WE share with the pride of China for being the first country in the world, and a “Third World country” at that– just like us– to eliminate “absolute poverty” among its people.
Indeed, Pres. Xi Jinping’s remark that the accomplishment is a milestone in human history that should be celebrated by the entire global community is not based on arrogance but on the fact of the matter.
Minus the usual doubts, derisions and glossing over coming from the capitalist West in relation to any positive things happening in China, to lift nearly 100 million people from absolute poverty in the space of less than five years is something that is truly remarkable and inspiring.
It is remarkable considering that China is the world’ most populous country at more than 1.4 billion people and also, the third biggest country in the world in terms of land area after Russia and Canada.
And it is inspiring considering that these two alone—population and land area—are, by themselves, challenges that would have discouraged any government from pursuing the policy of poverty alleviation, even among the rich, capitalist West.
But guided by its socialist principles and ideology and thru the stable and strong leadership of the Communist Party, China has shown that no problem is really insurmountable if everyone contributes to its accomplishments.
Especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the capitalist West wasted no time in discrediting Marxism and the socialist and communist principles that it espouses while extolling the virtues of capitalism and its version of democracy as the better, nay, the only “development model” that all countries must follow.
But the CCP has persisted in pursuing its “Socialism with specific Chinese characteristics” all throughout and the result, as we have seen today, is the triumph of the human will and spirit.
Henceforth, whatever the capitalist West would want us to believe about China, it has shown the superiority and success of its development model over that of Western-style ‘democracy.’
Topped by its success in eradicating poverty, China has just shown the superiority of Marxism and Socialism, if applied correctly.
After being vilified over the last 140 years since his death in 1881, Karl Marx must be smiling in his grave now. Every country must now learn from China.
