Speech Communist Party of China

Remarks on the 15^th International Meeting of

The Communist and Workers’ Parties

November 8^th, 2013 Lisbon

Distinguished Chairman, dear comrades,

Good morning!

I’m happy to have this opportunity to attend the 15^th International Meeting of the Communist and Workers’ Parties representing the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the kind invitation and hard work of Chairman and the Portuguese Communist Party and I wish the Meeting a great success!

Comrades,

The world today is undergoing profound and complicated changes. The trends toward a multi-polar world, economic globalization, cultural diversity and IT application are gaining momentum. Technology revolution is conceiving new breakthroughs. Global cooperation is expanding at multiple levels. With the overall strength of emerging and developing countries continuously improving, the international power structure is shifting in favor of world peace and there are more favorable conditions to maintain overall stability of the international landscape. However, the other side of the picture is a world still far from being tranquil. The global financial crisis is producing a far-reaching impact on the world. World economic growth is overshadowed by growing factors of instability and uncertainty, and imbalance in global development has worsened. There are signs of increasing hegemonism, power politics and neo-interventionism, and local turmoils keep cropping up. Global issues such as food security, energy and resource security and cyber security are becoming more pressing. This complicated picture of our world has profoundly changed the domestic and external environment of communist and workers’ parties, presenting both rare opportunities and daunting challenges for the development of socialism.

On the one hand, the international financial crisis has flung capitalism into a structural dilemma, testifying to Marx’s criticism on capitalism. The socialist values of fairness, justice, solidarity and mutual help have taken deeper roots. We have come to realize that savage capitalism has to be reined in by effective democratic control and regulation. The development model of neo-liberalism can no longer sustain itself, bearing out the need for a change and readjustment. A development pattern must be introduced that combines market economy and government control, ensures balanced development between real economy and virtual economy and addressing both fairness and efficiency. On the other hand, we must not fail to see the capability of capitalism to conduct self-adjustment and the flexibility of its institutions and systems. A number of capitalist countries are shifting the burden of crisis onto others through financial and monetary leverages and the spillover effect of their monetary policies has posed external pressure on the economic development of emerging and developing countries. To address the economic crisis, some countries cut down public services and social welfare which eroded workers’ rights and interests. In the international field, unilateralism and power politics in violation of the UN Charter and the basic principles of international law are manifest from time to time. Some capitalist countries have stepped up efforts to scramble for dominance over the new round of industrial revolution and globalization and a head start in reshaping international rules, so as to restrict the space of development and discourse of socialism via inequitable competition, irrational order and unfair rules. Therefore, we communists must be united to pursue our own development through cooperation.

Comrades,

The 18^th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in November 2012 laid out the “two centenary goals” of the Chinese communists. First, by 2020 when we mark the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, we will double China's 2010 GDP and per capita income of urban and rural residents to reach 80.3 trillion RMB and 25,016 RMB respectively and complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Second, by 2049 when we mark the centenary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, we will have built China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious and attained the Chinese dream of prosperity, national renewal and people’s well-being.

The Communist Party of China believes that under new conditions, the Party faces complicated and severe long-term tests in exercising governance, carrying out reform and opening up and developing the market economy as well as tests from the external environment. And the whole Party is confronted with increasingly grave dangers of lacking in drive, incompetence, being out of touch with the people, corruption and other misconduct. Therefore, this year, the Communist Party of China has launched a mass line education campaign characterized by principles of serving the people, being pragmatic and upholding integrity. Party members are required to thoroughly examine themselves, detect and then correct whatever problems they have. As the General Secretary put it, we must look in the mirror, tidy our attire, take a bath and cure our sickness. The campaign seeks to strengthen the ruling party’s style of work, and address the root cause for tackling formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance so as to maintain the party’s close ties with people. The Communist Party of China has all along been committed to the notion of establishing the party for the people and assuming power to serve the people. Following the mass line is the fundamental approach for us to maintain the party’s advanced nature and purity and address various risks and challenges in ruling. Tomorrow, on November 9^th, the third plenary session of the 18^th CPC Central Committee will be held. The Communist Party of China holds that China is in the primary stage of socialism and will remain so for a long time to come. As reform is the source of all impetuses for socialist development, the plenum will lay out a comprehensive plan for deepening reform in all respects with a view to resolutely eliminating the structural and institutional obstacles that hinder the development of productivity and social fairness and justice, to ensuring inclusive growth and to delivering the fruits of development to all people.

Comrades!

We are living in an interdependent world, a world that is increasingly becoming a community of common destiny. In this new historic era, all the progressive forces in this world must join hands and work in concert to safeguard world peace, promote common development and achieve social advancement. China will hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit and pursue equality, democracy and inclusiveness so as to make the international order and system more just and equitable. Based on the principles for party-to-party relations of “independence, complete equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs”, we will be committed to strengthening exchanges and dialogues with communist parties, workers parties and other progressive forces of various countries to share experience in governing the party and the country, to explore ways to address global challenges and to promote the continuous development of the cause of socialism in the world!

Comrades!

After 14 years of persistent efforts, the International Meeting of the Communist and Workers’ Parties has become an important platform for communist and workers’ parties of various countries to conduct exchanges of ideas and theories and develop friendly cooperative relations, thus contributing remarkably to the exchanges, dialogues and cooperation among communist and workers’ parties across the world. Though Lisbon is in the season of late autumn, the warmth of my fellow comrades at today’s meeting has made me feel like in spring. As an ancient Chinese saying goes, “Nothing can separate people with common goals and ideals, not even mountains and seas”. As long as all the world’s progressive forces including communist and workers’ parties work together with united strength, the ideal of socialism will be realized!

Thank you!