China's progress a global boon

Guests exchange ideas during a parallel forum themed Political Parties and Global Development at the 2026 Think Tank Forum on National Governance in Developing Countries in Beijing on Friday. [Photo/China Daily]

The Communist Party of China's leadership is the fundamental support for China's modernization, and the nation stands ready to share its opportunities with other countries, including those of the Global South, experts said at a panel discussion in Beijing on Friday.

The session, part of the 2026 Think Tank Forum on National Governance in Developing Countries, attracted scholars from multiple countries, who shared their understanding of the CPC's governance experience and philosophies.

This is the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period. Xu Xiujun, vice-president of the National Academy of Chinese Modernization at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that medium — and long-term plans on economic and social development led by the CPC, such as the five-year plans, have formed key mechanisms and strategies guiding the country's growth.

The 15th Five-Year Plan stresses the importance of high-quality development, laying a solid foundation for China to basically realize socialist modernization by 2035, Xu said.

By sticking to these development plans, the CPC has ensured the consistency of national policies, according to Xu. "Patience that lasts for more than a generation" is essential for a political party if it intends to succeed in guiding a country's modernization efforts, he said.

China's institutions, which facilitate long-term investment and the pooling of resources, help the country accomplish major tasks, while its grassroots level is given adequate room for innovation and trial and error, Xu said.

In addition, the CPC's self-reform, especially its battle against corruption, has provided a sustained guarantee for China's modernization drive, he said.

Evandro Menezes de Carvalho, former director of the Center for Brazil-China Studies at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Brazil, said many countries in the Global South have experienced risks of interrupted long-term policies brought by electoral cycles, as "governments often begin by dismantling what their predecessors built rather than improving it", leading to declining public trust.

"The Global South cannot afford permanent political instability," Carvalho said. "Industrial transformation requires continuity. Educational reform requires decades. Technological innovation depends upon long-term investment. Infrastructure cannot be built through electoral cycles alone."

Wu Zhicheng, president of the Institute of International Strategic Studies at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), said innovation of theories is an important reason for the sound progress of Chinese modernization.

"By keeping adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, the CPC has guided China's modernization in the right direction with advanced thoughts," Wu said.

Also, the CPC has demonstrated a strong capability to coordinate the interests of the 1.4 billion people in China and mobilize vast resources to achieve Chinese modernization by implementing whole-process people's democracy, Wu said.

"This has turned China's large population into a strong advantage in human resources and talent that helps promote modernization," he said.

Under the leadership of the CPC, China has made strides in its growth, said Carvalho, who called for more exchanges and discussions about China's governance. It is important for other countries to gain a better understanding of the way the CPC leads China if they want to understand China, he added.