By H E Yang Shu, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China in Grenada
Grenada’s general election concluded just last week on 5 November 2026, with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) securing a landslide victory and making history by winning a second consecutive term in office.
A few days ago, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was held in Beijing, focusing on persevering with full and rigorous Party self-governance, which has drawn great attention from international public opinion as well. Around the same time, the United States, Brazil, Israel, Serbia, and many other countries also held different types of elections, with varying outcomes of success and setbacks for various political parties. Political parties are the core element of modern political life. How to exercise state power and maintain long-term governance, and thereby break free from the historical cycle of rise and fall, is an important goal of every political party, which is worthy of in-depth exploration.
The question of the historical cycle of rise and fall was raised by Huang Yanpei, a renowned Chinese patriot and democracy advocate, to Mao Zedong, then leader of the CPC, during his invited visit to Yan’an, the sacred land of the Chinese revolution, in 1945. Summarising the law of historical development of Chinese society, Huang put forward his doubts: “I’ve lived for more than 60 years. Whatever I saw with my own eyes fits the saying ‘The rise of something may be fast, but its downfall is equally swift.’ During thousands of years of Chinese history, few people, or even dynasties, have had the capacity to break free of this cycle. Usually, in the initial stage, everyone is fully focused and puts in their best efforts. Maybe conditions were bad at the beginning, and everyone has to struggle to survive. Once the times change for the better, everyone loses focus and becomes lazy. In certain cases, as it has been a long time, complacency breeds, spreads, and becomes a social norm. When this happens, even if the people are very capable, they can neither reverse the situation nor salvage it… Throughout Chinese history, none has managed to break out of this cycle… I hope the members of the Communist Party would be able to find a new way forward to escape the cycle.”
Escaping the historical cycle of rise and fall is a major historical issue that bears on the safety of political power, and it is also a major political examination question that the CPC keeps thinking about, exploring, and answering. Through continuous exploration, the CPC has found two answers: “the people’s oversight over government” and “the Party’s self-reform.”
In 1945, Mao Zedong put forward the first answer. He said that “our Party has already found a new path. This new path belongs to the people. The government will not become complacent only if it is under the supervision of the people. If everyone takes responsibility, a good system of governance will prevail.” This idea coincides with the speech delivered by Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell at his inauguration ceremony on Sunday, 8 November 2026, at the Kirani James Athletic Stadium. Hon. Dickon Mitchell also encouraged the Grenadian citizens to supervise and hold his administration to account whenever it falls short of its commitments; he also pointed out that the responsibility for building the nation cannot rest solely with the Government. Rather, it requires the active participation and contribution of every citizen.
At present, General Secretary Xi Jinping has put forward the second answer. Since he was elected General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Xi Jinping has launched a great new project to advance Party building. Under his leadership, the Communist Party of China has turned the blade inward — confronting its own internal problems, taking decisive action against corrupt individuals, rectifying its conduct, enforcing strict discipline, strengthening political education and the legal framework, and cultivating a capable cadre of personnel — thereby eliminating serious risks from within the Party. Through this process of self-revolution, the Communist Party of China has become even more robust. The recent Plenary Session of the CPC Central Committee summarises the achievements and experience of the Party’s full and rigorous governance. It makes arrangements and mobilises the Party, building at present and in the period to come.
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