Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC)
Central Committee and Chinese president, attends the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting via video link and delivers a keynote address in Beijing, capital of China, on March 15, 2023. Photo: Xinhua
Global Civilization Initiative proposed by Xi 'provides hope to heal the world in turbulence'
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, proposed the Global Civilization Initiative. Experts said following the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, China is trying to share its wisdom and plans to bring new hope for all nations to consider together on how to escape the trap of the "Clash of Civilizations" and find a path that can help the world sail through the current turbulence.
Xi proposed the initiative during his key note speech on Wednesday at the opening ceremony of the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting via video link and delivered a keynote address.
Under the initiative, Xi called for respect for diversity of civilizations, advocating the common values of humanity, highly valuing the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and jointly advocating robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.
"We are ready to work together with the international community to open up a new prospect of enhanced exchanges and understanding among different peoples and better interactions and integration of diversified cultures. Together we can make the garden of world civilizations colorful and vibrant," Xi said.
World needs hope
According to a Xinhua News Agency story on Thursday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, also president of the African National Congress, and 11 other leaders of political parties and political organizations also addressed the dialogue on Wednesday.
They spoke highly of Xi's proposals in his keynote speech, and expressed their willingness to work with the CPC to play a leading and driving role in the modernization process.
"We fully agree with the four proposals put forward by Chinese President Xi in the Global Civilization Initiative," Ramaphosa said, noting the initiative is vital to the world today.
The event, with the theme "Path towards Modernization: the Responsibility of Political Parties," brought together more than 500 leaders of political parties and political organizations from more than 150 countries.
Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Thursday that the Global Civilization Initiative will help the world get rid of the old mentality for relations between different civilizations, and create a new landscape for the world which allows all countries to deal with each other based on stability, mutual respect and equality.
Experts said a very fundamental reason why the world at present is experiencing great turbulence is that the old international order dominated by the US-led West is making the world fall into the trap of "Clash of Civilizations," with many countries with different civilizations having a hard time to deal with each other peacefully.
Li said that within the US, people from different ethnic groups and with different religious beliefs are having more tensions rather than becoming more united. For the foreign affairs, during the time of the Trump administration, US senior officials openly hyped "Clash of Civilizations" and currently Washington is still having tensions with many countries with different civilizations, and even instigating conflicts between the countries in the same region with similar civilization.
At present, the old system and order dominated by the US-led West is causing huge problems and dangers to the world in the fields like geopolitics, supply and industrial chains, as well as the financial markets.
The Ukraine crisis is still far from easing, and the energy and foods crises are troubling many countries worldwide. At present, the new danger of a potential global financial crisis brought along by the collapse of US-based Silicon Valley Bank and the problem of Credit Suisse in Europe has made the world more unstable.
Liu Dian, an associate research fellow of the China Institute under Fudan University, told the Global Times on Thursday that in recent years, the world has been facing rising challenges and uncertainties.
"It's just about 15 years away from the financial crisis in 2008, the world is once again under the shadow of another crisis caused by the US," Liu noted. "The world is getting increasingly worried about the old system and getting more desperate to ask for new solution."
Contribute with action
From the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative to the latest Global Civilization Initiative, China has presented the world with an ideological system that gets increasingly mature. Adding to the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the ideal of the global community of shared future, China is trying to use its own wisdom, experiences and influence based on its own successful development and exploration in the past decades to help the world improve and reform the old problematic international system and order, experts said.
Liu said that the series of initiatives proposed by the top leader of the CPC and China are answering the questions for the world and our time. The combination of these three initiatives shows China's comprehensive thoughts that aim to solve global problems and improve global governance.
China is not just proposing the initiatives, but also making contribution through actions, and gain concrete achievements, analysts said. For instance, the successful mediation that lead to the resumption of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the BRI that links countries with different civilizations to jointly realize development.
The vast majority of the international community welcomes and praises the latest reestablishment of Riyadh-Teheran diplomatic ties with China's support and assistance. This shows that the world in turbulence and regions in chaos desperately need new hope and new solution for peace and stability. China is actively utilizing its influence and wisdom to solve global challenges, as a result, more and more countries will be open to and carefully consider and research China's initiatives, Liu said.
Global Civilization Initiative – another gift from China to world: Global Times editorial
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, proposed the Global Civilization Initiative when he delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting on Wednesday. This is the third major global initiative presented by China after the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative. It fundamentally answers a series of questions of the times, such as "What kind of modernization do we need?" and "How can we achieve modernization?" The initiative has become another important public good provided to the world.
The background of the Global Civilization Initiative is that in recent years, as geopolitical conflicts have intensified, the "clash of civilizations" and "superiority of civilizations" have returned to public attention under the instigation and hype of some politicians in the US and the West. The hatred and estrangement among different civilizations have seriously hindered international cooperation. At the same time, "black swan" and "grey rhino" incidents are occurring frequently in the international community, and multiple challenges and crises are intertwined and superimposed. Different countries and civilizations urgently need to work together to deal with global challenges that affect the future and destiny of mankind as a whole. The Global Civilization Initiative can be said to have emerged in response to the demand of the times, and has strong practical significance and practical value.
The Global Civilization Initiative puts forward four initiatives - respect for diversity of civilizations, advocating the common values of humanity, highly valuing the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and jointly advocating robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. It covers the basic concepts and principles that different civilizations can tolerate each other and coexist, and has the source of motivation and a practical path for realization. It is a major initiative that is very constructive, operable and sustainable. Since it advocates respect for different civilizations and support for their development rights, it fully meets the strong needs of the international community and has shown strong vitality from the very beginning, arousing enthusiastic responses in the international community.
