Foreign Experts’ Views on Xi’s Report to 19th CPC National Congress

General Secretary Xi Jinping’s report at the opening of the 19th National Congress of Communist Party of China (CPC) has attracted the great attention and created extensive expectations from all around the world.

In response to its rousing and thought-provoking content, foreign experts have studied the report and shared their views.

What are their perspectives on Xi’s report?

Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation

“Xi Jinping set out an audacious, grand vision for China’s future development, which, without doubt, is the highlight of the political report,” said Kuhn, a leading US expert on China studies.

What impressed Kuhn was the report’s “comprehensive scope” and that it “established the policies not only for the next five years, but framed the agenda and set the strategies for the next 30 years.”

• Strict Governance of the Party

From the report, he also saw the “strict governance of the Party by reforming and purifying itself,” which he said is “unambiguous.”

“The anti-corruption campaign not only continues but is enhanced,” he added.

• Economic Development

On the economic front, Kuhn saw the increasing role of innovation, especially in science and technology.

• Military

Regarding military, he described the content concerning military reform and modernization as “open and specific.”

• Sovereignty

From the report, he also saw China’s sovereignty as “sacrosanct” and its international engagement as “pro-active, confident and growing.”

Rabi Sankar Bosu, secretary of New Horizon Radio Listeners’ Club, West Bengal, India

 Xi’s report will surely exert profound influence on China’s growth, as well as world peace and development.

It shows the world that the Chinese people, and their leaders, have the genius to create a new growth model, taking the socialist road with Chinese characteristics and ensuring development is based on improved quality of economic development and social governance.

• National rejuvenation just “wishful thinking” without CPC leadership

 The past five years have seen a fast-rising China making remarkable strides.

Xi rightly attributed these historic successes to correct guidance provided by the Party’s basic theory, line, program and experience, adding that, without CPC leadership, national rejuvenation would be little more than “wishful thinking.”

• Anti-corruption

The report firmly grasped the nettle of corruption. In warning those corrupt elements within, the CPC chief was more strident in his criticisms than in the past.

Calling corruption “the greatest threat” the Party faces, he said the fight against it remained grave and complex. However, he foresaw a “sweeping victory” in the anti-corruption campaign that has gained “crushing momentum” in the past five years.

• Economic Growth

He also highlighted China’s own economic growth record, saying it was built on the back of national industriousness under the CPC leadership.

National GDP rose from 54 trillion yuan to 80 trillion yuan (about US$12.1 trillion) over the past five years, indisputably creating great confidence in China’s leadership role to global growth.

Martin Jacques, British writer, broadcaster and speaker

China’s achievements are formidable both at home and on the world stage since the 18th CPC National Congress. It has been a very successful five years.

• CPC’s Governing Capability

It is quite clear that the governing capacity of the CPC and the government is extremely effective, the most effective in the world. Think of China in 1978 and think of it today. This is the most remarkable transformation in human history. And it could not conceivably have happened without the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.

• Challenges the New Party Leadership Will Face

There are many challenges the new Party leadership will face in the next five years: continuing economic reform, especially structural reform; carrying through the Belt and Road Initiative; making the anti-corruption campaign not just a campaign but an ongoing process; and developing China’s global role.

The new problem is how to deal with a U.S. president who is pursuing a strong nationalistic and go-it-alone strategy and thereby seeking to turn the clock back. This will be a major test for the new leadership.

John Ross：Senior Fellow, Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China

The Communist Party of China has kept its promise to the Chinese people, and will continue to do so. This reality is why the speech had such impact.

Xi Jinping’s speech opening the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) demonstrated in detail that the CPC has kept its historical promise to the Chinese people and outlined how it will continue to do so.

In 1949 Mao Zedong uttered the famous words ‘China has stood up’. As Xi Jinping said in his speech ‘The Chinese nation now stands tall and firm in the east’ – that is, the CPC has kept to the full that promise it made in 1949.

China has been transformed to an ‘upper middle income’ economy by international classification and by 2021/2022 it will be a ‘high income’ economy by World Bank classification.

Rana Mitter, director of the University of Oxford China Centre

The most significant part of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s speech was his firm pledge to make China a major actor in the world.

At a time of major flux in the world order, it will be increasingly important for China to play a stabilizing, responsible role when it comes to questions of trade, security and international order.

As China takes a greater role in the world, it will also have to shoulder many of the responsibilities of a great power, encouraging freer markets and a more transparent international environment.

It will also have to tackle issues such as climate change and provide leadership there.

Peter Kagwanja, president and chief executive of the Africa Policy Institute

General Secretary Xi Jinping reiterated the Party’s commitment to serving the people and ensuring prosperity for all.

We have seen the number of people who have been lifted out of poverty over the last decade.

We have also seen China increasing its trading presence globally.

No other country in the world can boast of such feats.

Economist Jim O’Neill, who created the “BRIC” acronym

President Xi’s speech highlighted important issues for international observers to understand better; China continues to see growing its economy and the wealth of its 1.3 billion inhabitants as significant.

If the economy grows above $12 trillion it will be three times bigger than that of Japan. To put this in context, in 2001 I forecast that China’s economy might equal Japan’s in size by 2015.

China’s rising consumer demand remains the single most important development in the world economy.

This, and two other things President Xi highlighted — China’s peaceful nature and the absence of foreign expansionist ambition — suggests to me, that China will continue on its path to greater global importance.

Alfred Schipke, Chief Representative, IMF China

China’s focus on structural reforms, addressing overcapacity and deleveraging, and allowing the market to play a decisive role, are very welcome. This will not only reduce vulnerabilities but also improve the allocation of resources.

Source：Xinhua, China Daily