On October 31, 2022, the Chinese Embassy in the UK held a symposium on the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Ambassador Zheng Zeguang delivered a keynote speech entitled New Journey and New Opportunities: China and the World to the symposium. More than 30 guests, including representatives of British political parties, experts and scholars, attended the event.

Ambassador Zheng briefed the meeting on the significance and major achievements of the 20th CPC National Congress on five aspects. He pointed out that the Congress has been held at a critical time as the entire Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups embark on a new journey to build China into a modern socialist country in all respects and to advance towards the Second Centenary Goal. It has been a Congress that holds high the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, garners strength and unites the Party and the people. The most important achievement of the Congress is the election of a new central leadership with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. The report delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping to the Congress is a crystallization of the wisdom of the Party and the people, a political declaration and a programme of action for the Party to bring together the Chinese people of all ethnic groups and lead them to achieve new success of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, and it is a Marxist document of founding importance.

Ambassador Zheng said that the National Congress has summarized in a comprehensive way the work in the past five years and the great changes in China in the first decade of the new era, and reviewed three major events of great immediate importance and profound historical significance for the cause of the Party and the people. It has also summarised the 16 aspects of the historic achievements and transformation of the cause of the Party and the country in the new era, noting that the great transformation over the past 10 years of the new era marks a milestone in the history of the Party, of the People’s Republic of China, of reform and opening up, of the development of socialism, and of the development of the Chinese nation. The Communist Party of China has tempered itself through revolution and grown stronger. The Chinese people are filled with a stronger sense of history and initiative. The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is now on an irreversible historical course. And scientific socialism is brimming with renewed vitality in China in the 21st century.

Ambassador Zheng noted that the Congress has pointed out the key to China’s great achievements in the new era, stressing that, at the fundamental level, we owe the success of our Party and socialism with Chinese characteristics to the fact that Marxism works, particularly when it is adapted to the Chinese context and the needs of our times. The report to the Congress has further elaborated on the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, which has opened a new frontier in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times.

Ambassador Zheng emphasised that China owes its great transformation in the new era to the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The Party has established Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This is the most important political achievement the Party has made since its 18th National Congress. It reflects the common will of the entire Party, the armed forces and the whole Chinese people. It is the fundamental reason why we have achieved the great transformation in the past decade. It also provides the fundamental guarantee that ensures continuous success in advancing our cause in the future.

Ambassador Zheng shared with the audience the objectives and strategic plans for the future development of the Party and the Country set out at the Congress, and the Chinese path to modernisation and its defining feature. He noted that of the 193 UN member states, only more than 30 are developed ones. Thus, the modernisation of developing countries is a hugely important question of our times. China’s experience and practice shows that every country must choose a modernisation path based on its own national realities. In pursuing modernisation, the old path of war, colonization and plunder taken by certain countries must be rejected, and problems such as polarisation, cultural impoverishment, and ecological degradation must be prevented.

The Chinese path has enriched the modernisation theory of the world and provided a new choice for modernisation of humanity. We are fully confident in and hugely proud of the Chinese path to modernisation. China has a population of over 1.4 billion, a number larger than that of developed countries combined. In this sense, Chinese modernisation in itself is a huge contribution to human progress. It will also have far-reaching and positive influence on world peace and development.  

Ambassador Zheng expounded on China’s foreign policy on the new journey, stressing that the Communist Party of China is dedicated to pursuing happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. It is also dedicated to human progress and world harmony. China has always been committed to its foreign policy goals of upholding world peace and promoting common development, and it is dedicated to promoting a human community with a shared future. China will continue to pool strength for world peace, cement the foundation for international stability and inject strong impetus into global development. China will respond to external uncertainties with its own certainty and inject positive energy into world development. China will bring new opportunities for the world with its own development and make even greater contributions to human development and progress.

Ambassador Zheng underscored that building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects will create new opportunities and open up new areas for China-Europe and China-UK cooperation. In a world of turbulence and changes, China and Europe, as two major forces in the world, should uphold dialogue and cooperation and oppose division and confrontation, champion mutual benefit and reject decoupling and disruption of industrial and supply chains, and uphold multilateralism and resist unilateralism and bullying. We have high expectations for the upcoming high-level exchanges between the two sides, and believe that China-Europe cooperation will inject the much-needed stability into a world of turbulence. 

Ambassador Zheng said that since the establishment of their diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level 50 years ago, China and the UK have carried out close exchanges and cooperation across the board. “In my engagements with people from various sectors in the UK, I can see that there is a common understanding shared widely here, that is, China represents the future and opportunities. The China-UK relationship is standing at a critical juncture. The UK now has a new government. It is my hope that the two countries will work in the same direction, keep up dialogue and cooperation, follow the principle of mutual respect, openness, and inclusiveness, focus on cooperation, and address differences properly. This is the way for China-UK relations to move forward on the right track,” Ambassador Zheng said. 

Participants from the British side expressed admiration for the great achievements of the Chinese Communist Party, saying that China has become a beacon of hope for people around the world who want to shake off foreign interference and achieve economic independence, and that China has been a pillar for world peace. They extended congratulations on the success of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and wished China even greater success in advancing socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Guests at the event agreed that, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, China has made great achievements over the past decade, especially in areas such as anti-corruption, green development, the rule of law, and science and technology. The CPC has made fruitful innovations both in theories and practices. Socialism with Chinese characteristics, the new development philosophy, and Chinese modernization all deserve great attention. China’s practice has proved that countries around the world can achieve development in different ways, and that the Chinese path indeed provides a new option for developing countries to achieve their own development. As economic globalization is beset by recession and fragmentation, China has provided a rare source of stability for a turbulent world. The British side needs to study in depth the report to the Congress and gain a deeper understanding of the CPC and China in the new era. The two countries should draw wisdom from history, adhere to dialogue and cooperation, and manage their differences properly, so as to bring more benefits to their people and the people of the world.