As abovementioned, after the end of the Cold War, the world entered an era of high globalization, but it has not really experienced peace. The Cold War mentality and practice of demarcating ideological boundaries and engaging in camp confrontation have not disappeared. On the contrary, in recent years it is resurging. The Russia-Ukraine conflict is essentially a remnant of the Cold War detonating a powder keg in the 21st century. In other parts of the world, the practice of distinguishing between friends and foes in the name of "values" and wooing one faction while fighting against another faction casts a huge shadow on world peace and development.
Furthermore, without true equality and inclusion among civilizations, the process of peace and development will always be at risk of being interrupted. There have been too many tragedies in this regard, both historical and current. In this sense, the Global Civilization Initiative is an extension and complement to the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and together they form the key components of a human community with a shared future.
The world does not need hatred, division or conflict, and the people of all countries want to live a good life. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Communist Party of China has led the Chinese people to create two miracles - rapid economic development and long-term social stability. These are by no means "out of luck." Instead, they have their own profound internal logic. The Global Civilization Initiative, Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative are highly condensed versions of China's past successful experiences, which China is willing to share with the world without reservation to achieve common development through mutual exchange and learning. It can be said that these three initiatives are all high-quality global public goods demonstrating China's sincerity and goodwill.
It should be emphasized that China is not only a "thinker" but also a "doer" in promoting building a human community with a shared future. In the past year or so, the number of countries and international organizations supporting the Global Development Initiative has increased to more than 100; the Group of Friends of the GDI established on the UN platform has expanded to more than 60 members; and platforms such as the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Trust Fund, the Global Development Promotion Center, and the China Global Development Knowledge Network have also been established one after another. Just a few days ago, Saudi Arabia and Iran held a dialogue and reached an agreement in Beijing, which also became a successful practice of the Global Security Initiative. This happened less than a year after the initiative was first proposed.
Thus, there are more reasons to expect that the Global Civilization Initiative, together with the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, will constantly inject stability and bring new hope to this world of turbulence and transformation. At the same time, we also believe that "Chinese modernization, as a new form of human advancement, will draw upon the merits of other civilizations and make the garden of world civilizations more vibrant."
Shares of Chinese banks largely rallied on Thursday, despite evolving bank woes in the US and Europe, following
the distress of Credit Suisse that day before, which sent a shock wave across global markets.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and the other newly elected members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi, meet the press at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 23, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)
Xi Jinping was elected general secretary of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the committee's first plenary session held on Sunday, according to the communique of the plenary session.
The session, presided over by Xi, was attended by 203 members of the 20th CPC Central Committee and 168 alternate members. Xi was also named chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission at the session.
The members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee elected at the session are Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi.
Zhao and Wang were members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 19th CPC Central Committee. Li Qiang, Cai and Li Xi have served as Party chiefs of municipal CPC committees in Shanghai, Beijing and the Provincial CPC committee of Guangdong Province since 2017. Ding has been director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee since 2017.
Analysts said the new central leadership of the Party with a strong core leadership, demonstrated solid unity, which is a key advantage and essential element for the Party to handle complex challenges and accomplish new great missions in the future, and to withstand "dangerous storms" in a turbulent world together.
Also elected at the first plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee were members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee at the session, which endorsed the members of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat nominated by the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.
The session named the members of the Central Military Commission, with Zhang Youxia and He Weidong as vice chairmen. The session approved the secretary, deputy secretaries and members of the Standing Committee of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) elected at the first plenary session of the 20th CCDI.
Remarks of confidence
After the plenary session concluded, Xi led the Party's new central leadership to meet Chinese and foreign journalists on Sunday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, and delivered a speech at the meeting with the press.
Xi said China will open its door wider to the rest of the world. "We'll be steadfast in deepening reform and opening up across the board, and in pursuing high-quality development," Xi said when meeting the press, noting that a prosperous China will create many more opportunities for the world.
Just as China cannot develop in isolation from the world, the world needs China for its development, Xi said. Through over 40 years of relentless reform and opening-up, China has created the twin miracles of fast economic growth and long-term social stability, he said.
Chinese analysts said it shows that both the CPC's and Chinese people's determination on reform and opening-up is unchanged, and the Party will unwaveringly insist on the successful policy and strategy, which is a message of confidence and certainty not only to the Chinese economic development, but also to the world in turbulence and global recovery.
The Chinese economy has great resilience and potential, Xi said. "Its strong fundamentals will not change, and it will remain on the positive trajectory over the long run."
The week-long 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concludes on October 22, 2022, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: Li Hao/GT
Humanity's shared values
Xi on Sunday also expressed China's commitment to promoting the building of a human community with a shared future.
"We will work with peoples of all other countries to champion humanity's shared values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom to safeguard global peace and promote global development, and keep promoting the building of a human community with a shared future," Xi said when meeting the press at the Great Hall of the People.
Xi's remarks further highlight the core ideas of China's diplomacy since the 18th CPC National Congress, emphasizing the stability and continuity of major diplomatic policies, which drew a sharp contrast with certain countries that emphasize their own absolute security and maximize their own interests, building up small blocs, Su Xiaohui, deputy director of Department of International and Strategic Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday.
