People’s China: taking the lead for peace

New Communist Party leader Andy Brooks took part in a seminar on the role of the Communist Party of China and the world today at the Chinese embassy in London in August. This is his contribution to the discussion.

We meet at a time of sharpening contradictions — and the primary contradiction in the world today is between United States imperialism and the rest of the world it seeks to dominate..
    Generations of Chinese communists struggled against dogmatism and sectarianism to build a people’s democracy in their own way, to serve the needs of the working people of China and throughout the wider world we live in – a world torn apart by war and stricken by poverty and disease. While the American imperialists incite conflict and sectarian division People’s China has taken the lead in helping to build the economies of the Global South while working for peace and harmony throughout the world,
    We too must struggle for peace and nuclear disarmament – as well as the abolition of other weapons of mass destruction.
    Imperialism fans the flames of war in Ukraine and the Middle East, blocks the return of Taiwan to its Chinese homeland and prolongs the unhappy partition of many countries including Cyprus, Ireland, Kashmir and Korea. China’s perspective, on the other hand, is based on the concept of ‘one country, two systems’ and the principle that ‘a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought’. But the most aggressive sections of the American ruling class now at the helm in Washington clearly believe in “one world, one system” and that nuclear war is, under certain circumstances, entirely winnable.
    The Chinese revolution that established the people’s government in 1949 has transformed the country that was then the poorest in the world. Since then China has risen from being a weak semi-feudal, semi-colonial country to become a force for peace in the global arena with the second largest economy in the world.
    People’s China, the fifth permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, is the only veto-power actively supporting proposals for multilateral nuclear disarmament. Pledging never to be the first to use nuclear weapons in any conflict, China stands for the complete prohibition and total destruction of all atomic weapons.
    China, backed by many other countries, has repeatedly challenged the West to implement the entire non-proliferation treaty, signed in 1968, that not only called a halt to nuclear proliferation but also committed the signatories to work towards universal nuclear disarmament.
    The struggle to abolish nuclear weapons is crucial for the survival of humanity. But central to averting a Third World War is the need to eliminate the causes of war. And that is why communists have always understood that the struggles for peace and socialism are indivisible.
    The Chinese communists are striving to achieve lasting world peace, so that all countries can enjoy a peaceful and stable external environment and their people can live a happy life with their rights fully guaranteed to build a world that is free from fear and enjoys universal security. 
    This is, of course, a quantum jump from the post-war Soviet policies of “peaceful co-existence” and “detente” that failed to end the Cold War and probably accelerated the collapse of the USSR. Peaceful co-existence mistakenly believed that the capitalists could be economically beaten at their own game while detente was, in essence, a futile Soviet attempt at achieving nuclear parity with the Americans to divide the world into Soviet and American spheres of influence.
    Sadly the United Nations has been marginalised by the imperialists who only pay lip service to UN institutions when it suits their purposes. When it doesn’t the world forum is ignored and discarded.
    So though the United Nations remains a prime focus China has taken the initiative in setting up other platforms for economic and diplomatic co-operation including BRICS, the Belt & Road Initiative and the Shanghai Co-operation Council.
    China has become a beacon of hope for all the peoples of the world struggling to build their own independent economies without imperialist interference. While Anglo-American and Franco-German imperialism use their military and economic might to impose their neo-colonial rule throughout the Global South the Chinese people can, and do, provide the countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America with an alternative source of high technology and economic assistance without the odious strings attached that always go with deals with the West.
    China puts people first. China has become a pivot for peace in a world torn apart by imperialist greed and aggression. China is strong but it threatens no one. China respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. It stays true to the principle of equality of all countries big or small, strong or weak, and rich or poor, and it respects the development paths and social systems independently chosen by all the world’s peoples. The people’s government is dedicated to promoting a human community with a shared future.
    China stands ready to work with all countries and peoples who love peace and aspire to happiness to address all kinds of traditional and non-traditional security challenges, protect the peace and tranquility of the planet, and jointly create a better future for humanity, so that the torch of peace will be passed on from generation to generation and shine across the world.
    Earlier this year the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, launched the “global security initiative” that lays out core concepts and principles regarding global peace and security.
    The first is to eliminate conflict through the establishment of a balanced, effective, and sustainable security framework under which countries respect the legitimate security concerns of each other and promote political solutions to cope with hotspot issues.
    The second is the promotion of economic development in the Global South.
    The third is respect for diversity. It is the right of every country to choose its own political system and development path.
    Finally all international disputes should be resolved through dialogue not unilateralism and hegemonic acts. The UN can play a positive role in international affairs if the voice and representation of countries throughout the Global South is expanded in the world forum.
    This is what we should all be working for. Hopefully we will live to see it happen in the years to come.

