The opinions expressed by authors in this commentary do not necessarily represent the views of the China Institute or the University of Alberta.
The just-concluded 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was widely covered by the international media and received worldwide attention. The congress not only elected the new central leadership, but also formed an important judgment that socialism with Chinese characteristics has crossed the threshold into a new era. It established Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guidelines of the CPC, and drew a blueprint for China's development in the coming 30 years (till the middle of this century). It is an important congress with milestone significance and a good opportunity to observe China.
The New Era refers to the new development stage China is entering after more than 30 years of reform and opening-up, which is featured by the earth-shaking changes in China's economy and society, the substantially elevated comprehensive national strength and international status, the almost-built moderately prosperous society in all respects and the entirely new look taken on by the country and the people. In this New Era, the principal contradiction facing Chinese society is that between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people's ever-growing needs for a better life. The Chinese government's goal in this stage is not only to continue meeting people's ever-growing material and cultural needs, but also to satisfy their growing needs for democracy, rule of law, fairness, justice, security and a better environment, and achieve better quality, more efficient, fairer, and more sustainable development for China's economy, so as to achieve well-rounded development for Chinese people and all-round social progress.
Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese characteristics for a New Era, which is established on the basis of inheriting and developing the previous CPC theories and summarizing the experience in the past five years in all-round construction of China, constitutes the basic policy of the national governance for the present and future period development of China in all respects. The core essences of the Thought include strengthening the self-building of the CPC and ensuring Party leadership over all work, committing to a people-centered approach, promoting innovative, coordinated, green, open, and shared development, sticking to deepening reforms in all areas and advancing law-based governance, and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, etc. The theory addresses the major topics of the time as what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics the New Era requires us to uphold and develop, and how we should go about doing it in a systematic way. Under its guidance, China will neither retrace our steps to the rigidity and isolation of the past, nor blindly follow in other countries' footsteps. Instead, China will proceed from its national conditions and unswervingly follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
China will build a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020. According to the blueprint of China's future development by the 19th CPC National Congress, we will develop China into a great modern socialist country in 30 years during the period from 2020 to the middle of this century. The span of 30 years could be divided into two stages. In the first 15 years, China will basically realize modernization; and in the second 15 years, China will fully accomplish its modernization and rank top in the world like other developed countries. To this end, the congress set forth detailed strategies in nine aspects, including economy, politics, culture, society, ecology, national defense, national reunification, diplomacy and Party building.
The congress demonstrates once again that the CPC is a Party with ideal, faith, strategies, plans, measures and execution capability. The central leadership elected at the 19th CPC National Congress has grown up from the great course of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and they have steadfast ideal and conviction as well as rich practical experience. The CPC vows that people's aspiration for a better life is its goal. History will once again prove that the goals set by the CPC will definitely be realized through the efforts of the Chinese people. Thus, Chinese people are confident in the future of China and full of trust for the CPC.
I noticed that some Canadian media have covered the 19th CPC National Congress. But I am regretted to say that most of them did not grasp the essence of this congress. They did not give the complete facts about China undergoing great changes. Instead, they just tailored facts according to their own ideology and stereotyped mindset about China and presented Canadian people a distorted and incomplete picture of the19th CPC National Congress.
China has different national conditions from the western countries, and the western political theories could not explain China's situations and development. Moreover, the CPC is different from the western political parties, which simply need to consider things in the coming four or five years, whereas the CPC makes plans for the national development for decades in the future. Some western media think that the legitimacy of the CPC's governance merely relies on the economic development. The CPC will no doubt maintain and promote China's economic development to meet the people's ever-growing needs for a better life, which proves exactly the mission of the CPC's governance is for the well-being of the people. But it will be a big mistake if one thinks the CPC is capable of nothing but developing economy. The misconception shows an ill understanding about China. No country could develop its economy well without a good political system, sound state governance or a development path suitable to its national conditions.
China will always adhere to the path of peaceful development and win-win cooperation, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. In recent 10 years, China has contributed over 30% to the global economic annual growth, exceeding the aggregation of contribution of the US, Europe and Japan. China's achievement in poverty reduction represents 75% of the global poverty reduction. The Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China is bringing greater opportunities for countries of different regions. The 19th CPC National Congress draws up a blueprint for China's development, and provides Chinese solutions to global development and to the problems facing mankind. The CPC always takes making new and greater contributions to the mankind as its mission. Chinese people are willing to join hands with people of other countries to push forward the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, so as to create a better world.