Phil Hearse argues for self-determination for Taiwan, but says that the Left must oppose the American military build up in the Indo-Pacific region and preparations for a disastrous war against China.
China
Three young leftists from China met up with comrades from the Socialist Party of Malaysia in February. This is an excerpt from the conversation during the visit, related to COVID-19 lockdown and the protests in Shanghai last year.
Pierre Rousset — The world that allowed the Chinese economy to take off and expand internationally is no more. Sino-American tensions are sharpening against the backdrop of the crisis of commercial (de)globalization.
Michael Pröbsting — Relations between Great Powers cannot be understood in isolation but rather have to be viewed in the context of fundamental class contradictions within a given historical stage of a mode of production.
Michael Pröbsting — One of the key debates among socialists today is the class character of China. This is hardly surprising since China is not only the most populous country on the planet but its rivalry with the U.S. also constitutes a pivot of the world situation.
The following two statements, "Russia out of Ukraine! No to NATO expansionism" and "Reject the war drive on China: For a foreign policy based on justice, human rights and climate action" were adopted by the Socialist Alliance national conference on January 14-15, 2023.
Like in the case of the present war, where the United States is intervening as an “ally” of Ukraine, in the Second Sino-Japanese War the United States entered the war in 1941, becoming the imperialist “ally” of China and started sending direct material aid to China in its war of national liberation against Japan. At the time, a debate emerged between the Socialist Workers Party and the Fourth International on the one hand, and the Workers’ Party on the other.
Sam Wainwright - Russia's invasion of Ukraine has had profound consequences for world and domestic politics that we need to grapple with if we are to chart a way forward.
This is an expanded version of a letter written by Chinese and Hong Kong socialists on the mainland and overseas on the night of 26 November 2022, when protests first erupted. This version has been revised through the weekend as events developed.
Republished from Life on the Left. Originally posted on Facebook by by Hong Kong activist Lam Chi Leung.
Yun Dong - It is simply stunning how quickly masses of people have risen up and challenged the government and its policies.
Promise Li - People in China are taking mass action to challenge authoritarian rule, capitalist exploitation, and a deadly lockdown policy. Socialists around the world can work in solidarity to support this movement. Here’s how.