NO
TO WAR! SHUT DOWN THE US BASES!
DEFEND RED CHINA!
12-07-15 – Eight.
That was the number of warnings given to US P8-A Poseidon surveillance aircraft
by the Chinese Navy as it provocatively flew through the South China Sea on May
20, 2015.[1]
The US plane had aboard a CNN reporter who was able to record the alleged
Chinese “aggression” in the area in order to better help Washington make the
case for war against the People’s Republic. The notion of of the Chinese state
being increasingly “assertive” in the region is a flagrant absurdity, which
turns reality on its head. For years, it has been the US which has been the
bellicose aggressor, relentlessly goading China into reacting militarily, which
would then “justify” a US response. China has shown incredible restraint to
what would be simply unacceptable behaviour if anyone other than the US engaged
in it. We need scarcely imagine what the response from the US and their allies
would be if the Chinese were flying spy planes up and down the east coast of
the US mainland. Yet the US, in its self-appointed role of global cop,
arrogates to itself the “right” to patrol any patch of the globe, at any time.
Above:
Map showing the activities of various countries on island and reefs in the
South China Sea. Predominant are Vietnamese flags, followed by the Philippines,
Taiwan and Malaysia. Chinese flags are in a small minority. On May 13, US
Assistant Sectrary of Defense, David Shear, said to the US Senate Foreign
Relations Committee “Vietnam has 48 outposts; the Philippines 8, China 8,
Malaysia 5 and Taiwan 1”.[2]
Yet almost all we hear is about Chinese aggression!
Washington’s reckless
and criminal war provocations are echoed by Canberra, which in turn has linked
in with Tokyo against China, the world’s largest and most powerful socialist
state. Driving the US “pivot to Asia”, with its increasingly shrill war
threats, is none other than the dire recession afflicting the capitalist world,
particularly in the US, Europe, Australia and Japan. The five remaining
socialist states – China, Vietnam, DPRK (North Korea), Laos and Cuba – have
been relatively unaffected by the capitalist economic crisis devastating the
West – also known under the pseudonym of “austerity”. China, with its massive
size, has even been able to drive some economic growth amongst its trading
partners, or in the case of Australia, almost single-handedly prevent it from a
generalised economic collapse. The spectacular economic success of the People’s
Republic of China demonstrates the superiority of socialism over capitalism, as
did the Soviet Union during the 1930s while the West was in the midst of the
Great Depression. Yet many are confused over the nature of China’s economy and
politics. Some who are simply unable to attribute economic success to socialism
react by labelling China as “capitalist”, or having “restored capitalism”. The
first query of why China is not now in recession if its economy is “capitalist”
doesn’t appear to have dawned on them. This question is a huge one to address,
and needs to be discussed. For now, we will simply point to China’s 10% GDP
growth rate for the last thirty years – “down” to around 7.5% now – and the
instance of workers in China leaving some jobs in search of higher wage
increases than the ones they are receiving![3]
Needless to say, an economy where often employers struggle to pay their workers
enough to convince them to stay in the job, does not sound very “capitalist” at
all.
Unfortunately, some
left parties here square the circle by claiming just that, absolving themselves
of the duty to defend a revolution which
finally overturned capitalism in 1949. Unconsciously, such left parties are
carrying the can for the very ruling class they claim to oppose. Their hostility to Red China is not what workers in
Australia can afford to engage, especially given the very real threat of war
against China being launched from Australian soil. Recently, scrambling denials
by the Australian government that the US plans to station B1 bombers in
Australia[4]
have merely confirmed that in fact, US war plans against the People’s Republic
are currently at an advanced stage. The US already has 2500 troops stationed in
Darwin, and the forthcoming “Talisman Sabre” war games off the coast of central
Queensland will for the first time involve Japan and New Zealand. These war
games are literally a dry run for strikes against China, using the fig leaf of
a coalition, in much the same way as the “Coalition of the Willing” which
invaded and destroyed Iraq in 2003. Workers internationally have a vital
interest in not only preventing an imperialist war against China (which could
easily morph into a world war) but also in overturning the very source of war
in our time – the system of private production for private profit.
Revelations released
by whistle-blower Edward Snowden have brought to light the massive spying
powers of the “Five Eyes” alliance and their respective intelligence agencies –
US (National Security Agency – NSA), UK (Government Communications Headquarters
– GCHQ), Canada (Communications Security Establishment Canada – CSEC),
Australia (Australian Signals Directorate – ASD) and New Zealand (Government
Security Communications Bureau – GSCB).[5]
Operating in secrecy from the public of all five nations, these agencies carry
out unlimited interception of communications with the aim of suppressing any
dissent to the aims of US imperialism. This does not mean that the US and its
allies are targeting “terrorists” – far from it. These arms of imperialism are
using their own state terror to wipe out any domestic opposition to their war
agenda from “their own” working classes, as well as working toward the undermining
and/or overthrow of any state, socialist or not, which attempts to chart a
course independent of the US empire. It also means that secretive US bases such
as Pine Gap can and are being used both to spy on all communications of
Australian (and indeed global) citizens – from fax right through to email. In
addition US spy bases such as Pine Gap are reportedly being used to direct
drone attacks wherever the US desires. Most recently, this has been used
against the anti-imperialist Houthi rebellion in Yemen, assisting the
Saudi/Israeli war against what they claim is an Iranian ally.[6]
Recently, Australian
workers were subject to an orgy of nationalism in relation to the centenary of
the Anzac landing at Gallipoli in 1915. These maudlin commemorations were not
just to remember the fallen, if they ever were. One of the principal reasons
for the reanimation of the Anzac mythology at this particular time is to once
again psychologically prepare the masses for another war – most likely in this
region against China. It was, and is, the organised misuse of history to rally
workers behind, or at least not to question – US imperialist rampages across
the planet. As ever, Canberra will be a willing participant in such atrocities.
