Some Reflections on Xi Jinping’s Important Speech at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development

On June 2, 2023, Xi Jinping inspected the Chinese Academy of History and, while attending the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development, emphasized that “continuing to promote cultural prosperity, build a strong cultural country, and construct the modern civilization of the Chinese nation at a new starting point is our new cultural mission in the New Era.” [1]1 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development,” *Qiushi*, 2023, no. 13. (Note: This is a standard reference format; the original text cites it as footnote 1.) The best inheritance of history is to create new history; the greatest respect for human civilization is to create new forms of human civilization. Chinese-path modernization is a modernization in which material civilization and cultural-ethical progress are coordinated. This impels us communists in Western countries to reflect on ourselves, to reconsider the value of contemporary Western capitalist civilization and the contemporary predicament of European nation-states such as Italy.

2023年6月2日，习近平考察中国历史研究院并在出席文化传承发展座谈会时强调，“在新的起点上继续推动文化繁荣、建设文化强国、建设中华民族现代文明，是我们在新时代新的文化使命”1。对历史最好的继承，就是创造新的历史；对人类文明最大的礼敬，就是创造人类文明新形态。中国式现代化是物质文明和精神文明相协调的现代化。这促使我们西方国家共产党人反观诸己，反思当代西方资本主义文明的价值和意大利等欧洲民族国家的当代境遇。

I. The Coordinated Development of the Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation and the Degeneration of Contemporary Western Capitalist Civilization

一、中华民族现代文明的协调发展与当代西方资本主义文明的堕落

Clearly, without the development of material civilization, without an increase in the supply of goods and services accessible to the people, without liberating the broad masses from the urgent material needs that reduce them to slavery and from the daily struggle for survival that this entails, to speak loftily of the development of cultural-ethical progress is an unrealistic wishful thinking. Without socialist material civilization as a foundation, cultural-ethical progress degenerates into a privilege of those social strata that can afford it. If socialism is not “shared poverty,” then it first and foremost means the development of productive forces. As China, a great nation, enters the New Era, and the Chinese people, unprecedented in history, shake off absolute poverty, the social vision Marx once depicted—a transition from the realm of necessity to the realm of freedom—becomes concrete, possible, and necessary. If it were not for the tremendous efforts made by the Chinese Communists over more than 40 years in eliminating poverty, lifting nearly 800 million people out of absolute poverty, today’s international statistics on the impoverished population would inevitably have increased significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic of the past three years, rather than decreased.

显然，如果没有物质文明的发展，如果人民没有可获得的商品与服务供给的增加，如果没有将广大人民从使他们沦为奴隶的紧迫物质需求及为此而进行的日常生存斗争中解放出来，奢谈精神文明的发展就是脱离实际的一厢情愿。没有社会主义物质文明作为基础，精神文明就会沦为部分负担得起的社会阶层的特权。如果社会主义不是“共贫困”,那么首先就意味着生产力的发展。当中国作为一个伟大的国家迈入新时代，中国人民史无前例地摆脱绝对贫困，马克思曾描绘的社会愿景——一个从必然王国到自由王国的过渡，变得具体、可能且必要。如果不是中国共产党人40多年来在消除贫困方面付出的巨大努力，使近8亿人摆脱绝对贫困，今天关于贫困人口的国际统计数据必然会因过去三年的新冠疫情大幅增加，而非减少。

Today, the competition that pushes the world onto a track full of tension is manifested in the West primarily as a distorted economic competition. It emphasizes quantity over quality, and things over people themselves. The capitalist-dominated economic system systematically distorts the rules of the game, abuses the dominant role of the economy, and sometimes even abuses military policy. As long as it is necessary to break through the self-protection of weaker countries, Western capitalist countries use the “mortar” of the “free market,” but when they find themselves far behind in efficiency, they transform overnight into the most conservative and backward protectionists. This is what we see happening in the world: capitalist countries led by the United States use the most shameless lies (from “human rights” to “ecological” rules abused solely according to their interests) to hinder the development of trade and damage the vigorous growth of China’s economy. Recently, the West has even not hesitated to incite the outbreak of war, pushing the world to the brink of general nuclear conflict.

今天，将世界推向充满张力赛道的竞争，在西方主要表现为一种畸形的经济竞争。它注重数量而非质量，注重物而非人本身。资本主义主导的经济体系系统性地扭曲了游戏规则，滥用了经济的主导作用，有时甚至滥用了军事政策。只要需要破除较弱国家的自我保护，西方资本主义国家就会使用“自由市场”的“迫击炮”,但当它们发现自己在效率上远远落后时，就摇身一变成为最保守落后的保护主义者。这就是我们所看到的世界上正在发生的事情，以美国为首的资本主义国家用最无耻的谎言(从“人权”到仅根据它们的利益而滥用的“生态”规则)来阻碍贸易的发展，损害中国经济的蓬勃发展。近期，西方甚至不惜煽动战争的爆发，使世界处于普遍核冲突的边缘。

The extremely distorted competition within Western countries is accompanied not only by a decline in the material conditions of the vast majority of people but also by a spiritual degeneration caused by inequality, oppression, and intersecting conflicts of class, generation, race, religion, and gender—pushing society to the brink of collapse.

