July 1 will mark the 105th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC). On this glorious occasion, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the 1.4 billion people of China, marking this historic moment. Undoubtedly, the date is a historically important commemoration for China and the world because the past 105 years of CPC operations have been the pride of the Chinese people and oppressed people all over the world. As the Chinese people celebrate this 105th anniversary, they reflect with pride and gratitude on the journey traversed under the successive leadership of the CPC. 

This occasion allows the Chinese people to showcase to the world how China, under the guidance of the CPC, has achieved remarkable feats across every facet of human endeavor over the past century. These include balanced economic development, improved living standards, poverty eradication, employment generation, and ecological conservation - all reflecting the success of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

First-Hand Lessons to Understand the CPC’s Success
First-hand experience is the best way to understand the CPC’s glorious role in steering China through wind and waves to a brighter future over the past century. My nearly four-decade-long close association with Chinese media outlets has helped me grasp the CPC’s extraordinary success and China’s enormous development across all spheres. Earlier this April, I had the opportunity to visit China. During the trip, I toured the Museum of the CPC in Beijing and the CPC Party School in Shenzhen, and held conversations with high-level officials from the International Department of the CPC Central Committee. These experiences gave me deeper insight into the CPC’s century-long journey - a history that truly is the best textbook for understanding.

105 Years of Leadership: The CPC’s Path to National Rejuvenation
The world has often wondered how the CPC has led the world’s most populous nation from a semi-colonial, semi-feudal society to a prosperous, strong, and vibrant socialist country. What explains the CPC’s success in enabling an impoverished and weakened China to stand firmly and independently among the nations of the world today? The answer lies in the Party’s long-term vision and firm determination to realize the great cause of “fully building a modern socialist China and achieving the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation,” with the fundamental interests of the Chinese people at its core. This has shaped what is known as “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.”

Over 105 years ago, amid deep social crisis and both internal and external threats, the CPC was founded in 1921 through the integration of Marxism-Leninism with the Chinese workers’ movement. This historic event profoundly changed the future of the Chinese nation and the destiny of its people. 

The People's Republic of China was founded on October 1, 1949, as a result of long-drawn-out people's revolutionary movements against imperialism, feudalism, and capitalism. From the rampart of Tiananmen Square, the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong told the entire world: "The Chinese people, comprising one quarter of humanity, have now stood up!" From that day forward, the Chinese government, under CPC leadership, has worked tirelessly for a brighter future.

Since the founding of New China, the CPC has guided the Chinese people along a path of “Socialism with Chinese characteristics”, pursuing its long-term vision with firm determination and action over rhetoric. This path aims to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the modernization of national governance, while also offering a Chinese approach to humanity’s search for a better social system. Decades of unwavering commitment have enabled China to take its rightful place among the world’s leading nations. In essence, the CPC embodies China’s socialist ideals, sovereignty, reform, and pursuit of progress in all fields of human endeavor.

The CPC's Enduring Mission Behind China's Rise
China has a very strong central government under the leadership of the CPC. Chinese leaders across generations have made unremitting efforts to “serve the people wholeheartedly.” The ruling essence of the CPC is to establish the Party for the public and to govern for the people. Its fundamental goal is to serve the people's heart and soul. As Mao Zedong figuratively put it, the Party’s relationship with the people is akin to that of seeds and soil, or of fish and water. The same fundamental mission was echoed by President Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, during the 18th Party Congress in 2012: “To meet the people’s desire for a better life is our mission.” Putting people first is the secret behind all of China’s achievements under the leadership of the CPC.

A Century-Plus of Governance: The CPC’s Path to National Rejuvenation
Today, the CPC's status is vastly different from 1921. One hundred and five years on, the total number of CPC members had reached 100.271 million, while grassroots Party organizations numbered 5.25 million by the end of 2024. The past century has witnessed remarkable achievements made by China under the strong leadership of the CPC.

The CPC has continuously adapted Marxism to the Chinese context, the times, and the needs of the people. It has established, in succession, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The Party’s guiding thought has thus always advanced in step with the times.

Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the Chinese people are united and working tirelessly to achieve the Two Centenary Goals and realize the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. As President Xi Jinping has said, "The Chinese people have achieved the great transformation from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong, and China's national rejuvenation has become a historical inevitability."

