[Côte d'Ivoire] An Lan [1]: Opening Up a New Realm of Contemporary Chinese Development
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, China has adapted to new circumstances in the development of the times, responded to new issues emerging from the era, and dedicated itself to meeting the voice and aspirations of the people. Today, following the successful convening of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and centering on the core theme of further comprehensively deepening reform, China is advancing with the times and making scientific decisions. It has adopted a series of major innovative measures in fields such as domestic and foreign policy, national defense, internal Party governance, and people's well-being. China's status on the international stage is rising daily, presenting to the world a China that is striding forward with high morale. Meanwhile, a series of new ideas, viewpoints, and judgments by President Xi Jinping regarding the governance of China have sparked widespread attention and in-depth research in international academic circles.
President Xi Jinping’s governance philosophy is broad in scope and profound in thought. Areas extensively studied by international academia include: the judgment that China's economic development has entered a "new normal" [1]; the logic of promoting supply-side structural reform; thoughts on developing socialist democratic politics and the connotation of "whole-process people's democracy"; important expositions on building a strong socialist culture; the high importance placed on cultivating and practicing Core Socialist Values [2]; the emphasis on improving people's well-being, innovating national governance methods, and maintaining social harmony and stability; the proposal of the concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity; and promoting the construction of a new type of international relations centered on win-win cooperation. These new ideas, viewpoints, and judgments have propelled socialism with Chinese characteristics forward in a comprehensive and profound way, writing a new chapter and opening up a new realm for contemporary Chinese development.
The Face of China in the New Era Has Been Completely Renewed
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, China has achieved remarkable accomplishments in social, economic, cultural, and diplomatic fields. In recent years, I have visited China many times and witnessed firsthand the tremendous changes brought about by this series of reforms. In terms of social development, China has greatly stimulated the productive forces of society. Meanwhile, it has increased investment in livelihood areas such as education, healthcare, and elderly care. China places particular emphasis on balanced regional development. In recent years, the Chinese government has taken measures to promote integrated urban-rural development and narrow the income gap between different groups, significantly raising the living standards of the people. The Chinese government has used practical actions to provide the most tangible livelihood care to the masses; the living standards of the people have truly and substantially improved, enabling the broad masses of the people to share the dividends of reform and development. In China today, scenes of prosperity and order are visible everywhere. In the economic field, China has leaped to become the world's second-largest economy and an important engine for global manufacturing and innovation. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013, carries the dream of common prosperity for the people of participating countries, strengthened economic and trade links with the world, and provided a new development engine for regional economies across multiple continents and the world economy at large.
In the cultural sphere, China attaches great importance to inheriting and promoting fine traditional Chinese culture [3]. China's festivals, traditional handicrafts, and culinary culture are meticulously protected. Innovations in modern art, film, and music have also expanded China's cultural influence. While promoting its own unique cultural charm, China learns from and absorbs all the outstanding achievements of human civilization. In recent years, it has also increased support for cultural industries, making them a new driver of economic growth. In diplomacy, China adheres to an independent foreign policy of peace and its participation in the international system continues to rise. It works to promote ceasefires and the de-escalation of international conflicts, demonstrating the international responsibility and commitment befitting a responsible major power. It is obvious to all that China has made substantive contributions to maintaining world peace and promoting global development. Over the long term, the Chinese leadership's profound insight into the evolution of the international landscape has allowed China to consistently seek solutions to international and regional hotspot issues in a proactive and wise manner.
As an international friend who has visited China many times, I have witnessed the complete renewal of China's face over the past decade or more of the New Era. From first-tier cities to remote villages, skyscrapers have risen, the high-speed rail network has grown increasingly dense, and 5G technology is widely applied. Among these, I am particularly impressed by China's booming digitalization. Whether it is the ubiquity of mobile payments or the application of artificial intelligence, all demonstrate China's formidable strength and infinite potential. On this magical land of China, new changes and miracles happen every day. I feel deeply honored to have witnessed all this in person and look forward to an even more brilliant future for China.
Whole-Process People’s Democracy is Rooted in Chinese Soil
China’s ability to achieve today's brilliant results is inseparable from its form of democracy. China has maintained long-term unity, stability, and progress throughout history, playing an active role in various stages of the human civilization process. Over the past 40-odd years, China's astonishingly rapid economic growth has demonstrated the effectiveness of the Chinese model, and the theoretical factors contained therein have attracted increasing attention from developing countries. Today, the manifestation of Chinese-path democracy is "whole-process people's democracy." Compared with Western societies where polarization is intensifying and social rifts are difficult to heal, "whole-process people's democracy" enables Chinese society to demonstrate a high degree of social cohesion.