西方国家内部极为扭曲的竞争不仅伴随着绝大多数人物质条件的下降，而且伴随着不平等、压迫以及阶级、代际、种族、宗教、性等交叉性冲突所导致的精神堕落——这将社会推向了崩溃的边缘。

Compared with the “jungle of the rest of the world,” the dire conditions in the suburbs of Western capitalist metropolises, the degradation of workers’ social rights and wage rights, the privatization of services, and the deprivation of the welfare that the lower classes obtained in the decades after World War II constitute the bleak reality of the so-called “garden.” [2]2 This is a metaphorical contrast between the “garden” of the West and the “jungle” of the rest of the world, a common trope in Western discourse. This increasingly resembles the most terrifying nightmare of dystopian science fiction films.

与“世界其他地方的丛林”相比，西方资本主义国家大都市郊区的恶劣状况、工人的社会权利和工资权利的退化，服务业的私有化及对下层阶级在第二次世界大战后几十年中所获得的福利的剥夺，才是所谓的“花园”的惨淡现实2。这越来越像反乌托邦科幻电影中最可怕的噩梦。

In the West, even scientific and technological research tends to maximize economic profit rather than to meet people’s needs to the greatest extent. Various monopolies and conglomerates increasingly intensify their pursuit of profit. As we have seen in various Western countries, the biopharmaceutical complex is also subject to the logic of profit maximization and brings disaster to its own people, even at the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis—the Western management response was meaningless. In the Western world, the rules of civilized coexistence and harmony are broken, and material and spiritual disorder becomes dominant.

在西方，甚至科学和技术研究也倾向于实现经济利润最大化，而不是最大限度地满足人们的需求。各种垄断企业和复合体愈发变本加厉地追逐利润。正如我们在西方各国所看到的那样，生物制药复合体也受制于利润最大化的逻辑，并给本国人民带来灾难，即便在新冠疫情危机暴发之际也是如此——西方的管理应对毫无意义。在西方世界，文明共存与和谐的规则被打破，物质和精神上的无序成为主导。

II. The Independence and Autonomy of the Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation and the Subordination of Contemporary European Civilization

二、中华民族现代文明的独立自主性与欧洲当代文明的从属性

The Chinese-path modernization led by the Communist Party of China fundamentally differs from Western modernization, and this is inseparable from the theoretical self-awareness and clear understanding of the CPC. As Xi Jinping pointed out, “At the new historical starting point, to continue to promote cultural prosperity, build a strong cultural country, and construct the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, we must strengthen cultural confidence, insist on taking our own path, base ourselves on the great historical practice and contemporary practice of the Chinese nation, use Chinese principles to summarize Chinese experience, elevate Chinese experience into Chinese theory, and achieve spiritual independence and autonomy.” [3]3 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development,” *Qiushi*, 2023, no. 13. (Note: Original footnote 3.) “If we do not understand China from its long-standing historical continuity, it is impossible to understand ancient China, nor modern China, nor future China.” [4]4 Xi Jinping, “Speech at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development,” *Qiushi*, 2023, no. 13. (Note: Original footnote 4.) Without a clear understanding of one’s own national history and a profound grasp of one’s own national culture, it is impossible to guarantee the independence of one’s own people and the sovereignty of the country, which is the necessary foundation for establishing friendly relations and cooperation with the peoples of other countries.

中国共产党领导的中国式现代化与西方现代化存在着根本差异，而这与中国共产党相关的理论自觉和清醒认识密不可分。正如习近平指出的那样，“在新的历史起点上继续推动文化繁荣、建设文化强国、建设中华民族现代文明，要坚定文化自信，坚持走自己的路，立足中华民族伟大历史实践和当代实践，用中国道理总结好中国经验，把中国经验提升为中国理论，实现精神上的独立自主”3,“如果不从源远流长的历史连续性来认识中国，就不可能理解古代中国，也不可能理解现代中国，更不可能理解未来中国”4。如果没有对本民族历史的清醒认识和对本民族文化的深刻掌握，就无法保障本国人民的独立和国家的主权，而这正是能够与其他国家人民建立友谊和合作关系的必要基础。

When the European peoples embarked on the path of strengthening the foundations of their national cultures, humanity fell into a great historical disaster—World War I. Later, things became even worse, with various forms of fascism emerging, which in turn triggered World War II. So, what idea played a key role in nationalist ideology? The answer is the so-called “patriotism.” The “patriotism” propagated by the bourgeoisie is based on narrow nationalism, carrying the lies of a superstructure full of the desire for domination and oppression. It is false and distorted, and certainly does not contain the value goal of friendly openness toward the peoples of other countries. Thus, colonialism and imperialism, successively condensed into the false ideology of their so-called “patriotism,” dragged humanity into the abyss of war. For example, in Italy, fascism’s “reproduction” of the luxury and splendor of ancient Rome was merely a cover for the enormous exploitation of the working class and the desire of the ruling class to obtain a share of colonies in Africa.

