. 1. The European Union plans to increase tariffs up to 48% sometime this year.

Continue reading China leads world in renewable energy

The Xinhua News Agency recently carried a short interview with our co-editor Keith Bennett on the question of Chinese modernisation, which he said, has as its aim that all people can lead a dignified and meaningful life based on common prosperity.

Keith added that Western countries have seen great economic development over a long period but the gap between the rich and the poor not only persists but even gets worse. Moreover, all sorts of social problems proliferate and eventually become a drag on economic development as well.

On the other hand, Chinese modernisation has taken a different path, which replaces this vicious circle with a virtuous circle and is therefore of great significance to the world. Moreover, China’s foreign policy is an integral aspect of China’s commitment to global stability and development.

“China’s foreign policy of peace is completely connected to and in harmony with its modernisation drive at home as well as with its contributions to the modernisation of other countries.”

The following article was originally published by Xinhua.

LONDON, July 25 (Xinhua) — Chinese modernization rejects short-termism and stresses sustainability, a British expert has said recently.

In an interview with Xinhua, Keith Bennett, an international relations consultant based in London, said that comprehensive and holistic are among the distinctive features of Chinese modernization. “It does not just concern itself with one or other aspect, nor does it see them in isolation from one another but rather as part of an integrated and interconnected whole.”

“This reflects the fact that Chinese modernization rejects short-termism, stresses sustainability,” he said.

On top of that, Chinese modernization is “scientific” and above all “people centered,” Bennett said.

“The aim of Chinese-style modernization is that all people can lead a dignified and meaningful life based on common prosperity,” he added.

The British expert also drew a comparison between Chinese and Western-style modernization approaches.

In his view, Western countries have seen great economic development over a long period but the gap between the rich and the poor not only persists but even gets worse. Moreover, all sorts of social problems proliferate and eventually become a drag on economic development as well.

On the other hand, Chinese modernization has taken a different path, which replaces this vicious circle with a virtuous circle and is therefore of great significance to the world.

He also noted that in China’s case, development and peace are not mutually exclusive; but rather, they are complementary and interdependent.

“China long ago identified development and peace as two key issues of our times. And they are intimately connected. Without peace there can be no development,” he stressed, adding that the tragic conflicts in various parts of the world illustrate this too clearly. “Likewise, successful development helps to eliminate at least one of the main root causes of conflict,” he noted.

Bennett views China’s foreign policy of peace as an integral aspect of China’s commitment to global stability and development.

“China’s foreign policy of peace is completely connected to and in harmony with its modernization drive at home as well as with its contributions to the modernization of other countries,” he said.

So that is why the China-proposed initiatives including the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, form an integrated whole, which together lay the foundations to help realize a community with a shared future for mankind, said the expert.

On China’s significant role in the global economy, Bennett said, “China has been the main engine of global economic growth for decades.”

China’s significant contributions as “a major external investor, a major recipient of foreign direct investment, a huge market with the world’s largest middle-income group, and the major trading partner of the majority of the world’s nations” make it a key player in the global economy, he said.

Given the above-mentioned factors, he stressed that China’s efforts in building a high-standard socialist market economy, supporting all-round innovation, and persisting in opening up can have far-reaching effects, which will “help bring stability to the global economy and generate opportunities for businesses and economies worldwide, while providing a valuable point of reference for other countries that wish to develop their economies and realize modernization.”

The following text is based on a presentation given by Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez at a discussion forum titled The Emancipatory Struggle for Independence in Latin America, held on 18 July 2024 at the historic Casa Miranda in London, where the celebrated Venezuelan revolutionary Francisco de Miranda lived from 1802 to 1810. The event was organised by the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and was hosted by His Excellency Ambassador Félix Plasencia González.

Carlos’s presentation focuses on the relationship between sovereignty and internationalism, and the importance of that dynamic to the ideology of the Bolivarian Revolution. He details the ways in which Venezuela has been a key protagonist of revolutionary internationalism, as well as some of the ways it has been a beneficiary of such internationalism. He explains that Venezuela’s geopolitical positioning “is based on a coherent worldview in which the primary contradiction in global politics is defined as that between US-led imperialism – determined to hold onto its hegemony and to pursue a Project for a New American Century – and the freedom-loving peoples of the world.”

Carlos concludes by discussing the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, first put forward by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1954, and which have since become a basic principle in international relations and a longstanding consensus of the peoples of the Global South. He opines that the five principles recognise a fundamental reality of the current stage of history: that “all the socialist countries, the developing countries, the countries of the Global South, the non-imperialist countries, have a common interest in opposing imperialism; in having the freedom to develop according to their own chosen path and to work towards meeting the needs of their people.” As such, “the five principles establish the norms for a multipolar world”.

The event was also addressed by Francisco Domínguez, secretary of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign and member of the Friends of Socialist China advisory group. A summary of the event appeared in the popular Venezuelan newspaper Últimas Noticias.

Comrade-ambassador Félix Plasencia, friends and comrades, it’s an honour to be here with you this evening.

