BEIJING: For the third time in his career, Xi Jinping led other newly elected Party leaders to make their debut in Beijing on October 23.
“We shall keep in mind the Party’s nature and purpose and our own mission and responsibility, and work diligently in the performance of our duty, to prove worthy of the great trust of the Party and our people,” he said.
Since he was first elected general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in 2012, Xi has led the world’s most populous nation in achieving history-making progress. Hopes are high that the new leadership team will continue to steadily steer China down its path to modernization.
Ten years ago, when Xi ascended to the Party’s top post, China was already the world’s second largest economy and top manufacturer. But the economy faced increasing downward pressure and the need to transform the economic structure became pressing. Other tough issues also needed to be resolved, such as corruption, pollution and a wide wealth gap.
Xi has put forward a new development philosophy that promotes innovative, coordinated, green, open and inclusive development for all.
“We will boost the dynamism and reliability of the domestic economy while engaging at a higher level in the global economy,” a report Xi delivered to the 20th CPC National Congress on October 16 said. “We will… make China’s industrial and supply chains more resilient and secure, and promote integrated urban-rural development and coordinated regional development, so as to effectively upgrade and appropriately expand China’s economic output.”
The report underscores the need for high-quality development in aspects including the economy, society, culture and ecology, Mu Hong, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a press conference on October 24. Xi has come up with new ideas on many national and global issues and his philosophy is considered a new breakthrough in the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times.
Xi has an objective and comprehensive understanding of China’s current situation, as well as detailed and rational thinking on its future, a Xinhua News Agency profile of Xi quoted Robert Kuhn, an American scholar who authored the book How China’s Leaders Think, as saying.
Poverty alleviation, the Belt and Road Initiative and the environmental cleanup all have their place within Xi’s thought and all are practical at the grassroots level where ideas become action, driving the historic changes over the past decade, David Ferguson, a British editor who edited the English translation of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, said.
Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, guiding principles developed since Xi assumed the Party’s top job in 2012, was enshrined in the preambles of both the Party and national constitutions in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The thought also includes ideas such as a Chinese path to modernization, the rule of law and improved Party self-governance.
In international relations, Xi champions a community with a shared future for humanity, one in which people will be able to cope with pandemics, climate change, food and water insecurity, and war by emphasizing mutually beneficial solutions. The Belt and Road Initiative is a plan that aims to enhance connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes proposed by Xi in 2013.
A resolution adopted at the 20th CPC National Congress said the establishment of Xi’s core position and the guiding role of his thought has enabled the Party to successfully resolve acute problems and challenges.
It was agreed at the congress the new developments in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era since the Party’s 19th National Congress in 2017 should be incorporated into the Party Constitution, another resolution on Party Constitution amendment said.
–The Daily Mail-Beijing review news exchange item
