Transformation Over Past 10 Years of New Era Marks 'Milestone'; ‘Party's Leadership with Strong Core Key to Achievements’

By Zhang Han and Wan Hengyi

Oct 16, 2022 10:46 PM 

The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) opens at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on October 16, 2022. Photo: Xinhua

At the important 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) which opens on Sunday, Xi Jinping said that the great transformation over the past 10 years of the new era marks a milestone in the history of the CPC, of the People's Republic of China, of reform and opening-up, of the development of socialism, and of the development of the Chinese nation.

Analysts stressed that the great achievements in the past decade would have been impossible without the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core, the great mobilization potential of China's system, and the people who embrace the Party's leadership and support the Party's policies wholeheartedly.  

The past decade marked three major events - we embraced the centenary of the CPC; ushered in a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics; and eradicated absolute poverty and finished building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, thus completing the First Centenary Goal, Xi said when delivering a report to the Party Congress on behalf of the 19th CPC Central Committee, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

The three events are of great immediate importance and profound historical significance for the cause of the Party and the people, said Xi. 

Under the leadership of the Party Central Committee, the entire Party, the military, and the Chinese people were brought together to carry out a great struggle with many new features of the times, he said, when hailing the historic achievements.

Xi noted the achievements in the decade - We have established the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and achieved a new breakthrough in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of our times. 

We have strengthened Party leadership in all respects, achieved moderate prosperity and resolved the problem of absolute poverty in China, put forward the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and made constant progress in enriching and developing a new form of human advancement, Xi said.

We have put forward and applied a new development philosophy, worked hard to promote high-quality development, and pushed to foster a new pattern of development, he said, citing the GDP increase from 54 trillion yuan in 2012 to 114 trillion yuan (about $16 trillion) in 2021, accounting for 18.5 percent of the world economy. 

We have comprehensively deepened reform with tremendous political courage, and pursued a more proactive strategy of opening up. As a collaborative endeavor, the Belt and Road Initiative has been welcomed by the international community both as a public good and a cooperation platform, Xi said. 

Xi also underlined whole-process people's democracy, people-centered philosophy of development, the idea that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets among achievements in past decade.

"We have resolutely safeguarded China's sovereignty, security and development interests," Xi said. 

He also noted "We have fully and faithfully implemented the policy of One Country, Two Systems, have put forward an overall policy framework for resolving the Taiwan question in the new era and have pursued major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics on all fronts. "China's international influence, appeal, and power to shape have risen markedly." 

We have made significant advances in exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance. We have waged a battle against corruption on a scale unprecedented in our history... We have ensured that the Party will never change its nature, its conviction, or its character, Xi said. 

Zhang Shuhua, director of the Institute of Political Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday that the inspiring achievements are made with the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. 

The CPC, the world's largest governing party, has strong leadership, capabilities of mobilization and close connections to the widest group of people, Zhang explained.

With this leadership, China's governance system is effective in mobilization and pooling resources. And ultimately those great achievements are realized through joint efforts of the people who have full trust in the CPC and support for the Party and nation's causes, Zhang said. 

Yang Xuedong, a professor of political science at Tsinghua University, made special mention of the CPC's self-reform abilities, which keep the Party always young and vigorous when internal and external situations and realities have gone through major changes. 

Xi said on Sunday "Our experience has taught us that, at the fundamental level, we owe the success of our Party and socialism with Chinese characteristics to the fact that Marxism works, particularly when it is adapted to the Chinese context and the needs of our times." 

At pivotal historical moments, the democratic and "true to facts" nature of the CPC led itself out of dangers, and in the new era, with the CPC and nation's path set clear and missions elaborated, more achievements are expected to be made by the people under the CPC's leadership, experts said.