China
Trump backs China’s handling of Hong Kong protests
By Peter Symonds, 14 October 2019
Trump’s comments demonstrate that US imperialism, far from defending democratic rights, cynically and selectively exploits “human rights” as the means for prosecuting its own interests.
US and China reach limited trade deal
By Nick Beams, 12 October 2019
The markets responded enthusiastically with the Dow finishing up by more than 300 points, but for all the celebrations, the agreement is very limited.
Introduction to the 1955 SWP resolution “The Third Chinese Revolution and its Aftermath”
By Peter Symonds, 9 October 2019
The SWP resolution summed up the lengthy discussion within the Trotskyist movement of the significance of 1949 Chinese Revolution and its deformation under the Stalinist leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.
Little prospect of agreement as US-China trade talks set to resume
By Nick Beams, 8 October 2019
China is reported to be opposed to any all-encompassing deal on trade and changes to its economic programs along the lines being demanded by the US.
Australian PM aligns with Trump administration against “globalism” and China
By James Cogan, 8 October 2019
Morrison reviewed the sweeping steps that have already been taken to assist the United States wage “strategic competition” against China.
Australian Labor Party courts big business
By Mike Head, 7 October 2019
Labor leaders are “blitzing” corporate boardrooms to win their backing in the wake of Labor’s election debacle.
Australia: Important response to first IYSSE lectures on the 1949 Chinese Revolution
By our reporters, 7 October 2019
The final lectures will be held at Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) later today, and at Western Sydney University on October 9, the University of New South Wales on October 16, and Macquarie University on October 17.
Hong Kong’s chief executive invokes emergency law against protest movement
By Ben McGrath, 5 October 2019
The use of this British colonial era law is a warning that the ruling class in the Hong Kong and Beijing are preparing to suppress the months-long demonstrations for basic democratic rights.
Introduction to the 1951 report to the Fourth International by Chinese Trotskyist Peng Shuzhi
By Peter Symonds, 3 October 2019
The World Socialist Web Site is republishing Peng's report which provides important insights into the character of the 1949 Chinese Revolution and issues that it raised for the Fourth International.
From the archives
The Causes of the Victory of the Chinese Communist Party over Chiang Kai-Shek, and the CCP’s Perspectives
By Peng Shuzhi, 3 October 2019
Report on the Chinese Situation to the Third Congress of the Fourth International in 1951.
Chinese 70th anniversary parade testifies to a crisis-stricken regime
By James Cogan, 2 October 2019
Beside repression, the regime’s only answer to the rising unrest over widening social inequality is to promote reactionary Chinese nationalism, hoping that appeals to “national unity” will contain irreconcilable class antagonisms.
Seventy years since the Chinese Revolution
Draw the political lessons from the bankruptcy of Maoism
By Peter Symonds, 1 October 2019
The political heirs of Mao Zedong cannot explain how and why the aspirations of working people for a socialist future, for which so many sacrificed 70 years ago, have resulted in the dead end of capitalism today.
Solomon Islands and Kiribati cut ties with Taiwan, shift to China
By John Braddock, 28 September 2019
The diplomatic shifts underscore the deepening geo-strategic confrontation in the Pacific amid the intensifying US-led trade war.
Hong Kong’s chief executive launches phony dialogue platform
By Ben McGrath, 26 September 2019
While different sections of the bourgeoisie are cautious of appearing too close to Lam, all are looking for a way to shut down the protests.
Lectures in Australia and New Zealand on the 1949 Chinese Revolution
23 September 2019
In this video, Peter Symonds, SEP national WSWS editor, explains the relevance of his upcoming lecture “70 years after the Chinese Revolution: How the struggle for socialism was betrayed” to contemporary events. Details of dates and venues in Australia and New Zealand are available here.
Washington Post pushes xenophobic campaign against Chinese-Americans
By Andre Damon, 10 September 2019
The Washington Post has published an editorial giving its stamp of approval to a report by the Hoover institution arguing that Chinese nationals and ethnic Chinese Americans potentially pose a national security threat to the United States.
China: Thirty years since the Tiananmen Square massacre
By Peter Symonds, 10 September 2019
This lecture was delivered by Peter Symonds at the Socialist Equality Party (US) Summer School on July 25, 2019. Symonds is a member of the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site and national WSWS editor of the Socialist Equality Party (Australia).
Hong Kong protesters: Turn to the Chinese working class, not US imperialism
By Peter Symonds, 9 September 2019
Any turn to the United States plays directly into the hands of Beijing, which seeks to malign the Hong Kong protests as the work of radical agitators and the “black hand” of Washington.
