U.S. specialist lauds China's great achievements, expects better policies

by Xinhua writer Wang Jiangang

NEW YORK, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- China has made great achievements over the past five years under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said a renowned China specialist in the United States.

In an interview with Xinhua ahead of the 19th CPC National Congress, which is set to open Wednesday in Beijing, David Shambaugh said he expects the CPC to roll out even better policies that will benefit both China and the world.

NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS

Shambaugh, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University and also a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, noted that prominent achievements are seen in such areas as international governance, anti-corruption, military organizational reforms, technological innovation and economic growth.

The widely published author, whose books "China Goes Global" (2013) and "China's Future" (2016) were selected by The Economist magazine among the best books of the year, spoke highly of China's current role in international governance.

"Concerning global governance, the world has never been so complicated and filled with difficulties and challenges. The vast majority of these are transnational in nature, and hence require the cooperation of all national governments as well as private sector actors," he said.

Describing China as one of the three major countries in the world today along with the United States and Russia, he said that China "has a particularly important leadership role to play in global governance."

He noted that while China was previously criticized by other countries for being a "free rider" in global governance, he and other foreign observers now recognize that under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, China has really stepped up to play a much "enhanced" and "responsible" role in global governance over the past five years.

"Xi Jinping deserves personal credit for this, as he has demonstrated a personal interest in the issue of global governance," said Shambaugh, who particularly cited Xi's "well-received" speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year.

Read more on: Xinhua