On November 14th, when the 18th National Congress of Communist Party of China concluded, Israel Hayom, Israel's largest-circulation newspaper, published Ambassador Gao Yanping's Article on China's Party Congress. The English version of the article is as follows:
China's Party Congress and What it Means to Israel
The historic change in China is taking place now.
The 18th National Congress of Communist Party of China (CPC) concludes today, with the new generation of Chinese leadership coming to fore, and a new chapter about China's peaceful development to be written.
In a globalized world, as one of the largest countries, China's decisions do carry weight, and China's destiny is more and more inter-linked with the rest of the world. It is no wonder that China's historic Party Congress does mean something to Israel. As the ambassador of China to Israel, I have an obligation to expound China's Party Congress and its ramifications on the world and Israel in particular.
I would like to illuminate why the Party Congress this year is so important to China and the world at large. Over the past 30-plus years, China has made extraordinary achievements in its reform and opening up. Over the past decade in particular, under the leadership of the Party, China has grown from the world's 6th largest economy to the 2nd largest and is currently at the stage of most prosperous period since 1840. The past decade has also witnessed China's great contribution to world prosperity. In recent years, China has contributed to over 20% of world economic growth.
However, China is far from perfect. China's journey ahead is filled with difficulties and challenges. China's GDP per capita was only 5,432 US dollars last year, ranking 89th in the world, only one sixth of Israel's. China needs to create 12 million jobs just to accommodate the newly added work force. China must work to provide special care for more than 80 million people, which are over 10 times of Israeli population. The fact that China is the 2nd largest trading nation in the world does not change the reality that we are still at the lower end of the global industrial chain.
In short, China is now standing at a critical juncture. People at home and abroad are asking: Where is China heading? What path is China going to take? How will a fast developing China use its growing power and influence? How will China handle its relations with other countries?
The 18th Party Congress provides clear answers to the questions. The Party Congress outlines the grand direction for China's further development, and vows to promote economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress in the upcoming years.
Economically, the goal is that on the basis of making China's development much more balanced, coordinated and sustainable, China will double its 2010 GDP and per capita income for both urban and rural residents by 2020. To meet that goal, the creation of a new growth model must be sped up. This will make economic development driven more by domestic demand, especially consumer demand, by a modern service industry and strategic emerging industries, by scientific and technological progress, by a workforce of higher quality and innovation in management, by resource conservation and a circular economy, and by coordinated and mutually reinforcing urban-rural development and development between regions.
Politically, China is determined to expand people's democracy, fully implement the rule of law, steadily enhance judicial credibility, and continue to fully respect and protect human rights. Active and prudent efforts will be made to carry out the reform on China's political structure to ensure that people conduct democratic elections, decision-making, administration and oversight in accordance with the law.
Culturally, China plans to make the cultural industry one of the pillars of the national economy, and lay a solid basis to build China into a cultural power.
Socially, China wants to achieve equal access to basic public services for its urban and rural residents, and narrow the income disparity between them. A complete, multi-tiered and sustainable system of social security will be instituted to provide basic social security for all citizens.
Ecologically, China would like to see major progress in building a resource-conserving and environmentally friendly society. China will give high priority to building a beautiful country, and achieving lasting and sustainable development. China is committed to green, circular and low-carbon development.
On foreign policies, for the sake of world peace and development, China will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development and firmly pursue an independent foreign policy of peace. China will unwaveringly follow a win-win strategy of opening up and promote robust, sustainable and balanced growth of the global economy through increased cooperation. China opposes hegemonies and power politics in all their forms and will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion. China opposes terrorism in all its manifestations.
In order to accomplish the above-mentioned tasks, the Party will keep on the successful path it has followed for the past several years. This path has the following features: It focuses on economic development. It puts people first. It promotes comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development. It upholds social equity and justice and protects people's democratic rights.
The priorities set by the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will not only benefit the Chinese people, but offer Israel unique opportunities. The year 2012 marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Israel. The Sino-Israeli relationship is in its best ever shape, with ever-frequent exchanges between our governments at various levels, our parliaments, political parties, law enforcement agencies, among business people, youngsters and tourists, and ever-expanding and deepening pragmatic cooperation in all fields. With China's Party congress coming along, Sino-Israeli relationship has limitless potential for leapfrog development.
China is now undergoing a process of historic transformation and development. Israel, as a pioneer in innovation, a paragon of start-up nations, and an important trading partner of China in this region, does have a role to play in the process. Take the scientific and technological field where Israel outcompete other countries for example. China is now developing new strategic industries energetically, such as energy-saving and environment-friendly industry, new-generation IT, biology, high-end equipment manufacturing, new energy sources, new materials and new energy automobile. I can't find a field in which Israel does not enjoy an advantage. Israeli high-tech products and technology enjoy broad prospects in China. I believe once Israeli enterprises in the high added-value business find their niche in China's economic restructuring, they will gain more profits and market share in China. I am fully convinced that our complementary advantages will definitely bring us mutually beneficial cooperation and common development.
My conclusion is that in an inter-dependent world, a prosperous China is good for Israel, and a thriving Israel is good for China too. If we work in synergy, we will see a much brighter future for Sino-Israeli relations.
Ambassador Gao's article in Israel Hayom can be found on its website both in Hebrew and English.
Hebrew: http://www.israelhayom.co.il/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=10008&hp=1&newsletter=14.11.2012
English: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/today.php?id=441