Xi Jinping says China will never be bullied as CPC marks 100 years

The image China presents to the world today is one of a thriving nation that is advancing with unstoppable momentum toward rejuvenation, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said on Thursday. The CPC is rallying and leading the Chinese people on a new journey toward realizing the second centenary goal of building a modern socialist country, said Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, while addressing a gathering marking the centenary of the CPC in Beijing. A century ago, at the time of its founding, the CPC had just over 50 members. Today, with more than 95 million members in a country of more than 1.4 billion people, it is the largest ruling party in the world and enjoys tremendous international influence, said Xi, noting that the Central Committee calls on every CPC member to stay true to the Party's founding mission and stand firm in their ideals and convictions. Acting on the purpose of the Party, the CPC members should always maintain close ties with the people, emphasize and work with them, stand with them through good times and bad, and continue working tirelessly to realize their aspirations for a better life and to bring still greater glory to the Party and the people, said Xi. "Today, 100 years on from its founding, the Communist Party of China is still in its prime, and remains as determined as ever to achieve lasting greatness for the Chinese nation. Looking back on the path we have traveled and forward to the journey that lies ahead, it is certain that with the firm leadership of the Party and the great unity of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, we will achieve the goal of building a great modern socialist country in all respects and fulfill the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation," Xi said. After wrapping up the speech, Xi and other Party and state leaders stood for "The Internationale" on the Tian'anmen Rostrum. The gathering ended with doves and balloons being released to the sky amid the playing of patriotic song and the cheering of the crowd. — Xi Jinping says China will never be bullied as CPC's 100 years

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Thursday summed up the four great successes achieved by the CPC in the past century.

Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a speech at a ceremony marking the centenary of the CPC.

“Since the very day of its founding, the Party has made seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation its aspiration and mission. All the struggle, sacrifice, and creation through which the Party has united and led the Chinese people over the past 100 years has been tied together by one ultimate theme – bringing about the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” Xi said.

“To realize national rejuvenation, the Party united and led the Chinese people in fighting bloody battles with unyielding determination, achieving great success in the new-democratic revolution,” Xi said.

Xi stressed that through tenacious struggle, the Party and the Chinese people showed the world that the Chinese people had stood up, and that the time when the Chinese nation could be bullied and abused by others was gone forever.

“The Party will continue to work with all peace-loving countries and peoples to promote the shared human values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom. We will continue to champion cooperation over confrontation, to open up rather than closing our doors, and to focus on mutual benefits instead of zero-sum games. We will oppose hegemony and power politics, and strive to keep the wheels of history rolling towards bright horizons. We Chinese are a people who uphold justice and are not intimidated by threats of forces. As a nation, we have a strong sense of pride and confidence. We have never bullied, oppressed, or subjugated the people of any other country, and we never will,” said Xi.

He noted that through tenacious struggle, the Party and the Chinese people showed the world that the Chinese people were capable of not only dismantling the old world, but also building a new one, that only socialism could save China, and that only socialism with Chinese characteristics could develop China.

Xi said the Party has united and led the Chinese people in freeing the mind and forging ahead, achieving great success in reform, opening up, and socialist modernization.

Through tenacious struggle, the Party and the Chinese people showed the world that by pursuing reform and opening up, a crucial move in making China what it is today, China had caught up with the times in great strides, Xi said.

“To realize national rejuvenation, the Party has united and led the Chinese people in pursuing a great struggle, a great project, a great cause, and a great dream through a spirit of self-confidence, self-reliance, and innovation, achieving great success for socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era,” Xi said.

Through tenacious struggle, the Party and the Chinese people have shown the world that the Chinese nation has achieved the tremendous transformation from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong, and that China’s national rejuvenation has become a historical inevitability, he noted.

The 100-year-old CPC, the world’s largest ruling party, had 95.148 million members as of June 5, according to the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee on Wednesday.

The CPC was founded in July 1921. A total of 12 delegates representing about 50 CPC members nationwide secretly convened at the first CPC national congress in late July in Shanghai. July 1 was later designated as anniversary of the founding of the CPC.