The 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China convened its third plenary session in Beijing from July 15 to 18, 2024.
President Xi Jinping delivered important addresses. At the session, the Central Committee gave a highly positive assessment of the success and achievements we have made in comprehensively deepening reform since the beginning of the new era and studied the issue of further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization.
Earlier, I introduced the spirit of the session to my media friends at the Lagos Forum Media Dialogue. Today, let me once again introduce to my Nigerian friends why this very important meeting, which was held at a critical period for our endeavor to build a great country and move toward national rejuvenation on all fronts through Chinese modernization, has great historical significance and far-reaching historical impact, and what development opportunities it will bring to Nigeria and other African countries.
In the communique of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, “Reform and Opening Up”, “Development”, “People” and “Chinese modernization” have once again become high-frequency hot words.
Through these words, the international community can see that China is gathering its strength to forge ahead steadily, pioneering and innovative, open and confident. It is more optimistic about the huge potential of China’s economic and social development, and hopes that China’s high-quality development will bring more opportunities to the world.
This plenary session demonstrates China’s firm conviction to carry out reform and opening-up in the new era to the end. The reform theme of this plenary session is clear, It was stated in the Resolution that to further deepening reform comprehensively, we must implement 6 principles of upholding the Party’s overall leadership, taking a people-centered approach, upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, taking institution building as our main task, exercising law-based governance on all fronts, and applying systems thinking. This plenary session has proposed extensive and comprehensive reform measures. It was stated in the Resolution that more than 300 important reform measures at the system , mechanism and institutional levels have been proposed, covering the improvement and upgrading of past reform measures, as well as exploring new reform measures based on practical needs and pilot projects. The reform theme of this plenary session has been prominently emphasized. It was stated in the Resolution that we will focus on building a high-standard socialist market economy, advancing whole-process people’s democracy, developing a strong socialist culture in China, raising the people’s quality of life, building a Beautiful China, advancing the Peaceful China Initiative to a higher level, and improving the Party’s capacity for leadership and long-term governance. The Seven Focuses on have made comprehensive arrangements for reforms in the economic and livelihood fields.
It was stated that opening up is a defining feature of Chinese modernization. We must remain committed to the basic state policy of opening to the outside world and continue to promote reform through opening up. Leveraging the strength of China’s enormous market, we will enhance our capacity for opening up while expanding cooperation with other countries and develop new institutions for a higher-standard open economy. We will steadily expand institutional opening up, deepen the foreign trade structural reform, further reform the management systems for inward and outward investment, improve planning for regional opening up, and refine the mechanisms for high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Nigeria serves as a pilot nation for the Belt and Road cooperation between China and Africa, and is a steadfast partner in the Belt and Road collaboration. In October last year, Vice President Shettima went to China to attend the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and met with President Xi Jinping, and the two sides had in-depth exchanges on building China-Nigeria relations in the new era and high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road, and reached a series of important results and consensus. The major projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, including the Lekki Deepsea Port and the Lagos-Ibadan Railway, have greatly benefited local economic and social development. China is ready to continue to work with the Nigerian side to promote more tangible results in China-Nigeria and China-Africa cooperation in building the Belt and Road, and to help Nigeria and Africa achieve industrialization and agricultural modernization.
It was stressed that Chinese modernization is the modernization of peaceful development. In foreign relations, China remains firmly committed to pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace and is dedicated to promoting a human community with a shared future. Holding dear humanity’s shared values, we will pursue the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, as well as the Global Civilization Initiative and call for an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. We will deepen institutional reforms related to the work of foreign affairs and participate in efforts to lead the reform and development of the global governance system. We will resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.
In recent years, China and Nigeria have supported each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests and major concerns, and closely cooperated in international and regional affairs, delegations from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force and Navy, as well as the 43rd and 46th escort task forces of the Chinese Navy, have made friendly visits toNigeria. I am confident that the two countries will make greater contributions to the world on the road to peaceful development of modernization.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and another important year for the comprehensive deepening of reform. This year is also of extraordinary significance for China-Africa & China-Nigeria relations. The 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will be held in Beijing from September 4 to 6 under the theme of Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future.
In our march toward modernization, China and Nigeria will work together to deepen and expand exchanges and cooperation in various fields and make new and greater contributions to the building of a high-level community with a shared future for Africa and for mankind.
Yan Yuqing, Chinese Consul General in Lagos