Iqbal Surve, chairman of South Africa's Independent Media, smiles in an interview with Xinhua in Cape Town, South Africa, June 6, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Lei)
by Xinhua writer Wang Lei
CAPE TOWN, July 22 (Xinhua) -- The third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee is "of great significance not just to China but to the world," a South African media leader has said.
"China is one of the key countries and economies in the world today, therefore what the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee decides, the direction and guidance it gives to the Chinese economy, is of great significance not just to China but to the world," Iqbal Surve, chairman of South Africa's Independent Media, told Xinhua in a recent interview concerning the plenum held in Beijing on July 15-18.
He noted that the reforms adopted at the plenum will also have a spillover effect on Africa and South Africa in particular, as it can serve as a blueprint for Africans to address the issues of poverty, inequality, and lack of innovation.
"Our experience is that historically these sessions have been instrumental in defining China's social economic strategies," Surve said. "And this is very important at this point, because nobody would argue with you when you say that the world is at a very critical juncture right now."
He explained that the world has just come out of the COVID pandemic, which has wreaked havoc on human, economic and social life for three years. Thus the reforms introduced at the third plenum of the 20th CPC Central Committee are undoubtedly significant for both China and the rest of the world today for three reasons.
"The first is that these reforms are very comprehensive and far-reaching. Secondly, it is underscored by the principle of collaboration and adapting to new technologies. I think that is very important. Thirdly, and this is where other countries can learn from China, China is brilliant at implementing production capacities," he said.
As a seasoned media leader who had paid more than 20 visits to China over the last 15 years, Surve said he was able to see for himself the substantial development in China.
Over the past four decades, China was able to implement mass production, and shift it to advanced manufacturing through modernization, he said. "No country in the world has achieved that mass production to advance manufacturing within such a short space of time."
In recent years, China has shown exceptional progress in the areas of AI, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing, among others, he added.
As a country that has come from being a low-income country to a decent middle-income country within those four decades, China is a very good example not only for South Africa but also for the African continent and the entire world, Surve noted.
"I think that China's successful reform is a lodestar for the world, is something that the world needs to look at," he said.
"The world should embrace China's successful reform as a basis for stabilizing international trade, benefiting developing economies, emerging markets, and developed economies such as Europe and North America." ■