2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
In an interview with Xinhua, former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema hailed China's extraordinary development under the leadership of CPC.
"China has made an extraordinary leap towards modernity and progress, which would surely be considered as the great historical credit of the Communist Party of China," said D'Alema, who has played a major role in Italian politics as a political heavyweight of center-left forces.
D'Alema also hailed China's great achievement in poverty alleviation.
"In human history, no one has ever been able to achieve such a huge transformation for the people's lives," said D'Alema.
During the interview, he also voiced concerns about the current state of dialogue between the East and the West. The pandemic and the post-pandemic problems ... " All require strong international cooperation, (and) I would even say a 'qualitative leap' in international collaboration," he noted.
"To use an old saying," he explained, "today's big problem is how to rebuild the conditions for a peaceful coexistence between different systems, in order to face common challenges most effectively."
Produced by Xinhua Global Service