2016 China's Path European Forum (Italy Session) Held in Rome
On October 15, 2016, the "2016 Europe Forum on the Chinese Path (Italy Venue)" was held in Rome. The forum was co-hosted by the Institute of Marxism Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the Italian Politics and Culture Association Marx 21st Century (Associazione Politico-Culturale Marx 21), the Italian publisher "MarxVentuno," and the Communist Party of Italy (Partito Comunista Italiano) [1].
Centering on the theme of the "Five Development Concepts [2] and the Chinese Path," the forum featured a Chinese delegation of nearly 40 experts led by Deng Chundong, Director of the Institute of Marxism Studies at CASS. The delegates represented over 30 Chinese institutions, including CASS, the provincial Academies of Social Sciences of Shandong and Anhui, as well as several universities such as Tsinghua University and Renmin University of China (RUC).
More than 100 participants attended from various sectors of Italian society, including political and academic experts such as Mauro Alboresi, the newly elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Italy; Andrea Catone, Editor-in-Chief of MarxVentuno; Domenico Losurdo, President of the Politics and Culture Association Marx 21st Century; and Silvio Pons, Director of the Gramsci Foundation Institute (Fondazione Gramsci).
Director Deng Chundong opened by expressing his gratitude to the organizers of this session of the China-Europe Forum. In his opening address, he introduced the original aspiration and development history of the "Europe Forum on the Chinese Path," which has been co-organized since 2014, and outlined the achievements made in friendly exchanges between China and Italy and in the promotion of the Chinese path. He suggested further expanding the research topics of the forum: first, he expressed hope that Chinese and Italian scholars would conduct in-depth discussions on the current situation and difficulties facing Europe, the role of the European Union, important issues in global governance, and the status and developmental trends of the contemporary world socialist movement. Second, he hoped both sides would provide more introductions to their respective national conditions, including the work and domestic/foreign policies of the Communist Party of China and the Communist Party of Italy. Through these conference exchanges, he aimed to enhance mutual recognition among various circles of Chinese and Italian society, thereby increasing understanding and mutual trust between the two peoples. Third, he hoped the forum would propose practical measures and content for further strengthening academic and cultural exchange and cooperation between China and Italy.
Mauro Alboresi offered his congratulations on the successful convening of the forum. He argued that there is very little understanding in Italy regarding China, the Communist Party of China, and socialism with Chinese characteristics, and that this situation must be changed through Sino-Italian exchange and cooperation.
Participating experts and scholars engaged in in-depth discussions on several topics: the crisis of the European Union and how to overcome it; the internet and global governance; China-Europe, China-Russia, and China-US relations; the future of Marxism and socialism; how to oppose hegemonism [3] and maintain world peace; how to break the information monopoly of certain media outlets; and how to strengthen China-Europe cooperation under the conditions of globalization.
Scholars at the meeting generally agreed that the "American model" has failed, and that the "universal values" [4] imposed on the world by the United States can only lead to crisis and turmoil. They posited that it is no longer feasible for the United States to seek global hegemony alone. They noted that the EU crisis is an objective reality, and it is unrealistic to rely on any single country, such as Germany or France, to dominate the Union. Furthermore, they suggested that the 21st century is the "Chinese century," with China serving as the safeguard for world peace and human progress in the 21st century and a powerful guarantee against global injustice. To establish a new international governance system, they concluded, China's active role must be leveraged, and China-Europe cooperation must be prioritized.