By KONG GENHONG

THE Communist Party of China is a political party that is firmly rooted in national conditions, attaches great importance to contacts with the outside world, and excels in absorbing advanced experience from beyond its borders. The Party has sustained international exchanges throughout its 90-year history. In the course of the Chinese revolution, construction of New China and its later reforms, its outstanding ability to avidly develop foreign relations and make positive use of them is one of the secrets of its continuing success.

Modern politics is the politics of political parties, as inter-party activities or meetings among leaders of political parties of different countries are an important aspect of international relations. The CPC conducts diplomacy primarily through its Central Committee, and the collective leadership of the Central Committee plays a pivotal role in this regard. The first-generation collective leadership of the Central Committee, with Mao Zedong at the core, laid the foundation for the Party's foreign policy, and made pioneering achievements.

Deng Xiaoping was a key member of the CPC's first-generation collective leadership and the helmsman of the second-generation collective leadership. Based on his ideas for new forms of inter-party relations, the CPC put forward four principles: "Independence, complete equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs."

After Jiang Zemin took the post of general secretary in 1989, the first foreigner he met with in this capacity was a guest invited by the Party. In a period when profound changes were occurring to the world's political pattern, he put forward guidelines for development of the CPC's diplomacy into the new century: on the basis of Deng Xiaoping's four principles, develop new-type relations of inter-party exchange and cooperation with all political parties that are willing to have contact with the CPC.

Against the backdrop of major changes in the international situation, the current CPC Central Committee, with Hu Jintao as general secretary, places great weight on the Party's foreign affairs. He points out that the Party's contact with the world is an "indispensable and important aspect of the Party's mission, and also a critical part of China's overall diplomacy." He has headed CPC delegations to foreign countries across the world, and met with many visiting delegations of foreign political parties.

A Party Open to Foreign Contacts

In different periods of the CPC history, the Party's international exchanges and cooperation created an external environment receptive for the CPC's seizing and then consolidating political power, governing the country, and performing its missions. These efforts won the acknowledgement, understanding and support of the international community.

In the 28 years from the founding of the CPC in 1921 to the foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi and other leaders of the Central Committee made full use of the party's foreign contacts, meeting with many prominent figures of the Communist International (Comintern) and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, international friends and progressive personages from various countries, so as to disseminate the CPC's principles and policies and expand the influence of the Party and the Chinese revolution. Especially during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, as the result of its excellent foreign publicity effort, backland Yan'an became the focus of the world. Many Western journalists visited Yan'an, among them Edgar Snow, Agnes Smedley, James Bertram, Evans F. Carlson, Harrison Forman, Gunther Stein, and Israel Epstein. Their reporting of the Red Capital brought the CPC's anti-Japanese diplomatic strategy to the eyes and ears of the world.

In October 1941, more than 130 representatives from 18 countries participated in the Oriental Anti-fascist Congress held in Yan'an, organized by the CPC, and elected members of the Anti-Fascist Alliance of Oriental Nations. Yan'an became the center of the anti-fascist struggle in the East. Norman Bethune, Dwarkanath Kotnis, Jean Ewen, Hans Shippe and Jacob Rosenfeld made the long journey to China, and made indelible contributions to the liberation cause of the Chinese people.

With the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, the CPC came to power. In the early years of New China, thanks to the Party's efforts in foreign affairs, socialist China rapidly won international recognition, which helped consolidate the new regime and create a favorable international environment for it. The day after the founding of PRC, the Soviet Union was the first country to proclaim the severance of diplomatic relations with the Kuomintang regime and establishment of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. Bulgaria and Romania soon followed suit. A little more than two months after the founding of New China, Mao Zedong led a delegation representing the Party and the Chinese government as well to visit the Soviet Union.

By January 1950, over a dozen socialist countries in Eastern Europe and Asia had established diplomatic ties with the PRC, including Czechoslovakia, Poland, Mongolia, German Democratic Republic, Albania and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. At the Eighth National Congress of the CPC held in 1956, the first national congress after the Party came to power, 56 foreign communist parties and workers' parties sent delegates, an indicator of the breadth of interest among the international community for the CPC. Mao Zedong said at the congress: "We have a common language, we don't feel isolated. They come to China from afar to attend our congress, bringing along profound friendship. This is a great inspiration and support to us." In 1959 at the 10th anniversary of the founding of New China, 61 communist parties and workers' parties sent delegations or representatives to share in the celebrations.

Starting in the late 1950s, when there arose a decade-long controversy between the Chinese and Soviet communist parties, followed by the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976), the external work of the CPC began to experience setbacks. The CPC was marginalized by the international community and fell into isolation.