by Jacqueline Luqman

Jacqueline Luqman, chairperson of the Black Alliance for Peace Coordinating Committee, summarizes her chapter.

Full chapter:

I recently spent ten days in China on a delegation with the Friends of Socialist China. The trip was organized by the China NGO Network for International Exchanges (CNIE) as part of the Fourth Dialogue on Exchanges and Mutual Learning Among Civilizations conference held in Dunhuang, hosted by the Chinese Association for International Understanding (CAIFU) and the People’s Government of Gansu Province. 

Convening the dialogue around the theme “Carrying Forward the Spirit of the Silk Road and Gathering Momentum for the Implementation of the Global Civilization Initiative,” the three-day conference advanced CAIFU’s mission of providing opportunities for people from other countries to learn about Chinese society, history, and culture. The history of and impact on society of China’s socialist transformation from a feudal, agrarian, underdeveloped nation of impoverished peasants to the technological wonder and economic powerhouse it is today is a significant part of what China shares with the world. However, the intangible factors behind its socialist transformation are also seen when examining how the Communist Party of China (CPC) achieved it. Our delegation participated in the Dialogue and visited several cities in China: Shanghai, Xi’An, Yan’an, Dunhuang, and Jiayuguan City, where the culture of the Party and the Chinese people is reflected in each city’s unique development. The values of the CPC that undergird Chinese society and connect the stories each of these cities tells not only explain how the ongoing development has been accomplished, but also give the world invaluable lessons on putting humanity at the center of government policy, and show us how that benefits the people of China and the world.

Communist Principles and Culture Constrain Capitalism in China 

Capitalism exists in China, but the country and its economy are not reflective of
“state capitalism,” as some in the West have claimed. China is a communist country that engages in some capitalist economic ventures to fund its priorities. What’s important to understand is what capitalism looks like in communist China and what priorities drive that engagement.

The CPC owns and operates state-owned enterprises (SOEs), which are large corporations that dominate key industries in strategic sectors of China’s economy, such as energy (e.g., PetroChina, Sinopec), telecommunications (e.g., China Mobile, China Telecom), banking and finance (e.g., ICBC, Bank of China), transportation and infrastructure (e.g., China Railway, China State Construction), and defense and aerospace (e.g., AVIC, China North Industries Group). 

The CPC manages those industries and establishes industrial priorities through economic planning. The CPC’s social priorities are factored into how its economic plans are shaped, what is produced, marketed, and sold, and how the profits are used to benefit the people.

An example of such a venture is the Jiayuguan Iron & Steel Group Limited Company (JISCO), which we visited. JISCO was founded in 1958 and was one of the PRC’s first state-owned industries. People of all levels of skill and education came from all over China to build and run JISCO, which has now grown to one of the major SOEs in China, providing the world with myriad steel products and an expanding line of other products from dairy to wine and spirits. However, the establishment of JISCO also led to the development of Jiayuguan, where the industry is located. A small, rural, and rugged area with little to no infrastructure to support the thousands of educated students, craftsmen, and workers who built the mining and manufacturing operation, Jiayuguan was transformed from a rugged company town built by the workers into a modern and cosmopolitan city. 

JISCO has also expanded its operations to include real estate development, hospitality services, healthcare, higher education, power generation, and more, all under the control and regulation of the CPC. This has ensured that as JISCO has grown, the profits the company has made have not only gone to the diversification of the company’s holdings, but also to the development of the city, the improvement of the quality and standard of living of its residents, and beyond.

The CPC Culture Of Putting Workers First

An example of how the CPC focuses on the wellbeing of workers can be seen in the exhibition hall at JISCO Headquarters. It is dedicated to the history of the company and its numerous accomplishments, but it is also dedicated to the workers who accomplished a feat that continues to provide enduring benefit to the people of the city of Jiayuguan, to China, and to the world, all driven by the culture instilled in the people by the CPC. 

Inside the main lobby of the JISCO headquarters, visitors encounter revolutionary pro-worker artwork that reflects the importance of workers and their sacrifice in building and growing the enterprise. A large bronze sculpture that represents the workers who came to the barren desert outpost to build JISCO and Jiayuguan dominates the entryway. The inscription “Hard work, Perseverance, Brave Sacrifice, Forge Ahead” reflects the culture that drove this development that those workers came from far and wide to carry out.

Beyond the beautiful and detailed artwork celebrating the accomplishment of the workers, the principles of CPC thought are accessible via kiosks at the beginning of the tour of the exhibition hall. The interactive kiosks allow visitors to learn about Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, and the CPC’s Scientific Outlook on Development. The ideals that drive the development of China and the continued expansion of that development beyond its borders are reflected here. 