"It shows that our diplomacy is not based on selfish and zero-sum mentalities, and the idea of promoting a human community with a shared future is winning and will win more support from the international community, especially from developing countries," Su said.
The concept of "humanity's shared values" presented by the CPC is very different from the "universal values" promoted by the West, experts said. Based on the facts about the destruction and chaos in the non-Western world that has been caused by major Western powers, these so-called "universal values" actually serve as a pretext for hegemony to bully, interfere in and invade other nations, and the "values" are actually dividing the world rather than uniting it, as the West, especially the US, uses these concepts to create "enemies and competitors" to unite its own allies and followers, despite being guilty of hypocrisy and double-standards in many cases.
But the CPC's concept of "humanity's shared values" is inclusive and aims to unite all members of the international community and all civilizations, which also include civilizations in the Western world, and China under the CPC's leadership will always oppose and fight hegemony that threatens world peace, and will never follow the suit of hegemony or imperialism in the past to repeat the bloody and brutal path of rising in the new journey toward its Second Centenary Goal, experts said.
At this critical moment for the world to learn what China's core leadership will do, experts noted that China's core diplomatic ideas were incorporated in Xi's first address since he was elected general secretary of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, indicating that China will uphold those common values of humanity by highlighting fairness and justice.Keep Party invincible
"A political party can only become invincible if it remains committed to self-reform, even though it has had a glorious past," Xi made the remarks when meeting the press at the Great Hall of the People.
The revolutionary travails and tempering of the past century, and especially of the first decade of the new era, have made the CPC stronger and more dynamic, Xi said.
Xi urged the CPC members to remain on high alert and stay sober-minded and prudent in the face of new challenges and tests on the journey ahead.
Zhang Shuhua, director of the Institute of Political Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday that "Facing an increasingly complex international environment, especially when Western political systems are deteriorating and many Western countries have no longer been able to elect leaders with professional performance, the CPC underscores a strong leadership, showing its capability to organize, unite and execute."
Political authority, consistency and certainty of the leadership are important for a major power to prevent the risk and handle the crisis in a turbulent world, and the CPC provides crucial advantages for China to overcome challenges in the future and to win the tough competition and confrontation launched by a few countries, experts said.
"We must make sure that our century-old Party, the biggest in the world, will become ever more vigorous through self-reform and continue to be the strong backbone that the Chinese people can lean on at all times," Xi said. He stressed that the Party should always act for the people and rely on the people on the journey ahead.
The week-long 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concludes on October 22, 2022, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: Li Hao/GT
It is hoped that the US can fully and accurately receive the signals the 20th CPC National Congress has sent out, correct its strategic perception of China, meet China halfway, and push China-US relations
On Sunday noon, members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee appeared before the press at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. This event marks that a series of important political agendas surrounding the 20th CPC National Congress came to a successful conclusion. Like a huge ship, China will move forward under the leadership of the new CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. The course the Party has charted has a global significance: It not only reflects the maturity and stability of the CPC as a major party, but also injects certainty into a world beset by changes and turmoil.
The just-concluded 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) elaborated on Chinese modernization, which offers a path for other countries to seek inspiration, senior Party officials at a Monday press conference reiterated that China will not export its model to other countries, nor will it import models from other countries; every country should explore its own way to modernization that suits its own situation, in response to questions and concerns from the West about whether "China might export its ideology or development model."
Existing loopholes in US electoral or democratic system require political and legal reforms, but there seems to be little momentum to
achieving so. The prospect of US-style democracy is dim.
After reading a report delivered by Xi Jinping to the #20thCPCNationalCongress, Rick O'Shea said he has some photos to share.
Check to find out the stories behind those who witnessed the significant development in the new era of China
A toast: Xi and Li raising glasses during a reception at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. — Reuters
AS the Communist Party of China prepares for its 20th National Congress in October, where President Xi Jinping is expected to secure a controversial third term as top leader, Asian Insider looks at his record over the last 10 years and what the future holds for him, the party and the country.
Last weekend, Twitter was abuzz with “news” that there had been a military coup in Beijing and President Xi Jinping was under house arrest.
The grist to the rumour mill: Hundreds of flights had been cancelled across the country, Xi had not been seen in public for a week, and a video showing a military convoy making its way into the capital city was being widely circulated.
Unsubstantiated claims and conspiracy theories about Chinese leaders’ fall and demise come and go with enough regularity to make the most seasoned China watchers roll their eyes every time one of them pops up on social media.
The 101-year-old Communist Party of China swept to power 73 years ago on Saturday, but it is still one of the world’s most opaque political parties.
As it gears up for its twice-a-decade congress in two weeks, where nearly 2,300 delegates will elect a new Central Committee made up of 370 or so leaders, it is keeping political pundits guessing over who might rise in the ranks to lead the country of 1.4 billion people.
The Politburo Standing Committee – the pinnacle of power with seven men – and the wider Politburo of 18 other leaders will be of particular interest to most.
But compounding the difficulty in making any predictions is President Xi Jinping’s track record of breaking norms – whether written or unwritten – and the cloak of secrecy that has only thickened under his rule.
Only two things appear to be certain for now: President Xi will secure a rare third five-year term as party and military chief during the week-long gathering. And there will be no apparent successor.
But who else might stand alongside Xi when the new team takes the stage a day after the conclave? Here are three possible scenarios:
Most conservativeTwo of the seven standing committee members will step down, in keeping with an unwritten retirement rule that requires Li Zhanshu, 72, and Han Zheng, 68, to relinquish their third-ranked and seventh-ranked seats.