IYSSE lecture series in Australia
Seventy years after the Chinese Revolution: How the struggle for socialism was betrayed
9 September 2019
While the revolution vastly transformed international relations and class relations within China, the Communist Party, based on the Stalinist program of “Socialism in One Country,” deformed the newly-created state from the outset.
Hong Kong administration seeks to split protest movement
By Peter Symonds, 5 September 2019
By withdrawing the extradition legislation, chief executive Carrie Lam is seeking the support of conservative protest leaders to pave the way for the suppression of more militant layers.
Tens of thousands join first day of Hong Kong protest strike
By Peter Symonds, 3 September 2019
The union confederation is doing all it can to limit action by workers and confine their demands to those of the official pro-capitalist opposition in Hong Kong.
Trump imposes new tariffs on China
By Nick Beams, 2 September 2019
The new measures, to be followed by further imposts in December, have hit a wide range of consumer products, amid growing concerns of a recession in the global economy and the US.
Two-day strike begins in Hong Kong following weekend of protests
By Ben McGrath, 2 September 2019
Fearful of the intervention of the working class, authorities are stepping up their repression of protesters.
Hong Kong mass rally banned as Chinese troops deployed in show of force
By Mike Head, 30 August 2019
Beijing is well aware that the protracted protests are being driven by underlying student and working class concerns about escalating social inequality.
The US announces provocative arms sale to Taiwan
By Peter Symonds, 27 August 2019
The $8 billion sale of 66 F-16V fighter jets is the first such deal since the administration of President George H.W. Bush approved the sale of 150 fighter jets to Taiwan in 1992.
Hong Kong protests continue into twelfth week
By Peter Symonds, 26 August 2019
Clashes with police took place involving for the first time the use of water cannon as well as tear gas and batons as police attempted to disperse protesters.
Anti-China witch-hunt targets Australian universities
By Oscar Grenfell, 26 August 2019
The government and the security agencies convened a meeting with universities, threatening research involving Chinese academics.
Wall Street falls as US-China trade conflict intensifies
By Nick Beams, 24 August 2019
Tweets by Trump in response to tariff measures by Beijing were his most belligerent to date, taking aim not only against China, but US corporations and the Federal Reserve.
Rift widens between Australia and Pacific Island states
By John Braddock, 24 August 2019
The Pacific Islands Forum has opened up a bitter dispute over the Australian government’s refusal to agree to urgent measures to address climate change.
US escalates preparations for nuclear war with Russia and China
By Andre Damon, 23 August 2019
After withdrawing from the INF treaty, the US is accelerating its preparations to fight a nuclear war with China or Russia by testing and stockpiling dangerous new weapons in a nuclear arms race.
How to fight for democratic rights in Hong Kong
By Peter Symonds, 22 August 2019
Hong Kong workers and youth need to reach out to their class brothers and sisters in China who confront the same class enemy—the Stalinist regime in Beijing that defends the interests of the corporate elite and the super-rich.
Australia’s US Studies Centre advocates war-footing against China
By James Cogan, 22 August 2019
The policies that the pro-US think tank proposes could not be implemented without the suppression of widespread political opposition.
Twitter purges 200,000 accounts “originating from China”
By Oscar Grenfell, 21 August 2019
The company’s actions are part of a campaign, in collaboration with the US government and intelligence agencies, to censor unfavourable or adverse political content on social media.
Australian prime minister elevates pro-US militarists to top cabinet, intelligence positions
By James Cogan, 20 August 2019
Shearer’s role will be to advise Morrison and other ministers on how to publicly promote the US-led preparations for war with China.
As China masses troops on border, Trump calls for end to Hong Kong “problem”
By Mike Head, 16 August 2019
The US president solidarised himself with his Chinese counterpart in the “tough business” of dealing with social unrest.
Australia: Pro-US ideologue brands student groups as China’s “useful idiots”
By Oscar Grenfell, 15 August 2019
Clive Hamilton’s comments are a warning that Australia’s involvement in the US drive to war with China will be accompanied by political repression domestically.
Hong Kong protests met with denunciations and threats
By Peter Symonds, 14 August 2019
The muted response to the threats of Chinese intervention reflects fear in ruling circles internationally that events in Hong Kong could be replicated in cities around the world.
Protest sit-in shuts Hong Kong international airport
By Peter Symonds, 13 August 2019
The closure of the world’s eighth biggest airport, following on from last week’s general strike, marks a significant deepening of the political crisis in Hong Kong.
