- CPC centenary celebrated in a grand fashion
- Xi Jinping emphasizes on strong army
- Merger of Taiwan into mainland unshakable commitment
- Hong Kong would be in Chinese centralized jurisdiction
A massive parade and a stern warning to other nations from the leader Xi Jinping not to dare to bully China marked the centenary celebrations of the Communist Party at the historic Tiananmen Square on Thursday in the presence of thousands of people with crores of countrymen watching on TV. Xi in his hour long speech on the historic occasion, hailed China’s national rejuvenation which he mentioned 24 times during his oration. He said China’s success hinges on the rejuvenation which has been his theme ever since he took over the leadership in 2012. He says it is historical inevitability. Xi is general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC). He had done away with the stipulation that a person can hold the office of general secretary not more than two terms and made it possible for him to continue as long as he wished. Senior leader, former President Hu Jintao was on the dais. This was the platform from where founder of Chinese Republic Mao Zedong used to address the people.
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Party praised by thousands of students
The proceedings began with the chanting praise of the party by three thousand students as it used to be in case of Mao. Helicopters with red flags having sick and hammer symbols flew past Tiananmen Square as it used to happen during Mao’s era. Then there was usual show of strength by flying J-20 stealth fighters. The party was founded by Mao Zedong on 1 July 2021. It dethroned the existing feudal government establishing its own revolutionary government in 1949.
Eliminating absolute poverty, set as first centenary goal in 2012 party congress when took over, has been fulfilled this year, Xi claimed. Building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects would be the second goal which has to be achieved by the People’s Republic of China’s centenary in 2049. “After the opium war of 1840, China was gradually reduced to a semi-colonial, semi-feudal society and suffered greater ravages than ever before. The country endured intense humiliation, the people were subjected to great pain, and the Chinese civilsation was plunged into darkness,” Xi explained referring to the recent past history of the country.
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A sense of pride and confidence
Now China has a strong sense of pride and confidence. “We have never bullied, oppressed or subjugated people of any country, and we never will. By the same token, we will never allow any foreign force to bully us,” Xi declared. He said in Chinese language, mandarin, that whoever attempted to bully China will have their heads broken. He reiterated that Taiwan always belongs to China and it is bent upon merging it in the mainland. He said, “China is willing to learn lessons from the experiences of other cultures but is not prepared to accept sanctimonious preaching from those who feel they have the right to lecture to us.”
“We must be deeply conscious of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central party leadership. We must uphold the core position of the General Secretary on the Party Central Committee and in the party as a whole, and uphold the Central Committee’s authority and its centralized, unified leadership,” Xi exhorted.
Socialism with Chinese characteristics
“Socialism with Chinese characteristics has been enabling China to transform itself from a highly centralized planned economy to a socialist market economy brimming with vitality, and from a country that was largely isolated to one that is open to the outside world across the board and now the second largest economy,” he said.
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Regarding Hong Kong, which has come under direct control of China since taking over in 1997 thanks to the recent controversial national security law, Xi said China would ensure that the central government exercises overall jurisdiction. China’s complete unification by merging Taiwan remains a historic mission and an unshakable commitment. China would advance national unification in a peaceful manner but would take resolute action to utterly defeat any attempt towards “Taiwan independence,” he said. There was a deafening applause and loud cheering when Xi Jinping said, “No one should underestimate the resolve, the will, and the ability of the Chinese people to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
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