China's leader held up his country's rapid industrialization as a new pathway for developing nations in a speech Wednesday that projected a growing confidence both at home and on the world stage.
Xi Jinping, now in his 14th year in power, noted that China achieved in a few decades what it took centuries for rich countries to do.
“We advocate the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, providing Chinese wisdom, Chinese solutions and Chinese strength for addressing major issues facing humanity,” he said at an event marking the 105th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Communist Party.
China, which has long bristled at U.S. dominance of the international system, has said it doesn't want to replace the global order but change it to better represent the interests of developing countries. Xi's government went head-to-head with the U.S. last year and forced President Donald Trump to scale back import tariffs that he had imposed on imports from China.
The world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation, putting humanity at a crossroads, Xi said. He repeated past pledges to push forward the construction of a new type of international relations to promote world peace and development.
His remarks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing echoed many of the themes of his speech on the party's 100th anniversary in 2021, including the importance of a strong military and of bringing Taiwan under China's control.
He emphasized the need to elevate the military more quickly to world-class standards, while also upholding the Communist Party's leadership of the armed forces. Several senior generals have been removed in recent years in a corruption purge that is also seen as a way to ensure loyalty in the military.
