Chinese Ambassador to Estonia Guo Xiaomei Publishes an Article Titled “Lit by the Century-long Original Aspiration, China stands ready to March Forward with the World” in[...]

Recently, Ambassador Guo Xiaomei's article titled "Lit by the Century-long Original Aspiration, China stands ready to March Forward with the World" was published in Harju Elu and MK Estonia. Full text in Estonian and Russian can be found here:

Over the nearly three years in Estonia, I have made many sincere and friendly Estonian friends. At the same time,I have also sensed hostility toward China's political system from certain others . How should two countries with different systems engage with each other? The Charter of the United Nations has long offered the answer. Yet we can truly uphold it only on the basis of mutual understanding and seeking common ground while reserving differences. On the occasion of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), it makes sense to further present China from the perspective of the Party.

I. The CPC Is Rooted inChinese History and Represents the Choice of Chinese People

The CPC was born in modern China, a country mired in poverty and weakness. Back then, China's sovereignty was severely eroded, and the nation was ravaged by wars and turmoil. Starting from the First Opium War in 1840, China suffered repeated invasion by foreign powers. It was forced to cede territory, pay war indemnities and grant foreign powers extensive privileges, and ultimately being reduced to a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. The notorious sign in Shanghai's Bund Park reading "Chinese and Dogs Not Allowed" cut deep into the hearts of the Chinese people. On their own land, the Chinese people endured humiliation, faced discrimination, and were stripped of their dignity.

To save the nation from subjugation, the Chinese people rose up in resistance. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement, the Reform Movement of 1898, the Yihetuan Movement and the 1911 Revolution broke out one after another, and various plans for national salvation were put forward-yet all ended in failure. It was against this historical backdrop that the CPC was founded in 1921. From the day of its founding, this political force has taken as its original aspiration to seek happiness for Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation.

At its founding, the CPC had fewer than 60 members. Yet as the old Chinese saying goes, "A single spark can start a prairie fire." In less than 30 years following its establishment, this fledgling and vulnerable Party weathered countless existential crises, forged ahead and grew stronger. It led the Chinese people in arduous anti-colonial and anti-feudal struggles, put an end to a century of chaos and fragmentation across the land, and founded the People's Republic of China in 1949. 

How was the CPC able to prevail from the weakness? The answer lies in the people. A veteran Party member once said, "Without the support of the local villagers, Communist Party members would not have survived a single day." The CPC launched the Agrarian Revolution to return land to the farmers; it established democratic political power in the revolutionary base areas and guaranteed the grassroots masses the right to participate in governance; it enforced the Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention, demanding the troops never take a single needle or piece of thread from the masses; it called for a nationwide War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression to safeguard national sovereignty and the very foundation of the Chinese nation, etc.. All these efforts secured the heartfelt support of the people. The people are the strongest backing of the CPC.

II. The CPC Leads National Development and Has Achieved World-Renowned Accomplishments

The People's Republic of China started with a thousand things waiting to be rebuilt. The CPC led the Chinese people in exploring paths of national development. This exploratory process yielded both experience and lessons, and ultimately the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics was found. In 1978, the CPC made the historic decision to take economic development as the central task and implement reform and opening-up, henceforth focusing all energy on national development . 

The results speak for themselves. China has maintained rapid growth for more than 40 years, creating the two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability. People's living standards have achieved a historic leap from insufficient food and clothing to preliminary moderate prosperity, and then to moderate prosperity in all respects. The CPC has also grown into the world's largest political party with over 100 million members, leading a major country home to more than 1.4 billion people.

The people's aspiration for a better life is what the CPC strives to fulfill. China's development achievements did not fall from the sky, nor were they bestowed as charity by others. They have been earned by the Chinese people through hard work, wisdom and courage. Throughout this process, the CPC has always played the core leadership role in exercising overall leadership and coordinating all sectors, rallying the 1.4 billion Chinese people to work as one and driving China's development to new heights.

In the new era, China has been promoting high-quality development, embracing a new philosophy featuring innovative, coordinated, green and open and shared growth.

To be more specific, innovation drives the shift of economy from  factor-driven to innovation-driven, strengthening independent and risk-resilient capabilities of industrial chains. Coordination is an inherent requirement for balanced development, which entails optimizing resource allocation and addressing weaknesses. Green represents the prevailing mode, with the goal of replacing high-energy, extensive growth with environmentally friendly industries and lifestyles. Openness remains the essential path to the prosperity and reinforces China's commitment to international cooperation. Sharing embodies the very purpose of development-development for the people. China will make continued efforts to improve social welfare and let the development fruits shared by all.

III. The CPC Rejects Hegemonyand Advocates a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind

The CPC is fully aware that every country's system is rooted in its unique historical and cultural traditions, and grows out of the practical exploration and wisdom of its people. All country enjoy the right to independently choose its own political, economic, social and cultural system, free from external interference. As a Chinese proverb puts it, "What you do not wish for yourself, do not impose on others." Having suffered foreign aggression and oppression in its modern history, the Chinese people will never inflict the same misery they once endured on others. No matter how successful its path may be, China will never seek to export its "model". No matter how strong it may grow, China will never pursue hegemonism or expansionism.

The CPC's vision for the future world is not hegemony, but building a community with a shared future for mankind-an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity. This vision has been enshrined in the Constitution of the CPC. In handling relations with other countries, the CPC upholds the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence: mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. China stands firmly against hegemonism and power politics, and will never orchestrate regime change in any country.

China has put forward four major global initiatives, which provide strategic guidance for advancing the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and have received overwhelming support. The Global Development Initiative advocates prioritizing development, and strives to deliver the benefits to people of all countries. The Global Security Initiative advocates a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, following the new path featuring dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance, and win-win results over zero-sum games. The Global Civilization Initiative calls for respecting the diversity of world civilizations, and promoting mutual learning and equal coexistence. The Global Governance Initiative advocates an equal and orderly multipolar world as well as inclusive economic globalization that benefits all; it upholds true multilateralism, and adheres to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits.

As an old Chinese saying goes, "The tide of history is mighty. Those who follow it thrive, while those who go against it perish." The world is undergoing a new round of turbulence and transformation, yet peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit remain the shared aspiration of all peoples and the irresistible trend of history. China stands ready to properly handle differences and disagreements with Estonia, work together to advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and inject more positive momentum into global peace and development.