Concerns grow over global financial stability
By Nick Beams, 13 August 2019
There is now a historically unprecedented situation in bond markets where it is estimated that some $15 trillion worth of government bonds are trading at negative yields, meaning an investor who purchased the bond and held it to maturity would make a loss.
Establishment figures welcome renewed anti-China hysteria in Australia
By James Cogan, 13 August 2019
The ruling elite requires Australia’s incorporation into US war preparations to be accompanied by slandering any public opposition as the product of “Chinese interference.”
UK growth contraction caps week of economic turbulence
By Nick Beams, 10 August 2019
The British GDP data ended a week of deepening uncertainty in financial markets and growing fears of a recession in major areas of the global economy.
Following AUSMIN talks, Australian politician compares China to Nazi Germany
By James Cogan, 10 August 2019
Andrew Hastie falsely compared the purported failure of Australia to respond to the threat posed by China with France’s lack of response to the “German advance in 1940.”
Canada’s ruling elite whipping up anti-China hysteria to pave way for repression, rearmament and war
By Roger Jordan, 10 August 2019
All the organs of Canadian bourgeois propaganda—government institutions, political parties and corporate media outlets—have united to cast Ottawa as a beleaguered David confronting a Chinese Goliath.
Currency war: A new stage in capitalist breakdown
By Nick Beams, 8 August 2019
A global currency conflict will take the economic warfare being waged by the US against “strategic competitors” such as China as well as its nominal allies to a new level.
General strike signals entry of working class into Hong Kong protests
By Peter Symonds, 7 August 2019
The mass protests in Hong Kong, which have continued for more than two months, are part of the resurgence of the working class internationally.
Tens of thousands of workers strike throughout Hong Kong
By Ben McGrath, 6 August 2019
The ruling class throughout the world is deeply fearful of the spread of social discontent as the working class moves into open struggle for its democratic and social rights.
US-China trade conflict escalates to currency war
By Nick Beams, 6 August 2019
Stock markets fell sharply around the world yesterday, amid fears of a currency war, after China allowed its currency, the renminbi, to pass through the benchmark of 7 to the US dollar.
General strike by Hong Kong workers against extradition law
By Peter Symonds, 5 August 2019
The strike signals the entry of the working class, on a class basis, into the mass protest movement, pointing to the underlying social and economic issues driving the opposition.
Trump’s trade war measures hit the financial markets
By Nick Beams, 3 August 2019
In its analysis of the latest turn in the trade war, the South China Morning Post said China had to decide either to a walk away from the negotiations or make major concessions to the US.
Trump escalates trade war against China
By Nick Beams, 2 August 2019
The decision to impose a 10 percent tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, covering a wide range of consumer products, represents the most significant intensification of the more than year-long trade war to date.
Factory explosion in central Chinese city kills 15
By Robert Campion, 30 July 2019
Claims by authorities to address safety after such industrial accidents have proven to be empty words.
Protests in Hong Kong continue despite escalating police violence
By Ben McGrath, 29 July 2019
The participation of workers at Hong Kong’s airport on Friday is an indication of the broader support for the protests in the working class.
Beijing raises prospect of military intervention in Hong Kong
By Ben McGrath, 26 July 2019
Beijing ultimately fears that the growth of working class anger will fuel similar mass protests throughout China.
Dangerous encounter of warplanes from four nations over Sea of Japan
By Ben McGrath, 25 July 2019
While the US was not directly involved, its aggressive military buildup in Asia created the conditions for the aerial standoff.
Amid growing signs of global slowdown
US-China trade talks to resume next week
By Nick Beams, 25 July 2019
The conflict has become more fraught since the US Commerce Department decided to place Huawei on its entity list, effectively banning it from supplies of US components for its operations.
Gang members attack Hong Kong protesters
By Ben McGrath, 23 July 2019
Beijing and local authorities are fearful that the Hong Kong protest movement will spread to the mainland and are employing increasingly violent means against it.
Thousands protest in central China against proposed waste incinerator
By Robert Campion, 19 July 2019
The Wuhan protests are an expression of the growing social discontent throughout China, occurring at the same time as the mass demonstrations in Hong Kong.
As US senators deepen attack on Huawei
Trump’s trade war against China hits Asian economies
By Nick Beams, 18 July 2019
Because it functions as a transhipment hub for final destinations in the rest of Asia, a sharp decline in exports from Singapore last month points to an economic slowdown across the region.
China’s growth slows to lowest level since 1992
By Nick Beams, 17 July 2019
While the growth figure is still within the official target range, there are clearly growing concerns in Beijing that it could go lower in the months ahead.
