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

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.

Traditional culture source of soft power

The CPC possesses the spirit of self-reform, a concept deeply rooted in Chinese culture, which emphasizes introspection and self-cultivation.

The essence of this profound traditional wisdom is that all truths of the universe reside within the human mind, and all solutions to problems lie in the elevation of one's spiritual stature.

The CPC's spirit of self-reform reflects the integration of the basic principles of Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture. Endowed with such wisdom and courage, the CPC has surmounted external challenges time and again.

Under its leadership, China focuses on self-improvement and managing its own affairs well instead of blaming or shifting responsibilities to other countries. Such a mindset is exceedingly rare and precious in contemporary international politics.

This focus on the self and inward pursuit is neither selfish conservatism, nor isolationism. Throughout its history, the Party has shouldered the important mission entrusted by the people. It has pursued national independence, the people's liberation and prosperity, and achieved significant success.

Today, as the world's largest ruling party, the CPC bears greater responsibilities to safeguard world peace and advance shared development.

However, peace and development do not mean blind compromise for superficial harmony. Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity will by no means be smooth sailing. They will require a great struggle with many new features. The CPC dares to struggle, and excels at it. It does not provoke trouble, yet never shirks from confronting it. When assessing what role China will play in the world, one should take into account these characteristics of the Party.

Governance achievement worthy of in-depth research

The CPC's capacity for governance and its ability to lead China's economic and social development form a prominent part of the Party's international image.

Governing a large country with over 1.4 billion people, maintaining political and social stability, and advancing reform and opening-up as well as modernization are remarkable achievements that deserve in-depth research.

Many Vietnamese researchers are particularly interested in how the CPC has developed its capacity for governance and self-renewal to lead a vast country with an enormous population toward rapid modernization.

The Party's image is also closely tied to its self-governance and self-reform capabilities. The biggest challenge facing a long-ruling political party is maintaining its integrity, sustaining the people's trust, and continuously adapting to the new demands of the times.

Another vital aspect of the CPC's international image is its global and strategic vision. Against the backdrop of accelerating changes unseen in a century, intensifying strategic competition and increasingly complex challenges, China has proposed building a community with a shared future for humanity. This vision embodies a more open mindset on international relations, highlighting peace, development, cooperation, win-win outcomes and shared responsibility for humanity's future.

The Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative demonstrate China's commitment to the world in the fields of development, security, civilization and governance.

These initiatives lift the CPC's international image beyond that of a national ruling party, presenting it as an important political force actively engaged in fostering a more just, reasonable, humane and civilized international order.

Stability enables faster economic growth

Since its founding in 1921, the CPC has grown into the world's largest governing party with over 100 million members, leading one of the world's most populous nations of more than 1.4 billion people. Besides liberating China from oppression, occupation and exploitation, the Party has transformed it from a fragmented, impoverished, and weak country a century ago to a stable, united, and prosperous one.

The CPC's success in maintaining rapid economic growth and long-term social stability has made it a model of governance, drawing the interest of researchers, intellectuals and leaders across the world.

The CPC has renewed and strengthened China's ties with Africa. Through these ties, China has become part of the "Africa Rising" story.

China's most effective soft power is the success of its homegrown modernization. The CPC has achieved long-term political stability, safeguarded China's sovereignty and security, and defended the unity of the country's 56 ethnic groups.

This has created a peaceful environment conducive to rapid economic growth.

China's success in poverty eradication has shown that poverty is not an insurmountable barrier. Since the Party's reform and opening-up policy began in 1978, China has lifted about 800 million people out of poverty and transformed into the second-largest economy in the world.

In our turbulent world ruptured by the upsurge of anti-globalization trends such as populism, isolationism and protectionism, Africa and China share the vision of a world underpinned by free trade and a non-hegemonic, fairer and more equitable global governance.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.