CPC’s Unswerving Goal for a Century
百年征程，初心不变
Rwandan Mainstream Media, the New Times, Kigali Today and Igihe, Recently Published a Signed Article by Amb. Rao Hongwei
卢旺达《新时代报》、《今日基加利》及《时间》新闻网等主流媒体发表驻卢旺达大使饶宏伟署名文章
21 June 2021
2021年6月21日
In a few days, China’s ruling party, the Communist Party of China (CPC), will celebrate its centenary. You may be familiar with China’s rapid development, prosperous economy nowadays, but you may not know China’s misery a century ago.
再过几天，中国的执政党——中国共产党，将迎来诞辰100周年。当前的中国发展迅速、经济繁荣，但你也许不知道，中国百年之前的苦难。
China was then struggling for survival as a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. On one hand, foreign powers invaded China, set up settlements and concessions in cities, stationed troops, and snatched economic profits. On the other hand, numerous warlords fought against each other domestically, leading to a failing central government, and suffered Chinese people. Thus, countless patriots stepped out to explore a path of saving the country and the people from perils. Peasant uprisings, top-down reforms, constitutional monarchy, and bourgeois democratic revolution, yet all these attempts failed.
百年前，中国正挣扎在半殖民地半封建社会的泥潭，外有列强环伺，在中国强租土地、驻扎军队、攫取利益，内有军阀割据混战，他们拥兵自重，中央政府体制失灵，中华大地民不聊生。为了挽救民族危亡，无数志士仁人前赴后继，探索救国救民的道路。农民起义、改良主义、君主立宪、资产阶级革命轮番上阵，却都没能解决中国的前途和命运问题。
It was against this backdrop that the CPC was born in July 1921, and since then it has led the Chinese people towards the goal of people’s happiness and national rejuvenation.
正是在这样的时代背景下，中国共产党于1921年7月诞生，从此带领中国人民朝着人民幸福、民族复兴目标坚韧前行。
By 1949, the CPC united and led the people to win the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, defeated the Kuomintang dictatorship, and founded the People’s Republic of China-the Chinese nation has stood up. By 1978, the CPC made a historic decision of reform and opening up, leading the nation on a grand journey of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
到1949年，中国共产党团结带领人民赢得抗日战争胜利、击败国民党独裁政府，建立了中华人民共和国，中国人民从此站起来了；到1978年，中国共产党经过艰难曲折探索，在社会主义革命和建设基础上，作出改革开放的历史性决策，带领人民走上有中国特色的社会主义道路的宏伟征程。
In the following four decades, the innovative socialist market economy has enjoyed great dynamism, and the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics has witnessed more and more success. The Chinese economy has maintained a growth rate of 9% annually on average, creating a miracle of long-term rapid growth as a developing country. Now, China has become the world’s second largest economy and the largest industrial country, contributing nearly 30% of the world’s economic growth. Its per capita GDP has increased from just US$200 in 1980 to more than US$10,000 in 2020.
此后的40多年，创新的社会主义市场经济体制活力非凡，中国特色社会主义道路越走越宽广，中国经济保持了年均9%以上的持续高速增长，创造了发展中国家长期高速增长的奇迹。现在，中国已成为全球第二大经济体，第一大工业国，对世界经济增长贡献率达近30%，人均GDP从1980年的200美元增长至超过1万美元。
It’s a century filled with blood, sweat, tears, but also courage, wisdom, and strength. In face of setbacks, members of CPC are not discouraged; when making mistakes, they resolutely correct. They tirelessly explore a right path for the Chinese nation, and persevere in seeking happiness for the people and rejuvenation for the nation.
这一百年，满是鲜血、汗水、泪水，尽显勇气、智慧、力量。中国共产党人面对挫折毫不气馁，遇到失误坚决改正，孜孜不倦地探索，持之以恒为人民谋幸福、为民族谋复兴。
First, the CPC has always been committed to exploring a development path suitable for China’s realities. In its initial years, the CPC simply followed the others’ model of fomenting workers’ uprising in major cities, consequently experienced a series of failures. After trials and tribulations, the CPC found the right approach to China’s revolution, that is, uniting with workers and peasants, encircling cities from revolutionary bases in rural areas and waging persistent armed struggle. During the period of socialist transformation and national construction from 1950s to 1970s, the CPC’s lack of governance experience and copying of the Soviet model again led to major setbacks in the beginning. After exploration and experimentation, following the motto of “emancipating the mind, seeking truth from facts”, the CPC decided to reform and open up, leading to the take-off of Chinese economy.
