Ambassador Zhou Pingjian: China, Nigeria in the New Era

　2019年10月29日，尼日利亚主流媒体《今日报》、《商业日报》发表驻尼日利亚大使周平剑署名文章，宣介《新时代的中国与世界》白皮书。全文如下：

　　今年10月1日，中华人民共和国成立70周年。

On October 29, 2019, Nigerian leading newspaper Thisday and Business Day published an article written by Ambassador of China to Nigeria Dr. Zhou Pingjian. The full text goes as follows:

The First of October this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

　　中国从哪里来、向哪里去？中国推动建设什么样的世界？发展起来的中国如何与世界相处？

　　为回应上述问题，让国际社会更好地了解中国发展，中国国务院新闻办公室近日发布了《新时代的中国与世界》白皮书。白皮书系统介绍了过去70年来中国的发展成就、发展道路和发展方向，详细阐述了中国与世界的关系。

What path did China take? Where is China going? What are China's goals in shaping the world? How will a developing China interact with the rest of the world?

In respond to the above-mentioned questions and aiming to give the international community a better understanding of China's development, the State Council Information Office of China recently published a white paper entitled "China and the World in the New Era". The white paper systematically introduces China's achievements, development path and directions over the past 70 years and deeply elaborated on China's relations with the world.

　　70年来中国取得了巨大成功。从1952年至2018年，中国工业增加值年均增长11%，国内生产总值年均增长8.1%，人均增长70倍。中国人均预期寿命从1949年的35岁增长到2018年的77岁，远高于世界平均预期寿命72岁。中国人民的生活条件得到极大改善，农村贫困人口从1978年的7.7亿人，下降到2018年的1660万人，初步建构起实际覆盖人口最多的社会保障体系。1949年，中国是最贫穷落后的国家之一，如今稳居世界第二大经济体。

Over the past 7 decades, China has achieved great success. From 1952 to 2018, China's industrial added value increased with an average annual growth rate of 11 percent. China's GDP increased with an average annual growth rate of 8.1 percent, and per capita GDP increased by 70 times at constant prices. China's life expectancy has increased from 35 years in 1949 to 77 years in 2018, higher than the world's average of 72 years. The living conditions of the Chinese people have been greatly improved. China's rural population living under the current poverty line decreased from 770 million in 1978 to 16.6 million in 2018. China has established a preliminary social security system covering the largest population in the world. China was one of the poorest and most backward countries in 1949, now it is the second largest economy in the world.

　　中国如何取得这些举世瞩目成就？

　　其一，正确的发展道路。道路决定命运。中国找到了中国特色社会主义这条正确发展道路并且沿着这条道路坚定不移地走下去，这是过去70年来中国取得成功的根本原因。一个有着近14亿人口的大国实现现代化，在人类历史上没有先例可循。中国必须走一条属于自己的道路。

How has China scored remarkable accomplishments?

Firstly, the right path of development. The choice of path is critical to the successful development of a country. China has found and will continue on the right path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, which is the ultimate reason for China's success over the past 70 years. As a vast country with a nearly 1.4 billion population, China has no experience of modernization to borrow from in history. It has to blaze its own path.

　　其二，坚定的领导力量。中国共产党成为中国的核心领导力量长期执政并得到人民拥护。70年来中国发展之所以成功，最根本的在于中国共产党的领导。中国体量巨大、国情复杂，治理难度世所罕见，没有集中统一、坚强有力的领导力量，中国将走向分裂和解体，给世界带来灾难。

Secondly, the steadfast leadership. The Communist Party of China (CPC) is China's core leadership, ruling the country for long and supported by the people. China's success over the past 70 years boils down to the CPC's leadership. Due to China's vast territory and complicated national conditions, the governance of China is uniquely difficult. Without centralized, unified and firm leadership, China would have tended towards division and disintegration and caused widespread chaos beyond its own borders.