At the age of 75, the PRC has global significance

Editor’s note: Xin Ge, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a research fellow at the Institute of Public Policy and Governance, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE), and associate professor at the School of Public Economics and Administration, SUFE. The article reflects the views of the author and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Before the Chinese National Day, which falls on October 1, a grand reception was held to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). At the reception, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Chinese President and Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xi Jinping delivered an important speech, saying that the best way to celebrate the anniversary would be are continuing the unprecedented This is an important reason for building China into a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization.

Xi further emphasized that in order to promote China’s modernization, it is imperative to always uphold the core role of the Party in exercising overall leadership and coordinating the efforts of all parties, unswervingly following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, deepening reforms across the board and expanding reforms. open up, maintain a people-oriented approach and remain committed to peaceful development.

In addition to the CPC’s leadership and the socialist path that laid the foundation for China’s remarkable economic rise and enduring social stability – two miracles in human history – there are two principles of global significance.

The first is to adhere to the people-centered development approach, which is fundamental to China’s government philosophy. Development serves the people, depends on the people, and its benefits are shared by the people.

During the revolutionary era, the CPC adhered to the “mass line”, fostering close ties with the people and making wholehearted service to the people its core mission. By prioritizing the interests of the people and sharing in their hardships, the Party achieved one victory after another.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the CPC continued to uphold this tradition of mass involvement, using its political strength to unite the people in efforts to restore the national economy and build a socialist state. The Party has emphasized that the economy should serve the people, and that both economic development and the improvement of livelihoods should be promoted at the same time. This approach laid the cornerstone for the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Amid an increasingly complex and changing global landscape, the Party Central Committee, led by Xi, has emphasized that “satisfying the people’s aspirations for a better life is the goal of all the Party’s work.” The party prioritizes the people’s most urgent and tangible concerns and has consistently assessed its performance against a unique metric: whether people feel satisfied and happy.

Eradicating poverty remains a global challenge. Based on national conditions, China’s poverty alleviation campaign has adhered to a people-oriented development philosophy. Through pragmatic measures, China has charted a distinctive path to poverty alleviation.

In February 2021, China declared a “complete victory” in its fight against poverty, eliminating absolute poverty in a country that accounts for almost a fifth of the world’s population. This milestone, achieved a decade before the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is a milestone in global poverty reduction. Such an achievement would have been unattainable without the CPC’s unwavering commitment to the well-being of the people.

Secondly, there is the commitment to the noble cause of peace and development of humanity. Xi said in the speech that China will also firmly advocate “peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit, and promote world peace and tranquility and the common progress of mankind.”

Over the past 75 years, China has transformed from a struggling agricultural nation into the world’s second-largest economy, the largest manufacturing power and the holder of the largest foreign exchange reserves. Today, 1.4 billion Chinese are making progress on the path to modernization, a scale that represents a formidable force driving global progress and human advancement. This historic rise in national strength is a testament to China’s contribution to global development.

In September 2021, President Xi proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI) at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Over the past three years, the GDI has received the support and participation of more than 100 countries and international organizations, including the United Nations, with more than 80 countries joining the Group of Friends of the GDI.

China has also established the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, with the project pool for the GDI continuing to expand, providing a strong impetus for the international community to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In 2022, as global security challenges escalated, President Xi first introduced the Global Security Initiative (GSI), which articulates China’s position on key issues such as “What kind of security concept does the world need, and how can countries build a common security reaches?” China has since contributed more actively to global security, facilitating the historic reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, promoting intra-Palestinian unity and advocating political solutions to the Ukraine crisis.

China’s efforts extend to deepening international cooperation in areas such as counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, biosecurity, artificial intelligence governance, public health and combating transnational crime – demonstrating China’s sense of responsibility as a major global power.

Moreover, in March 2023, at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting, President Xi presented the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) for the first time. The GCI calls for deeper exchanges and dialogues between civilizations, encouraging mutual learning to advance human progress. Through initiatives such as the Conference on the Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, the CPC and World Political Parties Summit and the China-Central Asia Summit, China continues to contribute wisdom and solutions to promoting higher levels of international cooperation.

The 75-year journey of the People’s Republic of China, based on a people-centered philosophy and active participation in world peace and development, underlines the country’s indispensable role in global progress. As China embarks on the next phase of its journey, its integration with the world will further advance the cause of human peace and development and help build a community with a shared future for humanity.

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