Marxism Research Network
Unofficial English Translation

The Blue Book of International Communist Movement, "Report on the Development of the International Communist Movement," Receives Positive Responses at Home and Abroad

Notices & Announcements

Comprehensive Information: The "Yellow Book on the International Communist Movement," titled Report on the Development of the International Communist Movement, is developed and authored by the Institute of Marxism Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and published by the Social Sciences Academic Press. Since its publication in July 2019, it has garnered extensive attention both domestically and abroad. The 2020 general report has been published in major journals in countries such as Vietnam and Italy, sparking discussions among foreign communist parties and scholars.

The Yellow Book on the International Communist Movement is edited by Jiang Hui, Member of the CASS Party Leadership Group, Director of the Institute of Contemporary China, and President of the Institute of Marxism Studies; and Pan Jin'e, Director of the International Communist Movement Research Department at the Institute of Marxism Studies. Publication of the Yellow Book series began in 2019, with the second volume released in July 2020. The third volume is expected to be issued in June 2021, and annual reports will be released as planned in the future.

Following its domestic publication, the Yellow Book has attracted relatively broad attention from foreign communist parties and the left wing. In July 2020, the New Communist Party of Aotearoa (New Zealand) posted information regarding the publication of the Yellow Book along with English abstracts of its various chapters on its official website, which drew the attention of communist parties in multiple countries.

In October 2020, after the International Communist Movement Department of the Institute of Marxism Studies sent the English abstract of the general report to Andrea Catone, editor-in-chief of the prominent Italian leftist journal MarxVentuno (Marx in the 21st Century), and Francesco Maringio, a member of the Central Committee of the Italian Communist Party, they received an enthusiastic response. They expressed a desire to publish the development report in Italy annually. This will greatly encourage Italian communists and inspire an increasing number of comrades from European communist and workers' parties, as well as more vanguard thinkers of the European left, to pay attention to socialism with Chinese characteristics, understand the achievements of Sinicized Marxism, and follow the developmental trends of the world socialist movement. Upon receiving the English version of the general report from the International Communist Movement Department, MarxVentuno translated it into Italian and published it in both English and Italian. The English version was released on the MarxVentuno official website in December 2020, while the Italian version was published in the first issue of MarxVentuno in 2021.

Following its publication, the general report of the Yellow Book won high attention from Italian leftist scholars and triggered an extensive discussion and reflection among Italian communists regarding their own predicament. The Italian "MarxVentuno Association for Political Culture" organized a dedicated seminar for this purpose. Among the participants, Professor Tine of the University of Catania argued that the analysis by Chinese scholars regarding the Comintern’s role in promoting the establishment of communist parties worldwide, as well as its leadership achievements and failures in the anti-fascist struggle, is highly instructive. He noted that communists around the world should explore socialist paths suited to their own national conditions. However, the development of the world socialist movement today is very uneven; in Europe, communist parties in most countries are marginalized. Western European communist parties should pay more attention to the experience and achievements of the Communist Party of China. Leftist scholar Caputo opined that the analysis of the international communist movement's situation by CASS scholars serves as a source of spiritual impetus for communists and socialists in many countries to formulate and implement new strategies. The Italian Communist Party and others stated that the CASS research report helps Italian communists broaden their relatively narrow political vision. Given the response to the general report in Italy, the "MarxVentuno Association for Political Culture" has actively approached influential Italian leftist publishers to conduct preliminary negotiations for the publication and promotion plans of the English report.

Simultaneously, the Vietnamese version of the general report has been published in two installments in the journal Socialist Science: Theory and Practice (Issues 5–6, 2020), sponsored by the Central Party School of the Communist Party of Vietnam. It is understood that leaders and scholars at the Central Party School have evaluated it very positively, expressing hope that the annual Yellow Book can be translated into Vietnamese and published in Vietnam. Additionally, other foreign communist parties, including the New Communist Party of Aotearoa and the Communist Party of Australia, have expressed their desire to publish the Yellow Book.

Appendix 1: Relevant Journals and Website Links of the Yellow Book General Report Published Abroad

  1. Journal of the Central Party School of the CPV: Socialist Science: Theory and Practice (Bimonthly), Issue 5 (October 2020) and Issue 6 (December 2020). The general report of the Yellow Book on the International Communist Movement (2019-2020), titled "New Developments in the International Communist Movement: Report on the Development of the International Communist Movement 2019-2020," was published in two parts. The journal cover and table of contents are shown below.
  2. Italian communist magazine MarxVentuno, Issue 1, 2021, published "The International Communist Movement 2019-2020: A Research Report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences." The journal cover is shown below.
  3. English and Italian links to the report on the MarxVentuno website (omitted in translation).
  4. Analyses and reflections by Italian leftist scholars on the contents of the general report (omitted in translation).
  5. The New Communist Party of Aotearoa homepage introduction of the Yellow Book (omitted in translation).

Appendix 2: Introduction to the Yellow Book on the International Communist Movement (2019-2020) The 2019-2020 Yellow Book on the International Communist Movement conducts a comprehensive investigation and analysis of the development of the international communist movement in 2019 and provides an outlook for its prospects in 2020. The book is divided into five parts. The General Report summarizes the developmental trends in the history of the international communist movement in 2019 and predicts/analyzes the trends for 2020. The Hotspot Focus section conducts research on key events of 2019, such as the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Comintern, the centenary of the May Fourth Movement [1], and the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The Reform and Development section provides follow-up research on focal issues in the political, economic, and social fields of existing socialist countries—Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam, and Laos—in 2019. The Ideological Trends and Movements section studies the performance of communist and workers' parties in non-socialistic countries such as Nepal, India, the United States, Belgium, and Japan. The Reference Materials section consists of a chronicle of major events.

In his speech at the book launch on July 18, 2020, Comrade Jiang Hui, member of the CASS Party Leadership Group, pointed out that compared to similar books in the discipline of the international communist movement, the Yellow Book possesses authority, originality, professionalism, and a frontier nature, with distinct characteristics and prominent focuses. The "specialty" of the Yellow Book lies in its use of a Marxist perspective to examine the evolution of the global landscape and major events and issues. Its "emphasis" lies in being reality-oriented, researching major theoretical and practical issues of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era. Its "aspiration" lies in facing the future; based on in-depth research into the new trends and characteristics of the world socialist movement, it summarizes the developmental laws and trends of the movement in the early 21st century, providing scientific analysis and judgment on new patterns and directions. Yang Qun, editor-in-chief of the Social Sciences Academic Press, stated that the Yellow Book is rich in content, summarizing the experiences and lessons of international socialist activities and paying attention to the characteristics and innovations of reform and construction in foreign socialist countries. Furthermore, despite the current scarcity of such research, the book carries out down-to-earth research that seeks truth from facts regarding the 100th anniversary of the Comintern, summarizing a century of experiences and lessons, which has earned affirmation and praise from peers in the field.

Major media outlets, including People’s Daily Online, Guangming Online, Chinassh.cn (CASS website), and China Radio International, reported on and introduced the launch and main contents of the Yellow Book. (Contribution by Li Kaixuan)