By Fei Mingxing
The Communist Party of China (CPC) held its 20th National Congress between October 16 and 22. The Congress decided to advance China’s rejuvenation through a Chinese path to modernisation, and set the targets and charted the course for China’s development in the next five years and beyond, with the new central leadership with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core.
China’s development is a miracle for mankind and a huge contribution to human progress. Its practice has proved that countries around the world can achieve development in different ways, and that the Chinese path provides a new option for developing countries to achieve their own development.
People-centred development
From the outset, the CPC has made seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation its aspiration and mission. A people-centered philosophy of development has been implemented ever since under its strong leadership.
"History has provided ample proof that the state is the people, and the people are the state," President Xi Jinping said.
China has worked continuously to ensure people’s access to childcare, education, employment, medical services, elderly care, housing, and social assistance, thus bringing about an all-around improvement in people’s lives.
Over the past 10 years, more than 13 million urban jobs have been created each year on average. China’s life expectancy has reached 78.2 years, its per capita disposable annual income has risen from 16,500 yuan (R41,250) to 35,100 yuan (R87,750). The number of internet users has reached 1.03 billion. More than 42 million housing units in run-down urban areas and more than 24 million dilapidated rural houses have been rebuilt.
China is working to achieve modernisation for more than 1.4 billion people. President Xi Jinping pointed out that China’s modernization is modernization of a huge population and should be of common prosperity for all the people.
In the past decade, close to 100 million Chinese have been lifted out of extreme poverty. China met the poverty eradication target set out in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a decade ahead of schedule.
China has built the world’s largest networks of high-speed railways. However, old-fashioned trains are still in service in some rural areas. A passenger train runs in the mountain area in my home province Sichuan. It stops at stations every 12 minutes on average, with the lowest ticket fare of two yuan (R 5). Local farmers take the trains to sell their agricultural and sideline produce with ease and pride.
High-quality development
Development is CPC's top priority in governing and rejuvenating China. To pursue high-quality development is the CPC’s overreaching task. The CPC has worked hard to promote high-quality development, and pushed to foster a new pattern of development with success.
China has worked to build a high-standard socialist market economy, modernize its industrial system, advance rural revitalization, promote coordinated regional development and high-standard opening up.
China has remained the world’s second largest economy. It ranks first in the world in terms of grain output, and its manufacturing sector is the largest in the world, as are its foreign exchange reserves.
China has accelerated efforts to build its self-reliance and strength in science and technology, with nationwide R&D spending. It is now home to the largest cohort of R&D personnel in the world. The World Intellectual Property Organization's Global Innovation Index shows China leapfrogged by 22 positions over the past ten years, from 34th place in 2012 to 12th in 2021.
China has acted on the idea that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. It advances the Beautiful China Initiative and takes a holistic and systematic approach to the conservation and improvement of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, grasslands, and deserts.
For decades, China has kept its door open and become a major trading partner for over 140 countries and regions. During the recent fifth China International Import Expo, a total of $73.52 billion worth of tentative deals was reached for one-year purchase of goods and services.
China has built a globally-oriented network of high-standard free trade areas and its development of pilot free trade zones and the Hainan Free Trade Port are accelerating. It will keep opening China's door wider to a world facing ever pressing challenges.
China will leverage the strengths of its enormous market, attract global resources and production factors with its strong domestic economy, and amplify the interplay between domestic and international markets and resources.
China will promote the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative. It will make appropriate reductions to the negative list for foreign investment, protect the rights and interests of foreign investors in accordance with the law, and foster a world-class business environment.
Peaceful development
China has been committed to its foreign policy of upholding world peace and promoting common development.
"The right way forward for humanity is peaceful development and win-win cooperation. Different countries and civilizations may prosper together on the basis of respect for each other, and seek common ground and win-win outcomes by setting aside differences." President Xi Jinping said.
China’s development strengthens the world’s force for peace. No matter what stage of development it reaches, China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansionism, the 20th National Congress of the CPC stressed.
China is dedicated to promoting the development of a human community with a shared future and standing firm in protecting international fairness and justice. It has demonstrated its sense of duty as a responsible major country, actively participating in the reform and development of the global governance system and engaging in all-around international cooperation in the fight against Covid-19.
China has advocated and practiced true multilateralism, taking a clear-cut stance against hegemonism and power politics in all their forms. It has never wavered in its opposition to unilateralism, protectionism, and bullying of any kind.
China calls upon all countries to hold dear humanity's shared values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom. It does not tread the old path of war, colonization, and plunder taken by some countries. It pursues its own development as it strives to safeguard world peace and development, and makes greater contributions to world peace and development through its own development.
China stands ready to work with South Africa in deepening China’s solidarity and cooperation with Africa, President Xi Jinping said to President Cyril Ramaphosa in Indonesia on November 15.
* Fei Mingxing is the Chinese Consul-General in Durban.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Independent Media or IOL.