July 1st, 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). When established in 1921, it had only more than 50 members. After a century of development, the CPC now has 92 million party members, leading Chinese people transformed a poor and backward country into the second largest economy in the world, accounting for 17% of the world economy, and contributing more than 30% to the global economic growth over 10 consecutive years. The per capita GDP has increased from 20 plus USD in 1949, the founding of the People’s Republic of China to more than 10,000 USD today. Over decades of years, the gap in development with high-income countries has been narrowing. China has achieved economic miracles and remarkable economic and social outcomes. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight a few points to friends in Dutch Caribbean.
I. CPC’s historic achievements
The CPC was born at a time of unprecedented social crisis when Chinese people were beset by domestic turmoil and foreign aggression. The Chinese Communists, with Comrade Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping as chief representatives, have led Chinese people to embark on the development path suited to China’s specific conditions through arduous struggle. The CPC led Chinese people established the People’s Republic of China, and put an end to the semi-colonial, semi-feudal society of the old China, bringing China to a people’s democracy from a millennia-old feudal autocracy. Since the establishment of the new China, the CPC led the Chinese people carrying out socialist revolution, establishing socialism as China’s basic system and advancing socialist construction, which laid down the fundamental political preconditions and institutional foundations for all development and progress in contemporary China. The new revolution of reform and opening-up since 1978, has liberated and developed productive forces, and significantly enhanced the living standards of Chinese people and the comprehensive strength of China. The Chinese people have gone from regaining dignity to becoming prosperous and strong. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Socialism with Chinese Characteristics has entered a new era. Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China has made new great progress and has basically achieved the goal of building a moderately prosperous society. Meanwhile, China offers Chinese wisdom and a Chinese approach to solving the problems facing mankind, giving shape to the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
II. The lofty sentiment to the people
Throughout its 100-year history, the CPC adheres to the people-centered approach, relies closely on Chinese people and strives for their wellbeing. It has surmounted obstacle after obstacle, and gone from victory to victory. China is a developing country with the largest population in the world, and had long been plagued by poverty problems. The Party has united and led the Chinese people in the battle against poverty with unwavering faith and will. Since 2012, the 98.99 million Chinese people in rural areas who were living below the current poverty threshold all shook off poverty; all the 128,000 impoverished villages and 832 designated poor counties got rid of poverty. China has eliminated poverty over entire regions and eradicated extreme poverty. In February, 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping solemnly declared: Victory in the battle against poverty is complete. Through poverty alleviation, there has been a substantial improvement in the incomes and welfare of the poor. The improved conditions not only covered all basic needs but also laid the foundations for their future development.
During the battle against COVID-19, the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the CPC with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, responded with tremendous tenacity, and achieved major strategic success in epidemic prevention and control. The domestic epidemic situation is under effective control. Recently China is accelerating the vaccination. As of June 19th, China has administered more than 1 billion COVID-19 vaccination doses, of which more than 560 million doses in the past month. 7 vaccines have been put into use and 21 vaccines have entered clinical trial. Faced with the pandemic, the CPC protected the health and safety of the people to the greatest extent possible.
III. CPC’s commitments
The CPC upholds an independent foreign policy of peace, follow a path of peaceful development, and continue with the win-win opening up strategy. In international affairs, it upholds justice while pursuing shared interests, oppose hegemonism and power politics, defend world peace, promote human progress, work to build a community with a shared future for mankind, and advance the building of a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity. The CPC develops relations between China and other countries on the basis of the five principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual nonaggression, mutual noninterference in internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.
China actively participates in the good offices on hotspot issues. China is the second largest contributor to the UN’s regular budget and peacekeeping assessment. It is also the largest contributor of peacekeepers among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Since launching the Belt and Road Initiative, China has signed 205 cooperation documents with 140 countries and 31 international organizations. China’s trade in goods with partner countries surpassed USD 7.8 trillion, and direct investment in those countries topped USD 110 billion. All these have been helpful for local employment and economic growth.
And China has provided strong support to other countries since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, China exported 224.2 billion masks, which is equivalent to providing nearly 40 masks for every person in the world outside of China. Despite its own huge population and tight vaccine supply, China has provided more than 350 million doses of vaccines to the international community, including vaccine assistance to more than 80 countries and vaccine exports to over 40 countries. “Made in China” and “Aid from China” provide a steady driving force for the global efforts in fighting the virus.
In accordance with the international and domestic environments and the conditions for China’s development, the CPC has proposed long-range objectives that through the year 2035 socialist modernization is basically realized, while by middle this century developing China into a great modern socialist country. At the moment, China is following the new development vision, and advancing opening-up at a higher level. This means a bigger market and more development opportunities for other countries.
Li Yigang
Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Willemstad
