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

Over the past 100 years, the world's most populous country has been on an almost unbelievable journey -- from a poverty-stricken nation to one where basic needs are met to its current state of moderate prosperity. Xi deemed this achievement a contribution to humanity.

More than 70 percent of worldwide poverty reduction over the last 40 years was in and by China, which means it realized its poverty reduction goal from the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ten years ahead of schedule.

Describing her impressions of Xi, Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, president of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, called him "a seasoned captain" whose contributions, such as advocating multilateralism, the BRI, and the notion of a community with a shared future for humanity, have been significant.

FULFILLING NEW MISSIONS

The CPC plans to achieve national rejuvenation through a pair of goals, known as "two centenaries."

During the past nine years, as the Party's most senior leader, Xi has led the country in completing the first step and chaired the design of the second step of this historic plan.

First, socialist modernization should be "basically realized" by 2035, and second, China should be built into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful by the middle of the 21st century, which will be around the centenary of the PRC.

Supplementary road maps support these overarching goals. Most notably, Xi spearheaded the drafting of the Party leadership's proposals for the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, which were adopted in October 2020.

Xi has described the CPC's past century as "a historic miracle" and expressed confidence that the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is dawning. However, he also warned that this is no time for indecision. "At this critical moment, we must not stop, hesitate or wait," Xi said.

He warned that achieving national rejuvenation will be no walk in the park, and the coming tests will only become more complex.

"Realizing this great dream demands a great struggle," he said.

Therefore, the upcoming sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee comes at a significant time, as a resolution on the major achievements and historical experience in the Party's 100-year history will be discussed.

"Over its 100-year struggle, the CPC has accumulated rich experience, understood important rules, developed governance theories and earned wisdom. This great treasure should be summarized to inspire the Party's governance better," Han Qingxiang said.

Over the past 100 years, the CPC has adopted just two resolutions related to historical issues, in 1945 and 1981. They analyzed the causes and drew conclusions on important historical events and figures, through which the whole Party came to a clear consensus and thus grew stronger in unity.

"The Party's previous resolutions on historical issues played a profound role in building consensus and rallying strength to fulfill new missions. This is what we expect from the upcoming plenary session," said Wang Junwei, the research fellow.

History has emerged as something of a buzzword for all CPC members this year. A sweeping education campaign helped cadres recognize the Party's history, and a new Museum of the CPC was inaugurated.

On June 18, Xi and his colleagues toured the museum, viewing exhibits such as bonds issued by the Qing government used to pay for the war indemnity required by the unequal Treaty of Shimonoseki; the manuscript of Karl Marx's notes from Brussels; the list of the 58 CPC members when the Party was founded; the car manufactured in the PRC's early years; and the model of China's Mars rover. Each display bore vivid testimony to how the Party led China.

The exhibition ended with a "time tunnel," linking all significant historical junctures from 1921 until today, leading the audience to the future.

Xi once quoted Mao Zedong, saying that "after several decades, the victory of the Chinese people's democratic revolution, viewed in retrospect, will seem like only a brief prologue to a long drama. A drama begins with a prologue, but the prologue is not the climax."

"History has not ended, nor can it possibly end," he said at the conference marking the 95th anniversary of the CPC's founding. "The CPC and Chinese people have every confidence in their ability to provide a Chinese solution to aid the exploration of a better social system for humanity."

After concluding their exhibition tour, Xi and his colleagues took a vow in front of the Party flag, reliving a ritual undertaken by all new CPC members.

"I will fight for communism for the rest of my life," Xi said, leading the oath.

Xinhua