CPC a political party in ceaseless pursuit of progress: French politician

By Liu Lingling, People’s Daily

Pierre Laurent, president of the National Council of the French Communist Party, hailed the admirable achievements made by the Communist Party of China (CPC) in a recent interview with People’s Daily.

He said the CPC has led the Chinese people to make the historic transformation of raising people’s living standards from bare subsistence to an overall level of moderate prosperity, and is now marching toward the goal of common prosperity and striving to build a modern society for 1.4 billion Chinese people.

He said the Chinese philosophy of leaving no one behind on the march towards building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and common prosperity mirrors China’s people-centered approach and demonstrates great courage and boldness.

Laurent’s first visit to China was in 1983. The hustle and bustle across the country back then made him realize the strong desire of the Chinese people for a better life.

After that, he paid many visits to China and every time he saw drastic changes taking place in the country. It astonished him that Beijing became the first city in the world to have hosted the Summer and Winter Olympics.

“Under the leadership of the CPC, China has comprehensively deepened reforms and expanded opening up. A series of new measures launched by the country have attracted global attention,” Laurent told People’s Daily.

Apart from Beijing, he also visited Shanghai, Nanjing, and some other cities in China, which left him with many unforgettable memories.

“I’m lucky to have witnessed the rise of the Chinese economy, which now ranks second in the world. Under the leadership of the CPC, China has made ceaseless efforts to eradicate poverty and tackle the challenge of imbalanced development,” Laurent said.

Over the past 10 years, China has worked vigorously to advance high-quality economic development, which has narrowed the development gap between urban and rural areas and lifted people’s living standards, creating favorable conditions for promoting common prosperity, Laurent added.

Upon the invitation of the CPC, Laurent, then National Secretary of the French Communist Party, led a delegation to visit China in 2015, which was his most recent visit to China.

During the visit, he had cordial and friendly exchanges with the Chinese side, saying both the French Communist Party and the CPC are committed to promoting social progress, tackling climate change, protecting biodiversity, ensuring food and health security, and safeguarding social rights, and the two parties share broad consensuses.

The CPC is a political party in ceaseless pursuit of progress in the eyes of Laurent. He said the CPC always seeks truth from facts and advances with the times, and has explored a development path that matches China’s national conditions.

“The CPC has led the Chinese people to realize the first centenary goal and is now advancing towards the second centenary goal, bringing China to a new phase of development,” Laurent noted, adding that the Chinese political party always recognizes the historic juncture and development stage that China is in and constantly adjusts its plans and policies to lead China to steady development.

The CPC not only seeks its own development, but also cares about the future of humanity with a global vision, the French politician said.

“Currently, countries are facing many global issues, and we are told by more and more facts that no country is an isolated island and all countries’ interests are closely connected. We should join hands to cope with global challenges,” he told People’s Daily, adding that the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, offers a solution to tackling global challenges.

He believes that the vision mirrors China’s global perspective and major country responsibility, which integrate the country’s own development with that of the rest of the world.

“The French Communist Party actively supports European Union member states in joining the Belt and Road Initiative,” Laurent said, adding that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a grand initiative that is conducive to enhancing communication among countries and regions along its route.

Relevant parties need to hold candid and in-depth dialogues under the BRI framework, to which the French Communist Party is willing to make contributions, Laurent noted.

He told People’s Daily that the 20th National Congress of the CPC was a significant meeting for the development of both China and the world.

“As the world is facing complicated situations and uncertainties, we believe the 20th National Congress of the CPC would not only lead China to new achievements, but also contribute to world peace and development. It is hoped that China will continue playing an important role in making the future of mankind better and more united,” Laurent remarked.