Party congress points way to new heights

The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which opened in Beijing on Sunday, is the focus of global attention and bliss for a world facing various challenges.

For the developing world, which is struggling to meet the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, the attention is on how the Party leadership perceives the current situation and how its strategy to invigorate China will help boost the development of the Global South.

The report of the CPC Central Committee that Xi Jinping delivered to the congress on Sunday confirmed that China will continue to pursue the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics under the guidance of the governance philosophy and practice encapsulated in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

As nearly 2,300 delegates from across the country gathered for tasks including to elect the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, the message was clear that the world should expect China to continue to pursue high-quality, sustainable development, boosting the dynamism of the domestic economy while engaging at a higher level with the global economy.

The aim is to foster a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized.

While some Western powers regard China's rise as a challenge, the Global South welcomes China's economic growth and stronger voice in global affairs.

Just as State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi summed up during the general debate of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York on Sept 24, China has been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of the international order, a provider of public goods and a mediator of hot spot issues.

China has been the largest contributor of personnel to UN peacekeeping operations among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

The 20th National Congress affirmed efforts to promote major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, which is expected to be carried further in the coming years, so that continents can look more toward China for maintaining and safeguarding peace and continuing to share its development dividends with the world.

The importance of the 20th CPC National Congress can also be seen in the determination expressed to take Chinese economic and social development to new heights. After success in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, the Party is pursuing a new development paradigm for high-quality growth that points to a green and sustainable, balanced and digital future. Such a paradigm will provide businesses in the developed and developing worlds with more opportunities for common development.

Moreover, the country will continue to advance the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, all proposed by President Xi over the past decade. These visionary initiatives are public goods for the global community that are focused on reducing development and security deficits.

If the United States-led Western world wants stability, it should try to engage China in economic and political partnership rather than viewing it as a rival or threat.

It is China that helps build bridges, roads and railways, seaports and airports for needy developing economies. It is China that leads the world in the adoption of non-fossil fuel energy. And it is China that is facilitating connectivity and promoting multilateral trade, thereby creating jobs and sources of income for people in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Moreover, China serves as a role model in observing nation-to-nation principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter, showing respect for even the smallest of countries. China has faithfully observed its duties as a responsible power in bilateral and multilateral treaties and world organizations, neither delaying payment to the UN and other agencies, nor pulling out unilaterally from any multilateral treaty. In addition, China follows the trade norms of the World Trade Organization and other multilateral organizations, not erecting tariff barriers, not imposing unilateral sanctions out of nothing, and not sanctioning market players from cross-border businesses.

In a word, while China's great initiatives are helping to transform our planet into a global village, the CPC has remained steadfast in upholding the current world order and championing peace and development.

As the congress has signaled, the CPC is putting in place policies for more economic, diplomatic, security and social exchanges with the rest of the world.

The congress will be a new milestone for the CPC, for the Chinese nation, and for the pro-development and pro-peace undertakings of the world.

The author is secretary general of the Pakistan China Friendship Association Khyber Pukhtunkhwa in Pakistan. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.