By Juan Carlos Capuñay 

A staff member works at a data center of telecom giant China Unicom in Zhongwei, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on March 1, 2021 (XINHUA)

Photo taken on June 30, 2022 shows a China-Europe freight train ready for departure at the Tuanjiecun station in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality (XINHUA)

The year of 2021 marks the first centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The achievements made by China during the last 100 years are the result of the efforts of several generations of Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC, which has tasked itself with the mission to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation since its birth. 

It is worth mentioning that ever since its first national congress that was held in July 1921, the actions and purposes of the CPC have been linked to the progress of the great nation. The CPC leadership have been the central vector of the political and economic changes that China has experienced since the inception of the People’s Republic and also been responsible for making it today the second largest economic power in the world. Among those deeds and feats accomplished by the CPC, the elimination of extreme poverty and the pursuit of better well-being for its population should be highlighted. 

China now is seeing a more balanced development in its rural and urban areas. The country pays more attention to meeting the ever-growing economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological needs of its people, and promoting well-rounded human development and all-round social progress. While having eradicated extreme poverty, the country has also greatly improved the consumption level of its population, making it the largest consumer market for goods and services in the world. Its middle class of almost 400 million people has become the largest tourist source for the international tourism industry. These are among the greatest achievements made by the CPC while marking its centenary. 

It should be noted that while the country kicked off its 14th Five-Year Plan, its new development philosophy is becoming a determining factor in defining the country’s role on the international stage, as well as its contribution to the development of the world. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, pointed out on many occasions that in the current circumstances impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, joint action is necessary both in the field of epidemic control and that of economic reactivation. His vision underpins China’s efforts to cooperate with the international community in its fight against the pandemic and revving up the global economy. 

China’s contribution includes supporting the multilateral framework as the best guarantee of an equitable distribution of necessary resources, so as to ensure many developing countries can also have available resources to overcome the effects of the pandemic, and its delivery of vaccines to those nations in need but lack funds to acquire them. 

In the economic sphere, in addition to setting up free trade zones and further boosting development of special economic zones, President Xi Jinping in 2013 proposed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a great connectivity scheme aimed at mutual benefit and common security by aligning development strategies of countries along the routes, improving facilities connectivity, financial integration, and people-to-people bonding, and realizing unimpeded trade. 

It is not a single model to follow, but a grand conception and a framework based on cultural understandings for development purposes. In the case of Latin America, since 2015 there has been a proposal to create a “digital Silk Road” as the best pathway for connectivity with the goal of promoting cultural and academic exchanges, trade, and investment. President Xi Jinping’s vision about development has not only inspired countries to face the scourges of the pandemic, but also helped promote the global economic revival. 

During China’s “Two Sessions” this year, its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) was adopted, which is a comprehensive plan for the country’s development during the coming five years, with new concepts introduced. It includes proposals aimed at speeding up the industrialization of agriculture, advancing urban sustainable development, promoting green industries, and encouraging the booming development of new technologies by taking technical innovation as a main engine for development. Moreover, what’s very notable is the new development pattern of dual circulation recently introduced by the country, in which domestic and foreign markets can boost each other with the domestic market as the mainstay. It will become the new normal for China’s economic development. 

The plan maps out a blueprint for China’s new journey toward the comprehensive building of a modern socialist country. In addition, it’s also a plan dedicated to further improving people’s daily life by promising to create more jobs. It accentuates the three major driving forces for the country’s development: scientific and technological innovation, the expansion of domestic demand, and reform and opening-up, which will help further unleash the vitality of the country’s huge market. According to the plan, China will promote the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, and steadily promote the opening-up of financial sectors. Surely, the plan reflects the country’s development philosophy that emphasizes openness and inclusiveness, and also shows its determination to further opening-up instead of seeking protectionism, isolation, or decoupling in the face of new challenges. 

The author is a former ambassador of Peru to the People’s Republic of China. 

(Source: China Focus) 

Xi Jinping on New Development Philosophy 

• We should ensure full, accurate and comprehensive application of the new development philosophy, and actively serving and integrating into the new development paradigm.

