Chinese modernization, a key term defining China's journey to rejuvenation, has for the first time been written into a report to the national congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the world's largest Marxist governing party.

In his Sunday report to the 20th CPC National Congress, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, underscored the "central task" of the Party, calling for efforts to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts "through a Chinese path to modernization."

The Chinese have never been so close to, confident in, and capable of achieving the goal of rejuvenating the Chinese nation, according to the report, which laid out main objectives and tasks for the next five years and beyond.

Chinese modernization, based on exploration by generations of Chinese people and unique to the country's context, presents a correct path to realizing the Chinese dream. It also offers humanity a new choice for achieving modernization.

CLEAR VISION, TARGETS

When the Japanese invasion plunged China into peril in the 1930s, a renowned Chinese historian pondered and raised a question that had long perplexed him and his compatriots: Can the Chinese modernize?

Today the answer is readily apparent to everyone. The world's second-largest economy has achieved within decades what took the West centuries to achieve.

China has eradicated absolute poverty and finished building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, thus completing the First Centenary Goal.

According to its two-step strategic plan, the CPC will next lead China to "basically realize socialist modernization from 2020 through 2035," and "build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful from 2035 through the middle of this century."

"As China has embarked on a new journey, it is the perfect time to set out clear direction and targets of Chinese modernization so that the Chinese people can unite in pursuit of the goal they have been seeking to achieve," Chen Shuguang, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, told Xinhua.

The report outlined China's overall development objectives for the year 2035, which include substantially growing the per capita GDP to be on par with that of a mid-level developed country, significantly enhancing national soft power, steadily lowering carbon emissions after reaching a peak, as well as comprehensively strengthening the national security system and capabilities.

Describing the next five years as "crucial for getting our efforts to build a modern socialist country in all respects off to a good start," the report listed the main objectives and tasks for this period, which range from achieving greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, to further improving the socialist market economy, and enabling China to play a greater role in global governance.

"Setting clearer vision and targets, China is becoming increasingly aware that the modernization it seeks will not be a mere replica of the Western one since the Chinese path works well," said Chen.