The CPC’s greatest achievement is that it has led the country forward on the path of progress by upholding socialism with Chinese characteristics, bringing happiness and prosperity to the lives of the Chinese people, and advancing national rejuvenation.
Over its glorious 105-year journey, the CPC has earned the trust and support of the Chinese people. As such, the CPC’s advance beyond its first century is no ordinary event, but a historic milestone. In world political history, very few parties have endured for 100 consecutive years without disintegration, and fewer still have continued to thrive for 105 years.

This confidence stems from the Party’s performance in social governance, economic development, poverty alleviation, protection of national sovereignty, and the fight against COVID-19, among other areas. The CPC has led the Chinese people from one great victory to the next and through one epic chapter after another in China's revolution, reconstruction, and reform. It has steered China's national rejuvenation onto a path of great promise by completing, in just decades, the process of industrialization that Western countries took several centuries to navigate. In pursuit of this goal, countless Chinese Communists have made selfless sacrifices and even given their lives.

The CPC's Historic Journey from Poverty Eradication to Global Recognition
A landmark achievement was the realization of its first centenary goal: eradicating absolute poverty by the end of 2020. China's development path has shown the world that poverty is not destiny. Notably, the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016–2020) and the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) underscored China's dedication to eradicating poverty, with the country achieving the poverty eradication target of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a decade ahead of schedule.

On February 25, 2021, President Xi Jinping announced that the final 98.99 million rural impoverished residents had been lifted out of poverty. By ending absolute poverty, China created a miracle in the history of human development and poverty reduction.

According to “Four Decades of Poverty Reduction in China: Sharing Experiences from China's Growth” (2022), jointly released by the World Bank and China’s State Council, the country lifted approximately 800 million people out of extreme poverty between 1981 and 2020. The World Bank confirms that China accounted for 75 percent of the global reduction in poverty over the past four decades, representing the largest and fastest poverty reduction effort by any single country in history.

The World Bank further noted: "If anybody can show the world how to do that last mile of ending extreme poverty, it probably is China." As the CPC moves beyond its first century, if any single 21st-century achievement has captured global attention from policymakers and economists, it is China’s comprehensive campaign to eliminate poverty. The CPC’s commitment to delivering a “better life” for the Chinese people should serve as both a model and a case study for politicians and academics worldwide.

The Chinese experience since the launch of reform and opening-up in 1978 demonstrates that for a developing nation, prioritizing the improvement of people's livelihoods is fundamental. China’s approach has placed poverty eradication at the heart of its development agenda, recognizing it as a core human right.

The success of the Chinese model can be attributed to four defining features. First, an unwavering focus on people's livelihoods as the foundation of national development. Second, a proactive and capable State that provides strategic guidance and long-term planning. Third, a mixed economy that combines the strengths of the market with effective macro-regulation. Fourth, a multi-pronged approach that coordinates economic, social, and institutional reforms in tandem. Together, these pillars have enabled China to achieve rapid growth while lifting over 800 million people out of poverty.

China’s achievements in poverty alleviation stand as an extraordinary success. This historic progress will continue to inspire all who are committed to supporting the poor and vulnerable, to upholding genuine human rights and dignity, and to advancing the shared future of mankind.

China’s Development Track Record under the Five-Year Plan: An Opportunity for the World: 
Since 1949, the visionary leadership and strategic planning of the CPC have driven China's remarkable success. Five-year plans have been key to China's success, driving profound transformations and accomplishments across various fields. Over seven decades, China has successfully implemented 14 Five-Year Plans, showcasing the CPC-led government's scientific approach for China's development on all fronts. These plans have propelled the country's economic and social development. 

As President Xi Jinping pointed out, “From the 1st Five-Year Plan to the 14th Five-Year Plan, the consistent theme is to build China into a modern socialist country.” China has integrated an effective market with a well-functioning government, combined top-level design with public consultation, maintained policy stability, and kept pace with people's ever-growing aspirations for a better life. 

Since launching its first Five-Year Plan in 1953, China has transformed from a poor, agrarian nation into the world’s second-largest economy and biggest manufacturing powerhouse - a rise achieved despite all sorts of risks and challenges, overtaking the U.S. to become the world’s second-largest economy by 2010.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China maintained social harmony and stability while raising living standards for its 1.4 billion people. Per capita GDP rose from $10,632 in 2020 to $13,445 in 2024, placing China firmly among upper-middle-income countries. With an average annual growth rate of 5.5% during this period, China’s GDP reached 140.19 trillion yuan, or approximately $20.13 trillion, in 2025-a 5% year-on-year increase. This sustained growth amid global headwinds exemplifies the "Two Miracles": rapid economic development and long-term social stability, a feat rarely matched elsewhere.

