Last week, the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held its sixth plenary session and passed a historical resolution on the major achievements and historical experience of the CPC’s 100 years of endeavors, the understanding of which is crucial to Hong Kong remaining on the right path of development.
Being the most populous country in the world, China would not have come so far in terms of the all-around development without the people-centric principles that guide the leadership and work of the CPC. Throughout the years, the CPC, which has established its presence in China for more than a century, has been working diligently to ensure the leaders, the central governing body, its political agenda, ideologies and directives are in line with those principles emphasizing the people’s overall well-being. The major achievements of the CPC’s endeavors have been written into the resolution adopted in the sixth plenary session, which is one of the few historical resolutions adopted by the CPC in its Central Committee plenums.
The seventh plenary session of the Sixth Central Committee of the CPC passed a landmark resolution in April 1945, setting out the ideologies and guiding principles for the New Democratic Revolution that led to the founding of the People’s Republic of China in just four years. Under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people attained a historic milestone of toppling the “three mountains” of imperialism, feudalism and bureaucratic capitalism, and the Chinese people were back on their feet.
Hong Kong, whether it is for its own development, or even survival, or for its part in facilitating national rejuvenation, has to accelerate its integration into the overall development strategy of the country. That is the only way to ensure the sustainability of “one country, two systems”
The sixth plenary session of the 11th Central Committee passed another landmark resolution in June 1981, affirming that the “socialism with Chinese characteristics” theory put forward by Deng Xiaoping would trailblaze the country’s reform and opening-up drive. Since then, the nation reached another landmark milestone after 30 years of hard work under the leadership of the CPC — the transformation from “standing up” to “becoming prosperous”.
After the convention of the 18th National Congress of the CPC in November 2012, the New China — under the CPC leadership with Xi Jinping as the core — entered its third important period of development, which witnessed the nation’s transformation from “becoming prosperous” to “becoming strong”. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has galvanized the entire nation to make concerted efforts in accomplishing the first centenary goal of “building a moderately prosperous society in all respects”. As China is ready to embark on a new journey toward the second centenary goal to “build a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful”, the latest historical resolution of the CPC provides a road map for the Chinese people to realize national modernization and national rejuvenation by the middle of the century.
It may be a coincidence that the anniversary of the CPC and that of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region fall on the same day. But the implementation of “one country, two systems” is intertwined with the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as envisaged in Xi Jinping Thought. The HKSAR government and Hong Kong society must come to realize that the sustainability of “one country, two systems” hinges on its contribution to the ultimate achievement of national rejuvenation, which, as repeatedly noted by President Xi, hinges on the country’s ability to cope with the domestic and international situation aptly.
Crucial to China successfully coping with the international situation is the country’s ability to neutralize Washington’s all-out containment drive. While it is difficult, if not impossible, for the United States to completely decouple from China in trade and economic exchanges, decoupling is already happening in the area of technology, and financial decoupling is also likely to take place sooner or later. Hong Kong is unlikely to stay unharmed in the decoupling process. The HKSAR government should formulate as quickly as possible a contingency plan for the scenario that Hong Kong might be forced to abandon the Hong Kong dollar peg, among other things.
The best way for China to cope with external hostility and containment is to build up its strength and boost its resilience; conceivably, the new development pattern of “dual circulation” will go a long way in achieving this end. Hong Kong, whether it is for its own development, or even survival, or for its part in facilitating national rejuvenation, has to accelerate its integration into the overall development strategy of the country. That is the only way to ensure the sustainability of “one country, two systems”.
Hong Kong is preparing for the election of the next-term Legislative Council and the new chief executive. It goes without saying that those who are joining the race for public office must acquire a deeper understanding of the CPC leadership in the nation by studying its latest resolution.
The author is a senior research fellow of China Everbright Holdings.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.