Leading the world toward peace, prosperity

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the remarkable achievements China has made, especially during the four decades of reform and opening-up, are enough for the Chinese people to celebrate this historical occasion.

But the unprecedented challenges China faces today, from its slowing economic growth and trade frictions with the United States to the risks posed by rising populism in many Western economies, have left many people worried.

True, many of the challenges are unprecedented. But China has overcome many unprecedented challenges since 1949. For example, in 1979, China's per capita GDP was only $200 and 80 percent of its people lived in rural areas. The lack of food was a big problem in those days. Even when it hosted the Asian Games for the first time in 1990, China didn't have enough money to finance the event and had to seek donations from society.