CelebratingtheCentenary Anniversaryof

　　the Communist Party of China

　　On July 1st, the CPC will celebrate its centenary anniversary. Over the last century, the Partyhas grownfrom a small party with aroundfifty members to the world’s largest Marxist ruling party with more than 95 million members. The past century has also witnessed the breathtaking development ofChina under the leadership of the CPC.China has realized tremendous transformation. Under the leadershipof CPC, China has achievedits industrialization in just a few decades that took developed Western countries several centuries, hailed as “the greatest economic revolution in the history of mankind”. China now stands as the world’s second largest economy and the largest trader of goods.Remarkable achievements have been made in infrastructure. For instance, China’s high-speed rail has reached a mileage of 30,000 kilometers, more than two-thirds of the world’s total.Besides, China has liftedas many as 800 million people out of poverty, more than 70 percent of the global total, makinggreat contribution to the world poverty reduction course.China has establishedhighly efficientgovernance system. Among others, the systemsof people’s congresses,CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation, regional ethnic autonomy, and self-governance at the grass-rootlevelare successful examples. In light of China’scircumstances, the governance systemhas proved to be very effectiveby massivelyimprovingthe Chinese people’s lives. For the worldat large, ithasalsoblazed a new trailof modernization for developing countries.China has worked hard for the common goodofthe world. Committed to buildinga community with a shared future for mankind, China hasalways been an activepromoterfor peace, development and progressof the world. China has become the largest contributor of peacekeepers among the permanent members of the UN Security Counciland the second largest funding contributor to the UN peacekeeping operations.Over the past 20 years, China has contributed an average of nearly 30 percent to global growth annually.A quarter of least Developed Countries’ total export has flowedto China since 2008. Despite all the difficulties, China has provided assorted medical supplies to more than150 countries and 13 international organizations to fight against COVID-19, including over 400 million doses of vaccines.It is not by chance,but through sensible choice and arduous efforts, that all these remarkable achievements have been made.Frommy point of view, the CPC’s recipe for successmainly lies in the following elements.First, the CPC has always put people first. The CPC is a party representing the overall interests of the Chinese people, rather than particular groups. “Serve the people”, as a motto, is not only physically inscribed on the screen-wall of Xinhua Gate at Zhongnanhai, office of the CPC Central Committee, but also deeply in the hearts of all Party members. The people-centered approach of the CPC has earned huge endorsement and trust of the Chinese people. Between 2003 and 2016, Harvard University has conducted eight surveys onChina. According to its findings published in July 2020, 93.1 percent of the recipientsaresatisfied with the Chinese government. Besides, asurvey conducted by York University ofCanada lastMay showed that the effectivehandling of the COVID-19 pandemic in China has enhanced Chinesecitizens’ confidence and trust in its government, which reached a record high of98 percent. That is quite extraordinary by any measure in any country.Second, the CPC has made the mostof its governance system. The CPC has adhered tothe principal of democratic centralism, emphasizing collective leadership and collective decision-making, so as toensureinformeddecisionsfeasible and sustainable. In that spirit, China is able to pool national strength to carry out magnificentundertakings and overcome major adversities. And never since has Chinawavered in itsconviction to turn the blueprint into reality.China has consecutively formulated 14 five-year plans since 1953, which has providedstrong guidance to its national development.The public infrastructureimprovement, scientificand technology breakthroughs, among others, all came as the outcome.Third, the CPC has pioneeredthe path of development that fitsChina. Facingvarious difficulties and uncertainties, the Party does not just copy and paste any doctrine. Instead, ithas fully reflected China’s own experience and finally blazed the right pathway for the nation. For example, Chairman Mao Zedong proposed the ways toward victory such as “encircling the cities from the countryside” and “seizing political power from the barrel of a gun”. Later on, Mr. Deng Xiaoping has made the historical policy decision on reform and opening up. President Xi Jinping has committedto improving the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and modernizingChina’s system and capacity for governance. Throughthese trials and practices, the Party has kept abreast with the timesand led China to continuously achieve its goals in different periods.The last but not the least, the CPC has adoptedopenness and inclusiveness. The Partyhas stayedvibrant and resilient by readily drawingon the achievements of other civilizations as well asadvanced experiences from other countries. In the spiritof mutual trust, equity and justice, and win-win cooperation, the CPC has had extensive and profound exchanges with political parties and peoples around the world. China never copies others’model, nordoes China urge others to copy its way. The betterChina develops, the more itwould benefit the world, by bringingample strategic and economic opportunities for the world.To understand China, it is essential to have a good knowledge of the CPC. Without the CPC, there would notbe the founding of the People’s Republic of China nor the modern China. With the centenary anniversary asa brand-new starting point,the Party willlead the Chinese people to embark on a new journey towardgreater development and common prosperity. China stands ready to deepen win-win cooperation with other countries, including the Philippines, to builda community with a shared future for mankind. The CPC will also continue to furtherexchanges with the political parties ofthe Philippines. I am confident that with our joint efforts, China and the Philippines will embrace a shared brighterfuture.