Chinese communists address the future

by New Worker correspondent

In July 1921, 13 delegates met in Shanghai for a meeting that led to the formation of the Communist Party of China (CPC). It now has a membership of 91,914,000 building “Socialism with Chinese characteristics”.
    One of the commemorative events took place last Thursday, when its
International Department hosted an online World Symposium for Marxist Political Parties. This was attended by over 160 representatives, including 70 leaders from 58 parties in 48 countries across the globe, including delegates from the New Communist Party. NCP leader Andy Brooks and other members of the Central Committee joined communists from all around the world taking part in this virtual conference.
    Although it was to commemorate a century of struggle, it was neither a backwards-looking occasion nor a purely celebratory one. The focus was firmly on the future of developing Marxism, on China and its future role in the world. Nor did the hosts omit criticism of the party’s present condition. One pointed out the CPC was busily engaged in rooting out corrupt officials.
    Highlighting the importance of the event was the fact that it was opened by Song Tao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, who read a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping himself.
    Amongst the introductory addresses was one from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, which pointed that credit is due to the CPC for saving China from colonialism and for pulling its people out of poverty.
    Three specialist panels followed. The first was on People-centred Philosophy and Poverty Eradication, which was not merely a celebration of China’s success in lifting all its people out of absolute poverty, particularly in the rural areas and western China. This success, said Song Tao, was no reason for complacency and was not the end of the road. He described China as having achieved a level of “moderate prosperity” with a per capita income of $10,000 dollars. This means that much more needs to be done. These achievements were envied by the ruling Congolese Party of Labour, who thanked China for much needed aid and reminded us that across the globe millions still lack safe water supplies.
    The second panel was devoted to New Development Philosophy and High-quality Development, in which a CPC speaker noted that high technology innovation is vital for China to build on recent achievements. Many other poor countries, such as the former socialist countries of eastern Europe, made similar progress to China but never became advanced economies. A speaker from the All India Forward Bloc warned that that high glass towers are not always a positive development if they do not meet the legitimate aspirations of the people.
     Thirdly and finally, the implications of China’s Belt and Road Co-operation (B&R) was discussed. Jiao Yang from China’s National Development and Reform Commission said that the B&R was essential for generating green development and a more positive globalism than exists at present. Alexei Sokol of the Communist Party of Belarus said China has helped many neighbouring countries, a point endorsed by a representative of the ruling Laotian People’s Revolutionary Party.
    The Chinese speakers were at pains to suggest that China’s example should not be taken as a model to be mechanically applied, the CPC’s success was due to not slavishly following the Soviet model but due to the party creatively applying Marxism to local conditions, an example other parties must heed.

Joint declaration condemning the continued bloodshed and occupation by Israel

We, the communist and workers parties undersigning this statement, strongly and unequivocally condemn the Israeli aggression meted out against Palestinians in Jerusalem - as well as the continued military bombardment upon Gaza which has resulted in the killing of scores of Palestinian civilians and the maiming of hundreds more, among them children.

Israel’s brazen violation of international humanitarian law and international law has continued for decades now, aided and abetted with the full support of imperialist forces, and without any meaningful intervention from international institutions to bring these violations to an end or outwardly condemn them. 

 

We demand:

• An immediate cessation to the bombardment and besieging of Gaza;
• An end to the attacks and violations against Palestinians exercising their rights in and around the Al Aqsa Mosque site and all other holy sites;
• A stop to the relentless attacks and intimidation against Palestinian residents in East Jerusalem by the Israeli authorities and settlers, namely the latter’s attempts to evict families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood as part of a continued campaign of ethnic cleansing.

We express our full and unwavering solidarity with the just struggle of the Palestinian people to end the occupation and towards the establishing of an independent state, within the recognised borders as they stood on June 4^th 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the right of return for all Palestinian refugees according to the relevant UN resolutions.

We call on all progressive and peace-loving people to raise their voice and join this appeal.

