China's success built on Party leadership

Second century

As it enters its second century, one high-profile area of focus for the CPC is to extend its economic successes beyond its borders. President Xi launched in 2013 the country's signature Belt and Road Initiative.

One aim of the BRI is to continue facilitating globalization, creating a global network from China through neighboring economies in Southeast Asia and out to every continent in the world.

"I think of the BRI in the lens of China's way of communicating its intentions to its neighbors, specifically to create a perception that China's intention is to find areas for mutual benefit and mutual cooperation," said Robin Michael Garcia, president and CEO at WRN Research in Manila.

"Seen in this way, the BRI is a way of communicating reassurance …the success of which is varied depending on many domestic factors in these societies," said Garcia, who is also an assistant professor of political economy at the School of Law and Governance at the University of Asia and the Pacific in the Philippines. The Philippines signed up to the BRI in 2018.

The benefits of the BRI are stretching far beyond Asia and are having an impact in countries in Europe, Africa and the Americas.

"In its relatively short history, the BRI has already had profound material and principled impacts on the world," said David Castrillon, a Sinologist and research professor at the School of International Relations at Externado University in Colombia.

"Materially, reports by credible institutions like the World Bank have shown the initiative to have positive impacts on poverty reduction, jobs, trade and physical connectivity, to name a few," Castrillon said.

"More importantly, as an initiative open to all countries, the BRI proves that it is through joint action, not divisiveness and petty alliances, that we can achieve shared development."

Another key focus for the CPC over the past few years has been efforts to tackle corruption.

"They appear to have been welcomed by many Chinese people and have created an environment and culture that discouraged corruption," said Lim from the National University of Singapore.

There has been a fair amount of research into the impact of the country's anti-corruption campaign and systemic building.

Before the anti-corruption campaign was initiated, promotions of some local officials were influenced by corrupt exchanges. Such exchanges "eroded the internal order of the Party" and hurt stability, said Lu Xi, of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.

"The massive anti-corruption campaign is necessary not only because the Party's image is improved, but more importantly, it restores the Party's internal discipline," said Lu. "In hindsight, the anti-corruption campaign has made the CPC more united in dealing with the global tensions today."

Ultimately, unprecedented economic growth has emerged as a key bedrock of the foundation upon which the success of the CPC is built. In particular, since 1978, China's economy has grown by orders of magnitude.

China's GDP topped 100 trillion yuan ($15.4 trillion) in 2020, a far cry from the 367.9 billion yuan recorded in 1978 when the country began opening up its economy.