'China model' provides alternative path, says Palestinian political party leader

China's experience of peaceful development provides an alternative to other developing countries seeking to grow independently, said Bassam al-Salhi, general secretary of the Palestinian People's Party.

China has created a unique mode during its practices of building a socialist country with Chinese characteristics, Bassam said in a video link with reporters ahead of the World Symposium for Marxist Political Parties. He noted that China's economic development is not only the development of productive forces, but also that of productive relations.

During the course of its fast economic development, China, which is set to become the largest economy in the coming years, has greatly improved the welfare of Chinese people, Bassam said.

"While some European capitalist countries developed themselves through controlling and monopolizing world's resources for centuries, China's development experience provides a new pathway and inspirations to other developing countries, which is unprecedented in human history," he said.

For a long time, there has been a big question mark hanging over socialism and communism, Bassam said. "I think China's development in recent years serves as the best response to the doubt."

Bassam also expected China to make more contributions to the world's peaceful development.

"The Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China would offer more development opportunities to neighboring countries," he said.

"With its huge consumption market, it is expected that China will carry out more cooperation with other countries in various fields, such as science and technology, climate change and healthcare," he said. "I believe that China will become the leader of the world."

Bassam also expressed gratitude to China for supporting the Palestinian people's just cause of striving for building an independent country, and for helping the construction of Palestine.

He criticized some Western media's China-bashing campaign under the pretext of COVID-19 pandemic.

"Some Western nations, especially the US Donald Trump administration, have relentlessly thrown mud at China, and hyped up the theory that China is the origin of the novel coronavirus, which exposed their ugly faces," he said.