ByZhengYang
Amilitarybandand21-gunsalute.That’sthekindoffanfarenationsusetoannounceavaluedrelationshipwithanothernation.Butwhenitcomestopoliticalparties,theyprefertomakefriendsinaquieterway.ThoughtheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC),oneofthelargestpartiesintheworldwithextensiverelationswithlikemindedorganizationsaroundtheworld,turns95onJuly1,therearefewpersonalanecdotesonitsexchangeswithotherparties.
However,veteranCPCmemberAiPinghasawealthofinformation,especiallyabouttheCPC’slinkswithAfricanparties,thankstoa30-yearcareerindevelopingtheCPC’sexternalrelations.Hiscareerinawayreflectsthegrowthofarguablythemostfamouscommunistpartyintheworld.
Milestoneshift
In1977,asanewlygraduatedEnglishmajor,AiwasassignedajobintheInternationalDepartmentoftheCPCCentralCommittee.
Thedepartmentwasestablishedin1951,lessthantwoyearsafterthebirthofthePeople’sRepublicofChina,tomanagetheexternalrelationsoftheCPCthroughexchangesandcooperationwithotherpoliticalpartiesintheworld.
AiwasputintheWestAsianandAfricanAffairsBureau.Inthesecondmonthonthejob,hegotthechancetowitnessanhistoricpolicyshiftintheParty.
Itwastheendof1977andrepresentativesoftheFrontfortheLiberationofMozambique(FRELIMO),therulingpartyinMozambique,werevisitingChina.FRELIMOhadexpressedkeennesstoestablishrelationswiththeCPC,butthelatterwasreluctanttodoso.
“Atthetime,theCPChadaprincipleofbuildingrelationsonlywithcommunistparties,”AitoldChinAfrica.“Itsexternalrelations,toalargeextent,servedtheInternationalCommunistMovement.”
Giventheprinciple,theCPCinsistedondefiningthetripasastatevisit,ratherthananexchangebetweenpoliticalparties,whichraisedeyebrowsinMozambique.
Atthetime,theCPCwasalsoopposingthehegemonyofthethenSovietUnion,andthecomprehensiverelationshipbetweenMozambiqueandtheSovietUnionfurthercomplicatedrelationsbetweenChinaandMozambique.
However,itisneveragoodideatotreatanolivebranchwithcoldness.Sothevisitbecameaturningpoint,promptingthePartytogivesecondthoughtstoitspolicy.Subsequently,theInternationalDepartmentandtheMinistryofForeignAffairsjointlyproposedtotheCPCCentralCommitteethattherestrictionsonchoosingfriendsbelifted,especiallyfornationalistpartiesinSub-SaharanAfrica.
“ItwasawatershedmomentinCPChistory.Sincethen,theexternalrelationsoftheCPCbegantobenolongerbasedonthesameideologynecessarily,norsharetheaimoftheInternationalCommunistMovement,”Aisaid.“Itbegantoservethenation’sforeigndiplomacyinstead.Iconsidermyselfveryluckytohavewitnessedthechange.”
TheCPC’s“friends’circle”firstopeneduptonationalistparties,thenextendedtosocialdemocraticparties,andfinallycrossedideologicaldifferencestoincludebourgeoispartiesindevelopedcountries.Today,theCPChasestablishedrelationswithmostmajorpoliticalpartiesintheworld.
“It[inter-partyexchanges]hasbeenadirectaccessandwindowfortheCPCtounderstandtheworld,”Aisaid.
AiPing,formerdeputyhead,InternationalDepartment,CPCCentralCommitteeWANGXIANG
AiPingandEthiopianPresidentMulatuTeshomeNaturalallies
AstheCPCmadethedecisiontoopenup,AifeltitwasdestinedtostartwithAfrica.
“AfricancountrieswerenaturalalliesoftheCPCbecausethenationalliberationmovementsinAfricancountrieswereinherentlylinkedtotheInternationalCommunistMovement,”hesaid.
InAfrica,thenationalliberationmovementsweremainlyledbyAfricanpoliticalparties.InfluencedbyChinaandthethenSovietUnion,manyAfricancountrieswereplanningtotakethesocialistroadaftertheirindependence.Thesimilarityinideologymeantsimilarthinkingfordevelopment;soitwasalwayseasiertofindacooperationmode,Aisaid.
Ideologicaldifferences,however,didnotcontinuetobeanobstacle.
“Theymightnotbeacommunistpartyortakethesocialistroadbuteverypoliticalpartyaroundtheworldfacessimilarchallengesandissues-peaceanddevelopment,”Airemarked.
WiththeCPCmakingmorefriendsaroundtheworld,Aihasvisitedover40AfricancountriesandgreetedmanyAfricanfriendscomingafartoChina.“OurjobistoshowthemtherealChina,andboththepositiveandnegativeexperiencesoftheCPC,”hesaid.
ThemostimportantthingforAfricancountries,hebelieves,istofindanapproporiatepathoftheirown.Toachievethat,politicalpartiesarenecessary.
