An annual scientific conference organized by the China Department of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences was held on April 7-9, 2008. It was attended by 67 people from various scientific institutions in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Kursk, Chelyabinsk and Riga, as well as from Ukraine (about 2/3 of the participants came from institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences), including teachers, postgraduates, students, and library staff. 34 reports were read and discussed. The abstracts were published in the collection "XXXVIII Scientific conference" Society and the State in China " (Moscow, Eastern Lit., 2008). The topics of the problems considered were very diverse. Much attention was paid to the situation and processes taking place in modern China, various aspects of the country's historical past, as well as the ideology and culture of China. Yu. V. Galenovich (IDV RAS) drew the audience's attention to the fact that currently in China the term "socialism with Chinese characteristics", which determines the general situation in the country and the direction of its development, is increasingly being replaced by another one - "original Chinese socialism". In both cases, socialism appears as something inherent in China, but the difference is still obvious. The Marxist doctrine of socialism and communism at the present stage, according to Chinese theorists, is mainly a Chinese phenomenon, since China is now the only major socialist state in the world. The future harmony on a global scale is associated with the victory of socialism. But at the same time, international affairs are focused on cooperation, not confrontation. In relation to Russia, the intention is expressed for good-neighborly coexistence, although it is recognized that it currently has a completely different society than before. Russia's rejection of socialist ideals is regarded in China as a mistake of the political leadership and is associated with the growing pursui ... Read more