— Excerpts from Xi’s speech during his inspection in Sichuan Province on June 8, 2022

• There are still arduous tasks ahead in the pursuit of well-rounded human development and common prosperity for everyone.

— Excerpts from Xi’s speech at a deliberation with his fellow deputies from the delegation of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at the Fourth Session of the 13th NPC on March 5, 2021

• Efforts should be made to step up green transformation of key industries and areas, foster cleaner production and accelerate green and low-carbon development.

— Excerpts from Xi’s speech at a deliberation with his fellow deputies from the delegation of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at the Fourth Session of the 13th NPC on March 5, 2021

• Efforts should be made to promote the smart and green development of related sectors toward the higher end.

— Excerpts from Xi’s speech at a deliberation with his fellow deputies from the delegation of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at the Fourth Session of the 13th NPC on March 5, 2021

• The region should further deepen reform and opening up, improve its business environment and participate in the joint building of the Belt and Road to achieve high-quality development with wider opening up.

— Excerpts from Xi’s speech at a deliberation with his fellow deputies from the delegation of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at the Fourth Session of the 13th NPC on March 5, 2021

• Eco-environment has no substitutes. We are not aware of this when we exploit it, yet it is irretrievable once lost.

— Excerpts from Xi’s speech at a study session on implementing the decisions of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, attended by officials at the provincial/ministerial level on January 18, 2016

Xi Jinping on High-Quality Development

National Defense

The armed forces must ensure both military strength and combat readiness, always be ready to cope with all kinds of complex and difficult situations.

— Excerpts from Xi’s speech at a plenary meeting of the delegation of the People’s Liberation Army and People’s Armed Police Force at the Fourth Session of the 13th NPC on March 9, 2021 

Reform and Opening-up

“No matter how the world will change, China’s faith in and its commitment to reform and opening-up will not waver.”

— Excerpts from Xi’s keynote speech via video at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022, on April 21, 2022

Environmental Protection

Protecting the ecosystem requires more than a simplistic,palliative approach.

— Excerpts from Xi’s speech while attending the Leaders Summit on Climate via video link from Beijing on April 22, 2021 Law-based Governance

We should ensure that leading officials at various levels faithfully implement major decisions and plans made by the CPC Central Committee on overall law-based governance.

— Excerpts from Xi’s speech at the first central conference on work related to overall law-based governance in the history of the CPC from on November 16-17, 2020

People’s Wellbeing

We should follow a people-centered approach, and place development and people’s well-being high on the agenda.

— Excerpts from Xi’s keynote speech via video at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022, on April 21, 2022

Whole-process Democracy

Democracy is not an ornament to be used for decoration; it is to be used to solve the problems that the people want to solve.Whether a country is a democracy or not depends on whether its people are really the masters of the country.

— Excerpts from Xi’s speech at a central conference on work related to people’s congresses, on October 13-14, 2021

Cultural Confidence

Without the 5,000-year-long civilization, how could we define national characteristics? Without these, how could we have found the road to achieve success in Chinese socialism?

— Excerpts from Xi’s speech during his trip to a park dedicated to Zhu Xi, a renowned Chinese philosopher of the 12th century, in Nanping City, Fujian Province in southeast China, on March 22, 2021

China’s Development Achievements 

Whole-process Democracy: 

Two Sessions 

Rule of Law: 

Civil Code 

People’s Well-being: 

Stabilizing employment 

Ensuring pension and social security 

COVID-19 containment 

Rural revitalization 

Ecological Protection: 

Improving quality of water and air 

Reduction of pollution-intensive industries 

Carbon peak and neutrality goals 

Improving wild animal species 

Reform and Opening-up: 

Foreign Investment Law 

Free trade zones and port 

Trade fairs Upgraded consumption 

Strong Military Forces: 

Cutting-edge military weapons 

High-quality armed forces 

International peacekeeping drill 

Humanitarian assistance

Cultural Confidence: 

Booming cultural industries 

Traditional Chinese culture 

China Chic 

Cultural exchanges

Regional Integration Push 

Hengqin Island in Guangdong Province on September 17, 2021 (XINHUA)

Central authorities distributed plans for constructing the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin and further developing the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone, both in Guangdong Province, on September 5 and 6 in 2021, respectively. The blueprints are set to inject strong impetus into the next stage of high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong KongMacao Greater Bay Area. On October 20, 2021, the government delivered a master plan for the development of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle in west China. The economic circle is yet another important regional development strategy, succeeding the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta and the Greater Bay Area.

