The task of governing the world's most populous nation is anything but simple. The challenges China has faced during its transition toward economic development can serve as a reference for ruling parties elsewhere, especially amongst developing countries themselves. China's success comes at a time when many countries are looking for new paradigms on which to base their development, and as power gradually shifts away from traditional strongholds in the West.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said the CPC is willing to work with other political parties around the world to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and to create a better world.

Xi made the remarks while delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the CPC in Dialogue With World Political Parties High-Level Meeting in Beijing on December 1.

Focusing on the responsibilities of political parties toward the aforementioned objective, the meeting, which took place from November 30 to December 3, was attended by the leaders and representatives of over 200 political parties and organizations from over 120 countries.

During the meeting, the CPC held routine discussions with political parties from Africa, Central Asia and the United States. The organizer, the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), said the event was held right after the 19th CPC National Congress so that the Party could have a platform to exchange ideas with political parties around the world on the new guiding theory adopted by the CPC.

Common pursuit

Xi called on all political parties from across the world to unite in the pursuit of peace, prosperity, cultural exchanges and environmental protection in his keynote speech.

Xi said China is willing to join hands with political parties from across the world to create a better world and promote humanity's common development, and that the CPC would continue to make contributions toward world peace, development and cultural exchanges.

In his speech, Xi noted China transformed the initiative of building a community with a shared future for mankind from a concept into action with the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

"I'm delighted to see that the friendly cooperation between China and other countries is expanding and the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind is gaining support and endorsement from an increasing number of people," Xi said.

In his speech, Xi said building a community with a shared future for mankind means closely connecting the prospects and destinies of every nation, sharing weal and woe, and turning planet Earth into a harmonious family.

Efforts should be made to build a safe world free of fear, Xi said. And he added that the security of a nation cannot be achieved at the expense of other countries. Threats facing other countries may be threats to all.

"Facing increasingly complex threats, we shall not fight alone, nor shall we worship military force," Xi said, "All nations should pursue a new concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and should join hands to create fair, just and shared security to jointly eliminate the root cause of war."

Furthermore, nations should also strive to eliminate poverty and promote common prosperity, as the world is facing challenges such as the North-South development gap, poverty, hunger and the digital gap, Xi said, criticizing the winner-takes-all mentality and beggar-thy-neighbor approach. "They would erode a country's own roots for growth, and impair the future of the whole of humanity," he said.

He noted that the world should work toward an economic globalization that is more open and inclusive, more balanced, equitable and beneficial to all, a globalization that brings common prosperity and creates comfortable living conditions for future generations.

While emphasizing the significance of an open and inclusive world, Xi urged the world to break cultural barriers and let all kinds of civilizations exist and grow. He also called for efforts to ensure harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

New party-to-party relations

The meeting is the first multilateral diplomatic event hosted by China after the 19th CPC National Congress in October and the first high-level dialogue between the CPC and world political parties.

Such a high-level meeting reflects the CPC's commitment to building a community with a shared future, which was listed as one of the fundamental principles of the new guiding theory in Xi's report to the 19th CPC National Congress. The report said the CPC promised to "strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the political parties and organizations of other countries," and it is the abiding mission of the CPC to make new and greater contributions for mankind.

Xi suggested in his speech that such inter-party conference be institutionalized and developed into a high-level political dialogue platform of broad representation and international influence.

A new model of party-to-party relations was proposed at the meeting, in which political parties seek common grounds while shelving differences, and respect and learn from one another.

Political parties of different nations should work together toward an international network of cooperation and exchanges in various forms and at multiple levels, he said.

In the next five years, the CPC plans to invite 15,000 members of political parties from across the world to China for exchanges.

The Beijing Initiative, released at the closing ceremony in the morning of December 3, called on political parties around the world to join hands with the CPC in building world peace, contributing to global development and safeguarding the international order.

"We will not ask other countries to copy China's practices," said Xi. He reiterated that the CPC strives for both the well-being of the Chinese people and human progress. Therefore, besides taking care of China's internal matters, the CPC will create opportunities for the world through China's development.

The CPC, the biggest political party in the world, will explore the law of social development and share it with other nations.

Noting that one of the founding missions of the CPC, established in 1921, was to end the plight of China, which had suffered a long period of war, and to ensure the people's survival, Xi stressed that the CPC knows deeply the value of peace and is firmly resolved to maintaining world peace.

Therefore, the CPC will, as always, contribute to world peace. He also pledged that China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansionism, no matter what stage of development it reaches, but it will keep on working for common development and contributing to exchanges and mutual learning between different peoples.

Wide resonance

After the opening ceremony, the first plenary session of the meeting was held, in which foreign delegates had a discussion on Xi's speech, expressing their willingness to work with the CPC to build a better world.

Earlier the same day, members of foreign political parties paid a visit to the Party School of the CPC Central Committee and viewed an exhibition on China's achievements over the past five years.

Guests from Africa and Central Asia also attended panel discussions on the role of parties in building a community with a shared future and promoting the Belt and Road Initiative.

"We believe if a country wishes to live in a peaceful, stable and better world, it should regard development as its top priority and supreme goal—just as it is proposed in the UN Charter," said Samdech Hun Sen, Chairperson of the Cambodian People's Party and Prime Minister, at the first plenary session of the meeting in Beijing.

During the meeting, "a better world" and "a community with a shared future for mankind" have become stock phrases between representatives.

Zutingta Palinzkas, Chairperson of the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania, told reporters, "One of our important purposes here is to study the new ideas and achievements announced after the CPC's 19th National Congress and learn about the international order China has proposed."

"President Xi Jinping has provided the world with a new way of cooperation, not only among governments, but also among the political parties in various countries. And his thinking gives us a better understanding of what is happening in China, where China is going, and what impact it will have on the world," said Christina Viena, Vice Chairperson of the French Socialist Party.

Copyedited by Chris Surtees

Comments to maxiaowen@bjreview.com