The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which began on Wednesday, has drawn great attention and expectations from around the world.

The over 2,200 delegates attending the five-yearly national congress on behalf of more than 89 million CPC members will elect a new central committee and anti-graft body and draw a new blueprint for the development of the second-largest economy in the world for the next five years and beyond.

"Those of us outside China look to the significance of the congress, as it may have a global impact," said Ken Ogembo, an economics lecturer at Kenya's Kenyatta University. "China's role in global affairs has grown much more, so much so that the world will be watching."

Amid a slow recovery of the global economy, the rise of protectionism and isolationism as well as other challenges such as terrorism, China serves as a stabilizer of the world economy and a responsible player that embraces win-win cooperation in global affairs.

"China's stability is very important for the world; after all, China has become the driving force of global economic development," Ronnie Lins, director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and Business, told Xinhua.

In its latest report, the International Monetary Fund raised its forecast for the global economy. One important reason is the Chinese economy's stronger-than-expected performance in the first half of 2017 and the Chinese government's continuous policy support.

Khairy Tourk, a professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology's Stuart School of Business, spoke highly of modern China's achievements in the past five years.

Tourk noted that China has maintained a spectacular pace of economic growth, kept the Renminbi stable amid many difficulties, reduced its debt and adopted innovative strategies.