Chinese Ambassador to North Macedonia Jiang Xiaoyan Publishes an Article Titled “Marching Together toward a Bright Future: Reflecting on the Glorious Journey of the Communist[...]

In an article published by Nova Makedonija on 9 July, H.E. Mme. Ambassador Jiang Xiaoyan reviews the 105-year journey of the Communist Party of China and observations for future cooperation between China and North Macedonia .  The full text is as follows:

This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Over the past 105 years, the CPC has remained committed to seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, guiding the country through a historical trajectory from "standing up" to "growing prosperous" and, more recently, "becoming strong". It has dedicated itself to advancing human progress and championing shared prosperity for the world, contributing Chinese wisdom, solutions, and strength to addressing global challenges.

Reviewing its remarkable journey, the CPC has grown from a small party of just over 50 members into the world's largest governing political party, with more than 100 million members and the wholehearted support of the Chinese people. It serves as the central leadership core of socialism with Chinese characteristics and exerts significant global influence. Under the leadership of the CPC, China has achieved two notable "miracles"-rapid economic growth and long-term social stability-while its international influence, innovation capacity, and cultural appeal have continued to rise.

The key to China's success lies in the Party. To understand China's story, one must first understand the CPC.

The CPC is a party that puts the people first. It adheres to a people-centered development philosophy, enshrining wholehearted service to the people in its Constitution. When the People's Republic of China was founded, hundreds of millions lived in poverty. The CPC launched an unremitting battle against poverty and lifted over 770 million rural residents out of it, making the greatest contribution to global poverty reduction. Focusing on public well-being, it has built the world's largest education, social security, and health-care systems. Upholding whole-process people's democracy, it ensures that the people's voices are heard and their will is reflected-from daily livelihood issues to major reforms. In drafting the 15th Five-Year Plan, for example, over three million public suggestions were collected, more than 1,500 of which were incorporated into the final draft. A Harvard University survey spanning more than a decade shows that Chinese citizens' satisfaction with the central government exceeds 90 percent.

The CPC is a party that embraces innovation. It adapts the basic tenets of Marxism to China's realities and its fine traditional culture, constantly applying new theories to new practice. In pursuing Chinese modernization, it has debunked the myth that "modernization equals Westernization" and created a new model for human advancement. Treating innovation as the primary driver of development, it fosters new quality productive forces and promotes high-quality growth. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, annual R&D expenditure grew by an average of 10 percent. China has built the world's largest 5G networks, high-speed railway system, and new energy industrial chains, and has achieved breakthroughs in quantum technology, core software, advanced materials, life sciences, bio-manufacturing, and space science. The CPC is leading China's leap from "Made in China" to "Created in China."

The CPC is a party committed to self-reform. With a clear sense of purpose in addressing the unique challenges of governing such a large party, the CPC pursues self-reform to the end, seeking to avoid the historical cycle in which ruling parties  rise and decline. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has made full and rigorous self-governance a strategic priority within the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy, beginning with the formulation and implementation of the Eight-Point Regulation. Historic progress has been made in strengthening Party discipline. On its 105th anniversary, the CPC has further articulated Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, emphasizing institution-based and rule-based governance, and advancing integrated efforts to ensure that officials do not dare to, are not able to, and do not want to be corrupt. A National Bureau of Statistics survey shows that 94.9 percent of respondents affirm the results of full and rigorous self-governance and the implementation of the Eight-Point Regulation.

The CPC is a party with a global vision. "Only in a better world can China thrive; and only with a thriving China can the world be better." Guided by this belief, the CPC advocates the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, promotes a community with a shared future for humanity, champions the Belt and Road Initiative and the four global initiatives, upholds peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit, and promotes the common values of humanity to build the broadest possible consensus. The vision of a community with a shared future for humanity has gained increasing resonance, supported by over 100 countries and international organizations, with more than 40 of them joining in building such communities bilaterally. The BRI has become the world's largest and most far-reaching platform for international cooperation. The four global initiatives point the way forward and offer practical pathways to bridging the peace, development, security, and governance deficits, injecting stability into an uncertain world.

China and the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) share deep historical ties, complementary strengths, strong demand for cooperation, and a common aspiration for revitalization. Building a community with a shared future for humanity cannot be achieved without the participation of the CEEC. As a vital transit country linking the Western Balkans with Eurasia and an important member of the China-CEEC cooperation mechanism, North Macedonia enjoys a long-standing traditional friendship with China. The CPC and the Chinese government value this relationship highly, firmly support each other's core interests and major concerns, and stand ready to share the opportunities of Chinese modernization with North Macedonia. We will deepen practical cooperation, facilitate people-to-people exchanges, make good use of the China-CEEC platform, and join hands with North Macedonia to advance our respective development and revitalization, marching together toward a brighter future.