Media from around the world have turned their attention to the 19th CPC National Congress. More than 1800 foreign journalists descended on the congress, exceeding the number in attendance at the previous congress. Convened every five years, this distinguished gathering is considered the best window into China’s development.

The international situation continues to undergo profound and complex changes. The global economy has yet to achieve a stable recovery, and rising unilateralism presents new obstacles. Many countries are facing stagnant or even declining development.

Having experienced trials and hardships, China is steadfastly forging ahead. In the past five years, China put forth more than 1,500 measures designed to deepen reform in a comprehensive and multi-dimensional way. Thanks to accelerated economic restructuring and industrial upgrading, its economy is maintaining stable, sustainable growth momentum. When asked about China’s development, IMF head Christine Lagarde repeatedly used the word “impressed.”

Lauding the country’s achievement, countries around the world are eager to know about the reforms China implemented to achieve its economic development. This is why the 19th CPC National Congress attracted so many media agencies from developing countries whose reporters enthusiastically covered the congress with a modest and receptive mindset.

In its recently released World Economic Outlook, IMF made upward revisions to its forecast for China’s economic growth rate this year and next year to 6.8 and 6.5 percent, respectively. This is the fourth time this year that IMF raised its estimates for the Chinese economy, showing its great faith in China’s new development concepts.

This is why many countries are interested in reporting on how China will continue to implement its development concepts—innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing—and how the country will continue to adapt to and seize the opportunities of the economic “new normal.” Many countries are hoping to learn about the development path and planning of China in the next five years through the 19th CPC National Congress.

China is expected to contribute more to the world economy. Advocating an open world economy as well as greater trade and investment, China is actively participating in the creation of a new global value chain to achieve the rebalancing of economic globalization, which will benefit people around the world. The 2016 G20 Summit and the ninth BRICS Summit both reflected China’s solutions and wisdom, which contributed to global governance and offered new ideas for the harmonious coexistence and common development of different countries.

As a public good that China offers to the world, the “Belt and Road” initiative provides a new platform for countries to conduct mutually beneficial cooperation and creates new opportunities for the realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. For this reason, foreign journalists from countries along the Belt and Road route are particularly interested in reporting on the 19th CPC National Congress.

The high premium that the world has placed on the congress means that China has become an indispensable player on the international stage. It will keep an open mind facing the spotlight and continue to display its unique charm. China remains confident in the path it has chosen, the theory it has created, the system it has established and the culture it believes in.

 

Su Xiaohui is the research fellow and deputy director of the Department for International and Strategic Studies at the China Institute of International Studies.