China's development achievements are inseparable from the leadership of the Communist Party of China

During my tenure as the Consul General of the Republic of Angola in Hong Kong from 2011 to 2018, I visited many places across China. I was impressed by the new looks and prosperity I witnessed and the warm friendship Chinese people showed to Africa and Angola.

Angola and China established a strategic partnership in 2010. Since the novel coronavirus outbreak, China has provided much-needed assistance to Angola on many fronts. For instance, Luanda and some provinces have received donations of anti-pandemic materials from Chinese people in Angola; Chinese enterprises have helped build quarantine hospitals; and the Chinese government donated many batches of anti-pandemic materials and 200,000 doses of vaccines to Angola, and assisted with the construction of four Fire Eye laboratories, which have enabled thousands of locals to receive nucleic acid tests every day. China has also sent medical aid teams to Angola and the two countries have established pair-up cooperation partnerships between hospitals. Thanks to the aid from China, Angola has acquired large amounts of pandemic control supplies, demonstrating the friendship between the two countries.

China is no longer the country that suffered foreign invasion as it did prior to World War II or the impoverished country of half a century ago. It is now the world's second-largest economy and the living conditions of its 1.4 billion people have been greatly improved. The tremendous changes that have taken place in China mark huge progress for humanity and a great contribution to world peace and development.

In terms of finance, China boasts more than $3 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, the world's largest. In 2020, it had 133 companies on the Fortune Global 500 list, surpassing the number of companies from the United States (121) for the first time. Regarding industry, over the past 11 years, China has been the world's leading producer of steel, ships, automobiles, air-conditioners, washing machines, mobile phones, refrigerators, furniture, coal and chemical fertilizer. It also leads in installed power generation capacity of renewable energy such as hydro, wind and solar power.

In terms of agriculture, China is the world's biggest producer of grain, meat, poultry and eggs. As for transport, China's railway network extends a total length of 139,000 kilometers, among which 27,000 km forms a high-speed rail network, more than the rest of the world combined. It also boasts 5.1 million km of roads, of which 155,000 km are expressways, the most in the world. The 55-km Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is the longest sea bridge in the world. In telecommunications, China is home to 8.41 million base stations, among which 5.44 million provide 4G services, accounting for more than half of the global total. And its number of 5G base stations also tops the world.

The recent May Day holiday witnessed 230 million people traveling around the country, a testament to the nation's effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Anyone who has been to China will have reached this conclusion: The prosperity and growth of the country is inseparable from the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China. Why has this Party of more than 90 million members been able to lead China to success?

First, the CPC puts the well-being of the people first. It is closely connected to the people and cares about their interests. Through concrete actions, it has built up prestige among the people and constantly taken in new strength to improve its governance and leadership capacity. Upholding the "people-oriented philosophy" is the fundamental reason behind the CPC's success in leading the country to continuous development.

Second, the CPC always delivers on its promises. China not only makes "five-year plans", but also envisions the Chinese Dream of realizing national rejuvenation, and achieving their development goals. Through these plans and goals, the CPC is leading the country to carry out a series of major steps, internally and externally, such as developing the economy, cracking down on corruption, improving the environment, reducing poverty, deepening reform, and safeguarding world peace. It truly represents the interests of the general public and honors its promises.

Third, since its founding 100 years ago, the CPC has attached great importance to drawing lessons from past experiences and making innovations based on traditions. In such a way, it has opened up a pathway that suits the country's conditions, and serves the interests of the Chinese people.

I have been to many places throughout China, and witnessed the happy lives of ordinary people with my own eyes. It is the Chinese people that have the final say on whether the country's ruling party and system is good or not.

According to the Edelman Trust Barometer survey, 95 percent of Chinese people have trust in their government, beating the rates in other countries. It is fair to say that China's development presents an opportunity for the world, rather than a threat.

The author is the former consul general of the Republic of Angola in Hong Kong. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.