中国共产党始终独立自主，探寻符合中国国情的发展道路。中国共产党成立之初，曾照搬他国革命方法，搞大城市工人起义，经历了不少失败。历经磨难与成长，中国共产党总结开辟了密切联系群众、农村包围城市、武装夺取政权的革命道路，最终建立新中国。在社会主义的建设时期，中国共产党曾缺乏治理经验，照搬苏联模式，国家发展遭遇重大挫折。本着解放思想、实事求是的路线，中国共产党选择了改革开放，中国经济就此腾飞。
Second, the CPC always stays true to its original aspirations, and adheres to the people-centered development ideology. Development is reliant on the people, for the people, and shared by the people. The fight against poverty is a vivid example. In 2012, China declared the battle on poverty. By the end of year 2020, nearly 100 million people have been lifted out of absolute poverty (US$1.90 a day). The annual per capita disposable income of rural residents in poverty-stricken areas has more than doubled to 12588 yuan (around US$1900). 7.9 million families have moved into new and safe houses; 1.1 million kilometers of roads have been renovated, 35,000 kilometers of new railways have been constructed. Almost all people in rural areas have gained access to stable and reliable power supply. Ten years ahead of schedule, China completed the goal of poverty alleviation listed in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. For the first time in its history of thousands of years, China has eliminated overall and extreme poverty.
中国共产党始终不忘初心，坚持以人民为中心的发展思想。发展为了人民、发展依靠人民、发展成果由人民共享，脱贫攻坚战就是最好的例子。2012年，中国向贫困宣战，截至2020年底，近1亿人摆脱绝对贫困，脱贫地区农村居民年人均可支配收入翻了一番多。790万户脱贫人口住上了安全的新房子，全国新改建公路110万公里，新增铁路里程3.5万公里，农村地区基本实现稳定可靠的供电服务全覆盖。中国提前10年完成联合国2030年可持续发展议程的减贫目标，中华民族五千年发展史上，首次整体消除绝对贫困。
Third, the CPC always has the world in mind and contributes to the progress of mankind. Regardless of time and conditions, the CPC has always adhered to the path of peaceful development, actively advocated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and is committed to maintaining world’s peace, promoting common development and the building of a community with a shared future.
中国共产党始终胸怀世界，为人类历史进步贡献力量。无论自身条件如何，中国共产党一直坚持和平发展道路，积极倡导和平共处五项原则，致力于维护世界和平、促进共同发展，推动构建人类命运共同体。
For instance, China provided a total of nearly 1 billion yuan (around US$ 406 million then) in interest-free loans to support the construction of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway in the 1970s, and dispatched nearly 50,000 engineers and technicians. When the project was launched in 1970, China’s annual GDP was only around 228 billion yuan (US$93 billion). In recent years, China has canceled 50% of the project’s debts, and have been working with Tanzania and Zambia jointly on the renovation and upgrade of the railway.
上世纪七十年代，中国总共为援建坦赞铁路提供无息贷款近10亿元人民币，先后派遣工程技术人员近5万人次，而1968年项目启动勘察时，中国全年GDP不到1750亿。近年来，中方又免除了该项目50%的债务，正在与坦、赞双方共同商讨项目的升级改造。
Now facing the COVID-19 pandemic, China has supported worldwide response to the epidemic. China has provided assistance including 220 billion masks, 2.25 billion PPEs and 1.02 billion test kits, to more than 150 countries, including Rwanda, and 10 international organizations. China has mobilized its potential as much as possible to export vaccines to the world; collaboration on vaccine research, development and production is also underway in more than 10 countries.
面对当前的新冠疫情，中国已向包括卢旺达在内的150多个国家和10个国际组织提供抗疫援助，尽己所能向全球出口疫苗，同10多个国家开展疫苗的研发和生产合作，有力支持了世界各国疫情防控。
China’s continued and sincere efforts for Africa’s development is another example. China remains Africa’s largest trading partner for 12 consecutive years, trade volume between the two exceeded US$200 billion in 2019, China’s direct investment in Africa reached US$3 billion in 2020. Despite the impact of COVID-19, more than 1,100 cooperation projects continue to move forward. So far, China and Africa have jointly build more than 6,000 kilometers of railways and highways separately, and nearly 20 ports, as well as more than 80 large-scale power facilities.
更不用谈中国真心实意促进非洲发展，中国已连续12年成为非洲第一大贸易伙伴，中非贸易额2019年突破2000亿美元，2020年中国对非直接投资达30亿美元，1100多个合作项目克服疫情影响坚持运行。中非双方合作修建铁路和公路里程均超过6000公里，建设了近20个港口和80多个大型电力设施。
Looking back into the past, China and Rwanda have similar historical memories, witness a similar period of rapid development, and hold the same spirit of independence and self-reliance. Looking forward to the future, the ruling parties of the two countries, the Communist Party of China and the Rwanda Patriotic Front, also shoulder the same mission of national development and rejuvenation.
中国同卢旺达有着相近的历史记忆，相似的快速发展，一样的独立自强精神，两国执政党——中国共产党和卢旺达爱国阵线也肩负着国家发展、民族振兴的相同使命。
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Rwanda. Old friends will aim for new outlooks. The two countries and two parties will continue to strengthen friendly ties, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and bring more happiness to the two peoples. I believe that under the strong leadership of the two parties, the two countries will surely stride along the path of realizing their respective national rejuvenation!
今年是中国共产党成立一百周年，也是中卢建交五十周年。老朋友、新气象，两国、两党将一如既往加强友好关系，深化互利合作，为两国人民带来更多幸福。相信在两党的坚强带领下，两国都能在实现各自民族振兴的道路上一往无前！