"GREATEST PROJECT IN HISTORY"
Another Chinese move that will influence the world is the Belt and Road Initiative, said Tourk, referring to a vision proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping to link Asia with Europe and Africa with trade and infrastructure along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes.
China will help countries, mainly developing ones, along the Belt and Road build modern infrastructure and industrial facilities, he said. "We should expect the welfare of developing nations as well as advanced nations would improve."
Calling it "the greatest project in history," he said the initiative is to become the "engine of growth in the future" and "have the most influence on the world economy in the long run."
So far over 100 nations and international organizations have expressed support for the initiative, and dozens of them have signed cooperation agreements with China.
The initiative, Tourk pointed out, is likely to help the involved countries lift their infrastructure and industry to degrees that have never been experienced in history.
"The West is no longer capable of providing the input to global growth, as its productivity has been growing at slow pace," he said, noting that China, which has the ability to keep its economy growing and allows other nations to share this growth, is the only hope.
"The Chinese future now goes with other nations' dreams," said Tourk, citing China's aspiration to build a community of shared future for all mankind.
"BACKBONE OF CHINA"
In China's achievements, the CPC plays a very important role, said the professor, adding that the party is a product of China and a combination of the country's many experiences in the past.
"China is a huge country and the CPC is the backbone of China," he said. "It provides the country with a vision, and transits this vision into the reality."
Impressed by how open the CPC is in dealing with challenges, he said the openness, along with resilience and adaptability, has ensured the survival of the CPC, which was founded in 1921.
Noting that Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC, calls upon party members to be role models for others, he said "this is the development of the party with unique Chinese characteristics."
As regards the upcoming 19th National Congress of the CPC, set to open on Oct. 18 in Beijing, he said he expects China to be "more open in the future," which will help increase China's inbound and outbound investment.
"I'm very optimistic about China," Tourk said. "I think other parties should look at the CPC and learn from its experience of how to deal with both domestic challenges and foreign challenges."
