Ahead of China’s National Day on October 1, a grand reception was held to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). At the reception, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), President of China and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Xi Jinping, delivered a key speech, stating that the best way to celebrate this anniversary would be to continue with the unprecedented great cause of building a strong China and achieving national rejuvenation on all fronts through Chinese modernization.
Xi further emphasized that to advance China’s modernization, it is imperative to always maintain the central role of the Party in exercising overall leadership and coordinating the efforts of all parties, firmly follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, deepen reforms in all areas and expand opening-up, maintain a people-centered approach and remain committed to peaceful development.
Beyond the CCP leadership and socialist path that have laid the foundation for China’s remarkable economic rise and enduring social stability—two miracles in human history—there are two principles that have global relevance.
The first is to adhere to the people-centered development approach, central to China’s governance philosophy. Development is at the service of the people, it depends on the people and its benefits are shared by the people.
During the revolutionary era, the CPC remained faithful to the “mass line,” fostering close ties with the people and making sincere service to the people its central mission. By prioritizing the interests of the people and sharing their difficulties, the Party achieved one victory after another.
After the establishment of the PRC, the CCP continued to uphold this tradition of mass participation, harnessing its political strength to unite the people in efforts to restore the national economy and build a socialist state. The Party has stressed that the economy must serve the people, and that both economic development and the improvement of living conditions must advance hand in hand. This approach laid the foundation for the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
In an increasingly complex and changing global landscape, the Party Central Committee, led by Xi, has been insisting that “meeting the people’s aspirations for a better life is the goal of all the Party’s work.” Prioritizing the most urgent and tangible concerns of the population, the Party has constantly evaluated its performance against a single standard: whether the people feel satisfied and happy.
The eradication of poverty remains a global challenge. China’s poverty alleviation campaign, based on its national circumstances, has followed a people-centered development philosophy. Through pragmatic measures, China has forged a distinctive path toward poverty reduction.
In February 2021, China declared a “complete victory” in its battle against poverty, eliminating absolute poverty in a country that represents almost a fifth of the world’s population. This milestone, reached a decade earlier than planned in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is a historic achievement in the global fight against poverty. Such an achievement would have been impossible without the CCP’s firm commitment to the well-being of the people.
The second principle is dedication to the noble cause of peace and the development of humanity. Xi stated in his speech that China will also vigorously uphold “peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit, and promote world peace and tranquility, as well as the common progress of mankind.”
Over the past 75 years, China has transformed from a struggling agricultural nation into the world’s second-largest economy, leading industrial powerhouse, and the country with the largest foreign exchange reserves. Today, 1.4 billion people in China are moving towards modernization, a scale that represents a formidable force driving global progress and the advancement of humanity. This historic rise in national strength is a testament to China’s contributions to global development.
In September 2021, during the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, President Xi proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI). Over the past three years, the GDI has enjoyed the support and participation of more than 100 countries and international organizations, including the United Nations, with more than 80 countries joining the Group of Friends of the GDI.
China has also established the Global Development Cooperation and South-South Fund, with a growing portfolio of GDI projects, providing strong impetus for the international community to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. .
In 2022, as global security challenges escalated, President Xi first introduced the Global Security Initiative (GSI), which articulates China’s stance on key issues such as: “What kind of security concept does the world and how can countries achieve common security? Since then, China has more actively contributed to global security, facilitating the historic reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, promoting intra-Palestinian unity, and advocating for political solutions to the Ukraine crisis.
China’s efforts extend to deepening international cooperation in areas such as counterterrorism, cybersecurity, biosecurity, artificial intelligence governance, public health and combating transnational crime, demonstrating China’s sense of responsibility. China as a world power.
Furthermore, in March 2023, during the CPC High-Level Meeting in Dialogue with World Political Parties, President Xi introduced the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) for the first time. The GCI calls for deeper exchange and dialogue between civilizations, fostering mutual learning to advance human progress. Through initiatives such as the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, the CPC and World Political Parties Summit, and the China-Central Asia Summit, China continues to contribute wisdom and solutions to promote higher levels of international cooperation.
The 75-year history of the People’s Republic of China, based on a people-centered philosophy and active participation in global peace and development, underscores the nation’s indispensable role in global progress. As China embarks on the next phase of its journey, its integration with the world will further advance the cause of peace and human development, and contribute to building a community with a shared future for humanity.
Note: this is an article republished from the media “CGTN” through a cooperation agreement between both parties for the dissemination of journalistic content. original link.
Xin Ge is an associate professor at the School of Economics and Public Administration, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.
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