The “seven up, eight down” rule sets at 67 the age limit for old and new members of the standing committee and the Politburo at the start of a new term. Politicians aged 68 or older are disqualified.
But the rule does not apply to Xi, 69, who is looking to seek a third term in office.
Conventional wisdom has it that Premier Li Keqiang, 67, will retain his second-ranked seat in the standing committee because he has not reached the retirement age. But he is constitutionally required to step down as premier in 2023 after two five-year terms and could take over Li Zhanshu’s role as head of Parliament.
Wang Yang, 67, who is chairman of Parliament’s top advisory body, is the frontrunner to succeed Li Keqiang as premier in 2023. As far as seniority goes, Wang should be next in line for the prime minister’s job.
Tradition also dictates that only those who have been vice-premiers and are capable of managing the economy can be appointed premier. Wang was vice-premier between 2013 and 2018, overseeing commerce, among other things.
Current standing committee members who have yet to reach retirement age could stay on. Zhao Leji, 65, currently ranked sixth, could take Wang’s fourth-ranked seat and become chairman of the advisory body in 2023.
Wang Huning, 67 in October, is expected to retain his fifth-ranked seat as the party’s top ideologist.
Party insiders have singled out Hu Chunhua, 59, and Ding Xuexiang, 60, as the two likely new faces in the standing committee.
Hu, currently the third-ranked vice-premier and who was thought to have been groomed for the top job during the leadership reshuffle at the last congress, is tipped to become executive vice-premier.
Ding, director of the party’s General Office, is the frontrunner among the President’s men to be promoted to the standing committee. He is Xi’s most trusted aide among the younger leaders.
Other aspirants are Propaganda Minister Huang Kunming, 64; Beijing party secretary Cai Qi, 66; Chongqing party boss Chen Min’er, 62; and Shanghai party secretary Li Qiang, 63.
But this scenario could well be too unimaginative for Xi, who has a penchant for departing from tradition and surprising pundits.
The surprise
In the second scenario, Premier Li will retire from the standing committee this year and as premier next year, according to several party insiders and observers.
Three other standing committee members will also step down: Li Zhanshu and Han – in accordance with the retirement rule – and Wang Huning, who was said to have indicated privately that he would like to retire earlier.
Only three of the seven standing committee members will retain their seats: President Xi, Wang Yang and Zhao.
The four other standing committee members will be newcomers and mostly the President’s men.
Regardless of whether Premier Li stays on or not, the number of standing committee members could be expanded to nine to accommodate more of the President’s allies and possibly a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) general for the first time since 1992 – a hint that China might be preparing itself for military conflict.
If so, the person who fits the bill is PLA Ground Force General Zhang Youxia, 72, one of two incumbent Central Military Commission vice-chairmen, and who has combat experience from the 1979 border conflict between China and Vietnam.Most boldIn this scenario, President Xi will be the only standing committee member to hold on to his seat – a clear sign of his iron grip on power.
This could be done if the unwritten retirement age rule is revised down instead of up.
“It will be ‘winner takes all’,” said Ho Pin, who runs Mirror Media Group, a Chinese-language publishing company in New York.
“There will still be norms, but no more factions,” said Ho, who correctly predicted the standing committee line-ups of the 16th to 19th party congresses from 2002 to 2017.
Factional balance of power has always been a major factor in the composition of the standing committee to keep the unity and stability of the party.
The current standing committee strikes a balance between Xi and his allies (Li Zhanshu and Zhao), former president Jiang Zemin’s “Shanghai Gang” (Han Zheng) and former leader Hu Jintao’s Communist Youth League faction (Li Keqiang and Wang Yang).
Even so, these factional lines are also not so clear-cut. Zhao, for instance, is also known as Jiang’s man, while Wang is also not as entrenched within the elite circles of the youth league.
Wang Huning is the exception as he was trusted by and has worked with all three leaders.
If Xi’s hold on power is as unwavering as it looks to be, this scenario could well pan out, and he will have free rein to fill the standing committee with younger allies, such as those born in the 1960s. — The Straits Times/ANN
CNY in space: Three taikonauts will enter the Lunar New Year in China’s space station, which will continue orbital construction in the year. —
AP
In 2012, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, visited the exhibition "The Road of Rejuvenation." He described it as a retrospective on the Chinese nation, a celebration of its present and a declaration on its future. #XiJinping
The things taking place in China these days would have been unimaginable a century ago.
In 2022, Beijing, where invading imperialists wreaked havoc more than 100 years ago, will host the Olympic Games for a second time, a chance for the world to stand stronger and together in solidarity.
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In space, three Chinese taikonauts will enter the Lunar New Year in China’s space station, which will continue orbital construction in the year.
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China’s journey to national rejuvenation is one of Chinese Communists leading 1.4 billion Chinese people in an unyielding struggle against all obstacles and challenges.
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The Communist Party of China (CPC) in July last year celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding, and this year it will convene its 20th national congress.
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It is necessary to maintain a stable and healthy economic environment, a secure and safe social environment, and a clean and righteous political environment.
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Last year marks the critical juncture where the time-frame of China’s two centenary goals converge – to complete building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the time the CPC celebrates its centenary, and to start building a great modern socialist country in all respects by the time the People’s Republic of China celebrates its centenary in 2049.
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On the new journey, Xi Jinping, general-secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, is undoubtedly the core figure in charting the course of history.