欧洲人民走上强化其民族文化基础的道路时，人类陷入了巨大的历史灾难——第一次世界大战。后来更加糟糕，各种各样的法西斯主义出现，进而引发了第二次世界大战。那么，什么思想在民族主义意识形态中发挥了关键作用?答案是所谓的“爱国主义”。资产阶级宣扬的“爱国主义”是以狭隘民族主义为基础的，承载着充满统治和压迫欲望的上层建筑的谎言，是虚假的、扭曲的，更不会蕴含向他国人民友好开放的价值目标。于是，殖民主义和帝国主义，先后被浓缩至其所谓的“爱国主义”的虚假意识形态之中，将人类拖入战争的深渊。例如，在意大利，法西斯主义对古罗马的奢华与盛况的“再现”,不过是为了掩盖工人阶级遭受的巨大剥削以及统治阶级在非洲获得殖民地份额的欲望。

However, the end of European bourgeois nationalism did not occur in an era of peace and stability, but in the Cold War. Since the beginning of the Cold War, nationalism has been replaced by another poison. This poison—cosmopolitanism—today better suits the wishes of the new rulers across the Atlantic. The cultural traditions of the European peoples have been weakened, replaced by harmful models lacking any moral value, destined to homogenize the entire world market, to homogenize the tastes of all “consumers,” and to reduce the peoples of different countries to a uniform mass of consumers. Cosmopolitanism and nationalism are not two opposites, but two complementary faces of the same class oppression. It is opposed by internationalism, which has always been the lifeblood of the glorious European workers’ movement.

然而，欧洲资产阶级民族主义的终结并未发生在和平与稳定的时代，而是发生在冷战时期。自冷战开始以来，民族主义已经被另一种毒药所取代。这种毒药——世界主义——在今天更符合大西洋彼岸新统治者的意愿。欧洲人民的文化传统都被弱化了，取而代之的是缺乏任何道德价值的有害模式，注定要将整个世界市场同质化，以使所有“消费者”的品味同质化，并将不同国家的人民还原为同一化的消费大众。世界主义和民族主义不是两个对立的东西，而是同一种阶级压迫的两个互补面。它遭到了国际主义的反对，国际主义一直是光荣的欧洲工人运动的命脉。

By comparing the paths of two great countries, China and Italy, over the past two centuries, we find that after the founding of New China, the Chinese people, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, fully restored their ability to choose their own path, whereas Italy, despite having a similar background and strong industrial capacity and cultural heritage, did not equally recover the ability to choose independently. This is mainly because, since the beginning of the Cold War, Italy’s status as a defeated power placed it in a subordinate position. This has led to Italy’s continuous military occupation, with the situation worsening year by year. The United States has established military bases in Italy and in many parts of the world that are not under local control. Through these armed or control systems, the United States brings imperialist wars to all parts of the world, and protest movements by local residents are often suppressed by force or ignored. In Italy in particular, this de facto occupation completely exceeds the bounds of the Italian Constitution. It should be noted that many provisions of the Constitution of the Italian Republic make it one of the most “pacifist” fundamental laws in the world. And acquiescence to this occupation, or more precisely, Italy’s subservient behavior, has not been approved by parliament. This completely violates the most basic rules of the “democratic” countries that the West boasts of.

通过对中意这两个伟大国家两个世纪以来的道路进行比较，我们发现，新中国成立后，中国人民在中国共产党的领导下完全恢复了自己选择道路的能力，而意大利虽然拥有相似的背景和强大的工业能力与文化底蕴，却没有同样恢复独立选择的能力。这主要是因为自冷战开始以来，战败者的身份使意大利处于从属地位。这导致意大利在军事上被持续占领，且形势逐年恶化。美国在意大利以及世界上许多地方，都建立了不受当地人掌控的军事基地。美国通过这些武装或控制系统，将帝国主义战争带到世界各地，相关地区居民的抗议运动往往被武力压制或忽视。特别是在意大利，这种事实上的占领完全超出了意大利宪法的范围。要知道，意大利共和国宪法的许多条款使之成为世界上最具“和平主义”特点的根本大法之一。而对这种占领的默许，或者更确切地说，意大利的从属性行为并没有经过议会的批准。这完全违背了西方自诩的“民主”国家最基本的规则。

If we look at Italy in a broader sense, the situation is no better. If Europe ever had autonomy, it has now completely abandoned the role of exercising autonomy. The leadership of the European Commission is institutionally elected by no one and has now been reduced to an appendage of NATO, a political structure subordinate to a military structure. How deplorable!

如果我们从更广泛的意义上看待意大利，情况也不会好到哪里去。欧洲如果曾经拥有过自主性的话，现在则已经完全放弃了发挥自主性作用。欧盟委员会的领导层在制度上不是由任何人选举产生的，现在已经沦为北约的附属品，一个从属于军事结构的政治结构。何其可悲!

