China’s Remarkable Ascent in Reaching Unprecedented Heights in the World Arena

March 22, 2025

During a welcoming address to foreign journalists participating in China International Press Communication Center (CIPCC) training program, Jiang Xiaoyan, Deputy Director General of the Department of Press, Communication, and Public Diplomacy of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, opened with the following remarks:

I know that each of you come with different impressions of China, somewhat shaped by narratives of dominant Western media. Before I came here today, I asked ChatGPT to tell me three frequent asked questions about China.

Q1 Is China’s Economy slowing down?

Most of you just covered the Two sessions. Take a closer look at the government work report. The answer is self-evident. Year 2024 witnessed a GDP of 134.9 trillion yuan (about $19 trillion) and a 5% growth rate. This is one of the highest rates among major global economies.

As the world’s second-largest economy, China is the primary trading partner for over 150 countries and regions. We lead the world in trade and rank second in imports.

Chinese AI companies like DeepSeek has developed open-source models at just a tenth of the training cost of Silicon Valley counterparts—and without cutting-edge chips. This is a testament to China’s innovation and efficiency in the global tech landscape.

Q2 Is China an authoritarian society?

China adopts whole-process people’s democracy, which ensures people’s voices are heard at every stage of governance. Take the Two Sessions, an annual gathering of China’s top legislative and advisory bodies—the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). This year, nearly 3,000 NPC deputies and over 2,000 CPPCC members from various sectors brought public voices to the national platform, integrating people’s aspirations into the national development strategy.

The government work report incorporated around 4,000 pieces of feedback and over 2 million online suggestions, ensuring inclusive and comprehensive decision-making. After the Two Sessions, the government commits to executing the discussed initiatives, creating a complete cycle from public opinion to implementation.

President Xi himself participated in the deliberation with lawmakers from Jiangsu Province during the Two Sessions, emphasizing the province’s role in driving national progress. NPC and CPPCC representatives have constitutional rights to make suggestions, ask questions to different government agencies. And it’s our duty to engage with them and respond.

Q3 Is China suppressing press freedom?

As of 2024, there are over 1.1 billion internet users, 25 billion newspapers, 1.8 billion magazines. Chinese citizens enjoy ample platforms for free expression. You may have heard of the recent wave of “TikTok refugees” on RedNote (a Chinese social media platform).

When the U.S. government threatened to ban TikTok, millions of young Americans flocked to RedNote. Just ask yourselves some simple questions. Is there any government able to censor 1.1 billion internet users, 25 billion newspapers, 1.8 billion magazines?

On the other hand, there are certain universal benchmark that all journalists, domestic or foreign, need to live up to: objective, balanced, whole truth. I also asked Deep Seek to give several S-words to describe China.

Stable:

Steady economic growth China’s gross domestic product (GDP) rose to 134.9 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5 percent. China ranks among the world’s fastest-growing major economies, continuing to contribute about 30 percent to global economic growth.

Steady progress in ensuring the people’s wellbeing: Per capita disposable income grew by 5.1 percent in real terms. Stable employment and prices: CPI increased by 0.2 percent. Continue to create jobs for more than 12million people.

Sustainable:

Over 13 million units of new-energy vehicles were manufactured, energy consumption per unit of GDP dropped by more than 3 percent, installed renewable energy capacity grew by 370 million kilowatts.

Scenic:

A land blessed with breathtakingly beautiful scenery. From the majestic peaks of the Himalayas, where snow – capped mountains touch the sky, to the serene and meandering Li River in Guilin, to vast and grassy prairies of Inner Mongolia, to colorful landscape in the Yellow Mountains, to vibrant tropical rainforests of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan. China’s natural beauty is so diverse.

Sedulous:

We the Chinese people have long been renowned for extraordinary diligence. Thanks to the industrious spirit, a quality deeply ingrained in the nation’s DNA. This unremitting dedication to work is not just a means of survival but a testament to the love for our family, the pursuit of a better future for our kids and the whole nation.

We share food at home with friends. Share bikes, and chargers for smartphones. We also share opportunities, share our enormous market and innovative technologies.

BY ADDISALEM MULAT

THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 22 MARCH 2025