Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Reflecting on this, I think the CPC has made contributions to the country in four critical aspects. 

First, the CPC established a new China which is politically united and independent. This is the foundation that allowed for China to release all of its advantages now and in the future. For instance, China has become the world's biggest market. It is able to cultivate competitive business giants and has more ability than any other rising power to resist hegemonism. In other words, the founding of new China paved the way for the country to achieve its goals.

Second, the CPC has found a development path for China which suits its national condition, which was especially prominent at the end of the 20th century and this century. The CPC altered China's dispirited poverty and reshaped the Chinese people's livelihoods, enabling China to become a country full of development potentials.

China is poised to make its 1.4 billion population rich. We have foreseen what a good life is. People within and outside China said the country should just copy the Western path. But the CPC has been clear-minded: China, as such a big country, couldn't copy the path taken by some small Western countries. 

Over the years, the CPC has led China to walk its own way with a down-to-earth manner. Till now, China has built up its confidence. We feel lucky that we were not led by the nose by some Western and domestic voices. China used to be one step away from becoming divided like the Soviet Union and witnessing a war like the one that disintegrated Yugoslavia. China, as led by the CPC, has walked out of dangers again and again, and achieved both development and stability.

Third, the CPC has embedded the idea of fairness and justice into the development of Chinese society. Fairness and justice have become long-lasting public concepts and the main theme during this process of social development. 

The world is unfair, and this is normal for human society. Fairness is the goal that humanity desires and strives to get close. China, as a developing country, spends most of its adjustment efforts to reach this goal. Chinese people should not be fooled by some forces. Let's take poverty alleviation as an example. No other big society around the world is as determined to alleviate poverty as China. 

Some people may say that there's formalism in the fight for poverty alleviation in some places. It is quite thinkable that there were small flaws in such large-scale movements. Moreover, there is the possibility that some people may return to poverty. However, the poverty alleviation campaigns have laid a solid foundation for China's future moves to further eliminate poverty. Its positive effects are overwhelming.

In China, issues involving serious unfairness will draw storms of criticism as long as they are exposed online. The Chinese public opinion has an everlasting enthusiasm about condemning unfairness. This can form explosive social pressure. This is closely related to the basic values of the country's system. There are still many inequalities and acts of unfairness in China. These include the pension gap, and the difficulties migrant workers face integrating into cities. But solving these problems are among China's development goals. People should have a look at how severe inequalities have been solidified in many other developing countries that used to be much wealthier than China. They should examine how people in those countries have become accustomed to seeing unfairness. If they do, then they will better know what kind of efforts the CPC-led China is doing.    

Fourth, the CPC has promoted the momentum of China's sound development. The international situation has witnessed drastic changes. China is not only facing a US strategic crackdown, but also many new problems of domestic development. However, China's intrinsic domestic energy is being unleashed at a speed faster than the challenges can come or be imposed on us. As long as we do not make subversive mistakes, no challenges will be fatal to us. China should double its efforts to further develop. The country's system decides we will do so. The prospect of China is inspiring. The past century has not only seen China's national fate completely reversed, but also consolidated the momentum of further development.   

What I am talking about are the CPC and the country, but among my words, and between the lines, are our personal life and destiny. A China with booming development is not made up of abstract data, but improvements in numerous people's lives. When I was working abroad as a correspondent for the People's Daily in 1993, my monthly salary, plus various subsidies, totaled only about $290. That was the level of pay China at that time could afford. My dream then was to have a car and a house with a separate bathroom. Now, this kind of life has been realized and is coming to more people. In the future, we will have better medical care, better pensions, more guaranteed paid vacations, more secure and high-quality lives, and a better ecological environment. I have witnessed epoch-making changes. I wish and believe today's young generation will experience greater and more important vicissitudes in China's future.

The author is editor-in-chief of the Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn