Chinese Communist Party lauded for strength, achievements on 95th birthday

A grand gathering celebrating the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, July 1, 2016. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

BEIJING, July 1 -- International observers are marvelling at the sustained vigor and vitality of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the glorious achievements it has made in China's development as the party celebrates its 95th birthday Thursday.

Since the party was founded in 1921, it has been keeping up with the times, steering China in the right direction and has thoroughly changed the Chinese society.

It is enjoyable to see that the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government have made such tremendous achievements in various aspects, Italian Senate Speaker Pietro Grasso told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"I was quite impressed by what I saw when I visited China as senate speaker last October. Things there were completely different from 15 years before, when I had visited the country as a tourist," Grasso said.

After its birth, the Communist Party of China first led China to drive away the imperialists and gain independence in 1949. Then it devoted itself wholeheartedly to developing the economy and has made China a major economic power today, Susumu Yabuki, honorary professor of China studies at Japan's Yokohama City University, said.

Experts attribute the party's sustained success to the fact that it has always paid special attention to updating its theories and guidelines by drawing on past practical experiences.

The party has successfully developed a socialist theoretical system with Chinese characteristics, which has helped guide the country's reform and opening-up and economic development, enhance the people's confidence, and strengthen the power of the party, said Nguyen Vinh Quang, a former minister of Vietnamese Embassy to China.

The party can always surpass its past successes because it can use new notions, new thoughts and new strategies as powerful ideological weapons, unite and lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, and vigorously advance its undertakings in various fields, said Vichian Piakhong, vice president of the Thai Young Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Recently, the party has adopted the "new normal" economic theory and reset China's development pace and model, shifting focus from a high growth rate to more balanced and down-to-earth development goals. This will help China make steady advances on the path to realizing the Chinese Dream, said Ronnie Lins, director of China Studies Center in Brazil.

Experts say the Chinese Communist Party has the following special advantages as a ruling party.

First, it is down-to-earth and always ready to correct its mistakes.

"Only a party which takes its mistakes seriously can keep developing," Nguyen Vinh Quang said.

The party has made mistakes before, but it realized the mistakes and corrected them in time, said Stephen Perry, chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club, a commercial group that has played a tremendous role in trade between China and Britain.

Second, the party draws upon all useful opinions and keeps up with the times.

Perry spoke highly of the party's mechanism of democratic centralism, noting this system has yielded great achievements especially since 1978.

The Chinese Communist Party has been keen to listen to Chinese people's voices, so that party policies can reflect people's minds, thus earning support from the public, Lins said.

The party is brave enough to embrace new things and evolve with time, Bambang Suryono, chief editor of Inhua Daily in Indonesia, said.

Third, the Chinese Communist Party has always been able to carry out its policies with great efficiency. Lins said many countries are impressed with this.

The Chinese Communist Party's successful ruling of China has not only helped change the destiny of their country, but also pushed the common development of mankind, observers have also noted.

They laud China's leading role in pushing forward global trade, economic and investment cooperation, especially that among developing countries, which has brought real benefits to all countries.

China is now widely participating in global value chains and is carrying out trade and investment cooperation with many countries. It has helped many countries overcome financial shortages and provided a huge market for its trade partners, said Hans Hendrischke, a professor at the University of Sydney.

In recent years, the Chinese Communist Party has put forward the concept of "the community of common destiny for all mankind" and the Belt and Road Initiative, with a view to seeking common development and benefiting the whole world.

If the Belt and Road Initiative is carried out successfully, relevant countries will gain a lot from the interconnection of infrastructure, bringing prosperity to the region.

The miracle of China's economic growth has become a model in human development. With its rich experiences in economic development, China can help other developing countries shake off poverty, Hendrischke said.