Profile: Xi Jinping, the man who leads CPC on new journey

Gerd Kaminski, an Austrian legal scholar and sinologist, said that after the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Chinese characteristics became an increasingly central guiding principle in all significant issues of China's development, including its governing philosophy.

In such a process, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has stood the test, said Han Qingxiang. "It effectively leads the historical course of national rejuvenation and influences the whole world."

CONTRIBUTING TO GLOBAL COMMUNITY

Xi has been at the forefront of China's efforts to engage with and contribute to the global community.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, he had visited 69 countries in 41 tours and been the first Chinese head of state to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos. He has said that, while spending so much time on overseas visits might be deemed a "luxury," he sees it as "worthwhile."

His schedule during overseas visits is usually very tight and can last until the small hours. He had even spent his birthday during an overseas tour.

"Everything we Chinese communists do is to better the lives of the Chinese people, renew the Chinese nation, and promote peace and development for humanity," Xi said.

Altay Atli, a scholar based in Istanbul, Turkey, noted that there is a transformation of China's participation in international affairs, whether economic or diplomatic, under Xi's leadership, and that the world is witnessing the emergence of a major country with global influence.

"The world is too big, with too many challenges, to go without the voice from China being heard, without solution ideas from China being shared, without the involvement of China being needed," Xi said.

In 2013, Xi raised the notion of "building a community with a shared future for humanity."

When elaborating on the specifics of his vision, Xi proposed that the international community should promote partnership, security, growth, inter-civilization exchanges, and the building of a sound ecosystem, citing a proverb: "The interests to be considered should be the interests of all."

A community with a shared future for humanity comes from an excellent pedigree. Political scientists have noted that the notion inherits the Marxist idea of "an association in which the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all," and the Chinese ideal of "harmony." It is the most recent proposition on foreign affairs floated by the CPC, following Mao Zedong's "Three Worlds Theory" and Deng Xiaoping's "peace and development as two main world themes."

The response from the international community has been positive. When Xi presented his vision at the Palace of Nations, the United Nations Office at Geneva, in January 2017, politicians, diplomats, and celebrities across the world responded with more than 30 waves of applause in 47 minutes.

Under this concept, Xi proposed a new approach to international relations based on mutually beneficial cooperation and the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration in global governance.

"What kind of international order and governance system best suits the world and best suits the people of all countries? This is something that should be decided by all countries through consultation, and not by a single country or a few countries," he said.

The same principle runs through the framework for major-country relations, as advocated by Xi, which features overall stability and balanced development. On many occasions, he has stressed that if nations maintain communication and treat each other with sincerity, the "Thucydides trap" can be avoided.

By 2019, 180 countries had diplomatic relations with China, a sharp increase from around 30 in the 1950s. Over the past few years, five countries in Central America and the Pacific region established or resumed diplomatic ties with China.

"We have friends in every corner of the world," Xi said.

When meeting with outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel via video link in October, Xi called her an old friend: "The Chinese people put a premium on friendship; we will not forget old friends and will always keep the door open for you."

The same year that Xi first called on the world to jointly build a community with a shared future for humanity, he also proposed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). By August 2021, about 172 countries and international organizations had signed more than 200 cooperation documents with China under this framework. According to a report from the World Bank, BRI projects could help lift 7.6 million people out of extreme poverty and 32 million people out of moderate poverty globally.

Xi has personally visited several BRI projects, including the Piraeus Port in Greece, the Smederevo steel plant in Serbia, and the China-Belarus Industrial Park in Minsk, Belarus.

Global development, however, should not come at the cost of the environment, and in 2020 Xi offered a clear signal of commitment when he told the world that China would peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

"The world should thank China for its contribution to climate change responses," said former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Xi offered China's strong support of the Paris Agreement four years ago and, without China's support, the agreement would not be the way it is now, Rudd added.

Xi's commitment to offering a helping hand transcends environmental and development issues. Today, China is a vital force in addressing global and regional flashpoint issues, ranging from nuclear proliferation to pandemic response.

"We need to 'join hands' with each other instead of 'letting go.' We need to 'tear down walls,' not to 'erect walls'," he said.

A few months ago, when the abrupt withdrawal of U.S. troops triggered unrest in Afghanistan, Xi had a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and met leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization members via video link to call for support of the steady transition of Afghanistan, engage the country in dialogue, and help the Afghan people.

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, Xi called for global solidarity and cooperation. By his instruction, China provided anti-virus material for more than 150 countries and 14 international organizations and sent 37 medical teams to 34 countries.

He pledged to make Chinese COVID-19 vaccines a global public good and promised that China would provide 2 billion doses of vaccines to the world this year. The country also promised to donate 100 million U.S. dollars to COVAX.