The ongoing 18th
National Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) is an important
occasion for the Party to review its past and map out its future. Over 2,200
delegates elected by more than 82 million Party members from all walks of life
across the country are attending the weeklong congress in the capital. Zhou Mingwei, President of China International Publishing
Group, the country's largest foreign-language publishing group and a global
media corporation, is among the delegates. On the eve of the congress, he shared
with Beijing Review reporter Zan Jifang his expectations of the
congress and his thoughts about the importance of cross-cultural communication.
Edited excerpts follow:
Beijing Review: China's ruling
Party's national congress has recently been a focus of the global media, and it
is widely seen as an event of great global significance. Why has the congress
attracted so much attention from the international community?
Zhou Mingwei: I think the
reason for this is the increase of China's global influence. China's rapid
growth has grabbed the world's attention since the turn of the century,
alongside other major events like the September 11 terrorist attacks and the
global financial crisis. Such acute attention to China's rise continues with the
18th CPC National Congress, as it will not only discuss significant domestic
issues and hammer out the Party's and the country's future policies, but also
elect a new generation of the Party's leadership.
In this sense, the congress is absolutely a
historic event and will be a milestone of the Party's development. It is an
important event not only to the Party, but also to all the people of the
country. China's rapid growth was achieved by the efforts of its more than 1.3
billion people under the leadership of the CPC. It has been a process amid
drastic changes in the international community and numerous tests at home.
Guided by the Scientific Outlook on Development, the Party overcame various
difficulties and made remarkable achievements.
The congress is an important moment for the
Party to review the past 10 years, summing up the experience as well as lessons
in development and reassessing its policies. It also provides a chance for Party
members to study problems and challenges ahead, brainstorm solutions and further
clarify the direction the Party will take. All Party members pay great attention
to the outcome of the congress.
Another highlight of the congress is that the
new generation of the Party's leadership will be elected. There will be many new
elements that comprise the Party's leadership, such as their educational
background, age and experience, which will definitely draw media attention.
These will guide the direction of the Party and also the country for a rather
long time. I am fully confident that the 18th CPC National Congress will meet
the expectations of all Party members as well as the international
community.
How do you see the domestic and
international situations that the new leadership will face?
As part of the "China Miracle," China has been
capable of maintaining rapid growth in a complicated domestic and international
environment, which should be recognized. Geographical conditions, a huge
population and historical circumstances have led China down a path of uneven
development and complexity.
It's normal to have this or that problem during
our development, because in 30 years China has achieved what other countries
spent decades more accomplishing. The problems China is facing are those that
other countries have also faced. Given the fact that China has such a huge
population, the new leaders are confronted with arduous tasks.
Every leadership had its own challenges. But the
new leadership is elected at a time when China is enjoying unprecedented global
influence and increasing international status, a time that China is more
involved in international affairs and shouldering more international
responsibilities. Former experience will not be applicable to tackle new
problems. The world is getting more complicated, more diverse, and more
mercurial, and so the new leaders are faced with unprecedented tests.
Some problems are new, some are old and some are
caused by our limited experience, resources and capability. We may not resolve
all of these at once, but I am confident that with the Party's tenets, our new
experience and the people's efforts, we will resolve them gradually and move
forward toward our set goals.
What will be the main topics at the 18th
CPC National Congress?
I think the economic growth model, shifting the
structure of the economy and problems related to people's lives will be the
focus at the congress.
But in my opinion, as it is a Party congress,
the most important thing is the sound development of the Party itself—how to
ensure the Party adheres to its tenets and principles, maintains its purity and
integrity, manages its members, meets the demand and expectations of the people
and deals with problems and challenges that the Party is facing.
The Party Constitution will be partly
revised at this congress. What is the significance of this
revision?
It is of great significance. It's a
characteristic of the CPC the Party revises its Constitution in order to include
the latest theories and governing experiences into the Constitution. The
revision will reflect the new reality and new problems that the Party faces and
the policy to address them. It is also a reflection of the consistent evolution
of Party theories.
The Party's experience in combating corruption
will also be included.
In my view, revisions will further improve and
enrich the guidelines of the Party and more accurately reflect theory
development and the achievements of the Party.
The development of cultural programs and
reforms of the cultural sector were set as one of the key areas of future
development at previous Party meetings. Why does the Party attach such
importance to this sector? Will the development of this sector speed up after
the congress?
Although cultural programs and the cultural
industry in China have seen robust development in past years, they still have
not met the people's demands and kept up with the level of the country's
economic development.
The Sixth Plenary Session of the CPC's 17th
Central Committee set new targets for the development of cultural programs. I
believe that the 18th national congress will continue in that direction. I'm
confident that the 18th national congress will further boost the development of
cultural programs and enhance Chinese culture itself.
The congress will also serve as a driving force
to build up the country's soft power and cultural prosperity. In my opinion,
culture will play a more positive role in the entire development of the country.
Advanced culture will play an especially important role in the construction of
ethics and values. Thus, pushing forward the development of cultural programs
and deepening the reforms of the administrative system of the cultural sector is
not only a duty of the ruling Party, but is vital to the establishment of a
nation's value system. Passing on fine culture is essential in maintaining the
everlasting vitality of a nation. The development of cultural programs will play
a substantial role in helping pass down our own culture and communicate with
other cultures and civilizations.
With China further integrated into the
international community, cross-cultural communication has become increasingly
important. What is an effective way to strengthen exchanges and communication
between China and the rest of the world?
In my opinion, although every culture has its
own uniqueness, we should not isolate Chinese culture from others. To have our
culture be appreciated and enjoyed by others, we must first understand other
cultures better and understand the place of Chinese culture in the evolution of
world culture.
Better communication is based on common points
between two cultures, which is the basis of mutual appreciation. Only after our
culture resonates with others can it be appreciated. The value of a culture is
embodied in mutual exchanges.
Currently, we don't know others very well. It's
normal since we just opened up to the outside world three decades ago. We need
to understand others better and at the same time help others know us better.
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