Interpreting political documents freely available in the public domain — such as the letter written by the CPM to the Communist Party of China CPC on the occasion of the latter’s party congress — requires that a certain code be applied. Certain things are said in a certain fashion to certain interlocutors, and these conventions are well-understood by the political cognoscenti. But, and this is the remarkable thing about the CPM’s letter to the CPC, Chinese communists have long abandoned making ‘imperialism’, especially ‘US imperialism’, a major part of their code for political-speak. You don’t hear major Chinese communist leaders say that their big and powerful country is or should be a bulwark against American imperialism. During America-China spats, Beijing’s spokespersons don’t darkly hint at American designs to suppress freedom and equality loving people everywhere. From what we know of the CPC leadership’s worldview, it is that it looks at America as the most crucial player as China prepares for serious powerplay on the global stage. There’s rivalry, suspicion, conflict. But fighting imperialism seems to be rather low on the CPC’s priorities.

That’s why it is so puzzling that a serious, thinking party like the CPM should appear to assume that the CPC hasn’t changed its political codes. More important, why does the CPM think that fraternal communication needs to be weighted down by political codes relevant when Stalin and Mao were friends. Orthodox Left movements, whether they called themselves communist parties or other things, have mutated everywhere, and abandoned some rhetoric as they have changed their agendas. The CPC has mutated. The CPM has mutated — just think of the party that had left the CPI and the party now. It should follow that the CPM should be able to greet the CPC without invoking the ghost of America. No one is saying the CPM should have to moderate its dislike of American policy — that is its free political choice. But intense critiques don’t have to be surrounded by mothballed rhetoric. Indeed, the mothballs distract; CPM’s critique of America is thought to be wholly predictable because listeners just assume it will be a diatribe against ‘imperialism’.

The CPM can of course argue that US imperialism is a global reality and that it requires express mention every time it assesses America. Okay. Then it would be fascinating to know what the CPM thinks of the CPC’s virtual abjurement of the I-word.