Chen Zhigang, Vice President of the Academy of Marxism, Leads Delegation to Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey for Academic Exchanges
From July 8 to 17, 2024, a delegation led by Professor Chen Zhigang, Vice President of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), visited Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey to conduct academic exchanges. The delegation members included Professor Dai Lixing, Deputy Director of the Department of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era at the Institute of Marxism Studies, CASS; Associate Professor Zhang Fujun, Director of the Political Economy Research Office in the Department of Marxist Theory at the Institute of Marxism Studies, CASS; Dr. Zhang Xiaomin from the editorial department of Marxist Studies (Marxisim Yanjiu); and Dr. Wang Zhen from the editorial departments of International Critical Thought and World Review of Political Economy.
From July 8 to 10, the group engaged in academic exchanges in Athens, Greece. They held a symposium with Professor Davour Malodas, Head of the Department of Social Policy at Panteion University. The investigation covered the state of Greek capitalism amidst crisis, the current status of the Greek working class, the status of the dissemination and study of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in Greece, and cooperation between Greece and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) [1].
Vice President Chen Zhigang presented Professor Davour Malodas with English editions of Xi Jinping on the Belt and Road, Volume IV of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, Explaining New Thought through Data [2], and the English-language journal International Critical Thought.
From July 10 to 12, the group conducted academic exchanges in Cyprus. They held symposiums with Menelaos Menelaou, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Prometheus Research Institute; Professor Costas Gouliamos, Vice Chairman of the Board; Vera Polycarpou, member of the Central Committee of the Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) and Head of International Relations and European Policy; Chrysostomos Pashiardis, Director of the Prometheus Institute Archives and Head of the Ideological Department of AKEL; Pavlos Kalosinatos, Director of the Cyprus Labour Institute and member of AKEL; and Dr. Constantinos Stylianou, member of the Prometheus Scientific Committee and member of AKEL. The research focused on the development trends of left-wing political parties in Cyprus, AKEL’s policy positions regarding trade unions, the impact of the Belt and Road Initiative on Cyprus, and the dissemination of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in Cyprus.
Vice President Chen Zhigang presented Menelaos Menelaou with the English edition of Selected Readings from the Works of Xi Jinping (Volumes I and II).
The Prometheus Research Institute is a prominent Cypriot think tank. Professor Costas Gouliamos, Vice Chairman of its board, is the former Rector of European University Cyprus, a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He currently serves as the Director of the China Research Center at the Prometheus Research Institute. This center was co-founded by CASS and European University Cyprus, marking the 14th overseas research center established by CASS in collaboration with world-renowned universities. Professor Costas Gouliamos actively supports China’s "Three Global Initiatives"—namely, the Global Civilization Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative [3]—contributing positively to telling China’s story well and establishing a positive overseas image of China.
Vice President Chen Zhigang presented Professor Costas Gouliamos with books and journals including Explaining New Thought through Data and World Socialism Studies.
The Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) was founded in August 1926 and is the second-largest party in Cyprus; it was once the only governing Communist party among European Union member states. Chrysostomos Pashiardis, Head of the Ideological Department of AKEL, has served as the head of the organizing committee for the Nicosia Book Fest (the largest book fair in Cyprus) since 2016 and was invited to attend the World Socialism Forum in November 2023.
From July 12 to 17, the group conducted academic exchanges in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey. They held symposiums with Turkish Sinologists and left-wing organizations on how to tell China’s story well, enhance China's overseas image, and the current status and future development of Turkish left-wing organizations.
The group held a symposium with Cem Kizilcik, President of the Turkish Association for Socialist Studies, along with researchers Deniz Kizilcik, Gülizar Özkaya, and Hayreddin Belli. The exchange investigated topics ranging from opposition to hegemonism [4] and the rise of world socialist trends to the development of Turkish left-wing parties and cooperation between Turkey and the Belt and Road Initiative.
Vice President Chen Zhigang presented President Cem Kizilcik with the English edition of Selected Readings from the Works of Xi Jinping (Volumes I and II).
The group also held discussions with Professor Giray Fidan of the Department of Oriental Languages at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University and Emin, a graduate student at Middle East Technical University (formerly affiliated with Ankara University), on themes such as "Exchange and Mutual Learning between Chinese and Turkish Civilizations" [5] and "Sino-Turkish Cultural Cooperation." Professor Giray is a renowned Turkish translator and Sinologist who has translated classic books such as Ping "Language" Closest to the People [6], The Analects, Zhuangzi, Notes from Cat City, and The Muslim's Funeral. His translated publication of The Art of War was the first version translated directly from Classical Chinese into Turkish, and he received the Young Achiever Award at the 10th Special Book Award of China. Professor Giray has long been engaged in research on Sino-Turkish relations, dedicating himself to introducing Chinese culture to the Turkish public and making outstanding contributions to the dissemination of Chinese culture in Turkey and cultural exchanges between China and Western countries. Emin primarily conducts research on geopolitics, focusing on the impact of China’s Belt and Road Initiative on Turkey.
The delegation also conducted academic exchanges with Professor Eyüp Sarıtaş, Head of the Chinese Department at the Faculty of Letters, Istanbul University, on themes such as "Exchange and Mutual Learning between Chinese and Western Civilizations" and the "Overseas Dissemination of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era." Professor Eyüp Sarıtaş is a famous Turkish Sinologist who participated in the 13th International Conference on Chinese Language Teaching and the First World Hanology Conference at Peking University, as well as the first Chinese teaching seminar in Turkey. He has published works such as Sinology Research in Turkey since 1935, Linguistic, Cultural, and National Diversity from a Global Perspective, and Xiongnu Studies in China (1919-1965).
Vice President Chen Zhigang led the delegation in in-depth symposiums with research institutions, left-wing scholars, and left-wing political parties in Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey that are knowledgeable about and friendly toward China. They actively promoted Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and reached several consensuses on conducting academic exchanges and cooperation, successfully completing the mission of the visit.
(Text and photos provided by Zhang Fujun)