On October 7, Dean and Party Secretary Deng Chundong Held a Discussion with Eva Solla, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Galicia, Spain
On the morning of October 7, 2017, the day after the second day of the Fourth Europe Forum on the China Path concluded in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, Professor Deng Chundong, President and Party Committee Secretary of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), led a segment of the Chinese delegation in a specialized symposium with Eva Solla, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Galicia and Vice-President of the Galician Parliament.
President Deng Chundong expressed deep respect for Eva Solla and the Communist Party of Galicia under her leadership, thanked her for attending this session of the forum, and delivered remarks on several important issues. Eva Solla sincerely addressed the questions of concern to the Chinese scholars. She pointed out that contact between the Communist Party of Galicia and the Chinese side has primarily occurred within recent years. Initially, the Spanish people held doubts regarding the "Belt and Road" Initiative [1] proposed by the Chinese government, fearing that Chinese enterprises would come to Spain to seize and plunder resources. However, through several years of practical exchange, such doubts have been dispelled, and the distinct nature of the "Belt and Road" Initiative has been recognized; it is not a reproduction of colonialism. Eva Solla argued that if the West wishes to understand the China Path, it is difficult to do so while carrying Western biases and prejudices. One must look through the phenomena to see the essence, truly understanding China by proceeding from its specific national conditions [2]. China is a nation with a massive population; it faces the heavy task of solving the problem of providing food and clothing [3] for 1.3 billion people while simultaneously dealing with serious issues of unbalanced social development. Solving these problems is a remarkable achievement. Regarding the issue of religion, Eva Solla noted that Spain is a country that advocates religious freedom and the majority of the populace follows Catholicism. However, the Communist Party of Spain [4] suggests that every Party member should be an atheist; in Galicia, over 90% of Party members do not hold religious beliefs. Eva Solla expressed her hope that the Communist Parties of China and Spain could have more opportunities for cooperation and exchange, and established a permanent exchange mechanism.
Also attending the symposium were Li Chunhua, Party Committee Secretary of the Institute for Urban and Environmental Studies at CASS; Professor Xin Xiangyang, Deputy Party Committee Secretary of the Institute of Contemporary China Studies [5]; Professor Chen Zhigang of the Institute of Marxism Studies; Professor Hao Lizhong, Director of the Institute of Philosophy at the Shandong Academy of Social Sciences; Professor Yu Li of the School of Public Administration at Zhengzhou University; Professor Lan Hanlin, Party Committee Secretary of the School of Marxism at Zhejiang University of Technology; Professor Julio Ríos, Emeritus Director of the Galician Institute of International Analysis and Documentation (IGADI) in Spain; and assistants to Eva Solla.
(Contributed by Chen Zhigang, Pan Xihua, and Li Kaixuan; Photography by Wang Zhongbao)