Chinese President Xi Jinping calling on the world's political parties said everyone must work together to build a one-size-fits-all economic globalisation that is more open, inclusive, and participatory and win-win. He was speaking at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July 6 to mark the centenary of the Communist Party of China (CPC). His remarks have given us a clear idea of the policy of the CPC which we should know and understand well.
The founding of the CPC was in Shanghai in 1921 when the number of party members was very negligible, and now in 2021 it is celebrating its centenary today. The party is now said to be the largest political party in the world with a membership of over 90 million. It is such a party in which no one can get easily the membership, rather the candidates have to prove that they are patriotic, hardworking, and very loyal to the ideology of this party. Only 20 per cent of those who apply get primary membership. After joining the party one has to prove that he is a devout communist. He may lose his membership for any stumbling block or face any other punishment. A member of this party cannot work in his area, but rather he is sent far away from home to any place at any time.
There are many villages in remote areas of China where people live below the poverty line. One of the goals of the CPC was that there would be no poor people in China during the centenary of the party and it has been able to achieve its goal. To achieve this goal, the member in charge has to travel hundreds of miles away from his home and work in remote areas; due to which, the member in charge of the party has to be separated from his family for 11 months in a year. Their success makes them forget the pain of being separated from their family since they think they are doing a great job; so, such a party is deeply rooted in the people.
It has been revealed that the CPC has fraternal relations with more than 500 political parties in 160 countries globally. No matter whether these parties are the ruling party or the opposition; the CPC does not have any weakness towards any particular political party in any country; as such, China does not allow misunderstandings in the minds of the people of any country, and this creditable policy has made China's international diplomacy acceptable. President Xi Jinping is the General Secretary of the CPC and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, therefore, he is one of the most powerful leaders in the world today.
He had addressed a conference of the world's most powerful political parties. In his speech delivered from Beijing via video link, he promised that the CPC, as a major political party in the country, would be committed to the welfare of mankind.
He said the CPC had lifted 98.99 million people out of poverty in rural China since 2012 and his party was ready to share its experience in solving poverty problems with other countries. In this perspective, it should be noted here that a professor from Tsinghua University in China said in an interview on a Chinese TV channel that China neither wants to export development to any other country nor import development models from any country.
Xi Jinping's call at the summit of the CPC and the world's political parties on July 6, 2021 is that no country should be left behind in human welfare; all countries and nations of the world have the right to equal opportunities for development. He called on all political parties at the conference to be inspired by an ideology that builds a global community through partnership.
It is noteworthy that in the speeches made by the President on the occasion of the centenary celebrations, very few times socialism has been directly declared as the goal. Perhaps, in the current world situation, slavery in the name of socialism was not considered reasonable, but the participatory world community will be practically socialism, because, if the partnership on welfare is based on the partnership of the people and ethnic groups within the state boundaries, it cannot be a system other than socialism.
If we consider religion as a fundamental issue and believe in it, then we see Islam also advocates the same. There are a number of issues around the world, such as ensuring the participation of all in order to ensure the equitable use of the world's common resources. There is no alternative but to solve the problem of global warming on the basis of partnership, irrespective of religion, caste, community and nation.
His main point about democracy is that it ensures the right of all people, democracy does not mean the privileges of a handful of people. There are many ways to achieve democracy, there can be no democracy solely along with a particular path. It should be the responsibility of the people of a country to judge whether it is a democratic country or not, and this responsibility cannot be left to a handful of people.
Earlier, a professor at Tsinghua University commented that the process for democracy was more emphasized in developing and underdeveloped countries in contrast to developed rich countries. Western countries place more emphasis on the process for democracy in developing and underdeveloped countries than in developed rich countries, but they do not want to analyze what is the end result. Conversely, the People's Republic of China attaches special importance to the outcome rather than the process.
President Xi Jinping urges political parties around the world to refrain from politicizing the Covid-19 pandemic, opposing the affixing of geographic labels on the Covid-19 virus. He has assured that China will never walk the path of hegemony, expansionism, or the development of an influential region, but rather will stay with the developing world.
President Xi believes that globalisation has become more dynamic than obstacles at the moment, there is a tendency for cooperation among the countries of the world and this trend will not change. The United States' imposition of various economic sanctions on China and on some other countries in a bid to establish dominance have led many to believe that globalisation is on the wane.
Historical experience has shown that every civilisation has its ups and downs. Historian Spengler likens the rise and fall of a civilisation to the change of seasons. The United States is currently the world's number one economic and military power but many are frustrated with the future of democracy in the United States. We have noticed that China is also developing very fast in terms of economy, military power, and technology. For, China is moving towards modernisation and development at a time when it is possible to take the leverage from the coffers of the world's technology. That is why it is said that the countries that join the development later are able to develop faster than the previous developed countries. With these realities in mind, Bangladesh needs to determine its foreign policy and strategy.
Abul Qasem Haider is Founder Chairman of Eastern University, Islamic Finance and Investment Ltd, Australian School and Abul Qasem Haider Mohila College, Sandwip, Chattogram, Former Senate Member, University of Dhaka.
,Email-aqhaider@youthgroupbd.com