International

A New Grand Blueprint of Chinese Modernization

Article by H. E. Yan Xiusheng, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Barbados

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, convened in Beijing from July 15 to 18, 2024, is an important meeting that attracted worldwide attention with historic significance. The Plenary Session adopted the Resolution of the Central Committee of the CPC on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization, which made systematic planning and arrangements for further comprehensively deepening reform and drew a new grand blueprint of Chinese modernization.

Looking back on the development journey of China, our country has made significant strides in keeping up with the times through reform and opening-up. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China has successfully achieved the first centenary goal by relying on reform and opening-up, which remain essential now for creating a new landscape for Chinese Modernization and strive towards the second centenary goal.

The Plenary Session presented to the world that China’s overall objectives of further deepening reform comprehensively are to continue improving and developing the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and modernize China’s system and capacity for governance. By 2035, China will have finished building a high-standard socialist market economy in all respects, further improved the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, generally modernized its system and capacity for governance, and basically realized socialist modernization. All of this will lay a solid foundation for building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects by the middle of this century.

The Plenary Session presented to the world the key points of China’s advancement of reform. China will focus on building a high-standard socialist market economy, advancing whole-process people’s democracy, developing a strong socialist culture in China, raising the people’s quality of life, building a Beautiful China, advancing the Peaceful China Initiative to a higher level, and improving the Party’s capacity for leadership and long-term governance. More than 300 important reform tasks laid out in the resolution shall be completed by the time the People’s Republic of China celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2029.

The Plenary Session clearly sent a definite signal to the world about China’s commitment to expanding high-level opening-up. The plenary session made specific arrangements for promoting high-level opening-up, including expanding institutional opening-up, reforming the foreign trade system, managing foreign investment and outbound investment, optimizing the regional opening-up layout, and improving mechanisms for promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. China will orderly expand the opening-up of commodity markets, service markets, capital markets, and labor markets, optimize the business environment, and make the vast Chinese market a great opportunity for the world.

The Plenary Session further clarified to the world that Chinese modernization is a path of peaceful development. The plenary session emphasized that China will firmly pursue an independent and peaceful foreign policy, promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, uphold the common values of humanity, implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, advocate for a multipolar world of equality and order, inclusive and beneficial economic globalization, participate in and lead the reform and construction of the global governance system, and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests.

Chinese modernization has been continuously advanced through reform and opening up, and it will surely open up broad prospects through this approach. A prosperous and open China is an important engine for global development and prosperity, bringing more development opportunities to countries around the world, including Barbados. We look forward to China and Barbados continuing to be fellow travelers on the road to reform and good partners on the path to development, conscientiously implementing the important consensus reached by the leaders of our countries during Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley’s visit to China. We aim to continuously enhance political mutual trust, promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and jointly implement the GDI, GSI and GCI, and build a higher level of China-Barbados relations which will benefit the people of our two countries, leading to a closer China-Barbados community with a shared future.

International

CHINA ANNOUNCES VISA FREE TRAVEL FOR SOME LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES

China plans to expand its visa-free policy for five Latin American/#Caribbean countries and offer 3,500 scholarships and 10,000 training opportunities, as part of a five-programme plan to advance shared development and revitalisation with LAC countries. source Caribbean News UK

International

President Xi Jinping urges solidarity, deeper cooperation at China-CELAC meeting

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China is willing to strengthen solidarity with Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries and announced five major programs to jointly pursue development and revitalization with LAC countries on Tuesday.

The five programs, solidarity, development, civilization, peace, and people-to-people connectivity, were announced by Xi while delivering a keynote speech during the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum in Beijing.

On the solidarity program, Xi said China is willing to strengthen solidarity with Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries and continue to support each other on issues concerning their core interests and major concerns to firmly safeguard the international system with the UN at its core and international order underpinned by international law and to speak with one voice in international and regional affairs.

In the next three years, China will invite 300 members from political parties of CELAC member states every year to visit China to facilitate exchanges on national governance best practices, Xi said.

Regarding the development program, Xi said China is willing to work with LAC countries to implement the Global Development Initiative, resolutely uphold the multilateral trading system, ensure stable, unimpeded global industrial and supply chains, and promote an international environment of openness and cooperation.

Noting that the two sides should foster greater synergy between their development strategies and expand high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, Xi said China will import more quality products from LAC countries and encourage Chinese enterprises to expand their investment in the region.

On the civilization program, Xi called for the joint implementation of the Global Civilization Initiative. He said both sides should uphold the vision of equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness between civilizations, champion humanity’s common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom, and enhance China-LAC civilizational exchanges and mutual learning, including through a conference on China-LAC inter-civilizational dialogue.

For the peace program, Xi called for the joint implementation of the Global Security Initiative. He said both sides should cooperate more closely in disaster governance, cybersecurity, counterterrorism, anti-corruption, narcotics control, and combating transnational organized crime to safeguard security and stability in the region.

Regarding people-to-people connectivity, Xi said in the next three years, China will provide CELAC member states with 3,500 government scholarships, 10,000 training opportunities in China, 500 International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarships, 300 training opportunities for poverty reduction professionals, and 1,000 funded placements through the Chinese Bridge program, initiate 300 “small and beautiful” livelihood projects, and support CELAC member states in developing Chinese language education.

China has decided to offer a visa-free policy to five LAC countries and will expand the policy to cover more regional countries in due course, Xi said.

Gustavo Petro, president of Colombia, the CELAC rotating chair, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Chilean President Gabriel Boric, and Dilma Rousseff, president of the New Development Bank and former Brazilian president, respectively, addressed the event.

The special representative for Yamandu Orsi, president of Uruguay and the incoming CELAC rotating chair, read out the president’s congratulatory letter.

Faced with a world full of uncertainties, LAC countries and China should work together to promote continuous new progress in building a community with a shared future, they said.

Both sides should respect each other and firmly support each other in safeguarding sovereignty and choosing their own development path, they said, calling for strengthening the synergy between the development strategies of LAC countries and the Belt and Road Initiative and promoting cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, agriculture, science and technology, new energy and education.

The two sides should also promote exchanges and dialogues among civilizations, safeguard the authority of the UN, support multilateralism and free trade, and oppose unilateralism, protectionism, power politics, and bullying to safeguard the common interests of the Global South, they added.

CAPTION: Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech during the opening ceremony of the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC (the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum, Beijing, capital of China, May 13, 2025

International

CARNEY’S LIBERAL PARTY VICTORIOUS

Mark Carney’s Liberal Party is projected to win enough seats to form a government in the Canadian elections which were held yesterday, April 28th

The party is still short of the majority but Carney is set to remain Prime Minister of Canada, a post he held for only two months following Justin Trudeau’s resignation.

Media reports state that the spectacular electoral comeback was fuelled in part by US President Donald Trump’s language, the trade war and economic threats.

Meanwhile the conservative leader and Carney’s main rival Pierre Poilievre has been projected to lose his seat.

Results at this time are:

Liberal – 168

Conservative- 144

Bloc Quebecois – 23