The Centenary Only Ushers in the Prime of Life
--Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China
2021/07/01

on 1 July, 2021, Consul General H.E. Mr. Zhou Limin published an article celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. The article is as follows:

Today is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

In the past 100 years, the CPC has grown from a small party of less than 60 members and become the world's largest political party with more than 95 million members today. Under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese nation has realized a tremendous transformation: it has stood up, grown rich and is becoming stronger.

As China's ruling party, the CPC has turned in an impressive score sheet on history and its people, creating three miracles that have rarely been seen in the world:

The first miracle is fast economic development.

China has realized industrialization in just a few decades, which took developed Western countries several centuries. China now has the most complete modern industrial system in the world, and becomes the second largest economy and the biggest trader in goods, the country with the largest foreign exchange reserves and the largest inflow of foreign capital.

In recent years, China's annual contribution to world economic growth reached around 30%, and it has become an important engine for global development.

The second miracle is long-term social stability.

The CPC has stood the great tests, the formidable and complex task of development and reform, the economic and social changes, among others, and has effectively preserved long-term political and social stability in China.

China has built the world's largest social security system, including aged care, medical care, safety net and housing. There is adequate food and clothing for the entire Chinese people, and they feel ever more satisfied, happy and secure. China's middle-income population exceeds 400 million, and as many as 800 million people have emerged from poverty – this is unprecedented in human history.

The third miracle is peaceful rise.

The CPC and the Chinese people have experienced national perils and many trials and tribulations, and are well aware of the worth of peace and the value of development.

New China abandoned the obsolete colonial path of traditional powers and has always pursued an independent foreign policy of peace. Over the past seven decades, China never provoked a war, or took an inch of land from any other country. China is the only country in the world that has incorporated peaceful development into its Constitution.

The 19th National Congress of the CPC passed a resolution to include the promotion of building a community with a shared future for humanity into the Party Constitution, with a view to achieving win-win cooperation and common development with other countries.

A century-old big Party is in its prime. In the course of a hundred years, the reason why the CPC has accomplished such glorious achievements mainly lies in three "secret codes of success":

First, persistence in seeking truth from facts and finding a road suitable for China's national conditions.

Direction guides our path and that path determines our fate. The CPC combined the fundamental tenets of Marxism with China's reality and gradually explored a socialist road with Chinese characteristics.

During the New Democratic Revolution, the CPC found the correct revolutionary path of encircling cities from the countryside and seizing political power with armed force.

During the period of the socialist construction, after completing the socialist transformation of the Chinese society and establishing the basic socialist system, the CPC experienced some setbacks. However, China shifted the focus from class struggle to economic construction, made a significant decision to implement reform and opening up, and from there pioneered the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Second, adherence to the principle of "people first" and serving the people wholeheartedly.

The Constitution of the CPC clearly states that "Development is for the people, reliant on the people, and that its fruits should be shared by the people".

Throughout a hundred years of history, whether in the past periods of revolution, construction and reform, or in today's Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control, or in poverty alleviation, the CPC has always regarded the realization, safeguarding and development of the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people as its eternal initial aspiration. This has enabled the CPC to formulate policies for the long-term development of the Party and the country, and find the greatest common denominator to represent the wishes and demands of the whole society.

Harvard University conducted eight surveys in China from 2003 to 2016, and the survey results released in 2020 showed that the Chinese people's satisfaction with the government exceeded 90%.

Third, adherence to self-reform to stay vibrant and resilient.

In the past 100 years, every step of the CPC's development has been accompanied by inward self-revolution, remaining at the forefront of the times.

During the Long March of the Red Army in the 1930s, the CPC convened the Zunyi Meeting at the right time to correct the mistakes of the left-leaning military line, established Mao Zedong's leading position in the CPC Central Committee and the Red Army, and thereby saved the Party and the Red Army.

During the War of Resistance against the Japanese Invasion, the CPC carried out the movement to rectify the Party's practices and educate with Marxism-Leninism, to establish the ideological guiding principle of seeking truth from facts, and strengthen the unity and union of the Party.

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, the Party has launched an anti-corruption campaign with unprecedented strength, continuously bolstered the construction of the party's organization, ideology and practice, and promoted the comprehensive and strict management of the Party to develop both in scope and depth.

On the one hand, the CPC has continuously promoted China's modernization, whereas on the other hand it realizes its own modernization in this process. The two modernizations complement each other and have written China's success story.

A new beginning for a century's journey, and a fresh start in its prime.

Under the leadership of the CPC, China will unswervingly continue to follow the path of peaceful development, and, on the basis of accomplishment of building a well-off society in an all-round way and realization of the first centenary goal, march towards the second centenary goal of becoming a comprehensive socialist modern power by the middle of this century.

China's long-term stability and sustainable development are opportunities to the world, rather than threats or challenges. China will continue to develop good relations with other countries beyond system differences on the basis of mutual respect and equality, jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, and work together to build a better world.