PARIS, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's urbanization process, social development and economic growth over the past decade were remarkable and have greatly impressed the world, a French expert on China said.
"The upcoming 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will be a landmark moment," Pierre Picquart, who has a doctorate in geopolitics and human geography at the University of Paris-VIII, told Xinhua in an interview.
Over the past 10 years, China has gone through necessary reforms and emerged as the world's second largest economy, he said.
A large swath of regions across the country have been greatly developed and many Chinese enterprises started to invest overseas, he said, noting that China was transforming from a consumer goods producer into a world center of design and creation.
Such achievements, for a nation with a size equaling to a continent and a population of nearly 1.4 billion, were not easy to make, said Picquart.
"I have witnessed the extraordinary development of the country," he said, who has made more than 40 visits to China over the past 15 years.
On the challenges China will confront, the expert said Beijing, besides dealing with economic and social challenges, will also face problems arising from both geopolitical and strategic fronts in the years to come.
After rising to an economic power, China will encounter an array of challenges, including how to steer the world strategically toward a multi-polarized direction and how to boost ties with developing countries, especially with the BRICS members, he said.
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