Six police officers who participate in the 35-days closed-loop duty at the Erlian Entry-exit Border Inspection Station in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, recite their oath of joining the Party in front of the Party flag on May 16, 2022. Photo: IC

Editor's Note:

Who is the Communist Party of China (CPC)? What is the CPC's role in the new era?

The CPC has grown into one of the largest parties in the world in the process of leading the Chinese people in seeking liberation and happiness, making China as strong and prosperous as it is today. 

As the CPC ushers the nation into a new era of development, the past decade has witnessed great achievements in national strength and prosperity, with the people's confidence and recognition of this path rising to unprecedentedly high levels. 

With more than 96 million members, the CPC will convene its 20th National Congress in the second half of the year, which is expected to guide the country's development and policymaking. Ahead of the meeting, the Global Times is publishing a series of stories to help the world understand the CPC in the new era, through the stories of CPC members working on the frontlines of various fields, as well as through observations made by respected scholars.

This is the fourth installation in the series. While Western countries, one by one, scrapped their COVID-19 epidemic control measures, the Global Times reporters Huang Lanlan and Zhang Weilan spoke with an official who continues to work diligently to fight against the novel coronavirus disease in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region which borders Vietnam and a Party member who took part in organizing the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. This offers us a glimpse into the Party's strong governing ability with its marvelous power of mobilization.

Safeguarding border

A team of CPC members in Guiliang village, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, patrols along the China-Vietnam border on April 26, 2022. Photo: Courtesy of Cen

In the past three years, the world has witnesses how China, under the strong leadership of the CPC, has excellently protected the lives of its people against the raging COVID-19 epidemic, which has led to millions of deaths globally. From busy airports in metropolises to border villages in rural areas, a large number of people, with Party members taking the lead, have been working hard day by day, trying to keep the deadly virus at bay.

Despite some Western countries and media outlets trying to smear China's dynamic zero-COVID epidemic prevention approach, the measure itself has proven to be effective in protecting ordinary people's lives.

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry, said at Friday's regular media briefing that the reason why China adopted the dynamic zero-COVID approach is because "we put 1.4 billion people's lives and health before anything else. It's a testament to the governance philosophy of the CPC and the Chinese government, which is to give top priority to protecting our people and their lives." 

In the two years since the start of the pandemic, infection  and mortality rates in China have remained the lowest in the world. Whereas the average life expectancy in some developed countries, such as the US, declined during the pandemic, China's average life expectancy has steadily increased in the same period, Wang said.

Meanwhile, behind China's miracle of the successful containment of the novel coronavirus disease is the cumulative selfless hard work of many , especially CPC members, who have been mobilized nationwide in the fight against the disease, a touching scene that is hard to replicate in Western countries, analysts said. 

Cen Liping, a grass-roots official working in her hometown of Guiliang village in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is one of them.

Cen's hometown is a small and mountainous village that neighbors Vietnam. Since the epidemic broke out in January 2020, local Party members have been conducting daily patrols of the border for years to prevent any potential illegal entry, which may increase virus transmission risks.

The 34-year-old submitted her application to join the CPC during the epidemic, and successfully became a probationary Party member in April.

"We patrol every two hours, walking around the roads near the No.589 boundary tablet in our village, and the hidden paths in the border mountains," Cen told the Global Times. 

With Cen included, the temporary patrol team consists of some 16 members, who usually hold the CPC flag on patrols. Upon encountering illegal border crossers, the team immediately reports the cases to the local police.

Cen recalled that during the busiest days earlier this year, when the epidemic situation had gotten serious in villages in neighboring Vietnam, they were almost permanently in their offices, always ready for a 45-minute patrol even in the late night. "I barely had time to sleep," she said.

Guangxi shares a total length of 1,020 kilometers of the border with Vietnam. 

During the epidemic, authorities in Guangxi's Napo County, where Guiliang village is located, dispatched dozens of Party and government officials from nearby towns and villages to Guiliang, helping locals to better respond to the potential importation of the virus.

This "cross-regional support" model is common in China's fight against the virus under the guidance of the CPC. When an area's epidemic situation is dire, personnel from other regions are organized to give a helping hand. 

Cen appreciates the mode, saying it embodies the strong organizing and scheduling abilities of the CPC in mobilizing its people - be they Party members or the general public - to provide mutual support.

The efforts paid off. A 906-person border village, facing a potentially high risk from imported infections, has however, not reported a single local COVID-19 case since the epidemic started at the beginning of 2020.

"I'm so proud that, as the first line of defense in keeping the virus out of China, I'm protecting the health of the people not only in my hometown, but also, to some extent, in the whole country," Cen told the Global Times.

A research paper by Nature Medicine estimated that if China were to stop putting up a tough fight against COVID-19 as have some other countries, it may lead to more than 112 million infections and nearly 1.6 million deaths.

"Through front-line virus prevention efforts, I have experienced, in person, the wisdom and great ability of the Party in guiding a 1.4-billion-people country over challenges," she said. "Our big country needs such a powerful party."

China has not only mitigated the impact of the coronavirus disease on economic and social development to the greatest extent, but has achieved steady economic growth. According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, China's economy has gradually emerged from the shadow of COVID-19, with major indexes showing better performance in May. China's economy has shown momentum in recovery. China's foreign trade went up by 8.3 percent and the FDI expanded 17.3 percent year-on-year in the period from January to May. 

Party members taking the lead

Zhao Wei makes preparations for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in his office in Big Air Shougang in December 2021. Photo: Courtesy of Zhao

In February, China successfully hosted the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics amid the COVID-19 epidemic. With well-implemented epidemic prevention measures, no major infections were reported within the closed loop management system which hosted more than 15,000 people from all over the world, and this efficient management also won praise from many participants for creating a safe environment in which the competition could be held.

Zhao Wei is the secretary general of the operation team at Big Air Shougang, a sports venue built to host big air competitions at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Zhao told the Global Times that they made scientific and comprehensive arrangements regarding epidemic prevention. Under the guidance of the organizing committee, they set up two operation centers both inside and outside the closed loop for unified command and dispatch.

Zhao also worked for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. He said in addition to the epidemic, they faced other difficulties this time as they lacked experiences in hosting winter sports featuring snow and ice activities. 

According to Zhao, the operation team organized five phases of training sessions both online and offline, which covered everything from general knowledge to professional skills among supporting staff at Big Air Shougang. More than 1,000 personnel and volunteer staff received relevant training. 

"We have set up a working system and compiled a comprehensive brochure explaining the key steps to emergency preparedness and response at venue operation level, listing 294 potential risks," he said. 

During the interview, Zhao mentioned several times how the wisdom and history of the CPC inspired the team to complete the job.

"We carried out activities to study the history of the CPC and encouraged every individual to become the vanguard of the Games, in a way to build up our teams with stronger capacities and enhance synergy in hosting the Games," he said. 

An interim committee was therefore established among Party members working at Big Air Shougang. With the establishment of four provisional Party branches and one in the closed-loop management preparation team, we have managed to effectively equip our Party cadres to maintain a strong commitment to preparation work at all stages, Zhao said. 

"The extraordinary capabilities of organization, coordination, and implementation, as well as our country's solid economic and technological strengths gave us tremendous confidence and laid a solid foundation for the success of the Games," he said.

Graphic:GT