By H.E. LU Kun, Chinese Ambassador to Ghana
The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) came to a successful conclusion on 22th October after electing a new CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. The Congress is a meeting of great importance. It takes place at a critical time as the entire Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups embark on a new journey to build China into a modern socialist country in all respects and advance toward the Second Centenary Goal. The Congress took stock of the great achievements and accumulated valuable experience in an all-round manner and charted the course for China’s development in the future. The Congress is not only of great significance to the development process of the CPC and China, but also has a far-reaching impact on the world.
Tens Years of Miraculous Achievements
Ten years have passed since the Party’s 18th National Congress. The past decade marked three major events of great immediate importance and profound historical significance for the cause of the Party and the people: We embraced the centenary of the Communist Party of China; we ushered in a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics; and we eradicated absolute poverty and finished building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, thus completing the First Centenary Goal. China embarks on a new journey towards a modern socialist country in all respects.
In the past decade, the Chinese people have, under the leadership of the CPC, continued to create impressive miracles. Nearly 100 million rural residents living below the poverty line emerged from poverty, enabling China to meet the poverty reduction target set out in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule. 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. China thus has witnessed a historic rise in it economic strength: its GDP has grown to 17.77 trillion US dollars accounting for 18.5% of the world economy，the average annual growth rate reached 6.6%; its per capita GDP surpassed 12,000 U.S. dollars, with a middle-income group of more than 400 million people; China contributes 38.6% to world economic growth, surpassing the total contribution of G7 countries; its manufacturing sector and foreign exchange reserves remain the world’s largest. We have pursued a more proactive strategy of opening up. China has become a major trading partner for more than 140 countries and regions, leading the world in total volume of trade in goods. The Belt and Road Initiative has been welcomed by the international community. China’s ranking on the Global Innovation Index(GII) has risen from 35th a decade ago to 11th in 2022. Guided by a people-centered philosophy of development, China has built the largest education, social security, and healthcare systems in the world, life expectancy reached 78.2 years, making further progress in achieving common prosperity for all.
A Grand Blueprint Lies Ahead
From this day forward, the central task of the Communist Party of China will be to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.
Chinese modernization is socialist modernization pursued under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. It contains elements that are common to the modernization processes of all countries, but it is more characterized by features that are unique to the Chinese context. It is the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature and of peaceful development.
To pursue high-quality development is the first and foremost task to build a modern socialist country in all respects. China will fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, continue reforms to develop the socialist market economy, promote high-standard opening up, and accelerate efforts to foster a new pattern of development that is focused on the domestic economy and features positive interplay between domestic and international economic flows.
Promoting Peace and Development for the World
China has always been committed to its foreign policy goals of upholding world peace and promoting common development, and it is dedicated to promoting a human community with a shared future. China remains firm in pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace. It has always decided its position and policy on issues based on their own merits, and it has strived to uphold the basic norms governing international relations and safeguard international fairness and justice. China stands firmly against all forms of hegemonism and power politics, the Cold War mentality, interference in other countries’ internal affairs and double standards. China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansionism.
China adheres to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in pursuing friendship and cooperation with other countries. It is committed to promoting a new type of international relations, deepening and expanding global partnerships based on equality, openness, and cooperation, and broadening the convergence of interests with other countries. Guided by the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity, and good faith and with a commitment to the greater good and shared interests. China endeavors to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries and safeguard the common interests of the developing world. China plays an active part in the reform and development of the global governance system. It upholds true multilateralism, promotes greater democracy in international relations, and works to make global governance fairer and more equitable.
China is committed to its fundamental national policy of opening to the outside world and pursues a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up. It strives to create new opportunities for the world with its own development and to contribute its share to building an open global economy that delivers greater benefits to all peoples. China adheres to the right course of economic globalization. It is committed to working with other countries to foster an international environment conducive to development and create new drivers for global growth.
Over the past ten years, China has successfully hosted four China International Import Expositions and set up 21 pilot free trade zones. China proposes the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank, signed more than 200 documents on Belt and Road cooperation with 149 countries and 32 international organizations. From 2013 to 2021, cumulative trade in goods between China and countries along the Belt and Road Initiative reached nearly 11 trillion US dollars, the two-way investment exceeded 230 billion US dollars. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has coordinated epidemic prevention and control and economic development, and played a key role in maintaining the stability of global supply chains and industrial chains.
China remains Africa’s largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years. In 2021, the bilateral trade volume reached $254.3 billion, up 35.3% year-on-year and hitting a record high. By the end of 2020, Chinese companies had invested more than $43 billion in Africa, covering highway, electricity, telecommunications and port projects etc. Chinese companies have helped African countries build and upgrade over 10,000 kilometers of railway, around 100,000 kilometers of highway, 1,000 Bridges, 100 ports, and many large-scale power plants, hospitals and schools, which have boosted economic growth, increased tax revenues, created jobs and improved people’s lives, bringing tangible benefits to the African people.
Today, our world, our times, and history are changing in ways like never before. Human society is facing unprecedented challenges. At this new historical starting point, China stands ready to work with the international community to implement the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and join forces to meet all types of global challenges. China will continue to honour the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity, and good faith and with a commitment to the greater good and shared interests, put forwarded by President Xi Jinping. We will enhance partnership with Africa of mutual respect, equality and sincere cooperation, so as to accelerate common development and prosperity, and truly build a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.
