CHINA, August 28 — A report released by the U.S. Defense Department warned that China’s current military build-up is “potentially destabilizing” in the Pacific (NYT, 8/24). The report points to China’s growing naval capabilities as a potential challenge to U.S. dominance in the region. For the last decade U.S. plans to contain Chinese growth and influence have relied on unchallenged access to the vital waterways that serve as China’s link to Middle Eastern oil reserves. In 1999 the Hart-Rudman Report stated that should a conflict arise between the U.S. and China that “the parade of supertankers streaming to Chinese ports would be vulnerable to interdiction” (Phase I, p 73).

China has apparently heeded Washington’s threats and is now making moves to secure these vital waterways. In 2010 China announced its Far Sea Defense strategy causing the New York Times to write in a panic, “The Chinese military is seeking to project naval power well beyond the Chinese coast, from the oil ports of the Middle East to the shipping lanes of the Pacific, where the U.S. has long reigned as the dominant force” (NYT, 4/23/10).

China’s naval build-up is moving forward with astonishing speed. In 2009 China revealed to international observers its new nuclear submarines (NYT, 4/21/09). In January 2011 China held the first test flight of its brand new stealth jet fighter during a visit to Beijing by then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates (Reuters, 8/18). The building of a stealth fighter is particularly interesting because it is not only useless against anybody other than other imperialists like the U.S., but it was also apparently designed with the help of Russian engineers.

In July, China held the first open-seas trial of a refitted Soviet-era aircraft carrier purchased from the Ukraine. It is the first of three Chinese aircraft carriers currently under development (Reuters, 7/28). Now the Pentagon is claiming that China is developing an anti-ship ballistic missile that is capable of striking American aircraft carriers (NYT, 8/24).

The growing inter-imperialist rivalry between the U.S. and China almost led to a proxy war on the Venezuela-Colombia border in 2008, leading the U.S. to deploy more troops to Colombia (NYT, 7/23/09). Chinese plans to build the Gwadar Deep Sea Port in Pakistan have led to sharpening tensions in the area and coincide with increased U.S. air strikes into Pakistan. The recent uprising in Libya has implications for this growing inter-imperialist rivalry as well. Recently, the spokesman for the rebel Libyan oil company Agoco announced that while they had no problem with European and American companies they do “have some political issues with Russia, China, and Brazil” (NYT, 8/22). Under Qaddafi China imported 3% of its oil from Libya — it would seem that this may change.

Some liberals have commented that the Pentagon’s concern over China is just a cover to secure more funding. They argue that the U.S. still spends six times more money on its military than China does (CommonDreams, 8/26). This is an important point, but it misses the essence of the situation. The competition between imperialists inexorably moves toward broader, eventually global war. Furthermore, while the U.S. military budget is enormous, the force and the U.S. economy is overextended and vulnerable, being engaged in three simultaneous wars while maintaining 702 bases in 130 different countries. The Pentagon and the Rockeffeller-led main wing of the U.S. ruling class are deeply concerned about the increasing weakness of their imperialist machine.  

Workers, whether from China, the U.S., or anywhere, have no stake in this battle. As with all capitalist rivalries, no matter who wins the imperialist shoot-out, we lose. We will be the ones killing and dying. We will be the ones suffering under a war budget. We will be the ones suffering the devastating effects of what will likely be a war fought with nuclear weapons. Capitalists of all stripes will gladly sacrifice millions of workers, even their “own,” to secure their profits, so why should we be willing to die for them?

The only path that steers us away from this imperialist nightmare is to turn their wars for profit into communist revolution. The Russians did it during World War I, the Chinese did it during World War II. PLP is building a party that can turn the next imperialist bloodbath into a communist revolution that will free the workers of the world.

WORCESTER, MASS., July 23 — On July 16, the North East White Pride (NEWP), a fascist, pro-Nazi group, tried to use the Worcester Library to spread its racist ideas. Progressive Labor Party organized the community to stand up to these Nazis, who had put out a video on YouTube inviting fascists to come to their meeting and bring weapons. When the Library Board saw the video, it cancelled NEWP’s meeting.

Many people then thought NEWP would not come. We in PLP immediately said that an anti-fascist demonstration would be held regardless of whether NEWP came or not. NEWP called the library and threatened violence. The city then called PLP and asked us to postpone our demonstration. We said we would not allow the fascists to go unopposed.

About 50 people came to the July 16th anti-fascist rally. PLP’s message of multi-racial unity, jobs for everyone and a communist society was made known and we are now recognized in Worcester for our principled stand against racism and fascism. About five fascists came to the library but were refused use of the meeting rooms. Anti-racists kept an eye on them and followed them around the library until they left the city.

One reason these fascists (who live in New Hampshire) came to Worcester is because one or two of the City Councilors are sympathetic to the Tea Party and the Tea Party has connections to NEWP. Its webmaster is also the webmaster for the Tea Party. These City Councilors have proposed a city ordinance enforcing the racist so-called Secure Communities. We’re now organizing people to oppose this fascist Tea Party law.  We make the point that when workers control society racist laws will end and laws to help all working people will be enacted.

