On 22 November 2022,?Chinese Ambassador to the UK H.E. Zheng Zeguang attended a financial and economic forum in London and made a keynote speech. At the event, Ambassador Zheng shared with over 100 guests from across the sectors in the UK the significance of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and briefed the audience on China's principled position on China-UK relations.

Ambassador Zheng noted that to grasp China's future development trends, one must understand the CPC and the significance of its 20th National Congress. The 20th CPC National Congress is indeed an event of epoch-making significance, because it was held at a critical time as China embarks on a new journey to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advances towards the Second Centenary Goal.

The most important achievement of the Congress is the election of a new central leadership with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, which reflects the common will of the entire Party and the people of the whole country. Taking stock of the past and charting the course for the future, General Secretary Xi Jinping's report to the Congress is a political declaration and a programme of action for the Party to rally all the Chinese people and lead them in achieving new success of building socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. The report is the most important source for the outside world to get a good grasp of China's development trends.

In his speech, Ambassador Zheng highlighted the following four aspects of the report.

First, Chinese modernisation is the strategic path China will take to advance national rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts. Chinese modernisation is socialist modernisation pursued under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. It contains elements that are common to the modernisation processes of all countries, but it is more characterised by features that are unique to the Chinese context. It is the modernisation of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature, and of peaceful development. Chinese modernisation will create a new form of human advancement and certainly have a far-reaching positive impact on world peace and development.

Second, high-quality development is the top priority in China's endeavour to build a modern socialist country in all respects. We will fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, continue reforms to develop the socialist market economy, promote high-standard opening up, and accelerate efforts to foster a new pattern of development that is focused on the domestic economy and features positive interplay between domestic and international economic flows.

Third, opening to the outside world is a fundamental national policy China will remain committed to. We will amplify the interplay between domestic and international markets and resources and steadily expand institutional opening-up with regard to rules, regulations, management and standards. We will upgrade trade in goods, develop new mechanisms for trade in services and foster a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based, and internationalised. We will promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. And we will expand the globally-oriented network of high-standard free trade areas, promote the internationalisation of the RMB in an orderly way, and deeply involve ourselves in the global industrial division of labour and cooperation.

Fourth, peaceful development is a strategic choice China will continue to follow unswervingly. China has always been committed to its foreign policy goals of upholding world peace and promoting common development, and it is dedicated to promoting a human community with a shared future. China will remain?dedicated to peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit, continue to follow an independent foreign policy of peace, uphold basic norms of international relations, and defend international fairness and justice.