The new China is a global powerhouse. Over the decades, the CPC has given China a strong identity, a resolute sense of purpose and self, and transformed the once slumbering giant into a global, economic, military and strategic power.

The Communist party and the Chinese leadership knew fully well that global respect and recognition would follow once China had performed the economic miracle. The 21st century China is not only an economic super power but also a proper multi-dimensional economy that has invested in its human development indexes. Health, education, and rural support form the backbone of China's new policy. It is no wonder that today’s China is reaching for the moon, Mars, and beyond.

The CPC defies conventional wisdom and logic pertaining to political outfits. This dizzying pace of transformation defies logic, for this was done in barely a few decades and only could have happened because a robust body like the Chinese Communist Party stood behind the strategy.

China is now a formidable military power. Its might on land, in the skies, and at the seas is profound. Its space science has given it an envious edge. This could not have happened if CPC had not shown its wisdom over the past many decades. If we watch closely, there is a method to the game here. There is a science at play here. It is a classic display of collective wisdom being deployed for individual good.

China today is led by the dynamic leader H.E. President Xi, a loyal son of the country and the Communist party. His vision of ‘One Belt One Road’ is nothing less than historic in nature – it is epic – it is bold and futuristic.

Just as an ancient road opened ancient China to the world, President Xi appreciates that the new rising China needs to meet the world via modern routes that become corridors of trade and movement; that bring talent and knowledge to countries that are strung together via this One Belt One Road project - the pearls on a string - that will make the world prosperous and peaceful.

Pakistan and CPEC are at the vanguard of the One Belt One Road project. China understands that for prosperity to happen, Pakistan needs energy, roads and ports. That is exactly what it has done and the $46b dollar CPEC is already rolling along merrily. This will start coming into operation from next year and then the model will be there for the world to see. This again is a miracle for which the credit must go to the CPC and its visionary leader, President Xi.

We describe our time-tested friendship with China as, “higher than the Himalayas, deeper than the deepest seas, and sweeter than the sweetest honey.” This bond of friendship evolved almost as the Communist Party of China evolved. I call it a shared evolution. Pakistan and China have remained close allies through thick and thin and it is the CPC which provided the longevity and institutional continuity.

The Communist Party of China deserves accolades for performing the ‘economic miracle’ of lifting around 700 million people out of extreme poverty within a span of 25 years. By turning its huge population into a demographic dividend, the party has set an example worthy of emulation by other countries. It has changed the concept of population growth from being a burden, to a highly productive asset.

In a world facing multiple challenges and torn by strife, the peaceful rise of China is a source of stability and rationality. Wisdom, spawned by a history of intellectual genius going back thousands of years is what China has gifted to the world. China is bringing a much needed balancing and moderating influence to the world order and is a strong advocate of multilateral global architecture under the auspicious of the United Nations.

Today, I also wish the Chinese Communist Party the happiest of birthdays. May there be a million more, and may China-Pakistan friendship rise to even greater heights for the millions of years to come.

Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif

The author is Chief Minister of Punjab Province, Pakistan.