The Chinese people is pursing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. The Communist Party of China (CPC), taking explorations for paths to modernization as its mission, has led the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in making immense achievements through many years of practice. After the 1840 Opium War, visionary people in China pressed ahead against the odds in pursuit of a path to modernization for China. From the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China period, there had been the Westernization Movement aimed to learn from Western military technology and the Reform Movement of 1898 and the Revolution of 1911 intended to establish constitutional monarchy or other Western systems. However, all these plans to blindly copy Western models ended in failure for not being suitable for China’s national conditions. What has happened proves that a Western path to modernization is not an option for China and does not work in China. Since its inception, the CPC, by seeking truth from facts and painstaking searches, has led the Chinese people in finding the right path toward national independence, people’s liberation, and prosperity of the country.

It were the Chinese Communists who first learned and applied Marxism to advance socialist modernization in light of China’s specific conditions back then. This path to modernization enjoys strong vitality because it is in line with the spirit of the Chinese civilization and based on China’s national reality. The CPC Constitution stipulates that the CPC is the vanguard of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation, and it represents the fundamental interests of the greatest possible majority of the Chinese people. Chinese modernization is people-centered and its immutable goal is to meet the people’s aspirations for a better life. As an ancient Chinese saying goes, “The people are the foundation of a country and only when the people lead a good life can the country thrive.” Mencius, a foremost representative of the Confucian thought in the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.), said, “There is a way to win (people’s) hearts: amass for them what they desire, do not impose on them what they detest, and it is as simple as that.” This observation highlighted the importance to win pubic support and bring benefit to the people.

The people-centered philosophy of the CPC, drawn political wisdom from traditional Chinese culture, has become a defining feature of Chinese modernization. Under the leadership of the CPC, China won the largest battle against poverty in human history, which lifted 800 million people out of poverty and met ten years ahead of schedule the poverty eradication target set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. China has also built the world’s largest social security network with 1.34 billion Chinese having access to basic medical insurance in 2022. China has also made tremendous efforts to address environmental problems that has a direct bearing on the people. As a result, sand and dust storms and smog have been significantly reduced. There are more lush mountains and lucid waters. Every improvement in people’s daily life forms a strong momentum for Chinese modernization. The CPC has been maintaining a global vision. In leading the efforts to pursue modernization, it is dedicated to not only seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, but also promoting human progress and world harmony. As a Marxist party, the CPC, with an internationalist vision, has made the emancipation of humanity its abiding goal.

Taking root in the traditional Chinese culture, the CPC carries forward fine traditional Chinese culture such as “a just cause should be pursued for the common good”. On the path toward CPC-led modernization and in response to questions of our time—“What is going on with the world?” “What shall we do about it?”—China proposed the idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind. It has signed documents on Belt and Road cooperation with more than 150 countries and more than 30 international organizations. According to a research report by the World Bank, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) since it was proposed 10 years ago has produced 42,000 jobs for partner countries, lifted nearly 40 million people out of poverty, and raised the share of emerging and developing economies in the global economy by 3.6 percentage points. It is expected to generate USD 1.6 trillion in global revenue each year by 2030, accounting for 1.3 percent of global GDP. The CPC-led modernization embodies the idea that “All people under the heaven are of one family”. China will continue to provide more opportunities for the world with its own development, contributing to common development and shared prosperity for all.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP) — Pak-China