CPC's governing philosophy underpins China's success

Editor's Note: To commemorate the 105th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China, the Research Planning Department of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee, Xinhua Institute and Shanghai Jiao Tong University co-hosted an event in Shanghai in July. Part of the Hong Ting Forum series launched in 2022, the event, titled "The Enduring Governance of a Century-Old Party: The Role of Soft Power", invited both foreign and Chinese experts to discuss the CPC's governance. Below are excerpts of the remarks by four experts who participated in the discussions, as reported by China Daily's Wang Qingyun, Gao Erqiang and Zheng Zheng.

Actions speak louder than words

By Sabino Vaca Narvaja

When evaluating the international image of a political party, the focus is usually on its discourse, messages or communication.

However, I believe that the true image of a political organization is built by its historical achievements. A party's credibility does not depend only on what it says, but on what it achieves.

From this perspective, the international image of the CPC is intrinsically linked to China's transformation over the past century.

Just over a hundred years ago, China was a fragmented and impoverished country. Today it is one of the world's major economies. The living conditions of hundreds of millions of people have improved substantially.

The obvious question is: How did this transformation happen?

The answer lies in four fundamental characteristics of the CPC: its people-centered governance philosophy, its capacity for theoretical innovation, its ability to cultivate cadres and leaders and its commitment to peaceful development.

Throughout its history, the Party has upheld a fundamental conviction: development is meaningful only if it effectively improves people's lives.

When we observe China's experiences, we do not only see economic growth, but also poverty reduction, expanded education, improved infrastructure, broader opportunities and an overall rise in living standards.

A defining feature of the CPC is its ability to adapt to changing circumstances without losing sight of its fundamental strategic objectives. This blend of continuity and innovation is the cornerstone of the Party's political vitality.

International observers often study China's public policies and their outcomes, but rarely explore who is responsible for designing, implementing and evaluating those policies.

The Party's ability to cultivate generations of cadres with grassroots experience, technical expertise, organizational discipline and strategic vision has been one of its strengths for more than a century.

In a world dominated by short-term thinking, China's experiences offer a different perspective.

Therefore, when we look at the country's achievements in recent decades, we must examine not only the policies implemented, but also the institutional capacities that enabled their execution. Cadre training is one of the least studied yet most important pillars of the CPC's institutional strength.

Modern history has many examples of powers that expanded their influence through conquest, colonization or imposing their will on other peoples. However, China's rise has been driven mainly by economic development, technological innovation, infrastructure construction and international cooperation.

Today, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative form part of a broader vision promoted by President Xi Jinping: building a community with a shared future for humanity. The proposal stems from a fundamental conviction: in an increasingly interdependent world, the major challenges of the 21st century cannot be resolved through confrontation or zero-sum logic.

China does not merely put forward concepts. It also helps build concrete mechanisms to turn them into reality.

The Belt and Road Initiative is the most visible example of this approach. Through infrastructure, connectivity, energy cooperation, knowledge exchange and development projects, the BRI has led cooperation to deliver tangible outcomes for many countries.

The international influence of the CPC does not rest solely on its theoretical proposals. It also rests on its capacity to translate principles into actions, ideas into policies, and cooperation into concrete results.

The author is the president of the Center for Sinology Studies at the University of Buenos Aires and former ambassador of Argentina to China. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.