On November 9th, 2022, Chinese Ambassador to the FSM H.E. Huang Zheng published an article titled Grand Event of China, Great Opportunity for the World on The Kaselehlie Press, the only newspaper in the FSM (bi-weekly), in its Vol. 22 and Iss. 22. The full text is as follows:
From October 16th to 22nd, 2022, the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has been successfully convened in Beijing. This Congress, drawing extensive attention, is of major significance for both China and the wider world, which also provides a golden key for the world to learn about China. I would like to take this opportunity to brief our friends of the FSM on this grand event.
As a meeting of great importance, the Congress takes place at a critical time as China embarks on a new journey to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advance toward the Second Centenary Goal. The most important achievement of the Congress is that it has elected a new central leadership with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and it has carried forward and practiced democracy throughout its process, and built consensus of the whole Party and of the people across the country.
The Congress has reviewed the works done in past five years since the 19th Congress and the great changes taking place over the decade, and elaborated on the Chinese features and essential requirements of Chinese modernization, and other major issues. It has laid out strategic planning for building China into a modern socialist country in all respects and drawn up a grand blueprint for China's development in the future.
The past decade since the 18th Congress marked three major events of great immediate importance and profound historical significance for the cause of the CPC and the Chinese people. China embraced the centenary of the CPC; China ushered in a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics; and China eradicated absolute poverty and finished building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, thus completing the First Centenary Goal.
Let me use a few sets of data and demonstrate visually the breakthroughs and landmark achievements China has made over the past decade.
Over the past decade,China has put forward and applied a new development philosophy, worked hard to promote high-quality development, and brought about a historic rise in China's economic strength. China's GDP has grown from 8.5 trillion US dollars to 17.7 trillion US dollars to account for 18.5 percent (from 11.3 percent) of the world economy. China has remained the world's second largest economy. China's average annual growth rate for the decade was 6.6 percent, contributing 38.6 percent to world economic growth. That is more than the combined contribution of the G7 countries and it makes China the number one engine for world growth. Also, the scale of China's manufacturing sector and foreign exchange reserves remain the largest in the world.
Over the past decade, China has acted on the idea that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. China's ecological and environmental protection efforts have seen sweeping, historic, and transformative changes. With the highest growth in forest coverage and the largest area of man-made forests, China leads the world in greening the planet. China's use of renewable energy and total installed power generation capacity have reached record highs, with the installed scale of hydropower, wind power, photovoltaic and biomass power generation staying at the top of the world. China's production and sales of new energy vehicles have ranked first in the world for seven consecutive years. China has invested about 1.2 billion RMB in South-South cooperation on climate change, signed 40 cooperation documents with 35 countries and trained about 2,000 officials and professionals in the field of climate change for 120 developing countries.
Over the past decade, China has steadily advanced high-level opening up and shared its development opportunities with the rest of the world. China has become a major trading partner for more than 140 countries and regions, it leads the world in total volume of trade in goods, and it is a major destination for global investment and a leading country in outbound investment. As a collaborative endeavor, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been welcomed by the international community both as a public good and a cooperation platform. China had signed more than 200 BRI cooperation agreements with 149 countries and 32 international organizations. From 2013 to 2021, the total volume of trade of goods between China and the Belt and Road countries was nearly 11 trillion US dollars, while two-way investment exceeded 230 billion US dollars.
The great achievements of the past decade have come from the collective dedication and hard work of the CPC and the Chinese people. The Chinese people have come to realize that for the CPC to write these grand chapters in the development of the CPC and the country in the new era, there is a fundamental reason. The fundamental reason is that China have General Secretary Xi Jinping's superb leadership as the core of the Central Committee and the whole Party, as well as the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
General Secretary Xi Jinping has stated in the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC that from this day forward, the central task of the CPC will be to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.
General Secretary Xi Jinping has stressed that the Chinese path to modernization is socialist modernization pursued under the leadership of the CPC. It contains elements that are common to the modernization processes of all countries, but it is more characterized by features that are unique to the Chinese context. It is the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature, and of peaceful development. The Chinese path to modernization has created a new form of human advancement, expanded the ways for developing countries to move toward modernization, and provided a development path for all countries, especially developing countries, to explore a better social system.
The 20th National Congress of the CPC not only draws a blueprint for China's future development, adds more stability and certainty into the turbulent and changing world, but also brings new opportunities to the world development and to the enhancement of China-FSM relations.
Today, our world, our times, and history are changing in ways like never before. The world has once again reached a crossroads in history and its future course will be decided by all the world's peoples.
For its part, China has maintained consistency and stability of its foreign policy, and stays committed to safeguarding world peace and promoting common development, and it is dedicated to advancing the building of a human community with a shared future.
China remains firm in pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace. It has always decided its position and policy on issues based on their own merits, and it has strived to uphold the basic norms governing international relations and safeguard international fairness and justice.
China respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. It stays true to the principle of equality of all countries big or small, strong or weak and rich or poor and it respects the development paths and social systems independently chosen by all the world's peoples.
China stands firmly against all forms of hegemonism and power politics, the Cold War mentality, interference in other countries' internal affairs, and double standards.
China pursues a defensive national defense policy and its development strengthens the world's forces for peace. No matter what stage of development it reaches, China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansionism.
China will respond to uncertainties of the external environment with its own certainties, counteract instability of the international situation with the stability of its domestic and foreign policies; it will strive to provide sustainable impetus for global recovery through its high-quality development and high-standard opening up, and work relentlessly for world peace and development in a responsible way.
Guided by the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity, and good faith and with a commitment to the greater good and shared interests, China endeavors to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries including the Pacific Island Countries and safeguard the common interests of the developing world.
We sincerely call upon all countries including the FSM to hold dear humanity's shared values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom to promote mutual understanding and forge closer bonds with other peoples; and to respect the diversity of civilizations. Let us allow cultural exchanges to transcend estrangement, mutual learning to transcend clashes, and coexistence to transcend feelings of superiority. Let us all join forces to meet all types of global challenges.
China and The FSM are good friends and partners. H.E. President David W. Panuelo, T.H. Speaker Wesley W. Simina and other dignitaries and friendly people in the FSM have sent their congratulatory messages to General Secretary Xi Jinping on his re-election and to the CPC Central Committee on the success of the Congress. Their support fully reflects the friendship between our two leaders, as well as the China-FSM Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and "Great Friendship".
China is willing to take the 20th National Congress of the CPC as an opportunity to strengthen exchanges with the FSM on governance, share beneficial experience in exploring the path of modernization, accelerate development and revitalization, achieve common prosperity and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
We firmly believe that under the guidance of our two leaders, the China-FSM relations will continue to maintain sound and steady development and constantly benefit our two countries and two peoples.