BEIJING, Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ –All eyes are on China as the new leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the world’s largest Marxist governing party, debuted on Sunday in Beijing.
“I was re-elected general secretary of the CPC,” Xi Jinping told journalists at the Great Hall of the People.
Presenting the other six newly-elected members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee – Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi – to the press, Xi vowed they would work diligently in the performance of their duties to prove worthy of the trust of the Party and people.
Stressing that the world is grappling with unprecedented challenges, Xi outlined China’s commitments to the global community. “We will work with peoples of all other countries to champion humanity’s shared values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom to safeguard global peace and promote global development, and keep promoting the building of a human community with a shared future.”
Delivering on people’s aspirations for better life
Xi on Sunday again emphasized the significance of a people-centered governance philosophy, which is in tune with the spirit of the CPC.
“The Party should always act for the people and rely on the people on the journey ahead,” Xi stressed, adding the CPC will not be daunted by high winds, choppy waters or dangerous storms, for the people will always have its back and give it confidence.
In the preceding decade, apart from eliminating extreme poverty, China has witnessed the all-around improvement in people’s lives.
China’s average life expectancy has reached 78.2 years, its per capita disposable annual income has risen to 35,100 yuan (about $4,938) from 16,500 yuan, and more than 13 million urban jobs have been created each year on average over the past 10 years, according to Xi’s report to the 20th CPC National Congress.
China, which has built the largest education, social security and healthcare systems in the world, has made historic strides in making education universally available, bringing 1.04 billion people under the coverage of basic old-age insurance and ensuring basic medical insurance for 95 percent of the population.
In addition, over 42 million housing units in run-down urban areas and more than 24 million dilapidated rural houses have been rebuilt, resulting in a significant improvement in housing conditions in both urban and rural areas.
“Taking their priorities as ours and acting on their wishes, we will continue the hard work to turn their aspiration for a better life into a reality,” Xi stressed on Sunday.
Chinese modernization, opportunities for the world
Chinese modernization, a key term defining China’s journey to national rejuvenation and another buzzword in the report to the 20th CPC National Congress, has spurred a heated discussion both domestically and abroad.
It contains elements common to the modernization processes of all countries, but more importantly, it has the Chinese context. As the report said, 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.
A prosperous China will create many more opportunities for the world, Xi told journalists on Sunday. He stressed that China would be steadfast in deepening reform and opening-up across the board and in pursuing high-quality development.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that China’s average contribution to global economic growth exceeded 30 percent during the 2013-2021 period, ranking first worldwide.
China has become a major trading partner for over 140 countries and regions over the past decade, leading the world in total volume of trade in goods.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, China continues to be a stabilizer of the global supply and industrial chains, and a driving force of the global economic recovery. In 2021 alone, China’s gross domestic product accounted for 18.5 percent of the world economy.
Moreover, China’s modernization process has not been at the expense of the environment. The country has cut its carbon emission intensity by 34.4 percent over the past 10 years and pledged to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.
“Just as China cannot develop in isolation from the world, the world needs China for its development,” Xi said, reaffirming China’s commitment that it will open its door wider to the rest of the world.