I would like to speak about a specific aspect of independence, which is: the relationship between sovereignty and internationalism.

To my mind this is a very important part of Venezuela’s political project since the election of Hugo Chávez in 1998. Venezuela has been fierce in defending its sovereignty, and it also has an exemplary record of internationalism and solidarity.

The two things are inextricably linked. And Chávez understood this in a very deep way, that sovereignty and independence are not the same as isolationism. And that to embrace internationalism does not mean to give up your sovereignty.

Indeed the opposite is the case: sovereignty cannot be won, and cannot be defended, outside of the context of the broadest possible unity against imperialism; against those countries that seek to deny others’ sovereignty.

The history of the last century provides ample evidence of this.

In his famous pamphlet on imperialism, Lenin observed that by the beginning of the 20th century, “the territorial division of the whole world among the biggest capitalist powers was completed”. Which is to say, the entire planet had been divided into two: a small number of imperialist countries on the one hand, and a vast number of oppressed countries on the other.

Lenin’s pamphlet was written in 1916. A year later, as you all know, a new factor emerged in global politics: the existence of a socialist country, leading in the following decades to the establishment of a socialist group of countries.

The existence of this socialist group of countries was in turn a powerful boost for the national liberation struggles in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean and elsewhere. These movements were able to win and defend their sovereignty – to struggle against imperialism – through the heroic efforts of their people of course, but combined with the solidarity of other countries, other movements. In the process they created a new group of liberated countries, such that the division of the world back that of a small number of imperialist countries on the one hand, and a vast number of non-imperialist countries on the other.

The brilliant Vietnamese revolutionary Ho Chi Minh famously stated that “nothing is more precious than independence and freedom.” And the Vietnamese people won their independence and freedom, with the support of the Soviet Union, with the support of China, and with the solidarity of progressive movements and people the world over.

Studying the liberation wars in Vietnam, in Mozambique, in Angola, in Algeria, in Zimbabwe, in Guinea-Bissau, the movements leading these struggles were all profoundly internationalist, all looked for inspiration and support to the socialist countries, and all were grounded in the revolutionary internationalism that forms such a key component of Venezuela’s political ideology, of Chavismo.

Today the example that stands out is that of Palestine. The Palestinians are fighting for their sovereignty, for their independence, for their basic national rights; against colonialism, against racism, against apartheid, against ethnic cleansing. They are taking on a genocidal aggressor in Tel Aviv, backed by genocidal aggressors in Washington and London. But the people of the world stand with them. The entire Global South stands with them and demands their legitimate national rights be restored.

Continue reading China and Venezuela: building a Great Wall against imperialism and hegemonism

In the second of three eyewitness articles from Xinjiang, Roger McKenzie addresses the widespread allegations that China is engaged in authoritarian repression (up to and including genocide) of the Uyghur people. He notes that the accusers “appear to have created their own definition of genocide while singularly failing to apply such a label to Israel and its onslaught against the Palestinians in Gaza”.

Meanwhile the facts of the case in Xinjiang are perfectly clear: “There is no genocide taking place in Xinjiang. I saw zero evidence of any kind of oppression of the Uighurs. All the evidence was in fact to the contrary.” The very idea of there being such a genocide is a “total fabrication manufactured by the West” with the purpose of manufacturing consent for the New Cold War on China.

What is true is that China is engaged in long-term counter-terrorism efforts in Xinjiang, in response to a series of deadly terrorist incidents carried out by extremist and separatist forces. As Roger points out, “in most countries where deadly terrorist attacks take place, one would expect the authorities to take steps to protect its citizens”. But as far as Western media and politicians are concerned, terrorist attacks aren’t the problem in China but rather the government’s understandable response – which it should be noted has been far more humane and measured than that of the US, which to this day maintains a torture camp in occupied Guantanamo Bay.

Roger observes that, while the Western imperialist countries are hurling these lurid accusations against China, the countries of the Global South – including the vast majority of Muslim-majority countries – are defending China’s record. Indeed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that it was a “hard fact … that residents of various ethnicities are living happily in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region thanks to China’s prosperity”.

It’s essential that progressive and anti-war forces in the West reject the propaganda war on China. That some elements buy into these lies is based on “an opportunistic anti-communism laced, in some quarters, with a nasty dose of Sinophobia”.

This article originally appeared in the Morning Star.

There are 56 ethnic groups in the Chinese autonomous region of Xinjiang in the north-west of the country.

These groups help to form a Chinese population of 25 million.

The Uighurs were one of these groups and I was fortunate enough to spend some time with them as I travelled across five cities in nine days in the region.

They represent around 51 per cent of the region’s population.

In the past, the West has accused the Chinese government of committing genocide against the Uighurs. They appear to have created their own definition of genocide while singularly failing to apply such a label to the Israelis and its onslaught against the Palestinians in Gaza.

I am the first to admit that I am no international legal expert but the word genocide conjures up images in my mind of what is taking place in Gaza and what we have seen in Rwanda and in Sudan’s Darfur in the past.