We hope that more Italian and even European people will hear and truly heed President Xi Jinping’s words — “use Chinese principles to summarize Chinese experience, elevate Chinese experience to Chinese theory, and achieve spiritual independence and self-reliance” [5]5 The “Italian Miracle” (il miracolo economico italiano) refers to the period of sustained economic growth in Italy from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, characterized by rapid industrialization and rising living standards.. This may inspire and motivate them to pull the history of their own national development back onto an autonomous track.

希望能有更多的意大利乃至欧洲人民听到并真正听得进习近平主席的话——“用中国道理总结好中国经验，把中国经验提升为中国理论，实现精神上的独立自主”5。这可能会启发和激励他们将本民族发展的历史重新拉回到自主的轨道上。

III. The Inclusiveness of the Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation and the Narrowness of Western Capitalist Civilization

三、中华民族现代文明的包容性与西方资本主义文明的狭隘性

Let us look again at Xi Jinping’s words

让我们再来看看习近平的话：“要秉持开放包容，坚持马克思主义中国化时代化，传承发展中华优秀传统文化，促进外来文化本土化，不断培育和创造新时代中国特色社会主义文化。”6这与西方资产阶级狭隘的民族主义、世界主义有着本质的差异。

First, openness and inclusiveness.

第一，开放与包容。

When a country’s people have a good understanding and deep affection for their own history and culture, they can open their minds and study and absorb all the fine civilizational achievements created by other nations in an original way.

当一个国家的人民对自己的历史和文化有良好的认知和挚爱之情时，就能够敞开心扉，以独创的方式研究并吸收其他民族创造的一切美好文明成果。

Second, localization.

第二，本土化。

From an economic perspective, localization means adapting a product or service to the “look and feel” needs of a specific language, culture, or target population. This is not the ability to forcibly impose a model, but the ability to absorb and metabolize things from the outside, so as to enrich the recipient’s theoretical, experiential, and practical accumulation without subverting it.

从经济学角度而言，本土化意味着使产品或服务适应特定语言、文化或需求人群的“观感”需求。这不是强制推行一种模式的能力，而是吸收和代谢来自外部事物的能力，以在不颠覆接受者的前提下，丰富其理论、经验积累与实践。

Xi Jinping emphasizes the importance of integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s fine traditional culture. What exactly is this integration? As is well known, Marxism originated in Europe from utopian socialism, German classical philosophy, and British classical political economy. The important discoveries of Marx and Engels tell us what the engine of historical development is. But this does not include individual personality — although emperors as rulers are also important — nor does it include abstract ideas, especially if these ideas cannot be disseminated among the people. The masses of the people are the engine that drives history forward; it is the masses of the people who create history. Therefore, far-sighted rulers must respect the people, not stand in opposition to them.

习近平强调将马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合的重要性。这种结合到底是什么呢?众所周知，马克思主义起源于欧洲的空想社会主义、德国古典哲学和英国古典政治经济学。马克思和恩格斯的重要发现告诉我们什么是历史发展的引擎。但这并不包括个体的个性——尽管作为统治者的皇帝等也是很重要的，也不包括抽象的思想——尤其这些思想不能为人民所传播的话。人民群众是推动历史前进的发动机，是人民群众创造了历史。因此，有远见的统治者必须尊重人民，而不是站在人民的对立面。

Marxism tells us that nationalism and cosmopolitanism respond to the interests of the ruling class, while internationalism and patriotism respond to the interests of the oppressed class. Xi Jinping emphasizes that Chinese civilization possesses continuity, innovativeness, unity, inclusiveness, and peacefulness. The outstanding significance of these five characteristics far transcends the boundaries of China and its millennia-old civilization.

马克思主义告诉我们，民族主义和世界主义是对统治阶级利益的回应，而国际主义和爱国主义是对被压迫阶级利益的响应。习近平强调，中华文明具有连续性、创新性、统一性、包容性、和平性。这五大特性所具备的突出意义，远远超越了中国及其数千年文明的边界。

Italian culture and civilization are also rooted in thousands of years of history. All high-level meetings between the Chinese and Italian authorities, including the most recent ones, have emphasized this point. In terms of language (from Latin to Italian), law (from Roman law to modern codes), and art, Italian civilization also possesses continuity and unique innovativeness. Italy’s political unification was achieved only in the 19th century, but cultural unification has always existed. On the one hand, during the Roman Empire, the empire’s rulers were attracted by Greek culture and, together with the ancient Roman people, created a higher level of ancient Roman culture on the basis of absorbing Greek culture. On the other hand, in the subsequent centuries, different cultures emerged and developed from ancient Roman culture.

