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Witnessing China’s socialist triumph and Russia’s capitalist disaster
JOHN ROSS gives a moving first-hand account of the destruction of the Soviet system he saw in 1990s Moscow and the advances he has seen in Beijing in the last decade

IN JUNE I was one of the recipients of China’s top award for foreign writers on that country, officially described as: “The Special Book Award of China, sponsored by the National Press and Publication Administration of the People’s Republic of China, is the highest national award given to those who have made outstanding contributions in introducing contemporary China and promoting Chinese publications and related cultural products overseas.”

This award has been given to 188 people from 62 countries since its establishment in 2005. It was presented by Li Shulei, a member of the politburo of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

But, receiving this award, I couldn’t help thinking of the contrast between the extraordinary achievements of socialist China and another event I witnessed 30 years previously.

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