A Decade of Glory
By SHEN CHUANLIANG
The dawn of a new millennium augurs both hopes and challenges. Upon the start of the 21st century, and particularly since the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China experienced an uneven path of development. Devastating natural disasters, along with the grim challenges of the international financial crisis, prompted and guided the CPC's formulation of effective international and domestic policies. Having surmounted difficulties and advanced under CPC leadership, the country has maintained a steady momentum of rapid development towards its objective of becoming an all-round moderately prosperous society.
Theoretical innovations have brought fruitful results. Since the 16th CPC National Congress, the Central Committee headed by General Secretary Hu Jintao has launched various strategic campaigns. They include the Scientific Outlook on Development and Theories on Building a Socialist Harmonious Society, a socialist new countryside and a socialist core value system, as well as the socialist concept of honor and disgrace, and the main strategy of transforming the mode of economic development while adhering to Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of the "Three Represents." The central leadership has also raised the scientific proposition of a system of socialist theory with Chinese characteristics by means of a summary of the Party's new theoretical results. This includes the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and the socialist road to development with Chinese characteristics—new theories that underline the Party's abundant theoretical innovations.
Over the past decade, China's national economy has achieved sustained development and a dramatic growth in comprehensive national strength. From 2003 to 2011, China achieved an average annual GDP growth of 10.7 percent in real terms. Rapid and sustained development has taken China's economy to a world number two ranking, second only to the U.S., its GDP having outstripped that of Britain and France in 2005, of Germany in 2008 and of Japan in 2010. China's leapfrog economic development amounts to a miracle amid world economic turbulence. While the global financial crisis slowed down the world's major economies, China's maintained a reasonably high growth rate. As first to recover from the financial disaster, China became the main engine driving world economic recovery. The proportion of China's GDP in the world total grew from 4.4 percent in 2002 to around 10 percent in 2011, and China's contribution to world economic growth exceeded 20 percent. Per capita GDP reached RMB 35,083 in 2011, and government revenue that year was in excess of RMB 10 trillion. At the end of 2011, China's foreign exchange reserves exceeded US $3 trillion -- the world's largest. As gaps between China and the developed countries in various aspects have narrowed, China's central leadership has gradually achieved its ambitious goals.
Guided by the Scientific Outlook on Development, China has made significant progress in transforming its mode of economic development since the 16th CPC National Congress. There have been new achievements in implementing the policy of expanding domestic demand. The contribution of domestic demand to China's economic growth increased from 92.4 percent in 2002 to 104.1 percent in 2011, while that of exports fell from 7.6 percent in 2002 to -4.1 percent in 2011. Proactive adjustment of economic structure has shifted the driving force of China's economic growth from that of secondary industry to the coordinated contribution of all three industries. With regards to the industrial structure, at the end of 2011 the proportion of primary industry added value in national GDP had fallen from the 2002 level of 13.7 percent to 10.1 percent, while that of secondary industry increased from 44.8 percent in 2002 to 46.8 percent in 2011, and that of tertiary industry from 41.5 percent to 43.1 percent. Rural and urban development and that in different regions has become more coordinated, and technical innovation is playing an ever-greater role in fueling the economy.
The creativity, initiative and enthusiasm that socialist undertakings have inspired in the Chinese people have come into full play in tandem with the expansion of China's socialist democracy. Rule of law in China has improved as the Party and the state's political life have become more vigorous and transparent. The systems of people's congresses and political consultations have also improved through deepened democracy at the grass-roots level, wherein the decision-making process is both more democratic and scientific; greater transparency in the political system has also generated the people's greater participation. Important advances have been achieved in ministerial reforms aimed at constructing more streamlined and comprehensive ministries, and socialist democratic politics have displayed dynamic vitality. The solidarity, stability and harmony of the entire nation are thus enhanced. The system of socialist laws with Chinese characteristics has basically taken shape, bringing the people security, social equity and justice. The law system provides an important guarantee that the Party and the state will advance along the appropriate path.
Comprehensive progress has also been made in China's cultural reform and development. The goal of constructing a socialist culture was proposed at the sixth plenary session of the 17th CPC Central Committee. Ten years of development have enriched the cultural and spiritual life of the people. Building the system of socialist core values has consolidated the guiding role of Marxism and belief in the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The socialist concept of honor and disgrace guides social ethics, and the building of a public cultural service system has entered a stage of rapid development. At the end of 2011, there were 2,952 public libraries across the country, 255 more than at the end of 2002. There were also 2,650 museums, 1,139 more than at the end of 2002, and 7,069 performing art groups, an increase of 4,482. Cable TV subscribers nationwide increased by 103.52 million, reaching 202.09 million during this time, and TV programs were available to 97.8 percent of the population. China's various indices on the cultural industry rank top in the world. In 2011, a total of 469 TV drama series were produced, along with 261,444 minutes of animation programs and 558 feature films. In addition, 46.7 billion copies of newspapers, 3.3 billion copies of periodicals and 7.7 billion copies of books were published. A new development pattern of cultural undertakings has taken shape, with national culture as the main body, drawing on fine foreign culture. Chinese culture is also going global.
