#BTColumn – The journey of the Communist Party of China

The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

by Yan Xiusheng

The Chinese nation boasts a history dating back more than 5,000 years. After the Opium War of 1840, however, China found itself plunged into a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society.

It endured intense humiliation, its people were pushed into darkness, and the ancient Chinese civilisation lost its way. To save the nation from peril, the Chinese people put up a courageous fight.

A variety of plans were devised to ensure national survival, but all of these ended in failure. Then in 1921, as the Chinese people and the Chinese nation were undergoing a great awakening and Marxism-Leninism was becoming closely integrated with the Chinese workers’ movement, the Communist Party of China (CPC) was born.

As a Marxist party, the CPC, unlike previous political forces, has no special interests of its own to pursue. From the outset, the CPC has made happiness for the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation its abiding goals.

The Communist Party of China marks its centenary this year. Over the past hundred years, it united and led the Chinese people in working tirelessly to achieve national independence and the liberation of the people and then “to make our country prosperous and strong and bring happiness to the people.

It has grown from a small party with just over 50 members into the largest governing party in the world, with more than 95 million members in a country of more than 1.4 billion people. Under the strong leadership of the CPC, Chinese people have stood up, grown rich, and are
becoming strong.

China has gone through remarkable transformation from a poor and backward agrarian society to the world’s second largest economy, largest manufacturer, biggest trading country of goods, top destination of foreign investment and largest holder of foreign exchange reserves, contributing nearly 30 per cent annually to global economic growth. China is the largest trading partner of over 120 countries and regions and more than one million foreign enterprises have been set up in China.

With a population of 1.4 billion and a middle-income group of more than 400 million, China has been the world’s most potential consumer market. China has lifted;// 770 million rural residents out of poverty under the current standard, accounting for over 70 per cent of the world’s total poverty reduction.

The CPC is a political party with lofty goals. Its ambition is not to seek hegemony, but to contribute to the world. The CPC firmly believes that the strength of a powerful political party or a powerful country lies in its open mind, broad vision, and great sense of responsibility, rather than its size and muscle.

It also believes that peace, cooperation, dialogue and openness, rather than war, hegemony, confrontation and seclusion, represent the correct and the only path to a better future for humanity. CPC not only wishes a good life for Chinese people but also wishes a good life for the people of all other countries.

Since the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was put forward by President Xi Jinping in 2013, China has signed 206 BRI cooperation documents with 140 countries and 32 international organisations. BRI is guided by the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. BRI practises the concept of open, green and clean development. And BRI is aimed at high-standard, people-centered and sustainable growth.

Trade between China and BRI partners has exceeded 9.2 trillion US dollars. Direct investment by Chinese companies in countries along the Belt and Road has surpassed 140 billion US dollars.

Faced with COVID-19, China has up to now provided more than 1.7 billion doses of finished and bulk vaccines to over 110 countries and international organisations.

China has also launched the Initiative for Belt and Road Partnership on COVID-19 Vaccines Cooperation with 30 countries and conducted joint vaccine production with 19 developing countries.

The BRI has become a popular global public good and platform for international cooperation, creating opportunities and good results for all countries.

China has strengthened policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity to pursue economic integration, achieve interconnected development, and deliver benefits to all. These efforts have brought closer the Chinese dream and the dreams of countries around the world.

Two weeks ago, the CPC held the sixth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee. This plenum was held at a critical juncture: The CPC marks its centenary this year; China has realised the First Centenary Goal, namely, completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects; and the country is embarking on a new journey towards the Second Centenary Goal, namely, building a strong, modern socialist country in a comprehensive way.

The plenum summed up, in a systematic way, the major achievements and historical experience of the CPC over the past century, and reviewed and adopted the Resolution on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century.

The plenum stresses that the CPC has established Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Central Committee and in the Party as a whole, and defined the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

This reflects the common will of the Party, the armed forces, and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, and it is of decisive significance for advancing the cause of the Party and the country in the new era and for driving forward the historic process of national rejuvenation. It was also decided at the plenum that the CPC will hold its 20th National Congress in Beijing in the second half of next year.

The plenum has far-reaching significance. It shows, once again, that under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with General Secretary Xi Jinping at its core, China will maintain a high level of stability and consistency in its major policies and plans, the Chinese people will achieve even greater success on the new journey, China will continue to maintain rapid economic growth and sustained social stability, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has become an irreversible historical process. All these are good news to the world and conducive to the cooperation between China and other countries, including Barbados.

Barbados is an important country as well as China’s good friend and good partner in the Caribbean region. On the basis of mutual respect and win-win cooperation, China and Barbados have enjoyed a strong bilateral relationship, benefiting the peoples of the two countries.

On July 13, President Xi Jinping had a phone conversation with Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley, during which both leaders commended highly on China-Barbados long-lasting friendship, reached consensus extensively, and pointed out the direction of continuous development of the bilateral relations to the higher level.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and Barbados have pulled together and jointly overcome the difficulties. China has donated 30,000 Chinese vaccines and 14 batches of medical supplies to Barbados.

It also organised Webinar twice between top Chinese front-line medical experts and their counterparts in Barbados, sharing knowledge and experience in epidemic prevention and control.

China will continue to strengthen cooperation with Barbados on combating virus and in the area of public health, helping Barbados overcome the pandemic at an early date. Meanwhile, the China-Barbados cooperation withstood the test of COVID-19, achieving fruitful outcomes ranging from pragmatic cooperation, people’s livelihood, culture, education to public health.

After completing the work of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and realizing the First Centenary Goal at the time of centenary of the CPC, the CPC will continue to unite and lead the Chinese people on a new journey of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way and march towards the Second Centenary goal.

Everything the CPC has done is to seek happiness for the Chinese people, to seek rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, and to seek peace and development for mankind.

Looking into the future, no matter how the international situation changes, China will always stand on the right side of history, play its role as a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of international order, to enhance the common well-being of mankind and make greater contributions to building a community with shared future for mankind.

Yan Xiusheng is Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Barbados.