Meet the People's Expectation for a Better Life

Meet the People's Expectation for a Better Life*

December 1, 2017

As the term suggests, a global community of shared future means that the future of each and every nation and country is interlocked. We are in the same boat, and we should stick together, share weal and woe, endeavor to build this planet of ours into a single harmonious family, and turn people's longing for a better life into reality.

– We should endeavor to build a world of universal security free from fear. The evolution of human civilization shows that despite our longing for lasting peace for thousands of years, the specter of war has never been far away and has continued to haunt us. As all of humanity lives on the same planet, no country should maintain its own security at the cost of another's. A threat to another country may turn out to be a challenge to your own. Unilateral action or blind belief in the use of force cannot provide an answer to increasingly complex and multifaceted security threats.

Instead, we should adopt a new common approach to security that is comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable, and we should work together to put in place a new security architecture that is equitable, fair, and beneficial to all. We should jointly remove the root causes of war, reach out to those displaced by war, and protect women and children from the scourge of war, so that the sunshine of peace will radiate across our land and everyone will live in peace and harmony.

– We should endeavor to build a world of common prosperity free from poverty. Despite the fact that material and technological development in the world today has reached a level that would have been unimaginable to our ancestors, imbalanced and inadequate development still presents a major issue. There is a huge development gap between the North and the South; poverty and hunger remain widespread; a new digital divide is emerging; and people in many countries are still living in distress. If you follow the old-fashioned logic of winner-takes-all, or beggar-thy-neighbor, you will shut the door on others and only end up blocking your own way. Such practices can only serve to erode the foundations of one's own development and impair the future of humanity.

We should subscribe to the concept of benefiting all, and push for economic globalization that is more open, inclusive, equitable and balanced, thus creating conditions for pursuing common development of all peoples. Together, we should work for the common development and prosperity of all countries, eradicate poverty and backwardness that still plague people in many countries, and create a worry-free life for children around the world. It will enable all countries to benefit from development and all peoples to enjoy prosperity, peace and good health.

– We should endeavor to build a world that is open and inclusive, a world free from isolation. As an ancient Chinese saying goes, "All living things grow side by side without harming one another; the sun, moon and seasons rotate according to their own laws without hindering each other." The flourishing of civilization and the progress of humanity will not be possible without enhancing common ground, openness, inclusiveness, exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and agreeing to disagree.

Different civilizations should blossom and coexist in harmony with each other, and draw on each other's strength to inspire and nourish human development – this is the call of history. We should always bear in mind that the world is a colorful one with diverse civilizations; and we should see that different civilizations enrich each other and create a splendid world. We should work together to bring down cultural barriers, reject prejudices that stand in the way of human interactions, and eliminate cultural bias that prevents people from engaging with one another. Let us work together to make sure that different civilizations coexist in harmony with each other and that everybody enjoys cultural nourishment.

– We should endeavor to build a green, clean and beautiful world. The Earth is the only shared home for humanity. Now, a few individuals are trying to find a new home in outer space, but that is still a distant dream. And in the foreseeable future, human beings still need to live on this planet. This is a fact that will not change. We should jointly protect our planet, not only for ourselves, but also for the sake of future generations. Believing in harmony between man and nature, we should cherish the environment as dearly as we cherish our own lives. We should revere, respect, adapt to, and protect nature. We should protect the irreplaceable planet Earth, our home, heal wounds inflicted on the eco-environment, and build a harmonious and livable home for humanity. This will allow the natural ecosystems to recover and regenerate themselves, and allow everyone to live in an environment of lucid waters and lush mountains.

Today, the world is changing, as are our development models. Political parties must move with the tide of the times, have a good understanding of the general trends of human progress, meet the common expectations of the people, and closely link their personal development with the development of their country, their nation and humanity. We should aim high and look far, have the courage to take up responsibilities, and shoulder the mission of the times, bearing in mind the interests of both our own countries and the world at large, and both the overall interests and long-term interests.

We should have a good knowledge of our people's conditions and translate their needs into our Party's guiding thoughts, purposes, and goals, and design concrete and practical implementation plans.

The building of a global community of shared future requires the participation of all peoples. To advance this great cause we should build consensus among people of different nations, with different beliefs and cultures, and from different regions.

To realize a great dream, it is imperative to draw on the wisdom and strength of all involved. We should try to pool ideas from multiple dimensions, different levels and different perspectives, draw on best practices, explore new ways of thinking, get inspiration, and build momentum. Political parties from different countries should enhance mutual trust, dialogue, and coordination. Building on a new model of international relations, we should explore a new model of party-to-party relations in which political parties seek to expand common ground while reserving differences, and respect and learn from each other. We should build a multiform, multilevel international network for party-to-party exchanges and cooperation. All these will work together and form a mighty force for building a global community of shared future.

