The Principles Concerning and the Current State of the Communist Party of China's (CPC) Foreign Contacts

1. The Aim, Tasks and Principles Concerning International Exchanges of the Communist Party of China (CPC)

As the party in office in China, the CPC's external relations are an important component of the state's overall diplomacy. The CPC actively promotes international exchanges aimed at creating a peaceful international environment for China's modernization drive, promoting sound and steady development of relations between China and the various countries in the world on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, thus making its due contribution to safeguarding world peace, accelerating economic development and promoting human progress. On this ground and regardless of differences in ideology and social systems, the CPC strives to establish and develop all forms of exchanges and cooperation with foreign political parties that are willing to do so. In this way they can enhance their mutual understanding and friendship, seek converging points of interests, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and facilitate development of state-to-state relations. In its exchanges and communications with foreign political parties, the CPC observes the four basic principles of independence, complete equality, mutual respect and noninterference in each other's internal affairs, of which the principle of independence is the basis for establishing a new type of party-to-party relations. The CPC fully respects the independence of foreign parties and their right to choose the social system and the course of development for their own countries. The principle of complete equality is the key to establishing such party-to-party relations. All parties, big or small, should treat each other as equals, and no party should impose its views or practice on others. Mutual respect is a prerequisite for such relations. Every party should respect the experience of the parties and the people in other countries as well as the domestic and foreign policies they choose on the basis of their own national and party conditions. The principle of noninterference in each other's internal affairs provides the guarantee for such relations. Political parties of all countries are entitled to handle their internal affairs without any interference from foreign parties, and it is not allowed to interfere in the internal affairs of a given country through party-to-party relations.

2. The CPC's Exchanges and Communications with Foreign Political Parties 

The CPC has always attached great importance to its international exchanges and communications. Particularly since the initiation of the reform and opening up policies in the late 1970s, the CPC's international exchanges have become increasingly active, and their substance and forms have become richer and more varied. The CPC's four principles guiding its inter-party relations with foreign parties, namely, independence, complete equality, mutual respect and noninterference in each other's internal affairs, have been widely understood and accepted by the international community. On the basis of these four principles, the CPC has actively developed a new type of party-to-party relations of exchange and cooperation with all foreign parties that are willing to do so. At present, it has established different types of exchanges and communications with more than 400 parties and organizations of various kinds in over 140 countries and regions. Among them are different types of parties: parties in office and parties participating in government, or important opposition parties; parties in countries that have not yet established diplomatic relations with China; communist parties and workers parties or socialist parties as well as labor and conservative parties; parties in developed countries such as Japan and European countries as well as parties in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The CPC also maintains communications with such international organizations of political parties as the Socialist International and the Christian Democrats International. Through various types and levels of friendly contacts via different channels, we can have frank, sincere and in-depth exchanges of views on issues of mutual interest with all kinds of foreign parties. The discussions between the two sides involve both bilateral relations and international issues; the ways for the rejuvenation of the nations or ways for the building and running of the Party. Based on mutual respect and the wish to seek common ground while shelving differences, these dialogues and exchanges not only help deepen mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation and foster all-round development of state-to-state relations, but also contribute greatly to world peace, development and progress.

3. New Type Party-to-Party Relations Advocated by the CPC 

The CPC advocates development of a new type party-to-party relations of exchange and cooperation with the various foreign political parties. Such relations are new because they comply with the times and are dedicated to peace and development; they are new because they draw upon historical experience and lessons and follow the four principles concerning party-to-party relations; they are new because the CPC establishes contacts and conduct exchanges with foreign parties of various countries that are willing to do so transcending ideological differences; they are new also because they promote development of state-to-state relations through all-dimensional, multi-channel and wide-ranging inter-party exchanges and cooperation.

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