Q: Do differences in ideology constitute a barrier in the CPC's exchanges with foreign political parties? What principles does the CPC follow in its external relations?

A: The CPC, boasting a membership of more than 66 million, is the party in power in a country with a population of 1.3 billion. In recent decades, the CPC has attached great importance to external relations. Aspiring to peace, development and progress, it is active in promoting exchanges and cooperation with political parties and political organizations in various countries and regions. To date, it has established cooperative links and contacts of various forms with 400 parties and organizations in more than 140 countries and regions, giving initial shape to a multi-channel, wide-scope and in-depth party-to-party exchange pattern.

It is an irrefutable fact that all political parties have their own ideologies. Given this, the CPC always upholds the principles of "independence, complete equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs" when conducting inter-party exchanges and cooperation. Based on these principles, the CPC has normalized its relations with communist parties and workers' parties in other countries and established relations with national democratic parties in developing countries. It has also forged contacts, communications and cooperation of various forms with socialist parties (social democratic parties and labor parties), liberal parties, Christian democratic parties, conservative parties and other political parties all over the world, especially in developed countries, as well as international party organizations in the spirit of “transcending ideological differences to seek mutual understanding and cooperation.”

It is China's belief that today's world is the one that values dialogue. Differences in ideology should not become a barrier of communications. Instead, they can provide motivation for party-to-party communications with different countries.