There is no absolutely universal model of democracy in the world. Whole-process people's democracy is deeply rooted in Chinese soil and therefore possesses strong vitality. Compared with Western-style democracy, whole-process people's democracy is broad and authentic, capable of adapting to China's current historical conditions, level of economic development, and level of culture and education. It is gradually improved in an incremental manner, fundamentally creating conditions for the realization of true social equality, enabling the vast majority of people to enjoy equal rights in the legal sphere, and allowing Chinese society to operate both vibrantly and efficiently.
Today, the "End of History" [4] thesis proposed by American scholar Francis Fukuyama remains a subject of criticism in international academic circles. Fukuyama argued that Western "liberal democracy" is the "most perfect" political form for humanity. Fukuyama has admitted that he did not foresee the backsliding of "Western democratic countries," nor did he anticipate that the ideological rifts in Western society would seriously affect the influence of liberalism. The premise of the "End of History" is the perfection of Western "liberal democracy," but such perfection does not exist. From any perspective, Western-style democracy is far from being the most perfect or optimal choice for humanity.
Chinese-Path Modernization Fits Its Own National Realities
When talking about China's achievements, one must mention Chinese-path modernization. The mainstream view of modernization comes from the Western countries that first developed modern industrial societies and embarked on the path of industrialization. Until the global financial crisis swept in in 2008, this path was judged to be the only path to modernization. Today, many countries still simply copy the Western modernization model. Chinese-path modernization is distinctly different from the modernization path of Western countries; it is a modernization process carried out under actual Chinese conditions and possesses incomparable advantages. In the process of modernization, China turned to its own historical traditions, cultural foundations, and social structures, forming a development path that fits its own national realities.
Chinese-path modernization is socialist modernization led by the Communist Party of China. Its fundamental guarantee is the strong leadership of the CPC, which ensures the stability and continuity of the modernization process. The leadership of the CPC can unite the strength of the people of all ethnic groups across the country, forming a unified will and action, effectively avoiding the frequent policy changes and internal friction caused by Western multi-party systems. The design and planning of the Chinese-path modernization reflect a profound insight into its own development model. This insight has enabled China to achieve modernization successes that many developing countries have failed to realize and provides important experience for other countries seeking to embark on an independent path to modernization.
Chinese-path modernization is a people-centered development paradigm that emphasizes the well-rounded development of the individual and common prosperity for all. This concept embodies the Chinese government's deep concern for the people and the high value it places on human worth. China is a large country with a population of over 1.4 billion. Realizing comprehensive, multi-dimensional modernization in such a large country is an extremely arduous task, and the difficulty and complexity are unavoidable. Thanks to adhering to the principle of putting the people first and always placing the people's interests above all else, in promoting the process of Chinese-path modernization, China emphasizes green development and adheres to the basic national policies of resource conservation and environmental protection. Through the implementation of sustainable development strategies, China strives to meet the needs of the current generation without compromising the development rights and interests of future generations. Chinese-path modernization places particular emphasis on the modernization of the national governance system and capacity. In the process of promoting the comprehensive rule of law, China continuously improves the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics and enhances the efficacy of national governance. At the international level, Chinese-path modernization advocates for peaceful development and is committed to establishing mutually beneficial and win-win cooperative relations with countries worldwide, which stands in sharp contrast to the expansionism prevalent in Western modernization.
China’s Development Model Offers Enlightenment to African Countries
It should be said that China's development model holds important enlightenment and reference significance for African countries. First, China achieved a leap from poverty and backwardness to modernization in just a few decades, providing a viable modernization path for African countries. Chinese-path modernization emphasizes comprehensive and coordinated development. In the pursuit of modernization, African countries also face multifaceted challenges in the economic, social, cultural, and political spheres. China's development experience shows that comprehensive and coordinated development is a necessary condition for achieving modernization. Second, China has always adhered to the principle of independence in promoting its modernization process, which is consistent with the aspirations of African countries for national independence, liberation, and economic development. In the process of promoting Chinese-path modernization, China insists on non-aggression and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, which echoes the Non-Aligned Movement and the policy of non-grouping advocated by African countries.