意大利的文化和文明也植根于几千年的历史。中国和意大利当局举行的所有高级别会议，包括最近举行的会议，都强调了这一点。在语言(从拉丁语到意大利语)、法律(从罗马法到现代法典)和艺术方面，意大利文明也拥有延续性和独特的创新性。意大利的政治统一是在19世纪才实现的，但文化统一一直存在。一方面，在罗马帝国时期，帝国的统治者被希腊文化吸引，与古罗马人民一起在吸收希腊文化的基础上创造出了更高水平的古罗马文化。另一方面，在随后的几个世纪里，不同的文化从古罗马文化中产生并得以发展。

But unfortunately, peace has not been the protagonist of Italian history. The Roman Empire was imposed on other peoples by force. Subsequently, Italy was first torn apart by foreign powers that turned the Apennine Peninsula into a battlefield. After national unification, Italy was always pervaded by a desire for pointless revenge. Therefore, under any circumstances, Italy has always been part of the most bloody and violently conflict-ridden European continent, never enjoying true stability and peace. The false peace Italy experienced after World War II was actually formed under the shadow of an intrusive “protector.” This “protector” constantly imposed its rule, cutting off various possibilities for development that Italy could have had. For example, consider the period known as the “Italian Miracle” in the 1960s and 1970s, and the destruction of the mixed economy and state governance. This led to Italy’s scientific achievements in areas such as electronic information and chemicals being wasted by an entrepreneurial class incapable of fulfilling its national mission.

但不幸的是，和平并不是意大利历史的主角。罗马帝国是通过武力强加给其他民族的。随后，意大利首先被使亚平宁半岛沦为战场的外国势力撕裂。在国家统一之后，意大利始终弥漫着对无谓复仇的渴望。因此，在任何情况下，意大利始终是最为血腥且充满暴力冲突的欧洲大陆的一部分，从未享受过真正的稳定与和平。意大利在第二次世界大战后经历的虚假和平，实际上是在一个侵入性“保护者”的阴影下形成的。这个“保护者”不断强加其统治，切断了意大利本可以拥有的各种发展的可能性。例如，想想20世纪60年代和70年代被称为“意大利奇迹”的阶段，对混合经济与国家治理的破坏。这导致意大利在电子信息和化工等方面的科学成就被一个不能胜任其民族使命的企业家阶层浪费了。

Today, even when Italy signs simple trade agreements with other countries, it faces interference from countries that claim to be our allies, and this interference is not limited to the energy sector. Examples include signing the Belt and Road Initiative memorandum with China or trade agreements with Russia. The United States in particular forces us to abandon our autonomy and fruitful development. After Italy signed the aforementioned agreements, it was ostracized by the United States. Now, the renewal and continuation of these agreements face great uncertainty. Not only Italy’s working people, but also its most dynamic entrepreneurs are extremely dissatisfied with this. In pursuit of extremely short-sighted financial profits, Italy has abandoned the promotion of port trade development and the recovery of related production activities, sacrificing all of this on the altar of “loyalty to the Atlantic.” However, this “loyalty” is one-sided. Because when the United States deems it necessary, it will not hesitate to break the so-called rules of “loyalty.”

如今，即使意大利与其他国家签订简单的贸易协定，都会受到那些声称是我们盟友的国家的干涉，这种干涉不仅限于能源领域。如签订与中国的“一带一路”备忘录或与俄罗斯的贸易协定。尤其美国，会迫使我们放弃自主性和富有成果的发展。意大利在签署上述协议后，就遭到了美国的排斥。如今，这些协议的更新延续面临极大不确定性。不仅是意大利的劳动人民，而且最有活力的企业家也对此极为不满。因为追求极为短视的金融利润，意大利放弃推动港口贸易的发展和对相关生产活动的恢复，将这一切都牺牲在了“忠诚于大西洋”的祭坛上。然而，这种“忠诚”是单向的。因为当美国认为有必要时，则会毫不犹豫地打破所谓“忠诚”规则。

Yet, Italian public opinion propaganda, like that of the entire Western world, is subordinated to imperialism, portraying China as a threat to Italy’s independence. The ability of the Chinese Communist Party to lead the people, and all the development, construction, and creation that is being achieved, have become targets for fabricating lies and insinuations. When the game that imperialists impose on the world is surpassed in this or that field, they tear off their own disguise as advocates of the “free market” and are the first to trample these slogans underfoot — this is a typical double standard. This applies from economics to politics, from defending the sovereignty of “friendly” countries (in fact, colonies) to subverting the sovereignty of countries placed on “blacklists.” When it suits imperialist interests, they use “defending human rights” to ignore the atrocities committed by allies, and even obstruct the United Nations from making corresponding resolutions.

然而，意大利的舆论宣传像整个西方的舆论宣传一样受制于帝国主义，把中国描绘成对意大利的独立构成威胁的存在。中国共产党领导人民的能力，正在实现的一切发展、建设和创造，都成为编织谎言和含沙射影的对象。当帝国主义者强加给世界的游戏在这个或那个领域被超越时，便撕下自身“自由市场”拥护者的伪装，第一个将这些口号踩在脚下——这是典型的双重标准。从经济到政治，从捍卫“友好”国家(实际上是殖民地)的主权，到颠覆其主权并将之列入“黑名单”的国家都是如此。符合帝国主义利益的时候，便以“捍卫人权”无视盟友犯下的暴行，甚至妨碍联合国因此作出相应的决议。

