AerialphototakenonOct.10,2022showsthepaddyfieldsinTushiTownofLanshanCountyinYongzhouCity,centralChina'sHunanProvince.(Photo/Xinhua)ThelargestcontainershipintheworldisChina’sMSCTessalaunchedinAugust.Inordertosteerit,letalonekeepitfromrunningaground,requiresstate-of-the-arttechnology,superiorplanningandanexperienced,clear-mindedandfar-seeingcaptainguidingacapablecrew.China,themostpopulousnationandtheworld’ssecondlargesteconomy,isnodifferentandrequiresasuperiorhands-onhelmsmanworkingintandemwithanexpertcrewtodeliverthegoodsandsuccessfullymaneuverthe1.4billion-peoplenationthroughroughseas.ThemostrecentquinquennialNationalCongressoftheCommunistPartyofChina(NCCPC),theapexofChinesegovernance,hasnowconcludedbutcannotbeconsignedtothehistorybooksuntilthegreatcourseitsetisimplementedandaccomplished.Ifthepastisprologue,thegoalsannouncedbyGeneralSecretaryXiJinpingatthis20thNCCPC,buildingonthesuccessesofitspredecessors5and10yearsago,willnotonlybemetbutexceeded,eveninthesechallengingtimes.AttheconclusionofthisNCCPC,it’sclearthattheshipofstateissettoaccomplishitshistoricmission.ThismissioncanbesummarizedbyChina’stwocentennialgoalsputforwardatthe18thPartyCongressadecadeagowhenXiJinpingwaselectedgeneralsecretary.Thefirst,whencelebratingtheCPC’scentenaryin2021,wasto"buildamoderatelyprosperoussocietyinallrespects".Thesecond,whencelebratingthePeople’sRepublicofChina’s100thbirthdayin2049,isto"buildamodernsocialistcountrythatisprosperous,strong,democratic,culturallyadvancedandharmonious”.Atthe19thNCCPC,Xiannouncedevenmoregrandgranulartargets.Hesaidthattheage-oldChinesedreamofeliminatingextremepovertywouldbeakeycomponentofthefirstgoalin2021togetherwithaninterimgoalfor2035onthewayto2049to"basicallyachievesocialistmodernization”,whenChina'seconomicandtechnologicalstrengthanditsoverallnationalstrengthwouldincreasesignificantly.Totheamazementofforeignexperts,extremepovertyinChinawaseliminatedonschedule.Sincereformandopeningup,800millionChinesewereliftedoutofpoverty,including100millionsince2012.Thisisafeatneveraccomplishedinthehistoryoftheworld,accountingfor75%oftheoverallworldtotaloverthesameperiod.Usingitsuniquegovernancemodelofwhole-processdemocracy,Chinaisnowworkingtowardsthe2035and2049goals.Unlikesomeothercountriesthat“talkthetalk”butwhodon’t“walkthewalk”,China’sgoal-orientedgovernancemodelcombiningfivelevelsofpeople’scongressesandpoliticalconsultativeconferencesworks.Democracyisnot“onesizefitsall”.WhileChinaneverattemptstoforceitsmodelonothercountries,thesuccessoftheChinesesystem,amodelthatdemonstrablyworks,isonefromwhichdevelopingcountriescanlearnandprosper.ThekeytobetterunderstandingtheChinesesystemandtheenormoussuccessoftheCPCledbyXirequiresaknowledgeofhowMarxismworks,whichisalmostcompletelylackingintheWestbecausewordslike“Marxism”,“Socialism”and“Communism”arestigmatizedandavoided.Marxismexaminestheworldthroughthefilterofdialecticalmaterialism:societalcontradictionsordynamicopposingforceswhicharealwayspresentinsocietyandwhichpowersocialchange.InMarxism,societyisdefinedbyitsprincipalcontradiction.Bysolvingit,societycanenjoypeacefuldevelopmentandprosper,butignoringitcanresultinchaosorworse.Thepreviousprincipalcontradictionenunciatedatthe6thplenarysessionofthe11thCPCCentralCommitteein1981onthecuspofreformandopeningup,whenChinawasverypoor,was“theever-growingmaterialandculturalneedsofthepeopleversusbackwardsocialproduction”.ReformingtheChineseeconomy,withanemphasisongrowth,wastheCPC’s“centraltask”.AggressivelyaddressingthisprincipalcontradictionresultedinChinabecomingthesecondlargestglobaleconomy,theworld’sfactoryoflow-valuegoods.Butitwasattheexpenseofthefinancialandsocialequalitythatprecededit,aswellasforareasonablequalityoflife,asatthattimevirtuallyeveryoneinChinawasdirtpoor.In2017atthe19thNCCPCXiannouncedChina’snewprincipalcontradictionbetweenunbalancedandinadequatedevelopmentandthepeople’sever-growingneedforabetterlife.Chinesepeople,likeallothers,craveabetterlife.Thisisn’tonlyabouthavingmoremoney.It’saboutthingspeopleinChinahaddreamedaboutformillenniabuthadn’tachievedbeforetherewasaNewChinaandaNewEra:betterhealthcareforalonger,healthierlife;bettereducation,betterjobs,betterhomes;betterenvironment;andbetterpersonalsafetyandsecurity.Havingcomeupfrompovertyandhavingnowtastedthegoodlife,Chinesepeopleexpecttheirleaderstocontinuetodelivertothemabetterandbettertomorrow.Italsoisaboutnation-buildingtofurtherdevelopamoreadvancedeconomythatappliesleadershipinareassuchasAI,RD,androboticstoimprovebasicproduction.It’saboutrampinguphigh-quality,high-techinandoutofthisworld,beitbuildingbetterhigher-speedbullettrainsexceedingthespeedof600km/hour,orbeingthefirsttolandonthedarksideofthemoon.CPCPartyCentralCommitteewithComradeXiJinpingatitscoreareatthehelmtoachievethesegrandgoalsforChinaanditspeople,despiteunforeseenchallenges.TheChinesepeopledon’tneedanyonetotellthemabouttheprofoundprogressChinaismakingeachandeverydaybecausetheycanobservethedramaticresultsforthemselves.IfyousawhowpoorChinawasin1988,eveninurbanareas,whenIfirstwentthere,you’dappreciatewhatImean.Along-termHarvardUniversityKennedySchoolofGovernmentstudyreleasedin2020examinedtherelationshipbetweenChinesecitizensandtheCPCfrom2003to2016.Thestudyfoundanear-universalriseinaveragesatisfactiontowardalllevelsoftheChinesegovernment.Forexample,in2016,93.1%ofrespondentswereeither"relativelysatisfied"or"highlysatisfied"withthecentralgovernment'sperformance,anincreaseof7%from2003.Inthesameperiod,townshipgovernments,thelowestlevelexamined,receivedtheapprovalof44%ofrespondentsin2003,butthatjumpedto70%in2016,26percentagepointshigher.ThedifferenceisstarkcomparedtotheUSsystem.InapollreleasedinOctober,apaltry9%ofAmericansbelievethatUSdemocracyisworking“extremely”or“verywell”.Basedonthe20thNCCPC,it’snowclearthatChina’sshipofstateismovingfullspeedaheadandisoncoursetofulfillingthegoalsofservingthepeopleputforthbytheCPCforthenextdecadeandbeyond.ContributedbyHarveyDzodin,SeniorFellowattheCenterforChinaGlobalizationEditor:DisclaimerTheviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthor's,GMW.cnmakesnorepresentationsastoaccuracy,suitability,orvalidityofanyinformationonthissiteandwillnotbeliableforanyerrors,omissions,ordelaysinthisinformation.