China celebrates past and future

Xinhua

A grand gathering was held yesterday in Beijing to celebrate the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up — a great revolution that has changed the destiny of the nation and influenced the world.

Addressing the meeting, President Xi Jinping described the reform and opening-up as “a great reawakening” of the Communist Party of China.

“Chinese Communists accomplished the most profound and the greatest social transformation in China’s history and created the fundamental political conditions and the institutional foundation for all development and progress in China today,” said Xi.

He is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Premier Li Keqiang presided over the meeting at the Great Hall of the People.

The celebration started with all participants rising to sing the national anthem.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, read a decision to honor personnel for their outstanding contributions to the reform and opening-up.

The award recipients were 100 Chinese and 10 foreigners.

Describing the reform and opening-up as “a great revolution in the history of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation,” Xi said a quantum leap has been made in the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Xi hailed the birth of the CPC, the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and the pursuit of reform and opening-up and socialism with Chinese characteristics as “the three milestones” on the way toward national rejuvenation in modern times.

“What we have achieved in the past 40 years was not a windfall, nor was it given in charity by others,” he said.

“It comes from the hard work, wisdom and courage of all members of the Party and the people of all ethnic groups in China.”

In 40 years, China has lifted 740 million people out of poverty. It has built the world’s largest social security system, with a basic old-age pension covering more than 900 million people and medical insurance covering more than 1.3 billion people.

China’s share of global gross domestic product rose from 1.8 percent to 15.2 percent, generating more than 30 percent of global growth for years.

“The great spirit of reform and opening-up ... has significantly enriched our national character and become the most prominent hallmark of the Chinese people in the modern day,” Xi said.

Dawn Nakagawa, executive vice president of the Los Angeles-based Berggruen Institute, said China’s reform and opening-up is a miracle.

Yohei Kono, president of the Japanese Association for the Promotion of International Trade, added: “The reform and opening-up has made great contributions to turning China into a powerful country.”

Xi said the past 40 years eloquently proves the correctness of the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

He noted the reform and opening-up is a game-changing move not only in making China what it is today, but also for the Chinese people to achieve the country’s two centenary goals and its great national rejuvenation.

Strong leadership needed

Tu Xinquan, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said the most important reason behind China’s economic and social marvels is the strong leadership of the CPC.

On the way forward, Xi said the country must see the CPC exercises leadership over all work, as the leadership of the CPC is the most essential attribute of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the greatest strength of this system.

Xi also emphasized the need to adhere to the people-oriented approach to keep delivering the aspirations of the people for a better life. Chinese Communists are duty-bound to develop Marxism in the 21st century and adapt it to the Chinese context.

“There is no textbook of golden rules to follow for reform and development in China, a country with over 5,000 years of civilization and more than 1.3 billion people,” he said. “No one is in a position to dictate to the Chinese people what should or should not be done.”

Xi stressed that the decisive role of the market in resource allocation should be put into full play while the role of the government will be better leveraged, and the vitality of various market entities will be stimulated.

He said China has stayed committed to the fundamental national policy of opening-up, noting it cannot develop itself in isolation from the world, and the world needs China for global prosperity.

“A major country like China cannot afford any disruptive mistake on fundamental issues,” Xi said, when elaborating on the need to strike a balance between reform, development and stability.

“We must show full tenacity and persistence to see all major reform measures through,” he said. “We will create new and even greater wonders that will truly impress the world.”

Ship must sail the right course

President Xi has called for enhancing and improving the Party’s way of leadership.

“It is by upholding the centralized, unified leadership of the Party that we have been able to achieve the historic transformation, usher in a new era of reform and opening-up and embark on a new journey of great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” he said.

On the question of ensuring leadership by the Party, a fundamental principle that bears on the future of the Party and the country, all Party members and all the people must maintain a high degree of self-consciousness in terms of thinking, political orientation and actions, Xi said.

No successful reform comes easily. In the years to come, risks and challenges of all sorts are inevitable, he said.

“The Party must guide the overall situation, coordinate the work of all sides, remain committed to practicing scientific, democratic and law-based governance ... and see that China’s ship of reform will sail on the right course,” Xi said.

Marxism as guiding ideology

President Xi has stressed the importance of staying on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics.

All the theories and practice of the Communist Party of China in the past 40 years of reform and opening-up are based on the theme of upholding and advancing socialism with Chinese characteristics, he said.

Socialism with Chinese characteristics provides a broad pathway for China to advance with the times and steer the course of development today, Xi said.

“We will resolutely reform what should and can be reformed, and make no change where there should not and can not be any reform,” he said.

He also called for upholding Marxism as the guiding ideology and exploring theoretical innovations based on practice.

“We must update and popularize Marxism in the context of a modern day China, and make new breakthroughs in developing Marxism,” Xi said.

Balance progress and stability

President Xi stressed striking a balance between reform, development and stability by maintaining the world view and methodology of dialectical and historical materialism.

Xi said China must be bold and enterprising and take a proactive yet prudent approach with prompt yet steady steps to pursue reform, development and stability simultaneously.

“We must forge ahead with undiminished intensity in pursuit of greater progress,” he said.

A major country like China cannot afford any disruptive mistake on fundamental issues, Xi said.

“We must adopt a strategic perspective, develop a dialectical approach to thinking and creative thinking, think in terms of the rule of law, and think about worst-case scenarios,” he said.

China must also keep the reform-related decision-making in line with legislative moves to make the decision-making on reform sounder, and show full tenacity and persistence to see all major reform measures through, he added.

Respecting the people’s wishes

Efforts should be made to keep delivering on the people’s aspirations for a better life, President Xi said.

The practices over the past 40 years have shown that seeking happiness for the people and striving for rejuvenation of the nation is the founding aspiration and mission of the Communist Party of China, Xi said.

“In considering and introducing a policy, we must first and foremost ensure the backing, approval and endorsement of the people,” he said.

The wishes the people express, the best practices they create, the rights they are entitled to and the role they play must be respected, said Xi.

He demanded efforts to fully stimulate and unlock people’s creativity.

What has been achieved in economic, political, cultural, social and ecological fields must be shared among all the people, Xi said, stressing it must be ensured that the people have a stronger sense of fulfillment and greater happiness, and feel safer and more secure.