"The most impressive thing about Chinese leaders is that they are very responsible to the people." On the occasion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, former Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from the " Global Times ". John Key, who has visited China many times, said that China has achieved great achievements in the past decade; and in the future, China's importance to the world is self-evident.
Global Times: You have said that China's development is an opportunity for the world. From the 18th National Congress to the 20th National Congress, looking back at China's development in the past decade, what impressed you the most? How do you view the role played by the Communist Party of China in this process?
John Key: When I was Prime Minister (New Zealand), I visited China many times, so I had the opportunity to see changes in many parts of China and have more knowledge about China.
In the past decade, the living standards of hundreds of millions of Chinese people have been significantly improved. I think this reflects the fact that China's economy is very dynamic and very strong. For quite some time in the past, China has adopted many very wise policies and has made itself an important part of the global supply chain.
China's huge scale makes it not easy to make policymaking, but China's administrative agencies are actually doing a very good job in dealing with these difficulties and challenges. Although the COVID-19 epidemic has had some negative impact, in general, China has done a good job in the past decade, especially in lifting a large portion of the population out of absolute poverty.
It is obvious that the Communist Party of China has played a crucial role in this process and their achievements are impressive. The most impressive thing about Chinese leaders is that they are very responsible to the people.
Global Times: Today, the world is facing a series of uncertainties and challenges. In the future, as a big country, what does maintain stability and certainty mean to the world?
John Key: We can look back at what happened when the global financial crisis broke out in 2008. At that time, China became the "engine" for the operation of the world economy. At that time, the United States faced many challenges, especially in the banking system, and Europe was also seriously affected by the global financial crisis . In fact, it is China's economic strength that supports the world through the global financial crisis. Therefore, as the intersection of the world's supply chain, it goes without saying how important China will be to the world in the next five years.
In my opinion, after the former US President Trump took office, the Western narrative of China has changed a lot, which is one of the main challenges China has faced in the past few years. In the future, how to rebuild a good working relationship is a common challenge for China and the West. China needs the West as a strong trading partner. Similarly, the West also needs China. Both sides need to cooperate in a peaceful and productive way.
Global Times: Many people believe that one of the major advantages of the Communist Party of China is its ability to learn from history and lessons from other countries and carry out self-revolution . What do you think of this statement?
John Key: When China examines the West, it sees the growing inequality and the accompanying social unrest that the West is experiencing, so it is very concerned about this issue. We also see that the Communist Party of China has always attached great importance to lifting people out of poverty, economic growth and development, especially low-income people in China, and is committed to increasing their (development) opportunities.
China is also very concerned about what conditions are needed to achieve economic growth. For example, some countries need infrastructure to support growth, so they proposed the initiative to jointly build the "Belt and Road". The same is true in the field of education. The Chinese government recognizes that the higher the knowledge and technology level of domestic people, the higher the income, so China pays great attention to education.
(Original title: Exclusive interview with former New Zealand Prime Minister John Key: Chinese leaders are very responsible to the people)
Source: Global Times Author Bai Yunyi Yu Jincui
Process Editor: TF063
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