100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China and the advent of new U.S.-China Relations 

Chung Jae-hung 

(jameschung@sejong.org) 

Research Fellow,  

The Sejong Institute 

English Abstract

The 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China is of great political significance for it marks the first 100 years of Xi Jinping’s Two Centenaries. The Communist Party of China has become the world's largest party with more than 90 million people over the past 100 years--since its founding in 1921. President Xi announced that he will make every effort for the Chinese Dream by 2049 and celebrate the 100th anniversary of New China. He repeatedly emphasized the Communist Party of China's realization of a great revival of China, socialist China, and the Chinese people.

In his speech, President Xi indicated that Hong Kong and Taiwan should maintain social stability under the principle of one country, two systems and the National Security Law. He stressed that achieving reunification of the motherland is not only a historical task of the Communist Party of China but also a long-yearned aspiration of the Chinese people. In short, President Xi’s keynote speech on the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China emphasized his philosophy of state affairs to transform to a new, distinctive socialist power of Xi Jinping by 2049—the centennial anniversary of Xi's 100-year national strategy. In other words, China will modernize its socialism by 2035, build a rich and powerful socialist powerhouse by 2049, and establish a new, China-centered regional order to realize the Daedong society and the Community with shared future for mankind beyond Xiaokang society.

Accordingly, President Xi proposed to establish the Community with shared future for mankind and new international relations with the U.S. and neighboring countries based on the concept of mutual respect, fairness, and cooperation. In particular, President Xi's keynote speech showed his determination to seek a new regional order based on a strong socialist China—led by the Chinese Communist Party that will not be pushed back in the long-term U.S-China strategic competition, beyond just promoting political and economic pride in China.

After the high-level talk between China and the U.S. in Anchorage, President Xi said that the talk confirmed that China is not weak anymore—unlike 100 years ago. Since then, he has strengthened China’s strategic cooperation with socialist and friendly countries such as Russia, North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan in order to promote China as a socialist powerhouse with special characteristics. As the U.S.-China strategic competition intensified, China actively pursued strategic cooperation with Russia and North Korea, strengthened relations with Pakistan, North Korea, South Korea, and developed China-Japan-South Korea cooperation all together to respond to the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, the QUAD, the NATO, and the U.S.-South Korea-Japan cooperation.

Unless there is a change in China's existing foreign policy in the future, the U.S.-China relations may even worsen due to a conflict of interests and have a direct impact on South Korea-China relations. Therefore, South Korea must avoid choosing one side and making an enemy amid the increasingly intensifying strategic competition between the U.S. and China but actively pursue a peaceful denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula and participate in building a peaceful economic community in Northeast Asia to build a new regional order.​