There is no genocide taking place in Xinjiang. I saw zero evidence of any kind of oppression of the Uighurs.

All the evidence was in fact to the contrary.

Continue reading Xinjiang genocide “a total fabrication manufactured by the West”

China marked the 70^th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence on June 28, with an international conference that featured a major speech by President Xi Jinping and the adoption of a Joint Declaration. The five principles were first advanced by Premier Zhou Enlai and endorsed jointly with the leaders of India and Myanmar (Burma). They went on to become a widely accepted norm of international relations.

The following is a brief commentary regarding the background and significance of the Five Principles, written by our co-editor Keith Bennett in advance of the conference. Keith notes that the question of relations between socialist and non-socialist countries arose with the victory of the October Revolution and was first addressed by Lenin. Zhou Enlai’s development of Lenin’s concept was made against the background of such great world events as the emergence of a socialist camp, the defeat of fascism and the founding of the United Nations, and the upsurge in the struggles for national liberation that would lead to the birth of the Non-Aligned Movement and the rise of the Global South. The five principles are needed more than ever today, with humanity facing a number of existential threats.

Part of the commentary featured in an article on China Daily.

The 70^th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence being advanced by Premier Zhou Enlai represents a very significant milestone in the long march towards a post-colonialist, post-imperialist new world order that is genuinely peaceful and equitable.

The five principles were formulated by Premier Zhou, in my view the greatest diplomat of the twentieth century, in the midst of profound global changes and in particular three separate but closely inter-related phenomena, namely:

• The emergence of socialism not simply as an idea but as a reality holding state power, initially in one country but then in a socialist camp embracing much of Europe and Asia.
• The defeat of fascism in 1945 and the formation of the United Nations aimed at preventing war and promoting democratic global governance.
• The upsurge of the national liberation movements and the beginning of the great waves of decolonisation that would lead to the formation of the Non-Aligned Movement and the later emergence and rise of the Global South.

The Chinese revolution itself, and the founding of the People’s Republic, reflected and impacted all these three historical currents.

The October Revolution, and the founding of the Soviet state, had inevitably raised the question of what relationship a socialist country should have with the capitalist powers, and it was on this basis that Lenin advanced a policy of peaceful coexistence.

Zhou Enlai applied and developed this concept with an appreciation that the existence of states with fundamentally different social systems, and hence the need for their coexistence, was not a mere transient phenomenon but rather a reality that would exist for an entire historical period and therefore could not be simply treated as a temporary expedient or tactic but needed to be raised to the level of theory.

His thinking also embodied Chairman Mao Zedong’s concept of there being both antagonistic and non-antagonistic contradictions, as well as the possibility for even actually or potentially antagonistic contradictions to be handled in a non-antagonistic fashion and, in such a way, for their nature to be ameliorated, modified or transformed.

Specifically, the collapse of the colonial empires, and the rise of new emerging forces throughout Asia, Africa and elsewhere, meant that a new world was coming into being, comprised of countries with different social systems, cultures, religious beliefs, and so on, but who shared important common interests of being for independence against imperialism and with them all facing the common needs of development, modernization and poverty alleviation. This provided the basis for Premier Zhou to agree the five principles with India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and for them to form the bedrock of the 10 principles adopted by the Afro-Asian Conference held in the Indonesian city of Bandung the following year.

A key test of the correctness or otherwise of a set of principles is whether or not they stand the test of time. Over the last 70 years, the Five Principles have only become more relevant and necessary. Embodying the principles of the United Nations Charter, and representing the interests of the great majority of the people in every country, they are welcomed and supported by the overwhelming majority of states. Moreover, their virtue and necessity can be seen in the appalling tragedies that result from a failure to uphold them but rather to pursue an alternative course, whether in Iraq, Afghanistan and, of course, above all today in Palestine.

The Five Principles are in turn embodied and being further developed and applied in the important global initiatives put forward by President Xi Jinping with regards to security, development and civilization, along with the Belt and Road Initiative. As with Premier Zhou’s initiative seven decades ago, these initiatives are increasingly widely welcomed by countries and peoples around the world, addressing as they do the key questions and imperatives of peace and development, along with the correct and realistic ways to tackle the existential threats currently facing humanity, such as those of nuclear war, climate catastrophe, zoonotic pandemics, antimicrobial resistance, or a collapse in biodiversity, and to promote the building of a community of shared future for humanity.

Tunisian President Kais Saied paid a state visit to China coinciding with the 10th conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, held in Beijing on May 30.

Meeting his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on May 31, the two leaders jointly announced the establishment of a strategic partnership between their countries.

Noting that China and Tunisia are good friends and brothers, Xi said that over the past 60 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Tunisia have always respected and supported each other, and treated each other as equals despite international vicissitudes, writing a vivid chapter of developing countries standing together through thick and thin.

Consolidating and developing China-Tunisia relations conforms to the fundamental interests and common expectations of the two peoples, Xi noted, adding that China is willing to work with Tunisia to continue the traditional friendship, deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields and push bilateral relations to a new level.

