Marching Ahead of Time

We hope that by providing a means to appreciate the remarkable progress the nation has made over the past five years amid a complex and constantly changing international environment, this book will give readers a better appreciation of the opportunities and challenges China faces over the next years.

This book is a compilation of selected editorials and opinion articles published in China Daily over the past five years. The articles cover a wide variety of issues and reflect the views of domestic and foreign scholars and writers responding at the time to a new development. They not only highlight the challenges China has faced over the past five years and the many achievements it has made under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, but also explore how China will navigate its way to realize the people’s dream of national rejuvenation.
Collectively, the pieces examine the significance, influence and practical outcomes of new strategies, new thinking and new ideas introduced and implemented by the new leadership with General Secretary Xi Jinping as its core since late 2012. These have guided China’s development in the era of a new normal and instigated “deep-water” reforms in many areas that have given fresh impetus to social development, contemporary culture, the country’s ecologic and environmental health, and China’s growing contribution to global governance.

China Daily, established in 1981, is the only national English-language newspaper in China. The average daily circulation is more than 200,000, one-third of which is abroad in more than 150 countries and regions.

Governance ushers in new era
New normal, new economy
Confidence helps culture prosper
Social reform improves people’s livelihoods
Green development ideal for China
Win-win cooperation to build a community

With the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China approaching, all eyes are focused on the country and the Party, because the international community has been wondering how China under the leadership of the Party has maintained sustainable growth despite the weak world economic recovery.
The answer lies in the dynamism and evolution of the Party, which have been on display throughout its history, especially since 2012 when the new Party leadership assumed office.
As the CPC observes the 96th anniversary of its founding on Saturday, it can pride itself for lifting the world’s most populous country out of poverty and making it the world’s second-largest economy in three decades through reform and opening-up.
The Party with about 89 million members is now committed to building a community of shared destiny, providing the vision for a better future for humankind.
The painful memory of the setbacks, some costly, in the pursuit of national independence and subsequent rejuvenation of the Chinese nation consolidated the Party’s belief that only through down-to-earth pragmatism can it make China self-reliant in all spheres.
It is owing to this belief that the Party has never wavered in its goal of leading China on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. By responding well to the people’s needs and cultivating efficient and capable officials, the Party has shown tremendous governance stability and efficiency which have helped the country continue on the path of economic and social development despite international uncertainties.
Self-correction is the other source of that stability and efficiency. In this regard, the anti-corruption campaign intensified since 2012 and the strengthening of Party discipline have made the Party stronger.
The continuous development of the theory of socialism has not only infused new vitality into the Party but also attracted many new members. More important, it has allowed the Party leadership with Xi Jinping as its core to give shape to its global vision.
And this global vision is perfectly demonstrated in the China-led Belt and Road Initiative and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, as it will allow the country to share its wisdom and development dividends with the rest of the world to promote inclusive global economic growth and help build a fairer world order.
China is closer to achieving the great goal of national rejuvenation today than at any other time in history. As long as the CPC stays true to its mission, and puts people first, nothing can stop it from realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

This book is a compilation of selected editorials and opinion articles published in China Daily over the past five years. The articles cover a wide variety of issues and reflect the views of domestic and foreign scholars and writers responding at the time to a new development. They not only highlight the challenges China has faced over the past five years and the many achievements it has made under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, but also explore how China will navigate its way to realize the people’s dream of national rejuvenation.
Collectively, the pieces examine the significance, influence and practical outcomes of new strategies, new thinking and new ideas introduced and implemented by the new leadership with General Secretary Xi Jinping as its core since late 2012. These have guided China’s development in the era of a new normal and instigated “deep-water” reforms in many areas that have given fresh impetus to social development, contemporary culture, the country’s ecologic and environmental health, and China’s growing contribution to global governance. We hope that by providing a means to appreciate the remarkable progress the nation has made over the past five years amid a complex and constantly changing international environment, this book will give readers a better appreciation of the opportunities and challenges China faces over the next years.