World’s eyes on CPC Congress

Politicians across the globe keen on political outcome of event

BEIJING: With the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress approaching, politicians worldwide said they were observing with great interest and high expectation the political and policy outcome of the event, which begins on Oct 18.

Politicians, scholars and opinion leaders from Europe, the United State and Asia have expressed their predictions in interviews with China Daily a month before the once-in-five-years congress begins.

A new CPC Central Committee and a new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection are expected to be elected by 2,300 delegates nationwide to represent China’s 88 million CPC members.

In reviewing China’s progress, achieved by the CPC Central Committee under the leadership of Party General Secretary Xi Jinping since 2012, they concluded that China had started to take centre stage globally and they looked forward to seeing how China would deliver more positive solutions to global issues.

“My view is that President Xi has given a positive surprise to the world in the past five years and surely China has started to take centre stage,” said former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta.

Letta, now dean of the Paris School of International Affairs, said the global political landscape had changed rapidly in the past five years due to economic growth, social media expansion, technological breakthroughs and Donald Trump’s US presidency.

During the global shift, Letta said, China had grasped chances to transform its economy, eliminate corruption and further lift people at home from poverty.

Internationally, it has rolled out the Belt and Road Initiative and played an active role in global affairs.

Letta said his school had groups of scholars and students who had shown interest in observing the upcoming 19th Party Congress.

Former Pakistani prime minister Shaukat Aziz has also praised the outcome of Xi’s work in the past five years, calling him a peace-loving man and a world-class leader.

Aziz said the Belt and Road Initiative was an excellent example of his leadership.

“President Xi, in my view, has changed the dimensions and policy framework of China,” he said.

Jo Leinen, a German politician who is chairman of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with China, also said Europe looked with great expectations on the 19th Congress because it would be a great moment for the world.

In addition to the new leadership election and reshaping of the CPC institutions, Leinen said he was watching what policy guidelines and directions China would take in the next five years. — China Daily/ Asia News Network