Africa -China Review Africa -China Cooperation and Transformation
By Gerald Mbanda
Published: March 08,2022
No The fifth session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) opens at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)
During the two sessions discussions with his fellow Inner Mongolia deputies, on Saturday, March 5, President Xi Jinping stressed that, “ethnic unity is the lifeline for the people of all ethnic groups, and the sense of the community for the Chinese nation is key to realizing ethnic unity.” Truly, it is amazing to outsiders to see how China with a population of 1.4billion people have remained united, over the decades and focused on supporting government plans on national development.
The west does not like countries like China which are organized, where you find the leadership and the people working together for national development. They always devise ways and means to separate the people and their governments with the purpose of sabotaging development. This is the reason forexample; why the U.S wants to treat Hong Kong as separate from China in order to create chaos. The U.S foreign relations policy leans towards stopping the rise of new powers like China in order to maintain a hegemonic order. The emphasis of president Xi on the unity of the Chinese people is the strongest weapon against adversaries as well as a strong pillar for national development.
The 2021 government work report at the Fifth Session of the 13th National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China on March 5, 2022, presented by the Premier of the State Council, Li Keqiang, showed impressive performance as most of the set socio-economic development targets were achieved and even surpassed. For example, almost 13 million jobs were created, against a target of 11million, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth reached a record high of 8.1%, against a target of 6% irrespective of the COVID-19 disruptions; while in agriculture, grainoutput was 682.85 million metric tons, higher than the set target of around 650 million tons.
Although China was the first country to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic recovery picked quickly, helping to reach almost all major targets for 2021. This was mainly due to effective policies put in place in the fight against the spread of the COVID-19 infections which included among others total lockdown of cities. The COVID-19 challenges at home did not stop China from supporting many other countries and organizations especially in the developing world, by sharing Vaccines and other medical supplies that were critically needed. China made COVID-19 vaccines a public good, when rich countries were hording more than they needed.
Secondly, the Chinese leadership put in place checks and balances, through supervisory committees, as well as monitoring and evaluation mechanism to ensure that the set targets on the mission and vision of the country were implemented as planned. Thirdly, the unity of the people and the government is key, as both the people and policy makers deliver as one on national issues.
Although difficult challenges were met, especially caused by the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the great achievements highlighted in the 2021government work report, give the Chinese people courage and strength to push forward, with confidence in the leadership, for the continued commitment to improve the lives of the people. Furthermore, relying on home grown solutions and wisdom of embracing socialism with Chinese characteristics, has led to China’s stability and steady progress towards realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.
The commitment of the central government to support economic development of Hong Kong and Macao reaffirms the spirit of the One Country, Two Systems policy, and sends a clear message to China’s foreign detractors that the two special administrative regions are part of China, and any external influence in the region would be interfering with internal matters of China.
China’s commitment to peaceful- global development initiative and promoting the shared values of all humanity has been central in implementing inter-continental developmental projects like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It has offered a great lesson that irrespective of political, economic, and racial differences, the world community can enjoy the benefits of shared development, rather than competing in isolation.
More impressive about The Two Sessions, is that it is a forum that allows the ordinary citizens to know what their government is doing for them, hence a reflection of a government system where the leadership shows accountability to the people, and truly, a manifestation of people centered governance.
Gerald Mbanda is a Researcher and publisher on China and Africa.
For comments or opinion write to us on info@africachinareview.com
You can also follow us on twitter@africachinarev
