Photo: IC

Over the past 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), and the past 40 years since the reform and opening-up, China has embarked on a path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The West has long been misreading, criticizing and vilifying China's development path, and has been heaping pressure in an attempt to change China's political process. 

China has stayed on course despite external pressures or temptations. It has wisely dealt with external hostile forces and built a highly open socialist economic system. China has succeeded in balancing multiple political and economic approaches. 

Certain Western forces, headed by the US, feel uncomfortable in the face of socialist China's development. Some people believe that politically defeating China is the most straightforward and thorough way for the US 21st century strategy to win out. They have launched political attacks against China consciously or unconsciously, trying to make "bringing China to its knees" a national-level policy. 

With the overall economic and social development level of the US and the West higher than that of China, they use their strategic advantage to launch such offensives. Ideology is the main field for their attacks. 

The trade war has become the new front for the US to exert pressure on China. No matter how many real disputes over interests there are in the trade war, or US ploys aimed at strategically pressuring China, the collective impact has increased pressure on China. The 70-year-old PRC is at its strongest, but it faces the severest challenges. 

China must resist pressure from the US and the West, especially from the US. The country must be prepared for a long-term struggle. 

China must be capable of managing the long-standing contradictions and conflicts with the US and some Western forces. 

It should neither be overwhelmed by the conflicts nor tend to oppose everything the West advocates. We must resolutely focus on China's comprehensive development, rather than the struggles with external forces. Maintaining the balance may be the real test for Chinese society. 

Not being politically misled by the West is the precondition for China's sound development. 

In addition, the country needs to confidently motivate our society, and make sure it will not be influenced by our resistance to Western infiltration. We must make sure that China's development impetus remains as strong as that in Western countries. 

China has gone through twists and turns in the past seven decades, yet it has been sticking to a path of steady development. While adhering to reform and opening-up, China has neither made unprincipled compromises, nor chosen reckless counterattacks when confronting huge strategic pressure from the US.  

China needs ceaseless dynamics from within to promote its modernization. The more powerful China is, the fewer real enemies it will have, as some potential rivals would make more pragmatic choices. 

China is facing unprecedented challenges, but the country is also better positioned than ever. Today's China is more capable of handling internal and external problems and turning various factors around for progress.