US-China trade negotiations at virtual standstill
By Nick Beams, 15 July 2019
While Beijing continues to maintain that it is open to discussions, the evidence indicates it has all but given up on any prospect of reaching an agreement.
Hong Kong protesters appeal to mainland Chinese for support
By Ben McGrath, 9 July 2019
The unity of the Chinese working class as a whole is a prerequisite for the struggle for democratic rights and social equality.
Hong Kong protests continue amid Beijing’s veiled threats of military intervention
By Ben McGrath, 6 July 2019
In an unusual move, China’s military reported on drills the day after another mass rally.
Hundreds of thousands protest on the streets of Hong Kong
By Peter Symonds, 2 July 2019
Mass protests have persisted, despite the suspension of the extradition legislation, pointing to a deeper social and political crisis.
The G20 Summit in Osaka: The war of all against all
By Andre Damon, 29 June 2019
World leaders gathered in Osaka, Japan for the G20 summit amid the relentless promotion of trade war, protectionism and militarism.
Chinese and North Korean leaders pledge closer links at Pyongyang summit
By Ben McGrath, 25 June 2019
The United States will not welcome closer relations between the two Stalinist regimes as it tries to pull the North into its own orbit.
US names Taiwan a “country,” stoking tensions with China
By Robert Campion, 21 June 2019
Washington deepens ties with Taipei in preparation for war against mainland China.
Canada rules out overture to China, vows to extradite Huawei CFO to US
By Roger Jordan, 19 June 2019
The Trudeau government has curtly dismissed the suggestion of former Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrétien that Ottawa use its legal prerogative to block Meng’s extradition.
Millions march in Hong Kong against extradition law
By Ben McGrath, 17 June 2019
The huge demonstration on Sunday is an indication of widespread anger in Hong Kong, not only over democratic rights, but the city’s worsening social crisis.
Police crackdown against Hong Kong protesters opposing extradition bill
By Ben McGrath, 13 June 2019
Beijing fears the spread of the protests into China, as social inequality and tensions rise in both Hong Kong and the mainland.
US gears up for World War III with largest defense contract in history
By Andre Damon, 13 June 2019
The Pentagon announced Monday its single largest arms purchase ever, agreeing to buy nearly 500 F-35 fighter aircraft at a total cost of $34 billion.
Democratic candidates demand the US prepare to fight the “wars of the future”
By Andre Damon, 12 June 2019
As former Vice President Joe Biden called for a “united front” against the “threat” of China, Pete Buttigieg declared that “our military capabilities exist for a reason… we stand ready to use force.”
Trump threatens immediate imposition of China tariffs if Xi does not attend G20
By Nick Beams, 11 June 2019
In an interview with CNBC, Trump attacked opponents of his tariff measures within US business groups and renewed his offensive against the Federal Reserve on interest rates and monetary policy.
Mass protests erupt in Hong Kong
By Peter Symonds, 10 June 2019
The fight for democratic rights in Hong Kong will go forward only to the extent that it turns to and champions the struggles of the Chinese workers for their democratic and social rights.
The Tiananmen Square massacre, 30 years on
By Peter Symonds, 8 June 2019
What was lacking in the 1989 protests was not determination, audacity and courage, nor numbers, but revolutionary leadership—the essential problem facing the international working class in the 20th century.
From the archives
Ten years since the Tiananmen Square massacre
Political lessons for the working class
By James Cogan, 7 June 2019
The article confirms the essential analysis of the ICFI in 1989 that the terror unleashed by the Stalinist bureaucracy was above all directed against the working class that had risen in revolt against its policies of capitalist restoration.
From the archives:
Trotskyism and the Chinese Revolution
By Editorial of the Fourth International magazine, 6 June 2019
The following editorial in the January-June 1989 edition of the Fourth International magazine on the Tiananmen Square massacre is an indictment of Stalinism and its opportunist apologists from the standpoint of orthodox Trotskyism.
From the archives:
Stop Stalinist Terror Against Chinese Workers
Statement of the International Committee of the Fourth International, 5 June 2019
The ICFI statement entitled “Stop Stalinist Terror Against Chinese Workers” was issued on June 22, 1989, as the scope of the police dragnet and repression against workers and students expanded following the Tiananmen Square massacre.
As China-FedEx row heats up
Warnings mount that trade war could bring recession
By Nick Beams, 4 June 2019
Morgan Stanley said a global recession could start within nine months if the Trump administration goes ahead with its threat to impose a 25 percent tariff on an additional $300 billion worth of Chinese goods and Beijing retaliates.
WSWS republishes ICFI statements on Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4, 1989
4 June 2019
Thirty years after the brutal military crackdown on unarmed workers and students in Beijing, these documents contain the essential political lessons for the revolutionary struggles ahead.