Compared with the U.S. policy toward Africa, China's policy toward Africa is undoubtedly more in line with the actual needs of African countries and more conducive to African development. First, China's aid policy does not attach any political conditions and respects the right of African countries to independent development, whereas the U.S. often requires recipient countries to follow rules it sets when providing aid, which to some extent limits the independent development of African countries. Second, China's infrastructure construction in African countries helps to improve the level of connectivity in Africa, creating favorable conditions for Africa's economic development. Meanwhile, U.S. policy in this area focuses more on economic aid and military cooperation, to some extent neglecting the urgent needs of African countries in areas like infrastructure. Finally, China actively promotes exchanges and cooperation with African countries in the humanities, which helps to enhance friendship and understanding between the two peoples. In contrast, U.S. policy in Africa focuses more on economic and military interests.
With the promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative, China's investment in African countries such as Kenya has increased significantly. This has not only promoted local infrastructure construction but also stimulated the development of related industrial chains. Through platforms such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) [5], China has deepened trade exchanges with African countries, provided market access, and reduced trade barriers, creating favorable conditions for products from African countries like Kenya to enter the Chinese market. China's cooperation with developing countries in industrial capacity has helped African countries improve their industrial levels and achieve industrial upgrading. Through cooperation with China, Kenya has made significant progress in fields such as manufacturing and construction. China has also promoted the popularization of Chinese language education and cultural exchanges with African countries by establishing Confucius Institutes and providing government scholarships.
The Chinese Dream is Linked to the Beautiful Dreams of People Everywhere
Since 2012, the series of global initiatives and concepts proposed by President Xi Jinping has presented a new vision for the future of the world. President Xi Jinping has always maintained an in-depth judgment and analysis of the current international situation, and based on this, he has formed a series of important viewpoints on China's international interactions. These viewpoints are also an important component of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy. On September 28, 2015, when attending the General Debate of the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York and delivering an important speech, President Xi Jinping emphasized: "Seventy years ago, our ancestors, after a bloody struggle, won the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and turned over the dark page in human history. This victory did not come easily." He also pointed out: "History is a mirror. Only by taking history as a mirror can we avoid repeating the same mistakes. We should approach history with awe and conscience. History cannot be changed, but the future can be shaped."
In this speech, President Xi Jinping repeatedly mentioned...
The concept of a "community with a shared future for humanity." The core of this concept lies in seeking the commonalities of human interests and finding the "greatest common divisor" [6] in relations between nations. Currently, changes in the world, in our times, and in history are unfolding in unprecedented ways. Against this backdrop, the concept of a "community with a shared future for humanity" places human needs first through a forward-looking perspective, advocating that all nations gather their strength and work together to address global challenges.
The concept of "exchange and mutual learning among civilizations" proposed by President Xi Jinping has also been widely welcomed by the international community. On March 27, 2014, in a speech delivered at UNESCO headquarters, President Xi Jinping emphasized that civilizations become more colorful through exchange and richer through mutual learning. Exchange and mutual learning among civilizations are important driving forces for the progress of human civilization and the peaceful development of the world. In his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, President Xi Jinping pointed out that "exchange and mutual learning are the essential requirements for the development of civilizations. Only through exchange and mutual learning with other civilizations, and by drawing on their strengths to offset one's own weaknesses, can a civilization maintain its robust vitality."
At a moment when the international order is undergoing profound changes, China has provided strong support to developing countries, including African nations, in addressing complex global challenges. In the face of unilateralism and hegemonism led by the West, China firmly supports true multilateralism and defends international fairness and justice. China actively advocates for and supports multilateral cooperation on international stages such as the United Nations, promoting the improvement of the global governance system and striving for greater discourse power [7] and rights for developing countries.
Faced with global challenges such as global climate change, terrorism, and the gap between the rich and the poor, China does not avoid or shirk its responsibilities, but contributes Chinese wisdom and Chinese strength to the resolution of global issues. For example, in addressing climate change, China's emission reduction commitments have inspired global climate action. China has implemented climate change mitigation and adaptation projects in African countries, helping these nations improve their capacity to respond to climate change. As President Xi Jinping stated, "The Chinese Dream is a dream for the Chinese people to pursue happiness, and it is also interconnected with the beautiful dreams of people in all other countries." In July 2024, with the convening of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, China ushered in a brand-new moment for further comprehensively deepening reform, and China's doors will open wider and wider to the world. It is foreseeable that more global partner countries will benefit from China's development, and the intentions of some Western countries to contain China's rise by amplifying "strategic friction" are destined not to succeed.
(Author: Gohi Bi Foua Claude Alain [Ivory Coast] / Translated by Bai Le) (The author is an Associate Professor at the School of Biological and Chemical Engineering and the School of Foreign Languages, Panzhihua University) Source: China Social Sciences Today (Guangming Daily Press) February 24, 2025 Web Editor: Huihui