Grigori Voitinsky

Grigori Naumovich Voitinsky, born Zarkhin (; 17 April 1893 – 11 June 1953) was a Soviet Communist International (Comintern) official. At age 27, he was sent to the Republic of China in 1920 by the Comintern to contact top prominent Chinese revolutionaries such as Chen Duxiu and establish the infrastructure for a communist party, just before the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Early life and revolutionary activity He was born as Grigori Naumovich Zarkhin on 17 April 1893 in Nevel to a Russian Jewish family. In 1919, he would be imprisoned by the White Army and sent to Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky. By February 1920, he was freed from prison. Allowing him to serve as the deputy leader of northern Sakhalin's provisional executive committee until its occupation by the Japanese.

Work in the Republic of China In 1920, the Soviet Union established the Far Eastern Bureau of the Communist International in Siberia. It was directly responsible for managing the establishment of a communist party in the Republic of China and other countries in the region. Soon after the bureau's establishment, Vladimir Vilensky-Sibiryakov sent Voitinsky to China as its representative. Yang Mingzhai served as Voitinsky's interpreter and traveling companion. In April 1920, Voitinsky and his colleagues arrived in the Republic of China on a mission to establish a communist party.

In November 1920, Voitinsky, working with Chen Duxiu and others, issued The Chinese Communist Party Manifesto and started a monthly publication called The Communist Party.

He is considered one of the founders of Soviet Sinology. He wrote several books about contemporary China politics. He died in 1953 during an unsuccessful surgery.

Significance The significance of Voitinsky in the founding of the Chinese Communist Party remains debated. Some contend that Voitinsky was fundamental in setting the party's formation in motion. Others, including the CCP's Institute of Party History and Literature, contend that Li Dazhao and Chen Duxiu had discussed forming a communist party before Voitinsky arrived in China. According to academic Yoshihiro Ishikawa, it is not possible to say with certainty that Li Dazhao and Chen Duxiu discussed the formation of a nationwide communist party prior to Voitinsky's arrival. Academic Yitzhak Shichor notes that the idea of forming a communist party had already circulated in China, but no action had been taken prior to Voitinsky's arrival. Ishikawa additionally states that "his may at first glance seem like a trivial matter, but in fact, it contains the essential issue of whether the formation of the CCP was a result of the Soviet Union's revolutionary export or a product of the revolutionary movement of the Chinese themselves."