ON the afternoon of June 29, the international delegation from Britain, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, the US, Canada and Australia flew to Beijing to stay at the state-owned and splendidly refurbished Wanshou Hotel, east of the city centre.

Our first meeting on Friday morning was with a long-standing friend, director-general of the CPC international department’s North American, Oceanian and Nordic Affairs bureau, Zhou Rongguo, his deputy Wang Yingchun and younger bureau officials.

They were keen to learn more about how people in developed Western countries live, deal with their problems and fight injustices. How are our communist parties doing, what are their prospects and those for the advance to socialism?

They also welcomed suggestions about how the Communist Party of China (CPC) might counter lies and smears. How could we improve relations between our respective peoples, avoid a new cold war, and strengthen relations between our Communist parties?

Every party from the delegation had ample time to respond, although none could deny the reality of growing anti-China feeling in the West and the onset of a cold war (except for one delegate who believed that such tension could only improve the prospects for socialist revolution, whatever the risk of war).

My own response welcomed the CPC’s readiness to admit and address China’s problems, weaknesses and mistakes, which some people in the West would contrast favourably with the conduct of their own political leaders.

Of course, I outlined the cost-of-living (or “cost-of-profits”) crisis in Britain and the resistance to it, highlighting the British mass media’s distorted picture of domestic issues and their exclusion of all dissenting voices when it comes to China, the Ukraine war, Nato and nuclear weapons.

Perhaps China should challenge the world’s nuclear-armed powers to all sign up to the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons together on a named date in the future?

I also pointed to the case of the Wafer Fab semiconductor plant in Newport, where up to 600 staff face redundancy if the company’s Chinese shareholding cannot be sold, as an example of how anti-China economic sanctions — introduced at the behest of the US — are directly damaging the interests of workers and the economy.

It was then an honour to speak at a ceremony where the heads of the CPC international department awarded 50-year service medals to veteran Communists and new recruits swore their oaths of loyalty to the party and the people. No foreign delegation has previously been invited to attend such an event.

I congratulated the CPC members on their half-century in a spirit of modesty, having myself served in the Communist Party of Britain for only 40 years.

Mao’s definition of a good communist seemed apposite at this point: “Someone who is unselfish, resolute, practical, far-sighted and without prejudice... Someone who subordinates personal interests to the interests of the masses.”

Then it was a meeting and lunch with international vice minister Guo Yezhou, another friendly and familiar face, who wanted to hear more about the political situation in Britain as well as other countries.

In the afternoon, the international comrades met China’s Communist Youth League (CYL) at their Beijing offices. One of its central secretaries, Shapkat Wushur — a member of China’s growing Uighur community — reported on the 19th CYL congress held earlier that month.

Women comprised 40 per cent of the 1,500 delegates representing 74 million members aged from 14 to 28 (although office-holders may continue in membership for a few years). It was also attended by Johnnie Hunter, general secretary of Britain’s Young Communist League (YCL).

The congress revised its development plan, which seeks to strengthen bodies under its control such as the National Youth Federation, the National Federation of Students and the Chinese Young Pioneers.

In the discussion that followed this report, Judith Cazorla outlined the recent growth of the YCL and the importance of combining militancy and discipline with Marxist-Leninist education.  

Later, at the headquarters of the All-China Federation of Trades Unions (ACFTU), deputy chair Xiong Xuanguo outlined the very different context in which China’s unions operate.

The ACFTU organises 300 million workers in 10 industrial unions and 31 provincial and regional associations. As the only union body recognised by employers and the state, its wide range of responsibilities includes not only collective bargaining and protecting workers’ existing rights but also lobbying state bodies and the CPC about labour and social rights and assisting members with access to employment, financial support, social benefit advice and skills training.

Legislative changes have compelled foreign-owned enterprises to allow the formation of CPC cells in all workplaces, much to the dismay of some transnational corporations and the anger of US representatives at the World Trade Organisation.

Comrade Xiong insisted that workers must enjoy their full share of the “fruits of modernisation,” and that this should include migrant workers and others who need retraining to keep up with technological advances.

The Covid pandemic had a negative impact on many workers, with company losses provoking redundancies and some employers refusing or delaying the payment of wages — especially to migrant workers. Combined union and CPC pressure has usually paid off.

In recent years, hundreds of trade union service stations have been set up to provide outdoor workers in cities and the countryside with leisure, cooking, sanitation, first aid and communications facilities.   

Deputy chair Xiong was unapologetic about the ACFTU policy of raising productivity and avoiding strikes wherever possible. Many millions of its members continue to benefit from China’s phenomenal economic growth, which is currently running at an annual rate above 6 per cent.

Nor did he agree with a reduction in the standard five-day, eight-hour working week — at least not yet. “There’s not enough wealth in the country to cut it, although we are not in favour of overloading workers either, although some overtime is acceptable for the appropriate pay,” he told our delegation.

I took the opportunity to brief the ACFTU deputation on Britain’s strike wave and its prospects and pointed to the desirability of sending more British and Western trade union delegations to China.

Within weeks of my return, an email invitation from the ACFTU to send such a delegation had been received.

Robert Griffiths is general secretary of the Communist Party of Britain.