As the Communist Party of China celebrates its 105th anniversary, President Xi Jinping highlights the CPC’s enduring mission and global vision.
On July 1, 2026, the Communist Party of China (CPC) convened a grand gathering in Beijing to commemorate its 105th anniversary. Addressing the event, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, reflected on the Party’s extraordinary journey from a small revolutionary organization to the world’s largest governing party.
In his address, Xi reviewed the Party’s historic achievements over the past century and reaffirmed its unwavering mission of advancing Chinese modernization and national rejuvenation in the years ahead.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, confers the July 1 Medal, the Party’s highest honor, on model CPC members in Beijing, capital of China, July 1, 2026. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)
Party of the People
Over the past 105 years, the CPC has led the Chinese people through one of the most remarkable transformations in modern history. As Xi observed, under the CPC’s leadership, the Chinese people have achieved a historic leap from bare subsistence to an overall level of moderate prosperity and then ultimately to moderate prosperity in all respects.
By pioneering and steadfastly following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, China accomplished an industrialization process within a few decades that took developed countries centuries to complete, creating the twin miracles of rapid economic growth and enduring social stability.
At the heart of these achievements lies a governing philosophy that consistently puts the people first. Today, as the world’s second-largest economy and a global hub of innovation, China has lifted nearly 100 million rural residents out of absolute poverty, raised the average life expectancy to 79 years, and established the world’s largest education, social security, and healthcare systems. These accomplishments reflect the Party’s consistent commitment to ensuring that development delivers real benefits for the people.
The CPC itself has evolved alongside the country. From just 58 members at its founding, the Party’s membership had grown to nearly 101.29 million by the end of 2025, making it the world’s largest governing party. Throughout its history, generations of Party members have devoted themselves to serving the people. This year, Xi conferred the July 1 Medal, the Party’s highest honor, on eight outstanding members whose lifelong dedication embodies the values highlighted in his address.
Among them is Ma Shanxiang. For more than three decades, he has worked at the primary level in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, mediating disputes among local residents and helping resolve everyday conflicts before they escalate. Having handled over 20,000 visits and successfully resolved more than 2,500 cases, Ma has evolved his extensive practical experience into a systematic approach to community governance and trained tens of thousands of primary-level mediators. His story illustrates that effective governance begins with listening to the people, responding to their concerns, and building trust through dedicated public service.
Another recipient, Zhao Yafu, exemplifies the Party’s long-standing commitment to rural development. At 85, the agricultural expert continues to work alongside farmers rather than enjoy retirement. In Daizhuang Village in east China’s Jiangsu Province, he pioneered a sustainable farming mode that revitalized both the local economy and the environment, increasing annual per capita income from less than RMB 3,000 to more than RMB 47,000. Over the years, Zhao has trained more than 1,200 rural science and technology professionals, helping to pass on modern agricultural techniques to villages across the country. His experience shows that modernization is measured not only by economic growth, but also by the opportunities it creates for rural revitalization, ecological sustainability, and shared prosperity.
As Xi said in his address, “Over the past 105 years, our Party has always stayed committed to the original aspiration and mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation.” This aspiration is renewed not through abstract slogans, but through the daily work of millions of Party members serving the people across the country.
Tourists take photos at a tourism area along the Yangtze River in Wanzhou District of Chongqing, southwest China, November 14, 2025. (Photo by Fu Zuoqiao/Xinhua)
Global Influence
Beyond transforming China, the CPC has also become an increasingly influential force in global development and governance. Reflecting on the Party’s 105-year journey, Xi said that its unremitting efforts have profoundly influenced the course of world history. Today, as China advances its modernization drive under the CPC’s leadership, it is also exploring a development path that broadens the options available to other countries seeking modernization based on their own national conditions.
China’s expanding global role is reflected not only in its economic achievements but also in its contribution to global governance. Through the Belt and Road Initiative, the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, and a series of global initiatives on development, security, civilization, and governance, China has offered its wisdom, solutions, and strength to address the pressing challenges facing the world, underscoring its commitment to openness, cooperation, and shared development. As Xi emphasized, socialist China, under the CPC’s leadership, is widely recognized as a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order.
Growing international interest in the CPC’s governance experience reflects this reality. On June 17, 2026, Peter Wilson, British ambassador to China, traveled to Yan’an in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province. His itinerary included the former revolutionary site at Yangjialing, the Yan’an Revolutionary Memorial Hall, Liangjiahe Village, where Xi lived and worked as an educated youth, and the China Executive Leadership Academy, Yan’an. These sites preserve the Party’s revolutionary heritage and reflect the foundations of its governance philosophy.
Describing the trip as important for gaining a better understanding of China and the CPC, Wilson said it gave him a deeper appreciation of the Party’s arduous struggle during the Yan’an period, the primary-level experiences that shaped China’s leaders, and the practical foundations of the country’s governance philosophy.
Wilson’s visit is part of a broader trend. As China’s influence continues to grow, more foreign officials, scholars, and policy researchers are seeking to better understand not only what China has accomplished but also how the CPC’s governing philosophy has contributed to those achievements.
As political leaders from other countries extended congratulations on the CPC’s 105th founding anniversary, many highlighted the Party’s development achievements and governance experience.
An aerial drone photo taken on April 26, 2026, shows containers at an industrial hub in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Xinhua/Chen Wei)
Kenyan President and United Democratic Alliance Leader William Ruto said that the achievements of the CPC have provided valuable insights for the development and governance of the Global South, and further strengthened Kenya’s determination to pursue a path of transformative growth. Such remarks illustrate the increasing attention many developing countries are paying to China’s experience as they search for solutions suited to their own circumstances.
In his address, Xi offered an explanation for the CPC’s enduring vitality. He said that the Party’s success over the past 105 years stems from a combination of fine qualities that set it apart from other political parties. It is commited to seeking truth and always adhers to the right direction; it is deeply rooted in the people and boasts a solid foundation; it rises to its historic missions and always keeps a strategic initiative in hand; it follows the development trend and always remains at the forefront of the times; it has the courage and ability to fight and is always confident about winning; it focuses on constant self-improvement and is always full of vitality.
As global uncertainties continue to mount, China’s development path is attracting increasing international attention. For many developing countries, the CPC’s experience is not a blueprint to be copied, but a source of pragmatic understanding of issues such as long-term planning, poverty reduction, and economic transformation. In this sense, international interest extends beyond China’s achievements to the governance approach behind them.
The anniversary gathering served not only as a celebration of the CPC’s past but also as a reflection on its future mission. Xi called on Party members to remain true to its founding aspirations and keep their mission firmly in mind.
As China works toward basically realizing socialist modernization by 2035 and building itself into a great modern socialist country in all respects by the middle of the century, Xi’s address reaffirmed that the Party sees its future success dependent on its ability to remain people-centered, reform-minded, and resilient in a rapidly changing world.
