Visiting Memories in China

Robert Griffiths

I am fortunate enough to have visited many parts of China since the first occasion in 2006. In my experience， the more you see and study of China， the more you realise how little you know.

Shortly before the Communist Party of Britains delegation arrived in Beijing， 16 years ago， the National Peoples Congress of China had approved the 11th Five Year Plan. Its main emphasis was on quality rather than quantity in economic development; innovation， research and development， and self-reliance; environmental progress in terms of energy efficiency and reduced pollution; improving public and social services; and reducing inequalities between the regions and between the urban and rural parts of China.

In the Xian Hi-Tech Industries Development Zone， we saw how some of these goals were being vigorously pursued. I can still picture in my mind today the impressive facilities and exhibitions on show at various education and research institutes.

One of our delegates， a former car worker， was particularly impressed with the high technical and health and safety standards we witnessed at the Beijing Hyundai Motor Company. Most of the workers on the assembly line were young and we felt a real sense of seeing the creation of a large， industrial working class in front of our very eyes.

Our discussions with the trade unions in that and other factories， and subsequently with the All-China Federation of Trade Unions， have provided a clearer insight into how Chinas industrial relations system operates in large urban， industrial workplaces. We learnt how it functions in a very different economic， social and political context to that of developed capitalist economies such as Britain. We were also struck by the openness and honesty of our Chinese comrades， and their willingness to discuss problems and weaknesses in their work.

I have visited older， less technically advanced workplaces such as a very big， state-owned textile factory where， managers and workers were always ready to discuss problems such as quality control and labour productivity， as well as their achievements.

The pressure of rural migration into the cities has stimulated a massive house-building programme which can bring its own problems of adequate urban planning， house-price inflation and corruption. But I will never forget the engineering and aesthetic qualities of so many of the housing and office block developments， including the widespread deployment of solar panelling.

In a more recent visit to Shenzhen， it was possible to see the enormous effort that had gone into planning transport hubs， parks， gardens and shopping malls in and near the new residential areas.

On different visits， I have seen the poorer rural villages such as Chang Fang， where the local CPC members， especially the mayor， playing a vital role bringing the local community together， organising social activities and helping to solve peoples problems.

Yucun village showed how the waste and pollution of earlier industrial development could be cleared away and replaced by a beautifully designed and built residential community， now based on eco-tourism.

Nor can I forget Xiaogang village in 2018， where my partner Irene and I watched a stunning open-air Chinese opera concert. The evening before， we had attended an exhibition of traditional Chinese calligraphy， where a celebrated artist painted a slogan for us in Chinese characters that still hangs on our dining room wall， behind me which reads “Peace in the home， Peace in the world”.

But how different was the port city of Ningbo！ I must confess that my abiding memory of that visit in 2011 was the evening banquet for Western European Communists. It demonstrated how port cities everywhere， including my home city of Cardiff， once the biggest coal port in the world， share a common proletarian culture of comradeship and impromptu singing.

Politically， my most vivid memory was a visit to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and its capital city， Urumqi. The Uygur language could be heard and seen everywhere. Our liaison interpreters from Beijing had to stand down in our meetings with CPC and municipal officials as local translators fill in for interpreting Uygur to English.

On the outskirts of the capital， we travelled past miles of majestic wind turbines， which power the city and much of the surrounding region.

Shortly after returning to Britain， the president of the anti-China World Uyghur Congress in exile told the European Parliament that the Uygur language and its Arabic script had been suppressed and that all top Party and public officials in Xinjiang were Han Chinese. His speech was widely reported in European newspapers. On many occasions since that time， I have related this episode as a very good reason why people should not automatically believe the anti-China propaganda that appears so often in our mass media.

Xinjiang also deepened my knowledge of how Chinas population policy operated in practice， with flexibility in rural areas and in a way which， alongside economic development， has significantly increased the proportion of ethnic minorities in Chinas population. This utterly disproves Western claims that the CPC and Chinese government are engaged in a policy of “genocide” against the Uygurs and other minority peoples.

Women have been among the main beneficiaries of social development and welfare programmes. Even so， discussions with the All-China Womens Federation， the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and the Party Building School also highlighted the work that still remains to ensure equal rights for women in practice in areas of employment， in the CPC and in leadership positions generally.

Since my first visit， China has largely fulfilled three Five Year Plans. I have studied and written about them elsewhere. Their success in transforming Chinas economy and society are beyond dispute. I am privileged to have seen those advances everywhere， in the standards of living of the people， in the housing， in the schools and institutes， in the spectacularly modern transport systems， in the new parks and gardens， in the towns， the cities and the countryside， and in the pride people have in their community， cleaning and tidying their common spaces in their own spare time.

And this development has been achieved while also protecting and celebrating the historical treasures of China， for example the Great Wall， the Forbidden City， the Terra Cotta Warriors， the Red Boat on Nanhu Lake， in all of which the CPC takes great pride and enables its guests to enjoy as well.

For Communists， action is guided by theory. Three principles shine out from CPC General Secretary Xi Jinpings ideas.

Firstly， the priority he gives to the values that should unite the peoples of all lands， namely， the need to establish a peaceful world and safeguard our planets environment and global eco-system.

Secondly， Communists always need to have a people-centred approach to our tactics and strategy， and place the interests of the people above all else， with the goal of making them the ruling force in society， which can only happen with socialism.

Thirdly， Comrade Xi Jinping emphasises the central role that “science-based ideas” must play in innovative and green development， reminding us all that Communists should take great interest in the natural sciences. It is an essential aspect of our communist vision that science must become the servant of the people， not the weapon of capital and its state power against the working class.

To sum up， my overall impression is that the CPC is leading the Chinese people on a Chinese road to a socialism with Chinese characteristics， and by consent rather than by coercion. And the Party equips and re-equips itself for that historic mission not least through its wide-ranging political education and cadre training programmes.

I have been to the Beijing Administration Institute， the Zhejiang RedBoat Executive Leadership Academy and the China Executive Leadership Academy Jinggangshan in the beautiful Jinggang Mountains and discussed national， international and theoretical questions with their directors and tutors.

They confirm that Marxism is alive and well in China， is practical and innovative， and guides the CPC and the Chinese people towards the goal of a moderately prosperous socialist society by the middle of the 21st century.

I am confident that the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will mark another milestone along that road， helping also to strengthen the international Communist movement and the forces for peace， environmental security and socialism.

Robert Griffiths is General Secretary of the Communist Party of Britain