Last month, the Chinese ambassador to South Africa, Lin Songtian, met more than 80 representatives of the media and think-tanks at the Chinese embassy to discuss the 19th national congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
At the meeting on October 31, Lin shared his experience of attending the congress and briefed the visitors on CPC general secretary Xi Jinping’s report to the congress and the main achievements and significance of the event.
Lin said the congress was a historic milestone for China as the CPC embarked on an important path of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects while socialism with Chinese characteristics entered a new era.
He said Xi’s report had “systematically elaborated a set of new thoughts, new ideas and new strategies on upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, establishing for China a grand new blueprint and a comprehensive plan”.
The report set forth new requirements for China's domestic and foreign policies and demonstrated the country’s commitment to upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. It also responded to the expectations of the people of China and the world, and elicited a warm and positive response from the international community.
Lin elaborated on the two major political judgments of the congress: the evolution of the “principal contradiction” in Chinese society, and the concept of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
He also discussed the new historical mission of the CPC; the party’s concept of people-centred development; the new blueprint for China’s socialist modernisation drive; and the significance and substance of Xi’s thoughts on this new form of socialism.
On China’s foreign affairs, Lin explained China’s goal of pursuing a new type of international relations marked by mutual respect, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation. The country would like to be a community working towards a shared future for mankind – an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.
He also shared his perspectives on the new requirements set by the CPC to strengthen party discipline.
Lin stressed that the CPC and the Chinese people firmly believed that, with Xi’s guidance and under the new CPC central leadership with Xi at its core, the blueprint sketched by the congress would be realised and the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation would be achieved.
Members of the media and think-tank officials congratulated the success of the national congress and spoke highly of the milestones reached in China’s development and the new blueprint for growth. They also expressed their hopes that South Africa and Africa would share in China’s advances in economic development, the alleviation of poverty and the battle against corruption.
This article was paid for by the People’s Daily Online.
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