Implications of the CPC for Latin America

Juan de Dios Parra

O ne day in July 1921， 13 people gathered around a rough table and founded a political party that no one imagined at the time would later grow into the largest of its kind in the world.

One-hundred years have passed. Looking back at the year 1921， the 13 people were undoubtedly initiating the greatest feat in human history in terms of political， military， economic and social change.

These founders were determined to engage， and held a belief， in the cause of uniting and liberating the people， whatever the result might be — triumph or failure.

The feat is significant. For more than 100 years， China had suffered foreign invasions and was torn apart by warlords， genocides， civil wars， plunders and exploitation. And its people fell victim to poverty， misery and despair.

Under the leadership of Mao Zedong， the Communist Party of China led the workers and peasants to liberate themselves successfully and founded the Peoples Republic of China. Putting an end to the humiliations and suffering that had lasted for more than a century， they began to build a new country， and with joint efforts achieved tremendous development for the benefit of the people in less than 50 years.

The revolution led by Mao Zedong attracted the attention of people around the world. The fact that the exploited and poor peasants and workers took up weapons to fight the Japanese invaders and other imperialist countries inspired people around the world who were suffering under oppressive rules and fighting against exploitation.

In almost all Latin American countries， the Chinese example provided new inspiration for young people engaged in social struggle. They launched political mobilizations of the poor in rural and urban areas. More young people were attracted to the organization. They were actively working in the poorest areas of the country and practicing the motto of “serve the people”initiated by Mao.

These revolutionary movements helped promote structural changes in Latin American society， which until then had been dominated by the most conservative groups allied with large capitalists， feudal landlords and loyal followers of the United States. The revolutionaries in Latin America were inspired to struggle under the banner of anti-imperialism. But all ended up being severely undermined by US intervention.

Meanwhile， the CPC enthusiastically supported the Cuban revolution and established diplomatic and friendly ties with Cuba — especially with Che Guevara. In 1960， Radio Beijing began broadcasting in Spanish to boost friendship with Latin America. The radio program Beijing Information （1962） reported the progress and development of Chinas construction to its audiences.

After the beginning of the 21st century， political movements in Latin America became more complex. Nationalism， corruption， right-wing governance， violent protest and social tur-moil had been on the rise over the past 20 years. People in Latin America witnessed progress and regression， hope and disappointment， weak political organization and a lack of public trust and leadership capability that characterized the political movements in the region during the period. Now China is actively strengthening cooperation with Latin America and increasing investment to promote the regions infrastructure development， industry， trade， science and technology.

Because of Chinas extraordinary scientific and technological achievements， cultural exchanges between China and Latin America have attracted the attention of entrepreneurs， workers， financiers， businessmen and young people. On the other hand， however， the new situation confused some veteran revolutionaries in the region， whose memory of China remained in the period of the Long March. They failed to realize that China was making new history and that under the leadership of the CPC， and with the strong support of the people， China was conquering poverty， hunger and disease in a halfcenturys time by building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

It has now established a development and distribution model that benefits the people. China has become the worlds second-largest economy and it has secured a victory in fighting COVID-19.

Chinas success is not only accounted for by its military and organizational capabilities but also by its ability to bring tangible benefits to the people， which fully embodies the leader- ship of the CPC. Over the past decade， Chinas GDP grew by 7 percent yearon-year， compared with 2.6 percent for the rest of the world. The Chinese economy accounts for about 16 percent of the world economy. Its contribution to world economic growth has exceeded 30 percent， much higher than that of the US， Europe or Japan. China has created more than 15 million urban jobs every year in the past 10 years， one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world. Investment and research and development have increased by 55 percent. More than 5 million new companies have been registered. Most of them have made important contributions to innovation.

In the environment， China has succeeded in reducing energy consumption by nearly 20 percent in recent years. Its clean energy production has grown by 30 percent. Its forested areas have expanded by more than 10 million hectares.

This is quite a feat， considering that Chinas development has to meet the needs of 1.4 billion people， and in particular to ensure their health， education， housing， jobs， transportation， pensions and safety.

Remarkable progress was also made in innovation and manufacturing technologies， as demonstrated by Chinas success in landing a rover on Mars， a record breaking feat on its march into the outer space.

It is safe to say that the CPCs mission and aspiration to serve the people have had the greatest impact on Latin America. They have inspired generations of young people to trans- late their political commitment into concrete benefits for farmers， workers and indigenous peoples. The integration of young people， often university students， with the poor in rural and urban areas has greatly strengthened the political power of the proletariat. The Chinese revolution and the sacrifices of Che Guevara inspired a generation of Latin Americans in the 1960s to shake the foundation of conservative society and bravely raise the anti-imperialism banner for the liberation of the people.

The strength of the CPC rests on three pillars. First， the Party comes from the working people， not the elites. Second， its ideology is based on historical materialism， Marxist dialectics and Mao Zedong Thought. Third， the Party has successfully applied democratic centralism in self-governance. It has overcome all difficulties， led the people to always stay true to their original aspiration and mission and fulfilled every historical task.

Chinas success in its socialist cause has set a good example for the people of Latin America. It inspires us in new struggles and we will succeed in the long march to liberation. In this trailblazing endeavor， we hope to reach the starry sky.

（Juan de Dios Parra， a Chilean， is president of the China-Latin America and the Caribbean Alliance for Tourism， Technology and Cultural Exchange.）