The Deprogram Podcast

China is not part of the Western block, what we call the imperial core. The Imperial core is led by the US, followed by Western Europe (especially France, Germany and the UK), and then some specific states like Israel, Japan, Canada and Australia. They are a block because they follow the same economic policies, they have the same ideological vision on the rest of the world, they are in the same military alliances, they usually back each others policies etc.

China does not partake in US foreign policy or the whole set of imperial core policies. US can support Ukraine against Russia but China won't follow the US just because it said so. China won't stop trading with Iran even if the US and Europe decided Iran should be a pariah country. China did not back the US against Iraq and Afghanistan, like the UK, Germany and France did. China won't back the IMF in strangling under developed countries, it will instead alternative forms of funding that won't go through the West backed institutions. China backs Cuba even though it avoids putting themselves under sanctions.

That said, there's plenty of criticisms to be done about China, like it acted as a US partner for a short period during the Sino-Soviet split. China invaded Vietnam in one of the worst foreign policy decisions in the last century just to appease the US. China sees no problem in trading with Israel, even though it maintains a pro-palestine rhetoric. China sees no problem in trading commodities with Latin American countries, even if this trade makes many right wing reactionary capitalist strata richer in these countries. China has shown multiple times if it has to choose between a pragmatic position in support for its own national interests it will choose so, even if it harms international proletarian solidarity.

There are many different Marxist positions on China, so it's not like they all support it acritically. There are Marxists that treat China as just another capitalist superpower; and there are many others who see China as an advanced position regarding socialism, but with many critical positions in different specific points, with many different degrees of criticsm.

What we are different from many Westerners, or the liberal Western left, is that we don't consume histerical anti-China propaganda acritically. We don't see China as devil or savior, we try to see it for what it is. And today, liking China or not, China is the main force challenging Western imperialism, so if any country or political organization is serious on fighting imperialism, it needs to have a serious position on China, because of its crucial position in the geopolitics have influence in whatever action it may take.