[Russia] Ivan Melnikov: The Success of the Communist Party of China is a Valuable Asset to the World
In the history of human development, Chinese civilization has occupied a leading position for the vast majority of time. In the modern era, with the colonial expansion of the West, China gradually fell into the status of a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, and the Chinese nation was faced with the heavy responsibility of rejuvenation. The Communist Party of China (CPC) introduced advanced Marxist theory to China, led the cause of Chinese revolution and construction, and subsequently implemented reform and opening up. As socialism with Chinese characteristics entered the New Era, under the leadership of the CPC, China's economic development has maintained strong momentum, the people's standard of living has continuously improved, and its international status has steadily risen. Over these past one hundred years, it is precisely because of the CPC's existence that the Chinese nation has been able to restart its new journey toward national rejuvenation.
A Marxist Party Carrying the Heavy Responsibility of National Rejuvenation
In 1840, Britain launched the Opium War against China, marking the beginning of China’s descent into a semi-colony of Western powers. From that point on, the primary historical task of the Chinese people has been national rejuvenation, which is inextricably linked to resisting Western military, political, economic, and cultural expansion.
For the Chinese people, the victory of the Great Russian October Socialist Revolution and the birth of the young Soviet state were historic events. After the October Revolution, Marxism began to spread widely among the progressive strata of Chinese society. This profound theory provided enterprising Chinese people with a methodology for the struggle for national liberation.
In July 1921, the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China was convened, an event of great significance not only for all of China but for the entire world. In a country ruled by Western powers and warring warlords [1], there emerged a truly new type of Marxist party, standing at the very forefront of the Chinese people's struggle for national liberation and social progress.
As soon as it was established, the CPC became the most progressive political organization in Chinese society and was quickly chosen by the masses as the main force for resolving the problems of the entire nation. From just over 50 members at its founding, the CPC rapidly grew into the most numerous and mature political organization in Chinese society. The CPC embarked on its journey, achieving major successes in solving the severe problems facing China; today, the CPC continues to effectively resolve many major historical difficulties.
The CPC won public recognition in a very short period, and by relying on the masses to carry out the national liberation struggle, it defeated foreign aggressors and their lackeys, expelling all reactionary elements from the Chinese mainland. The victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the victory of the Liberation War were major historical achievements of the CPC. China gained liberation and unity, opening up a true path of national rejuvenation on the road to building socialism.
Leading the Chinese People in Establishing and Building New China
On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China, which was the victorious fruit of the CPC’s struggle for national independence. The governing CPC faced the task of rapidly rebuilding an economy devastated by war. The immediate priority was to steer the national economy toward a socialist direction of development to improve the living standards of the working people. Under the leadership of the CPC, China began large-scale socialist construction, and the country's Five-Year Plans ensured the progression of this construction.
At that time, Western powers did not diplomatically recognize the People’s Republic of China, and the United States and other Western countries also imposed economic blockades, creating challenges for China’s construction. With the help of the Soviet Union and other countries, the industrious Chinese people, under the leadership of the CPC, turned plans into reality. The CPC achieved remarkable and significant successes in developing the economy, science and education, healthcare, and in strengthening national defense capabilities and national security.
China established a complete national economic system. In just a few years, emerging industries appeared, including electronic equipment and rocket manufacturing. By 1978, the fixed assets of Chinese industry had grown dozens of times over, agricultural harvests had increased significantly, the transport industry developed rapidly, the number of illiterate people dropped sharply, and the development of healthcare greatly increased life expectancy and saw steps taken in the conquest of space. The CPC accumulated rich experience in the cause of socialist construction, laying a solid foundation for further progress.
The Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee made strategic decisions vital to the country, shifting the focus of the Party and state's work to socialist modernization. The policy of implementing economic reform and expanding opening up to the outside world holds profound significance in the history of the CPC. Chinese development ushered in a new stage; the speed of socio-economic development increased significantly, and comprehensive economic strength continuously reached new heights.
In 1978, the GDP of China—the world’s most populous nation—accounted for only 1.8% of the world economy. By the beginning of the 21st century, China's global position had risen sharply. In 2010, China's total GDP was second only to the United States, ranking second in the world, and the Chinese economy's share of the world economy approached 10%. Over these years, China's share of global GDP has continued to increase. During the global economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese economy stood the test.
