2016年CRI A choice of history: a right growth path

One would be that in order to develop the country, it was necessary to get rid of the landlordism. It was necessary to protect the borders of the country from foreign aggression 1. And it was necessary to develop industry. But there is more fundamental reason. It’s a question of national survival.

---John Ross

Well-known columnist 2 in UK, Former Deputy Mayor of London

China was in a mess, you know, situation have become more and more serious. It was becoming increasingly fragmented. It was invaded by, you know, Europeans, Japanese and so on. So, you have this period of chaos 3, really, in China, broadly speaking, you know, all the way through the 20s and 30s, leading up to end the war. And it was only really in 1949, with the victory of Mao and the Chinese Communist Party that China became, well, first of all, reunified, secondly 4, expelled the foreign forces and thirdly, reconstitute the state of the heart of Chinese society and Chinese politics.

---Martin Jacques

Senior Fellow, Department of Politics and International Studies; Well-known Author, Cambridge University

What makes CPC the ruling party of China? I believe it’s because of the support from Chinese people in the course of the revolution. Particularly during the Anti-Japanese War, the CPC fought aggressively against the Japanese and thus won great support from Chinese people, and eventually emerged as the ultimate victor.

---Lee Jung-nam

Professor, Director of Center for Chinese Studies，Korea University

I think that clearest is actually in the struggle against Japan, which is of course the reason why the Chinese Communist Party came to power. The leaders of the Kuomintang cooperated de facto in the situation where they did not see the main thing as to defeat Japan. They deployed 5 their troops against communists. When Japan was defeated, they pointed 6 collaborators to take every important position of power. The leadership is entirely 7 corrupt 8 and in relations with the Kuomintang, that was why they were scroll 9 out. The Chinese communist party came to power because it was seen as the only force that could guarantee the advance of China. That’s really the reason more than all the other ones.

---John Ross

Well-known columnist in UK, Former Deputy Mayor of London

The heart of what Chinese civilization is about, unity 10 is absolutely sort of a cornerstone of China over a very long historic, thousands, you know, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years. Likewise, the sense that China, you know, can’t accept being occupied by foreign powers is very important to China. So, these, it was like the building blocks. You know, Mao restored the building blocks, if you like, put the modern building blocks in place for China.

I think that the 1978 experience was on the shoulders, if you like, of the 1949 transformation 11. Without the expulsion of foreign invaders 12, reunification of China, and reconstitute of the state that would not be possible.

---Martin Jacques

Senior Fellow, Department of Politics and International Studies; Well-known Author, Cambridge University