People's Democracy

High-Level CPI(M) Delegation Visits China

A FIVE member CPI(M) delegation led by Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury and consisting of Manik Sarkar, Polit Bureau member and chief minister of Tripura, central committee members P Ramaiah from Andhra Pradesh, Mohammad Amin from West Bengal and Kumar Shiralkar from Maharashtra is visiting China at the invitation of the International department of Communist Party of China from October 16. This team will stay in China for 10 days. 

This high-level visit of the CPI(M) leadership to China is significant in the background of the forthcoming visit of Hu Jintao, Chinese president to India in November. In November there will be summit level talks between Indian prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Chinese president. According to Sitaram Yechury, who spoke to INN correspondent from Beijing, the deliberations of the delegation with the important functionaries of CPC and China government will help in preparing the ground for the summit meeting in November.

The Chinese foreign minister Li Zhao Xing met the delegation on October 17 in Beijing and had detailed discussions on the relations between two parties and two countries. The team will visit some industrial establishments nearby Beijing and the Great Wall apart from holding discussions with the representatives of Communist Party of China and the government of China. 

On the same day, the Standing Committee member of Polit Bureau of CPC, Luogan held discussions with the visiting CPI(M) delegation at the Great Hall of Peoples. He stressed that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of China have to play a major role in building relations between the two countries. Luo is one of the 9-member team which is monitoring the relations between the government and the Party in China. He is in-charge of the internal security as also the law and order. Luogan also briefed the delegation about the decisions of the sixth plenary session of the 16th central committee of the CPC. He said that the main focus of the meeting was centred on removing the disparities between the rich and poor and the imbalances between the regions. He told the delegation that the resolutions adopted in this meeting would form part of the guidelines for building a harmonious society, defined as democratic society based on rule of law and justice and equality. He conceded that quite a few problems still exist in building a harmonious society.

According to the CPC understanding, improper handling of the complicated situation will lead to economic stagnation and also social instability. He briefed the delegation that in 2005, the per capita income of urban Chinese was higher by 3.22 times compared to the rural Chinese. Luogan informed the delegation that Party general secretary Hu Jintao urged the leaders of the provincial governments for building a social justice guarantee system based on ‘equal rights, equal opportunities, fair rules, and fair distribution.’ He also spoke about the steps taken by the Party and the government to curb corruption and referred to the recent sacking of Shanghai mayor who was the Polit Bureau member of the Party after corruption charges against him were proved. 

The CPI(M) delegation will also have discussions with the vice president of the central policy study group on Marxism Theory and Practice. The year 2006 is declared as the year of ‘India–China Friendship Year’. Discussions about various activities as part of celebrating this year will also be held. 

Sitaram Yechury briefed Luogan about the role the CPI(M) is playing in India and its efforts in furthering the relations between the two countries. (INN)