Hong Junjie: The Accelerating Evolution of Century-old Changes and High-level Opening-up
The current changes in the world unseen in a century are accelerating, profoundly altering the landscape of international cooperation and competition. China’s development has entered a period where strategic opportunities coexist with risks and challenges; while opportunities outweigh challenges, uncertainty is on the rise. Facing the complex fluctuations of the international political and economic situation, General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that China’s development cannot be isolated from the world, and the world’s prosperity also needs China. Looking to the future, China will firmly pursue an opening-up strategy of mutual benefit and win-win results, shaping new advantages for development by continuously promoting high-level opening up. This will ensure that China’s new development creates new opportunities for all countries and provides a favorable external environment for Chinese-path modernization.
The Accelerated Evolution and Development Trends of the Century-Scale Changes
The judgment that the world today is undergoing changes unseen in a century is a significant theoretical conclusion made by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, based on a scientific assessment of global development trends and a profound insight into the world landscape. Entering the new period, international political structures, economic development paradigms, global governance models, and the exchange and collision of civilizations exhibit new characteristics and trends.
The international political landscape is shifting. With the rise of more countries from the Global South, the balance of power in the international political and economic landscape is moving toward greater equilibrium. The influence of some traditional Western developed countries in terms of total economic volume, international discourse power, and dominance over rule-setting is continuously weakening, while the influence of Global South countries in economic, political, and cultural spheres is steadily rising. In particular, as a large developing socialist country, China has consistently maintained high-level opening up and promoted deep-seated reforms against the backdrop of a persistent global economic downturn and a turbulent international situation. It has become a globally recognized force for peace, stability, and progress. Global South countries, represented by China, have not only become the primary engine for world economic growth and a collective entity with the greatest development potential, but are also bound to make significant contributions to maintaining world political stability and pushing global governance toward a more just and equitable direction.
The economic development paradigm is undergoing deep adjustments. A new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, represented by artificial intelligence (AI) and new energy, is accelerating. While promoting industrial change, it is reshaping the global economic development paradigm. With data, computing power, and algorithms as its three core elements, AI drives the intelligent transformation of industries, breaking existing boundaries between factors, rules, and sectors. Through the deep integration of the digital and real economies, it gives birth to various new forms of intelligent economy. The development of technologies such as new energy storage, advanced nuclear energy, and hydrogen energy can effectively solve the volatility of renewable energy, building a cleaner, low-carbon, stable, and efficient energy system, and pushing the energy paradigm toward zero-carbon and intelligent operation. The digital economy and green economy are becoming new arenas where countries compete for positioning, while high-tech fields constitute the front line and main battlefield of international competition. The traditional "global division of labor advantage" based on cost and efficiency is transitioning toward a "global collaborative advantage" that is more resilient, intelligent, and security-focused.
Global governance faces severe challenges. In recent years, global governance issues such as technological innovation, economic and trade rules, climate change, cybersecurity, and geopolitical conflicts have become increasingly diverse. At the same time, unilateralism and protectionism are running rampant; the world faces multiple governance dilemmas, and the traditional international order has suffered unprecedented shocks. This reflects the intensification of the Great Power game. As Global South countries grow in strength, the struggle between Northern and Southern countries in international affairs will continue to deepen regarding whether to implement multilateral mechanisms or unilateralism, advocate for technological hegemony or scientific cooperation, pursue "zero-sum games" or "win-win cooperation," and maintain the "law of the jungle" [1] or advocate for a new vision of global governance.
The exchange and collision of civilizations are becoming more frequent. Solving global problems and exploring future development paths requires exchange and mutual learning between different civilizations; promoting the harmonious coexistence of diverse civilizations is the only way forward. Currently, collisions between the world’s diverse civilizations are becoming more frequent. However, under the impact of trends such as the "End of History" [2] and "Civilizational Superiority," the survival space for diverse global civilizations has been squeezed. Normal civilizational friction has been exacerbated, even inducing local geopolitical conflicts. Concurrently, as Global South countries grow, the pace of "de-Westernization" in their development paths and governance philosophies is accelerating. China timely proposed the "Global Civilization Initiative," adhering to the promotion of the common values of humanity. It advocates that all countries should strengthen exchange and mutual learning with other civilizations based on their own cultural characteristics and historical practices, exploring diverse development paths through the harmonious coexistence of multiple civilizations.
Better Responding to the Century-Scale Changes Through Opening Up
Surveying the changes of the century through the lens of historical materialism, their core manifestation is the profound adjustment of the relations of production and the economic base. This indicates the current objective situation and, to a certain extent, foreshadows future development directions. Given that the connections between countries are now unprecedentedly close, a closed and conservative approach cannot respond to the accelerated evolution of these changes; self-seclusion will only lead to missing out on future development opportunities. It is essential to persist in promoting high-level opening up, using the certainty of high-quality development to counter the uncertainty of the century-scale changes.
