Huang Jianjun and Gao Wei: Significant Innovations of Chinese-Style Modernization to World Modernization Theory and Practice
In the historical progression of human modernization, there have existed both the capitalist path and the socialist path; both the practice of modernization initially generated by the West and the catch-up modernization practice generated by late-developing countries; both the modernization model of following in others’ footsteps and relying on others, and the modernization model of independence and courageous exploration. Different paths, practices, and models of modernization represent different theories of modernization. Xi Jinping point out: "China's realization of modernization is a great transformation unprecedented in human history." As a result of Chinese practice and a marker of a developmental path in the historical process of humanity, Chinese-path modernization is a pioneering undertaking without precedent and a great feat in the history of human modernization.
From the perspective of theoretical essence, Chinese-path modernization is a modernization of a socialist nature under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. It transcends the theoretical traps of Western modernization, breaks the paradox of modernity triggered by the "supremacy of capital," and grafts scientific socialism onto the genetic genealogy of fine traditional Chinese culture [1]. It presents a new vista distinct from the Western modernization model and represents an advanced nature based on the forward direction of socialism. The 20th CPC National Congress "further deepened the understanding of the connotation and essence of Chinese-path modernization, summarized and formed the Chinese characteristics, essential requirements, and major principles of Chinese-path modernization, and initially constructed the theoretical system of Chinese-path modernization, making it clearer, more scientific, and more perceptible and feasible."
Chinese-path modernization profoundly answers a series of major questions regarding the ideological source, the roots and soul [2], the leading subject, the fundamental nature, the path and direction, the essential requirements, the major principles, and the strategies and tactics of socialist modernization. At the ideological and theoretical level, the "unique worldview, values, history, civilization, democracy, and ecology inherent in it and its great practice represent a major innovation in the theory and practice of world modernization." "World modernization should be a modernization of peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and common prosperity," and "Chinese-path modernization provides a completely new modernization model for the globe." As a "revolution in terminology" for modernization, Chinese-path modernization profoundly answers major questions such as modernization "for whom," "relying on whom," "toward where," "doing what," and "how to act." It possesses major theoretical characteristics that transcend Western modernization, makes significant innovations and original contributions to the conception and theory of world modernization, represents the developmental direction of human civilizational progress in the unity of theory and practice, and constitutes a new form of human advancement.
I. Innovation in Worldview: Adhering to Bearing the World in Mind to Seek Great Harmony
The world is the fundamental basis upon which humanity stands. How to understand and transform the world is an important worldview and methodology inherent in dialectical materialism. Worldview is the general view and systematic grasp that people have regarding the essence of the world and the relationship between the world and humanity. In the history of human thought, many theories have answered questions such as "what is the world" and "what is the relationship between the world and humanity," but many answers either ignored the subjectivity of the people living within the world, obliterated the essence and laws of social and historical development, or fell into the trap of "seeing objects but not people." Only the scientific worldview of Marxism revealed the essence and laws of the world's development, providing us with a scientific methodology to understand and transform the world.
From the theoretical origin, Chinese-path modernization is the practical application of the Marxist worldview and methodology; it is the theoretical result generated by the Marxist worldview and methodology in the development of socialist practice in contemporary China. Xi Jinping pointed out: "We adhere to Marxism as our guide in order to use its scientific worldview and methodology to solve China's problems." To solve China's problems well, and to propose Chinese solutions for human problems to the people of the world in the process of solving China's own problems, we must adhere to the Chinese people's own worldview and methodology. Chinese-path modernization is the modernization program for contemporary China. It is an important manifestation of the Chinese people's worldview and methodology. It upholds the concepts of "the world is for the public" (tianxia wei gong [3]), "harmony among all nations" (xiehe wanbang), and "Great Harmony" (shijie dahong [4]). It is committed to answering worldview questions such as "what is the world," "what is wrong with the world," and "what should we do." It emphasizes the construction of a world of Great Harmony characterized by lasting peace and common prosperity, anchors the world-historical orientation of modernization, solves the world-historical puzzle of modernization, and outlines the "ought-to-be" path of world modernization.