The sacking of SBS journalist Scott McIntyre for tweeting comments questioning
Australia’s sordid history in wars for the British empire,[7]
was a sharp warning that ANY anti-war sentiment in the current period will be
harshly dealt with. The Australian ruling class is prepared for any course of
action in its drive to restore the rate of profit for the billionaire class,
even if this means backing yet more US led wars of slaughter – in Libya, Syria,
Ukraine…or China.
Recognising this,
some within the progressive movements call for an “independent” Australian
foreign policy, assuming that such independence will result in the Australian
government upholding “peaceful” international values. We sympathise with the
sentiment behind such a view, and indeed join with their calls for the closing
down of US bases and spy installations on Australian soil. However, we must
emphasise that “Australia” already is “independent” in foreign policy and everything
else. The Australian ruling class willingly allies itself closely to
the US ruling class, seeing its interests as best being served being a “deputy
sherriff”. There is no arm twisting by the US or any other imperialist power,
and no subjugation of “Australia”. As unpalatable as it may be to accept, the
Australian ruling class is every ounce as reactionary as the US empire it serves,
and divesting itself from the US, even if it did occur, will not change its
political outlook. The reactionary pro-war politics of the Australian ruling
class, whether it is lead in the charade of the national parliament by a red or
blue (or green) team, stems from its defence of world capitalism, which in this
period of dire recession, drives it to wage reckless wars against millions of
innocents.
In this respect, the
only “independence” worth striving for is the independence of labour from
capital. In international terms, this comes about through breaking the chains
of imperialism, from removing your nation from the world capitalist system. The
five socialist states, through various roads, have achieved independence by
overthrowing capitalist rule, and embarking on the road to socialism. As many
former colonial countries have found, political independence while remaining
within the bounds of world capitalism in practice often falls well short of
sovereignty. Iraq, Libya and Syria can attest to this fact, having been almost
destroyed by US led imperialist war over the last ten years.
The People’s Republic
of China has every right to defend itself against the baleful and menacing
provocations by the US in the South China Sea, up to and including the building
of airstrips and bases on reefs and atolls. In any case, Vietnam, Malaysia and
the Philippines are doing exactly the same thing! Unfortunately in this battle,
the nationalist administration of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is allying
with the very imperialist power that murdered at least 3 million of its
citizens during the 60s and 70s, against China. Rather, the socialist states
should be allying with themselves against the US for mutual protection and
benefit. Nonetheless, workers here and in the Asia-Pacific need to rally in
defence of Red China, and not just because of an opposition to war, as
important as that is. Workers also need to rally in defence of Red China
because they enjoy what we need to begin to avoid the worst depredations of
capitalist decline – a socialist state. Only by the workers seizing and holding
state power here in Australia and throughout the region can we put in place
measures which can lead to the end of unemployment, poverty, racism and indeed
war itself. We are under no illusions that this is an easy path. Yet
our road to socialism will be made much easier by allying ourselves with the
workers in our region who, through incredible mass sacrifice, have already
attained state power. Workers
here need to align ourselves with the socialist states of China, the DPRK,
Vietnam (despite the currently wrong position of its leadership) and Laos,
against the imperialist alliance of the US, Australia, Japan, New Zealand AND
US vassal states like the Philippines and Taiwan. A war between the US and
China is ultimately a war of capitalism versus socialism. Workers must ensure
that we are on the socialist side in this battle.
The US “pivot to
Asia” is code for war against China. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), is
one aspect of the war, the military encirclement and goading of China in the
South China Sea is another aspect, the funding of parts of the Uyghur movement
in the east of China is another, as is the political backing of the pro-capitalist
“Umbrella Revolution” in Hong Kong and the feudalist “free Tibet” movement.
Workers have an interest in steadfastly opposing all attempts by the US and its
allies to undermine or overthrow the People’s Republic of China – and not just
to avoid a potential world war. Workers should defend Red China in order to
make the leap towards socialism here an easier task. For it is only with the
triumph of socialism will “peace” and “independence” become a reality.
NO TO WAR! SHUT DOWN THE US BASES! DEFEND
RED CHINA!
MARXIST-LENINIST GROUP
0421 408 692
[1] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3090728/China-navy-warns-U-S-spy-plane-disputed-South-China-Sea-CNN.html
[2] http://thediplomat.com/2015/06/who-is-the-biggest-aggressor-in-the-south-china-sea/
[3] http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/496c9daa-3afc-11e2-bb32-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3dssa5peY
[4] http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/may/15/tony-abbott-says-us-defence-official-misspoke-on-b-1-bombers-in-australia
[5] http://www.giswatch.org/en/communications-surveillance/unmasking-five-eyes-global-surveillance-practices
[6] https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/massive-pine-gap-expansion-snowden-leak,7842
[7] http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/scott-mcintyre-will-sue-sbs-for-discrimination-over-anzac-tweets/story-e6frfm9r-1227358882683
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