“Today, we announced the establishment of China-Tunisia strategic partnership, which will open up an even brighter future for our relations,” he said.

China is ready to enhance synergy of development strategies with Tunisia, deepen cooperation in such fields as infrastructure construction and new energy, foster new growth engines for cooperation in medical and health care, green development, water resources, agriculture and other fields, and promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation between the two countries to achieve more results, and China welcomes more high-quality Tunisian products into the Chinese market.

China is willing to continue to send high-calibre medical teams to Tunisia, and to deepen cooperation with Tunisia in education and tourism, and enhance people-to-people exchanges.

Xi urged the two sides to work with countries in the Global South to strengthen solidarity and coordination, practice true multilateralism, advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation, and achieve common development.

Saied said he is pleased to pay a historic visit to China on the occasion of marking the 60th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties and to attend the opening ceremony of the 10th ministerial conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum.

Tunisia enjoys profound friendship and fruitful cooperation with China, and the country expects more support from China for its national development and closer cooperation in health, transportation, green development and education, so as to raise bilateral relations to a new level. Every country has the right to independently choose a development path suiting its own national conditions. Tunisia is willing to work with China to uphold the common values of humanity, strengthen unity and coordination, oppose hegemonism and bloc confrontation, and create a more equal and beautiful world, so that people of all countries can enjoy real human rights and freedom, live in harmony, and share peace, security and prosperity.

The previous day, President Saied had met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

Li noted that China firmly supports Tunisia in actively exploring a development path with Tunisian characteristics and firmly opposes external interference in Tunisia’s internal affairs.

China is ready to work with Tunisia to deepen practical cooperation guided by high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, make solid progress in key cooperation projects, and expand cooperation in trade and renewable energy. China is ready to work with Tunisia to make every effort to build a China-Arab community with a shared future for the new era and promote the building of a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future, Li added, urging joint efforts from the two sides to strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation to safeguard the common interests of developing countries.

On May 31, the Tunisian head of state also met with Zhao Leji, Chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

Zhao said that, taking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity, the two sides should make good use of important platforms such as the joint construction of the Belt and Road, the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to cultivate new driving forces for bilateral cooperation.

He noted that China and Tunisia are both countries in the Global South, and that they should strengthen their coordination and cooperation on multilateral occasions to promote a more just and equitable global governance system.

Saied said that Tunisia has the unwavering will to develop friendly relations with China. His country adheres to the one-China principle and stands ready to strengthen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, thereby opening broader prospects for bilateral relations. 

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

China, Tunisia establish strategic partnership

BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping and Tunisian President Kais Saied on Friday announced the establishment of a strategic partnership between the two countries.

The announcement came as Xi held talks with Saied, who is on a state visit to China.

Noting that China and Tunisia are good friends and brothers, Xi said that over the past 60 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Tunisia have always respected and supported each other, and treated each other as equals despite international vicissitudes, writing a vivid chapter of developing countries standing together through thick and thin.

Consolidating and developing China-Tunisia relations conforms to the fundamental interests and common expectations of the two peoples, Xi noted, adding that China is willing to work with Tunisia to continue the traditional friendship, deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields and push bilateral relations to a new level.

“Today, we announced the establishment of China-Tunisia strategic partnership, which will open up an even brighter future for our relations,” he said.

China supports Tunisia in pursuing a development path that suits its own national conditions, independently advancing the reform process, and keeping its future firmly in its own hands, Xi said.

China is ready to enhance synergy of development strategies with Tunisia, deepen cooperation in such fields as infrastructure construction and new energy, foster new growth engines for cooperation in medical and health care, green development, water resources, agriculture and other fields, and promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation between the two countries to achieve more results, Xi said, welcoming more high-quality Tunisian products into the Chinese market.

China is willing to continue to send high-caliber medical teams to Tunisia, deepen cooperation with Tunisia in education and tourism, and enhance people-to-people exchanges, he added.

Continue reading China and Tunisia establish strategic partnership

In this article for the Morning Star, Roger McKenzie draws on his experiences on the recent Friends of Socialist China delegation, which combined visits to historical sites with discussions on contemporary Chinese politics, as well as providing an opportunity to witness the Chinese modernisation process in action.

Roger notes “the lengths the Chinese were taking to celebrate their revolutionary history at the same time as looking for ways to be at the cutting edge of modernisation”. This highlights the Chinese communists’ insistence on remaining true to the original aspiration and founding mission. After all, the founders of the CPC “had a dream of a better and fairer society based on Marxist principles” – a dream that still guides the Party today.

The article concludes that those of us in the West can learn a great deal – and take inspiration – from the Chinese example.

“China proves to me that not only is a new world possible but it has already arrived — if we choose to look and if we dare to win.”

It’s really hard to imagine China as a weak and poor country. But it has been both. The weakness of the country which allowed the defeated Germans to hand over Chinese territory after World War I to the Japanese led almost directly to the formation of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The CPC was formed in July 1921 on a red boat in Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province. It was the start of a century-plus journey from widespread poverty and political weakness to China becoming, according to many experts, the largest economy in the world.
 
