On Oct. 1, some 1.4 billion people in China are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic. China’s culture spans 5,000 years and, in spite of the 19th and 20th century sabotage and war against its people, especially by British colonialists, followed by economic warfare, covert and overt interference against its sovereignty by U.S. imperialism–repeated today in Hong Kong, utilizing the National Endowment for Democracy and other U.S.-funded, CIA-led entities–its social achievements are some of humanity’s greatest, spanning the disciplines of science, medicine, philosophy and revolution.
Some of the greatest achievements made by the people of China could not have come about if not for a revolution in 1949 that ended imperialist domination over their fate. British colonialism and imperialism since the early 1800s did not bring progress, enlightenment or wealth to China. Instead, it forced the economy to be dependent on opium, drug addiction and imperialist exploitation, with extreme poverty and starvation for the benefit of the British ruling class.
But after the Revolution, things changed. It wasn’t just any revolution, it was a socialist revolution that took control over the vital means of production, the majority of which are still in the hands of the current Chinese government. This meant that decisions would be reflective of the majority, the working class and farmers and their allies living in the country, not monarchs, capitalists or British imperialists, whose only concerns are for profit. This allowed the economy to be planned. And, their plans to wash the filth of imperialism, like hunger, joblessness, illiteracy and drug addiction, off of their backs was one of the greatest achievements in human history.
Eight hundred and fifty million people have been lifted out of poverty in recent decades in what the United Nations acknowledges as a stunning achievement by any standard of social progress.
Like every country in the world suffering from the global capitalist crisis, China’s increased privatization and greater dependence on market reforms create a dangerous situation and contradictions that must be overcome. However, wages of workers in China, who are unionized, increase every year.
The homelessness, desperation and $4 per hour wages affecting the majority of workers who live in Hong Kong as a result of continued imperialist control, especially over the financial industry, do not exist in mainland China. Many of the demonstrators in Hong Kong, and the U.S.-funded organizations playing their part in the protests against China, are not there to win more rights for workers, but to fight to win back capitalist rule and bring back the good old days of unleashed exploitation. The U.S. is fighting to weaken and eliminate the Communist Party of China for this purpose.
But, the Chinese people today are saying loud and clear that China and its socialist plans for the future are not going anywhere. And, we should all be happy about that because there are two things that are the greatest threats to the existence of life on this planet today – imperialist war and climate change.
The U.S. and its imperialist accomplices have created more poverty and stolen more lives than any other empires in history. In fact, just a few years before China’s Revolution, the U.S. ripped apart children, women, men and anything alive with atomic bombs in two heavily populated cities of civilians: Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This was followed by U.S. wars against Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines and more, and continues to this day in Iraq, Syria, Libya and now threatens Venezuela and Iran.
However, the legacy of China’s Communist Party differs and has kept to its declarations for peace. In 1953, while the U.S. was planning its long-term occupation on the Korean peninsula, China proposed the Five Principles for Peaceful Co-existence as general rules for international relationships. They are mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity; mutual non-aggression; non-interference in each other’s internal affairs; equality and mutual benefit; and peaceful coexistence.
Another reason to celebrate the 70th anniversary and China’s plans for the future is the importance that China is placing on responding to climate change. In spite of the challenges of having to use fossil fuels for its 1.4 billion people, the ongoing reduction in their use is unmatched by any other industrial country. In addition, China continues to meet its commitments and promises made at the Paris Agreements on Climate Change and is due to phase out coal use by 2040. In addition, China allocated another whopping $360 billion on renewable energy sources like solar and wind in 2017, to be spent by 2020. China is already the largest producer of solar panels in the world.
So, for those buying into the latest anti-Communist propaganda manufactured by the U.S. State Department against China, be careful what you wish for. But, don’t worry too much because more than a billion people in China are determined to, that’s right, save the world from the profit driven imperialist powers who remain on the path of war, poverty and environmental suicide.
Happy 70th anniversary People’s Republic of China!
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