China’s Modernization Journey Empowers the Global South:
China’s resilience and vitality as a major economy offer clear inspiration for countries in the Global South. Its modernization journey proves that development is not a Western monopoly. By charting a path suited to its own conditions, China has shown the Global South that industrialization is achievable through self-reliance, not imitation, offering both a practical roadmap and the confidence to pursue it.  As the largest developing country and a key member of the Global South, China is committed to enhancing the voice and representation of developing nations in global governance through multilateral platforms like the G20 and BRICS.

Here are a few words from President Xi Jinping’s remarks at the 17th G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, in 2022 that deserve to be quoted: "All G20 members should take the responsibility inherent in being major international and regional players, and should lead by example in promoting the development of all nations, improving the well-being of all mankind, and advancing the progress of the entire world."

The Chinese Solution for a More Just, Equitable, and Peaceful World:
In 1956, Mao Zedong predicted that in the 21st century, China would undergo a dramatic transformation and make greater contributions to humanity. Six decades later, answering that vision, President Xi Jinping told the CPC’s 95th anniversary gathering: “The Communist Party of China and the Chinese people are fully confident that we can contribute a Chinese solution to humankind’s exploration of better social systems.”

Since assuming the presidency on March 14, 2013, Xi has shown that China is ready to play that role. On March 23, 2013, he introduced the concept of a “community with a shared future for mankind.” It has since become a guiding principle of China’s diplomacy, embodied in concrete proposals: the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative. The aim of all these people-centered initiatives is to build a community of common goals for mankind and create a beautiful future while upholding world peace and promoting common development to counter Western propaganda that tries to hinder the progress of human civilizations. 

Together, these initiatives form a coherent “Chinese Solution” for a more just, equitable, and peaceful world. The Global Development Initiative tackles the development deficit by putting growth and poverty reduction first, because prosperity is the foundation of stability. The Global Security Initiative addresses the security deficit through the principle that security must be common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable - not built at others’ expense. The Global Civilization Initiative counters the deficit of mutual understanding by rejecting a “clash of civilizations” and promoting dialogue and mutual learning among cultures. The Global Governance Initiative confronts the governance deficit by upholding the UN-centered international system, sovereign equality, and opposing power politics.

Under Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, China has translated these ideas into practice: mediating the Saudi-Iran reconciliation, advocating a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, defending true multilateralism, and actively promoting reform and advancement of the global governance system.

At its 105th anniversary, the CPC demonstrates that a party rooted in serving its people can also take responsibility for the world. The objective of these initiatives is clear: narrow the development gap, advance shared security, deepen civilizational dialogue, and ensure that technological progress benefits all. That is the leadership this era requires.

CPC at 105: On the Way to Modernization: 
October 2022 marked a major milestone in China’s modernization as the 20th National Congress of the CPC, where President Xi set a panoramic blueprint for the next phase of China’s modernization. He set a timeframe for achieving the goals for China’s future: First, the CPC will lead China to “basically realize socialist modernization from 2020 through 2035,” and second, it will “build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful from 2035 through the middle of this century.”

The current year marks the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan, 2026-2030, and the second phase of China’s long-term modernization journey, ushering in a new era under the CPC’s leadership. This five-year roadmap, officially approved on March 12, 2026 during the closing meeting of the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Congress in Beijing, redefines China’s next phase of modernization. It focuses on high-quality development, tech self-reliance, people-centered growth, and environmental sustainability for a brighter future.

Today, China stands tall as a strong and peaceful nation willing to share its experience and achievements with the world. China’s governance road and its remarkable achievements have broken the Western monopoly on methods to achieve modernization. The world is already sharing in the fruits of China’s development.

CPC Serves the People, Not Power Games
China’s modern political system is anchored by the National People’s Congress, with CPC leadership guiding the building of democratic and legal institutions. China's political party system represents a wide range of people who are the masters of the country and running the country according to the law. While elections in many Western countries have devolved into money-driven power games, and parties drift further from ordinary people, the CPC has remained credible for over a century by holding to one core purpose: “serving the people wholeheartedly.”

Literally, with lofty ideals, the CPC has profoundly changed China and proved the historical legitimacy of its leadership generation after generation. It is now crystal clear that China will play a bigger role on the global stage, no matter what barriers the Western bloc builds. 

On the glorious occasion of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the CPC, it is believed that the collective leadership of the CPC will enable China to meet its goal of building a “modern socialist country” by 2049, marking the centenary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and continue to inspire the world for a long time to come. Hats off to the CPC and the people of China!