Australian party leaders hail CPC as party linked to people

BEIJING -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) is a party linked to the people, said leaders of the Communist Party of Australia (CPA).

"It has shown a very good example of how you integrate scientific socialism with the needs of the people," said Andrew Irving, general secretary of the CPA.

"Obviously, it is a party linked to the people ... and it has been able to apply the scientific theory to the conditions of China," said Vinnie Molina, national president of the CPA.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC. In separate interviews with Xinhua, Irving and Molina talked about their observation of the Chinese ruling party.

The CPC's poverty alleviation achievements impressed them the most.

"China has been able to eradicate extreme poverty. That is very impressive in such a vast country with a huge population of 1.4 billion people," said Molina in a video interview.

"We can see what is possible to do in a socialist society that puts people first, ahead of profit," he said.

"The success of the CPC ... is not only a victory for the Chinese. It's a victory for all Marxists," Irving said.

He believes that understanding the better situation the Chinese people are achieving is a challenge to some conservative Western governments.

His view was shared by Molina. Although they haven't visited China in person, some of their fellow CPA members have traveled to the Asian country multiple times.

Molina said the experiences of people having visited China are in "contrast with what we hear from the mass media here in Australia."

"It looks like there is a 'war' or a campaign against China," he said. "So those visits were important, because we are able to tell people the truth and what is happening in China."

The CPC has been successful in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, Molina said.

"China shows us a way where we could actually have dealt with a pandemic, which is impressive," he said, adding that the availability of Chinese vaccines is much appreciated.

On behalf of the CPA, Irving extended his greetings to the CPC on its centenary.

"We hope that with the Chinese people, the great advances that they've been able to achieve will continue," he said. "We greatly thank them for their contribution, and we walk with them forward."

Molina hopes that after the pandemic, he could have an opportunity to visit China.

"Hopefully we can ... send a CPA delegation to strengthen our fraternal relations between our two parties," he said.