As China kicks off the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Tsinghua students and faculty members from various schools and departments discussed the significance of the ongoing national congress and lauded China’s achievements over the past decade at an event held on campus on October 16.

The event “Understanding China: What We Learn from the 20th CPC National Congress” was organized by the International Students and Scholars Center and supported by the Center for Global Competence Development. More than 30 domestic and international students and scholars participated in the event.

Associate Professor He Jianyu giving a presentation on “Understanding CPC”

Associate Professor He Jianyu in the School of Marxism gave a presentation on “Understanding CPC,” in which he explained to the students the organizational structure of the 20th CPC National Congress and the selection process of the delegates to the Congress as he shed light on the significance of the ongoing five-yearly political gathering.

He also highlighted some key takeaways from the 20th CPC National Congress's opening session. The congress opened at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on October 16 and will conclude on October 22.

Following his presentation, participating students split into five groups, and discussed their observations about China’s achievements in various sectors over the past decade and their hopes and expectations for China’s future growth.

Shi Jiayi (China) from Rixin College, representing Group 1, talked about the process of nominating and electing delegates to the 20th CPC National Congress and its organizing work, and shared her views on China’s environmental protection efforts and foreign policies with their teammates.

Monkam Patrice (Cameroon) from the Department of Automation recalled President Xi Jinping’s letter to international students and said that his letter encouraged students like him to understand the CPC by exploring more of the country. He also expressed his strong willingness to take part in the social practice at Tsinghua and group activities organized by various schools and departments.

Zhu Shaojia (China) from the School of Public Policy and Management, together with his teammates from Group 2, talked about China’s people-centric governance at the grassroots level and how it has helped ensure effective public services.

Temelidi Yulia (Russia) from the School of Social Sciences praised China's great progress in environmental protection over the past decade, especially in improving urban green coverage and air quality. She hoped the 20th CPC National Congress would introduce friendly policies for international citizens to get better accustomed to China’s development.

John Paul Grima, an instructor in academic English at Tsinghua’s Language Centre, said that one of the conceptual ideas that was helpful for him in understanding the process of the congress was the issue of democratic consultation. He thanked the organizer for holding such an insightful event.

Yulia Soina, a Russian post-doctoral fellow in the School of Journalism, said that the event was helpful in understanding the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress.

Wu Nianying (China) from the School of Architecture highlighted the remarkable achievements the CPC has made in rural vitalization in the past ten years, saying the party efforts have brought great changes to the countryside and the life of the Chinese people. He added that China’s great experience of poverty alleviation and rural vitalization should be well promoted and extended to developing countries around the world.

Daria Gerasimenko (Russia) from the School of Social Sciences inquired about China’s approach to innovation and global cooperation in the next five years and beyond following the 20th National Congress.

The event was moderated by Xiao Qian, Associate Dean of International Affairs at Tsinghua University.

Tsinghua faculty members also reviewed China’s past achievements and shared their expectations for the ongoing CPC national congress.

Prof. Getachew Engida

Getachew Engida, Distinguished Visiting Professor and Co-President of the China-Africa Leadership Development Institute (CALDI), Tsinghua, said, “I have witnessed first hand the unprecedented transformation China has gone through. It has lifted a billion people out of poverty in few decades, has industrialized and became the largest economy in the world in terms of  purchasing parity. It has moved on from being simply the factory of the world in smoke stuck industries to provider of high value added goods and services using the latest technologies, including AI, machine learning and robotics. At the core of these phenomenal growth is the due attention paid to research and development and its linkages to the private sector.”

Professor Michael R. Powers

Similarly, Professor Michael R. Powers from the School of Economics and Management said, “Following the dramatic progress of China’s four decades of Economic Reform and Opening Up, and the Elimination of Absolute Poverty in 2020, the country is on track to achieve a sustained period of economic growth accompanied by greater economic equity. Considering the serious challenges facing many developing nations, as well as ongoing social and political difficulties in the most industrialized economies, it is clear that China’s experience will be useful to governments and their citizens around the world.”

 Professor Stella Christie

Stella Christie, a professor for the Department of Psychology at Tsinghua University, said she was privileged to be in Beijing at this historic moment of the 20th CPC National Congress. “I wish the delegates to the 20th Congress of the Party and all Chinese people a successful meeting, which will benefit the Chinese nation and further the cause of peace and stability worldwide,” she added.

Writer: Xu Jianchao

Editor: Lin Yuan