Bicentennial of Karl Marx's birth observed in UK

A leading Chinese scholar explained Marxism's relevance to China at an academic seminar in London on Saturday, which marked the 200th anniversary of Karl Marx's birth.

Luo Wendong, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Marxism's emphasis on empowering the people is highly relevant to China's governance strategy, and one example is President Xi Jinping's emphasis on further improving people's living standards during the 19th CPC National Congress last October.

Luo addressed an audience of more than 300 scholars and students in a major academic conference at London's School of Oriental and African Studies, organized by the London-based Marx Memorial Library.

Li Xiaoxiao, deputy director of the Marxism Department at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, added that Xi's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind is another China-led initiative that demonstrates Marxism's relevance today.

This vision, proposed by Xi initially in the United Nations office in Geneva in January 2017, as a means to improve the lives of people around the world and tackle multilateral challenges, has since become an important international consensus shared by many countries.

"It adds new inspirations to Marxism research and scholarship internationally today," Li said.

Scholars from Germany, Cuba, South Africa, and other countries also shared Marxism's relevance to their own countries during Saturday's conference.

The conference's scale rides on reviving interest in Marxism ideologies globally, especially after the 2008 financial crisis, which led to rethinking of the flaws of the capitalist system that triggered this major economic shock.

The UK's shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who made a keynote address at the conference, said Marx's advocacy for equality is highly relevant to help today's society in solving pressing issues, including economic inequality, poverty, climate change and gender issues.

"Now is the most opportune time to have an honest discussion about Marxism ideologies," said McDonnell.

Although Marxism has evolved through history, at its core it is about "ensuring that people have the greatest possibility they can to have a say in their lives," McDonnell said.

Born in the Rhineland city of Trier on May 5, 1818, Marx lived in an era of economic modernization. Having witnessed social conflicts arising from workers who were exploited under a capitalist system, he proposed communism as the solution to achieve equality.

Meanwhile, many other events also took place on Saturday to commemorate Marx.

In the Finnish city of Pori, works by Karl Marx were read aloud at the market square. In the German city of Trier, a bronze statue of Marx was unveiled. The statue, created by Chinese artist Wu Weishan, is a gift from China.

A Marx 200th birthday walking tour took place in Manchester, where Friedrich Engels, co-founder of Marxism theory, lived on and off for almost 30 years and was visited by Marx.

The British Library is hosting a special exhibition on Marx from May to August. Items on display include correspondence by Marx, his family and Friedrich Engels, covering both personal and political affairs, and rare copies of first editions of Marx's writings, several of which he donated to the library.