Foreign officials learn key to success of nation

The world needs a deeper and better understanding of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era because it's the foundation of China's future development, foreign civil servants studying in China said on Thursday.

"President Xi Jinping's thoughts on socialism with Chinese characteristics has clarified China's development strategy. Following the right path of development can make China a world power again," said Antonio Gerardo Castanon, an official at the Ministry of Energy and Mines in Cuba.

He spoke while attending a seminar on socialism with Chinese characteristics held by the Chinese Academy of Governance in Beijing. The seminar is part of a training program for 24 Cuban civil servants from the ministry who have been learning about China's new energy development since April 11.

Prosecutors from Mongolia and government workers from Sudan who are studying at the academy also took part in the seminar. The academy was recently merged with the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Xi has attached great importance to issues that matter most to the people, such as fighting corruption, curbing pollution and securing food safety, Castanon said. "For a county with a huge population, government cohesion is extremely important."

Jorge Jose Mieres, director of the ministry's public relations department, said China's people-oriented development strategy is valuable. It is also what the Cuban government has been focusing on.

Learning about China's experiences in economic development is also important for Cuba, which aims to become a prosperous and sustainable socialist country by 2030.

China has set a good example to the world in fighting corruption. China's anti-graft work also has been very efficient in the past five years, said Tuvshin Nanalmaa, a prosecutor from Mongolia. She and 23 other prosecutors learned about China's legal and prosecutorial system at the academy.

Nanalmaa said China's development strategy is very practical. She said she is impressed by the poverty alleviation. The determination to lift people out of poverty also proves that the focus of China's development is on its people.

Mongolia is a beneficiary of China's Belt and Road Initiative, which offers development opportunities to countries involved in the initiative, she added.

The academy, established in 1994, plays an important role in training senior and midlevel civil servants, along with high-level administrators and policy researchers. Training programs for foreign administrators have become increasingly popular, especially among those from developing countries.