H. E. Ambassador Sun Weidong
At the important moment of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and a critical juncture of the CPC's centenary and realizing the first "centenary goal", the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee was concluded successfully. At the session, the Central Committee adopted the Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century. The Party has established Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and defined the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This reflects the common will of the Party, the armed forces, and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, and is of decisive significance for advancing the cause of the Party and the country in the new era and for driving forward the historic process of national rejuvenation.
The session summed up 10 points of valuable historical experience of the CPC in the past century: upholding the Party’s leadership, putting the people first, advancing theoretical innovation, staying independent, following the Chinese path, maintaining a global vision, breaking new ground, standing up for ourselves, promoting the united front, and remaining committed to self-reform.
To understand today's China, we must first get to know the CPC. This plenary session is such a great opportunity. The Plenary and its resolutions are extensive and profound. I would like to focus on a few points based on the interests of Indian friends.
Chinese path: A correct developing path suited to China’s national conditions
“We must neither retrace our steps to the rigidity and isolation of the past, nor take a wrong turn by changing our nature and abandoning our system. As long as we follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics with unswerving commitment, we will be able to develop China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful.”
Our direction determines our path, and the path determines the future. After the Opium War of 1840, China suffered greater ravages than ever before. Countless noble-minded patriots sought to save the nation from peril, yet they all ended in failure. Founding of the CPC one hundred years ago profoundly transformed the future and destiny of China, and altered the landscape of world development. Socialism with Chinese characteristics is a fundamental achievement of the Party and the people, forged through innumerable hardships and great sacrifices over 100 years, and it is the right path to realize national rejuvenation, to make our country prosperous and strong, and to bring happiness to the people. This correct path is a historical inevitability, and is the choice of the Chinese people.
The Party's 100-year history witnessed a process of continuing to adapt Marxism to the Chinese context and to explore creative and innovative ideas. In the course of long-term struggle, the CPC has established Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is the Marxism of contemporary China and of the 21st century. It embodies the best of the Chinese culture and ethos in our times, and represents a new breakthrough in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context.
As the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome. I think "Rome" here refers to people's aspirations to live a better life. Countries have different histories, cultures, political systems and development models, and each has the right to follow its own road to "Rome" independently. China adheres to its independence and self-reliance, adheres to the Chinese path, and firmly holds the destiny of China's development and progress in our own hands. Meanwhile, China has no intention to sell its own development path around the world. On the contrary, China encourages all countries to find development paths tailored to their respective national conditions.
Breaking free of the wheel of history with the ‘vicious cycle’: Ensuring that it is the people who run the country
“The Party must remain committed to a people-centered philosophy of development, develop whole-process people’s democracy.”
In 1945, on eve of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, the famous Chinese educator Huang Yanpei asked Mao Zedong in a cave-dwelling in Yan'an, how did China break free of the wheel of history with the ‘vicious cycle’ of dynastic rise and collapse? Mao replied: "We have found a new path, and this new path is called democracy.As long as the people have oversight of the government then government will not slacken in its efforts. When everyone takes responsibility there will be no danger that things will return to how they were even if the leader has gone.”
Democracy is an abiding philosophy that CPC and Chinese people are committed to. After long-term exploration, CPC has led the Chinese people to develop a path of whole-process people's democracy, which is the broadest, most genuine, and most effective socialist democracy. All major decisions in China are made through public opinion solicitation and democratic deliberation, and are based on scientific study and democratic decision-making. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, public opinion has been solicited on draft laws on 187 occasions, and more than 3 million comments from about 1.1 million people have been received. During formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan, the Chinese government paid great attention to soliciting opinions from all sides, more than one million opinions and suggestions were collected online alone.
Civilizations are rich and diverse, and so is democracy. Democracy is not mass produced with a uniform model or configuration for countries around the world. Dismissing forms of democracy that are different from one's own is in itself undemocratic. Whether a country is democratic or not should be left to its own people to decide. China has continuously explored and optimized the path of democracy which is rooted in China's history and culture, and fits the country's conditions. The Chinese democracy enjoys popular support by overwhelming majority of the Chinese people. According to latest authoritative international poll, the Chinese people’s overall satisfaction toward the CPC and Chinese government exceeds 95% and 98% respectively.
Achieving common prosperity: Making the pie bigger+Distributing the pie fairly
“ It was imperative to achieve high-quality development in which innovation is the primary driver, coordination is an endogenous trait, eco-friendly growth prevails, openness to the world is the only way, and shared growth is the ultimate goal, with a view to propelling transformative changes in the quality, efficiency, and impetus of economic development.”
