Interview: CPC leads Chinese people to create "miracle" -- Japanese politician

TOKYO, June 9 (Xinhua) -- China's miraculous development is achieved under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which has always stuck to the purpose of serving the people, a Japanese politician has said.

"I went to China in 1981 to study, and now in 2021, China has developed at an incredible speed and created a miracle, which is what the Chinese people have achieved under the leadership of the Communist Party of China," said Shoichi Kondo, secretary general of the Sino-Japan Friendship Parliamentarians' Union, in a recent interview here with Xinhua.

When he was a college student, Kondo was intrigued by China's system, which is different from Japan's, and decided to study in Beijing. At that time, shortly after China's reform and opening up, Kondo had expected that China would grow, but its speed and sustainability still exceeded his expectation.

"China is still in development today, and at a staggering rate. This is a miracle, a result of the (Chinese people's) hard work," Kondo said, recalling the past.

Since he was first elected as a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature) in 1996, he has visited China frequently for about 70 times, making himself a witness of the earth-shaking changes in Chinese society in the past years.

Speaking about China's success in completing poverty alleviation targets as scheduled, Kondo said: "I have also been to many cities over the years, and I have heard or witnessed many examples of local poverty alleviation. I think the role of politics is to solve the gap between the rich and the poor, and the Communist Party of China has faced up to poverty and tackled it very well."

At present, countries around the world are confronted with many difficulties such as the outbreak of COVID-19 and uneven economic development. "China's development experience can be used by its neighboring countries, and in fact China is already doing so," Kondo said.

Global issues such as climate change and pandemic prevention and control cannot be solved without international cooperation, he added.

"In this sense, the Belt and Road Initiative is to strengthen cooperation with other countries and call on all countries to develop together," he said. "This is a great idea!"

Recalling the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting he attended in Beijing in 2017, Kondo expressed his sincere admiration for the CPC for inviting political parties and organizations from other countries to attend the grand gathering.

Kondo said Chinese President Xi Jinping's thoughts, such as calls for mutual exchanges, promoting trade and multilateralism, are "very admirable."

For the 100 years since its founding, the CPC has experienced all sorts of difficulties and hardships, he said. "It fundamentally solved the problems needed to be solved, listened to the voice of the people."

"In the 100 years, the cadres and party members of the CPC made a huge effort and received fruitful results," he added.

Kondo expressed sincere congratulations on the upcoming centenary of the CPC, and the hope that the CPC would continue to contribute to the development of Asia and the world.