China

Today, hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers marched in militant defiance of the ‘extradition bill’ that would grant China the power to take anyone in Hong Kong into custody on the mainland. Only three days earlier, Sunday 9 June, saw what may be the biggest demonstration in Hong Kong’s history. According to organisers, one million marched through the city’s humid streets, meaning one-in-seven Hong Kongers demonstrated!

We are publishing the text of a leaflet produced by a sympathiser of the IMT in Taiwan and aimed at the students there, which explains what the Tiananmen movement in 1989 was about, how it was destroyed and what workers and students in both China and Taiwan should be working towards today.

Thirty years ago, the world’s largest-ever student movement was brought to a violent close by the so-called People’s Liberation Army. For about six weeks, hundreds of thousands, and at one point over a million, students, workers, Communist Party members and Beijing residents had flooded into and occupied Tiananmen Square, the same place from which forty years earlier Mao had proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

"When China wakes up, she will shake the world." This famous prediction of Napoleon has been confirmed by history. Particularly in the last 20 years, China has become an economic power of primary importance that objectively threatens the world leadership of the United States.

In the aftermath of recent elections in Cameroon, instability has increased, with a factional struggle opening up between different sections of the ruling class. President Paul Biya of the ruling CPDM, who retained power in 2018, has ramped up political repression, arresting opposition leader Maurice Kamto and intensifying his suppression of the country’s Anglophone minority.

馬克思主義者們認同1949年中國革命所帶來的各種重大成就。這也毫不意外地讓毛澤東所喊出的一些口號在世界各地產生共鳴,並吸引了尤其在中蘇交惡後,尋求官僚化蘇聯以外社會主義體制的革命志士們。然而,所謂的毛澤東思想仍然和真正的馬克思主義之間存在著必須要澄清的重要政治分歧。

马克思主义者们认同1949年中国革命所带来的各种重大成就。这毫不意外地让毛泽东所喊出的一些口号在世界各地产生共鸣,并吸引了尤其在中苏交恶后,寻求官僚化苏联以外社会主义体制的革命志士们。然而,所谓的毛泽东思想仍然和真正的马克思主义之间存在着必须要澄清的重要政治分歧。

On 11 December 2018, the official Weibo account of the US Embassy in China published a blog post entitled “American University Marxist Students Show Solidarity for Unionization and Strikes” (美国大学生马克思主义社团声援工人组织工会和罢工). In it, the embassy referred to the activities of the International Marxist Tendency (IMT) comrades in the Marxist Student Association (MSA) and their political work in Madison, Wisconsin.

Marxists recognise the enormous achievements of the 1949 Chinese Revolution. Unsurprisingly, many slogans by Mao Zedong found an echo across the world as an alternative to the bureaucratised USSR after the Sino-Soviet split. However, there are significant political differences between the ideas of genuine Marxism and those of Maoism, which should be clarified.

(譯者按:本文是國際馬克思主義趨勢(IMT)在中國共產黨召開第十九次全國代表大會後,於2017年11月30日發表的評論。文中討論了關於中國經濟性質從斯大林主義計劃經濟轉變為朝向帝國主義發展的資本主義系統,並在這個基礎上解釋了習近平的強權。編譯團隊決定不更動發表時的原文,以便讀者們比較我們當時的預測和後來的發展。)

(译者按:本文是国际马克思主义趋势(IMT)在中国共产党召开第十九次全国代表大会后,于2017年11月30日发表的评论。文中讨论了关于中国经济性质从斯大林主义计划经济转变为朝向帝国主义发展的资本主义系统,并在这个基础上解释了习近平的强权。编译团队决定不更动发表时的原文,以便读者们比较我们当时的预测和后来的发展。)

近几个月来,一场工人和学生对抗中国资本主义政权的持久战正在展开。中国政府对支援工人的学生们施加的残暴镇压,也凸显了这场抗争的火爆性。

近幾個月來,一場工人和學生對抗中國資本主義政權的持久戰正在展開。中國政府對支援工人的學生們施加的殘暴鎮壓,也凸顯了這場抗爭的火爆性。

In recent months, a protracted struggle has been underway in China, with workers and students standing in solidarity against the pro-capitalist regime. This is highlighted by the recent, brutal clampdown on student activists involved in worker solidarity.

Two weeks ago, Trump announced tariffs on another $200bn worth of imports from China. The announcement was met with protests from the Chinese, as well as big business in the US. China responded with tariffs on another $60bn of imports from the US. This trade war reveals the frictions that have been developing for some time between the imperialist powers, and threatens to plunge the world into a new recession.