 |
| Andy Brooks speaking from the NCP Centre |
By New Worker correspondent
NCP leader Andy Brooks joined other comrades and friends at an online seminar organised by the Chinese embassy in London last week. Four other members of the New Communist Party Central Committee, along with other British communists, academics, politicians and pillars of the British business community in China, took part in the Symposium on the Centenary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on 22nd June.
The Chinese ambassador, Zheng Zeguang, delivered a keynote speech entitled Celebrate A Glorious Century and Create A More Splendid Future.
“After the founding of New China, the CPC led the Chinese people to complete the socialist revolution and establish a basic socialist system. This was the most extensive and profound social transformation in China's history. The Chinese people worked hard and independently and put in place a relatively well-rounded industrial and economic system. In this process, we gathered significant experience on how to build socialism. We laid the political, institutional and material foundation needed to build a better life for the people and realise national rejuvenation,” the Chinese ambassador said.
“We are filled with pride as we look at how far the CPC has come, and we are fully confident as we look to the future. Today, the CPC is standing at a new historical starting point. China is embarking on a new journey of building a modern socialist country in a comprehensive way. The achievement of China's two centenary goals and the realisation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will surely create broader space for the co-operation between China and the world, including the UK.”
This was followed by contributions from Andy Brooks, Rob Griffiths of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB) and Joti Brar of the CPGB (ML). John Ross, Senior Fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China, and Professor Kerry Brown, Director of the Lau China Institute of King's College London, also spoke highly about the achievements of the Chinese communist party over the last 100 years.
“A hundred years have passed since the foundation of the Communist Party of China on 23rd July 1921. 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,” the NCP leader said. “In the past China’s wealth was the preserve of a ruthless feudal ruling class. These days China’s wealth is being used to finally eradicate the last vestiges of poverty, raise the standard of living of everyone in the people’s republic and help the development of the Third World through genuine fair trade and economic assistance.
“This is the glorious achievement of the Chinese Communist Party which led the resistance that defeated the Japanese imperialists and the reactionary Chinese warlords and politicians in the pay of American imperialism to establish the people’s government on 1st October 1949.”
Over 30 participants, including Lord Sassoon, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP (Conservative), Liam Byrne MP (Labour) and Lisa Cameron MP (SNP), along with other political party representatives, experts and scholars, took part in the seminar.
They congratulated the Chinese communists on the centenary of the founding of the CPC and applauded the historic achievements made by the Chinese people under the leadership of the Chinese communist party. They all shared the view that political parties, regardless of their national background, should engage in dialogue and exchanges on the basis of mutual respect, to enhance mutual learning, improve party governance in line with their national realities, and promote the development of their respective countries and international co-operation.