First, solve development problems through high-level opening up to enhance the fundamental capacity to respond to the changes of the century. China’s high-quality economic development must be conducted under conditions of high-level opening up; this is a strategic choice based on development needs. The key to responding to the changes of the century lies in maintaining strategic resolve in promoting high-quality development, treating high-quality development as the "unyielding principle" [3] of the New Era. By continuously promoting high-level opening up, we can improve the internal-external linkage of development, making full use of both domestic and international markets and resources, expanding market space, tapping market potential, and optimizing the allocation of factor resources. In the process of deeply integrating into the global economic and trade system and participating in the global value chain division of labor, we will continuously cultivate and shape new comprehensive competitive advantages, achieving shifts in development quality, efficiency, and drivers, thereby enhancing our fundamental capacity to respond to the changes of the century.
Second, build a scientific and technological powerhouse through high-level opening up to strengthen the strategic support for responding to the changes of the century. Open cooperation is an inherent requirement for scientific progress and technological innovation, as well as an inevitable choice for responding to global development changes. General Secretary Xi Jinping has provided important discourses on the basic elements that the scientific and technological powerhouse we aim to build must possess, emphasizing "promoting open cooperation in science and technology." Only through high-level opening up can we better adapt to the new demands of the deep adjustment of the development paradigm driven by the new round of technological revolution, and enhance the supporting and leading capacity of technological innovation for high-quality development and Chinese-path modernization. Currently, no country can solve all scientific problems independently; scientific and technological cooperation must be strengthened. Participating in international S&T cooperation and attracting global intellectual factors through high-level opening up injects external momentum for enhancing technological innovation capabilities. High-level opening up drives domestic enterprises to advance technological innovation, accelerate transformation and upgrading, and strengthen global presence, continuously improving the resilience and competitiveness of industrial and supply chains. High-level opening up leads countries worldwide toward collaborative innovation, breaking technological hegemony and creating a new situation of equal development.
Third, participate in the reform and improvement of global governance through high-level opening up to form a powerful collective force for responding to the changes of the century. The vision of global governance based on extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, along with relevant global governance initiatives, has achieved integrated innovation at the epistemological and methodological levels. These profoundly respond to development requirements under the severe challenges facing current global governance. Promoting high-quality linkage through high-level opening up allows for the continuous consolidation of consensus on multilateral cooperation in global governance, increasing the centripetal force of various global governance actors to jointly address global challenges. Promoting governance reform through high-level opening up advocates for international rules to develop in a more just and reasonable direction, pushing the global governance system to actively adapt to the new situation of the century-scale changes. Promoting the healthy development of economic globalization through high-level opening up steadily advances institutional opening up, injecting new momentum into world economic growth. By enhancing the capacity to participate in the reform and refinement of global economic governance through high-level opening up, we practice a new vision of global governance and global governance initiatives, gathering the forces of global fairness and justice to provide more stability and positive energy for responding to the changes of the century.
Fourth, promote mutual learning between civilizations through high-level opening up to provide Chinese solutions for responding to the changes of the century. Opening up is an important driver of human civilizational progress. A significant feature of human civilization lies in its diversity and richness; different civilizations give birth to different national characters, development models, and value concepts, demonstrating different actions in the process of responding to the changes of the century. High-level opening up accelerates the process of mutual learning among civilizations. It breaks down geographical, institutional, cultural, and cognitive barriers, improves the efficiency and scale of the flow of civilizational elements, reduces the institutional costs and barriers to mutual learning, and enhances the willingness and depth of civilizational exchanges. In the process of promoting high-level opening up, fine traditional Chinese culture, revolutionary culture, and advanced socialist culture continuously achieve integration, mutual learning, and development with other civilizations. By absorbing beneficial elements from different civilizations, we can better respond to crises and challenges and continuously improve the Chinese solutions for addressing the changes of the century.
Unswervingly Promoting High-Level Opening Up
Opening up is a defining feature of Chinese-path modernization. High-level opening up is institutional opening up and all-around opening up; it is also an opening up that coordinates development and security and balances efficiency and fairness. We must, with the strategic confidence of a responsible major power, unswervingly promote high-level opening up to better respond to changes, stabilize the overall situation, and open up new prospects.
First, steadily expand institutional opening up. Institutional opening up is an inevitable requirement for high-level opening up. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must steadily expand institutional opening up, proactively align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, deepen the reform of the management systems for foreign trade, foreign investment, and outbound investment, and create a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized world-class business environment." This requires us to shape new advantages for a higher-level open economy while improving the systems and mechanisms for high-level opening up. Particularly against the backdrop of the accelerated evolution of the changes of the century, we must promote the alignment of domestic rules, regulations, management, and standards with high international standards, explore the practical paths of institutional opening up, and clarify its future direction. We must enhance our ability to set and promote international agendas, making full use of the experience accumulated during the process of high-quality development, transforming it into institutional advantages, and increasing China’s discourse power regarding international rules in new business formats and new fields.
