The key to running a country is making its people better off

President Xi Jinping addresses the APEC CEO summit in Manila, the Philippines, Nov 18, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

"The key to running a country is making its people better off." The wisdom of this Chinese proverb, which dates back over 2,000 years, lives on in President Xi Jinping's philosophy of how to govern the nation.

Addressing the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in 2015, Xi cited the old saying, which originated from the "Guanzi" collection of ancient Chinese writings. He noted that the ultimate purpose of development is to improve the lives of the people and bring more fruits of development to all.

During his visit to Shanxi province earlier this year, Xi emphasized an idea in the same vein. He said enabling people to live more prosperous and happier lives is a dedicated pursuit of the Communist Party of China.

While presiding over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in February, Xi reiterated that living a life of contentment is the ultimate human right.

The pursuit of common prosperity is the essential requirement of socialism and another embodiment of the proverb.

"The wealth of a country is measured by the abundance of its people," Xi said in a special address to the 2022 World Economic Forum virtual session, adding that China will strive for more visible and substantive progress in the well-rounded development of individuals and the common prosperity of the entire population.

China will attach greater importance to the pursuit of common prosperity on its new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects, Xi said last year at a grand gathering to mark the nation's poverty alleviation accomplishments and honor model poverty fighters.