China is a country high on ambition. The sort of ambition that would not have been possible without the bravery to set up the CPC under threat of imprisonment or death.

After many visits to China, my comrade and friend Keith Bennett, a co-founder of Friends of Socialist China (FSC), was visiting the Red Boat for the first time.
 
Bennett said: “I think what’s very impressive is how the history of the founding of the CPC is remembered and respected and it’s been passed onto the younger generations. We’ve been here today and we’ve seen lots of middle school students and younger school students all taking a great interest in it.”
 
Another comrade and co-founder of FSC, Carlos Martinez, agreed with Bennett’s analysis adding that he was impressed by the “inspiration that Chinese communists took from the Russian October Revolution and obviously from Marx and Engels.”
 
He added: “So when they talk about being true to their foundations, their roots and founding mission this includes the whole legacy of our global movement.”
 
I couldn’t help but notice the pride that people of all ages were taking in the history of the founding of the CPC. I witnessed the lengths the Chinese were taking to celebrate their revolutionary history at the same time as looking for ways to be at the cutting edge of modernisation.
 
The CPC seemed to have no difficulty in combining seemingly contradictory positions, whether it’s combining the old with the new or the market with socialism. For China, the key priority seems to be making sure that the people are put first.
 
In my view, one of the keys of Marxism is not to reduce it to an immovable dogma. For me — and I do not doubt that someone will see fit to correct me — it is a scientific tool that can be used to analyse the material circumstances confronting us and to use it to develop policies that put people rather than profits first.
 
The fact that the CPC has its hands on the levers of the market and is able to divert resources where they are most needed rather than into the pockets of greedy capitalists, makes all the difference.
 
Housing is often seen as one of the measures of how well an economy is serving its people. As I write this from Jiaxing I have yet to see a single homeless person on the street.
 
What I have seen is a diversity of housing provisions including a high-tech development called the Luli Future Community where quality housing, with fitness and children’s facilities, are available at a good price.
 
Some of the cost is subsidised by the central government — particularly for young people and public service workers such as doctors.
 
The brand new Party-Masses Service Centre in Jiaxing, which opened in 2021, is a hub for training, exhibitions, NGOs and the provision of mental health services.
 
Martinez said: “FSC Delegates to China were amazed to learn that you can register for counselling and get an appointment booked for the next day — free of charge.”
 
On one wall in the centre I saw “Only with peace of mind can the people and the country be safe,” which seemed a good summary of the work being carried out.
 
Whatever I say here “haters are always gonna hate.” I’m also not arrogant enough to believe that anything I say makes the slightest bit of difference.
 
But I can only say what I see and what I am seeing is a country brimming with confidence and full of ambition.
 
I’m also seeing a nation that refuses to be diverted from its upward course after generations of poverty and humiliation.
 
The Chinese seem prepared to think big and to continue to confound the racist stereotypes of China as a backward nation.
 
Any person with the slightest knowledge of history will know just how totally wrong that is.
 
China is thinking hard about what the future can look like and not waiting for it to shape them but, instead, taking steps to lead the way.
 
I visited the Yangtze River Delta Science and Technology Centre where they have gathered some of the finest thinkers in architecture, health, industry and communications, to name but a few, to carry out research and to advise the government.
 
China is thinking big but not just for itself. It is prepared to share its knowledge with other countries in a spirit of win-win and mutual respect.
 
The incredibly popular but much-maligned Belt and Road Initiative is a prime example of this. The BRI is based on greater policy co-ordination with partners, connecting facilities, trade, financial integration and, importantly, building people-to-people bonds.
 
Far removed from the zero game US model of you’re either with us or against us. The US model is yesterday’s news. The global South, where most people on the planet live, has had enough and has already moved on.
 
Despite the goading and the sanctions led by the US, China is refusing to play a game that nobody wins. Instead, it is creating a new game with its global South partners.

Shifting the focus away from the old colonial powers to the people — billions of people. Along the way it won’t be perfect — tell me what is?
 
But we have to break with the idea that the old colonial rulers can sit at their table, divide up the world and tell everyone else what to do. Those days are gone forever. The US and its posse just need to understand this.
 
The only questions that really matter are how will the old world respond? Will they do what they know best and resort to violence and financial sanctions? This seems to be their response so far.
 
Alternatively, for those of us interested in building a new world, what might it look like? What more do we need to do to breathe life into that newborn?
 
What I have seen so far in China convinces me that socialism works. Those pioneers on the Red Boat had a dream of a better and fairer society based on Marxist principles.
 
I am not advocating copying China but we can apply the scientific methods of Marxism-Leninism to our own circumstances in the same way that the CPC has with its socialism with Chinese characteristics for the new era.
 
Some onlookers say China has abandoned Marxism. I don’t agree for the reasons I’ve already stated. Many have never been there but profess to know better than the people of China.

