Sailing Forward

One hundred years is not a long period in the history of human civilization; but it means a lot to the Chinese people. The past century saw China transform from a weak and impoverished country living in the shadows of international imperialist powers into the world’s second-largest economy. China is making increasingly larger contribution to the world peace and development. This transformation was made possible by the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Since its foundation on a small red boat in Jiaxing, east China’s Zhejiang Province, the CPC has led China onto a development track that is suitable for China’s national conditions.

Over the past century, the red-boat spirit has inspired the Chinese nation to build a better country. Tremendous achievements have been made under the leadership of the CPC. Now, the Party is working hard to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This year, the Chinese people achieved the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, and are marching toward the second centenary goal, that is, to build a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious.

The secret behind the CPC’S success lies in its stance of standing firmly with the people and governing the country in accordance with people’s will. Its tenet is to serve the people wholeheartedly, which has been strictly followed by the communists for the past 100 years.

Standing with the people means putting people first and doing everything that benefits the people. After the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, the CPC conducted land reform, so that common people, especially poor people could have their own farmlands; it launched medical reform and people can afford access to high-quality medical treatment; it initiated education reform to enable more children, especially those from impoverished families, to go to schools; it launched nationwide poverty alleviation programs to ensure rural poor people do not have to worry about food and clothing and have access to better education, basic medical services and safe housing. China’s progress can be seen in all aspects.

Today, China has become the world’s second-largest economy and is the first developing country to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal on poverty eradication. In February this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, solemnly announced China’s eradication of absolute poverty. With such achievements, China has created another miracle that will go down in history.

The 100th anniversary means the beginning of a new journey for the Party that will lead China to a brighter future. CA