【明報專訊】A hundred years have passed, and everything has changed beyond recognition. As the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) commemorates its centenary, there have been all kinds of development and changes over the past hundred years. For many years, the West has believed that a communist system is not capable of self-improvement, nor will it be sustainable. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 further strengthened this view. As the communist bloc in Eastern Europe collapsed, the mainstream view of the West was that other communist regimes would also fade into oblivion. But in reality, things have developed in another way. China's modernisation has been different from the model advocated by the West. The CCP emphasises the need to be confident about its own path and systems. However, for China to become a powerful modern socialist country, democratic political construction is still indispensable. This is a goal the country must work towards in the future.