After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the CPC in 1978 the CPC realized the most significant shift since the founding of New China, and its external relations work entered a new era of adjustment, growth and reform. This is reflected in three important development stages. From the late 1970s to the late 1980s, the second-generation central collective leadership with Deng Xiaoping at the core made a scientific judgment on the international situation and characteristics of the times, radically adjusted the Party's diplomatic strategy and launched a new era in the Party's external relations. From the late 1980s to the early 21st century, the third-generation central collective leadership with Jiang Zemin at the core and holding aloft the great banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory, put forward the concept of the "three represents," enriched the connotations of international exchanges between political parties, and the CPC's external relations work made in roads. Since the 16th National Congress of the CPC in 2002, the Central Committee with Hu Jintao as general secretary, under the guidance of Deng Xiaoping Theory and important concept of the "three represents," has championed the scientific approach to development and the "harmonious world" concept. The CPC holds high the banner of peace, development and cooperation, explores new frontiers in foreign affairs of political parties, thereby achieving great advances in the Party's external relations work.

Reaching Out to Political Parties Overseas

In March and December 2010 the first and second China-U.S. Inter-party High-level Dialogues were held in Beijing and Washington respectively, signaling the institutionalization of exchanges between the CPC and the two political parties of the United States. This opened a new chapter in China-U.S. relations, inter-party exchanges, as well as a new platform for enhancing mutual understanding and mutual trust that would promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations. It also created an important new channel for building overall cooperation between the two countries in the 21st century. By any measure it was a development of historic and practical significance.

Since China adopted the policy of reform and opening-up in 1978, the Party has steadily expanded its foreign contacts, and its external relations work has developed by leaps and bounds. To date, the CPC has built ties and bridges of different forms with more than 600 political parties and political organizations in more than 160 countries and regions.

Starting in the late 1970s, the CPC gradually restored relations with the communist parties of other countries, working on the principle of letting bygones be bygones, looking forward, and seeking cooperation. Aiming to strengthen unity and cooperation with developing countries, the CPC has built ties of exchange and cooperation in various forms with national and democratic parties in power in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Starting in the 1980s, based on the principle of transcending ideological differences, the CPC has built ties with social, social democratic and labor parties in European countries and with their representation in international organizations there.

Starting in the mid-1980s, to promote healthy and stable development of relations between China and developed countries, the CPC has contacted and conducted exchanges with some traditional center-right parties in Western Europe.

In the early 1990s, in the context of radical changes in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and the surging tide of multi-party systems, the CPC steadily carried out exchanges with various types of political parties, old and new, in the former Soviet Union, Eastern European countries and in Africa. The Party's exchange targets encompassed many kinds of countries, including parties in socialist countries, in the developed and developing world, neighboring and distant countries; global parties and regional parties; ruling parties, and parties that formed the legal opposition; parties in countries having or having no diplomatic relations with China. The CPC had formed a pan-dimensional, multi-tiered, wide-ranging and in-depth pattern of foreign exchanges.

The CPC has established various mechanisms to conduct exchanges with foreign political parties. A succession of party dialogues took place between China and countries such as Vietnam, Japan, Russia, India, the U.S., Britain and some other European countries. The CPC has also signed agreements on exchanges with political parties in Britain, Germany and France. Contacts between the CPC and the ruling parties of socialist countries have been further enhanced, and its relations with political parties in neighboring countries have been strengthened. Its contacts with political parties in developing countries have expanded, and relations with political parties in developed countries have proceeded healthily. At the same time, multilateral party activities are becoming more active. There has been continuous strengthening of exchanges between the CPC and international and regional political parties such as the Socialist International, the Christian Democrat and People's Parties International, and the main parties of the European Parliament, the Party of European Socialists, the European People's Party, the Permanent Assembly of Political Parties in Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPPAL).

Developing More Pragmatic Exchanges Between Political Parties

Interactions between international and domestic circumstances influence the CPC's foreign exchanges which are constantly expanding, developing, deepening and improving. The main contents include: exchange of views with foreign political parties on bilateral, multilateral, regional or international situations, hot issues of common concern, so as to serve overall diplomacy; sharing experience on governance, learning from the development of other countries and their experiences. All foreign experience is taken as a reference, and the pros and cons of different party systems are considered, as are the lessons drawn from their rise and decline. Through regular contact the CPC seeks appropriate avenues for bilateral or multilateral economic cooperation, promotion of economic development through political cooperation, and establishment of healthy interaction between political and economic agendas.