 

1. Communist Party of Albania
2. Communist Party of Australia
3. Party of Labour of Austria
4. Democratic Progressive Tribune, Bahrain
5. Communist Party of Bangladesh
6. Workers Party of Belgium
7. Communist Party of Belgium
8. Brazilian Communist Party
9. Communist Party of Brazil
10. Communist Party of Britain
11. New Communist Party of Britain
12. Communist Party of Canada
13. Communist Party of Chile
14. Socialist Workers' Party of Croatia
15. Communist Party of Cuba
16. AKEL, Cyprus
17. Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
18. Communist Party in Denmark
19. Egyptian Communist Party
20. French Communist Party
21. German Communist Party
22. Communist Party of Greece
23. Hungarian Workers’ Party
24. Communist Party of India [Marxist]
25. CP of India
26. Iraqi Communist Party
27. Tudeh Party of Iran
28. Workers Party of Ireland
29. Communist Party of Ireland
30. Communist Party of Israel
31. Party of the Communist Refountation (PRC)
32. Jordanian Communist Party
33. Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan
34. Communist Party of Luxembourg
35. Communist Party of Malta
36. Communist Party of Mexico
37. Communist Party of Norway
38. Communist Party of Pakistan
39. Palestinian Communist Party
40. Palestinian People's Party
41. Philippines Communist Party [PKP 1930]
42. Communist Party of Poland
43. Portuguese Communist Party
44. RussianCommunist Worker's Party - CPSU
45. New Communist Party of Yugoslavia
46. Communists of Serbia
47. South African Communist Party
48. Communist Party of the Workers of Spain (PCTE)
49. Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE)
50. Communist Party of Spain
51. Communists of Catalonia
52. Communist Party of Sri Lanka
53. Sudanese Communist Party
54. Syrian Communist Party
55. Syrian Communist Party [Unified]
56. Communist Party of Swaziland
57. Communist Party of Turkey
58. Communist Party of Ukraine
59. Union of Communists of Ukraine
60. Communist Party USA

Other Parties

1. Party of Communists USA
2. Galician People's Union
3. Communist Front (Italy)
   

 

17th May 2021

Hands Off Marx’s Tomb!

By Nikos Mottas

 Karl Marx, the greatest thinker of all times whose revolutionary teachings became a guide for the struggles of the working class throughout the world, continues giving nightmares to fascists, reactionaries and anti-communists.

His tomb in Highgate cemetery in North London has been a target of cowardly attacks and vandalism by far-right thugs. In 2019, in a space of a month, the grave was vandalised twice by fascists who caused extensive damage to the marble plaque.

Recently, during mass protests over George Floyd’s murder in the USA, demonstrators tore down the statue of slave-trader Edward Colston in Bristol, whilst the statue of arch-imperialist criminal Winston Churchill was defaced by anti-racist protesters during a Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstration in London.

In the USA, a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis was toppled in Richmond, Virginia and numerous statues of Christopher Colombus, from Miami to Boston, became the target of angry demonstrators.

A bunch of conservatives and fascists in Britain thought this is the right time to take revenge. They created a petition, addressed to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, asking for the removal of Karl Marx’s tomb from Highgate cemetery. In their text accompanying the shameful petition, the fascists repeat the same old anti-communist nonsense about the supposed “100 million victims of Communism” and they accuse Karl Marx of “anti-Semitism”.

Responding to this filthy initiative, the Marx Grave Trust, which is the legal owner of Marx’s family grave and its monument, said: “In the wake of the welcome campaign to remove or re-site the statues of racists and slave-owners, there has been a black-lash by pro-fascist elements and their right-wing supporters...all he has is a grave, together with his wife and family. This has now been targeted. Such threats are not only rank desecration but an insult to the worldwide socialist movement for whom Marx is an inspiration.”

The trust said it had taken measures to secure evidence should it be attacked again and “calls on everyone to support the work of the Friends of Highgate Cemetery and the Marx Grave Trust … and by countering every attempt to damage the grave of a man who challenged exploitation and oppression”.

Endorsing every single word included in the statement of the Marx Grave Trust, we urge all communists living in Britain, every person who supports and admires Karl Marx’s legacy, every man and woman who stands against fascism and exploitation, to rise up against any attempt to desecrate the grave of the greatest philosopher humanity has ever seen.

Marx was, is and will always be a thorn in the eye of the bourgeois class, an enemy for exploiters and oppressors. Today, the struggle for Socialism–Communism is more necessary and timelier than ever. It is a certainty that the 21st century will be the century of new socialist revolutions despite the current unfavourable correlation of forces.

To the fascists and their allies, there is one message: HANDS OFF KARL MARX’S GRAVE!

Call for international cooperation against Covid-19

A Joint OPEN LETTER FROM World Political Parties CONCERNING closer International Cooperation against COVID-19

Today, as COVID-19 is spreading rapidly across the globe, it constitutes the most urgent and serious challenge to both the health of the humanity and world peace and development.