IV. The Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation Points the Way for a Multipolar World

四、中华民族现代文明为世界指明多极化发展方向

At present, the world faces a contest between two directions of development. On one side is unipolarism led by the United States. A mere glance at the series of wars launched by the United States in recent decades, and the exploitation and oppression it has imposed on the entire world, suffices to reveal its true nature. As Lenin warned, Kautsky’s fantasy of “ultra-imperialism” has proven futile. In this fantasy, conflicts among monopoly capitals could find a resolution, thereby ultimately settling competitive conflicts until military conflicts are eliminated. The reality is that the capitalist-dominated system not only fails to resolve conflicts but instead fuels them. On the other side is a multipolar world picture. It is not the dialectical opposite of the former, because it is not a totalitarian system like the former. Multipolarity is a completely different way of leading the world. Multipolarism is a system unrelated to unipolarism. Xi Jinping proposed the five characteristics of Chinese civilization, which, in our view, are precisely the five fundamental principles of a multipolar system—continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness, and peacefulness. This indicates that the modern civilization of the Chinese nation, comprehensively rejuvenated under the leadership of the CPC and the guidance of Marxism, can make greater contributions to the world today. Multipolarism gives direction to the world, rather than controlling or dominating it. Chinese-path modernization is an opportunity for the world. Through cooperation, every country can benefit from the fruits of China’s development.

当前，世界面临两大发展方向的博弈。一方面，是美国主导下的单极主义。只要看看近几十年来美国所发起的一系列战争，对全世界施加的剥削和压迫，就足以认清其本质。正如列宁所警告的那样，考茨基关于“超帝国主义”的幻想被证明是徒劳的。在这种幻想中，垄断资本之间的冲突可以找到解决方案，从而最终解决竞争冲突，直到军事冲突被消灭。事实却是，资本主义主导的制度不仅不能解决冲突，反而助长了冲突。另一方面，是多极化的世界图景。它不是前者的辩证对立，因为它不是像前者那样的极权主义制度。多极化是对世界的一种完全不同的引领。多极主义是一个与单极主义无关的系统。习近平提出中华文明的五个特点，在我们看来，也正是多极化体系的五大基本原则——连续性、创新性、统一性、包容性、和平性。这表明了在中国共产党领导和马克思主义指导下全面复兴的中华民族现代文明，能够为当今世界作出更大的贡献。多极主义是给世界指明方向，而不是掌控或统治这个世界。中国式现代化是世界的机遇。通过合作，每个国家都能从中国的发展成果中受益。

What the five principles proposed by Xi Jinping specifically mean for the construction of a multipolar world is: first, respect for the culture and history of the peoples of different countries. Non-interference and respect for the systems chosen by these peoples themselves. Second, the ability to continuously improve and achieve win-win outcomes for the benefit of all people and the peoples concerned. Third, the peoples of each country continue their own history. Fourth, the ability to absorb and learn from the best cultures of other nations. Fifth, safeguarding the most important prerequisite for the survival and development of the world’s peoples—peace, not destroyed by war.

习近平提出的五大原则，对多极世界的构建而言，具体意味着：其一，尊重不同国家人民的文化和历史。不干涉并尊重这些人民自己选择的制度。其二，为了所有人和有关人民的利益而不断改进并实现双赢的能力。其三，每个国家的人民都延续着自己的历史。其四，吸收和借鉴其他民族最好文化的能力。其五，维护世界人民生存发展的最重要先决条件——和平，不被战争破坏。

We see that these five principles are all being undermined by US-led unipolarism. “Democracy promotion” is the first element in the unipolar totalitarian system. According to the double-standard rule of “different measures for different countries,” when a country does not submit to the will of imperialism, the latter wields the cudgel of public opinion and finds the most embarrassing excuses to attack it. When its allies do the same thing, or even worse, it justifies it and silently ignores or minimizes it in the name of true politics. The capitalist-dominated social system is inherently “cannibalistic” in nature. It has lost all capacity to bring positive results for humanity. Marx, Engels, and Lenin predicted the tragedies that are now occurring in the most violent way. Capitalist profits are achieved at the expense of its own populace and all lower classes. The financialization of Western countries has long reached unsustainable levels. These bubbles, about to burst, will be suffocating, and their harmful consequences will be transmitted beyond the imperialist core.

我们看到，这五项原则都正在被美国领导的单极主义破坏。“民主输出”是单极主义极权制度中的首个要素。根据“不同国家不同措施”的双标规则，当一个国家不屈从于帝国主义的意志时，后者就会舞动舆论大棒，并找到最尴尬的借口来攻击它。而当其盟友做出相同的事情，甚至更严重的行为时，则会去证明这是正当的，且以真正的政治之名默默地将之忽略、最小化。资本主义主导的社会体系本质上是“食人族”的属性。它已经失去了为人类带来积极成果的一切能力。当年，马克思、恩格斯和列宁已经预测到了今天以最暴力的方式发生的悲剧。资本主义利润是以牺牲其民众和所有下层阶级为代价的，西方国家金融化早就达到了不可持续的水平。这些即将破裂的泡沫会令人窒息，其恶果将传导到帝国主义核心圈之外。

