2017 Review: 19th CPC Congress maps out China’s next five years

World Today

2017 Review: 19th CPC Congress maps out China’s next five yearsPhoto from Xinhua

As China’s most important political event of the year, the Communist Party’s 19th National Congress mapped out China’s path for the next five years and beyond.

CGTN’s Zou Yun reviews the highlights and key decisions.

A fresh line-up for China’s new leadership – Xi Jinping was elected as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee for a second term.

At the press conference, Xi Jinping thanked all party members for their continued trust.

“Here, on behalf of the newly-elected central leadership, I wish to express our heart-felt thanks to all other members of the Party, for the trust they have placed in us. We will work diligently to meet our duty, fulfill our mission and be worthy of their trust.”

And a new chapter for the country’s future growth: In the report that he delivered to the CPC Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping touched upon almost every aspect of China, and laid out specific steps that concern the country’s development on political, societal and economic fronts.

Xi Jinping said the coming five years is when the timeframes of the Two Centenary Goals will start to converge. This includes completing the building of a moderately prosperous society by 2020, and a modernized socialist country by mid-21st century.

He also said China is at a critical moment in its history, as socialism with Chinese characteristics enters a new era.

“This is our strategic vision for developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in a new era: Finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, proceed to achieving modernization, and then move to turn China into a great modern socialist country in every dimension.”

Even though the new members of the current standing committee will bring their own visions, the country’s crucial policies will continue and remain consistent. These include the government’s measures to fight corruption, its commitment to improving the environment and its strong stance on opening up.

“We will make determined efforts to comprehensively deepen reform and open China even more to the world. We will see that reform and opening up complement and reinforce each other. It is my conviction that the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will become a reality in the course of reform and opening up.”

The general secretary said the new era would also bring a shift in the principal contradiction facing Chinese society, which sees unbalanced and inadequate development at odds with the people’s ever-growing need for a better standard of living

It will be a new era with consistent policies and goals. The fusion of changed and unchanged values has helped the CPC guide the Chinese people through the worst of times, and now will lead the country into a new chapter of hope and prosperity.