CPC's Efforts for Peace, Development, Progress

All-round in-depth inter-party contacts and exchanges through various channels of the Communist Party of China (CPC) have taken shape with various forms of contacts with more than 400 parties and organizations in over 140 countries and regions around the world.

Dai Bingguo, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, said in his signed article entitled "For Peace, Development and Progress", which is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the founding of the CPC.

The CPC has made more and more friends among foreign parties and its influence in the world has become ever stronger, the article says.

This can be attributed to the direction provided through the use of Deng Xiaoping Theory, the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Jiang Zemin at the core, and the concerted efforts of the whole Party.

It recalls that ever since its founding in 1921, the CPC has stressed international contacts and cooperation.

In the past 80 years, the CPC has always connected China's future and fate with the development and progress of human society.

As an important component of the Party's undertakings, the CPC' s contacts with foreign partners have faced different tasks in different historical periods.

In the New-Democratic Revolution, the article notes, the CPC kept close contacts with progressive forces and friends around the world, which helped secure extensive international sympathy and support for the final success of China's revolution.

After the founding of the new China in 1949, western countries adopted a hostile attitude towards the newly born people's government and tried to block it from the world, continues the article.

To safeguard the nation's independence and sovereignty, the CPC first established extensive friendly ties with the ruling parties of the socialist countries and with communist parties and progressive forces in other countries, which promoted a rapid development of its foreign relations.

The CPC thus played a prominent role in the smooth development of the diplomacy of the new China, and the CPC's international influence spread rapidly, the article states.

It further states that when the Eighth National Congress of the CPC was held in 1956, delegations from communist parties and workers' parties of 56 countries came to offer their congratulations and Chairman Mao addressed the meeting, "We have no sense of being isolated at all. They have come a long way here and given us tremendous encouragement and support!"

However, says the article, the international contacts with the CPC did not always enjoy smooth development all the time with its coverage greatly reducing in the 1960s and 1970s as the Party was disturbed by the ultra-"Left" thoughts under the sway of the international communist movement debate and China's Cultural Revolution.

It points to the fact that after the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee in 1978, China was ushered into a new phase of reform, opening-up and socialist modernization.

Based on a scientific judgment of the international situation and characteristics of the times, the Party's collective leadership of the second generation with Deng Xiaoping at the core, drawing lessons from the international communist movement, laid down the four principles guiding the Party's foreign contacts, namely, "independence, complete equality, mutual respect and non- interference in each other's internal affairs," the article says.

Then, the article goes on to note, the leadership further mapped out a whole set of plans for a new type of party-to-party relations, the main idea of which is:

First, parties should build a "new, healthy and friendly relationship" between them.

Second, parties should make decisions on their internal affairs independently in line with their own conditions rather than the interests of other countries or the wills of other parties.

Third, parties should not judge parties of other countries based on their own experience;

Fourth, parties should stand on an equal basis, respect each other and not meddle in others' internal affairs no matter they are big or small, powerful or weak, in power or not.

Fifth, parties should carry out inter-party cooperation and exchanges in the spirit of "seeking common ground and reserving differences" while not being hindered by ideological differences.

Sixth, inter-party exchanges and cooperation should be oriented to boosting state-to-state ties.

Seventh, parties should look forward into the future rather than haggling over the unpleasant past.

Under the guidance of Deng's thoughts for party-to-party relations, the CPC's foreign contacts stepped into a new era of adjustment, recovery and exploration, it points out.

At the end of the 1970s, the Party resumed gradually its long- severed relations with communist parties of some countries, and forged various forms of exchange and cooperative relationship with ruling national, democratic parties in Africa, Latin America and Asia, the article recalls.

In the early 1980s, the Party, in the spirit of disregarding ideological disparities and seeking understanding and cooperation, established relations with socialist parties, social democratic parties, labor parties and international organizations of European countries, according to the article.

In the middle of that decade, it began to contact with the rightist parties in west European countries in a bid to promote the development of healthy and stable relations with developed countries, it says.

At the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s, drastic changes took place in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and a surge of adopting the multi-party system rose in Africa.

However, the CPC, unswervingly sticking to the four principles guiding party-to-party relations, has continued to carry out contacts with various foreign parties with a flourishing result, it says.

Summing up the experiences gained in the new historical period, the CPC put forward the guidelines for foreign contacts in 1997 when its 15th National Congress was convened, stating that it is ready to, on the basis of the four principles guiding party-to- party relations, foster a new type of party-to-party relationship of exchange and cooperation with various political parties wishing to have exchanges with the CPC with those want to promote the development of state-to-state relations, notes the article.

After the CPC's 15th National Congress, the CPC's foreign contacts have turned to a new page characterized by an overall and further development of exchanges with foreign counterparts, it states.

Through the development of party-to-party relations, the CPC has spread its views on peace and development and its resolution on further reforms and opening up, and expressed its sincerity to conduct friendly cooperation with foreign countries and parties, which has helped make the parties and statesmen of different countries better understand the CPC's positive efforts for China's national rejuvenation and prosperity, peace, and the stability and development of the world at large, the article points out.

Through party-to-party contacts, the article notes, the CPC has come to understand the world better, grasp the general trend of changing international situations more accurately, and further study the experience and lessons of other parties for China's national development and the CPC's self-construction.

The Party's foreign contacts in the new era have become an indispensable part of the country's diplomacy, and made more and new contributions to promoting relationships with other countries, exhibiting a good image of the CPC and the socialist China to the world, and winning a more favorable peaceful international environment for its modernization drive.

The splendid achievements that Chinese people have accomplished in the past 80 years under the leadership of the CPC is the guarantee for the development of the CPC's efforts in foreign contacts and exchanges, it stresses.

When China is moving forward on a socialist path, more and more foreign parties and statesmen would like to know the CPC better, and to communicate and cooperate with this largest ruling party in the world which boasts 64 million members and rich political experience, says the article.

The CPC's diplomacy will have brighter prospects in the new century. The International Department of the CPC Central Committee, under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee, will further exploit its potential and advantages as well, centering on a national development strategy and overall diplomacy.

The CPC will actively promote the establishment, consolidation and development of China's friendly ties with all countries of the world, it points out.

It will make a great effort to create a favorable international environment of peace and stability for China's revitalization, stressed the article, adding that it will also make new and greater contributions to world peace, development and progress.

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