Li Xiaoyun and Xu Xiuli: China Explores a New Model for Global Development
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "There is no such thing as a superior model of modernization [1], nor is there a single universal standard for modernization." Amidst the surging tides of the era's development, all nations are exploring paths forward that suit their own conditions. The Western development model once led the trend; however, as the era progressed, its flaws gradually became apparent. In particular, its capital-centered development philosophy has struggled to provide effective guidance for global sustainable development. In sharp contrast, China, rooted in its own national conditions, has blazed a unique path of Chinese-path modernization. With its burgeoning vitality, this path is bringing a glimmer of hope to all nations seeking to crack the difficult problems of development.
Three Global Initiatives and the Practice of the "Belt and Road" Inspire a New Global Pluralistic Development Model
At a time when the world is deeply mired in multiple "deficits" [2], China has resolutely shouldered the responsibility of a major power by proposing the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI). These three global initiatives carry the crystallized wisdom of Chinese-path modernization, providing a pragmatic and forward-looking Chinese solution for resolving global challenges.
The Global Development Initiative focuses on the core demand for development, leading the world toward a new course of progress. China’s victory in the battle against poverty [3] has achieved world-renowned success, erecting a towering monument for the global cause of poverty reduction. Adhering to the principle of "inclusivity," China-Africa agricultural cooperation has allowed the African continent to radiate new vitality. "Innovation-driven" development has helped China’s cutting-edge technologies, such as 5G and high-speed rail, shine brightly on the international stage, empowering the iterative industrial upgrading of various nations. Under the guidance of the philosophy of "harmony between humanity and nature," China's new energy industry has risen, and ecological protection projects have taken firm root, building a barrier for the "lucid waters and lush mountains" [4] of our terrestrial home.
The Global Security Initiative directly addresses the reality of global turbulence. Like a sturdy bridge, it encourages nations to join hands in resisting traditional and non-traditional security threats, guaranteeing the action of development and safeguarding its fruits. Whether through close coordination on the front lines of counter-terrorism, the protection of cyberspace, joint prevention and control in response to disasters triggered by climate change, or concerted cooperation in food security, China consistently advocates for the international community to consolidate its forces and jointly build an impregnable defense line for security.
The Global Civilization Initiative, like a gentle spring rain [5], upholds equal exchange and mutual learning between civilizations. With respect as its foundation, it dissolves cultural barriers and prejudices between different countries and nations, allowing ancient civilizations to strike brilliant sparks in the New Era. It injects a continuous spring of vitality into the progress of human civilization, providing protection for the dissolution of "clashes of civilizations" brought about by monistic modernization and for the persistence of pluralistic paths of development.
The high-quality development of the "Belt and Road" Initiative (BRI) has closely linked China with numerous countries, including those of the "Global South," weaving a splendid tapestry of common development. Since the opening of the China-Laos Railway, the efficiency of freight transport in Laos has achieved a qualitative leap, and industrial parks along the line have flourished, becoming a vivid example of the BRI empowering the development of partner countries. In the field of infrastructure, China has assisted Southeast Asian nations in building modern transportation networks, where port handling capacity grows daily and highways crisscross the landscape, attracting a steady stream of foreign investment. In terms of energy cooperation, China has joined forces with Central Asian countries to jointly develop oil and gas resources, ensuring the safe and stable operation of transnational energy pipelines and driving local economic takeoff.
The Monistic Concept of Modernity in the Western Development Model Urgently Requires a Breakthrough
The Western development model originated in the 15th-century Age of Discovery. This model promotes a single path to modernization while ignoring differences in the history, culture, and social structures of various countries. This has led to North-South inequality, economic dependency, and cultural conflict, manifesting as a relationship of dominance and subordination. Countries of the "Global South" have been forced to serve as suppliers of cheap raw materials and markets for high-priced commodities, resulting in the serious erosion of their sovereignty and cultural diversity. Channels for equal exchange and cooperation between Southern nations have been severely obstructed, the global development balance has been lost, and contradictions and dilemmas have proliferated.
The West treats its own development model as the "golden rule" [6], believing there is only one path to modernization in the world. It forcibly interferes in and controls other countries' international affairs, attempting to incorporate all nations into the Western orbit of development. In international economic organizations, developed Western countries often utilize their power to set rules to promote trade policies advantageous to themselves, leaving "Global South" countries at a disadvantage in international economic competition.
