Many achievements, more to come

JIN DING/CHINA DAILY

China has successfully attained its first centenary goal and is now advancing toward the second

At the opening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered a report on behalf of the 19th CPC Central Committee. The report received worldwide attention. The domestic policies and actions of China have relevance on the global level.

Now, global policymakers are trying to understand the future agenda of China. Analysts and experts are trying to assist them by decoding the nuances of the report for them. A review of this report indicates that it can be best understood by dividing it into two parts: domestic and global achievements.

On the domestic front, the report outlines the marvelous story of the success and transformation of China. There can be no doubts that China has made progress in almost all fields.

First, China has eradicated extreme poverty in the country, which is unprecedented.

Second, China has made huge strides in ensuring food security and has set new benchmarks for the global community. For example, its per capita output of grain is 450 kilograms against the internationally-required output of 400 kg. Moreover, China has a reserve ratio of 50 percent to consumption against the internationally-required stocks of 17 percent for food security.

Third, China has made excellent progress in improving its environment and has strengthened its mechanisms to combat the challenges of climate change and environmental degradation. Through continuous efforts, China has enhanced its forest coverage. China's forest coverage was only 8.6 percent in 1949 and rose to about 13 percent in 1980; in 2021, it increased to 24.02 percent. It is pertinent to mention here that during the last decade, the country's consistent efforts had helped to increase the forest coverage by 3 percent. Now China has committed to plant 70 billion more trees over the next 10 years. In addition, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, widely acclaimed to be a green Olympics, is an excellent example of the Chinese commitment to environment. It shows that China is not only talking, it is also taking concrete steps to contribute to the fight against climate change and preserve environment.

Fourth, the economic output of China grew tremendously during the past decade. China's GDP grew from 54 trillion yuan ($7.47 trillion) in 2012 to 114 trillion yuan ($15.74 trillion) in 2021.

Fifth, China also created 13 million jobs in that period. We can also observe a decent rise in people's living standards during the past decade.

Sixth, technology has been another field of great advancement for China. During the last decade, China has increased its investment in technology development, scientific knowledge, innovation, and R&D. China is also attracting global talent by establishing a conducive environment for research and ensuring the availability of financial resources. The report also highlighted that these areas would be future growth drivers for China.

From the global perspective, China has also exhibited enormous progress.

First, China has become the world's second-largest economy, accounting for 18.5 percent of the global economy. However, the most interesting aspect is that the accumulative contribution of China to the global economy is more than that of the G7 economies combined during the past decade. According to data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics, China contributed 38.6 percent on average to global economic growth, higher than that of G7 countries combined. China is also a leading trade partner of over 140 countries.

Second, the Belt and Road Initiative has become a flagship program and a sign of China's economic growth and development. It is an inclusive and future-oriented initiative aimed at bridging the global infrastructure investment gap and fostering economic growth and development. The Belt and Road Initiative has attracted the participation of countries and organizations in big numbers since it was proposed in 2013 and it now has 149 member countries. Further, the launch of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has consolidated China's position as a major economic and financial player. It has 105 members. The statistics clearly highlight that China is now one of the most important economic and financial players in the world. Therefore, the policies and actions of China will have impacts on global growth and the global economic structure.

Third, China has also made efforts to expand its partnerships with countries and regions. In 2014, it had partnerships with 67 countries and regions. The number reached 112 in 2021.

Fourth, General Secretary Xi has put forward the Global Development Initiative to share China's prosperity with the world. Since 2010, China's funding to the United Nations has increased by about 250 percent before the launch of the Global Development Initiative in 2019. These are concrete steps to help promote a community with a shared future.

Fifth, the past decade has observed visible and considerable progress and change in China's approach toward the global system and its reform. China has accelerated efforts to take a lead in reforming the global system by adhering to the principles of justice, fairness, equality, dignity and respect for national sovereignty. China has adopted a proactive approach. For example, China played a critical role in negotiating and finalizing the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. China is also leading the campaign to implement the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

Sixth, General Secretary Xi has presented the Chinese vision of common and cooperative security in the Global Security Initiative. This is an innovative initiative that proposes common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security for countries. It has all the elements and instruments, which can help the world to combat new security challenges and secure sustainable peace.

The Global Security Initiative also addresses the needs of weak and less developed countries. The existing model of security is based on alliances, a Cold War mentality and hegemonic aspirations. Hegemonic aspirations have compromised the security of many weak countries. Therefore, the Global Security Initiative has been widely welcomed, as it upholds equality and respect-based solutions for the sustainable peace.

We can deduce five important conclusions from the above. First, China has made substantive progress and is now consolidating its achievements. Second, China has identified education, science and technology and talents as strategic support. Third, China does not want to disturb the global system, it only wants reform of the global system, which caters to the needs of all. Fourth, China is committed to sharing its prosperity with the world and building a community with a shared future. Last, China, now a formidable global power, will play a leading role in global affairs.

The author is CEO of the Asian Institute of Eco-Civilization Research and Development in Pakistan and a visiting research fellow of Hebei University. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.