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“We must always keep a long-term perspective, remain mindful of potential risks, maintain strategic focus and determination, and ‘attend to the broad and great while addressing the delicate and minute’,” Xi said in his 2022 New Year address on Friday.
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Xi paid tributes to the Chinese people who have been hard at work and looked back at the extraordinary journey travelled by the CPC.
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“I sincerely hope all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation will join forces to create a brighter future for our nation,” he said.
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China is walking on a model of modernisation characterised by innovative, coordinated, green and open development path that is for everyone. It is a model leading socialist China out of a development trap reliant on extensive and inefficient growth at the cost of ecological damage, shifting the country to high-quality development, and avoiding situations where the rich become richer and the poor poorer.
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China’s economy is estimated by some international organisations to have grown 8% last year to reach 110 trillion yuan (RM72 trillion).
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How to “divide the pie” is a world challenge and also one that China is committed to tackling.
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Nationwide, measures have been taken to prevent runaway expansion of capital, maintain order in the market, galvanise market entities of all types, especially micro, small, and medium enterprises, and protect the rights and interests of workers and consumers.
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China’s “common prosperity” initiative “is meant to end monopolies, increase innovation and competition, and give fairer opportunities, so now is the best time to invest in China’s hinterland”, said Shaun Rein, founder and managing director of the China Market Research Group, a strategic market intelligence firm.
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Zhejiang province, an economic powerhouse in east China, has drawn up detailed plans to achieve common prosperity, including labour remuneration will account for more than 50% of its GDP by 2025, and the ratio of residents per capita disposable income to per capita GDP will continue to increase during the period.
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Modernisation also reaches less developed regions such as the southwestern province of Guizhou, which has become the front-runner of China’s big data industry since being approved to build the country’s first national big data comprehensive pilot zone in 2016.
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Tech giants including Apple and Microsoft have established their cloud computing and big data centres and their regional headquarters in the province.
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Leveraging its accommodating climate, clean air and geography, Guizhou is now one of the regions with the highest number of mega-data centres in the world.
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The rejuvenation spans more than just material goods such as high-speed trains or an emerging fleet of new energy cars. By 2035, China is set to basically achieve socialist modernisation.
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China is also aiming to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. A top-level design document has been released towards the ambitious goal.
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The Party has established Xi’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and defined the guiding role of Xi’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
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This reflects the common will of the Party, the armed forces and Chinese people of all ethnic groups, and is of decisive significance for advancing the cause of the Party and the country in the new era.
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Today, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process, but it will not be easy, as Xi said on Friday: It will not happen overnight.
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China’s economic development is facing pressure from demand contraction, supply shocks and weakening expectations, and the external environment is becoming increasingly complicated and uncertain.
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China also faces an ageing population.
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In deepening reform and opening up, certain deep-seated institutional problems and impediments from vested interests became increasingly evident.
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China’s reform thus entered a critical phase fraught with tough challenges.
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Some elements in the world still deem themselves superior and always want to impose their own will on others: They throw out arbitrary rules and use human rights and other high-sounding excuses to smear China and many other developing countries.
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State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China must not compromise or back down.
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“Instead, we must face them head-on, and pull together with most countries to defend fairness and justice,” Wang said on Thursday.
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In its continued engagement with the world, China upholds and practises true multilateralism, urging countries to resolutely uphold the authority and standing of the United Nations, jointly oppose division and confrontation, stand together against zero-sum games and make constant efforts for greater democracy in international relations.
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As Xi said on Friday, “Only through unity, solidarity and cooperation can countries around the world write a new chapter in building a community with a shared future for mankind.” — Xinhua
China holds a commemorative meeting to mark the 110th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attends the meeting and delivers an important speech. #1911Revolution
Will China Mainland Unite With Taiwan Before 2025?
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Xi: The best way we commemorate Sun Yat-sen is to carry forward his lofty spirit
Xi stresses peaceful reunification, calls Taiwan secessionists 'serious threat' to national rejuvenation
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at a commemorative meeting marking the 110th anniversary of the Revolution of 1911 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct 9, 2021.Photo:Xinhua
At a gathering marking the 110th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Saturday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the Taiwan question will be resolved along with national rejuvenation and warned that secessionists are a serious threat to that mission, and that those who betray the country will face the trial of history.
Analysts from both the Chinese mainland and Taiwan told the Global Times that Xi's remarks sent a clear and strong signal to the secessionist group within the island and foreign forces who are supporting or encouraging Taiwan secessionism - the national reunification of China will and must be realized and no one can stop the process, the Chinese mainland has both strength and unshakeable determination to realize this common hope for the whole Chinese nation.
The Communist Party of China (CPC), who inherited the 1911 Revolution leader Sun Yat-sen's idea and unfulfilled mission in national rejuvenation and reunification, wants to address Taiwan question by peaceful means, but whether the question to be solved peacefully or not, the secessionists who betray and try to separate the country, will eventually be punished, commentators noted.
Highlights of Xi's speech at a meeting marking the 110th anniversary of 1911 Revolution Graphic: Xu Zihe/GT
The Revolution of 1911, which was initiated by revolutionists represented by Sun Yat-sen, ended the 2,000 years of imperial rule in China and paved the way for profound social changes and ideological emancipation. Sun is hailed as a great national hero, patriot and a great pioneer of China's democratic revolution, according to Xi's speech.
