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Monday, March 19, 2018, 18:16
Newly-elected President Xi steers China toward prosperity
By Xinhua
Monday, March 19, 2018, 18:16 By Xinhua

Xi Jinping is elected Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China at the fifth plenary meeting of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 17, 2018. (LAN HONGGUANG / XINHUA)

While joining lawmakers from Guangdong province in a panel discussion, President Xi Jinping highlighted development, talent and innovation. 

Guangdong has been at the front-line of the reform and opening-up. 

The year 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of the drive, which resulted in consistent and fast economic growth for decades. 

During an inspection to Jiangsu province last December, Xi said more emphasis needed to be placed on the economy's quality rather than speed and every industry, every enterprise should follow the change.   

The general secretary said we should make innovation a powerful driver of quality development, and I think it is an insightful remark

Pony Ma

Tencent chairman

China is setting sail toward a modernized economy with Xi at the helm.   

"Xi Jinping Thought on Socialist Economy with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" was raised at the Central Economic Work Conference last December.   

ALSO READ: World leaders congratulate Xi on re-election as China's president

The Wall Street Journal reported that China had made "Xiconomics" a guiding principle, with a focus on innovation and high-quality growth. 

Areas to deepen reform include public institutions, state-owned enterprises, industrial monopolies, property rights protection, taxation, finance, rural development, social security and ecology. A modernized economy is the goal.   

At the "two sessions," Xi's speeches touched more fields than economy, from Party building, rule of law, poverty reduction to environmental protection, social governance and military-civilian integration. 

Internet tycoon, Tencent chairman Pony Ma said Xi's speeches were so rich that he took six full pages of notes. 

READ MORE: Xi Jinping unanimously elected president, CMC chairman

"The general secretary said we should make innovation a powerful driver of quality development, and I think it is an insightful remark," he said. "It will be a new opportunity for our innovative enterprises." 

Li Shumu, an NPC deputy and a village Party chief in the county of Yinan, Shandong province, said farmers in his village feel encouraged as Xi has drawn a beautiful blueprint for the countryside. 

Air force officer Liu Rui said the armed forces must firmly adhere to Xi's order to make combat capability the fundamental criterion to judge their work. 

CONTRIBUTION TO HUMANITY 

People are curious about what changes Xi will bring to China and the world. 

The three years to 2020 are crucial. China aims to complete building a moderately prosperous society by then. Extreme poverty will be history. 

Looking further ahead, China aims to basically achieve modernization by 2035 and build a great modern socialist country by the middle of the century. 

Realizing this "Chinese Dream" of national rejuvenation requires policy continuity and hard work. 

On top of that, China needs an authoritative, centralized, unified leadership. 

With more than 89 million members, the CPC is driving China toward new economic and social advancement, blazing a brand new trail of socialism. 

The year 2018 marks the 200th birthday of Karl Marx and the 170th anniversary of the issuance of "The Communist Manifesto." 

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is considered the latest adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context. 

A miracle is unfolding -- for the first time in human history, a billion plus people are crossing the threshold of modernization together. Challenges like material shortage and wealth gap will be overcome. People will feel much more fulfilled, happier and safer.
Shen Jilan, 89, is a witness to the profound changes over time. 

Born a farmer in rural Shanxi province, Shen was first elected to the NPC in 1954 and was re-elected for 12 times in a row. 

The octogenarian likes to compare her annual commute to the Great Hall of the People over time. In 1954, she spent four days on the back of a donkey, a truck bed and then a train to reach Beijing. Today, the capital is just three hours away by high-speed train.   

China is indeed on a high-speed train, one that moves toward the full development of human potential, as envisioned by Karl Marx. This explains China's growing relevance to the world. After all, it is exploring a path to advance humanity. 

This year's "two sessions," like the 19th Party congress, attracted worldwide attention. 

Analysts credit China's growing influence to the country's system and Xi's charisma. 

China is an economic powerhouse for the world. At more than 30 percent, China's annual contribution to world economic growth is bigger than that of the United States, Japan and the eurozone combined. 

China accounts for more than 70 percent of poverty reduction worldwide. It sends the largest group of peacekeepers among the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and makes the second largest contribution to the UN peacekeeping budget.
China raised the Belt and Road Initiative and other major proposals to champion global governance, free trade and an open global economy. 

On March 9, Xi had a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump. They discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula and bilateral relations. Trump said President Xi was right to insist on a dialogue between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. 

The U.S. side highly appreciates and values China's significant role in resolving the Korean Peninsula issue, and is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China over the issue, according to Trump. 

Xi-style diplomacy is highly praised for building a new type of major country relations and a "community with a shared future for humanity." 

Vladimir Petrovsky, a senior researcher at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said a feature of the major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics is that China raised non-confrontational proposals, which did not lead to clashes but contributed to improving the existing international order. 

In the past few months, Xi held talks with Trump on bilateral ties, the China-U.S. cooperation on regional and international levels. Key progress has been achieved, consensus reached. 

Xi maintained close high-level exchange with Russia, pushing for all-round cooperation in all fields and closer communication and coordination on international affairs. 

After the 19th Party congress, Xi received French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Theresa May, and presidents of the Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Gambia and Panama. 

He visited Vietnam and Laos. At the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Da Nang, Xi called for an economic globalization that is more open and inclusive, more balanced, more equitable and beneficial to all. 

In December, Beijing held the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting, attracting over 600 representatives of nearly 300 political parties and organizations from more than 120 countries. Xi told them that people around the world should be one family, open arms, understand each other and build a community with a shared future. 

He has told Chinese diplomats that the CPC considered it a key mission to both work for Chinese people's happiness and make a greater contribution to humanity. 

Afghan political analyst Ghulam Dastgir said a community with a shared future was the common pursuit of people around the world and that in pushing for that goal China could create more opportunities for the world and make it thrive. 

At the Great Hall of the People, with Xi elected as president, history has opened a new chapter. 

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