by Chinese Ambassador to Belgium Fei Shengchao (pictured)
“To understand China today, one must learn to understand the Communist Party of China (CPC, the Party).” said Chinese President Xi Jinping. This year’s July 1 marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Party. General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the commemorative gathering. Reviewing the Party’s extraordinary history and looking ahead to a bright future for the development of the Party and the Chinese people, the speech provides an important window for Belgium and Europe, as well as the international community, to better understand China’s development achievements, the key to the Party’s success and the future development of China-Belgium and China-Europe relations.
The Party has led the Chinese people in creating two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability.
Over the past 105 years, the Party has always adhered to its original mission of seeking happy lives for the Chinese people and rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. By uniting and leading the people of all ethnic groups in the country to work tirelessly, the Party has successfully opened up and adhered to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics through the revolution, construction, reform and the new era. This has initiated a historic and earthshaking transformation in China that had suffered from protracted internal and external woes, poverty and weakness.
In 2025, China’s GDP reached USD 19.63 trillion, more than 1,500 times the USD 12.3 billion registered when the People’s Republic of China was founded. Per capita GDP rose to USD 13,900, an increase of more than 600-fold over the same period, for over one sixth of humanity. Under the leadership of the CPC, China successfully carried out the largest poverty alleviation campaign in human history, lifting 770 million rural residents out of poverty and achieving the poverty reduction target of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ten years ahead of schedule. These achievements have made a significant contribution to global poverty reduction and human development. Today, more than 1.4 billion Chinese people enjoy a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Employment, education, healthcare, housing, elderly care and social security continue to improve, and the people’s aspiration for a better life is steadily becoming a reality.
The six outstanding characteristics that hold the key to the CPC’s success.
From just over 50 members at its founding, the CPC has grown into the world’s largest governing party with more than 100 million members. It leads a country of over 1.4 billion people and has significant global influence. What’s the secret behind the Party’s success? President Xi elaborated on the outstanding characteristics of the CPC—its unwavering commitment to the pursuit of truth, its deep roots among the people, its readiness to shoulder its historic mission, its ability to keep pace with the trend of the times, its courage and resolve in confronting challenges, and its emphasis on strengthening itself, revealing the key to why the CPC is so successful. These six characteristics are not elusive political concepts, but defining features that have run throughout the Party’s endeavors in revolution, national development, reform and modernization.
Brussels is where The Communist Manifesto was written. Each year, numerous Chinese visitors come to pay tribute at La Maison du Cygne café on Brussels’ Grand-Place, for we are fully aware that Marxism has profoundly transformed China. However, the CPC’s commitment to Marxism has never been mechanical copy or dogmatic worship. During the revolutionary years, then Chinese leader Mao Zedong combined the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s realities on the ground, and led the Chinese people to achieve national independence and liberation. In the new era, President Xi further advanced the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s fine traditional culture, injecting new vitality into such enduring Chinese philosophy as harmony without uniformity, the world belongs to all, and the harmony between humanity and nature. He also creatively put forward the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, charting the course for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and for world peace and development.
Advancing Chinese modernization is an unprecedented and pioneering undertaking. This would further test the governing capacity and leadership capabilities of the CPC, a century-old and long-term ruling party. Fortunately, it is always a fine tradition for the CPC to engage in serious self-strengthening and self-improvement. Back in 1945, then Chinese leader Mao Zedong gave the first answer to the well-known question on how to break the historical cycle of alternating order and chaos in a nation: letting the people supervise the government. Building on a century of endeavor, President Xi Jinping offered the second answer—self-revolution. This has ushered in new practices of full and rigorous Party self-governance and led to the formation and development of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building.
Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, the Party has unswervingly promoted good conduct, enforced discipline and fought corruption. In 2025 alone, China’s disciplinary inspection and supervisory institutions registered 1.012 million cases, with 115 officials at or above ministerial level being investigated, a testament to our commitment that all men and women are equal before the law and regulations, no matter how much power or money one may have. This has demonstrated how much we treasure and practice in China the common values of humanity—peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom.
China’s development under the leadership of the CPC will create new opportunities for Belgium and Europe.
Today, as profound changes unseen in a century continue to unfold at a faster pace, countries around the world are placing higher importance on developing relations with China. In Belgium and across Europe, opinions on China vary. Some see opportunities arising from China’s development, while others continue to argue for the so-called “China threat” narrative. China has always believed that China-Belgium and China-EU relations all boil down to complementary strengths, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. China’s development offers an important opportunity for both sides to prosper and succeed together, benefiting the whole world. This year marks the first year of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan as well as the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Belgium. Over the next five years, under the leadership of the CPC, China will continue to pursue innovation, high-quality development and sustained progress, creating new opportunities and opening up new horizons for China–Belgium and China–EU cooperation.
China will stay committed to expanding domestic demand, promoting a dynamic balance between imports and exports, and unswervingly boosting imports. In the first half of this year, China’s imports in goods grew by 22.1%, much higher than that of exports. Last year, China’s deficit of trade in services with the EU reached USD 48.3 billion, accounting for 41.6% of China’s total trade deficit in services. China’s huge market of more than 1.4 billion people and over 400 million middle-income consumers will undoubtedly continue to give a fresh and strong impetus to the development of Belgium and Europe. The China International Import Expo (CIIE), the world’s first national-level import exposition of its kind, has been successfully held for eight years in a row. Many friends from the Belgian business community participate in the CIIE every year, seizing more opportunities and reaping more “dividends” from China’s development. We warmly welcome more Belgian businesses to the CIIE and take a fair share of China’s development opportunities.
What’s more, China’s manufacturing and smart manufacturing will offer more diverse and reliable choices for Belgian and European consumers, helping to lower living costs and improve quality of life. According to statistics from the European Central Bank, a 10% increase in imports from China to the EU in 2026 will lead to a 1.6% decrease in the EU’s overall import prices. Recently, the soaring sales of Chinese air conditioners fuelled by the heatwaves across Europe is a good example on how China’s industries contribute to the well-being of European people.
China and Belgium, as well as China and Europe, are neither rivals nor root causes of each other’s challenges. Instead, we are indispensable partners in addressing respective challenges more effectively and efficiently. Standing at a new historical starting point, China stands ready to work with Belgium, under the strategic guidance of Chinese and Belgian leaders, to uphold mutual respect, increase dialogue and communication, enhance mutual understanding and trust, strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and further unlock the potentials for cooperation. Together, we will promote new progress in the China–Belgium all-round partnership of friendship and cooperation, deliver greater benefits to our two countries and two peoples, and inject more stability and positive energy into the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Europe.
