By Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Ma Jia
THE Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was recently held in Beijing, where the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development was examined and approved. China has formulated and implemented 14 five-year plans since 1953, and through the continuous effort and struggle of generations, has achieved a remarkable record of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability. Many of my friends from Myanmar have asked me about the secret to success in the Chinese path to modernization and the governance experiences of the Communist Party of China. I would like to share my personal perspectives on three aspects: China’s Road, China’s Governance, and China’s Ideas.
I. The leadership of the Communist Party of China is the key to China’s success in building a strong country and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The Communist Party of China was founded in 1921, and for the majority of the time prior to the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, it was significantly weaker than its rivals. How, then, did this party, with such a modest beginning, manage to win the heartfelt support of all Chinese people in just 28 years? How did such a party, which began with just over 50 members, develop into one with more than 100 million members today? And how did this party manage to unite and lead the people of all ethnic groups in China, achieving extraordinary accomplishments over the more than 70 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China?
Because the Communist Party of China has no selfish interests. The Party has always represented the fundamental interests of all Chinese people; it stands with them through thick and thin and shares a common fate with them. The Party has no special interests of its own, nor has it ever represented any individual interest group, power group, or privileged stratum. The Party has always adhered to the people’s position, which is the fundamental reason why it has maintained its inviolable strength.
Because the Party remains steadfast in its faith. It is not a party established for personal gain, but a party united by the belief in Marxism, the great ideal of communism, and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics. On China’s path to independence and development, millions of people have given their lives for these ideals, demonstrating the power of faith through blood and sacrifice.
Because the Party dares to pursue self-reform. The Party, although it has made mistakes, has always dared to face its problems squarely. Immediately after the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 2012, the CPC Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, formulated the “Eight-Point Decision” of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on improving work conduct and maintaining close ties with the people. Over the past decade, this decision has been persistently implemented, demonstrating the Party’s courage and determination to carry out self-reform. As a result, Party and government conduct have been significantly improved, and social values have continued to improve, leading to a profound transformation in China’s political, economic, and social landscape.
II. The system of socialism with Chinese characteristics has fostered a vibrant vitality and strong creativity in China’s governance.
The system of socialism with Chinese characteristics can mobilize all resources to accomplish major tasks. From the early years of the People’s Republic of China, when limited manpower, material, and financial resources were pooled together to build an independent industrial system and national economic system in a short period of time, to the efficient mobilization of resources for disaster relief in the face of major natural disasters, this system has demonstrated its capacity to exercise overall leadership and coordinate the efforts of all sides. In addition, China avoids short-term or flip-flopping policies; instead, it maintains a consistent long-term strategy, continuously drafting and implementing Five-Year Plans, staying focused on its objectives, and forging a new path for modernization with Chinese characteristics.
Let’s first look at a set of electricity data that serves as a barometer for the economy. In 1979, China generated only 282 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. By 2024, this figure will have grown to over 9 trillion, representing one-third of global electricity production. This is approximately 2.5 times that of the United States, the second-ranked country, five times that of India, the third-ranked country, and nine times that of Russia, the fourth-ranked country. In July of this year, China’s electricity consumption reached 1,022.6 billion kilowatt-hours, marking the first time in the world that a country’s monthly electricity consumption exceeded one trillion kilowatt-hours, which is equal to the total annual electricity consumption of all ASEAN countries.
This data reflects the long-term trend of steady and positive growth in China’s economy. From 1979 to 2023, China’s economy grew at an average annual rate of 8.9 per cent, significantly outpacing the global average of three per cent. China contributes an average of 24.8 per cent to global economic growth annually, ranking it first in the world. China has remained the world’s largest goods trader for years, with its total import and export volume increasing from less than one per cent of the global market share in 1978 to 12.4 per cent in 2023. Within just a few decades, China has risen from a country of extreme poverty and backwardness to one with a per capita income surpassing US$13,000. This is an unparalleled miracle of development in human history.
China has been the world’s largest manufacturing powerhouse for 15 consecutive years. It is the only country with all industrial categories listed under the United Nations’ Industrial Classification. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, advanced manufacturing in China has expanded rapidly. In 2024, China produced 13 million new energy vehicles, maintaining its position as the global leader in both production and sales for ten consecutive years. In the same year, China accounted for 55.7 per cent of the global market share in completed shipbuilding volume, 74.1 per cent in new orders, and 63.1 per cent in the order backlog. China’s new quality productive forces are steadily growing, driven by the acceleration and quality enhancement of technological innovation. The world’s first fourth-generation nuclear power plant has entered commercial operation, China’s first space station, “Tiangong”, has been fully completed and put into operation, and the Chang’e-6 Mission successfully brought the world’s first samples from the far side of the moon back to Earth. China has climbed from 34th in 2012 to 10th in 2025, according to the latest Global Innovation Index report by the World Intellectual Property Organization.
III. China’s ideas, stands and actions reflect the common aspiration of people around the world for peace, justice, and progress.
China’s development model prioritizes common prosperity for all citizens, rather than the wealth of a few individuals or a rigid form of egalitarianism. By embracing the philosophy of “leaving no one and no region behind”, China has succeeded in eliminating poverty, lifting more than 800 million people out of poverty, and bringing the benefits of the Chinese path to modernization more widely and more equitably to all its people. With the establishment of the world’s largest social security and healthcare systems, life expectancy has risen from 35 years in 1949 to 68 years in 1981, and to 79 years in 2024. China’s efforts in building a safer society have yielded impressive results, and the country is now recognized globally as one of the safest in the world. According to Gallup’s 2025 Global Safety Report, China ranked third globally in the “Feeling Safe Walking Alone at Night Index” and fourth worldwide in the “Law and Order Index”.
The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, jointly advocated by China and Myanmar, have become fundamental principles of modern international relations and International Law. The concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, proposed by China, has expanded from a Chinese initiative into a global consensus. China is unwavering in its defence of world peace. It is the only country to enshrine “pursuing the path of peaceful development” in its constitution and the only one among the five nuclear powers to pledge a no-first-use policy regarding nuclear weapons. China has worked actively to resolve conflicts and disputes, helping to bring about the historic normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran and facilitating internal reconciliation in Palestine. It has also contributed positively to the peaceful resolution of the Cambodia-Thailand border dispute. China is actively advancing global development by promoting the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and the establishment of open cooperation platforms, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Silk Road Fund, the New Development Bank (NDB), and the International Mediation Institute. China strives to foster unity and cooperation among the countries of the Global South. The “Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund”, established by China, has financed more than 180 projects, benefiting over 30 million people. China firmly supports the multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core. In the face of unilateral actions and the imposition of unjust tariffs by certain countries, China stands firm against bullying and responds with composure. At the same time, China continues to advance its high-level opening-up policy, actively sharing the opportunities offered by its vast domestic market, and serves as a “stabilizing anchor” amid the rising tide of global trade protectionism.
The practice of China’s Road, China’s Governance, and China’s Ideas has demonstrated that there is more than one way to modernization. The key to China’s success lies in its refusal to copy others and its commitment to following an independent path of development that suits its own national conditions. China is ready to share its experience in governance with the international community, including Myanmar, and jointly implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative. While seeking its own development, China is actively promoting the common development of all countries and working together to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
(Views expressed in the article solely belong to the author.)