Capitalist innovation was once highly praised and even seen as proof of the superiority of the capitalist system, but today’s innovation is an illusory fairy tale. The impact of every scientific and technological advance on the working masses is like an absurd drama. The few workers, far from gaining free time to enjoy life, are instead subjected to extreme enslavement, with surplus value squeezed to the utmost. Millions of unemployed or underemployed people live miserable lives. For 500 years, colonialism enriched the material life of the First World at the expense of the Third World. But today, colonialism has truly dragged the world to the brink of collapse. The history of the African continent is symbolic. Since modern times, it has been at the center of European colonialism. The collapse of colonialism after World War II opened a great era for African peoples to resist oppression and fight for independence, but imperialism and neocolonialism opposed African independence, doing everything to create chaos in order to maintain their political rule. The unfortunate decline of European socialism coincided with the “great restart” of colonialism. African peoples are constantly attacked or threatened. When new actors enter this continent—mainly socialist China—they are seen as thorns in the side by imperialist colonialists. For those accustomed to strangulation through plunder and financial means, infrastructure construction, the provision of loans not premised on property seizure, and fair and convenient bilateral trade are all “unfair competition.”

资本主义的创新在过去备受赞誉，甚至被视为资本主义制度优越性的证明，而如今的创新却是虚幻的童话。每一项科学技术进步所产生的影响，对劳动大众而言就像荒诞剧一样。为数不多的工人非但不能腾出享受生活的时间，反而备受奴役，剩余价值被压榨到了极致。数百万失业者或工作时间不足的人，都过着不幸的生活。500年来，殖民主义以牺牲第三世界为代价丰富了第一世界的物质生活。但今天，殖民主义真的把世界拖到了崩溃边缘。非洲大陆的历史具有象征意义。自近代以来，它一直处于欧洲殖民主义的中心。第二次世界大战后殖民主义的崩溃为非洲人民开启了反抗压迫和争取独立的伟大时代，但帝国主义和新殖民主义反对非洲独立，全力制造混乱以继续维持其政治统治。欧洲社会主义的不幸衰落恰逢殖民主义的“大重启”。非洲人民不断受到攻击或受到威胁。当新的主体进入这个大陆——主要是社会主义中国，就会被帝国主义殖民主义者视为眼中钉。对于那些习惯于通过掠夺和金融手段进行扼杀的人来说，基础设施建设，不以侵占财产为前提的贷款的发放，以及公平和便利的双边贸易，都是“不公平竞争”。

Even Europe is not much better. The price paid by European society under the iron-fisted rule of the United States is enslavement, the uprooting of the foundations of its own culture and social development. Peoples cut off from their ancestral history, culture, and traditions are at the mercy of fashions and stupidities from across the Atlantic.

即便欧洲也并未好到哪里去。欧洲社会在美国铁腕统治下所付出的代价是被奴役，自身文化和社会发展的根基被拔除。丧失与祖先历史、文化和传统连接的人民，任由来自大西洋彼岸的时尚和愚蠢行为摆布。

The unipolar world is also unidirectional: expanding from the imperialist center to the periphery. Language, customs, lifestyles, and ways of thinking—everything is homologous and unidirectional. Imperialism has never reached such a level of universal oppression.

单极世界也是单向的：从帝国主义的中心到外围扩展。语言、习俗、生活方式和思维方式，一切都是同源的、单向的。帝国主义从未达到如此普遍压迫的程度。

Whether imperialist wars are direct or waged by proxies, the immense destruction and suffering they cause find their balance in the profits obtained by the executioners. The executioners first destroy, then “rebuild” at the expense of the conquered peoples. Even Italian speculators have participated in these horrific banquets. The beneficiaries are the narrow financial elites closely tied to the Atlantic alliance. They are already squabbling over sharing the fruits of Ukraine’s “reconstruction.”

无论是直接的还是由代理人发动的帝国主义战争，其带来的巨大的破坏和痛苦都在刽子手获得的利润中找到了平衡。刽子手先是摧毁，然后以牺牲被征服的人民为代价进行“重建”。就连意大利的投机者也参加了这些恐怖的宴会。受益的是那些与大西洋联盟关系密切的狭隘的金融精英。他们已经在为分享乌克兰“重建”的成果而龃龉攻讦。

5. Chinese Civilization, Which Values “Harmony as the Most Precious,” Is a Bastion for Maintaining World Peace

五、讲究“和为贵”的中华文明是维护世界和平的堡垒

Compared with China, the United States is essentially dual in nature: a cowardly aggressor and a desperate beggar. On one hand, the US “paper tiger” interferes in China’s internal affairs, fuels separatism, and sends reconnaissance planes, aircraft carriers, and warships to the South China Sea; on the other hand, due to its terrible debt problems and declining economy, it behaves as if it needs China’s help.

与中国相比，美国本质上具有双重性质：懦弱的侵略者和绝望的乞丐。一方面，美国“纸老虎”干涉中国内政，助长分裂主义，向中国南海派遣侦察机、航母和军舰；另一方面，他们因可怕的债务问题和衰退的经济，表现得需要中国帮助。

What exactly do the imperialists want? Cooperation or conflict? Dialogue or confrontation? For China, the three principles for Sino-US relations are: mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation.

