Secretary-General António Guterres’ United Nations Day message
In his message to us, “We the Peoples” Secretary-General António Guterres’ acknowledges the many grave challenges facing our time, he also states that we have the tools and wealth to overcome these challenges. All we need is the will. The world’s problems transcend borders. We have to transcend our differences to transform our future, he continues.
Who has the will to lead the world to overcome the many challenges of our time?
In 2017 the leader of the free world has stepped down from the White House. US President Donald Trump does not acknowledge climate change, he is retreating from the Paris Agreement, Nafta, TPP and Unesco and threatening to retreat from or at least weaken US responsibilities towards NATO and United Nations. Contrasting this the Chinese President Xi Jinping, on the other hand, is taking great measures to become a world recognized leader in a difficult time.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Germany last July. Picture: Saul Loeb/APSource:AP
And you lied your little head off about golf, just like you lied about healthcare, the wall, coal jobs, tax reform and everything else 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/IuADRsUxgF
— Jack Schofield (@jackschofield) October 20, 2017
China’s President Xi Jinping gives his speech at the opening session of the Chinese Communist Party’s national congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Picture: Wang Zhao/AFPSource:AFP
China’s ruling Communist Party has voted to enshrine Xi Jinping’s name and ideology in its constitution, elevating him to the level of founder Mao Zedong.
The unanimous vote to incorporate “Xi Jinping Thought” happened at the end of the Communist Party Congress, China’s most important political meeting. Mr Xi has steadily increased his grip on power since becoming leader in 2012. This move means that any challenge to Mr Xi will now be seen as a threat to Communist Party rule.
More than 2,000 delegates gathered in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People for the final approval process to enshrine “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era” into the Communist Party constitution of China.
At the start of the week-long meeting, president tells delegates in 3hr 23min speech to ‘strive with endless energy toward national rejuvenation, Chinese President Xi Jinping also set out his time frame for the country to become a “global leader” within the next 30 years. Mr Xi urged a reinvigorated Communist Party to take a stronger role in society and economic development to better address the nation’s “grim” challenges.
Speaking in the massive Great Hall of the People near Tiananmen Square, Mr Xi laid out his vision of a ruling party that served as the vanguard for everything from defending national security to providing moral guidance.
He also called for the party not only to safeguard China’s sovereignty but also to revitalize Chinese culture, oppose “erroneous” ideology and promote a religion that is “Chinese in orientation”.
It is time for his nation to transform itself into a mighty force” that could lead the entire world on political, economic, military and environmental issues . .
The Chinese nation … has stood up, grown rich, and become strong — and it now embraces the brilliant prospects of rejuvenation … It will be an era that sees China moving closer to center stage and making greater contributions to mankind.
Mr Xi
Hailing the start of a “new era”, Mr Xi outlined a vision in which the party would lead China on the road to becoming a “great modern socialist country” by the mid-century.
“The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is no walk in the park or mere drum-beating and gong-clanging. The whole party must be prepared to make ever more difficult and harder efforts,” Mr Xi told hundreds of delegates.
“To achieve great dreams there must be a great struggle.”
“The Chinese nation is a great nation; it has been through hardships and adversity but remains indomitable. The Chinese people are a great people; they are industrious and brave and they never pause in the pursuit of progress,” he said.