Clearly not everyone in the country of 1.4 billion people agrees entirely with the road being travelled.
 
I’m told there is a healthy debate within the nearly 100 million members of the CPC but it is clear to me that President Xi Jinping is providing clear direction and outstanding leadership.

Building a revolution against the stream is hard graft but it continues apace in China.
 
China is still red and will continue to attract partners interested in a different way, which may or may not be socialism. China proves to me that not only is a new world possible but it has already arrived — if we choose to look and if we dare to win.

The following detailed article by Lauri Myllyvirta and Qi Qin, originally published in Carbon Brief, highlights the unprecedented expansion of clean energy technology in China in 2023.

The authors’ analysis shows that clean energy investment in China increased 40 percent year-on-year – the $890bn total is slightly higher than the GDP of Switzerland. Furthermore, clean energy sectors “were the largest driver of China’ economic growth overall, accounting for 40 percent of the expansion of GDP in 2023… This shift positions the clean-energy industry as a key part not only of China’s energy and climate efforts, but also of its broader economic and industrial policy.”

The largest growth was in solar energy, the value of which sector increased by 63 percent. “While China has dominated the manufacturing and installations of solar panels for years, the growth of the industry in 2023 was unprecedented.” There was also significant growth of solar product exports to countries along the Belt and Road, particularly in Africa and Southeast Asia.

The article finds that China’s production of electric vehicles grew 36 percent in 2023. Over a third of cars purchased in China in the last year were electric; this growth is supported by a vast charging infrastructure – the article notes that by November 2023 there were 8.6m charging points (around 50 times the number in the US).

The article also notes that China is rapidly scaling up its electricity storage capacity. “This has the potential to significantly reduce China’s reliance on coal- and gas-fired power plants to meet peaks in electricity demand and to facilitate the integration of larger amounts of variable wind and solar power into the grid.”

The authors argue that the growth of clean energy in China is a result of the country’s overall economic strategy and its clear political commitment to climate goals. “China’s clean-energy policies and wider industrial policy built the foundation and scaled up these sectors so that they were primed for rapid growth.”

It is likely that the Chinese government will continue to direct vast resources towards green energy – benefitting not only China but the whole world. In this light, the recklessness of the US-led strategy of “decoupling” and New Cold War is ever more apparent. Those in the West that care about the future of the planet should work towards friendly relations and close cooperation with China in support of a global green energy transition.

Clean energy contributed a record 11.4tn yuan ($1.6tn) to China’s economy in 2023, accounting for all of the growth in investment and a larger share of economic growth than any other sector.

The new sector-by-sector analysis for Carbon Brief, based on official figures, industry data and analyst reports, illustrates the huge surge in investment in Chinese clean energy last year – in particular, the so-called “new three” industries of solar power, electric vehicles (EVs) and batteries.

Solar power, along with manufacturing capacity for solar panels, EVs and batteries, were the main focus of China’s clean-energy investments in 2023, the analysis shows.

(For this analysis, we used a broad definition of “clean energy” sectors, including renewables, nuclear power, electricity grids, energy storage, EVs and railways. These are technologies and infrastructure needed to decarbonise China’s production and use of energy.)

Other key findings of the analysis include:

• Clean-energy investment rose 40% year-on-year to 6.3tn yuan ($890bn), with the growth accounting for all of the investment growth across the Chinese economy in 2023.
• China’s $890bn investment in clean-energy sectors is almost as large as total global investments in fossil fuel supply in 2023 – and similar to the GDP of Switzerland or Turkey.
• Including the value of production, clean-energy sectors contributed 11.4tn yuan ($1.6tn) to the Chinese economy in 2023, up 30% year-on-year.
• Clean-energy sectors, as a result, were the largest driver of China’ economic growth overall, accounting for 40% of the expansion of GDP in 2023.
• Without the growth from clean-energy sectors, China’s GDP would have missed the government’s growth target of “around 5%”, rising by only 3.0% instead of 5.2%.

The surge in clean-energy investment comes as China’s real-estate sector shrank for the second year in a row. This shift positions the clean-energy industry as a key part not only of China’s energy and climate efforts, but also of its broader economic and industrial policy.

Continue reading Clean energy was top driver of China’s economic growth in 2023

Following the first meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Mexican counterpart, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, popularly known as Amlo, held in the margins of the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit on November 16, friendly relations between China and Mexico have been further consolidated with a visit to Beijing by Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena. 

In a November 6 meeting, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng told Barcena that bilateral relations had become increasingly strategic, complementary, and mutually beneficial. Expressing sympathies over the recent hurricane disaster that hit Mexico’s Pacific coast, Han said China will provide support and assistance to the post-disaster reconstruction.

Barcena thanked China for always providing timely assistance to Mexico when it encountered difficulties.

The previous day, Barcena had met with her Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who said that China is willing to view and develop relations with Mexico from a strategic and long-term perspective, adding that his country stands ready to work with Mexico to uphold mutual respect and equal treatment, and bring bilateral relations to a new level.

