CPC's 105-year journey demonstrates strength of China's development path: Ambassador Jiang

-- Chinese envoy says CPC's leadership has transformed China into a global economic powerhouse

-- Pledges deeper cooperation with Pakistan through CPEC 2.0 and shared modernization

ISLAMABAD: Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong on Tuesday said the 105-year journey of the Communist Party of China (CPC) stands as a testament to the country's remarkable transformation from poverty to prosperity, describing the Party as the driving force behind China's modernization, economic rise and expanding role in promoting global peace and development.

Addressing a ceremony marking the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, Ambassador Jiang said the CPC's century-long leadership had enabled China to achieve historic economic and social progress while providing new opportunities for global development through initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The ambassador said the anniversary was being commemorated across China following a grand gathering in Beijing where Chinese President and CPC General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered a keynote address outlining the Party's historic achievements and future direction.

He said Xi's speech comprehensively reviewed the CPC's 105-year struggle, highlighting its mission of pursuing national rejuvenation, improving people's livelihoods and advancing modernization with Chinese characteristics.

"The entire Party and the Chinese people are studying and implementing the guiding principles of President Xi Jinping's speech with the determination to build China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and realise the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," Ambassador Jiang said.

Tracing the Party's evolution since its founding on July 1, 1921, Jiang noted that the CPC had grown from a small political movement of just over 50 members into the world's largest governing political party with more than 101 million members, leading what he described as one of history's most remarkable development transformations.

He said the CPC had united the Chinese people in overcoming imperialism, feudalism and poverty while laying the foundations for a modern state and achieving sustained economic growth over the past several decades.

Highlighting China's economic achievements, the ambassador said the country's gross domestic product had expanded from 67.9 billion yuan in 1952 to 140.2 trillion yuan in 2025, transforming China into the world's second-largest economy and one of the principal engines of global growth.

He said China's per capita income had risen to approximately 13,400 US dollars, while the country's manufacturing sector now accounts for nearly 30 per cent of global manufacturing output, underscoring its central role in the international economy.

Jiang said that since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, President Xi Jinping had guided China through a new phase of development characterised by high-quality growth, technological innovation, poverty eradication and long-term social stability.

He described China's elimination of absolute rural poverty as "the largest poverty alleviation campaign in human history," noting that nearly 100 million rural residents had been lifted out of poverty while the country had established the world's largest education, healthcare and social security systems.

The ambassador also highlighted China's recent economic resilience despite global uncertainties.

He said China's economy expanded by five per cent year-on-year during the first quarter of 2025, while industrial production, the services sector and foreign trade continued to register steady growth.

According to Jiang, China's foreign exchange reserves remained above 3.4 trillion US dollars, providing strong support for economic stability and sustained development.

Turning to China's global role, the ambassador said the CPC has consistently promoted peace, development and mutually beneficial cooperation, arguing that China's modernization offers valuable opportunities for developing countries seeking sustainable economic progress.

He said China remains committed to building "a community with a shared future for mankind" by promoting multilateral cooperation, economic connectivity and inclusive development.

The ambassador highlighted President Xi Jinping's four major global initiatives—the Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) and Global Governance Initiative (GGI)—which he said are intended to strengthen international cooperation, improve global governance and contribute to lasting peace and shared prosperity.

Describing China as "an anchor of stability in a turbulent world," Jiang said Beijing would continue advocating peaceful development, dialogue and mutually beneficial partnerships while sharing the opportunities created by its own modernization with the international community.

The ambassador said the Belt and Road Initiative has become the world's largest platform for international economic cooperation, with participation from more than 150 countries.

He said the initiative has generated nearly one trillion US dollars in investment, launched more than 3,000 cooperation projects, created over 400,000 jobs, and, according to World Bank estimates, has the potential to lift millions of people out of poverty worldwide.

Continuing his address, Ambassador Jiang described the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as the flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative and one of the most successful examples of international development cooperation.

He said that since its launch, CPEC has brought more than US$25.9 billion in direct Chinese investment to Pakistan, created over 260,000 jobs, added more than 8,000 megawatts to the national power grid, constructed 510 kilometres of expressways and 886 kilometres of national core transmission lines, significantly contributing to Pakistan's energy security, infrastructure development and industrialisation.

According to the ambassador, CPEC has become "a vivid embodiment of the China-Pakistan community with a shared future" and an important benchmark for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

Jiang said China remains committed to working with Pakistan to build an upgraded version of CPEC 2.0, with greater emphasis on industrial cooperation, agricultural modernisation, science and technology, digital connectivity, green development and people's livelihoods.

Highlighting the CPC's governance philosophy, the ambassador said the Party has consistently strengthened itself through ideological development and theoretical innovation.

Quoting President Xi Jinping's remarks on the CPC's anniversary, Jiang said the Party continues to uphold Marxism while adapting it to China's national conditions, enabling it to respond effectively to changing domestic and international challenges.

He said Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has provided the scientific guidance behind China's remarkable achievements in economic development, technological innovation, diplomacy and social governance over the past decade.

According to Jiang, the CPC Central Committee has further enriched this framework by introducing Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, which he described as a comprehensive guide for strengthening Party discipline, governance capacity and organisational unity.

The ambassador said the theory not only serves China's domestic governance but also offers valuable experience for political parties around the world seeking to improve national governance and public administration.

Turning to bilateral relations, Jiang described China and Pakistan as "iron-clad brothers" whose friendship enjoys broad support across Pakistan's political spectrum.

He said China is ready to deepen exchanges with Pakistani political parties, strengthen cooperation on governance and development, and promote greater mutual learning in areas of public administration and policymaking.

The ambassador also congratulated Pakistan on what he described as its encouraging economic progress over the past year.

He noted that Pakistan's economy had recorded 3.7 per cent growth during fiscal year 2025-26, reaching a record size of US$452 billion, while the services and large-scale manufacturing sectors registered their strongest performance in four years.

He said the increase in per capita income reflected improving economic conditions and demonstrated that the benefits of growth were increasingly reaching ordinary citizens.

Jiang also praised Pakistan's diplomatic efforts in promoting regional peace, particularly its role in facilitating dialogue between the United States and Iran, describing Islamabad's contribution as an important step towards easing regional tensions and promoting stability.

"China warmly congratulates Pakistan on its achievements both at home and abroad," he said.

Looking ahead, the ambassador said 2026, which marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan, provides an important opportunity to elevate bilateral cooperation to a new level.

He said Beijing stands ready to work closely with Islamabad to implement the consensus reached between President Xi Jinping, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

China also seeks deeper alignment between its 15th Five-Year Plan and Pakistan's Uraan Pakistan initiative to accelerate economic cooperation and sustainable development, he added.

The ambassador said both countries would continue implementing the action plan for building an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era while making effective use of mechanisms such as the China-Pakistan Political Parties Forum and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Political Parties Joint Consultation Mechanism.

He reaffirmed China's commitment to jointly advancing the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative and Global Governance Initiative with Pakistan.

Concluding his address, Jiang expressed confidence that the enduring China-Pakistan friendship would continue to deepen in the years ahead through expanded strategic cooperation, economic integration and people-to-people exchanges.

He said the two countries would work together to open a new chapter in the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, accelerate the high-quality development of CPEC 2.0 and make greater contributions to regional peace, common development and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.