'Five-in-One' plan stands as milestone of reform

This year, China will have two significant anniversaries. Besides celebrating 70 years of the establishment of the People's Republic of China, attention will also be drawn to the sixth anniversary of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

The session, which laid out the "Five-in-One" master plan for intensifying reform and opening-up toward overall development, deserves to be a milestone in modern China.

The CPC has proved its ability to continue the reform and opening-up launched four decades ago and carry out effective governance. It has also put forward the guiding ideology and major principles behind comprehensively deepening reform and setting up a road map defining its strategic focus, priorities, mechanisms and time frame for achieving the objectives.

The Party has offered a new understanding of modernization and how to realize it under the country's specific conditions, in part by applying knowledge and theory. It has stated that decisive achievements will be made by 2020 in the reform of key areas and links. Those will eventually result in a system that is stable, complete and more mature.

The "Five-in-One" plan itself establishes a relationship of mutual support with overall socialist modernization, including the construction of economic, political, cultural, social and ecological systems put forward in the report to the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012. The Third Plenary Session also covered national defense reform. These provide an institutional guarantee of security and safeguard the overall objectives of the plan, reflecting the Central Committee's grand strategy.

The political resolution stands as a sine qua non for the "Five-in-One" plan. As CPC General Secretary Xi Jinping said, comprehensively deepening reform involves a complex system and cannot be completed by relying on only one or a few departments－it is necessary to establish a higher-level leadership system in order to give better play to the core leadership role of the Party, and to ensure that reform is implemented smoothly and universally.

Xi particularly emphasized embracing socialism with Chinese characteristics and ensuring the right direction of reform. For both the Party and the people, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has become a dominant guiding principle.

The post-WWII global order has been hit with disruptions in government, economic crises on a large scale and ecological disasters, among other challenges. It is a time that calls for shared responsibility. While the current international system is far from perfect, all efforts must be made to put it in order and halt any dangerous drift toward hegemony. The United Nations system may not be perfect, but multilateralism is the only guarantee of world peace. Imperfections that exist may be overcome only if all act as one for the common good.

As Xi has said, China is determined to contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. The concept can certainly help toward the resolution of global challenges. As such, it should be shared by more countries. Joint efforts and proactive roles will secure international relations detached from realpolitik and hegemony. It is necessary to "build partnerships in which countries treat each other as equals, engage in extensive consultation, and enhance mutual understanding".

Promoting an open, innovative and inclusive development that benefits all is a must. Development is the top priority for all countries, and each of them should be geared toward building a world of common prosperity through win-win cooperation.

China, like its people, has a long memory. It has grown from a poor and weak country to become the world's second-largest economy. It has benefited the world in its development and is willing to share its growth opportunities with other countries. As the Chinese saying goes, "When you reap fruit, you should remember the tree; when you drink water, you should remember its source."

The author is head of the regional center for the Belt and Road Initiative at the Institute of International Politics and Economics in Belgrade, Serbia. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.