Common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism and a key feature of Chinese-style modernization. With victory in the anti-poverty fight and in the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, China has favorable conditions for promoting common prosperity. Now, China is at the historical stage to solidly advance common prosperity.
Common prosperity requires “making the pie bigger” by all means as priority. China is transmitting from rapid growth to high-quality development，taking a scientific approach to the New Development Stage, and pursuing the vision of innovative, coordinated, green, and open development that is for everyone. China also speeds up to build the new development paradigm featuring dual circulation, in which domestic and overseas markets reinforce each other, with the domestic market as the mainstay.
Common prosperity also requires “distributing the pie” fairly and reasonably. It never means undercutting the rich to benefit the poor or implementing Egalitarianism, but optimizing the income distribution system to reflect efficiency and promote fairness. By reasonably controlling the distribution gap, improving the social security system, and increasing support and assistance for low-income people and poverty-stricken areas, China is working to gradually form an olive-shaped income distribution structure of large middle and small ends.
CPC maintains a global vision, opposes hegemony and power politics
“We will keep to the path of peaceful development, developing our country by safeguarding world peace and contributing to world peace through our development. We will move forward in tandem with all progressive forces around the world. We will never rely on others, take advantage of others, or seek hegemony. As long as we stick to these principles, we will be able to continue contributing our wisdom and strength to the progress of human civilization.”
The CPC has been seeking not only happiness for the Chinese people, rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, but also progress of mankind and the common good for the world. The Party has been cogitating on the future of humanity with a global vision, and has correctly understood and handled China’s relations with the rest of the world in the context of the general trend of human development, the grand scheme of things amid global changes, and the entire course of Chinese history. This has enabled the Party to stand on the right side of history and the side of human progress.
There is only one Earth in the universe, and we mankind have only one homeland. Facing the question of “What has happened to the world, and how should we respond?” President Xi Jinping stands at the height of the future and destiny of mankind, and puts forward the important concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity.
As the term suggests, a community with a shared future for mankind means that the destiny and future of each and every nation and country are interlocked. So we should stick together through thick and thin and endeavor to build this planet of ours into a harmonious big family and realize mankind’s longing for a better life. Building a community with a shared future for mankind is included in important documents of multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. It reflects the common aspirations and value pursuits of the people of all countries and embodies broad consensus of the international community. Its far-reaching influence is continuing to expand, and will be further manifested with the development of China and the world.
China does not believe in the out-of-date logic that power inevitably leads to hegemony. Instead, China advocates to foster a new type of international relations, of which the nature is going beyond traditional one featuring power politics and the Law of Jungle, with its core value being mutual respect, fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation. China advocates practicing true multilateralism, upholds the international system with the UN at its core and the international order underpinned by international law, to advance democracy in international relations. International affairs can only be addressed through consultation by everyone, and international rules can only be made by everyone. Decision should not be made by those who simply have bigger fists. We oppose anti-democratic behavior under the banner of democracy, which will stoke up ideological confrontation in the world, creating new dividing lines.
The world today is under the combined impacts of the pandemic and world-wide changes, both unseen in a century. Global economic recovery has been uneven. As the international development cause stands at a crossroads, President Xi Jinping solemnly proposed the Global Development Initiative. He called on the international community to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals for more robust, greener and more balanced global development, leaving no countries and no individuals behind. The initiative pointed the way forward for global development and international development cooperation, and is another important public good that China provides to the international community.
How to look at China-India relations?
Deng Xiaoping once said that no genuine Asian century would come without the development of China, India and other regional developing countries. Both as ancient civilizations, China and India have always pursued the visions of "universal peace" and "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakum" (the world being one family), and advocated the principles of inclusiveness and harmony. Both as major developing countries with over 1 billion population, China and India are facing arduous development tasks and broad development prospects. Both countries are also important emerging economies, which maintain close cooperation in multilateral organizations, including BRICS and SCO. We share similar positions on climate change and other fields. Our common interests far outweigh the differences. China’s development provides India an opportunity rather than challenge.
China-India relations are comprehensive and multi-dimensional, which should not be defined by just one certain issue. It is obviously a strategic misjudgment to deem China as a “major threat” or “strategic adversary” to India, which is inconsistent with fact and not constructive. We need to view China-India relations from a long-term perspective rather than being short-sighted, with a broad vision rather than being narrow-minded, with cooperative thinking rather than zero-sum mentality.
China has shown the willingness and taken actions to improve our relations. Meanwhile, it needs both sides to meet each other half way and properly handle the differences. It is hoped that more Indian friends can have right understanding of the CPC and China from the objective and rational perspective, and help to enhance mutual understanding, trust and friendship between the two peoples, so as to enable the two neighboring major countries to live in peace and harmony, and achieve common development and rejuvenation.
