CPC embraces great changes along with China´s 30-year opening up drive

Source: Xinhua | 12-19-2008 08:38

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Thirty years of China's reform and opening-up drive has seen remarkable changes of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the baggiest ruling party in the world.

"Today, the CPC's policy and decision on internal affairs has a global influence," Martin Mulligan, a senior editor with Financial Times told his students at a training course held in Beijing.

"As leading force of the most-populated country and newly-emerging largest economy, the CPC's accurate decision against the globally developing financial crisis will help other countries find a way out, even for world economy," he said.

China held a meeting on Thursday morning to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its reform and opening-up drive, a watershed in China's development.

The decision to open up the once sealed off country and reform its struggling economy was made at the 3rd plenary session of the 11th Central Committee of the CPC, which started on Dec. 18, 1978.

Since economic liberalism, considered by some to be the root of the current global financial meltdown, has run into a brick wall, more people have paid attention to China's vigorous development pattern as well as its designer, the CPC.

According to the organization department of the CPC central committee, by the end of 2007, the CPC had more than 74 million members.

"The reform and opening-up has altered the appearance of China, the ruling party's membership and its component," said Qin Xuan, professor with Renmin University of China. "The CPC's ruling theory and style have also changed."

Xie Jinrong, a Malaysian and project manager of China Nokia, has been working in China since 2004. "I took for granted that the CPC is arbitrary and stuffy before I came to China," he said.

"Actually, it is not," Xie said, confessing that he was deeply impressed by the CPC's ruling ability and high efficiency.