CPC driving force of China's remarkable achievements

One hundred years ago, China was a hugely different country from the global leader that we see today. Under the vision and guidance of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China was transformed from a poor and weak nation to a global economic power, a visionary leader in the development of new international partnerships, an innovator in science and technology, and a model for the eradication of poverty and sustained development.

According to the World Bank’s detailed analysis, China achieved the fastest economic growth - measured by real GDP - of any major economy in recorded world history in the last 30 years, averaging over 10 percent per year. In 1950, China had the 45th largest economy in the world; in 2020, China had the world’s second largest economy. In 2020, with all of the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic as well as social, economic and health upheaval, China was the first major country to contain the virus, and the only one to achieve positive economic growth.

The eradication of poverty and corruption are two of the more important goals of President Xi and the CPC. Remarkably, China reached all of the UN’s eight Millennium Development Goals by 2015. In short, China has emerged as a major force on the world stage, becoming the single-largest contributor to world growth since the 2008 financial crisis, according to World Bank data.

The achievement of such a period of unprecedented economic and social development is inevitably fraught with many challenges, many steps forward and a few backwards. Looking at the short span of 30 years during which the Kingdom of Bahrain and China have enjoyed formal diplomatic relations, China moved from a centrally planned economic model adopted in the first decades after the revolution, with a limited role in international commerce, to a leading, market-based world economic powerhouse with a major role in world trade, politics, investment and technology.

China’s global leadership and its vision of a new and better world is captured in its visionary Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has been embraced widely around the world. Peace, development and humanity are the core principles of the Belt and Road Initiative, and in the community of common destiny. It promises a new world order based on interdependent world collaborative networks of people as well as partnerships.

Regional development and rejuvenation are common themes in China that run parallel to the goals of the BRI. This fact is not always understood by few media, in its constant search for dramatic headlines. For example, the rapid and continuous development of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has at times been overshadowed in few world media sites by often ill-informed reports of terrorism, separatist and sectarian strife in the region. I visited Xinjiang in August 2019, and again in 2020, and I can testify that in just one year, I saw further progress in the economic and social development of the region. I suppose that this should be hardly surprising. Since 1952, the real GDP growth of this amazing region has averaged 8.2 percent per year, and the overall income of the region has increased 200 times over this period, with the aid of special economic zones and public investment. These are truly remarkable results.

In a broader world context, the sad fact is that extremism, terrorism and divisive sectarian violence by a few resisting change against the innocent majority is a modern reality in many places of the world. The world community has to understand these disruptive forces and collaborate to combat them so that we can continue on the long march to fulfill our dreams. This approach reflects the reality that we live in an increasingly interdependent and interconnected world where comprehensive development must be achieved in a sustainable, safe and secure environment.

The unpredictable and devastating outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic is but the latest in the long human history of major environmental challenges that have changed the course of socioeconomic development. The playbook for confronting and overcoming these deadly outbreaks has never been written, with each society challenged to find solutions that inevitably require collaborative and cooperative frameworks. The Chinese government and people proved that they are more than capable of meeting this daunting challenge through a massive and heroic response to recognize, isolate, contain and control this invisible and ruthless killer. The Chinese leaders and health community reacted quickly and decisively to this huge, largely unknown and unpredictable global predator, demonstrating its strong public health capacities, and its ability to innovate and to mobilize all resources to meet an unprecedented killer that spread across the globe. China’s early and firm response to the novel coronavirus serves as a standard for the future. The world is grateful for China's leadership.

Economic history suggests that the success of developing countries transforming into economic powerhouses depends on their ability to apply insights from science to innovation and technology. China has proven this point with its achievements and leadership in aerospace, informatics, materials, medical, industrial and so many other technologies. Benefiting from this model, forward-looking developing countries now promote technological advancement by investing in quality research and education for the upcoming youth and skill training for the current generation.

The Arab and Chinese peoples have a longstanding and close relationship that extends back more than 2,000 years. We share trust and many common goals for peace, security and sustainable development, and we appreciate the singular and continuous efforts of President Xi and China to bring a lasting peace to the Middle East. Modern science and technology are providing the means to enable us to network, communicate, trade, invest, and develop deep friendships that will promote progress, enrich our lives and improve our welfare. We commend the achievements of the Chinese leaders and people in building a better world.

The author is the ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to China.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.