The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has drawn much attention around the world. Robert Lawrence Kuhn, Chairman of the Kuhn Foundation and a renowned China expert, provided his insights into China's development and the CPC's governance theory and practice in an interview with China Today reporter Lu Rucai. Edited excerpts of his views follow:

'I have a deep respect for China and I am a friend of the country,' Kuhn said.

Spending more than a third of the year in China carrying out field research, Kuhn has ample opportunities to talk to officials at different levels. Despite complicated circumstances, Kuhn believes he can introduce the true China to the world in an objective way by illustrating Chinese leaders' thoughts and decision-making processes.

China's goals

Kuhn observed that China now stands at a new starting point on its path toward building socialism with Chinese characteristics. As to exactly what stage China has reached, Kuhn can think of plenty of ways of defining this, but he believes that which gives the best understanding of the country is: Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, China arose as an independent country; with Deng Xiaoping at the helm, the country became more affluent; and under Xi Jinping, China is growing stronger. This explanation, Kuhn said, is rational and in conformity with the contemporary history of China.

Kuhn holds that the CPC should carry on the positive results of the Party's administration through history. This is why the Party reiterated at the 18th National Congress its Two Centenary Goals: to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all aspects by the time the CPC celebrates its centenary in 2021; and to turn China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious by the time the People's Republic of China celebrates its centenary in 2049.

To achieve the first goal, China needs to eradicate poverty, Kuhn said. This is expected to be fulfilled through the current poverty alleviation campaign, which is on target.

The Two Centenary Goals set an agenda for the coming 30 years. The first is expected to be realized before the next CPC National Congress, while the roadmap for the second goal was charted at the 19th National Congress.

With regard to the development goals, Kuhn emphasized the effectiveness of one-party rule in ensuring the consistency of policies, which is vital for the nation's development.

New governance concepts

Kuhn reiterated on many occasions what a challenge for Westerners analyzing the thoughts of Chinese leaders constitutes, as the policies themselves are hard for them to understand. In endeavoring to explain, he adopted a neutral stance, yet was still misinterpreted as voicing his personal views.

Kuhn habitually reads large quantities of Chinese leaders' written works and speeches in order to note any changes in their stances. He also carries out regular exchanges with officials at various levels as well as people in academia to stay informed about the latest social changes. In 2015, he co-hosted the China Central Television program "Closer to China with R. L. Kuhn" in which he spoke with decision makers from various fields so as to present different facets of Chinese society.

As to Xi Jinping's The Governance of China, Kuhn said the book presents Xi's political philosophy and way of thinking and is symbolic of his emergence as a strong political leader. In Kuhn's opinion, the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy is one of the core elements of Xi's governance. The strategy encompasses four targets, namely, to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all aspects, deepen reform, advance the law-based governance of China, and strengthen Party self-discipline.

Foreigners often dismiss the political aphorisms of China's leaders as simplistic sloganeering, but in doing so they miss the opportunity to enrich their understanding of the realities of China, Kuhn said.

Each of the four pillars in the strategy has a specific nature, expressed by a distinct linguistic definition. A moderately prosperous society is a goal; deepening reform is a means; rule of law is a principle; and strict Party discipline is an action or state of affairs. Moreover, each has been a major policy in itself, suggested and supported by previous leaders over many years: "moderately prosperous society," since 2002; "reform," since 1978; "rule of law," since at least 1997; and "Party discipline," in a sense, since the Party was founded in 1921.

Kuhn believes these four targets are expected to be realized in a comprehensive way, signifying that they should be understood at a higher level and against the backdrop of the new normal. For example, Kuhn said the building of a moderately prosperous society means that every single Chinese person will benefit from social development, as it would make no sense if several millions of people were to carry on living below the poverty line. To realize deepening reform, rule of law and strict Party discipline, it is necessary to unshackle society from heretofore existent interest blocs.

Furthermore, Kuhn believes that the issues highlighted at the 19th CPC National Congress will also include the five key concepts for development—a theoretical guideline proposed by Xi Jinping—as well as the Belt and Road Initiative and China's interaction with the rest of the world.

China's role in the world

Kuhn believes that understanding the reasons why Xi Jinping is the core of the CPC Central Committee is the key to comprehending Xi's thought on national governance and China's development. Xi's core position was formally affirmed at the Sixth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, held in October 2016. "In the domestic and global contexts, China is confronted with enormous challenges, including overcapacity, pollution, social injustice, regionalism, terrorism and geopolitical conflicts," Kuhn said. Tackling these issues requires intra-Party unity and solidarity, along with consistent and institutionalized policies.

The Ninth BRICS Summit was held in Xiamen this year. In Kuhn's opinion, China is integrating with the world more deeply, and such multipolar mechanisms as BRICS carry considerable importance. "China's contributions to mechanisms like the G20 and BRICS have reflected the changes in its foreign affairs strategies," Kuhn said. "These positive changes are expected to be maintained, for they are not only beneficial to China's economic progress, but also helpful in resolving global problems."

Kuhn also deems the BRICS mechanism as a test bed for a new model of global governance. China's GDP is 6 percent higher than those of the other BRICS nations combined. "However, each country has an equal share and equal say in the New Development Bank." In other words, China enjoys the same voting rights as other members regardless of its considerable economic weight. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank works in a similar way. "So, this is the message that China has sent to the world." Kuhn interprets this format as a characteristic of China's participation in global governance.

"[As] the world's most populated country and second largest economy, China has clearly shown its cooperation aspirations." According to Kuhn, President Xi has envisioned a great target for the country. "He encourages China to be a global citizen and to be proactive in taking on its responsibility in various issues, from peacekeeping to anti-piracy operations," Kuhn said.

Moreover, Kuhn praised the Belt and Road Initiative as a great project which the world needs. Though, he suggested that China be more open and straightforward in presenting exactly how the initiative will benefit the country in order to avoid misunderstandings due to ambiguities.

Over the years, Kuhn has discussed China-related topics through various media. One of his several books about China, How China's Leaders Think: The Inside Story of China's Past, Current and Future Leaders, examines China's reform and opening-up policy and Chinese leaders' ideologies, and has gained wide attention in the West. What's more, his TV series "Closer to China with R. L. Kuhn" has facilitated better understanding of the CPC's theories, policies and administration, which, from his point of view, is a prerequisite to fully comprehending China's development.

Copyedited by Chris Surtees