From the archives:
Victory to the Political Revolution in China
Statement of the International Committee of the Fourth International, 4 June 2019
The following statement was published on June 8, 1989, just four days after the Chinese government’s brutal military crackdown on students and workers in Tiananmen Square.
The US and China on a collision course
By Andre Damon, 3 June 2019
The “cold war” between the United States and China took a major step toward becoming a “hot” war over the weekend at the annual Shangri-La defense summit in Singapore.
US defense secretary issues military threat against China
By Nick Beams, 3 June 2019
US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan delivered a 40-minute blast against China accusing it of seeking “Indo-Pacific hegemony in the near-term and, ultimately, global pre-eminence in the long-term.”
China considering “rare earths” retaliation in conflict with the US
By Nick Beams, 30 May 2019
An editorial published in the state-owned People’s Daily warned that the US should not underestimate China’s ability to fight a trade war.
Former Trump adviser lays out plan for all-out economic war against China
By Nick Beams, 25 May 2019
Steve Bannon has called for Huawei, the Chinese telecoms firm, to be driven out of US and Europe, declaring this is ten times more important than any trade deal.
Amid worsening trade war, Chinese president calls for new “Long March”
By Peter Symonds, 24 May 2019
Xi Jinping’s remarks were a rallying cry to the Chinese bureaucracy as it confronts global economic instability, US trade war measures and rising social unrest.
The Huawei shock
By Nick Beams, 23 May 2019
The actions by the Trump administration against the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei have sent shock waves through the global economy and the international trading system.
Over 240,000 people back Chinese tech worker protest
By Mike Ingram, 22 May 2019
Chinese tech workers protesting inhumane working conditions have received massive international support.
US warships provocatively challenge China’s claims in South China Sea
By Peter Symonds, 21 May 2019
The so-called freedom of navigation operation underscores the danger that trade war with China will escalate into military conflict as the US seeks to ensure its global domination.
Democrats back trade war with China
By Patrick Martin, 18 May 2019
The main criticism of Trump’s trade policy by congressional Democrats and most presidential candidates is that the president should focus exclusively on China and enlist Canada, Mexico and the European Union in an anti-China coalition.
In another escalation of trade war against China
Trump issues executive order directed at Huawei
By Nick Beams, 16 May 2019
The latest US action is an escalation in what could be described as a drive to “weaponise” all arms of the state in the economic confrontation against China.
A new stage in the US-China trade war
By Nick Beams, 14 May 2019
The fundamental and irresolvable contradiction of world capitalism, between world economy and the nation-state system, lies at the root of the accelerating US-China trade war.
No agreement at US-China trade talks as positions harden
By Nick Beams, 11 May 2019
A week ago, a deal had been expected, but that scenario was blown up when the Trump administration accused Beijing of backtracking on its commitments.
US tariff hike against China goes ahead
By Nick Beams, 10 May 2019
Trump said talks with Chinese representatives would proceed, but “I have no idea what’s going to happen.”
The social crisis and the global eruption of US imperialism
By Bill Van Auken, 9 May 2019
Washington’s brazen and reckless military threats and provocations on a world scale are driven by deep-going social and political crises within the US itself.
The New York Times and its Uyghur “activist”
By Peter Symonds, 9 May 2019
The promotion of Rushan Abbas by the New York Times is a classic example of its role in pushing the bogus “human rights” issues used by US imperialism to prosecute its interests.
Greetings to Chinese workers and youth on the centenary of the May 4 movement
By Peter Symonds, 7 May 2019
We are publishing here the text of the speech to the 2019 Online International May Day Rally delivered by Peter Symonds.
One hundred years since the May 4 movement in China—Part Two
By Peter Symonds, 6 May 2019
The Chinese Communist Party today distorts the significance of the events of May 4, 1919. It has long ago repudiated the democratic principles of the New Culture movement and the socialist internationalism upon which the party was founded.
Bernie Sanders attacks Biden from the right on China trade
By Ben McGrath, 4 May 2019
In criticizing the former vice president, Sanders echoed Trump's anti-China demagogy and economic nationalism.
US-China trade talks enter final phase
By Nick Beams, 4 May 2019
One of the main sticking points is agreement on the procedure by which US tariffs imposed on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods would be lifted if a trade agreement is reached.
One hundred years since the May 4 movement in China—Part One
By Peter Symonds, 4 May 2019
The May 4 movement which erupted in 1919 was part of a broader intellectual ferment, profoundly influenced by the Russian Revolution, that led to the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921.
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