A trail can be blazed only by taking steps; and a cause can be accomplished only by taking actions. Building a global community of shared future is a historic process. It cannot be completed overnight, nor will it be plain sailing. Persistent and arduous efforts are called for. To build such a community, we must make unremitting efforts. We should not give up on our dream because of the complexity of the reality, nor should we stop pursuing our ideals as they seem so far away to reach.

The CPC is a political party dedicated to the wellbeing of the Chinese people and to the progress of human society. It is the largest political party in the world. As I once said, the CPC must act in the way that a major party should. What we Chinese Communists are doing is to better the lives of the Chinese people, rejuvenate the Chinese nation, and promote peace and development for humanity. We must run our own house well, which in itself is a contribution to the building of a global community of shared future. We intend to create more opportunities for the rest of the world through our own development. We will achieve social development through our actions, and share our experience with other countries. We do not want to import models from other countries, nor do we want to export the Chinese model; still less will we ask other countries to copy our practices. We Chinese Communists will stay true to the following commitments:

First, we will continue to work for global peace and tranquility.

Nearly 100 years ago, the CPC was born when China was in turmoil. One of its founding missions was to put an end to the dire plight in which China had suffered from frequent wars and the Chinese people from destitution since the mid-19th century. From 1921 to 1949, in order to achieve peace and stability in China and enable its people to live and work in peace, the CPC rallied the Chinese people and led them in an armed struggle for 28 years, and made huge sacrifices.

Having gone through all this, we Chinese Communists know only too well how precious peace is; hence we are resolved to maintain peace. China remains committed to promoting peace, development, and cooperation, and delivering win-win outcomes. We will always pursue peaceful development, actively promote the building of global partnerships, and proactively engage ourselves in the process of political settlement of international hotspot and difficult issues.

China, a major contributor of troops and funds for UN peace-keeping operations, has cumulatively dispatched over 36,000 peace-keepers. As I am talking now, more than 2,500 Chinese peacekeepers are serving UN missions in eight mission zones, safeguarding local peace and security, regardless of the difficulties and dangers.

China will continue to actively engage in the reform and development of the global governance system, and will promote efforts to develop a more just and equitable international political and economic order. No matter how advanced China’s development is, China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion. We call on political parties in all countries to join us and become builders of world peace, contributors to global development, and defenders of the international order.

Second, we will continue to work for common development.

The CPC has its origin in the people and has relied on the people for its growth and development. It has always cared about the people, Chinese and others, and is committed to working for their wellbeing.

Over the years, China has helped many developing countries in various ways, including providing large amounts of free aid and concessional loans, as well as technical, personnel, and intellectual support. It has helped them complete numerous projects to facilitate their economic and social development and to improve the lives of their people. Today, thousands of Chinese scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, technicians, doctors and nurses, teachers, workers, and volunteers are working hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder with local people in many developing countries to help them change their lives for the better.

As envisaged by the CPC at its 19th National Congress in 2017, China will achieve moderate prosperity in all respects throughout the country by the year 2020. It will, by and large, realize socialist modernization by the year 2035, and will turn itself into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful by the middle of this century. This will benefit not only the Chinese people, but also the people of other countries. We propose that political parties of other countries work with us and create more cooperation opportunities to the benefit of common development and prosperity.

Third, we will continue to promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

As a Chinese saying goes, a stone taken from another mountain may serve as a tool to polish the local jade – advice from others may help remedy one's own shortcomings. The CPC always stresses the need to develop a global perspective. We have learned and drawn on the achievements of other cultures and applied them in the Chinese context. Indeed, Marxism is the solid truth we have learned from other countries. We have adapted Marxism to China's conditions, kept it current, and enhanced its popular appeal. As a result, Marxism has become the underlying theory guiding the CPC's efforts to lead the Chinese people on the march forward.

The CPC approaches the achievements of other cultures with an open mind and keen interest. We would like to engage in dialogue, exchanges and cooperation with the people and political parties of other countries, and we support increased cultural and people-to-people exchanges among different countries.

Over the next five years, the CPC will invite 15,000 members of other political parties to visit China for exchanges and interaction. We propose that the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting be institutionalized and be made a high-level platform for political dialogue with broad representation and international influence.

More than 2,000 years ago, the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius observed that one should make friends with people who are upright, sincere, and well-informed. The CPC is ready to build more friendships across the world. Over the years, we have maintained regular contacts with more than 400 political parties and organizations in over 160 countries and regions, and our circle of friends continues to grow.

Moving forward, the CPC will enhance exchanges with political parties of other countries to share ideas on enhancing party competence and state governance, and conduct further exchanges and dialogue among civilizations so as to improve our strategic mutual trust. Let all of us, people of all countries, join hands to build a global community of shared future and a better world.

* Part of the keynote speech at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting.

(Not to be republished for any commercial or other purposes.)