Overall, during this period, China achieved tremendous developmental successes in the economic, political, social, and cultural fields. The CPC successfully solved economic difficulties, laying the foundation for the steady improvement of the Chinese people's living standards. Throughout the reform process, the CPC pursued effective policies aimed at the comprehensive building of a moderately prosperous society [2], always maintaining a high level of attention to the development of education, science and technology, healthcare, and culture, and constructed a social security system covering both the urban and rural populations nationwide.
Propelling China Toward a New Stage of Development
In November 2012, Xi Jinping was elected General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, an extremely important historical event in contemporary Chinese history. In November of the same year, while visiting the "Road to Rejuvenation" exhibition at the National Museum of China, the new central leadership collective proposed that realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the greatest dream of the Chinese nation in modern times.
The 19th National Congress of the CPC in October 2017 officially wrote Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into the Party Constitution. Subsequently, this important thought was enshrined in the Constitution of the People's Republic of China.
The "Belt and Road" Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping during his visits to Kazakhstan and Indonesia in the autumn of 2013 has broad international significance. This concept is the contemporary development of the great Silk Road idea. Its goal is to promote the economic prosperity of participating countries, strengthen cultural exchanges and ties in various fields, and promote peace and sustainable development.
The achievements made in realizing national economic rejuvenation and national modernization, and the stable rise in the well-being of Chinese citizens, provide a reliable foundation for advancing the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics into the New Era. Today, the CPC is responding to truly global challenges that are crucial to all of humanity.
China has demonstrated an innovative spirit in cross-regional projects implemented to create conditions for the free flow of investment, technology, goods, and services, thereby ensuring the stable development of the world economy, maintaining the harmony of international relations, defending peace, and protecting the natural environment. It is precisely these measures that demonstrate the new role of the CPC in the contemporary world. Based on China's continuous development and growth, the CPC advocates for the advancement of human development through progress, cooperation, and humanitarianism.
On the day following the proclamation of the founding of the People's Republic of China, our country (referring to the Soviet Union — Ed.) was the first to recognize it and announce the establishment of diplomatic relations. Current Russia-China relations are based on the fundamental terms of the "Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation Between the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation" signed in Moscow in 2001. Today, we have reason to say that Russia-China relations are the best they have been in history. The Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is not just a title, but is true to its name. This relationship relies on a solid tradition of friendship, common interests, an understanding of the importance of good-neighborly and mutually beneficial cooperation for the well-being of both peoples, and mutual support on issues of principle. The leaders of both countries have repeatedly emphasized: China needs a strong and successful Russia, and Russia needs a prosperous and stable China.
In promoting all areas of bilateral cooperation, members of the Communist Party of China have made enormous contributions, including through inter-state, inter-parliamentary, inter-party, and people-to-people diplomacy. The latter is very important. Humanities cooperation is one of the pillars for Russia and China to enhance mutual understanding and friendship. The key to inter-state relations lies in how people get along. We have ample reason to say that every year more and more Russian citizens consider China a friendly country, showing great interest in Chinese life, culture, and the study of the Chinese language. The two countries continuously hold various festivals, expand the number of tourist visits, and promote media cooperation.
The friendship associations of both countries play an important and special role in promoting the unity of the two peoples. Today, to ensure the continuity of our strong bonds, friendship associations attract young people to participate in activities promoting friendship and cooperation, implement cooperative projects, strengthen ties between various regions of Russia and Chinese provinces, popularize Chinese in Russia and Russian in China, and so on. The partnership interaction between the Russia-China Friendship Association and the China-Russia Friendship Association and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries helps to facilitate the aforementioned work. Naturally, the fact that the CPC takes the work of these organizations seriously also contributes to these efforts.
I believe that unswervingly adhering to the CPC's line and policies will enable the Chinese people to achieve new successes in economic, political, social, and cultural development. These are crucial for the Chinese people and the entire world. Due to China's indisputable success, the international communist movement has gained increasing evidence to illustrate the bright future of its goals.
The outstanding experience accumulated by the CPC over its 100 years of leading the Chinese revolution and socialist construction is a precious world asset today. China's development trends give people the firm belief that many of the experiences accumulated by the CPC over 100 years will be absorbed by people living in different countries across all continents.
(The author is the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of Russia, First Deputy Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, and Chairman of the Russia-China Friendship Association.)