John Bellamy Foster 

　　Abstract 

　　Looking back at the origins of classical political economy in Europe in the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, and comparing that to the analogous development of Marxian political economy in China today, Cheng Enfu writes: “As long as the economic system and relations of a given society are basically stable and relatively mature, a system of political economy can be established that scientifically reflects and reveals the social and economic pattern of this society.” This is related to his own lifelong endeavor to provide a more developed Marxian political economy, capturing the essential conditions of socialism with Chinese characteristics, while contributing to the revival of Marxism on the world stage.  

　　Cheng is principal professor at the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CASS) and director of the Research Center of Economic and Social Development at CASS. He is also director of the World Association for Political Economy, president of the Chinese Forum on Innovation in Marxism, and editor of two international journals published in Britain: International Critical Thought and World Review of Political Economy, and two Chinese journals: Research in Political Economy and the Journal of Economics of the Shanghai School. Yet, beyond such critical academic-organizational roles, Cheng has been a leading representative of the Renaissance of Marxism in China during the last couple of decades. Four areas that stand out in his work are: (1) promotion of an open, critical, scientific, and innovative Marxism; (2) contributions to the labor theory of value; (3) development of the theory of the socialism with Chinese characteristics; and (4) critical exploration of contemporary imperialism. 

　　From: World Marxist Review 2024 1 (3) 

　　Editor: Wang Yi