Shaker and mover

Normally, when analyzing the changes taking place in China, everything focuses on the economy and technology, forgetting the advances that have taken place in other areas.

In 1949, when the founding of the People's Republic of China was proclaimed, it was a backward country with hundreds of millions of people living in poverty and illiteracy, in a feudal regime, subjected to the colonialism of the Western powers, and with no rights for women. As well as the economic and technological development of modern China, we should also recognize its recovery of national sovereignty, the elimination of feudalism, the full incorporation of women into social and political life, and the great advances it has made in education and health.

At the same time, it has also promoted national unity, unifying the country's numerous ethnic groups, dialects and cultures in a common project for all the people of China. The Communist Party of China, which has a presence in all corners of the State, is one of the fundamental elements helping to maintain national unity.

The reality is that no one can deny today that the socialist revolution in China under the leadership of the CPC has generated enormous improvements in the lives of the Chinese people. In the first stage, independence was won, the people were freed from feudalism, the corruption of the bourgeois governments was ended, and power was in the hands of the people. In the current stage, under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with President Xi Jinping at the core, China has completed the elimination of abject poverty and secured a moderately well-off society in all respects. With the adoption of the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development (2021-25) and the Long-Range Development Goals for 2035, which aim to achieve the socialist modernization of the country and common prosperity for all the people of China.

At the same time, China's successes in the fight against the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and the economic paralysis caused by the pandemic, together with the signs of solidarity shown by the Chinese government and people with the rest of the peoples affected by COVID-19, make China a point of reference for the world when talking about a fairer world. As President Xi has said, the policy of reform and opening-up that China practices is in line with the demand of this moment in history to build multipolar international relations, and is a guarantee to advance the construction of a world of peace and stability for the whole of humanity.

Starting from these general ideas, I would like to highlight some personal experiences, because since my first trip to China in 2000 I have been able to verify these profound changes both in the process of urbanization, and the atmosphere on the streets. In this way, during my first trips, I could sense both in meetings with the leadership of the Party and in the visits we made to factories and production centers that the main concern was achieving the greatest productive development to provide resources to the State.

In a short amount of time, things changed and we began to notice people with whom we talked had a greater sense of security and spoke of the success and progress of the policy of reform and opening-up. At that time, I could see the effort involved in the preparations for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the Shanghai World Expo in 2010, collective projects that involved the participation of everybody. In both cases, I was able to talk and share the experiences of groups of volunteers who felt as much of a protagonist of these events as the top leaders of the State. They were all groups of excited youth, which led me to understand the great pride the younger generation have in being able to show the world the progress and achievements of the New China.

Nevertheless, it is with special interest that I am checking how the teachings of the millenary cultural and philosophical history of China are being incorporated into the current reality. The CPC is combining the traditional philosophy, which enriches the person, with the Marxist analysis of politics and economics, to be able to transform the reality that the CPC encountered in 1949 when the New China was proclaimed.

One element that I can verify is the changes in the countryside. Over the past 20 years, I have witnessed the entry of technology into the rural areas which has not only improved the living conditions of villagers, but also increased their identification with the achievements of the New China.

In short, both on a general level, as well as in my personal experience, it can be asserted that over the past 100 years, the leadership of the CPC has been tremendously beneficial for the development of the country, providing exemplary experience for the world to learn from.

The author is president of the Communist Party of Spain. 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.