On November 10, 2022, Ambassador Dr. Ezzat Saad, on behalf of ECFA, and at the invitation of Ambassador Liao Liqiang, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Cairo, participated in a symposium held by the Embassy at The Nile Ritz Carlton Hotel, on “The Impact of the Twentieth National Congress of the Communist Party of China on China’s Future and World Peace and Development”, in which he expressed his gratitude to Ambassador Liao Liqiang, for his kind invitation, while extending his sincere congratulations to the Communist Party of China, the sponsor of the renaissance and progress of China, on the occasion of the success of the CPC Twentieth National Congress, expressing confidence that the Party will consolidate further positive and decisive results that would enhance the position of the People’s Republic of China globally, and its plans to build a modern socialist state with unique Chinese characteristics, under the leadership and wisdom of its General Secretary, President Xi Jinping.

Ambassador Saad added that the Twentieth National Congress of the Communist Party of China was of particular importance, as it was the Party’s first in its second centenary, after the year 2021 celebrated its 100th anniversary. Despite the escalating pace of global developments under which the Congress was held, it was remarkable that the opening speech of Chinese President “Xi Jinping”, which lasted for about 100 minutes, did not focus on these developments, as much as it focused on the future. In addition to his emphasis on China standing firmly against all forms of hegemony, power politics, and the mentality of the Cold War, the speech dealt extensively with domestic policies and how to move China into the future, after the Communist Party succeeded during the first century in achieving its main strategic goals, especially those related to the eradication of extreme poverty, raising the standard of living and leading China to become the second largest economy in the world, and a major trading partner for more than 140 countries and regions. In its vision for the future, the Chinese leadership set its second centenary goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects, and the necessity for innovation to remain at the heart of China’s modernization campaign. It also pledged to achieve shared prosperity for all, promote material, cultural and moral progress, significantly enhance national soft power, and comprehensively enhance the national security system and capabilities.

In a related context, China has successfully achieved more openness by establishing a network of free trade zones oriented to the world that are characterized by high standards of efficiency and growth, including pilot free trade zones and the Hainan Free Trade Port. Participating in building the “Belt and Road” is an international public good and a platform for international cooperation, and it enjoys the support of many countries of the world, in addition to other great Chinese development initiatives that have earned the appreciation and admiration of peoples. These are initiatives that would enhance international peace and security, and peoples’ welfare, especially in light of what the Party’s general secretary put forward that “Chinese modernization is a kind of modernization that promotes harmonious coexistence of man and nature” and that “peaceful development is a fully accessible path to modernization.”