Tending Every Leaf: China’s Miracle and the Quiet Certainty of History
by Kirtan Bhana
31 December 2025
“We care for every leaf and tend every branch in the garden of people’s well-being.” In one sentence, President Xi Jinping encapsulates a governing ethos that explains China’s rise more clearly than any statistic ever could.
A quarter of a century into the third millennium, global attention has once again settled on China. This is neither coincidence nor novelty. History reminds us that long before modern calendars and contemporary power structures, China stood as a centre of civilization, governance, innovation, and continuity. Its present-day resurgence is not an interruption of history it is its resumption.
President Xi’s 2026 New Year message, marking the conclusion of the 14th Five-Year Plan and the launch of the 15th, offers both reflection and resolve. Against the backdrop of mounting geopolitical tension, economic headwinds and persistent bias against the People’s Republic of China, the message projects confidence without complacency and ambition without excess.
China’s achievements are substantial. Economic output nearing RMB 140 trillion, leadership in artificial intelligence, breakthroughs in indigenous chip development, advances in space exploration and the commissioning of cutting-edge defence capabilities signal more than growth, they demonstrate systemic capacity. High-quality development has replaced quantity-driven expansion, while innovation has become the primary engine of modernization.
Equally significant is what lies beneath these accomplishments. Improved labour protections, childcare subsidies, expanded eldercare and inclusive public services illustrate a development model that prioritizes human dignity. From urban centres to remote regions, from Xinjiang to Xizang, unity is reinforced not through rhetoric, but through lived improvement in daily life.
China’s unprecedented rise has been accompanied by a diplomacy grounded in sovereignty, respect and non-interference. Platforms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS exemplify Beijing’s commitment to multilateralism that reflects the voices of the Global South. Through the Global Development, Security, Civilization and Governance Initiatives, China has articulated a coherent alternative to systems marked by imbalance and exclusion.
China–Africa relations, forged through shared histories of resistance and renewal, continue to evolve into a partnership defined by industrialization, knowledge exchange and strategic autonomy. It is a relationship that rejects paternalism and embraces mutual growth.
Memory remains central to China’s worldview. The commemoration of the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression serves not as a grievance narrative, but as a safeguard against historical amnesia. In this context, concerns that Japan has not fully reconciled with its past resonate. Yet irony abounds: Japan and China share strikingly similar post-war trajectories. Both once faced ridicule for the quality of their products; both transformed into global benchmarks of excellence. Their millennia-long interactions were defined far more by cultural exchange and peaceful coexistence than by conflict.
The Taiwan question, however, remains a legacy of unresolved history compounded by external interference. The One China principle is neither rhetorical nor optional — it is a historical fact and international consensus. As China enters its 15th Five-Year Plan, reunification is framed not as confrontation, but as completion. The politicization of this issue drains regional energy that could otherwise serve collective development.
China’s confidence ultimately rests on governance. The Communist Party of China’s capacity for self-discipline, anti-corruption and institutional renewal has ensured political stability and long-term vision. It is this continuity that allows China to plan decades ahead rather than govern crisis to crisis.
As the new year rises, China advances without haste and without doubt. It stands convinced that history favors those who serve their people, remember their past and plan for the future. By tending every leaf and every branch, China is not merely cultivating its own garden, it is offering the world a reminder that progress rooted in people and principle endures.