Commenting on the meetings, the Mexican Foreign Ministry affirmed that “both parties agreed that the recent engagement between the presidents has strengthened bilateral ties, reaffirmed the friendship between Mexico and China, and achieved significant agreements.”

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

Chinese VP meets Mexican foreign minister

BEIJING, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) — Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena in Beijing on Wednesday.

Han said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Mexico relations have maintained a high level of operation, becoming increasingly strategic, complementary and mutually beneficial.

Noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of China-Mexico comprehensive strategic partnership, Han said the two sides should implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, consolidate political mutual trust, firmly support each other, deepen practical cooperation, and enhance people-to-people understanding.

He said China welcomes Mexico to integrate its development strategy with China’s major concepts and initiatives to elevate bilateral relations to a new level.

Expressing sympathies over the recent hurricane disaster that hit Mexico’s Pacific coast, Han said China will provide support and assistance in the post-disaster reconstruction.

Barcena thanked China for always providing timely assistance to Mexico when it encountered difficulties.

Barcena said the Mexican side highly appreciates the major concepts and initiatives put forward by the Chinese head of state and is willing to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, deepen bilateral and multilateral coordination and cooperation, and promote the continuous development of bilateral relations. 

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Chinese FM meets with Mexican counterpart

BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena on Tuesday in Beijing.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the recent meeting between the two heads of state in San Francisco, the United States, has provided important strategic guidance for the development of bilateral relations and drawn a blueprint for bilateral cooperation.

China is willing to view and develop relations with Mexico from a strategic and long-term perspective, Wang said, adding that China stands ready to work with Mexico to uphold mutual respect and equal treatment, and bring bilateral relations to a new level.

Barcena said that Mexico attaches great importance to relations with China, and is willing to work with China to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state to promote the greater development of bilateral ties. 

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Foreign Ministers of Mexico and China Strengthen Relations

Dec. 7 (Telesur) — On Wednesday, Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena met with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, with the aim of “deepening the bilateral relationship” during her first official visit to the Asian country.

The Mexican Foreign Affairs Ministry affirmed that “both parties agreed that the recent engagement between the presidents has strengthened bilateral ties, reaffirmed the friendship between Mexico and China, and achieved significant agreements.”

Barcena’s visit to Beijing follows the meeting between Presidents Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Xi Jinping on November 16 during the Asia-Pacific Cooperation Forum (APEC) summit in San Francisco, USA.

Both foreign ministers agreed to “hold the Seventh Session of the Permanent Bilateral Commission next year, actively resuming bilateral cooperation after the pandemic.”

Additionally, they emphasized the need for the “establishment of a working group between Mexico and China” to combat the “trafficking of chemical precursors that can be used in the production of synthetic drugs and fentanyl, as well as to monitor the production chain accurately and exchange information to combat the illegal use of these substances.”

Barcena highlighted the importance of China strengthening its ties with Latin America through the enhancement of the CELAC-China forum under the Pro Tempore Presidency of Honduras.

The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko paid a working visit to China from December 3-4. Indicating the particularly close and friendly relations between the two countries, this was Lukashenko’s second visit to China this year, following his February 28-March 2 state visit.

Meeting his Belarus counterpart on December 4, President Xi Jinping pointed out that he and Lukashenko reached important consensus on promoting the high-level development of China-Belarus relations during Lukashenko’s visit earlier this year. The two countries have strengthened political mutual trust and international coordination since then.

China always views its relations with Belarus from a strategic and long-term perspective, firmly supports Belarus in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions and opposes external interference in Belarus’ internal affairs.

Having addressed the question of cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Xi added that both countries should also expand cooperation in education, health, sports and tourism, support exchanges and cooperation between the youth, and enhance understanding and friendship between the two peoples. 

Lukashenko said under the leadership of President Xi, China has made great achievements in its development and over 1.4 billion Chinese people live a happy life, making an important contribution to the world.

Belarus sincerely hopes that China will grow stronger, which is conducive to peace and progress in the world, Lukashenko added. Belarus has always been a reliable partner for China and will remain so.

Significantly, Lukashenko added that the development of comprehensive and all-weather strategic cooperation between Belarus and China is “determined by the similarity of our ideologies and the very logic of international events.”

Belarus not only maintains an independent, anti-imperialist stand in international relations, it has also refused to engage in full-scale capitalist restoration, maintaining the leading position of the publicly owned sector in the national economy, along with many of the traditions and values of the USSR. It is, for example, the only former Soviet republic to continue observing and honouring the anniversary of the 1917 Great October Socialist Revolution. 

Lukashenko also noted that: “Belarus has been a reliable partner for China and will remain so. I don’t think anyone in China needs to be convinced of this… We decided a long time ago that we would cooperate and live in friendship with China. As I said, this friendship is more than 30 years old. We have never turned from this path either to the left or to the right.” 