(1) Anchoring the world-historical orientation of modernization with "what is the world"
The world is composed of the objective world and the subjective world. The former refers to the real world (nature and human society), and the latter refers to the conceptual world of humans, while "the whole so-called history of the world is nothing but the creation of man through human labor, nothing but the emergence of nature for man." From the perspective of the Marxist worldview and the materialist conception of history, the world is a unity composed of people, society, and objective nature. Along with changes in human activity, human social history also undergoes transformations. Historical materialism, in this sense, reveals the basic laws of human social-historical evolution and anchors the driving source, subjective factors, and developmental trends of humanity's movement from "tradition" to "modernity." This is the core of our understanding of human modernization.
Marx and Engels believed that with the development of productive forces and the expansion of human social interaction, humanity would break through the limitations of regional activities and communities. The original national histories of various peoples would gradually transform into world history. At this time, "locally-constrained individuals are replaced by world-historical, empirically universal individuals." Marx and Engels pointed out: "The separate spheres, which interact on one another, expand in the course of this development, the more the original isolation of separate nationalities is destroyed by the developed mode of production and intercourse and the division of labor between various nations naturally brought forth by these, the more history becomes world history."
Marx and Engels' theory of world history revealed the generation process and developmental trends of human modernization within the coordinates of the world, anchoring the commencement and development process of modernization. Inheriting Marx and Engels' theory of world history, Chinese-path modernization has further deepened the understanding of "what is the world" on the coordinate axes of 21st-century world history, anchoring the world-historical orientation of modernization.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Chinese Communists have taken aim at the "timing" and "momentum" of world development. Viewing the world from the perspective of the great changes unseen in a century, they proposed the major judgment that "the fates of humanity are intertwined, the interests of all countries are closely linked, and the world is an indivisible community with a shared future." They emphasized that "humanity has only one Earth, and all countries share one world," confirming that "we are in an era of shifting clouds and a world that changes with each passing day." "In this world, the degree of interconnection and interdependence among countries has deepened to an unprecedented extent. Humanity lives in the same global village, in the same space-time where history and reality intersect, increasingly becoming a community with a shared future where we are part of one another." These important discourses profoundly reveal the essence of today's world and the developmental situation of modernization. On this basis, Xi Jinping further revealed the historical position of modernization in today's world—that is, contemporary China is forging ahead for the historical cause of comprehensively building a great modern socialist country, and is also striving forward to promote the growth of world peace forces and the strengthening of international justice forces through the realization of its own modernization. This modernization itself is "a new form of human advancement," and it defines the latest form of human civilizational development in a world-historical sense.
(2) Solving the world-historical puzzle of modernization with "questions of the world"
The "questions of the world" are reflections on the contradictions and problems in the world and are reflections of the paradoxes of the modern world. Chinese-path modernization provides an original answer to the world question of "what's wrong with the world and what should we do," solving the world-historical puzzle of modernization. As early as the beginning of Western modernization, Marx examined the many contradictions of the modern Western world, revealed the laws of economic operation in modern Western society, and identified that "capitalist production, on the one hand, develops the productive forces of society in a magical way, but on the other hand, it also shows that it is incompatible with the social productive forces it has produced. Its history from now on is only a history of antagonism, crises, conflicts, and disasters."
Today, in the 21st century, the world still faces many contradictions and paradoxes, mainly including: capital has accelerated its deep control over people; digitalization has triggered a "global digital divide"; the trend of anti-globalization is rising; local conflicts continue one after another; and unilateralism and protectionism are significantly increasing. Coupled with the weak recovery of the world economy and the resurgence of the Cold War mentality, today's world has entered a new crossroads. Under this historical background, Chinese-path modernization is "committed to promoting high-quality development to promote global development and prosperity; committed to maintaining international fairness and justice to promote world peace and stability; committed to promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations to promote the progress of human civilization," building a new vista for the modernization of human society where a hundred flowers bloom.