In its pursuit of economic growth, the Western modernization model has led to a continuous widening of the wealth gap and severe social stratification. Wealth is highly concentrated in the hands of a small elite, while the grassroots population faces difficulties with employment, housing shortages, and insufficient educational and medical resources. Regarding the ecological environment, the West has long held a concept of dualistic opposition between humanity and nature, over-exploiting natural resources and causing great damage to the environment, triggering a series of ecological disasters. The flaws of the Western development model in terms of philosophy, distribution of outcomes, and ecology reveal the unsustainability and limitations of its monistic concept of modernity, highlighting the urgency and necessity of exploring new types of paths to modernization.
Chinese-path Modernization Achieves a Transcendence of Old Western Models through Multi-level Practice
Chinese-path modernization shatters the myth that "modernization = Westernization." It presents an alternative picture of modernization and offers a Chinese solution for humanity's search for better social systems, representing a major transcendence of Western modernization theory and practice. This transcendence is reflected not only in the systemic planning and precise execution of the domestic development process but also in the rich practice of international cooperation, contributing Chinese wisdom to global modernization.
Chinese-path modernization carries the historical mission of the modernization of a massive population. Its arduousness and complexity place extremely high demands on national governance. In this context, strong leadership and efficient coordination have become the key engines driving development. Guided by scientific long-term development planning and through systemic institutional arrangements, China has correctly handled the relationship between the government and the market, achieving coordinated development nationwide. At the same time, Chinese-path modernization emphasizes the common prosperity of all people. The state continues to increase investment in areas of people's livelihoods such as education and healthcare, and promotes the tilting of resources toward grassroots and rural areas through policy guidance. This ensures that all people share the fruits of modernization fairly, effectively avoiding the common problems of unbalanced regional development and resource luck-of-the-draw found in Western modernization, thereby demonstrating the scientific nature and superiority of Chinese-path modernization at the levels of top-level design and execution.
In the overall layout of modernization, China emphasizes the coordinated development of material and spiritual civilizations. While promoting rapid economic growth, China attaches great importance to ideological and moral construction, cultural inheritance and innovation, and the development of cultural undertakings and industries. By leading social trends with Socialist Core Values, China has achieved the synergistic progress of economic "hard power" and cultural "soft power," breaking the limitations of the imbalance between material and spiritual development in the Western modernization process.
Chinese-path modernization emphasizes harmony between humanity and nature. Green development is a clear proposition of China's leadership in modernization, focusing on stimulating the connotations of traditional Chinese culture and promoting the development philosophy of "harmony in diversity" (he he gong sheng). China actively leads the development of green emerging industries, supplying high-quality wind power equipment and photovoltaic components to the world, making tangible contributions to global green development and ecological protection.
Taking the path of peaceful development is a defining feature of Chinese-path modernization, reflecting China’s responsibility and global vision as a major power. Taking China-Africa cooperation as an example, the two sides support each other in international affairs and economic cooperation, promoting reform of the global governance system and striving for the rights and interests of "Global South" countries. The open and win-win model of economic cooperation is a highlight of China-Africa modernization practice; the two sides complement each other's advantages for mutual benefit, providing a model for economic cooperation among "Global South" nations. The "people-centered" philosophy of development runs through all fields of China-Africa cooperation. Actions such as Chinese medical teams and the construction of aided schools have improved the well-being of African people and protected their rights. Pluralistic and inclusive cultural exchanges promote mutual cultural prosperity and break Western cultural hegemony. China-Africa cooperation profoundly interprets the global value and exemplary significance of Chinese-path modernization.
Strategic resolve is the solid guarantee for the steady advancement of Chinese-path modernization. China adheres to the basic socialist economic system, where the public ownership economy provides a solid foundation for realizing social fairness, justice, and stable economic development, while the non-public ownership economy fully stimulates market vitality and innovation.
With its unique philosophy, practice, and tremendous achievements, Chinese-path modernization provides the world with a brand-new development model and path of choice. Amidst the tides of global development, Chinese-path modernization is leading "Global South" countries to jointly explore more equitable, sustainable, and inclusive paths to development. It injects continuous momentum into building a community with a shared future for humanity and achieving world peace and prosperity. Its great practice and profound influence will surely leave a heavy and colorful chapter in the history of human development.
(The authors are respectively a Senior Professor of Liberal Arts at China Agricultural University and the Dean of the College of International Development and Global Agriculture at China Agricultural University.)
Source: People's Daily (February 5, 2025, Page 09) Web Editor: Huihui