CPC through a cultural lens: Maintaining close ties with the people

BEIJING -- The water that keeps a ship afloat can also upset it, says an ancient Chinese adage, drawing a parallel to the bond between the people and the state.

This is also what the Communist Party of China (CPC) has always emphasized. "The Party's greatest political strength is its close ties with the people, while the biggest potential danger it faces as a governing party is becoming distanced from them," said the Resolution on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century, which was adopted in November last year.

This is no coincidence. The Party's people-centered development philosophy is a combination of Marxism and ancient Chinese wisdom. During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 B.C.-476 B.C.) and the Warring States Period (475 B.C.-221 B.C.), a broad range of thoughts and ideas were developed and discussed in China.

Despite their differences, the top thinkers of the time agreed that public support was the foundation of government.

The CPC has upheld a similar approach in its governance. It said that satisfying the people's aspirations for a better life is the goal of all the Party's work.

While leading the efforts to achieve decades of high-speed economic growth, the CPC has always been committed to tackling the challenge of how to "make the cake bigger" and "divide it fairly."

It mobilized the most extensive and aggressive anti-poverty campaign in human history and lifted nearly 100 million rural residents out of poverty since 2012. China has eradicated absolute poverty and completed the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. From 1949 to 2019, China's per capita disposable income grew at an average annual rate of 6.1 percent in real terms.

Facing the sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus epidemic, the way the Party has handled COVID-19 follows the people-centered approach, with human life valued above all else. All-out war was launched to curb the spread of the virus.

China has so far also established the world's largest social security system, with 1.02 billion people covered by basic old-age insurance and 1.36 billion people by basic medical insurance.

More efforts are now being directed to provide better public services, further boost social justice and fairness, step up eco-environmental protection, among others, as part of the pursuit of common prosperity.

Over the past century, the Party has constantly adapted to the changing circumstances. But one initiative remains unchanged: its bond with the people, which is often described as being "inseparable as fish and water."

To this end, the CPC launched campaigns to highlight the Party's interaction with the people, known as the "mass line," and remind its members of the Party's founding mission: seeking happiness for the people and rejuvenation for the nation.

"With unswerving resolve, we will pursue common prosperity for all. By doing so, our Party will be able to lead the people toward new and even greater triumphs in building socialism with Chinese characteristics. Any attempt to divide the Communist Party of China from the Chinese people or to set the Chinese people against the Communist Party of China is bound to fail," said the resolution. 

The views don't necessarily reflect those of Qiushi Journal.