IN his keynote address at a gathering marking the 105th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing, President Xi Jinping not only reviewed achievements of the party over the last 105 years but also dwelt on the future vision of China centered on peace, development and national rejuvenation. He also highlighted the need to address future challenges while pursuing long-term prosperity and stability.
China has surely become a success story because of the clear vision of its leadership and hard work of all segments of the society that have contributed their share to lift their country to an enviable level of progress and development. The strategy adopted by President Xi blends economic self-reliance, military modernization and a push to reshape global governance through multipolarity and increased representation for the Global South. China is emerging as a global leader in various sectors of manufacturing, scientific innovation, digital technology and renewable energy. His vision has lifted millions of people in China out of poverty and connected its regions with modern infrastructure. The most important aspect of his approach is that modernization should not only focus on economic growth but on overall improvement of the quality of life of the people. Chinese people appreciate from the core of their heart that President Xi has not only unfolded visionary policies and programmes but also given timelines to ensure their implementation and fruition. He has set the target of 2035 – ten years from now – to achieve the goal of modernization and build a great modern socialist country by mid-century. It is also encouraging that the Chinese leadership is steadfast on its commitment to promote the cherished objective of shared prosperity and for this purpose concrete measures have already been launched including epoch-making One Belt, One Road (OBOR) and infrastructure development bank and as these initiatives are already shaping up the course of progress and development in different regions and continents of the globe. President Xi stated that the CPC opened the path for national rejuvenation by influencing the course of world history and placing China as a crucial player in global governance. He referred to China’s global role through initiatives that promote development through infrastructure, trade, investment, green initiatives and technology cooperation. He framed the party’s central mission as delivering “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”. It is a universal truth that China truly believed in peaceful co-existence, treated other countries as equal partners, never interfered in their internal affairs and focused single-mindedly on progress of the country and welfare of its people. However, mindful of the fact that the evolving regional and global scenarios present potent challenges to its peaceful march on the road to progress and prosperity, President Xi is investing handsomely on modernization of the country’s armed forces. In this connection, he urged the People’s Liberation Army to meet its centenary goals by its founding anniversary on 01 August 2027, wanting it to be a “world-class” force. The President also dilated upon the vision of his country to build a fairer and equitable international order based on cooperation rather than zero-sum games or hegemony, explaining China does not seek to replace the existing global system but aims to change and adapt it. President Xi wants to increase the voice of emerging economies in international institutions, emphasizing sovereign equality and multilateralism over traditional Western-led hegemony. China has also presented a comprehensive road map for reforming global governance while reinforcing multilateralism and international cooperation. It also reflects the ideas championed by President Xi Jinping on building a more balanced and stable international system capable of addressing the complex challenges facing humanity. Based on all this, one can expect that China will scale up to new heights of economic and military modernization in coming years with a salutary impact on regional and global peace, security and development.