The aspiration of national revitalization that was deeply held by Sun, longing for a bright future for the Chinese nation that was cherished by the pioneers of the Revolution, and the great dream that the Chinese people have aspired and striven toward in modern times have all become or are becoming a reality, Xi said.
He noted that the 1911 Revolution commemoration will inspire national rejuvenation endeavor.
Highlights of Xi's speech at a meeting marking the 110th anniversary of 1911 Revolution Graphic: Xu Zihe/GT
Chinese communists were the most steadfast supporters, loyal partners and faithful successors of Sun, Xi said, noting that the complete reunification will be realized along with the country's national rejuvenation.
Huang Chih-hsien, an attendee from Taiwan who witnessed Xi's speech at the Great Hall of the People and an expert on Taiwan affairs, told the Global Times on Saturday that "it was truly touching when I saw the mainland is sincerely commemorating Sun and the 1911 Revolution, while the Taiwan authorities are trying to forget or stay away from Sun and his political ideals, some of them even trying to cut off ties with the Chinese mainland and Chinese nation."
Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan attend a commemorative meeting marking the 110th anniversary of the Revolution of 1911 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct 9, 2021.Photo:Xinhua
Sun is the founding father of the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Republic of China (1912-1949), and after Sun's death, his successor Chiang Kai-shek betrayed the revolution and Sun's policy to work with the CPC, and launched massacres and a civil war against the Communist Party of China (CPC). Eventually the KMT was defeated by the CPC and escaped to Taiwan in 1949.
Highlights of Xi's speech at a meeting marking the 110th anniversary of 1911 Revolution Graphic: Xu Zihe/GT
Warning to secessionists
National reunification by peaceful means best serves the interests of the Chinese nation as a whole, including compatriots in Taiwan, Xi remarked at the gathering.
"Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits should stand on the right side of history and join hands to achieve China's complete reunification and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," Xi said.
Highlights of Xi's speech at a meeting marking the 110th anniversary of 1911 Revolution Graphic: Xu Zihe/GT
It has become a common practice for the Chinese mainland to solemnly commemorate the Revolution of 1911 at its decadal anniversaries such as the 100th and the 110th anniversaries, but this time, Xi delivered very strong and sharp remarks with a clear message to "Taiwan independence" secessionists, Yok Mu-ming, former president of the pro-reunification New Party of Taiwan, told the Global Times on Saturday.
"If those secessionists don't stop, the mainland will take relevant measures," Yok said. Yok even predicted that the Taiwan question "will be resolved within two years."
He also mentioned on his personal social media accounts earlier that the deadline for solving the Taiwan question will be 2024. "Hopefully, we'll embrace the reunification and the national rejuvenation together."
A commemorative meeting marking the 110th anniversary of the Revolution of 1911 is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct 9, 2021.
A Beijing-based expert on Taiwan affairs who asked for anonymity said the CPC and the Chinese mainland have repeatedly shown great patience and sincerity in solving the Taiwan question peacefully, and that Xi's latest remark is also signaling to compatriots in Taiwan, as well as the international community, that the mainland's sincerity and policy remains unchanged so far.
But unfortunately, the current situation is like an old saying in China, "the trees prefer stillness but the wind will not cease," he said.
"There are some forces, especially the separatist ruling Democratic Progressive Party on the island and the US that are encouraging the DPP to seek secession, are trying to challenge the mainland's sincerity and patience by increasing the degree of provocation, including strengthening military cooperation and diplomatic interactions," said Li Fei, a professor with the Taiwan Research Institute at Xiamen University.
"All of these dangerous acts have challenged the bottom-line of the mainland and seriously offended the Chinese people, the US and the Taiwan secessionists are trying to hijack the people on the island to seek their own interests under the risk of war," Li said.
Highlights of Xi's speech at a meeting marking the 110th anniversary of 1911 Revolution Graphic: Xu Zihe/GT
Xi sent severe warning to the secessionists at his speech that, "Taiwan independence" secessionism is the biggest obstacle for the national reunification, and also a serious threat to national rejuvenation. "Anyone who intends to betray and separate the country will be distained by the people and judged by the history," he said, receiving rapturous applause from the audience.
Three long rounds of applause sounded through the Great Hall of the People when Xi mentioned Taiwan question and sent warning to the secessionists.
The anonymous expert in Beijing said this is a strong signal and warning to agitators on the island and leaders of the DPP and other secessionists - whether the Taiwan question to be resolved by peaceful mean or non-peaceful mean, secessionists will be judged and punished eventually.
"Maybe there is no need to wait that long, some of them might get punished during the process of the national reunification. We, the mainland, have enough strength and determination to make them pay for their crime of secessionism," he said.
Huang who hails from Taiwan said the political parties on the island today should also be loyal to Sun's idea, but unfortunately, they have failed to inherit the mission, and some of them even try to forget Sun, to betray his dream of national rejuvenation and reunification and to serve US hegemony to contain mainland and seek secessionism.
The DPP and the authorities under its control even "try to stop and threaten the people from Taiwan from attending the gathering for commemorating the 1911 Revolution," Huang said, stressing that "this is truly laughable," urging people in Taiwan to "wake up" and see "who is walking on the path started by Sun and who has betrayed Sun's ideals."
Vessels in the Taiwan Straits, July 20, 2017. Photo:CGTN
Destined to be reunified
The ceremony was held amid rising tensions across the Taiwan Straits after US media reported that there were two dozen US troops secretly deployed on the island of Taiwan, helping to train local troops while the secessionist DPP has been colluding with external forces in escalating the confrontation by engaging in salami-slicing tactics.