Furthermore, the CPC’s Oath of Admission also adorns the main hallway, reflecting that the workers in JISCO commit to carrying out the Party’s priorities. Even in the oath, the values and culture of the CPC are evident.

“I volunteer to join the Communist Party of China, support the party’s program, abide by the party’s draft, fulfill the obligations of party members, implement the party’s decisions, strictly observe the party’s discipline, keep the party’s secrets, be loyal to the party, work actively, fight for communism all my life, and be ready to sacrifice everything for the party and the people at any time, and never betray the party.”

Visitors also see the Great Founding Spirit of the Party displayed, reflecting the key principles of the CPC:

“坚持真理 (Jiānchí zhēnlǐ): Uphold the truth; 坚守理想 (Jiānshǒu lǐxiǎng): Hold firm to ideals; 践行初心 (Jiànxíng chūxīn): Practice the original aspiration; 担当使命 (Dāndāng shǐmìng): Undertake the mission; 不怕牺牲 (Bùpà xīshēng): Fearless of sacrifice; 英勇斗争 (Yīngyǒng dòuzhēng): Brave struggle; 对党忠诚 (Duì dǎng zhōngchéng): Loyal to the Party; 不负人民 (Bù fù rénmín): Live up to the people’s expectations.”

The success of JISCO and the beautiful city built around it testify to the enduring relevance and power of the CPC’s culture—culture that is not based on imperialist lies about totalitarianism and the denial of human rights. The culture of the CPC is derived from the dogged struggle of a formerly oppressed people to fight and defeat oppression and fascism, to rebuild their country, and to improve the lives of their people through hard work, unity, and the pursuit of shared prosperity not just for themselves, but for all of humanity. This is also shown by the ongoing housing initiatives, which are a key focus of the CPC’s culture of meeting the needs of the people.

Social Housing: An Ongoing Expression Of The CPC’s Priorities and Culture

The CPC’s social housing policy is a key component of its social welfare system, designed to provide affordable housing for low- and middle-income individuals and families. Every housing plan reflects the Chinese government’s commitment to ensuring housing security and improving living standards, which align with the broader CPC goals of social stability and harmonious development.

China provides several forms of social housing to meet different needs and heavily subsidizes most for low-income and poor citizens. From young single workers to new families, migrant workers, and seniors, the CPC writes into its housing policy benchmarks to ensure that those with limited incomes have quality housing where they live.  

There was a lot of mixed development in the five cities we visited. New high-rise apartment buildings had been built near obviously older developments, and sometimes even surrounded them. China has tried not to disturb existing housing during its incredible urban development in major cities. Still, it has not always been able to maintain the dilapidated and dangerous housing that some of the desperately poor lived in. Such dwellings have needed to be demolished to make way for the development of better housing. So while displacement is not an expected outcome of development in China, it does sometimes happen. But when it does, the government does not leave those people to fend for themselves, as is done in the U.S., where gentrification displaces the poor, usually driving many to homelessness.

The CPC is able to maintain and expand its housing programs, has eliminated homelessness, and lifted 800 million people out of crushing poverty through an intentional focus on ensuring housing for all people, with a prioritization of the poor and most vulnerable. The CPC plans housing projects for the entire country and sets construction targets, focusing on expanding affordable housing supply. Local governments then allocate land and subsidies for the social housing projects advanced in those plans. Public-private partnerships (PPP) also play a role, with private developers being required to include social housing in commercial projects. This is another fantastic aspect of the CPC’s oversight of the housing market; real estate developers do not regulate themselves, and they do not dictate to the government what they will and will not do, or how much they will charge for housing. Rather, the CPC regulates the developers’ actions, the housing prices, and how the housing is allocated. Affordable housing parameters—what “affordable” means—is not set by the developers like they are here in the U.S., where, in Washington, DC in particular, affordable housing might be based on a family of four with an income of $180,000, or an individual with an income of $80,000, when the average income for the poorest people in the city is less than $40,000, so none of us can actually afford housing designated as “affordable” by the developers.

Of course, there are contradictions in the Chinese system, because there is no such thing as a utopian society in any context, not even socialist or communist. Supply shortages are sometimes driven by high demand in major cities, leading to long waiting lists for the newer, modern housing under construction. But smaller cities may have excess supply; I saw some contemporary housing in a remote place like Yan’an, though most were older buildings. When I talked to a few people there, most said they didn’t want too much of the newer development because they liked their “small town” feel. They preferred that as much existing housing be modernized as possible, rather than see new modern high-rise housing. So, regional desires can also differ from urban tastes. 

