Interview: Iraqi party leader says China's miraculous development an opportunity for world economy

BAGHDAD, May 16 (Xinhua) -- China's miraculous development, achieved essentially by practising socialism with Chinese characteristics, has greatly promoted global economic growth, and should be seen as an opportunity rather than a threat, an Iraqi party leader has said.

"They start to see it as a challenge, as a threat which it shouldn't be... We think the development of China should not be perceived as a threat. Rather, it's an opportunity," said Raed Fahmi, secretary of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party, rejecting the depiction of China by some Western media outlets.

China has made tremendous strides in various fields under the leadership of the CPC, Fahmi told Xinhua in a recent interview on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

"China has become the second largest economy in the world. With its own potentials, I think nobody can ignore that China is a major economic power in the world, and it can determine the growth of the world economy," Fahmi said, adding that the Chinese people's living conditions have also been continuously improved.

China provides a new path for other countries that wish to accelerate development, Fahmi said.

Socialism with Chinese characteristics, he said, is a huge historical experience, which his party is keen to study and follow up.

As for China's success in eradicating absolute poverty, Fahmi said for a country with a population of more than 1.4 billion, "this is a historical achievement."

"For us and other countries, we look at this experience with extreme interest," he said, adding that the CPC's people-centered philosophy has also been a factor behind China's effective containment of COVID-19.

Fahmi noted that humanity is now facing huge challenges, not only the pandemic, but also hunger, unemployment and a gap between developed and under-developed countries.

In the face of the challenges, China has been actively advancing global multilateral cooperation and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, which has "put together the capacities and energies" of like-minded countries.