Party and people share same interests

Some Western politicians including US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, of late, have been making desperate attempts to show the Chinese people are unhappy with the Communist Party of China and its governance philosophy.

Before denouncing these politicians' evil designs, it is important to highlight certain facts. There are scores of reasons why the Party has overcome one obstacle after another and made remarkable achievements since its founding in 1921. But the main reason is that the interests of the Party and the Chinese people are common, which is key to understanding the Party and its operating mechanism.

First, since the CPC's original aspiration is to serve the Chinese people, its interests have remained in line with those of the Chinese people. According to the constitution of the CPC, the Party is the vanguard of the Chinese people, and represents the interests of the broadest possible majority of the Chinese people.

The fact that the Party and the Chinese people share common interests has also been written into the Party constitution. The Party constitution, which explicitly stipulates that the primary purpose of its political activities is to serve the interests of the people, is the fundamental law that Party officials and members at all levels have to comply with.

Unlike some political parties that set conditions of social status and family background for membership, the CPC has a wide range of members. The Party constitution says that workers, farmers, soldiers, intellectuals and other individuals－in fact, anyone－aged 18 or above who recognizes the Party and its constitution, will work diligently to serve the people and carry out the Party's resolutions can apply to join the Party. Which means anyone, irrespective of his or her occupation, family background and social status, can become a Party member so long as he/she fulfills the above mentioned basic criteria. As a result, the Party today has more than 90 million members.

Second, the Party's policies safeguard the interests of the people. The Party constitution makes it clear that except for the interests of the broadest majority of the people, the Party has no desire to make profits. It will always put people's interests first, because the Party originated from the people.

As President Xi Jinping said in his speech to mark the 95th anniversary of the founding of the CPC in 2016, people are the foundation of the CPC and the source of its strength.

Apart from overall national interests, the Party also attaches great importance to the interests of people from all social groups. And by advancing reform and opening-up, the Party aims to boost GDP growth and improve the lives and livelihoods of the people, while promoting fairness and efficiency in the distribution of the fruits of social development.

As a key factor in China's efforts to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the end of 2020, the poverty-alleviation program, which includes lifting people out of poverty even in remote and mountainous areas, is a typical manifestation of the CPC's determination to safeguard people's interests while promoting development.

Third, the Party's achievements in governance show it shares the same interests with the people. According to "Understanding CCP Resilience: Surveying Chinese Public Opinion Through Time", a report released by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School, in July 2020, a 13-year study covering more than 31,000 urban and rural residents in China showed the Chinese government was more popular in 2016 than at any time in the past 20 years.

The report said China on average offered better healthcare, social welfare and other public services for its people in 2016 than in 2003, when the survey began. This should force the China hawks in the United States administration, who have identified China as a top strategic rival and are trying to smear the CPC and the Chinese government, to review their strategies and policies toward China. The conclusion drawn by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation proves the Party's governance capability and its commitment to the Chinese people.

Another example of the Party's devotion to serving the people is its quick and effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic despite having little knowledge about the novel coronavirus in the initial stage of the outbreak. By according people's life and health the highest priority, the Party and the government marshaled and mobilized health workers and medical resources across the country to ensure people could take free nucleic acid tests, and all COVID-19 patients receive medical treatment in time.

Thanks to strenuous efforts and strict prevention and control measures, China has largely contained the virus at home in a relatively short time, and kept both the infection and fatality rates low. Even people who are highly prejudiced against cannot deny China these remarkable achievements.

The flesh-and-blood ties between the Party and the Chinese people have been tested time and again for almost a century. And every time, both the Party and the people have demonstrated their ties are rock solid. Therefore, those Western politicians' attempts to drive a wedge between the Chinese people and the Party will ultimately boomerang.

Liu Dongchao is a professor in the Department of Literature and History, Party School of the CPC Central Committee, and Cheng Songfeng is a PhD student in the same institution.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.