At the same time, institutional opening up must serve the construction of a powerful trading nation. Currently, some Western developed countries pursue unilateralism and hegemonism, using "small yards and high walls" [4] to contain China’s technology, talent, trade, and investment. Institutional opening up is the strategic choice to break through this containment. By proactively aligning with high-standard international economic and trade rules, we can cultivate advanced manufacturing clusters with global influence and competitiveness, promote the high-quality development of the producer services industry, and enhance the level and capacity of international economic and trade cooperation. By creating a world-class business environment, stabilizing market expectations and confidence, and continuing to deeply implement the system of pre-establishment national treatment plus a negative list for foreign investment, we can guide various business entities—including foreign-funded enterprises—to participate equally in economic construction and better cultivate and develop new quality productive forces.
Second, accelerate the construction of an all-around opening-up landscape. High-level opening up is comprehensive, systematic, and collaborative. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed optimizing the regional opening-up layout. In this process, we must strengthen coordination and synergy between different regions and various platforms to enhance the linkage effect of high-level opening up. On the one hand, we must persist in cross-regional coordination, improving the opening-up landscape characterized by internal-external linkage between land and sea, and mutual assistance between the east and the west. Based on the comparative advantages of different regions, we should build a multi-level opening-up system tailored to local conditions. We should innovate institutional opening-up connections, deepen industrial transfer cooperation, optimize regional resource allocation, and eliminate regional and sectoral barriers between coastal, border, and inland areas, promoting complementary advantages and linked development between different regions. On the other hand, we must persist in cross-platform synergy, strengthening the functional complementarity of opening-up platforms. We should leverage the role of high-level opening-up platforms, such as Pilot Free Trade Zones, as pioneers in trial reforms and industrial agglomeration, promoting functional complementarity, experience sharing, industrial collaboration, and cross-regional joint construction. We should encourage opening-up platforms to clarify their developmental characteristics based on their own resource endowments and industrial foundations to achieve differentiated synergy. We should establish reasonable benefit-sharing and cost-sharing mechanisms conducive to cross-regional and cross-platform cooperation, stimulating the endogenous momentum for the linked development of opening-up platforms.
It must be recognized that high-level opening up is an opening up with developmental resilience and security guarantees. We must adhere to a systems perspective and bottom-line thinking [5], regarding opening up and security as an organic whole with consistent goals. We must both base ourselves on China’s development practice—balancing China’s development needs with the requirements for healthy interaction with the world to open up proactively with clear goals, rhythm, and layers—and enhance regulatory capabilities and coordination mechanisms. We must use technological means such as big data and artificial intelligence to improve regulatory efficacy, refine relevant laws and regulations, and implement export control measures in detail to build a solid security defense line for high-level opening up.
Third, work together to promote global multilateral and bilateral cooperation. Against the backdrop of the changes unseen in a century, it is necessary to accelerate the reform of the multilateral trading system and the promotion of global regional cooperation as quickly as possible to better adapt to new changes in the development of global economy and trade. We must actively expand the network of high-standard free trade areas oriented toward the globe and continuously broaden its strategic layout, giving priority to radiating toward countries and regions involved in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" [6] to foster closer and more convenient cooperation among them. We must innovate and improve quality in the negotiation of rules and standards, accelerate negotiations on issues in new fields such as digital trade and green trade, and actively align with and lead international high-standard economic and trade rules.
In a context where economic globalization is encountering "headwinds" [7], the countries of the Global South have been endowed with a new historical mission. We must fully consider the long-term interests and common needs of different countries in their economic development and participation in international affairs, actively expanding the content and innovating the modes of cooperation. We should expand unilateral opening-up toward the least developed countries to provide a demonstration and lead for promoting an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.
Fourth, actively practice the four major Global Initiatives. The Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative [8] are important public goods proposed by our country that benefit all nations. Currently, the changes of the world, of our times, and of history are unfolding in unprecedented ways, while the deficits in peace, development, security, and governance are becoming increasingly severe. The four major Global Initiatives focus on the prominent issues of development, security, civilization, and governance under the changes unseen in a century, providing a feasible path and solid support for promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity. These four major Global Initiatives enhance our country's institutional discourse power [9] in global governance and contribute a "Chinese solution" to solving the major practical problems facing global development.
Against the backdrop of the accelerating evolution of the changes unseen in a century, there is a need to deeply implement the four major Global Initiatives to consolidate the foundation of global development, fortify the security bottom line, strengthen mutual learning between civilizations, and improve the governance system, thereby promoting the common values of all humanity. By actively advancing the process of universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, we can maintain an equal and orderly multipolar world order, advocate for diverse cultural exchanges characterized by dialogue and mutual learning, and construct a more just and reasonable global governance system. We must use Chinese practice to influence and lead other countries in the world, promote the construction of an open world economy and a community with a shared future for humanity, and create a favorable international environment for the construction of Chinese-path modernization.
(The author is a specially invited researcher at the Shandong Provincial Center for the Study of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and President of Shandong University of Finance and Economics) Source: Economic Daily October 22, 2025 Web Editor: Chu Yang