BEIJING, Dec 20 (INP): Leaders of public opinion worldwide hailed President Xi Jinping's speech he delivered on Tuesday to mark the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up, stating that it provided a nod toward 40 years of incredible achievements while offering policy continuity in the pursuit of future reform.

"The practice of reform and opening-up over the past 40 years has shown that openness brings progress, while seclusion leads to backwardness," Xi said, while pledging to support the building of an open, transparent, inclusive and nondiscriminatory multilateral trading system.

Jon Taylor, an American professor of political science of the University of St. Thomas in Houston, said Xi underscored the critical role that the Communist Party of China has played and continues to play in fostering China's development.

Gene M. Burke, vice president and general counsel at J&C International Group, said Xi's speech was very effective at showing how the Chinese people and the ruling political party worked together to bring China into the modern age.

"Overall, President Xi's speech captured exactly what so many Americans think of China. We share the pride and amazement at the huge strides and accomplishments that China has made in a mere 40 years," he said, adding that it set a good tone for future growth and for continued good relations between China and the US.

Chris Rowley, professor of Kellogg College, University of Oxford in Britain, said Xi's speech can be interpreted as the continuation of a long line of grand proclamations in recent years concerning China's economic development, its well-known achievements in sectors including poverty alleviation, healthcare and social security, and the country's role in world affairs and globalization in fight against protectionism.

J. Stapleton Roy, the United States' top diplomat in China from 1991 to 1995, said China's progress in the past 40 years, especially the modernization of the country, has been "breathtaking".

Dr. Klaus Ebermann, a former European Union ambassador to China and a German national, told China Daily: "It (the past 40 years) has been a tremendous development. China has always impressed me by having a long-term view and perspective. A lot has been achieved, and China is on track. This 40 years of development is indication for the decades to come."

Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based scholar on China-Africa relationship, said there is no doubt that China has emerged as a major development partner for Africa. Contrary to the recently launched US-Africa Policy, President Xi struck a more collaborative and persuasive tone in its international engagements.

INP/J/AJ