INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightGetty ImagesChinese President Xi Jinping has vowed that his country will not develop at the expense of other nations, in a
speech marking 40 years since China introduced major economic reforms.However, he also said that the global superpower would not be told
what to do by anyone.Late leader Deng Xiaoping's campaign of "reform and opening up" began four decades ago.The resulting growth has made
China the second-largest economy in the world.Hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of poverty but in recent years China has
struggled with mounting debt and slowing economic growth.Mr Xi said despite his country's economic achievements, China would "never seek
global hegemony" and also highlighted its contributions towards a "shared future for mankind".He did not mention the current trade dispute
with the United States.China continues to crack down on political dissent and is accused of locking up hundreds of thousands of Muslims
without trial in the western region of Xinjiang.Its militarisation of islands in the South China Sea - home to vital shipping lanes - has
sparked concerns among Asian neighbours that it seeks to dominate the region.Critics also say that while China is helping to build
much-needed infrastructure across Asia and Africa, it is saddling countries with billions in debt in a bid to gain strategic influence
Mr Xi spent much of his lengthy speech listing examples of China's progress over the past decades, praising them as "epic achievements
that moved heaven and Earth"
He said that given its success, "no-one is in a position to dictate to the Chinese people what should or should not be done".At the same
time, he stressed what he described as Chinese efforts to work towards the greater global good, saying Beijing was a "promoter of world
peace", a "defender of international order" and holding "a leading role in dealing with climate change".China's economic reform was
initiated by then leader Deng Xiaoping in 1978 and the programme was ratified on 18 December that year
The reform path turned the country away from the old-style communism of Mao Zedong when collectivisation had led to an impoverished and
The transformation focussed on agricultural reform, private sector liberalisation, industry modernisation and opening to international
trade.Xi Jinping described the reforms as a "break from the shackles" of previous mistakes
Image copyrightReutersImage caption
China's reform process was kicked off in 1978
He said the last 40
years had been a "quantum leap for socialism with Chinese characteristics," driving China's "great rejuvenation in modern times".The
Chinese president made no direct mention of the current trade dispute with the US but stressed his country's contribution to economic
globalisation and international order.The row with the US has led to a spiral of tit-for-tat tariffs with potentially serious economic
consequences for both China and the US should they fail to resolve the dispute.In October US Vice-President Mike Pence accused China of a
raft of illiberal economic policies, saying that "while Beijing still pays lip service to 'reform and opening', Deng Xiaoping's famous
policy now rings hollow".Despite the economic reforms, the past decades have not brought change to China's rigid one-party system of
China's president gave his speech on Tuesday in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, where calls for political
reforms were brutally crushed by the military in 1989
Image:John Sudworth reports from Xinjiang, where all filming and reporting by foreign media is tightly controlledXi Jinping is widely seen
as China's most influential leader since Mao Zedong
In 2017, he cemented his power, enshrining his political views in the constitution
In his address, Mr Xi reiterated his belief in strengthening the party leadership and praised Beijing's crackdown on corruption.Critics
say the rule of Xi Jinping has been marked by an ever-intensifying crackdown on political dissent and any groups that the Communist Party
sees as a threat to its authority, such as unofficial Christian churches and labour activists.
