72 years is just the beginning: China's National Day

The National Day of the People's Republic of China, which falls on Oct 1, is the most important holiday in the country. The formation of the PRC marked a significant milestone for not only the Chinese people, but also the entire Eurasian continent. Some 72 years ago, a country appeared on the continent that even then had signs of a future superpower. The people who managed to resist foreign intervention and internal enemies gained freedom and saved their homeland.

The hard work, organization, talent, endurance and loyalty of the Chinese people to national ideas and traditions became the basis upon which the Communist Party began to build the country. Step by step, day by day the nation moved toward prosperity. Many then prophesied a short century for the People's China, but today, with the PRC 72 years old and firmly on its feet, these voices no longer have a place.

The Chinese people have something to be proud of and something to celebrate. Seventy-two years is a very short period by the standards of history, but during this time the country has achieved incredible success, showing the whole world an example of how to work and achieve goals.

It is no coincidence that the world is still talking about the "Chinese economic miracle", the results of which amaze everyone today. Over the past years, the Chinese people, under the leadership of the CPC, have achieved tremendous successes in the economic and social development of the country. Many foreign experts and politicians consider modern China to be a phenomenon in the history of the development of society.

Under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, the people of China achieved independence and liberation. The huge successes of the new China were embodied in the development of production forces, social progress, a large-scale reduction in the number of the poor, meeting the vital needs of the population, improving social welfare and many other aspects. All this was the result of the joint struggle and dedication of the broad masses of the people under the leadership of the CPC.

Consider the data. If in 1952 China's GDP was only 67.9 billion yuan, then by 2010 it already exceeded the GDP of Japan and is currently ranked second in the world after the United States. But this is only temporary; no one has any doubts that China will bypass the United States in the near future.

Let's go further. In 1950, the total volume of China's foreign trade was $1.13 billion, and by the 70th anniversary of the PRC it had already reached $4.6 trillion, increasing more than 4,000 times! From a resource-based country, China has turned into a country selling high technologies.

Over the years, China has attracted more than $2.1 trillion of foreign investment and reached a breakthrough in foreign investment that started from scratch. China today is the world's largest industrial state, the country with the largest foreign exchange reserves and the second largest inflow of foreign capital. The well-being of the people has improved enormously in 72 years.

Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a victory over poverty. From now on, there are no more impoverished regions in China; the state made incredible efforts to eliminate them and won.

The country has also made great strides in the area of human rights. "In Seeking Happiness for People: 70 Years of Progress on Human Rights in China", published on the anniversary of the People's Republic of China, it was pointed out that China, which invariably views the rights to existence and development as the most important and fundamental human rights, is making efforts to improve the well-being of the people through development in order to improve the system of human rights protection.

A number of the country's achievements were listed, including an effective guarantee of the right to food, the elimination of absolute poverty, a noticeable increase in living standards, reliable protection of drinking water safety, a significant improvement in housing conditions, more convenient public transport, an improved healthcare system for the people, an improvement in the social assistance, as well as the improvement of postal and telecommunication services.

Today's China is a highly developed state playing an ever-increasing role in the world economy. All the impressive successes China has achieved in the socioeconomic sphere, in the foreign policy arena and more are the result of China's right path of development.

Remaining a socialist country, China adopted the laws of the market and built a completely unique model of the state and economy, the success of which is proved every day. Seventy-two years is just the beginning. There are a lot of important things and achievements ahead of China, which, no doubt, will serve the well-being and prosperity of the whole world.

The author is the director of the international expert club EurAsiaAz and editor-in-chief of Azerbaijani news agency Baku Tribune.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.

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