Stephen Perry, Chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club and recipient of China Reform Friendship Medal (File photo)

By Zhang Zhou

BEIJING, July 2 (Guangming Online) -- The success of the Communist Party of China (CPC) relies closely on the Chinese people, a recipient of China Reform Friendship Medal has said.

“The success of the CPC is due to hearing the people,” Stephen Perry, Chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club told Guangming Online in a recent interview.

Perry said that it is a great moment of history when China has achieved its first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, adding that the world “will be reflecting on the incredible transformations of the last 100 years and the last 43 years (since the reform and opening-up in 1978)” in China.

Looking back at the development history of the CPC, Perry noted that the Party has gone through many tough periods since its founding in 1921, but it has managed to overcome the difficulties.

Referring to the key to China’s achievements over the past 100 years, Perry mentioned “people” many times.

He said the Chinese people give their backing to the CPC to lead the enormous transition “from being the sick man of Asia to being the dynamo of Asia.”

Perry also expressed confidence in China achieving the second centenary goal of building a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious by 2049.

“For those who gainsay that, they need only to look at the achievements of the last 43 years, and the determination of a Party which has grown from 13 delegates in 1921 to over 95 million today,” he said.