It is my pleasure to brief you on the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, its exceptional significance and implications. I would also like to provide you some information on the upcoming Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
From 8th to 11th November, the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held the sixth plenary session in Beijing. As many of you know, this year marks the centenary of the CPC’s founding, and the said plenary session centered on reviewing the CPC’s past 100 years of history. The plenary session adopted a landmark document titled Resolution on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century, drawing wide attention from within and outside China.
This is the third time in history that the CPC adopted such a historical resolution. The previous two were respectively adopted in 1945 and 1981. The 1945 resolution was formed over the period of China’s new democratic revolution led by Mao Zedong, and it was adopted under the background of the end of World War II and the preparation for the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The resolution was of high significance for China’s national unity and the beginning of China’s construction of socialism.
The 1981 resolution was adopted when China started the well-known reform and opening-up under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping. That resolution summarized China’s three-decade experience and lessons of socialist revolution and building, and established fundamental points about socialist modernization based on China’s reality. With this resolution in place, the CPC led China to set foot on a journey of reform and opening up, toward more rapid national development and economic growth, and eventually made the “China miracle”.
Both the two resolutions turned out to have played vital roles for China’s development and the CPC’s own progress. The third and most recent such resolution adopted earlier this month was for the same purpose. As pointed out by China’s President and CPC General Secretary Xi Jinping, China has achieved the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and we have objective need and subjective conditions for a full review of the Party’s major achievements and historical experience, to help build a broader consensus and stronger unity in will for achieving new and great success in building socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.
That is why the CPC adopted the landmark Resolution on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century. This document is a systematic review of the CPC’s history, and more importantly, it draws experiences from the century-long history of the CPC’ governance so that China could continue to achieve success in its development in the future. The document affirmed Xi Jinping’s core position in the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole. And it also affirmed the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
How do we understand the Thought? As we know, every nation explores its own path toward prosperity. In The Gambia, the government and politicians propose a variety of solutions to address challenges facing the country. And in China, our solutions for our challenges are concluded in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
The Thought provides answers to major questions that China faces in the new era. Based on assessment and reflection on the CPC’s history and practice on governing and developing China, the Thought systematically answers questions like what a modern socialist China should be like, how the CPC should continuously improve itself for better governance and development of China, and so on.
The Thought touches a wide range of facets for China’s governance, to ensure China’s future success in national development. For instance, it proposes a two-step approach for building China into a modern socialist country, stressing that China’s modernization involves a huge population base, common prosperity for all, coordinated material and cultural progress, a harmony between man and nature, and a path of peaceful development.
Moreover, the Thought embodies the best of Chinese culture and ethos in our time. For instance, since ancient time, the Chinese people have been pursuing the realization of “????”, which loosely translates as “a world equally shared by all”. This traditional idea is embodied in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Domestically, we take a people-centered approach in China’s governance and development, and develop whole-process people’s democracy. Internationally, we promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, which is a concept that many of you might already be familiar with.
Speaking of international engagement, the China-Africa cooperation is a fine example of jointly building a community with a shared future. The Eighth Ministerial Conference of FOCAC is scheduled to be held from 29th to 30th November in Dakar, Senegal. The theme of the conference is “deepening the Sino-African partnership and promoting sustainable development to build a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era”. The Seventh Conference of Chinese and African Entrepreneurs will be held as a side event during the FOCAC Ministerial Conference. China and African partners including The Gambia will jointly assess the implementation of the outcomes of the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit, as well as outcomes of the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19. China is ready to stand together with African partners including The Gambia, and jointly draw the road map of the China-Africa cooperation for the next three years, based on the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. We are ready to join hands with our African friends, deepen the China-Africa partnership and promote sustainable development to build a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era!
