Interview: CPC wins overwhelming trust among Chinese people: former Lao deputy PM

VIENTIANE, May 12 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) has won "the Chinese people's overwhelming trust" and always put the people's interests first, former Lao Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad has said.

On the centenary of the CPC's founding, Somsavat, a former politburo member of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), expressed confidence that the CPC will "stay true to its founding mission and remember its original aspiration and mission."

"In the early days of Wuhan's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, this metropolis with a population of 10 million swiftly calmed down, when every people strictly followed the requirements of self-isolation at home," Somsavat told Chinese media in a recent interview.

"It was the Spring Festival, but all the Wuhan citizens abandoned their traditional festival customs of visiting relatives and friends, and just followed the party's guidance, which fully reflects the Chinese people's overwhelming trust in the Communist Party of China," Somsavat said.

After the COVID-19 outbreak, the global economy was in a downturn, but China bucked the trend and achieved full resumption of production and economic recovery, he said, adding that the wise and strong leadership of the CPC is the decisive factor in this achievement.

Somsavat, aged over 70, once served as the secretary of the former Lao President Kaysone Phomvihane, the foreign minister and head of the LPRP Central Committee's commission for external relations, and deputy prime minister, and maintained close contacts with China.

"The Communist Party of China is a great political party. There would not be New China without the Communist Party of China, which is an indisputable fact," Somsavat said, adding that after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the CPC has been leading the Chinese people to striving for the rapid socio-economic development.

"The whole world might not imagine that a huge country like China would develop into the world's second largest economy in just over 40 years. This is a very remarkable achievement," he said.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Somsavat said the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core has been carrying forward the party's fine traditions, pushing for comprehensively deepening reforms, and leading the socialism with Chinese characteristics into a new era.

After the 19th National Congress, with the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the entire party has been uniting and forging ahead to lift China's development to a new level, he said.

Completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, Somsavat said, is a new starting point for the CPC to lead the Chinese people to advance the cause of socialism and the Lao side rates highly the CPC's people-centered governing philosophy, which the LPRP also adheres to.

Laos appreciates China's commitment to upholding multilateralism, promoting changes in the global governance system, and promoting world peace and development and the progress of human civilization, since it is in line with the aspirations of people around the world, he said.

Somsavat expressed confidence that under the strong leadership of the CPC central committee with Xi at its core, China will achieve various goals and build itself into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful by the centenary of the People's Republic of China, and will continue to work with the international community to promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity and build a mutually beneficial and win-win world with peace and development. ■