CPC in My Eyes

2021-06-16 21:00

On 16th June, 2021, the article titled "CPC in My Eyes" was published on the Observer newspaper, authored by Mr. Wang Erdong, Chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Antigua and Barbuda. The full text is as follows:

 

To know China well, one must first know the Communist Party of China (CPC). One hundred years ago, the CPC was formally established on July 1, 1921. This great political party has since made three major achievements: first, she established the New China of the People's Republic of China (PRC) on October 1, 1949; second, she lead China onto the path of socialist development; third, she built a well-off society in China in an all-round way. Currently, the Party is leading the nation for the next goal, to make China a great modern socialist country in an all-round way by the middle of the 21st century.

 

Taking deep root in the Chinese history, the CPC is also a product of history. In China, the people, the Party and the country are an integrated one which cannot be separated. This is the embodiment of the Chinese political and cultural traditions. To study China, one must study the CPC; to do things well related to China, one must recognize the key role of the CPC. The Party is, however, a complex polyhedron, I would like to introduce some important points about her, so that my friends in Antigua and Barbuda will have a better understanding of the CPC.

 

She is a united and progressive political party. With so many party members of vitality and dedication in China, she actually constitutes the bones and blood of the national operating system, and the source of cohesion and mobilization of the entire nation. If China is compared to a big barrel made up of wooden blocks, then the CPC is the hoop around it, without which the wooden blocks will not be bound together.

 

She is a people-oriented political party. "Serving the people wholeheartedly" is the motto of the CPC. As an ancient Chinese saying goes, "People are the roots of the nation. If the roots are not firm, the nation will collapse." Therefore, the Party must safeguard the interests of the broadest masses of the people in China. It has neither sunk into the populist quagmire, nor served the powerful or capital conglomerates. She is invincible and undaunted in the face of difficulties as she has won wide trust and support of the people.

 

She is an open and inclusive political party. Though adopting quite strict admission procedures, she allows access for all walks of life from the society. The Party is now the largest political party in the world, with 91 million members, accounting for 6.4% of China's total population. She exercises democratic centralism by fully integrating two principles, which are centralism on the basis of democracy and democracy under the guidance of centralism. Hence, centralism within the Party is by no means the so-called "authoritarian" or "absolutism".

 

She is an adaptive political party that keeps pace with the times. The Party emphasizes seeking truth from facts, self-innovation, reflection and reform. She learns from advanced experience with an open mind, never pretending to be complacent or rigid. She gives full play to her strengths but also keeps an eye on her shortcomings. When problems and challenges come, she never dodges but confronts them head on with full courage .

 

She is a disciplined political party. Under the Constitution of the PRC, the CPC is the ruling party, leading the country to deal with political, economic and social affairs, etc. Then, how to ward off its corruption? The answer is to rely on the Party's discipline as checks and balances. In Chinese, "party discipline" is often used side by side with "national law". In other words, "discipline is stricter than the law" and "discipline is before the law" for every party member. Facts have proved that such deterrence is effective.

 

I have noticed that due to the long-time smear and slander against the CPC by the West, my friends in Antigua and Barbuda have some misunderstanding or prejudice against the Party. I hope they could make clear and independent judgments and thus draw correct conclusions.

 

History is open to all, from which every country can find its way of democracy that best suits its own civilization. The CPC does not intend to export her values or seek hegemony under the banner of "world revolution." According to Confucianism, "It is known that people proactively come to learn rites from virtuous men, but it is never heard that virtuous men proactively go to educate others about rites." What suits the CPC and China may not be suitable for others. It is entirely a country's voluntary decision to choose its own values, which should not be interfered or imposed by any foreign force.

 

Exchanges between political parties has been an important part of developing foreign relations. There is no shortcut to understanding the CPC, whose true picture can only be unveiled in the process of continuous interaction. Antigua and Barbuda is a small country though, China has full respect for it. The CPC will continue to open herself to the world and adhere to her commitment and responsibility, taking the lead in promoting equality and cooperation. The Party is always willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with various parties in the twin-island nation, including the Antigua and Barbuda Labor Party (ABLP) and the United Progressive Party (UPP), etc., in such fields as improving governance within the party and at the national level, and developing social policies. By this, we the political parties from both sides can truly serve the development of the two countries, and play a better and greater role in strengthening bilateral relations between China and Antigua and Barbuda.