Highlights of Xi's speech at a meeting marking the 110th anniversary of 1911 Revolution Graphic: Xu Zihe/GT
Xi emphasized that the Taiwan question is a Chinese internal matter, which can't be interfered by any external forces. Nobody should underestimate Chinese people's determination, will and capability in safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Taiwan question arose out of the weakness and chaos of the Chinese nation and will be resolved as national rejuvenation becomes a reality, Xi said, noting that the historical mission of achieving complete reunification will be realized and must be realized.
Li said with the increasing of China's national strength, the difficulties in realizing national reunification or resolving Taiwan question will be reduced day by day, whether for peaceful solution or the non-peaceful ones.
"Although the US is still being vague on its policy on the matter and trying to use Taiwan question as a card to contain China, one day, when the mainland decides to solve the question once and for all, Washington will abandon the Taiwan secessionists and run away, just like abandoning the former Afghan government and Hong Kong rioters and separatists," said the anonymous Beijing-based expert.
Root cause of tensions
Mainland's high-profile commemoration of the 110th anniversary of 1911 Revolution sparked slanderous comments from DPP authorities, which called the commemoration "distortion of history."
In response to such comments, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson of Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said on Saturday that the DPP's provocation in seeking secession is the root cause of current tensions across the Taiwan Straits, and biggest threat to regional peace and stability.
"Taiwan independence" secessionism is a dead end, and has nothing to do with so-called "democracy and freedom."
"DPP authorities insist on their secessionist stance and gang up with foreign forces to betray the interests of the Chinese nation. These behaviors are completely against the spirit, moral integrity and unfulfilled wishes of Sun Yat-sen. What qualification do they think they have to make comment on Sun and 1911 Revolution?" Ma said.
Secessionist DPP cannot abduct will of 23 million Taiwan compatriots
Tsai Ing-wen Photo:VCG
One day after Chinese President Xi Jinping warned Taiwan secessionists and stressed that the Taiwan question will be resolved along with national rejuvenation in his speech on Saturday marking the 110th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution, Taiwan regional leader Tsai Ing-wen continued to deceive the international community and Taiwanese people by hiding the truth that secessionist authorities on the island are the root cause of cross-Straits tensions.
Held under the theme "Forming a democratic alliance and collecting friends from all over the world," this year's Double Ten Day, a public holiday in the island of Taiwan originally meant to commemorate the Chinese Revolution of October 10, 1911, has been seen by observers across the Straits as yet another farce staged by the ruling secessionist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its leader Tsai that serves to promote their desinization agenda and daydream of a "two-state theory."
In an obvious betrayal of 1911 Revolution leader Sun Yat-sen's idea and unfulfilled mission of Chinese national rejuvenation and reunification, the DPP leaders including Tsai herself and Taiwan's "Legislative Yuan" leader Yu Shyi-kun did not mention Sun's name or spirit even once on Thursday morning, and Tsai referred to the region with the awkward term "Republic of China Taiwan."
Sun is the founding father of the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Republic of China (1912-1949), and after Sun's death, his successor Chiang Kai-shek betrayed the revolution and Sun's policy of working with the Communist Party of China (CPC), and launched massacres and a civil war against the CPC. Eventually, the KMT was defeated by the CPC and fled to the island of Taiwan in 1949.
On Saturday, at a high-profile gathering marking the 110th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Chinese President Xi said the Taiwan question will be resolved along with national rejuvenation and warned that secessionists are a serious threat to that mission, and that those who betray the country will face the trial of history.
Xi emphasized that the Taiwan question is a Chinese internal matter that no external forces can interfere with. Nobody should underestimate the Chinese people's determination, will and capability in safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said.
In Sunday's speech, Tsai didn't state the fact that this year's Double Ten Day mark the 110th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution during her speech on Sunday morning, but only stressed how the "country" had advanced from poverty to prosperity in the past "72 years" (since the Republic of China regime fled to the island of Taiwan in 1949), and it was the faith in "ensuring the sovereignty and guarding the homeland" that was the key to supporting the island of Taiwan's survival and fostering of democracy.
Chang Ya-chung, the president of the Sun Yat-sen School in Taiwan and a member of the KMT, Taiwan's major opposition party, viewed Sunday's farce by Tsai and the DPP as an extension of their long time agenda of cutting off the history of Taiwan from the Republic of China's, in denial of the "one-China principle," in order to promote the idea of "two nations."
Tsai also stated Sunday that it is imperative to conduct so-called equal conversation to resolve cross-Straits differences, which is an apparent change of her wording from last year when she called for the Chinese mainland to have "peaceful dialogue" with the island in 2020.
Observers said such changes indicate nothing more than another step further into Tsai and the DPP's secessionist path, which is a dead end. As Tsai refused to acknowledge the 1992 Consensus, jeopardizing the political ground on which the two sides can conduct any talks, the Chinese mainland authority would never accept such proposal of "equal conversation", Chang told the Global Times on Sunday.
Tsai said she hoped for eased ties between the two sides across the Straits, and claimed the island would not make any rash advance, while emphasizing that it would not surrender to pressure either.
She vowed to continue to hone the island's defense capability, display self-defense determination, and make sure no one can force them onto a path laid out by the Chinese mainland.
The DPP leader also outlined plans to make an amendment to the "constitution" that would serve to protect so-called freedom and democracy on the island.
