China and Armenia

 

It is simply impossible to speak and write about China's achievements without surprise and pride, because the key organizer of these achievements is our brotherly Communist Party of China (CPC).

The President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, proved that by always keeping the people as the focus of the Party's attention, taking into account their needs and relying on them, guided by the strategy developed by the Party, China is not only rapidly developing economically, but also a socialist state with advanced science, health care and cultural dynamics.

The CPC, under the leadership of Xi, always puts the policy of helping developing countries at the center of attention. Clear proof of this are Yerevan's buses and ambulances, most of which were a gift from China to our country. It was President Xi who put forward the Global Development Initiative at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in order to make the world a better place.

China now is a powerful country that is ready to share its success and achievements with other nations. Its existence gives hope to developing countries in shaking off the yoke of the capitalists and creating a real democratic country that will serve its own people. In order to take this path of development, it is only necessary to learn from the idea of socialism with Chinese characteristics, localize it, and deeply study the development methods and ways proposed by President Xi.

China sought its own path of development in 1949 when the great revolution in China accelerated the revolutions around the globe. The wise leaders of China, seeing the bitter image of the collapse of the Soviet Union, took appropriate action and did not allow the same to happen again in China. What happened later would be called the "Chinese economic miracle" and its logical continuation was the idea of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Taking advantage of the global experience of economic development, the Chinese people never abandoned the principle of self-reliance. The socialist relations amid the development of China's productive forces are proven built based on the basic principles of socialism, which would create favorable conditions for the country's development. This is the new flight of China's development that has been surprising the world.

Today, after summarizing the centuries-old wisdom of the Chinese people and the unbreakable unity inherited from generation after generation, the CPC offers the world the model of Chinese modernization, which can and should be used by other states and peoples as well.

 If we try to present as briefly as possible what the principle of Chinese modernization is, we will get the following picture: All states and nations in the world can manage their own destiny without being subjected to the pressures of other countries and external forces. The standard of living of the people should rise and cultural-ethical advancement should take place based on national values and characteristics. Mankind and nature must coexist in harmony, so as not to endanger the existence of future generations. One of the key points of all this is the implementation of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, which will guarantee the effectiveness of development. And the most tempting thing is that there is no principle of coercion.

If the US and Western countries have reached their hegemonic positions due to wars, destruction, looting, and often even elimination, then China has reached its current level of power solely due to its wisdom and hardworking people. There is neither a case nor a historical fact that can make it possible to accuse China of aggression.

This year marks the 32nd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Armenia. "The most peace-loving of all the inhabitants on the face of the Earth" is how 5th-century Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi describes the Chinese people. Armenia has a centuries-old tradition of developing relations with China, and the two peoples have been interacting with each other since ancient times. Living at the intersection of the ancient Silk Road, the Armenians established trade relations with China, exporting various raw materials such as paints and importing porcelain, silk, carpets and other products from China.

Armenia-China cultural and political ties were further strengthened during the Soviet era. It was during those years that books about Armenian folklore and the Armenian epic of "Daredevils of Sassoun" were translated and published in Chinese. The Armenian people also have always shown deep respect and interest in Chinese culture. The fact that the works of Confucius, the Sacred Model Teacher for Ten Thousand Generations, were published in Armenia and sold out in a matter of hours is vivid proof of this.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, China was one of the first to recognize the Republic of Armenia and establish diplomatic relations with it. These relations have a dynamically developing character. The Confucius Institute in Armenia was established in 2009, while the Armenian-Chinese Friendship School was opened in 2018. The number of Armenian children who want to learn Chinese is increasing day by day and bilateral cultural events take place regularly. Moreover, China plays a key role in the economic life of Armenia, and trade volumes between the two countries are constantly increasing.

The Communist Party of Armenia fully claims Chinese modernization as a model to learn from and is ready to spare no effort and energy to discover our own development path based on the experience of China. Considering the centuries-old relationship between Armenia and China, we feel even more obliged to deepen bilateral friendly exchanges and introduce the Chinese experience to our country.

The author is the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Armenia. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn