The ongoing 18th National Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) is an important occasion for the Party to review its past and map out its future. Over 2,200 delegates elected by more than 82 million Party members from all walks of life across the country are attending the weeklong congress in the capital. Zhou Mingwei, President of China International Publishing Group, the country's largest foreign-language publishing group and a global media corporation, is among the delegates. On the eve of the congress, he shared with Beijing Review reporter Zan Jifang his expectations of the congress and his thoughts about the importance of cross-cultural communication. Edited excerpts follow:

Beijing Review: China's ruling Party's national congress has recently been a focus of the global media, and it is widely seen as an event of great global significance. Why has the congress attracted so much attention from the international community?

Zhou Mingwei: I think the reason for this is the increase of China's global influence. China's rapid growth has grabbed the world's attention since the turn of the century, alongside other major events like the September 11 terrorist attacks and the global financial crisis. Such acute attention to China's rise continues with the 18th CPC National Congress, as it will not only discuss significant domestic issues and hammer out the Party's and the country's future policies, but also elect a new generation of the Party's leadership.

In this sense, the congress is absolutely a historic event and will be a milestone of the Party's development. It is an important event not only to the Party, but also to all the people of the country. China's rapid growth was achieved by the efforts of its more than 1.3 billion people under the leadership of the CPC. It has been a process amid drastic changes in the international community and numerous tests at home. Guided by the Scientific Outlook on Development, the Party overcame various difficulties and made remarkable achievements.

The congress is an important moment for the Party to review the past 10 years, summing up the experience as well as lessons in development and reassessing its policies. It also provides a chance for Party members to study problems and challenges ahead, brainstorm solutions and further clarify the direction the Party will take. All Party members pay great attention to the outcome of the congress.

Another highlight of the congress is that the new generation of the Party's leadership will be elected. There will be many new elements that comprise the Party's leadership, such as their educational background, age and experience, which will definitely draw media attention. These will guide the direction of the Party and also the country for a rather long time. I am fully confident that the 18th CPC National Congress will meet the expectations of all Party members as well as the international community.

How do you see the domestic and international situations that the new leadership will face?

As part of the "China Miracle," China has been capable of maintaining rapid growth in a complicated domestic and international environment, which should be recognized. Geographical conditions, a huge population and historical circumstances have led China down a path of uneven development and complexity.

It's normal to have this or that problem during our development, because in 30 years China has achieved what other countries spent decades more accomplishing. The problems China is facing are those that other countries have also faced. Given the fact that China has such a huge population, the new leaders are confronted with arduous tasks.

Every leadership had its own challenges. But the new leadership is elected at a time when China is enjoying unprecedented global influence and increasing international status, a time that China is more involved in international affairs and shouldering more international responsibilities. Former experience will not be applicable to tackle new problems. The world is getting more complicated, more diverse, and more mercurial, and so the new leaders are faced with unprecedented tests.

Some problems are new, some are old and some are caused by our limited experience, resources and capability. We may not resolve all of these at once, but I am confident that with the Party's tenets, our new experience and the people's efforts, we will resolve them gradually and move forward toward our set goals.

What will be the main topics at the 18th CPC National Congress?

I think the economic growth model, shifting the structure of the economy and problems related to people's lives will be the focus at the congress.

But in my opinion, as it is a Party congress, the most important thing is the sound development of the Party itself—how to ensure the Party adheres to its tenets and principles, maintains its purity and integrity, manages its members, meets the demand and expectations of the people and deals with problems and challenges that the Party is facing.