"I saw how CPC leadership promotes human development": Belarusian party leader

MINSK -- The Communist Party of China (CPC)'s governing philosophy helps promote the idea of constant human development, said a Belarusian party leader.

Under the CPC's leadership, China has become the only major economy in the world to see GDP growth in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and "this is what speaks about the policy that is being pursued. It means that people are constantly developing," Aleksei Sokol, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus, told Xinhua in a recent exclusive interview.

China has set "an example of what needs to be taken in the fight against such a terrible epidemic," Sokol said.

The party leader noted that the main reason for the CPC's longevity is its ability to adapt the Marxism theory to the Chinese context.

Having visited China many times, Sokol said he is deeply impressed by the country's rapid development, citing China's efforts in improving infrastructure, and advancing innovative technology, aerospace technology and biotechnology as examples.

With the CPC's leadership, China is "focusing not only on central cities, but also developing the periphery very seriously," he said, adding that China promotes a diversified development to increase the well-being of its people by any means.

Sokol said he is also amazed by China's poverty alleviation. "I saw how the leadership of the CPC promotes the idea of human development."

Behind China's eradication of absolute poverty is a certain human development potential, which ultimately pushes forward the development of the whole country, he said.

All China's socio-economic achievements, fulfilled under the CPC's leadership, deserve respect, he said.

Members of the CPC have spearheaded the efforts to speed up China's development over the past decades, the party leader noted, adding that the Chinese people are hardworking, active and highly disciplined, which also contributed to China's rapid development.

Sokol was invited to participate in the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting in Beijing in 2017. He said he is deeply impressed by the remarks on jointly building a community with a shared future for mankind made at the meeting by Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

"This is an excellent, wonderful and strong idea. This is a very promising direction," he said.

China has proposed to the international community an initiative that countries should unite to develop in a peaceful way, and the world should respond to the initiative, he said.

Sokol said his party has repeatedly sent members to participate in various international forums and seminars in China, and also sent young Belarusians to China to promote exchanges with Chinese youths. "We have learned a lot both in theory and in practice from our Chinese colleagues thanks to these visits."

Noting that Belarus-China relations "are deepening every year," and that the two countries have great mutually beneficial prospects, Sokol praised the leaders of both sides for their invaluable role in promoting "such friendly relations."

Congratulating the CPC on its 100th anniversary, Sokol said he wishes China can further speed up the pace of its development in the future.

China should go forward and show the world that "socialism with Chinese characteristics is really a modern model. It is aimed at caring for people, at development," he added. 

Video reporter: Wei Zhongjie, Li Jia; video editor: Zhang Yucheng