CHALLENGES were sold and residents marched with our signs on the picket line. Our chants included: “The Cops, the Courts, the Nazis and the Klan, all a part of the bosses’ plan”; “Asian, Latin, black and white, against fascism we must unite”; “Hitler Rose, Hitler Fell, Racist Nazis go to Hell!”

Worcester PLP is now hosting a study group on fascism.  We’re planning for the next time the fascists try to return.

CHILE — Showing the fighting spirit of the working class, students and workers have united in a massive reform struggle for access to education and better wages. They organized a strike against the right-wing president Sebastian Pinera. Well over a half a million workers and students took to the streets and fought pitched battles with the cops, who killed one young teen.

Sick of the fact that education is becoming increasingly privatized and priced out of reach, many young people have been protesting for months to have access to education. The mass number of student struggles entered a new stage as it merged with the currrent miners’ struggle. This unity has worried the Chilean ruling class.  

The students and workers in Chile are an inspiration to the international working class. Their spirit is a necessary ingredient in the struggle to lift us from the hell of capitalism. Unfortunately, a key ingredient — revolutionary communist leadership — is missing. The reformism and revisionism (fake leftists) that currently dominate place absolute limits on the struggle. Hundreds of thousands of workers and students chanting, “The people united will never be defeated” is a testament to how politically misled the movement is. There are fewer more bankrupt and dangerously misleading phrases than “the people” (including the bosses) as it hides class content and make one wonder, which people? Communist leadership will transform this chant into “The workers united will never be defeated.”

The false ideologies of nationalism and reformism are misleading the massive display of workers’ power into a dead-end struggle against a figurehead, instead of placing the blame solely upon the capitalist system. 

These struggles are exciting to watch and will hopefully inspire future  student struggle from South Africa’s young people to the Europe and the U.S. But, the workers and students of Chile need to build the revolutionary Progressive Labor Party because capitalism can never meet the needs of the working class.

COLLEGE PARK, MD., September 3 — Workers and students at the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) continue to push their demands to end the abuses against campus facilities workers.  The Black Faculty and Staff Association, along with the union and students, held a press conference on August 18th to promote solidarity and expose the Administration’s treatment of workers. 

Workers spoke out about supervisors denying them leave to visit dying parents or take care of sick children, prohibiting Latina housekeepers from speaking Spanish on the job, isolating workers who speak out, and refusing to allow computer training to enhance promotions.  A worker reported years of sexual abuse and harassment, including physical contact and “flashing” by a student in front of a housekeeper.  No supervisor received disciplinary actions.  While the Chancellor makes $700,000 a year, the housekeepers earn $27,000.  Managers receive pay increases while they furlough workers in all departments.

This struggle is part of a wider movement of workers around the globe.  At the same time, 45,000 Verizon workers were striking, students were demonstrating in Chile and Haiti for educational reforms,  Washington, D.C. unemployed residents were demanding jobs, and thousands of people in Egypt and Syria were fighting to end dictatorships.   They all share a common goal of creating a better life for workers and students.  Yet they also share a common mistake.

 None of these struggles have the goal to take state power and put the working class in charge.  Only a communist system that is run for workers’ needs, without profit and wages, can enable workers to contribute their full intellectual and physical worth.  We all need to study how to create a new system as we fight to survive this one.

The UMCP speakers demonstrated the potential power of a united working-class movement.  A leader from the Black Faculty and Student Association (BFSA) aptly stated that the fight for justice “brought together people on this campus who are kept isolated by different cultures, so-called races, and backgrounds.”  Another leader urged the group to be bold and promised that “we will not relent — never relent — till the University ends its mistreatment of workers.”

A black custodian attacked the Administration for making them invisible, “stripping away our manhood and womanhood.”  “We are human, not animals,” said a housekeeper, describing working without air conditioning or water, while another Latina housekeeper reported her boss telling her to “go back to your country to speak Spanish.”  “Nowhere have I been treated like this,” she said. “One day my supervisor threw her keys at me and told me to pick them up… They give us more work to do if we speak out.”

 A white worker stood up in solidarity to recount his story of being written up for taking too much sick leave and for being disciplined for collecting money for a family of an employee who died, adding, “As bad as it is for me, that’s nothing compared to what happens to the housekeepers.”  Another white collar worker called on his co-workers to join with more exploited employees.

Students again turned out to demonstrate their solidarity with words and actions.  Already, they have begun to patrol the buildings at 4 AM to support housekeepers.  On September 5, they will leaflet the opening football game to notify more students and alums about the situation.  Press conferences and flyers can publicize the struggle, but what campus workers and students really need  is mass action to shut the university down. 

A militant struggle around anti-racist and anti-sexist demands could show workers and students the potential of working-class power and make this fight a fertile ground for communist ideas.