Despite having the issues that all developing nations must face and all the negativity toward China from people in the West—particularly the U.S.—China’s social housing policy plays a crucial role in reducing inequality. The CPC continues to refine the system to broaden access to affordable housing for migrant workers, young families, and single low-wage workers, contributing to social stability and economic growth for everyone. That’s people-centered, human rights-driven politics, which is the essence of communism, and the foundational culture of the CPC.

CPC Development and Ideology

The central committee of the CPC and its principles were established in the mountains of Yan’an. The Yan’an Revolutionary Memorial Hall displays the development of CPC principles, thought, and policy, which is critically important to understanding the culture of China’s government, its policies, and their impact on its people today. 

One of the most illuminating exhibits in the museum is The Ten No’s. They are the guidelines for the personal conduct of Central Committee members established during the Yan’an period. These rules established the culture of the CPC leadership and are connected to the principles of integrity, serving the people, party unity, learning from the masses, and self-reliance that are still part of the Party’s guiding principles today. Even though these ten rules are not formally adopted into current CPC guidelines, the party still adheres to the Yan’an principles in carrying out anti-corruption and rectification efforts to maintain discipline and ideological commitment today under Xi Jingping.¹ Whatever criticism those in the West may have for China, the claim of a CPC full of corrupt, greedy capitalists is nothing more than projection from members and supporters of the most corrupt and anti-human governments on the planet.

Perhaps the most remarkable part of the CPC’s culture is that it is not reserved for the advancement of the Chinese people alone. They share it with the world by welcoming people to visit China as tourists, by inviting people to attend conferences such as the Fourth Dialogue on Exchanges and Mutual Learning Among Civilizations, and most notably through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

In a pamphlet from the China International Publishing Group, the different levels of impact the BRI has had over the ten years it has been implemented are outlined:

“First, at the ideological level, the BRI is the first international cooperation initiative proposed by a developing country with global influence, puts an end to the original center-periphery international order, and is building a global partnership network of countries on an equal footing. Second, at the physical level, the BRI, jointly built by nearly 200 countries and international organizations, has connected more countries more deeply in the era of digital economy through infrastructure construction, and promoted global interconnection and close cooperation across the world, thus accelerating the modernization drive of these countries. Third, at the economic and trade level, the BRI hedges the downward pressure on the world economy through the liberalization and facilitation of trade, investment and finance, and has become the main engine driving global economic growth. Fourth, as to people’s living standards, the BRI has effectively improved the well-being of the people. Fifth, the BRI is implementing the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative, and is effectively building a community with shared responsibilities, interests, and security development, health for all, and of all life on the Earth, so as to build a community with a shared future for mankind.”²

The recent China-Africa Changsha Declaration on Upholding Solidarity and Cooperation of the Global South is an example of China’s continued commitment to these principles of its culture. The agreement was finalized in meetings held during the Fourth Dialogue on Exchanges and Mutual Learning Among Civilizations. It was announced mere days after the conference’s conclusion in June of this year. The agreement states: 

“We will join hands in cementing the foundation of sovereign equality, maintaining that all countries, regardless of their size or strength, are equal members of the international community, and resolutely upholding international justice and order. We will continue to safeguard each other’s legitimate rights and interests, stand side by side with mutual understanding and support amid chaos and changes, stabilize this uncertain world with the certainty of the China-Africa relationship, establish a benchmark for sincere friendship and equality in the Global South, and advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world.”

China engages in this kind of collaboration with other countries because of the CPC’s culture, which focuses on raising the standard of living of and facilitating the shared and equal development of all humanity. This culture of human-focused development and shared prosperity is still very much a part of China’s model of governance today, and will continue to be the driving force behind CPC policy and China’s role in the world for the foreseeable future.

¹The Press Office, International Department of the CPC Central Committee, “Fact Sheet on the Eight-Point Decision on Improving Party and Government Conduct,” (Center for Americas, China International Communications Group, 2024).

²Liu Ying, “Ten Years into the Belt and Road Initiative: What It Has Brought to the World,” ed. Zhang Donggang (Foreign Languages Press Company, Ltd, 2023), pp 5-6.

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Jacqueline Luqman is currently the chairperson of the Black Alliance for Peace Coordinating Committee, an international people-centered human rights group organizing against war, repression, and imperialism. Jacqueline is also a radio show host and journalist, anchoring the weekly show Darker Than Blue on WPFW 89.3 FM, providing political commentary on the Black Liberation Media YouTube platform, and frequently contributing to radical independent publications such as Black Agenda Report, Hood Communist, and others. You can support her work on patreon.com/luqmannation.