On August 14th, 2024, an article by Mr. ZHANG Weitao, Charge d’Affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in the FSM, titled “China’s Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization Provides New Opportunities to the World” was published in The Kaselehlie Press, the bi-weekly newspaper in the FSM, in its Vol. 24 and Iss. 18. The full text is as follows:
From July 15 to 18, the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was successfully held in Beijing. This is a very important conference held at a critical time for China’s development. It outlined a blueprint for further deepening reform comprehensively and advancing Chinese modernization. Today, I would like to take this opportunity to brief our friends in the FSM on this grand event.
The most important outcome of this plenary session is the adoption of the Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization, which defines the guiding philosophy, overall objectives and guiding principles for further deepening reform comprehensively, and emphasizes that China will continue to improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and modernize China’s system and capacity for governance. By 2035, China will have finished building a high-standard socialist market economy in all respects, further improved the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, generally modernized our system and capacity for governance, and basically realized socialist modernization. All of this will lay a solid foundation for building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects by the middle of this century.
Reform and opening up is an ongoing process that will never be complete. The story of China’s development success tells us that reform and opening up has always been the key—it was reform and opening up that enabled China to catch up with the times with big strides, it was reform and opening up that brought China’s First Centenary Goal to fruition since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, and it is still reform and opening up that will break new ground in Chinese modernization and lead China to the Second Centenary Goal.
The plenary session made systematic plans for further deepening reform comprehensively in the economic, political, cultural, social, ecological, national security, national defense and military sectors, and put forward over 300 important reform measures, with particular emphasis on changes in systems and mechanisms, strategic and overarching reforms, and the spearhead role of economic structural improvements. It set a deadline for completing these reform tasks within next five years, that is, by the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 2029. This demonstrates China’s strong confidence and determination to advance national modernization through further comprehensive reforms, and sends a strong message to the world about China’s steadfast commitment to reform and opening up in the new era.
Opening up is a defining feature of Chinese modernization and China’s door to the outside world will only open even wider. This plenary session made special arrangements for promoting high-standard opening up, involving expanding institutional opening up, deepening the foreign trade structural reform, reforming the management systems for inward and outward investment, optimizing the layout for regional opening up and improving the mechanisms for high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. China will open its commodity, services, capital, and labor markets wider to the outside world in an orderly manner and unilaterally opening its doors wider to the world’s least developed countries. China will safeguard the WTO-centered multilateral trading system, actively participate in the reform of global economic governance, and provide more global public goods.
Chinese modernization is the modernization of peaceful development. The plenary session pointed out that China remains firm in pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace and is dedicated to promoting a human community with a shared future. China will stay committed to the common values of all humanity, pursue the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, and call for an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. China will get involved in leading the reform and development of the global governance system and resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.
I believe that the implementation of these reform measures will enhance various institutions and mechanisms, remove the obstacles, provide steady source of dynamism for Chinese modernization, and create more opportunities for China and the rest of the world to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and thrive and prosper together.
The latest data shows that China’s economy continues to recover, with new driving forces accelerating growth and new progress made in high-quality development. China’s economy remains an important engine and stabilizer for global economic growth. In the first half of this year, China’s gross domestic product (GDP) reached 61.7 trillion yuan (about $8.6 trillion), a year-on-year increase of 5.0%, and its import and export volume exceeded 21 trillion yuan (about $3 trillion) for the first time, a year-on-year growth of 6.1 percent. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) upgraded its growth forecast for China’s economic growth to 5% this year. A modern China that continues to deepen reform and promote high-quality development will bring more development opportunities to all countries in the world, including the FSM.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the People’s Republic of China and the Federated States of Micronesia. China looks forward to working with the FSM side to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the two leaders during H.E. President Wesley W. Simina’s state visit to China. On the basis of further deepening political mutual trust and strengthening exchanges and dialogue, we will focus on the new driving forces and new opportunities provided by Chinese modernization, accelerate the expansion of practical cooperation in political, economic, trade, cultural and sub-national areas, add new dimensions to the China-FSM Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, so as to bring more benefits to the two peoples.