By Fareeza Haniff in Beijing
China’s President Xi Jinping says the next five years will be “crucial” to building a modern “socialist country” that has international influence, promising that the Communist Party will work hard to achieve this.
In his almost two-hour speech at the official opening ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sunday, President Xi said it will be a “great and arduous endeavor” to build this “modern socialist country.”
He outlined eight ways in which the party can achieve this including promoting high-quality economic development, making new strides in reform and opening up the country, enriching and improving the cultural lives of people, ensuring personal income grows, improving the urban and rural environment, consolidating national security and further increasing China’s international standing and influence.
“Our future is bright, but we still have a long way to go,” the Chinese leader told the almost 1,000 people gathered.
At this historic 20th congress of the party, President Xi is widely expected to be re-elected to serve a third five-year term; there are over 2,000 delegates participating in the election and hundreds of journalists are providing coverage.
There is tremendous pressure on President Xi to fully re-open the country after the pandemic but China continues to implement strict measures and lockdowns in an effort to achieve its ‘Zero COVID policy.’
This has significantly affected the country’s economy and President Xi acknowledged this on Sunday.
“At present, momentous changes of a like not seen in a century are accelerating across the world. A new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is well underway and a significant shift is taking place in the international balance of power, presenting China with new strategic opportunities in pursuing development.
“At the same time, however, the once-in-a-century pandemic has had far-reaching effects; a backlash against globalization is rising; and unilateralism and protectionism are mounting.”
The Chinese President added that the global economic recovery is sluggish, regional conflicts and disturbances are frequent and global issues are becoming more acute.
“The world has entered a new period of turbulence and change,” President Xi lamented.
Between 2013 and 2021, China’s economy grew by 6.6 per cent annually and contributed on average over 30 per cent to global growth.
The party’s spokesperson, Sun Yeli had noted on Saturday, that given the size of China’s economy – the second largest in the world – it is no easy task to maintain such a speed of growth, especially during a pandemic.
And President Xi on Sunday reiterated this point, noting that China faces “many deep-seated problems regarding reform, development and stability” that cannot be avoided.
He urged everyone to be mindful of potential dangers and be prepared to deal with “worst-case scenarios.”
The congress is expected to last for seven days.
Of course it is, China is a great Country ……but …….stop threatening Taiwan and figure out a way to work together as 2 Chinas. It will be more productive and both your people and Taiwanese will appreciate it. And yes it is that simple.