Strengthening Political Resolve to Confront Changes Unseen in a Century Through the Study of Party History
On May 12, 2021, in order to implement the important spirit of the Party Central Committee’s campaign to carry out Party history learning and education [1] throughout the whole Party, the Party Branch of the Department of International Communist Movement Studies of the Institute of Marxism Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and the First and Seventh Party Branches of the Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce held a unique "joint-learning and co-construction" activity [2] at the Institute of Marxism Studies. Integrating the actual conditions of their respective branch development and professional work, the Party branches conducted a warm and in-depth exchange focused on the theme: "Fortifying Political Resolve in Facing the Great Changes Unseen in a Century through Party History Learning and Education." All Party members and researchers from the Department of International Communist Movement Studies, along with 16 representative Party members from the First and Seventh Party Branches of the Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau, participated in this joint-learning activity.
The meeting was chaired by Researcher Yuan Xiuli, Deputy Secretary of the Party Branch of the Department of International Communist Movement Studies. Researcher Pan Jin’e, Secretary and Director of the Department of International Communist Movement Studies, and Deputy Director Wang Xin, Secretary of the First Party Branch of the Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau, respectively introduced the basic progress of Party history learning and education within their branches. Secretary Pan Jin’e focused on the branch’s experience in integrating key research projects with the Party’s centenary, conducting thematic Party lectures and "Theme Party Days," and organizing the "Serving the Masses" [3] series of lecture activities. Secretary Wang Xin, drawing on the practicalities of the Ministry of Commerce's foreign economic work, highlighted the branch's educational activities organized around the history of socialist economic thought, the history of the People's Republic of China’s economic construction, and documents regarding the Party’s basic guidelines for foreign economic work.
During the thematic report session, Secretary Pan Jin’e and Wang Zhenfu, head of the Party small group [4] and Division Chief of the First Export Region Division of the Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau, delivered keynote speeches on "Frontier Issues of the International Communist Movement 2020-2021" and "The Status Quo and Response to US Trade Sanctions Against China," respectively.
Secretary Pan Jin’e first introduced the general situation and frontier issues of the International Communist Movement in 2020-2021. In 2020, under the superimposed influence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Great Changes Unseen in a Century, socialist countries such as China and Vietnam effectively controlled the pandemic and achieved economic growth, demonstrating the superiority of the socialist system. Meanwhile, Western countries experienced widespread outbreaks, frequent social movements, a widening gap between the rich and the poor, and more prominent social inequality, exposing various defects of neoliberalism. The global pattern of "the East rising and the West declining" [5] became more evident, and the international communist movement entered a period of turbulent transformation. In early 2021, while the pandemic continued to spread in the West, socialist countries successfully held new National Congresses of their parties on the basis of strengthening pandemic prevention. The Communist Party of China (CPC) set out on a "new journey" as it welcomed its centenary, leading world socialism into a new period. Since the Biden administration took office in the United States, it has been committed to promoting a so-called "Alliance of Democracies," with a clear intention to launch a "New Cold War." Overall, opportunities and challenges coexist for the international communist movement.
Division Chief Wang Zhenfu explained the composition of US trade policy, the institutions and instruments of US-led trade sanctions, and the characteristics of and responses to China-US trade relations. He noted that the primary thrust of US trade policy includes: reducing trade and investment barriers through trade agreements and negotiations; implementing trade commitments and relevant laws; promoting market opening to support domestic economic growth and employment; providing time-limited relief for companies and workers facing unfair competition or damage from imports; and expanding US overseas influence through unilateral tariff preferences and the strengthening of regional alliances. The institutions involved in US trade policy decisions include the Office of the Trade Representative, the Department of Commerce, the Department of the Treasury, the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, and the International Trade Commission. Currently, the focus of the Biden administration's trade policy toward China lies in a comprehensive review of the same—on one hand, using tariffs and other means to directly strike at so-called "unfair trade practices," and on the other, indirectly suppressing China by strengthening alliance relationships. The current status of US trade sanctions against China reflects major characteristics such as a dynamic imbalance in China-US relations and the weakening of strategic mutual trust. In the future, China-US trade relations will face multiple challenges, and the comprehensive repair of bilateral relations will surely undergo a long and complex historical process.
In the discussion segment, Party members from both sides conducted in-depth exchanges on major historical and practical issues, such as the Great Changes Unseen in a Century from the dual perspectives of international movement research and foreign economic work, as well as the new situation and pattern of the "struggle between the two systems" [6] in the post-pandemic era. Researcher Tan Xiaojun of the Department of International Communist Movement Studies argued that the fundamental contradiction behind the China-US trade war lies in the struggle between the two systems of capitalism and socialism. Only by grasping the historical trend of the "Two Inevitabilities" [7] from a strategic height can one see through appearances to the essence in foreign economic work and research, profoundly analyze the drivers, and accurately judge the current situation. Li Xie, Secretary of the Seventh Party Branch of the Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau, focused on clarifying the issue of "China's implementation of trade countermeasures," a topic of general concern for branch members.
In the concluding exchange, the branch secretaries spoke highly of the significance of this joint-learning activity and offered suggestions for further strengthening such cooperation. Deputy Director Wang Xin, Secretary of the First Party Branch, believed that this exchange improved the political standing and theoretical literacy of the branch members, serving as important guidance for firmly establishing the "Four Consciousnesses" [8] and the "Four-Sphere Confidence" [9] in foreign economic work. Deputy Director Li Xie, Secretary of the Seventh Party Branch, believed the activity gave members a more comprehensive and profound understanding of the "basic issues and frontier trends of international communism and world socialism," enhancing their political awareness and Party spirit [10] to take responsibility and fulfill their duties loyally. Researcher Pan Jin’e, Secretary of the Party Branch of the Department of International Communist Movement Studies, concluded that by understanding the "hot spots" and difficulties in foreign economic work, such as the China-US trade war, members gained a deeper understanding of the necessity and regularities of the struggle between the two systems under the Great Changes Unseen in a Century. This activity not only expanded the researchers' horizons but also provided important enlightenment for the branch to further strengthen its political and ideological construction.