Editor's Note: As this year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, CGTN has launched a Q&A session inviting experts to answer our readers' most pressing questions. These questions were compiled based on questionnaires we distributed to readers across our social media platforms.

To understand China's political system, often misunderstood by some in the West, one must understand the Communist Party of China (CPC). 

With that in mind, CGTN talked to Zheng Changzhong, professor of Political Party Building and National Development Research Center, Fudan University.

CGTN: Please list some basic, underreported facts about the CPC that you believe our global readers should know about.

Zheng: First, neither feudal rulers nor various other political forces were able to transition China from an ancient civilization into a modern one. CPC is not a party that exists merely for elections, but a leading force driving the entire country toward modernization.

Second, the CPC has over 100 million members – about one in every 14 Chinese people is a CPC member. As the admission standards are quite strict, requiring several years of evaluation, those who are admitted are generally capable and of good character. CPC members, including industrial workers, rural professionals, community workers and groups in new forms of employment, act as vanguards for their various sectors. 

Third, over the past four decades, nearly 800 million people in China have been lifted out of extreme poverty under the leadership of the CPC. Just from 2013 to 2021 alone, nearly 100 million rural poor people were lifted out of poverty, achieving the United Nations 2030 poverty reduction target ten years ahead of schedule. This was achieved through building roads, providing electricity, constructing schools and teaching skills, enabling impoverished regions to develop their own capacity for growth.

Fourth, major decisions of the Party and the country are made after hearing opinions and suggestions from different aspects to make decisions scientifically, democratically and in accordance with law.

Fifth, China has established its own supervisory system in which intra-Party supervision, oversight by state organs such as national and local people's congresses, supervision from the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and social supervision all work together. Through inspections, disciplinary supervision, public complaints and media oversight, multiple channels operate to ensure that all power in the country is kept within an institutional framework.

CGTN: Under the leadership of the CPC, China is now forging ahead on the Chinese path to modernization. How do you view the role the CPC has been playing in China's growth, development and modernization efforts?

Zheng: To understand this question, we first need to consider a more fundamental issue: how can a country with 1.4 billion people and vastly different regional conditions organize everyone to work together on development?

The CPC is the force that brings people together. With 1.4 billion individuals each living different lives, there must be a mechanism that unites everyone toward a common goal. The role of the CPC is to transform scattered individuals into a coordinated force for national development. Without such a unifying force, society would be fragmented. With it, human and material resources can be concentrated to accomplish major projects.

The Party also sets the strategy while the governments at all levels ensure implementation. The Party determines the overall direction of national development, selects personnel and coordinates relationships among various sectors. The governments at all levels then translate these broad goals into concrete policies and projects. The Party does not directly engage in administrative procedures such as project approvals. It is like building a house: someone draws the blueprint and sets the design, while others lay the bricks and carry out the construction. Only when both roles work in coordination can things be done quickly and effectively.

Equally important is that Party leadership ensures policy continuity and stability. From 1953 to 2025, the country implemented a total of 14 five-year plans. The year 2026 marks the beginning of 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). For example, high-speed rail projects that are halfway built are not stopped simply because of a change in government. Over the past 70 years, China has relied on the principle that once goals are set, they are not easily changed, which has enabled the construction of the world's largest high-speed rail and expressway networks. Policy stability gives both the public and investors a sense of confidence.

In addition, the CPC not only provides direction but also coordinates diverse interests. In terms of values, Party leadership ensures that China adheres to a people-centered approach rather than a capital-centered one. In practical terms, modernization involves economic, political, cultural, social and environmental dimensions. Only the Party is able to coordinate these various forces and bring them together into a unified effort.

CGTN: Against the backdrop of profound changes unseen in a century, the CPC's wealth of governance experience has grown even more relevant. How would you sum up this experience? Are there universally valuable solutions it can offer to political parties worldwide?

Zheng: These experiences can be summarized into five points.

First, everything starts from the interests of the people. The modernization China pursues is not aimed at making a small number of people rich, but at ensuring that 1.4 billion people can all live better lives. Whether it is building roads, providing electricity, constructing schools or developing medical insurance, the ultimate goal is the daily well-being of ordinary people.

Second, work must be guided by long-term planning while continuously learning new things. China does not plan only for five years, but for decades ahead. From 1953 to 2025, China has developed and implemented 14 five-year plans. The year 2026 marks the beginning of 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). This ensures that projects are not stopped midway simply because of personnel changes. Meanwhile, China has consistently remained open, learning from others' strengths and improving its own shortcomings. Long-term vision and continuous improvement are both indispensable.

Third, unite people from different regions and ethnic groups to work toward a common goal. China is vast and conditions vary greatly across regions, with different groups having different perspectives. To accomplish major tasks, there must be a mechanism that allows people to maintain their own characteristics while forming a unified whole. In China's approach, major issues are handled through consultation, seeking common ground and then taking joint action.

Fourth, everything must be carried out according to the rules. Governing a large country cannot rely on the will of any single individual; there must be a set of rules that everyone can see and follow. China emphasizes governing the country according to law, meaning that all affairs are brought under a legal framework, and both government and individuals must act within these rules.

Fifth, only by governing itself well can the Party govern the country well. For a long-ruling party, the greatest risk is self-relaxation in discipline. China has established an internal oversight system, from disciplinary inspection to public reporting, from inspections and patrols to media supervision, using multiple mechanisms to ensure that those in power do not abuse it. At the same time, people also have channels to express their views when policies are being made. Being the master of the country is not an empty slogan, but something reflected in everyday participation.

In short, there is no single standard answer to governance. Each country must find its own suitable path based on its own conditions. These practices in China may not be applicable to others, but they demonstrate one thing: It is possible to follow one's own path.

CGTN: In the era of artificial intelligence and rapid technological development, what is the contemporary significance of Marxism, and what impact does it have on the younger generation? 

Zheng: In the era of rapid artificial intelligence development, China does not treat Marxism as a rigid dogma, but as a living tool for analyzing new problems, helping us understand technological change while also reminding us not to be led blindly by technology.

Marxism helps us recognize a basic fact: no matter how powerful artificial intelligence becomes, it is still a tool created by human beings, not an independent subject with its own will. Regardless of how algorithms are upgraded, human labor, human judgment and human values remain fundamental. This may sound simple, but it is crucial – it reminds us that technology should serve people, not the other way around.

In addition, technological progress brings both convenience and new challenges. Some people may lose their jobs due to algorithms, others may lose privacy due to data leaks, and people in remote areas may not even have access to AI. Marxism is fundamentally concerned with fairness, and it reminds us that the "speed" of technological development should not exacerbate social "imbalances." In China, this means that while developing AI, efforts must also be made to protect employment, regulate platforms and safeguard the rights of ordinary people.

In education and ideology, Marxism helps young people form a basic worldview on technology, encouraging innovation while maintaining boundaries. Efforts are also being made to use AI to teach Marxism, such as developing interactive learning platforms so that theory is no longer confined to textbooks or lectures, but becomes part of young people's everyday thinking.

In all, Marxism is not used to constrain technological development, but to provide direction and set boundaries for it – making innovation more equitable, healthier and more aligned with the interests of ordinary people. Technology may change, but the principle of putting people first remains constant.