Faced with this unprecedented situation, we, major political parties of various countries tasked with the weighty responsibility of improving people’s wellbeing, promoting national development and safeguarding world peace and stability, hereby issue our joint appeal as follows:

I. We pay our loftiest tribute to all the people, health workers in particular, who devote themselves to saving lives and protecting people’s health. We extend our heartfelt sympathies and solicitude to those who are suffering from pain and whose lives are under the threat of COVID-19 as well as the bereaved families of those deceased. We also express our deep mourning for the unfortunate loss of lives in the outbreak.

II. We recognise that if the COVID-19 outbreak is not effectively and promptly contained, it will inflict even greater harm to the lives, safety and health of many more people, and exert a severe impact on the economic and social development of most countries as well as on international exchanges and cooperation. We call on all countries to put the lives, safety and health of the people above everything else and take resolute and forceful measures to put an end to the spread of COVID-19.  

III. We support countries to put in place contingency plans and strategies for combating COVID-19 in light of their specific national conditions and to strengthen cooperation, with equal emphasis on containing the further spread and on patient treatment. Meanwhile, modern science and technology must be applied to the full to ensure the quickest and best possible results.

IV. We call on the general public of all countries to comply with prevention and mitigation measures with a due sense of social responsibility. We encourage countries to fully leverage the strength of civil society organisations and volunteers with a view to unleashing the power of all social sectors to combat COVID-19. 

V. We encourage all countries, while devoting efforts to epidemic control, to adopt an integrated approach to ensure economic and social development, take targeted measures to protect vulnerable groups and the SMEs, and honour their commitment to people’s living standards and social progress. We call on all countries to step up the international coordination of macroeconomic policies to maintian stability of global financial market as well as that of industrial and supply chains, and to reduce or exempt tariffs for trade facilitation so as to prevent world economic recession. Countries are also encouraged to maintain an appropriate level of international exchanges, in particular to facilitate the cross-border transportation of urgently needed medical equipment and protective materials for the fight against COVID-19.

VI. We are aware that the virus respects no borders, and no country can respond to the challenges alone in the face of the outbreak. Countries must enhance their consciousness of a community with a shared future for mankind, proactively rendering mutual help and support to one another as the situation becomes more difficult. Closer international cooperation, coordinated policies, concerted actions, and mobilisation of resources and forces globally will enable us to defeat this virus, a common enemy to all of humanity.

VII. We take note of the significant progress in the fight against COVID-19 in China and some other countries, which has bought time and offered experience to the rest of the international community. We highly commend countries including China for adopting an open, transparent and responsible attitude to disclosing related information in a timely fashion, sharing experience on response and patient treatment, and in particular providing medical and other supplies to the best of their ability to other affected countries. These represent a major contribution to the global fight against COVID-19, boosting the hope and confidence of countries that they can win this battle.

VIII. We welcome the Extraordinary G20 Leaders' Summit Statement on COVID-19 and support countries to strengthen the sharing of experience and medical cooperation in containing the outbreak, including joint research and development of specific medicines, vaccines and tests. We call on the provision of material, technical and other support to developing countries and countries with vulnerable public health systems. Let the sunlight of cooperation disperse the darkness of the pandemic.

IX. We call for science-based professional discussions on issues like prevention measures and the origin of the virus. We strongly oppose the politicisation of public health issues and the stigmatisation of other countries under the excuse of COVID-19. We stand firmly against all discriminatory comments and practices against any country, region or ethnic group, and call on governments of all countries to take proactive measures to protect the health, safety and legitimate interests of foreign nationals and students they host.  

X. We are of the view that the COVID-19 outbreak has laid bare the need for all countries to further foster the global governance outlook of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration and to support the leading role of the United Nations and the World Health Organisation in global public health governance. We call for all parties to enhance coordination and cooperation within the framework of the G20 and other international mechanisms for effective international prevention and control as we strive to build a global community with a shared future for public health.

As major political parties from countries of the world, we undertake to maintain close communication under the unusual circumstances, and ensure better performance of the due role of political guidance for the purpose of injecting political energy into the global fight against COVID-19. We firmly believe that our current difficulties are only temporary, just as the sunlight shall eventually shine after each storm. If the international community makes concerted efforts with confidence and resolve and takes a science-based and targeted approach, it will definitely win the final victory in the global blocking action against COVID-19. It is our belief that, after the pandemic, the community with a shared future for mankind will emerge stronger and humanity will embrace a brighter tomorrow.

The Communist Party of China and more than 230 political parties, including the New Communist Party of Britain, have signed this Joint Open Letter calling for carrying out closer international co-operation to beat COVID-19. The letter, which was published on 2nd April 2020 is the first joint appeal of major world political parties for strengthening international cooperation since the COVID-19 outbreak.