ChinAfrica

Source of Strength

Chinese and South African scholars and officials celebrate the 100th anniversar­ies of the Communist Party of China and South African Communist Party

- By Ni Yanshuo

What has made the Communist Party of China (CPC) survive and develop in the past 100 years? And how will it continue to survive and develop in the next 100 years? These were the questions asked by David Monyae, Co-director of the Center for Africa-china Studies at the University of Johannesbu­rg, at a webinar held on June 15 to celebrate the 100th anniversar­y of the founding of the CPC and the South African Communist Party (SACP). According to him, as a people-centered party, the CPC’S strengths come from the people. “People will never let the Party down,” he said.

One hundred years ago, the CPC and the SACP were establishe­d on July 23 and July 30, respective­ly, in the context of the fight for national liberation and the struggle for socialism. To celebrate the great event, Chinafrica magazine and the Diplomatic Society of South Africa held the webinar with the theme Party Exchanges: Prospect and Perspectiv­es. Here are the main views of some of the participan­ts of the webinar:

occasion of the 100th anniversar­y of the CPC, research on why the CPC is so successful and what lessons can be learned is hotter than ever.

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, China has long been advancing law-based governance led by generation­s of leadership of the CPC. After the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, the Party put forward the goal of completing the building of a moderately prosperous society. Compared with before, the CPC leadership of this period features the following characteri­stics: Focusing on the exercise and enforcemen­t of law, emphasizin­g the leadership of the CPC in the law-based governance, and making an all-out effort to enforce strict discipline within the CPC itself. aircrafts. In addition, China’s rural illiteracy rate was more than 95 percent, and the school-age children’s enrolment rate was only around 20 percent.

In the context, the CPC adopted land reform, economic reform, education reform and healthcare reform to improve human developmen­t conditions. These measures are effective and efficient. A total of about 800 million poor people have been lifted out of poverty in China over the last 40 years since the country adopted reform and opening up policy in late 1978. never forgets its original mission of the past century: meeting people’s need of putting food on the table, assisting them to have access to sufficient health care services, building roads to schools, and improving the agricultur­al productivi­ty.

China will continue its course as long as it remains focused on its people. It doesn’t matter how much noise comes from the West. It will always be there. However, its greatest strength comes from its people. The people will never let the Party down.

 ??  ?? DAVID MONYAE
DAVID MONYAE
 ??  ?? KIRTAN BHANA
KIRTAN BHANA

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