On October 12, Dean and Party Secretary Deng Chundong Held a Discussion with Mauro Alboresi, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Italy | Marxism Research Network

On the morning of October 12, 2017, Deng Chundong, Director and Party Committee Secretary of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and a five-member delegation held a symposium in Rome with Mauro Alboresi, General Secretary of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) ^[1].

[Photograph of the symposium participants from the Italian Communist Party. Second from left is Mauro Alboresi, General Secretary of the Italian Communist Party.]

Director Deng Chundong and his five-member delegation arrived at the headquarters of the Italian Communist Party to conduct a symposium with General Secretary Mauro Alboresi. Alboresi fully affirmed the achievements made by socialism with Chinese characteristics, arguing that the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics serves as an inspiration for European communist parties and as a confirmation of the choice of the socialist direction. Alboresi expressed his attention toward and expectations for the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China ^[2], believing that the Congress would certainly persist in following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. He expressed confidence that China, building upon its existing economic base, would "scale a hundred-foot pole to take yet another step" ^[3]. During the meeting, the two sides also conducted in-depth exchanges on issues of mutual concern, including the Italian Communist Party’s understanding of the role of the European Union, its expectations for EU reform, and its predictions regarding the future of the EU.

Also participating in the symposium were Researcher Li Chunhua, Party Committee Secretary of the Institute for Urban and Environmental Studies at CASS; Xin Xiangyang, Deputy Director of the National Institute of Social Development ^[4] at CASS; Professor Li Yan from the Institute of Basic Theory of Ideological and Political Education at Northeast Normal University; and Li Kaixuan from the Institute of Marxism Studies at CASS.

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

Notes

↩ [1] 意大利共产党 (Yìdàlì Gòngchǎndǎng): This refers to the reconstituted Italian Communist Party founded in 2016, which reclaimed the name of the historic PCI (dissolved in 1991). In the Chinese Marxist perspective, maintaining ties with "fraternal parties" in the West is a key component of external theoretical exchange.

↩ [2] 中国共产党第十九次全国代表大会 (Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Dì-shíjiǔ-cì Quánguó Dàibiǎo Dàhuì): Held in October 2017, this Congress was a landmark event that enshrined "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" into the Party Constitution. The timing of this meeting in Rome occurred just days before the Congress opened.

↩ [3] 百尺竿头，更进一步 (bǎi chǐ gān tóu, gèng jìn yī bù): A classical idiom originating from Buddhist literature (the Wudeng Huiyuan). Literally meaning "to take a step forward from the top of a hundred-foot pole," it serves as a metaphor for striving for even greater progress after one has already achieved a high level of success or proficiency.

↩ [4] 中国社会科学院信息情报院 (Zhōngguó Shèhuì Kēxuéyuàn Xìnxī Qíngbàoyuàn): Although the text uses "Information and Intelligence Institute," Xin Xiangyang is a prominent Marxist scholar often associated with the National Institute of Social Development or the Institute of Marxism Studies within the CASS hierarchy. Chinese academic delegations often include multi-disciplinary representatives to evaluate foreign political trends.