 

Technological Achievements 

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope, the largest single dish 

radio telescope in the world, in Guizhou Province, on December 19, 2021 (XINHUA)

Over the past decade, China has made the world’s first observation of the three-dimensional quantum Hall effect and the controlled folding of graphene with atomic-level precision, and developed the world’s first heterogeneous fusion brainlike computing chip Tianji. It has successfully carried out the Chang’e lunar exploration program, and launched the Zhurong Mars rover and Xihe solar observation satellite, as well as several other scientific experimental satellites, including Wukong to explore dark matter, Mozi to perform the first quantum communication between a satellite and the Earth, Huiyan to measure the energy level of a newly discovered gravitational wave, and TanSat to track greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. The contribution rate of science and technology to the national economic growth exceeded 60 percent in 2020, up from about 40 percent a decade ago.

E-Commerce Growth 

A host makes live-streaming for pearls on e-commerce platforms in Huzhou, 

Zhejiang Province, on July 20 (XINHUA)

New e-commerce business models remained vibrant in China despite the impact of COVID-19. Over 60 million live-streaming promotions were held on e-commerce platforms in January-June, 2022. The booming number of e-commerce livestreaming promotions contributed to the recovery of the country’s online retail sales. New forms of rural online shopping, including livestreaming and e-commerce, not only benefit consumers, but also boost the sales of high-quality agricultural products in rural areas. China’s cross-border e-commerce has grown rapidly in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to changes in consumer behavior, boosting demand for online shopping and injecting strong momentum into cross-border e-commerce. Since 2015, the State Council, or China’s cabinet, has approved the establishment of 132 cross-border e-commerce pilot zones in 30 provincial-level regions. 

Rural Revitalization

An automated machine harvesting rice in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province on July 21 (XINHUA)

China unveiled its “No. 1 central document” for 2022 in February this year, outlining key tasks to comprehensively push forward rural vitalization.

As the first policy statement released by China’s central authorities each year, the document is seen as an indicator of policy priorities. Work on agriculture and rural areas has been high on the agenda for 19 consecutive years since 2004.

The document called for efforts to stabilize and increase agricultural production, steadily raise farmers’ incomes, and ensure stability in China’s rural areas to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and other changes unseen in a century and promote sound economic and social development.

Efforts will also enhance the production capacity of soybean and oil plants and ensure the supply of key products such as pork and vegetables,

said the document.

The document detailed reasonable protection of farmers’ incomes from growing grains and coordinated regulation on major agricultural products.

It also specified measures to vigorously promote the research on vital agricultural core technologies such as germplasm, enhance applications of agriculture machinery and equipment, accelerate development of facility agriculture, and effectively prevent and respond to major agriculture-related disasters.

The document urged efforts to improve mechanisms for monitoring and assisting people at risk of falling back into poverty, and to ensure assistance and support policies are implemented in a timely manner.

More efforts should be made to help boost the incomes of populations that have recently been lifted out of poverty, according to the document. 

China will increase support for key counties in rural vitalization and for communities of relocated people while working to promote the integrated development of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas,it said.

Monopoly Crackdown

China’s national anti-monopoly bureau was inaugurated in Beijing on November 18, 2021 (XINHUA)

The State Council unveiled an antitrust guideline for the platform economy on February 7, 2021, to ensure fair market competition and promote the innovative and healthy development of the sector.

The draft amendment to the Anti-Monopoly Law was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the top legislature,for review on October 19, 2021, followed by the inauguration of the national anti-monopoly bureau in Beijing on November 18 last year.

Throughout the year of 2021, the national market regulator imposed more than 20 billion yuan ($3.14 billion) in fines on several big names, including Alibaba Group, Baidu Inc. and Tencent Holdings Ltd., over anti-monopoly violations.