BEIJING, Sept. 28,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- We will celebrate the 75th
anniversary of the founding of the
People's Republic of China (PRC) on October 1. This is another important year for
comprehensively deepening reform, a key year for realizing the
goals and tasks of the 14th Five-Year Plan for the 2021-25 period,
the 70th anniversary of the National People's Congress and the 75th
anniversary of the Chinese People's Political Consultative
Conference. Together, these time marks further attach rich
significance to the year 2024. Standing at this historical point
and looking back, we can see how the PRC took a great leap from
standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong amid constant
struggles and difficulties, proving the feasibility and superiority
of the Chinese path to modernization with eloquent facts.
For every Chinese, the pride of greater material and spiritual
abundance brought about by Chinese modernization is very vivid and
lively, and the 75-year glorious course is a grand whole and as
concrete as every detail of the country's development, reflecting
in every aspect of people's lives. Adhering to the people-centered
Chinese modernization has continuously enhanced people's sense of
gain, happiness and security. China's GDP has continued to grow, and by
2023, was 223 times larger than that in 1952 calculating at
constant price, with an average annual growth rate of 7.9 percent.
China's GDP per capita has
increased significantly and the country's comprehensive national
strength has grown to the world's top position. China has won a comprehensive victory in the
battle against poverty and made outstanding contributions to global
poverty alleviation. China's
average life expectancy has increased significantly, and public
service systems, such as education, medical care and social
security, have been improved. The fruits of Chinese modernization
have been effectively transformed into a visible and tangible
quality of life for the ordinary people.
Advancing Chinese modernization is a pioneering undertaking that
has never been done before. As General Secretary of the Communist
Party of China (CPC) Central
Committee Xi Jinping pointed out, "Our modernization is both the
most challenging and the greatest." At the beginning of the First
Industrial Revolution, the population of the UK was less than 6
million, while during the Second Industrial Revolution, the
population of the US was less than 80 million. By 2019, the total
population of countries and regions that have reached modernization
around the world was less than 1 billion.
For over 1.4 billion people in China to collectively enter a modernized
society is a scale larger than the combined population of all
developed countries, and this will completely reshape the world map
of modernization. It is a significant event in human history with a
far-reaching impact. Some young people say, "We are so fortunate to
be born in China," which reflects
their awareness and pride in being part of the process of Chinese
modernization.
Chinese modernization has changed not only China but also the whole world. UN reports
show that significant progress has been made in global poverty
reduction over the past few decades, and this is primarily due to
China's contributions. Measured by
the World Bank's extreme poverty standard of $1.90 per person per day, China has reduced its poor population by
around 800 million over the past 40 years, accounting for nearly 75
percent of global poverty reduction during this period. In 2021,
China announced that the final
98.99 million impoverished rural residents living under the current
standard were all lifted out of poverty and that China had brought about a historic resolution
to the problem of absolute poverty, completing the building of a
moderately prosperous society in all respects. Since the 18th CPC
National Congress, China's economy
has made historic leaps, contributing over 30 percent to global
economic growth on average. By building new systems of a
higher-standard open economy, China has become a major trading partner to
over 140 countries and regions, providing stability and
constructive elements for global peace.
In the context of human civilization, 75 years is but a brief
moment, yet it has profoundly impacted global development patterns
and the course of world history. China has broken the myth that "modernization
equals Westernization," showcasing an alternative vision of
modernization and expanding the pathways for developing countries
to achieve modernization. This has offered a Chinese solution to
humanity's quest for better social systems.
During the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation
held in Beijing, the BBC published
an article exploring the question: How has China gained the support of African countries
without "preaching" to them? The fact is, China does not rely on external forces or
blindly copy foreign models; instead, it follows general laws of
modernization while independently exploring a path of modernization
with Chinese characteristics, which naturally unites countries from
the "Global South." Contributing significantly to the progress of
human civilization reflects China's broad global vision.
Xi pointed out, "What do we rely on to further unite our hearts
and minds on the new journey? It is the Chinese modernization." The
75th anniversary of the founding of the PRC is both a milestone in
the Chinese modernization journey and a prelude to new historical
achievements and efforts. The Chinese people will not rest on their
laurels or succumb to external pressure and stagnate. It is both
the determination and goal of the ruling party as well as the
common understanding and action of the people of all ethnic groups
in China to advance China's modernization - a great undertaking
that is unprecedented in human history and to act as firm
practitioners and doers of Chinese modernization.
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SOURCE Global Times