On October 11, Dean and Party Secretary Deng Chundong held a symposium with major leaders of the Italian Left Party

On the afternoon of October 11, 2017, Professor Deng Chundong, President and Party Committee Secretary of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), leading a delegation of nine people, engaged in an in-depth and candid discussion and exchange with Senator Giuseppe De Cristofaro, a primary leader of the Italian Left (Sinistra Italiana), and former Senator Claudio Grassi.

(Left 1: Grassi; Left 2: De Cristofaro)

President Deng Chundong began by expressing his gratitude to De Cristofaro and Grassi for taking the time out of their busy schedules to attend the meeting, and he commended the increasingly important role that the Italian Left is playing in Italy's national political life. De Cristofaro and Grassi welcomed the visit of President Deng Chundong and his delegation. The two sides exchanged views on issues of mutual concern. De Cristofaro introduced the history and current situation of the Italian Left as well as the crises currently facing the European Union, and expressed his views on the rise of populism and the growth of right-wing forces in Europe and the United States. De Cristofaro maintained that the progress of Chinese society is not limited to the economic sphere; progress in all other areas is also remarkable. Meanwhile, Europe also faces issues regarding democracy and human rights; far from progressing, democracy has instead contracted, as evidenced by very low voter turnout. Grassi pointed out candidly that the Italian Left is currently in a difficult period and they are working hard to propose solutions to these problems. Both sides jointly expressed a desire to further strengthen exchange and cooperation.

Others participating in the discussion included Professor Li Chunhua, Party Committee Secretary of the Institute for Urban and Environmental Studies at CASS; Professor Xin Xiangyang, Vice President of the Academy of Inventory and Information Science at CASS; Professor Zhao Jun, Deputy Director of the Social Science Development Research Center of the Ministry of Education; Professor Yu Xiangdong, Dean of the School of Marxism at Zhengzhou University; Long Bin, Chairman of the Guilin Federation of Social Science Circles; Professor Lan Hanlin, Party Committee Secretary of the School of Marxism at Zhejiang Industrial University; Professor Ma Yongfu of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the National University of Defense Technology; and Li Kaixuan of the Institute of Marxism Studies at CASS.

(Contribution by Chen Zhigang, Pan Xihua, and Li Kaixuan; Photography by Wang Zhongbao)