CHINA’S President Xi Jinping has secured a historic third term as the Communist Party’s leader, cementing his place as the nation’s most influential ruler since Mao Zedong.
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) elected Xi as its General Secretary for a precedent-breaking five-year term on Sunday.
“China cannot develop without the world, and the world also needs China,” said Xi Jinping as he spoke to the press after securing a historic third term as leader.
“After more than 40 years of unflagging efforts towards reform and opening up, we have created two miracles — rapid economic development and long-term social stability.”
The remarks made by President Xi amply sum up the rationale behind his resounding success and the massive trust that people of China and their representatives have demonstrated in his leadership.
There can be no two opinions that the far-sighted vision and well-thought-out policies pursued by China during his tenure have hugely elevated the status of China as an economic giant and a military power to be reckoned with.
The election of Xi as General Secretary of the party and a new seven-member Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) is a clear message that China would continue its march on the chosen path of progress and prosperity, frustrating designs of its rivals and enemies who wanted to create roadblocks through a multi-pronged strategy.
President Xi, who is a firm believer in peace and progress, scuttled such conspiracies in the past and hopefully, with the renewed support of his people, he would succeed in taking his nation to the zenith of economic development.
The level of trust and confidence that the party has reposed in his leadership is understandable as Xi not only presided over economic rise of China in the comity of nations but also introduced all-encompassing reforms at home and made firm choices on the foreign policy front, elevating the prestige and honour of the country further.
He reached out to the outside world not through guns or pressure tactics as is being done by some other countries to advance their regional and global agendas but through partnership in development, widely hailed as the policy of shared prosperity.
His Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is the living example of his policy and Pakistan is proud to have become the practical example of the beneficial implementation of this project.
The success of the initiative can be gauged by the fact that till March 2022, 146 countries and 32 international organizations had signed cooperation agreements for BRI, which is living proof of the leadership qualities of President Xi and his policy of peaceful co-existence.
Another visionary project successfully launched by President Xi in pursuit of his policy of shared prosperity is Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which is instrumental in providing financing for ‘Infrastructure for Tomorrow’ and has the potential to lower dependence of the countries on the West-dominated IMF and the World Bank.
President Xi has also strengthened his credentials as a global peace-maker by exercising utmost restraint in the face of provocations on the issues of Hong Kong and South China Sea and has been espousing the cause of peace and security by emphasizing peaceful resolution of conflicts.
At the same time, his robust foreign policy particularly towards the US and tough stances on Hong Kong and Taiwan have raised his stature further high in the eyes of his people.
Analysts also point out that one of the most dominating personality straits of President Xi is that he is a careful listener.
He doesn’t make unilateral decisions and instead of imposing his views, he listens carefully to others and then makes informed decisions.
He also lays firm emphasis on ‘Chinese characteristics’ and through policies on domestic and foreign affairs, education and even medicine, Xi has repeatedly emphasized the importance of values such as spirit, resolve, wisdom, culture, sense of civilization.
There is no denying the fact that the leadership qualities of President Xi are behind the unstoppable and sustained economic growth and development of China.
It is because of this that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has pointed out that his re-election as General Secretary of the CPC is a glowing tribute to his sagacious stewardship and unwavering devotion for serving the people of China.
People of Pakistan are justifiably delighted over the auspicious development as President Xi Jinping is a true friend of Pakistan.
