Nafees Sakhawat
On July 1, 2026, the Communist Party of China (CPC), the political ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC), marks its 105th founding anniversary since its founding in Shanghai in 1921. The CPC has grown from a tiny party of some 57 members represented by 13 deputies. Currently, the CPC has grown into the world's largest political party, with 101.29 million members and over 5.43 million primary organizations as of the end of 2025. Since its founding, the CPC has made seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation its mission.
The Chinese leader Mao Zedong declared the founding of the PRC at Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1949, marking the beginning of a new historical era in China. The founding of the PRC was forged through the blood, toil, tears, and sweat of the Chinese people, marking the emergence of a transformed China on the world stage. The year 2026 also marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army’s Long March led by the CPC.
As the CPC marks its 105th anniversary, one achievement stands out as perhaps the greatest contribution to human development in modern history, which is lifting millions of people out of extreme poverty. President Xi Jinping played a defining role in elevating alleviation into a national priority. His commitment did not begin after assuming China's highest office. During the years serving in Ningde, Fujian Province, one of China's poorest regions at the time, he witnessed firsthand the hardship faced by rural communities. Those experiences shaped his conviction that development should ultimately be measured by improvements in people's lives.
Under the pragmatic and visionary leadership of the CPC, China has become the world's biggest market and second-largest economy, and the first developing country to achieve the United Nations Development Goal (SDG) on poverty. And also, emerged as one of the world's leading innovators, raising the average life expectancy of its people to more than 79 years, and established the world's biggest education, social security, health care, and hi-tech systems. The CPC has managed to preserve the unity and harmony of 1.4 billion multi-ethnic people. The Chinese people ardently support the CPC leadership. The Party consciously accepts public oversight. Citizens can report problems to disciplinary authorities through a simple phone call or by scanning a QR code on their mobile phones. Behind these achievements lies the CPC's enduring belief that 'the country is the people, and the people are the country'.
Now Chinese people enjoy more freedom of expression and access to information. The legal system inside China has improved, and people feel safer and more secure in China. Many people in the West think there's no democracy in China, as the country is under the rule of one party, the Communist Party of China. But the fact that China's Socialist Democracy has been developed based on its national context after numerous trials, just like the country's political system. China's Socialist Democracy, with the feature of the Party's leadership, ensures the consistency of policy making as well as the sustainability of development goals.
One vital reason for China's high-quality development has been long-term strategic planning through Five-Year Plans. Since 1953, China has implemented 14 consecutive Five-Year Plans, pursuing development with consistency and determination. In 2026, China begins its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), a comprehensive blueprint crucial for advancing national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization and creating more opportunities for shared prosperity with countries around the world, including Bangladesh. In my assessment, one of the reasons why the CPC continues to demonstrate vitality after more than a century of existence lies precisely in its capacity for adaption, self-correction, and maintenance of high levels of organizational discipline.
Over the decades, China has achieved remarkable progress in various fields, especially infrastructure development, education, macroeconomic management, good governance, social inclusiveness, aerospace, UN peace-keeping mission, military power, modern agricultural demonstration, and artificial intelligence, which would not have been possible without the splendid leadership of the CPC. China's GDP has grown from less than $10 billion in the early years of the People's Republic to $20 trillion today. Per capita GDP has risen from just a few dozen dollars to over $13000. At the beginning of the 21st century, China had no high-speed railways. Today, it's a completely different picture. Currently, China operates more than 50,000 kilometers of high-speed railway, and the network is expected to double in length to 70,000 kilometers by 2035. Installed power generation capacity has exceeded four billion kilowatts, the highest in the world, while the core industries of the digital economy now contribute more than 10% of GDP.
China has proposed several approaches for global governance and development, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the New Development Bank, and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Furthermore, the strategic rollout of global initiatives consolidates Beijing's readiness to assume greater institutional responsibilities in contemporary global governance. This sophisticated suite of initiatives, namely the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), and the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), forms a comprehensive and mutually reinforcing architecture. These initiatives promote multilateral cooperation, respect for diverse development courses, and enhanced connectivity. China develops its own development and governance path that fits its own conditions, differing from traditional Western-led models and offering inspiration for Global South countries to chart their own distinctive governance expedient.
Currently, the CPC maintains regular exchanges with more than 700 political parties and organizations in over 170 countries, including various political parties in Bangladesh, especially between the ruling political party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The CPC and the BNP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to China last month. From sharing poverty reduction experience and advancing green development to exchanges on governance and dialogue among young political leaders, the CPC has remained committed to mutual learning with political parties around the world. The important lesson from the CPC is that a political party must neither seek privilege and entitlement for itself nor allow special interests to develop within its ranks.
The establishment of President Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, a theoretical framework that rejuvenated the CPC and clarified its vision for the new era, further reinforced its commitment to strict self-governance and provided a solid foundation for governance. The CPC has not only delivered stable, steady, and inclusive growth for Chinese people but also has assumed greater international responsibility by providing civic amenities with global significance.
The writer is the Director (Youth Affairs) of the Centre for East Asia Foundation, Bangladesh