帝国主义者到底想要什么?合作还是冲突?对话还是对抗?对中国来说，中美关系的三项原则是：相互尊重，和平共处，合作共赢。

Recently, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, in his meeting with US Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen, emphasized: Chinese civilization has always valued peace as the most precious and opposes hegemonic and bullying behavior. It is hoped that the US side will adopt a rational and pragmatic attitude, work in the same direction as China, and promote the early return of Sino-US relations to the right track [7]7 The “right track” refers to the normalization of Sino-US relations based on mutual respect and the principles established in previous bilateral agreements, such as the three US-China joint communiqués.. Yellen stated that the US does not seek “decoupling and severing supply chains” (in fact, the US is severely deindustrialized and finds it difficult to “decouple” from China—author’s note), has no intention of hindering China’s modernization process, is willing to work with China to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state at the Bali summit, strengthen communication, avoid misunderstandings caused by differences, enhance cooperation in stabilizing the macroeconomy and addressing global challenges, and seek mutually beneficial and win-win outcomes for the US and Chinese economies. However, the US soon imposed unilateral sanctions on Chinese enterprises again, created an “entity list,” and attempted to weaken China’s development.

最近，中国国务院总理李强在与美国财政部长耶伦(Janet L. Yellen)的会晤中强调：中华文明历来讲究以和为贵，反对霸道霸凌。希望美方秉持理性务实态度，同中方相向而行，推动中美关系早日重回正轨7。耶伦表示，美方不寻求“脱钩断链”(事实上美国去工业化非常严重，很难与中国“脱钩”——作者注),无意阻碍中国现代化进程，愿同中方落实两国元首巴厘岛会晤达成的共识，加强沟通，避免因分歧导致误解，在稳定宏观经济、应对全球性挑战方面加强合作，寻求美中经济互利双赢。但是，美国很快又对中国企业实施单方面制裁，创建“实体清单”,试图削弱中国的发展。

There are only two possible reasons for this phenomenon. Either the US command system has no unified direction at all, or they think they are dealing with fools. If it is the first case, it indicates that the divisions and conflicts within the imperialist center are not shrinking but expanding. Conflicts of interest within the US bourgeoisie make this ship sway left and right. But neither the left nor the right will win; internal struggles are destined to prolong the agony of the Star-Spangled Banner empire, bringing ever greater danger to all humanity. The second case is unlikely to exist independently but is superimposed on the first. This is nothing new for Western diplomacy. Speaking with a “forked tongue” is their specialty. They still have not learned from these despicable tactics; they do not benefit from them, and they are detrimental to world development. Like the period before World War II, when European politicians used diplomatic means in the face of Hitler’s rise, although socialist China is a completely different, peace-loving country, these Western politicians are still playing with fire.

出现这样的现象，只有两个可能的原因。要么美国的指挥系统完全没有统一的方向，要么他们认为自己在跟傻瓜打交道。如果是第一种情况，则说明帝国主义中心内部的分裂与冲突不是在缩小，而是在扩大。美国资产阶级内部的利益冲突，使这艘船左摇右摆。但左派与右派都不会获胜，内部斗争注定会延长星条旗帝国的痛苦，给全人类带来越来越大的危险。第二种情况不太可能独立存在，而是与第一种情况叠加在一起的。这对西方外交来说并不是什么新鲜事。用“分叉的舌头”说话是他们的专长。他们仍然没有从这些卑劣的手法中吸取教训，他们并不能从中获益，更是对世界发展不利。如第二次世界大战前那段时期，面对希特勒的崛起，欧洲政客采用的外交手段。尽管社会主义中国是完全不同的、热爱和平的国家，但这些西方政客依然是在玩火。

At present, the frenzied behavior of Western imperialism will not cease spontaneously. The greatest bastion in the world capable of resisting these frenzies and criminal acts is China. Because this country possesses a courageous and fearless people, a Communist Party of China that has established Comrade Xi Jinping’s position as the core of the Party Central Committee and the core of the entire Party [8]8 “The core of the Party Central Committee and the core of the entire Party” is a standard formulation used in official CPC documents to, and, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, a People’s Liberation Army loyal to its country and its people.

当前，西方帝国主义的疯狂行为是不会自发停止下来的。世界上能够抵御这些疯狂和犯罪行为的最大堡垒就是中国。因为这个国家拥有英勇无畏的人民，拥有确立习近平同志党中央的核心、全党的核心地垃的中国共产党，及在中国共产党领导下忠诚于自己的国家和人民的中国人民解放军。

[About the authors: Marco Rizzo, Honorary President of the Communist Party (Italy); Alberto Lombardo, General Secretary of the Communist Party (Italy); Translator’s affiliation: Institute of Marxism, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences]

【作者简介：马可·里佐(Marco Rizzo),共产党(意大利)名誉主席;阿尔贝托·隆巴尔多(Alberto Lombardo),共产党(意大利)总书记；译者单位：中国社会科学院马克思主义研究院】

Online editor: Zhang Jian

网络编辑：张剑