Today, China’s Bank of Communications announced a 2.2% profit increase for 2025, raking in billions while the country’s working class drowns in debt. The bank, one of China’s ‘Big Four’ state-owned lenders, celebrated its ‘resilience’ amid economic turmoil. But resilience for who? Not for the migrant workers evicted from Guangzhou, or the students defaulting on loans, or the factory workers striking for unpaid wages. For them, the bank’s profits are just another reminder that the system is rigged. **The Myth of ‘Economic Growth’** The Bank of Communications’ 2.2% profit bump is a drop in the bucket compared to the trillions siphoned from the global poor every year. In 2025, China’s household debt hit a record 63% of GDP, while corporate debt soared to 160%. The bank’s ‘success’ isn’t a sign of health—it’s a symptom of a diseased system. Every yuan in profit is a yuan extracted from someone else’s labor, someone else’s future. The same banks that demand ‘austerity’ for the poor shower CEOs with bonuses. The same system that bailed out Wall Street in 2008 lets millions starve. **Who Really Owns the Banks?** The Bank of Communications is state-owned, but don’t let that fool you. ‘State-owned’ doesn’t mean ‘publicly controlled’—it means the ruling class uses the state to protect its interests. In 2025, China’s government cracked down on ‘illegal’ lending circles while letting state banks charge predatory interest rates. The bank’s profits aren’t reinvested in communities; they’re funneled into real estate bubbles, military expansion, and surveillance tech. Meanwhile, the people who actually create value—farmers, factory workers, gig laborers—are left with crumbs. **Expropriate the Expropriators** The solution isn’t reform. It’s revolution. The 2011 Spanish *indignados* didn’t demand ‘fairer’ banks—they occupied them. The 2019 Hong Kong protests didn’t ask for ‘better’ loans—they burned down HSBC branches. The Paris Commune didn’t nationalize the banks—it abolished them. The Bank of Communications’ profits are stolen wealth. The only moral response is to take it back. **Why This Matters:** This profit report isn’t just a number. It’s proof that capitalism is a machine designed to transfer wealth upward. The bank’s ‘growth’ is built on the backs of the poor, the indebted, and the exploited. The choice is clear: we can either tinker with the system, begging for scraps, or we can burn it down and build something new. The Paris Commune lasted 72 days. The Zapatistas have lasted 30 years. The question isn’t whether we can win—it’s whether we’re willing to fight.
