"FOUR COMPREHENSIVES" FOR CENTENARY GOAL
With the mastery of advanced theories, the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping as the core has outlined the "Four Comprehensives" strategic blueprint, which refers to comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, comprehensively deepening reform, comprehensively advancing the rule of law and comprehensively strictly governing the Party.
The third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in 2013 featured a comprehensive reform package covering 60 tasks and over 300 reform measures. The Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform has held 32 meetings over the last three years to chart the framework for further reforms.
The blueprint for rule of law set by the fourth plenary session in 2014 has put forward the fundamental tasks and the pathway to fully advance the rule of law in China.
In 2015, the fifth plenary session adopted the proposal on China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020), mapping out measures to achieve the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and putting forward the five new development concepts.
Hu Angang believes that measures initiated in the plan will lay the groundwork for the nation's further goal to become a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious in time for the People's Republic of China to mark its centennial in 2049.
At the sixth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee last year, two documents on the discipline of the Party, including the norms of political life within the Party under the new situation and a regulation on intra-Party supervision, were approved.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, progress in the Party's fight against corruption has won confidence among Party members and the public.
By netting both "tigers" and "flies," pushing forward reforms with the anti-corruption system, and seeking international cooperation in this regard, the fight against corruption has gained "crushing momentum."
Between 2013 and September 2016, disciplinary inspection agencies at all levels investigated over one million suspected violation cases and about one million CPC members received punishments for violations.
The above four plenary sessions of the 18th CPC Central Committee have opened a new chapter and drawn up a new blueprint for the country's comprehensive development, revealing China's effectiveness and strong will in governance, according to Hu.
Hu also noted that China has been taking part in the global governance system and promoting international relations featuring cooperation and win-win results.
Such efforts include building a new type of major country relations between China and the United States, implementing the Belt and Road Initiative linking Europe, Asia and Africa, emphasis on neighborhood diplomacy and vigorous participation in global governance.
Through the APEC Beijing summit in 2014, the UN Sustainable Development Summit in 2015 and the G20 Hangzhou summit in 2016, China's top leader has played a responsible and irreplaceable role in relevant fields.
At a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Xi said that by taking part in the global governance system, China will work to make the system more just and reasonable and create a better environment for China's development and world peace.
ACHIEVEMENTS OF OVERALL DEVELOPMENT APPROACH
China's overall approach to building socialism with Chinese characteristics -- that is, to promote coordinated economic, political, cultural, social and ecological progress -- has been proved effective over the past four years.
The world economy is troubled by a sluggish recovery, flagging international trade, some backsliding on globalization and weak growth momentum in major economies.
In contrast, China's economic growth, although in a slowdown, is still one of the highest in the world and continues to power global growth.
China aims to quadruple its GDP from 2000 levels by 2020. In constant prices, the country's GDP last year was about 4.22 times that in 2000, which means that it met the 2020 goal in advance, Hu Angang said.
Chen Dongqi, an economist with the Academy of Macroeconomic Research under the National Development and Reform Commission, said, "It's more important that this was achieved through China's voluntary structural adjustment and forceful promotion of supply-side structural reform, so it means it is of higher quality."
There will be about 440 million middle-class households in China after the country realizes its goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020, Chen estimated. "There is great consumption potential to be tapped in China."
In terms of political development, efforts have been made to introduce new rules and systems to advance the rule of law, reform administrative institutions, improve the people's congress system -- which is China's fundamental political system -- and promote socialist consultative democracy.
Moreover, China has built the world's largest modern public cultural system covering the largest population.
In 2015, the country's broadcasting and TV programs covered more than 98 percent of its population. Its public libraries, cultural centers and museums received nearly 2 billion visitors.
Chinese people's quality of life has markedly improved, with the average growth rate of per capita income of urban and rural residents standing at 7.7 and 9.6 percent respectively between 2011 and 2015. The average life expectancy in China reached 76.34 years in 2015, compared with 74.83 years in 2010.
In a major ecological achievement, China is gradually decoupling its economic growth from heavy resource consumption and pollution.
In 2015, its industrial water consumption dropped 7.8 percent from the figure in 2010, while its agricultural water consumption was 1.8 percent lower than the peak year of 2013.
It cut energy use per unit of GDP down to 7.007 megajoule in 2015, which is close to the average level of middle- and high-income countries.
"China's overall approach to modernization has made major achievements since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, lifting comprehensive national strength to a new level," Hu said.
