by Xinhua writers Chen Yao and Wang Yu

BEIJING, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Good governance carried out by the Communist Party of China (CPC) has played a critical role in the country's rapid development and contributed to building a multi-polarized world, Spanish communist leaders have said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Maria Teresa Mola, who first visited China in 2008 and paid a second visit 10 years later, said the achievements China made within a decade made her feel that the country had undergone development of 100 years.

Mola, vice-president of the Party of the European Left and a member of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE), made the remarks while recalling her visits to Xiaogang Village in east China's Anhui Province -- the birthplace of China's rural reform, and Dongcheng District of China's capital Beijing, where she drew inspiration from the CPC's experience in primary-level party building.

Mola expressed her approval to the CPC's people-oriented development philosophy, saying she was impressed with the remarks made by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his Italy visit in March 2019 that "for the good of my people, I will put aside my own well-being."

Xi's quote embodies his party's people-centered philosophy, and has an important influence on today's world, Mola said, voicing her belief that China's policies have also contributed to building a multi-polarized world.

China "applies socialism with Chinese characteristics to a deep respect for independence and the decisions of the rest of the countries," she said.

In the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, China has provided assistance to countries in need, which is in sharp comparison with those apathetic countries merely self-centered on competition, she said, adding that Xi's words mentioned above were not only spoken to the Chinese people, but also to people around the world.

Echoing Mola, PCE President Jose Luis Centella, who has also visited China for several times, said that behind the dramatic changes China has achieved over the past decades are the proper policies implemented by the CPC, such as its reform and opening up.

Recalling his first China trip many years ago, he said that back then many rural Chinese people had a simple wish -- to travel to Beijing. As he visited China in November 2019, the country and the people have gained a fresh look.

Noting the improvement of living conditions and services in the rural area, he said, "I have seen a lot of vitality from the people on the street. They are a very active youth and above all I have seen great advances in the rural world."

Centella said that China has achieved great success in social and economic development, involving fields of poverty reduction, environmental protection, economic growth and containment of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"These successes have not been given to them by anyone, but have been achieved thanks to the success of the leaders, to the ability of the Communist Party of China to lead the people," he said.

The CPC's secret to staying dynamic over the past 100 years is that "it has always been linked to the people, (and) it has always been the people's party," Centella said.

During the interview, books related to China were seen on a bookshelf behind Centella, including two volumes of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China."

"Not only me, but the Communist Party of Spain, follow the contributions of President Xi Jinping to international political thought," Centella said.

He observed that the CPC attaches importance to serving the interests of people and formulating policies based on people's need, "in this way to make the Communist Party of China really the party of the people -- something that has been clearly seen in the pandemic."

Having read the first two volumes of the work, Mola said that "it is true that they make us think a lot about the modernization of Marxist thought, of Chinese socialist thought. I think it is a very important advance."

According to Mola, strengthening leadership is essential in 2021 when the world is still in the pandemic.

The fight against COVID-19 proves that no country can address a global challenge on its own, Centella said, stressing the significance of China's proposal of building a community with shared future for mankind, as well as its Belt and Road Initiative.

The two Spanish communists both said that proposals presented by the Chinese leadership have shown the international community that countries can share the fruits of development and jointly build a better world. (Video reporters: Chen Yao, Wang Yu, Liu Chunhui, Yin Jiajie, Yin Gang; Video editor: Zhu Cong)■