By Jiang Bo, People’s Daily

“I have witnessed drastic changes of China since my first visit to the country,” said Maite Mola, vice president of the Party of the European Left (PEL), in a recent interview with People’s Daily.

“Both urban and rural areas in the country have taken on a new look, and its infrastructure is keeping improving. The country has constantly advanced its ecological progress and made remarkable achievements in anti-corruption campaign,” Mola said.

Mola paid six visits to China between 2008 and 2018, during which she went to Chinese cities and villages to see the changes of the life of the Chinese people.

“The huge changes in the 10 years make me feel as if a century had passed,” she said.

Mola’s visit to suburban Shanghai impressed her the most during her trips to China.

“It was clean and tidy, and the villagers were affluent. The infrastructure and public services were great, and I saw prominent achievements in the country’s new-type urbanization,” Mola told People’s Daily.

She said the Communist Party of China (CPC) has led the Chinese people to eliminate absolute poverty, which is a great feat in human history.

She told People’s Daily that how to advance rural development amid progressing urbanization is an issue that bothers many countries, including Spain. China’s rural vitalization strategy has shed light on the rural development of other developing countries and is worth learning for developed countries, she noted.

In 2008, Mola had an inspection tour to Xiaogang village, Fengyang county, east China’s Anhui province. Dubbed “the birthplace of China’s rural reform,” the village was the first one in the country to pioneer a “household contract responsibility system.”

From Xiaogang village, Mola realized that huge changes would take place in China. “We need to not only support China’s development, but also introduce to the world the country’s progress and the CPC’s spirit of reform and innovation,” she said.

The PEL speaks highly of the remarkable achievements made by the CPC in terms of party construction since the 19th National Congress of the CPC.

In 2018, Mola visited China again upon invitation. In Fuxiang neighborhood, Dongcheng district of Beijing, she watched an activity in which primary-level CPC members reviewed the Party admission oath. She was quite impressed by the activity, saying such activities could help primary-level Party members strengthen their conviction and strengthen the cohesion of primary-level Party organizations.

China’s remarkable progress in developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, as well as the historic accomplishment in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, are inseparable from the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Mola told People’s Daily.

As a reader of the book “Xi Jinping: The Governance of China”, Mola said the book has brought her many inspirations. “President Xi Jinping is both visionary and practical,” she said, adding that the CPC, following a people-centered approach and leading the Chinese people to advance with the times, has explored a development path that suits China’s national conditions.

Citing Xi’s remarks that the Chinese people hope to successfully realize national development, but they also hope to see all peoples of the world leading happy and peaceful lives, Mola said the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind aim at promoting world peace and sharing development opportunities.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, China has significantly promoted international solidarity to fight the virus, making huge efforts to build a global community of health for all, Mola noted.

Last September, Xi proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI), calling on the international society to cooperate on poverty alleviation, food security, COVID-19 response and vaccines, development financing, climate change and green development, industrialization, digital economy and connectivity, and to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“President Xi has charted a course for the world’s common development when the world is hindered by both the pandemic and uncertainties,” Mola said.

She noted that the GDI, which prioritizes development, puts people in the center and benefits all, is an important approach to tackling development issues.

“The achievements made by the CPC in the past 100 years prove that it is a party that seeks happiness for the people. The century-old CPC will usher in a new starting point as it kicks off its 20th National Congress,” Mola told People’s Daily.

She believes that China will make more achievements under the leadership of the CPC. She hopes the country can provide more feasible schemes for international cooperation on development and contribute more energy to the building of a better world.