OneoftheoldfriendsoftheCPCistheEthiopianPeople’sRevolutionaryDemocraticFront(EPRDF),whichcametopowerin1991.AnEPRDFdelegationfirstvisitedChinain1994tolearnaboutruraldevelopmentfromtheChineseexperience.AidesignedtheiritineraryinChinaandaccompaniedthemthroughoutthetrip.
ThreeyearslaterwhenhevisitedEthiopia,theoldfriendstoldhimtheyhadfoundan“Ethiopianpathofdevelopment”basedonwhattheylearnedinChina-apathofagriculturaldevelopment-ledindustralizationroad.
LiYuanchao(seventhleft),thenMemberoftheCPCCentralCommitteePoliticalBureau,visitsSouthAfricain2012SunZhengcai(thirdleft),MemberoftheCPCCentralCommitteePoliticalBureau,meetsfirstNamibianPresidentSamuelDanielShafiishunaNujomain2013Adifferentrole
Throughouthiscareer,AihadwitnessedmanyhistoricmomentsfortheCPC;hisownarrivedin2001.Thatyear,hewasappointedChineseambassadortoEthiopia.
FromaCPCofficialtoanambassadorismorethanajobchange,hesaid.“ItwasthetimeIrepresentedmycountry,anditmademeveryproud.”
Withoutthepreviousexperienceofinter-partyexchanges,Aisaidhecouldhavefacedmorechallengesinthenewposition.Thefriendshipestablishedpreviouslyalwayshelpedhimreachtherightpersoninanefficientway:“Itwaslikehavinganextrachannelforcommunication.”
Afterhistermendedin2004,ittookAisixyearstoreturntoEthiopia.WhenhewentthereasdeputyheadoftheInternationalDepartmentoftheCPCCentralCommitteein2010,hewasamazedbythechanges.HealsorealizedChina-Africarelationshadenteredanewlevel.
Intheneweraofglobalization,Aisaysthebasisofdiplomaticrelationsbetweencountriesgoesbeyondsimilarideology,party-to-partyrelationsorindividualfriendship.Mutualbenefitachievedthroughcooperationisthecoreissue.
“Inanycountryintheworld,diplomacyalwaysservesdomesticneeds,”hesaid.“Chinahasbeenfocusingoneconomicdevelopmentsincetheinitiationofreformandopeningupinthelate1970s,sotheaimofitsforeignpolicyistocreateafavorableenvironmentformodernizationandpromoteeconomicexchangeswithothercountries.”
AfterretiringfromtheInternationalDepartmentoftheCPCCentralCommitteein2014,AiwaselectedasVicePresidentoftheChineseAssociationforInternationalUnderstanding,anon-profitorganizationestablishedfor“lettingtheworldunderstandChina,andlettingChinaunderstandtheworld.”CA
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ChinaReportChronology
»July1921:TheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC)isfounded.
»October1949:TheCPCbecomestherulingpartyofChina.
»December1977:TheCPCCentralCommitteeconductsexchangeswithsomepoliticalpartiesincountriesinSub-SaharanAfrica,breakingthetraditionoftheCPCconductingexchangesonlywithMarxistandLeninistparties.ThedecisionnotonlywasabreakthroughinitsexchangeswithpoliticalpartiesinAfricancountries,butalsoheraldedanewerafortheCPC’sforeign-exchangeinitiativesworldwide.
»May1978:ASomaliRevolutionarySocialistPartydelegationvisitsChina.ThiswasthefirstAfricanpoliticalpartyreceivedbytheCPC.
»1991:ACPCdelegationledbyLiRuihuan,MemberoftheStandingCommitteeofthePoliticalBureauoftheCPCCentralCommittee,visitsSenegal,BurkinaFaso,UgandaandBurundi.Thiswasthefirsthigh-leveldelegationtoAfricaaftertheCPCbeganexchangeswiththerulingpartiesofAfricancountriesinthelate1970s.SincethentheCPCCentralCommitteehasbeensendingdelegationstoAfricaannually.
»1994:TheEthiopianPeople’sRevolutionaryDemocraticFrontsendsitsfirstdelegationtoChina.
»2001:ASouthAfricanCommunistPartydelegationvisitsChina.
»December2004:ACPCdelegationarrivesinMadagascarforthefirstnationalcongressofTiakoIMadagasikara,therulingparty.
»December2012:ACPCdelegationattendsthecelebrationofthe25thanniversaryofthefoundingoftheRwandanPatrioticFront.
»April2013:AiPing,ViceMinisteroftheInternationalDepartmentoftheCPCCentralCommittee,attendsthefoundingceremonyoftheCouncilofAfricanPoliticalPartiesinKhartoum,Sudan.
»July2016:TheCPCandSouthAfricanCommunistPartybothcelebratetheir95thbirthday.
AiPingvisitsthenEthiopianPrimeMinisterMelesZenawiatthelatter’sresidence