Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation in the United States: China's stability is the "ballast stone" of the world economy

"I think that the 20th National Congress (the guiding direction) will become the 'main axis' of China in the new era." The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was grandly opened at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on the 16th, and Robert Lawrence Kuhn, winner of the Chinese Reform Friendship Medal and chairman of the Kuhn Foundation of the United States, expressed his expectations for the grand meeting in an exclusive interview with the Global Times reporter. Kuhn has visited China many times and has gone deep into poor mountainous areas to study China's poverty alleviation cause. He believes that China's great achievements cannot be separated from the leadership of the Communist Party of China. In the face of a world of increasing uncertainty, China's stability, continuity and predictability will become the "ballast stone" of the geo-economy, injecting more stability into the world.

Global Times: What are your expectations for the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China?

Kuhn: The National Congress of the Communist Party of China is held every five years, and it usually sets the agenda for the next five years. In my view, the significance of the Twentieth National Congress of the Communist Party of China is not only to set China's political and economic agenda for the next five years, but also to lay out a road map for China's longer-term development and to paint a picture of the vision of the People's Republic of China in the middle of this century, one hundred years after its founding. I believe that the 20th National Congress (the guiding direction) will become the "main axis" of China in the new era.

Global Times: You have been observing and studying China for a long time, and you have visited China many times. From the 18th to the 20th Party Congress, what impressed you most about China's development in the past decade? In your opinion, why has China achieved such achievements?

Kuhn: As China celebrates the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up in 2018, I also celebrate the 30th anniversary of my first visit to China the following year. In January 1989, I came to China for the first time. The moment I set foot in China, I was fascinated by this country. It was at that moment that I realized that China's economy, politics, diplomacy, and culture would soon have a major impact on the world. The only thing I didn't expect at the time was that China would be so important to me personally.

For more than 30 years, I have been telling the story of China to the world in various forms. China has achieved a lot and there are many stories worth telling. But I think it's worth telling the story of its systematic eradication of absolute poverty, and nothing has such a powerful impact and impact as this one.

Over the past 30 years, especially over the past 15 years, my Chinese partner and I have visited more than 100 cities in China, as well as a large number of counties, townships and villages. We have conducted a lot of research, research, interviews, and recorded these experiences in books, documentaries, etc. These experiences made me think I already knew China well. However, when I went deep into the poorest and most remote mountain villages, I realized what it really means to get out of poverty.

I talked to the poor villagers and heard their stories. Some of them have escaped poverty through small and micro enterprises; Some migrated to the outskirts of the city; Some people are sick and vulnerable and need social security support. I understood their situation so deeply that it was as if I were one of them and embarked with them on a journey out of absolute poverty.

In my opinion, the reason why China has achieved remarkable results in the battle against absolute poverty is similar to the reasons why it has achieved results in the fight against the new crown pneumonia epidemic, mainly in three aspects: the actions of the Chinese Communist Party, the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping, and the mobilization ability of the Chinese Communist Party.

First, the Chinese Communist Party is not taking action to issue instructions or statements, but to effectively advance and implement relevant programs through layers of organizational structures from the central to the local levels. At the five local levels of provinces, cities, counties, townships, and villages, each level has a directly responsible party secretary or village party secretary. I have tracked the work of these secretaries and party secretaries on poverty alleviation, including their specific areas of responsibility and the combination of poverty alleviation work and other work. It can be said that almost all of these secretaries and party secretaries regard poverty alleviation as their most important task – I have been in China for a long time, and I know that they are not putting on a show or pretending in front of me, but really are.

Second, General Secretary Xi Jinping has visited many poor villages over the years. In these places, he encouraged Communist Party cadres to visit poor areas on a regular basis and communicate directly with the local people. In my opinion, General Secretary Xi Jinping has set an example for other leaders and officials through his public activities.

Third, the CPC's strong mobilization capacity can mobilize the human, material, and resource resources of the entire country. For example, during the COVID-19 epidemic, Hubei received support from all over China, and similar models have been applied to poverty alleviation, such as long-term support from eastern China to western China.

Global Times: From the 19th Party Congress to today, many things have happened in the past five years: the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the increasingly obvious suppression of China by the United States, and the change of chaos to governance in Hong Kong society... How do you rate the performance of China and the Chinese Communist Party over the past five years?

Kuhn: China and the Chinese Communist Party have made great achievements in the face of great challenges in the past five years, and we have witnessed this process. For example, in the COVID-19 pandemic, China has succeeded in reducing infections and deaths to far below levels in other countries; For example, despite the epidemic, the slowdown in the world economy and international tensions, China has maintained economic growth. Chinese society has achieved major changes through strategies and plans such as poverty alleviation and rural revitalization; China's diplomacy has become more assertive, rejecting the accusations of some developed countries and deepening relations with developing countries; China's military and defense capabilities continue to grow, especially in the naval sector; Strengthen the maintenance of sovereignty and territorial integrity, including Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Tibet, Taiwan issues, etc.; The Communist Party of China has also continued to uphold the fight against corruption and fulfill its commitment to self-purification.

Global Times: You are very concerned about and affirm China's achievements in poverty alleviation and economic development over the past decade. Do you think China's model and experience can provide "another way" for other developing countries?

Kuhn: Although each developing country has different cultural backgrounds and practical conditions, China's extraordinary experience in poverty alleviation and its major successes can still serve as a reference for many countries.

For me, the most noteworthy point is that for a country to succeed in lifting itself out of poverty, it first needs the country's leaders to advance the cause with the firmest attitude and make it a national priority, because it is a powerful signal to officials at all levels and to the country as a whole.

Global Times: A lot of people think we're facing an increasingly uncertain world. In the future, this uncertainty will become more prominent. As a great power, what does it mean for the world that China maintains stability and certainty?

Kuhn: Stability, continuity and predictability are too important for a country's development. Never before in the past few decades has the global geopolitics and world economy been as unstable, continuous, and predictable as it is today: the pandemic is still raging, border conflicts are continuing, and great power rivalry continues to intensify...

In such a world turmoil, China's stability, continuity and predictability – built on the long reign of the Chinese Communist Party – become the "ballast stone" of the geoeconomic landscape, injecting more stability into the turbulent world.

Global Times: There is a view that one of the major characteristics and advantages of the Chinese Communist Party is "self-revolution", which is where it is superior to many Western political parties. What do you think of this statement?

Kuhn: Every political party in every country tries to make itself more effective, especially to make its image among voters as good as possible.

For the world to better understand China, we must let everyone understand why the long reign of the Chinese Communist Party is more conducive to China's development. To consolidate its long-term ruling position, the Chinese Communist Party also needs to better manage itself, such as maintaining the highest standards of integrity and integrity. General Secretary Xi Jinping has set high standards for the CCP to govern the Communist Party through standardized, monitored, and open rules and procedures.

Anti-corruption is the focus of the Chinese Communist Party's self-revolution. The Chinese Communist Party is fighting corruption relentlessly and severely, rather than starting with a strong position and slowly weakening. In addition, I see that China is building a system that makes the government and the party more transparent and institutionalized in the exercise of power. I believe that the CPC's self-revolution will be a never-ending process.

Source: Global Times