In the lead up to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Ecuadorian political observers on Monday praised the initiatives and decisions the party has taken in recent years to promote economic and social development.
Legislator Doris Soliz of the ruling left-of-center PAIS Alliance told Xinhua that Ecuadorian lawmakers will be watching the CPC's congress with interest, as the "Communist Party of China is a great political organization that has for decades led Chinese society towards increasing progress and well-being."
"The CPC's agenda consolidates a more prosperous China, the strength of a country that watches out for the basic rights of its inhabitants," said Soliz, who is a former executive secretary of the PAIS Alliance.
"Socialism with Chinese characteristics, as they call it, has many interesting features that have garnered the interest of countries in Latin America, a region with which China today maintains close ties," she said.
"China is a great developing country that is overcoming poverty, developing technology at an accelerated pace, and seeing unprecedented economic growth oriented towards meeting the needs of the Chinese people," she added.
China's economic growth is driven "not by hegemony ... or the domination of other countries," but "by national dignity" and a desire to forge "peaceful ties," she said.
China has been keen to boost exchange and cooperation among the world's different political parties, with the first ever China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum of Political Parties held on Dec. 8 and 9, 2015 in Beijing.
The gathering, organized by the CPC in conjunction with Ecuador's ruling party, drew 58 delegates of 27 political parties in 26 countries from the two regions.
Representatives from both regions exchanged ideas and opinions on the role of political parties in the 21st century, including economic development, poverty reduction and cooperation between China and Latin America.
"China has gotten closer to Latin America, and the Communist Party (of China) has played an important role there through the China-CELAC forum of parties," said Soliz, who was actively involved in the event.
"This exchange between parties that the Communist Party promotes has also been very useful for Ecuador's ruling PAIS Alliance, to understand and learn about the dynamics and way in which Chinese society functions," said Soliz, describing ties between the CPC and PAIS as "close and very positive."
"I think we are living in a time of great closeness between China and Latin America and Ecuador, in all aspects, (not only) in the economic realm, but also in political ties, due to the political vision of the Communist Party now under President Xi Jinping's leadership," said Soliz.
This exchange between parties is "horizontal, with each side being able to learn from the other what it can contribute in terms of knowledge. It is a reciprocal learning," she said.
The CPC has established ties with 90 parties in more than 30 Latin American countries, including both ruling and opposition parties.
Marcelo Fernandez, a former deputy foreign affairs minister of Ecuador and expert in international relations, said the interest in promoting political exchange is "useful for both China and countries with which it wants to strengthen ties."
Regional countries are keenly interested in certain CPC initiatives, such as the campaign to combat corruption, he added.
Soliz, who traveled to Beijing in 2015, when then Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa made his first state visit to China, also highlighted the CPC's anti-corruption drive.
"As part of the internal exercise of power, it proposes to openly fight ethical lapses and corruption, with very severe measures and a permanent clearing out of the bad elements in society," said Soliz.
Fernando Casado, an expert in international relations, spotlighted China's Belt and Road Initiative, a global development scheme that Xi unveiled in 2013.
"This project is today the leading-edge of globalization," said Casado, noting that more than 100 countries have expressed interest in taking part in the innovative plan.
According to political scientist Daniel Kersffeld, Ecuador should make the most of its ties with China to try and participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, which he called "the most important geopolitical and geoeconomic undertaking in recent years."
"Should the Chinese materialize it, it is going to revolutionize the economic world of a lot of countries in Asia and Europe. What China is proposing is the increasing unification of markets," said Kersffeld.
The Belt and Road Initiative centers on coordinating public policies and boosting interconnection of infrastructure among countries along the Belt and Road to increase trade and drive development.
