PRC more confident, reform-minded on 65th founding anniversary

BEIJING - On the 65th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the country and its ruling party have reasons to be more confident and reform-minded.

Looking back at the past 65 years, China has made great progress in raising social productivity and overall national strength. China now is the world's second-largest economy and the world's largest goods-trading nation.

The Chinese people have experienced a historic leap forward from poverty to having adequate food and clothing and a life of moderate prosperity.

More importantly, China has blazed and broadened the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, translating socialism into a successful path and institutional system.

China, with a 5,000-year-old civilization and the world's largest population, should not and has not rigidly copied other countries' model of development.

China has to seek its own road of development, and the achievements made over the past 65 years testify that the country has sought a correct and suitable path for development under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and in pursuit of sustainable development, peaceful development and further reform and opening-up.

On the 65th anniversary of the founding of the PRC, the country also faces challenges and arduous tasks.

The world's largest developing country will remain in the primary stage of socialism for quite a long time. China's development is still unbalanced and uncoordinated with a significant urban-rural gap and income gap.

To tackle those problems, the country and the ruling party need to continue to push forward reform and opening-up.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, which was convened in November 2012, the country has been vigorous in transforming its development mode and adjusting its economic structure, as well as in advancing reform in the financial sector, college entrance exams, the household registration system and the medical care system, among others.

The ruling CPC has vowed to take down both "flies and tigers" -- junior and high-ranking officials who take bribes, steal assets and illicitly enrich themselves and their families.

The CPC announced in July an investigation into Zhou Yongkang, a former Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, the latest and highest ranking "tiger" in the anti-corruption campaign's crosshairs.

On Sept 30, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee released a statement announcing that the fourth plenary session of the CPC 18th Central Committee, which is set to discuss rule of law, will be held from Oct 20 to 23.

This will be the first time a plenary session of the CPC Central Committee has taken rule of law as its central theme. And rule of law is a must if the country wants to build a prosperous society and comprehensively deepen reform.

All in all, the 65th anniversary of the PRC's founding seems a new start for further reform and exploration of socialism with Chinese characteristics.