In this regard, Xi Jinping pointed out: "Humanity is a community with a shared future that prospers or suffers together. Any country pursuing modernization should uphold the concepts of solidarity, cooperation, and common development, and take the path of co-construction, sharing, and win-win results. Countries that are ahead should sincerely help other countries develop. Blowing out someone else's lamp will not make oneself brighter; blocking someone else's road will not make oneself go further." Therefore, Chinese-path modernization examines today's world development trends and the major problems faced from the perspective of "world history," profoundly answering the major proposition of "what kind of world should humanity build and how to build this world." It contributes a Chinese worldview of "viewing the world from the perspective of the world" to world modernization, solving the "modern dilemma" of human modernization.
(3) Outlining the "ought-to-be" path of world modernization with the "direction of the world"
The purpose of understanding the world lies in answering the "questions of the world" and thereby better transforming the world. "Marxism has a distinct practical character, not only committed to scientifically 'explaining the world' but also to actively 'changing the world'." Marx and Engels believed that humanity will eventually change the loose old world pattern in practice, transcend the illusory community, and finally move toward a true community with a shared destiny.
Today's world is advancing along the track of world-historical development. In the logical chain of today's world-historical development, the world is developing in the direction of integration. Whoever rejects this integrated world will inevitably be rejected by this world. This is the general trend of world-historical development and an unstoppable trend. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, our Party has creatively used the concepts of civilization, worldview, and history inherent in the materialist conception of history to comprehensively judge the general trend of world development. It emphasizes that the destinies of humanity are intertwined in an unprecedented way, and points out that humanity should stand together through thick and thin and join hands to build a path for modernization and share the fruits of modernization.
Xi Jinping pointed out: "The world-wide nature of human interaction is deeper and broader than at any time in the past, and the interconnection and interdependence between countries are more frequent and closer than at any time in the past." In this context, our Party has creatively opened up a new form of human advancement through Chinese-path modernization, systematically expounding the value concept of the CPC to seek progress for humanity and Great Harmony for the world. This profoundly reflects the world vision and international sentiment of the CPC in "bearing the world in mind." it profoundly demonstrates that the CPC, with a broad mind that "encompasses all rivers," gathers historical forces and the greatest common denominator for building a global governance system, providing a Chinese solution for humanity to explore a better social system and move toward a world of Great Harmony.
Xi Jinping pointed out: "Our modernization emphasizes mutual benefit and win-win results with all countries in the world, promotes the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, and strives to contribute to human peace and development." "Chinese-path modernization does not take the old path of colonial plundering, nor the crooked path of seeking hegemony when a country becomes strong; it takes the right path of peaceful development." This concept and advocacy transcend the "clash of civilizations," "racial superiority," and "institutional confrontation" inherent in Western modernization theory. It breaks the old worldview of the "law of the jungle," hegemony, and "winner-takes-all" inherent in the Western international order, contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to promote world security and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. Chinese-path modernization has injected totally new impetus of the times into the reform of the global governance system with the sentiment of "bearing the world in mind."
II. Value Innovation: Adhering to People-Centeredness to Promote Common Prosperity
Every theory contains a unique value standpoint and value concept, and every value standpoint and value concept reflects the development and governance views of a specific society. The value concepts held by Western modernization are the "supremacy of capital," "supremacy of interest," and "supremacy of efficiency." This kind of modernization falls into the logic of value appreciation dominated by instrumental rationality, triggering many social problems. Marx believed that the modernization of the West mainly relied on large-scale industry...
