Integral to the overall diplomacy of China, party-to-party relations have attracted growing attention and become one of the research focuses over the past few years. China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU) is marked by studies on diplomacy and international relations. It is natural, therefore, for us to step up academic efforts in this field.

Back in 2003, the Department of Basic Education at CFAU initiated studies on political parties and party politics. It has since then published more than 20 relevant articles and offered a variety of courses including Studies on Political Parties, Comparative Studies of International Political Parties, History of World’s Major Political Parties, Studies on the CPC’s Party Diplomacy for undergraduates and graduate students as well as to the Training Class for Ministry of Foreign Affairs Young Cadres. In December 2011, the department was approved by the university, based on sufficient academic preparations, of hosting the specialty program of Studies of Party Politics and Party Diplomacy within the major program of Scientific Socialism and International Communist Movements, a second-level master degree discipline, and offering courses such as Party Politics and Party Diplomacy, Studies on International Organizations of Political Parties and so on. On December 17th, 2011, the department hosted the Seminar on Party Diplomacy and Expert Consultation Meeting for Building the Discipline of Scientific Socialism. 

In April 2012, under the approval of the university, the Party Diplomacy Research Center (PDRC) was set up on the basis of the Department of Basic Education (the Marxism-Leninism Division). Intellectually supported by the master’s degree program of Scientific Socialism, it aims to build a top team in the field by integrating leading scholars from relevant departments at CFAU, offers posts of adjunct professors and researchers to experts from the International Department of Central Committee of the CPC, Central Compilation and Translation Bureau of Central Committee of the CPC, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University, Renmin University of China and other universities and institutions. The director of the Center is Professor Yu Kejie.

The Center focuses on the following aspects:

Party diplomacy theories. To further answer the question of what is party diplomacy and how to conduct it, the Center addresses fundamental issues concerning origins, definitions, features, strengths and weakness, acting parties and subjects, forms and attributes of party diplomacy and party politics, examines aims and objectives, themes, basic principles and fundamental tasks, strategies and arts of the CPC’s party diplomacy, discusses acting parties, various communicative channels and dialogue mechanisms, suspension and restoration of the party-to-party relations, and departments and institutions concerned as well as their relationship with the rest of diplomatic system. In short, it aims to build a theoretical framework of modern China’s party diplomacy and establish the discipline of Party Diplomacy.

History and practices of the CPC’s party diplomacy. The Center discusses the aim, role and impact of CPC’s international works prior to the founding of PRC in 1949 from the perspective of party diplomacy, reviews the relevant history both from 1949 to the late 1970s and, in particular, from the new era of reform and opening-up in 1978 to the present. It stresses on the role and influence of party diplomacy in light of China’s overall diplomacy and the Party’s cause in the new era. 

The CPC’s party diplomacy with the world’s major regions (Japan, Africa, Latin America, Russian Federation, etc.), political parties, and political party organizations (Socialist International, International Democrat Union, Liberal International, etc.). It investigates the CPC’s agenda, characteristics, historical course and basic experiences in conducting party-to-party contacts with them.  

Party diplomacy of major countries and political parties, including the relations within socialist and liberal parties, and between socialist parties and democratic parties. 

Fundamental and extensive issues concerning party politics and party diplomacy, globalization and party diplomacy, comparison between socialism and capitalism, international communist movement and party diplomacy, the CPC’s Party building in global times. 

Academic Team

Full-Time Researchers from China Foreign Affairs University:

Professor Yu Kejie (Director of Party Diplomacy Research Center, master student supervisor); 

Professor Gao Fei (President Assistant of CFAU, Deputy Secretary General of China National Association for International Studies, visiting professor of the University of Strasbourg in France, Senior Fulbright Visiting Scholar); 

Associate Professor Zhang Mingxia (Department of Basic Education); 

Associate Professor Yang Hui (Department of Diplomacy); 

Associate Professor Ren Yuanzhe (Department of Diplomacy).

Part-Time Researchers: 

Zhou Yuyun (Deputy Director of the Research Office of International Department of the CPC Central Committee, research fellow); 

Chai Shangjin (Research fellow at International Department of the CPC Central Committee); 

Ji Zhengju (Director of the Department of Marxist Studies at Central Compilation and Translation Bureau of the CPC, research fellow, postdoctoral supervisor); 

Lin Deshan (Director of the Division for Political Parties at Central Compilation and Translation Bureau of the CPC, research fellow); 

Xin Xiangyang (Vice President to the Second Department of Marxist Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Science, research fellow, doctoral supervisor); 

Sun Daiyao (Director of Scientific Socialism Institute at the School of Marxism of Peking University, Professor, doctoral supervisor); 

Pu Guoliang (Director of Institute of World Socialism at the School of International Studies of Renmin University of China, professor, doctoral supervisor).

Selected Publication Citations of Professor Yu Kejie

Journal Articles:

Over 40 articles published by core academic journals including Contemporary World & Socialism, Issues of Contemporary World Communism, Studies on the Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, Studies on Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping Theories, Foreign Affairs Review (Journal of China Foreign Affairs University), Expanding Horizons，Journal of Beijing Administrative College, theming on party politics, party diplomacy, the Party building and other issues：

 (relative to party diplomacy in reverse chronological order)

Yu Kejie. “On the Origin and Development of the ‘Party-To-Party Diplomacy’: An Etymologically-Based Review.” Foreign Affairs Review, 150.4 (July 2015): 124-136.

Yu Kejie, Li Xiaohan. “On relationship between the CPC and ‘World’s Meeting of Communist and Worker’s Partiers’.” Contemporary World & Socialism,116.4 (April 2015): 60-67.

Yu Kejie. “Reflections on Comparative Studies of Chinese and Foreign Political Party System.” Expanding Horizons, 187.1 (January 2015): 40-46.

Yu Kejie. “On the History and Characteristics of CPC’s Party Diplomacy with Latin American Countries Which Have No Diplomatic Relations with the PRC.” Contemporary World & Socialism, 106.6 (December 2013):115-121.

Yu Kejie. “Some Thoughts on Party Diplomacy.” Contemporary World & Socialism, 94.6 (December 2011):100-104.

Yu Kejie. “On Basic Experience of the CPC’s Work on Party Diplomacy.” Studies on The Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, No.3 (June 2011):33-37.

Yu Kejie. “On Theoretical System of Deng Xiaoping's Thought on Party Diplomacy.” Journal of China Foreign Affairs University, No.1 (January 2005):75-79

Books:

Basic Theory of Political Parties, World Affairs Press, January, 2015, word count of 550,000. 

Book Chapters:

Yu Kejie. “On Deng Xiaoping’s Theory of Party Diplomacy.” In Commemoration of Deng Xiaoping. Ed. Central Party Literature Press, 2004, 886-897.

(The Best Paper Award of Theme Writing Activity in Commemoration of Deng Xiaoping hosted by Beijing Municipality)

Research Projects

 (in reverse chronological order):

“Studies on Party Diplomacy of Major Parties in Taiwan Region of China”, a general project sponsored by the Beijing Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science in June 2015.

“Studies on the Historical Experiences of the CPC’s Work of Party Diplomacy Since the Founding of the PRC”, a general project sponsored by the National Social Science Foundation in June 2014.

“Studies on Party Diplomacy”, a major innovation project sponsored by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in December 2012.

“Basic Theories on Party Diplomacy”, a CFAU project sponsored by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in May 2012 and concluded in May 2014.

“Basic Theories on Party Politics of Taiwan Region of China”, a key project sponsored by CFAU in 2009 and concluded in November 2012.