China celebrates centenary of Communist Party at Tiananmen Square

Celebrations in Beijing to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of China’s ruling Communist Party kicked off on Thursday morning with a flyby of fighter jets and helicopters at Tiananmen Square in the centre of the capital.

Around 30 aircraft formed a “100” as crowds cheered under the gaze of the nation’s leaders, including President Xi Jinping, seated at the southern ramparts of the Forbidden City.

In a televised address from Tiananmen Square, Xi said China had achieved its centenary goal of building “a moderately prosperous society.”

The overarching theme of the party’s work over the past 100 years was to rejuvenate the nation, said Xi, China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.

“The people of China are not only good at destroying the old world, they have also created a new world,” Xi said. “Only socialism can save China.”

A screen shows Chinese President Xi Jinping speak during a ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Chinese Communist Party at Tiananmen Square in Beijing (AP)

Xi and the party are riding high as China recovers briskly from the COVID-19 outbreak and takes a more assertive stand on the global stage, although Beijing also faces criticism over its actions in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and contends with a worsening demographic outlook that imperils long-term economic growth.

The Chinese Communist Party, which came to power in 1949 under Mao, initially recruited peasants and workers, but has evolved to embrace markets and entrepreneurship under “socialism with Chinese characteristics” while retaining a Leninist model of authoritarianism.

Chinese flags are waved during a rehearsal for a ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Chinese Communist Party at Tiananmen Gate in Beijing (AP)

Party ranks swelled by 2.43 million in 2020, the largest annual gain since Xi became president in 2013, to 95.15 million members now, data released on Wednesday showed.

“We must insist on the strong leadership of the party,” Xi said. “The party is the crux in managing China’s matters well.

On Monday, Xi presided over theatrical performances at the “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium in a show attended by thousands and that state media described as “epic”.

At the end, the audience rose to sing a song, “Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China.”