"China is bound to create more miracles": Former Serbian Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkic

The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) opens at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 16, 2022. Xi Jinping delivered a report to the 20th CPC National Congress on behalf of the 19th CPC Central Committee on Sunday. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

Ivan Mrkic, former Serbian Foreign Minister and senior member of the National Council for Coordination of Cooperation with Russia and China, said in an exclusive interview with Guangming Daily that he had followed the event from the first day of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) from the media in Serbia and China. There is no doubt, according to Mrkic, that the Congress is an important event not only for China, but also the world.

"Many people know that China is led by the CPC, but perhaps not so many know that the Party has more than 96 million members, which is more than the population of many countries in the world”, said Mrkic. What’s equally true is that even fewer are aware that when the Party held its first National Congress 101 years ago there were only about 50 members nationwide. After a century of struggle, the Party has grown in size and China has enjoyed tremendous growth. Mrkic was astonished that the CPC had so many members when he studied the organizational structure of the Party, and that joining the Party isn’t easy at all, the candidates must demonstrate their achievements and representativeness in their field of work, but more importantly, the purpose of joining the Party is not for personal benefits, but rather out of a determination to serve the people. In this respect alone, the CPC is very different from many political parties around the world.

Mrkic said that the report Xi Jinping delivered to the 20th Party Congress summarizes the achievements China has made since the 19th Party Congress and also points the way forward, which is to build a modern socialist country. China’s achievements in the past few years are remarkable, among which the full eradication of extreme poverty, the significant rise in the population’s educational level, and the growth of China’s overall strength, especially in science and technology, are the most commendable. These achievements are interrelated; education is the pathway towards soft power, and technological progress and educational development, as well as improvement of people’s living standards, are mutually reinforcing fronts. The Party’s relentless efforts to eradicate absolute poverty in the most populous country in the world is a grandiose feat.

Speaking about the internal and external environment for China’s development, Mrkic said that as the world’s second largest economy, China will encounter all kinds of problems and challenges, including competition from the outside. The Chinese leaders and the CPC are able to deal with all kinds of problems and challenges with the excellent Chinese culture and wisdom accumulated after thousands of years. He said that although the world faces many uncertainties today, China has sufficient military and economic strength to defend its national interests and security. The world cannot develop without China, and China under the leadership of the CPC will not only achieve greater development, but bring more favorable factors for world peace and stability.

What other countries are probably most concerned about is the path China will take next, especially in the field of diplomacy, Mrkic said. The Congress reaffirmed China’s commitment to the path of openness and its engagement with other countries on a constructive and mutually beneficial basis. As a Serb, Mrkic feels deeply about this. He said that in the past decade, Serbia has achieved rapid economic growth through deep cooperation with China, the living standard of Serbian people has improved rapidly, and the unemployment rate has dropped to the lowest level in history, which is proof that the Belt and Road Initiative has indeed benefited countries along the route. Serbia is the best manifestation of China’s peaceful diplomacy and its commitment to equal and cooperative relations with other countries. There are now more than 1,000 Chinese companies of all sizes doing business and construction work in Serbia, not only bringing development to Serbia, but also passing on their successful experience in Serbia back to China. In the past three years, the top three exporters in Serbia are all Chinese companies. Their investment and construction in Serbia and their regional economic effects have allowed Serbia to maintain high growth despite the economic downturn in Europe and the impact of COVID. Today, Serbia’s economic growth is among the fastest in Europe.

Mrkic believes that China under the leadership of the CPC is bound to create more miracles, which is a good thing for the Chinese people and a hope for the world, including Serbia.