Xi stresses people-centered development at the CPC and World Political Parties Summit

By Gerald Mbanda

Xi Jinping speaks at the CPC and world political parties’ virtual summit on 6, June 2021. 

The World Political Parties and the Communist Party of China (CPC) summit that took place on 6, June 2021 via video link was one of the biggest and high level political parties gathering invited by Beijing in a long time. The summit was held under the theme: For the people’s well-being: The Responsibility of Political Parties.

In his key note address president Xi who is also the general secretary of the CPC Central Committee called on political parties across the globe to embrace people centred development and work together for the pursuit of progress for mankind. He also noted that all countries and nations are equally entitled to development opportunities and rights to development. “no country or nation should be left behind,” Xi stressed. 

Xi further called on political parties to oppose the practice of politicizing the COVID-19 pandemic and the practice of seeking technology blockade. 

I was honoured to attend and witnessed the historic meeting. I was filled with emotion when I saw world leaders one by one congratulating the CPC for the hard earned achievements in the last 100 years! The CPC has miraculously moved China from a poor country to a moderately prosperous society in one generation setting a global record in the history of human development. Abject poverty has been eliminated;China is now the second largest economy in the world.The country is united and peaceful. People are enjoying good quality of life. I imagined the joy and pride that filled the hearts of CPC leadership and all the Chinese people. I balanced tears of joy and happiness for the Chinese people, reflecting on the hardships they had overcome and seeing that the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation is becoming a reality in our own eyes. 

For developing countries, the summit was an opportunity to reflect on China’s path as an inspirationto their development trajectory without necessarily copying the China model but borrowing best practices that are applicable in their countries. Participants hailed China’s Belt and Road initiative(BRI) pledging cooperation and active participation and also called for  partnership and supporting each other in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic and response to global challenges. China has been praised for leading the global war in the fight against COVID-19 by supporting many countries around the world. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa, of South African also president of South Africa’s governing party African National Congress (ANC) said that the historic achievement of eradicating absolute poverty in the largest developing economy on the planet was made because the CPC has placed the needs and the interests of the people at the center of its work, adding that the CPC is “a true, reliable and valued friend.”

Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Zimbabwean president and First Secretary of Zimbabwe’s ZANU-PF party noted that the summit provided a platform for political parties to learn from each other in realizing prosperity, national rejuvenation, people’s happiness as well as the welfare of mankind. Mnangagwa noted that his country has benefited a lot from CPC experience and expressed his confidence that under the leadership of the CPC, China will realize the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.

Other African heads of State who gave speeches during the summit include; Denis Sassou Nguesso, chairman of the Congolese Labour Party and president of the Republic of the Congo, Mozambique president and leader of the Mozambique Liberation Front Party Filipe Nyusi, Salva Kiir, chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) and presidentof South Sudan, President of Namibia Hage Geingob,who is also the leader of the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO). Several other African leaders of Political organizations also attended.

The virtual summit attracted over 500 political parties from over 170 countries globally. 

Gerald Mbanda is a publisher and researcher on China-Africa relations