The recently concluded second China International Import Expo (CIIE) caught the attention of the whole world. While demonstrating China’s resolve to expand opening-up, the event, which boasted larger scale, broader participation and greater popularity than the first one held last year, has vividly reflected the enormous strength and vitality of Chinese economy.

The participating countries, regions, international organizations, and exhibitors at the second CIIE all outnumbered that of the first CIIE. The number of Fortune Global 500 enterprises and industry leaders at the second CIIE exceeded 250, while more than 500,000 professional Chinese and foreign buyers and visitors were attracted to the event, with the number of overseas buyers leaping from around 3,600 last year to more than 7,000 this year.

It is China’s institutional strength and effective governance that have guaranteed the good performance and great potential of the country’s economic development.

The country has created miraculous rapid economic development and enjoyed long-term social stability over the past 70 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. It has stood up, grown rich and become strong.

None of these achievements would have come true if the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese people had not established the socialist system and constantly enhanced and improved the country’s national governance system and capacity.

As it is often said in China, “Success in reality is the best theory, and no abstract doctrine can compete with it.” The long-term peace and stability in China is the best testimony to the institutional advantage of China, and the source of China’s confidence in its system.

To establish a country, one should never overlook the importance of system. Institutional strength is the greatest advantage of a country.

During the fourth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, the CPC summarized the notable strengths of China’s state and governance systems in 13 aspects, aiming to foster stronger confidence of the entire Party and Chinese people of all ethnic groups in the country’s socialist system, and bring into full play the strengths of the country’s state and governance systems.

The CPC members have drawn lessons from history, grasped the current situation, understood theories and implemented them, and made the right decision regarding what to be removed and what to be established.

They made the political declaration on upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, ushering in a new period of national governance.

Of all the political parties, countries, and peoples in the world today, none have as much cause to be confident as the CPC, the People’s Republic of China, and the Chinese people, Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee said in a speech marking the 95th anniversary of the founding of the CPC.

The state and governance systems of a country are determined by its history, cultural traditions, and level of economic development. The system of a country can only be the most reliable and effective one when it is rooted in and developed according to the actual conditions of the country.

The most important criterion for judging whether a social system is scientific and advanced is to see if it suits the actual conditions of the country, delivers positive effects, and is supported by the people.

The reason why the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is feasible, full of vitality, and highly efficient is that it has been developed according to the social conditions of China.

The confidence of the nearly 1.4 billion Chinese people in their social system results from their love for the country’s vast territory covering more than 9.6 million square kilometers, their willingness to carry forward the well-established civilization with a history of over 5,000 years, and their sense of national identity that has been deeply rooted in their hearts.

Reform has played an important role in the self-improvement of China’s socialist system. The reform and opening-up policy implemented in China over 40 years ago has powerfully and constantly driven the country’s state and governance systems towards maturity while abolishing flaws in relevant systems and mechanisms.

In particular, since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, China has rolled out measures to comprehensively deepen reforms, which has fully reflected the great capacity of the country’s state and governance systems to improve itself1.

It is exactly because of the country’s efforts to stick to its development path while pursuing self-improvement and its capability to combine its steadfastness in following principles while maintaining flexibility that China has been able to constantly push forward with institutional innovations according to its actual conditions and improve the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

It is predicable that with China making further progress in the deepening of reform in all areas, the country’s state and governance systems are bound to manifest greater comparative advantages in the international arena and show even more dynamism and vitality.

Deng Xiaoping, the chief architect of China’s reform and opening-up said, “The state system of China will take in all the possible factors for progress that we can learn from various countries of the world and become the best system in the world.” China has the confidence to turn the prediction of the great leader into reality.

No one is in a better position than the Chinese people to tell whether the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is good or not and superior to other systems or not, as they know the best about it.