What Tsai and the DPP are trying to achieve here is to destroy the essence of the "constitution", Chang said, noting that Tsai would only follow the steps of previous secessionist leaders such as Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian to accumulate small changes toward an eventual qualitative change.
Although Tsai has not disclosed details of these "constitutional reforms" on the island, the act itself would open a Pandora's box and lead to steps toward making Taiwan secessionism legitimate, allowing the ruling party to make adjustments at will, Zhang Wensheng, a deputy dean of the Taiwan Research Institute at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Sunday. "She is rashly advancing secessionism despite claiming a willingness to maintain the status quo with unwavering kindness."
Zhang criticized Tsai's Sunday speech as being filled with resentment against the Chinese mainland and for suggesting the latter was an enemy state, which fully shows the DPP leader's secessionist nature and its agenda of promoting the "two-state theory."
Picturing Taiwan as the front of the Western democratic and free world against the expansion of authoritarian in order to win the support and sympathy of the international community is a complete provocation, Zhang said.
If the DPP authority continues such provocative acts, the mainland will have no choice but take it to the battlefield, he warned.
China's internal affair
Tsai's speech advocates "Taiwan secessionism" and incite confrontation between the two sides of Taiwan Straits, distorting facts and holding the Taiwan public hostage in the name of "consensus and solidarity", while colluding with foreign forces to provoke the mainland and seek secessionism, Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said in a statement on Sunday night.
"Our crackdown against Taiwan secessionists is targeting the DPP and secessionist forces, rather than Taiwan compatriots. The DPP cannot fool the Taiwan public or the international community by creating bad blood and obscuring the facts," the spokesperson said.
Ma slammed the DPP authority, saying that ever since taking power, it has shown no political ability other than creating conflicts between people and dividing Taiwan society. Trying to package secessionist populism as so-called democracy and freedom, and claiming Taiwan is becoming better and better, the DPP has greatly underestimated the intelligence of the Taiwan public.
The future of Taiwan should be decided by all Chinese people including the 23 million Taiwan compatriots. The DPP cannot abduct the will of 23 million Taiwan people, let alone stop the major trend of historical development, Ma concluded.
The self-deceiving Tsai and other DPP leaders repeatedly hailed the so-called support from the "great democratic allies" and lauded the "helping hands" from countries including the US, Japan, Australia, Czech and Lithuania.
Tsai's failure to handle cross-Straits relations properly is the root cause of the current tense situation and labeling the island as the frontline of the so-called democratic world is self-deceiving and a desperate attempt to fool the 23 million compatriots living on the island so she can extend her political life and benefit the DPP, Chang noted.
How many of the 23 million people living on the island would blindly follow Tsai to fight a war with the Chinese mainland, on what grounds, and how many of its so-called allies could Taiwan really rely on if a cross-Straits war breaks out, said Yang Lixian, a research fellow at the Beijing-based Research Center of cross-Straits Relations.
Two Su-35 fighter jets and a H-6K bomber fly in formation on May 11, 2018. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force conducted patrol training over China's island of Taiwan.Photo:China Military
Strength matters
As part of the Sunday event, the armed forces on the island of Taiwan showcased some of its weapons in a parade, including Apache helicopters, F-16V fighter jets and Hsiung Feng III missiles.
Also on Sunday, aircraft of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) approached the island of Taiwan again, media outlets on the island reported, citing open radio broadcasts and flight path records.
Three PLA aircraft - two J-16 fighter jets and a Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft - entered Taiwan's self-proclaimed southwest air defense identification zone on Sunday, the island's defense authorities said later in the day.
The defense authorities on the island have reported 150 PLA aircraft flying into the island's self-proclaimed air defense identification zone between October 1 and Thursday, the National Day holiday in the Chinese mainland, breaking the record in terms of scale three times in the process.
Also on Sunday, the mainland's China Central Television published a report introducing a recent PLA amphibious landing exercise. The drill, organized by the PLA 73rd Group Army in a sea area south of East China's Fujian Province, which is close to the Taiwan Straits, featured troops conducting beach assaults with charge boats, drones and laser engagement systems, with the aim of comprehensively honing the forces' skills in carrying out such tasks.
The PLA activities again demonstrated the overwhelming advantages the PLA has over the armed forces on the island of Taiwan, which is now also being acknowledged by many on the island, a Chinese mainland military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday.
The island's display of its warplanes, armored vehicles and missiles in the Sunday event, on the other hand, exposed the fact that its best weapons are no match for the Chinese mainland's, when people compare them to what the PLA has displayed in events such as the Airshow China 2021 and the National Day military parade in 2019, the expert said.
Resisting reunification by force will only bring doom more quickly to Taiwan secessionists, the expert said.
The Democratic Progressive
Party (DPP), the ruling party on the island of Taiwan, has been bribing
some Somaliland politicians and families for a long time in exchange for
support to
The week-long 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concludes on October 22, 2022, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: Li Hao/GT
The week-long 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concludes on October 22, 2022, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: Li Hao/GT
Highlights of Xi's speech at a meeting marking the 110th anniversary of 1911 Revolution Graphic: Xu Zihe/GT
Highlights of Xi's speech at a meeting marking the 110th anniversary of 1911 Revolution Graphic: Xu Zihe/GT
Vessels in the Taiwan Straits, July 20, 2017. Photo:CGTN
Highlights of Xi's speech at a meeting marking the 110th anniversary of 1911 Revolution Graphic: Xu Zihe/GT
