Chongqing - On July 1, the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will kick off in Beijing. This year marks the 76th year of the CPC’s governance. To understand contemporary China, it is essential to understand the CPC. The question is, why is the CPC qualified to steer a country with a population of more than 1.4 billion?

“The legitimacy of the CPC’s governance is the choice of history, the people, and practice, and reflects the convergence of historical logic, modernization logic and value logic,” said Zheng Changzhong, Professor of Fudan University.

From the perspective of historical logic, China is at a critical stage of transition from an ancient civilization to a modern one. This process requires a strong organizational force to drive and sustain the transformation.

Zheng noted that multiple political forces once attempted to undertake this task, but none succeeded. History ultimately chose the Communist Party of China.

“This has led to a fundamental difference: the role of the CPC in China is not merely an ‘electoral tool’ in the Western sense, but a leading force in advancing civilizational transformation, building a modern state, and organizing social development,” he said.

Hence, the CPC’s leadership has deep historical roots, and its legitimacy is not only procedural but also the result of historical choice.

From the perspective of modernization, China faces complex challenges in its development, including a population of over 1.4 billion and regional disparities. Zheng said the CPC has successfully organized such a vast population, making it the main force in China’s modernization drive.

From a value perspective, there are two main paths to modernization in human society: one is the capitalist path, where benefits often accrue to a small minority; the other is a people-centered socialist path that ensures development benefits all. China, under the leadership of the CPC, has chosen the latter.

“In other words, since its founding, the CPC’s mission has been to ensure that the people live a better life. It does not serve a small group of people, but more than 1.4 billion people,” Zheng said.