Regarding BRI, Lukashenko said: “No one can find even a trifle to criticise. The most important thing is that you have defined the common destiny for humankind as the goal. Unlike Western countries that are trying to tear everything apart, you have set the single goal for all. Who can argue with that? No one. The world will be grateful to Great China for this… We would like to see China a powerful country. We would like to see it grow. This is not only our interest. It is the interest of the whole planet.”

The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency and the Belarus Telegraph Agency (Belta).

Chinese, Belarusian presidents pledge to enhance ties

BEIJING, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Beijing on Monday.

Xi pointed out that he and Lukashenko reached important consensus on promoting the high-level development of China-Belarus relations during Lukashenko’s state visit to China earlier this year. The two countries have strengthened political mutual trust and international coordination since then.

China always views its relations with Belarus from a strategic and long-term perspective, firmly supports Belarus in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions, and opposes external interference in Belarus’ internal affairs, Xi said.

“China is willing to continue to strengthen strategic coordination with Belarus, firmly support each other, promote practical cooperation and deepen bilateral relations,” Xi said.

Xi stressed that more than 150 countries have signed Belt and Road Initiative cooperation documents a decade after he proposed the initiative, adding that he announced not long ago eight major steps China would take to support the joint pursuit of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. “China welcomes Belarus to continue its active participation and gain more tangible development opportunities from it.”

Xi called on the two sides to implement projects such as the China-Belarus Industrial Park, push for more results in industrial cooperation, and further facilitate cross-border transport to promote trade and personnel exchanges.

He said both sides should expand cooperation in education, health, sports and tourism, support exchanges and cooperation between the youth, and enhance understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

Noting that China and Belarus are important forces in the reform and development of the global governance system, Xi said China is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Belarus within multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, promote the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, and advance the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Lukashenko said under the leadership of President Xi, China has made great achievements in its development and over 1.4 billion Chinese people live a happy life, making an important contribution to the world.

Belarus sincerely hopes that China will grow stronger, which is conducive to peace and progress in the world, Lukashenko added.

Belarus is committed to developing friendly relations with China and is willing to keep close high-level exchanges with China, firmly support each other, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, strengthen international and multilateral strategic coordination, and push for greater development of the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership, Lukashenko said.

He said Belarus firmly believes that the initiatives proposed by President Xi truly muster international consensus and cooperation, and Belarus will continue to actively participate in them.

The two heads of state also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis.

Senior Chinese officials Cai Qi and Wang Yi attended the event. 

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Lukashenko at talks with Xi: Belarus is a reliable partner for China

MINSK, 4 December (BelTA) – Belarus has always been a reliable partner for China and will remain so, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, BelTA has learned.

“I am glad to have this opportunity and discuss topical issues of cooperation with you in a friendly atmosphere and express our points of view on various problems of international relations, as it has always been the case between us. The development of comprehensive and all-weather strategic cooperation between Belarus and China is determined by the similarity of our ideologies and the very logic of international events and processes that are taking place today,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “Our meeting on 1 March [2023] was in many ways pivotal and set the momentum for the whole year. Since March, more than 120 mutual visits have been carried out. Those are various visits. What is most pleasing is that the visits are related to cooperation in the manufacturing sector, trade and economy.”

The Belarusian head of state stressed that the historic rise in relations had given a powerful impetus to the deepening of cooperation in traditional areas and launched new vectors and mechanisms of cooperation.

“Belarus has been a reliable partner for China and will remain so. I don’t think anyone in China needs to be convinced of this. All this has happened before my eyes for the last 30 years, and even way back. I came to China for the first time as a member of parliament,” the Belarusian leader said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko also noted his long-term acquaintance with Xi Jinping and joint work to advance bilateral relations.

“We have a lot of experience. We know what our countries need. We have done a lot in this regard,” the Belarusian president said.

“We decided a long time ago that we would cooperate and live in friendship with China. As I said, this friendship is more than 30 years old. We have never turned from this path either to the left or to the right,” the president emphasized.

Aleksandr Lukashenko thanked Xi Jinping for the meeting, noting that the Chinese leader has recently had a very busy schedule: a huge number of international meetings, not to mention domestic policy events in China itself.

“Upon reflecting on this, I can say: well, this is the burden of one of the world leaders,” the head of state said. “Therefore, I am very grateful to you for this meeting, for the responsiveness.”

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Lukashenko: Belarus supports China’s idea of building community with shared future for mankind

MINSK, 4 December (BelTA) – Belarus supports the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind put forward earlier by the Chinese leader, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, BelTA has learned.

“You just mentioned the Belt and Road. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that the Belt and Road Initiative is, as you said, no longer a concept today. It is already a practice. In progress. No one can argue with this today, and no one can find even a trifle to criticize. The most important thing is that you have defined the common destiny for humankind as the goal. Unlike Western countries that are trying to tear everything apart, you have set the single goal for all. Who can argue with that? No one. The world will be grateful to Great China for this,” the head of state said.

“We would like to see China a powerful country. We would like to see it grow. This is not only our interest. It is the interest of the whole planet, because a huge number of talented hardworking people live here [in China],” Aleksandr Lukashenko added.