Merit and training are among reasons for success of CPC

The Communist Party of China (CPC) was established on July 1, 1921, in Shanghai, China. After 28 years of intense struggle under Chairman Mao's extraordinary leadership, the CPC finally founded the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949.

As China’s ruling party, the CPC conducts its activities within the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and the law. It has no right to transcend the constitution or the law. All Party members, like all citizens, are equal before the law.

Members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) review the oath of the CPC when visiting the site of the Second Plenary Session of the 7th CPC Central Committee in Xibaipo, north China's Hebei Province, June 20, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhu Xudong)

The Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee, held in December 1978, decided to transform the Party's work to socialist modernization and set a policy of reform and opening up to the outside world.

Any forward-thinking Chinese worker, farmer, member of the armed forces, intellectual, or person from any other social strata who has reached the age of 18, accepts the Party's Program and Constitution and is willing to join and work actively in one of the Party organizations, carry out the Party's resolutions, and pay regular membership dues, may apply for membership of the CPC. Its membership has gone from just over 50 when it was founded in 1921 to nearly 92 million as of the end of 2019.

History is full of the CPC's achievements. Both before and after the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, it was the CPC that played a leading role. Before 1949, the CPC played a crucial role in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. The CPC's victory against the Kuomintang, which led to the PRC's creation, was a huge achievement.

After 1949, the most critical CPC achievement was uniting the whole nation under one umbrella and emerging as one nation. The struggle against the class system achieved equality for all citizens. The achievement helped the country to unite as one body.

After 1978, economic reforms were introduced, and the CPC played its due role in modernizing agriculture, industry, defense and education, science & technology. The CPC was instrumental in introducing reform, policymaking, and implementations to achieve the desired results. With the hard work of the CPC, visible achievements in all sectors of social and economic developments have been witnessed.

The CPC's role in eradicating the menace of poverty and establishing a moderately prosperous society was admired worldwide. The miraculous economic and social developments during the last four decades are the result of the hard work of the CPC.

There are many reasons why the CPC has been so successful and achieved enormous success in its history of one century. But the most important two reasons that I consider vital are as follows:

One is merit: Induction of Party members is based purely on merit and on close monitoring of applicants over a certain period of time. If he or she meets all the criteria, then they are admitted to the CPC. Whether it is the Youth League or the CPC, entry is based strictly on merit.

The other is regular training and education for Party members. Members are introduced to the latest government policies on a regular basis and taught how to implement their latest knowledge acquired in training.

As long as merit and regular training are maintained, China's further development will remain guaranteed.

Zamir Ahmed Awan is a senior fellow with the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and a sinologist at the National University of Sciences and Technology in Pakistan. E-mail: [email protected].