"Large-scale industry established the world market, which had been prepared by the discovery of America. This market gave an immense development to commerce, to navigation, and to communication by land. This development, in its turn, reacted on the extension of industry." The path to modernization taken by the West is a modernization driven by capital, which has led to "overproduction and the poverty of the masses," eventually producing "modern poverty and decay," and triggering the paradox of the "devaluation of the human world" alongside the "valorization of capital." Distinct from the pursuit of capital valorization followed by Western modernization, Chinese-path modernization adheres to a value system that places the people above all else, follows the philosophy of people-centered development, and is committed to seeking happiness for the Chinese people and promoting common prosperity for all. Satisfying the people's needs for a better life is precisely how we seek happiness for the people; when the masses become wealthy both materially and spiritually, their needs for a better life are realized in actuality. Xi Jinping noted: "Our promotion of economic and social development is, in the final analysis, to continuously satisfy the people's needs for a better life." That is to say, the theoretical innovation of Chinese-path modernization in terms of values both transcends the logic of production based on the supremacy of capital and restores the subjective status of the people's value. It emphasizes that advancing modernization must rely on the people and be for the people, and that the fruits of modernization should be shared by all.
(1) Proposing a "Theory of the People as Subject" establishes the value foundation for advancing modernization. Marxism holds that historical activity is the activity of human beings, and that humans are the subjects of historical activity. "History is nothing but the activity of man pursuing his aims"; the people are the creators of history and the true heroes. In essence, the value core of Chinese-path modernization is the insistence on "putting the people first," which stands in sharp contrast to the Western value of "capital first." From the perspective of the difference in theoretical qualities, "capitalist modernization centers on the private ownership of the means of production, with the bourgeoisie as the dominant force; non-capitalist modernization centers on the public ownership of the means of production, where capitalists and the landlord class no longer act as the dominant force." In fact, the "value drive" of Chinese-path modernization is the theory of people-centeredness and the supremacy of the people. This value orientation answers the question of the subject of modernization and the question of the value standpoint of modernization. Xi Jinping pointed out: "The people are the creators of history; they are the most solid foundation and the deepest strength for advancing modernization." "In Chinese-path modernization, the people's livelihood is of the utmost importance." This fully demonstrates that Chinese-path modernization establishes the subjective status of the person within modernization, emphasizing that modernization is "rooted in the people," and that the people are the decisive force. "Chinese-path modernization is the cause of hundreds of millions of people. The people are the subjects of Chinese-path modernization. We must rely closely on the people, respect their creative spirit, and pool the wisdom and strength of all the people to continuously push Chinese-path modernization forward." Therefore, the primary innovation of Chinese-path modernization in terms of values is the establishment of the person’s subjective status, confirming that the theme of modernization is "people" rather than "things."
(2) Proposing a "Theory of the People as the Motive Force" establishes the greatest source of confidence for advancing modernization. In the history of Western thought, rationalism advocated situating the power that creates history within some objective spirit or reason. Hegel, for instance, believed that "the absolute spirit of history already has its material in the masses," viewing history as the history of the spirit's creation. In contrast, Marxism places the highest value on the historical initiative of the masses, not only revealing that the masses are the decisive force for social change, the main force of social revolution, and the leaders of social development, but also emphasizing that "the people, and only the people, are the motive force in the making of world history." In fact, many factors drive modernization, including the power of capital and technology, the power of systems and culture, and the influence of history and the era. However, these forces are, in the final analysis, the external expression of human power. From a value perspective, the question of "whom modernization relies on and whom it is for" determines the direction and lifeblood of the path to modernization. Unlike Western modernization's pursuit of capital valorization and technological control, Chinese-path modernization adheres to the confidence and belief of "relying closely on the people," innovating and developing the values of modernization. Xi Jinping pointed out: "The people are the deepest foundation and the greatest source of confidence for our Party's governance." In contemporary China, the Chinese-path modernization we promote is a modernization that originates from and relies on the people. Relying closely on the people is the "winning formula" for the steady and sustained progress of Chinese-path modernization, as well as its greatest inherent source of confidence. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, in the process of leading, deploying, and advancing Chinese-path modernization, has repeatedly emphasized relying closely on the people to promote reform and relying on the people to create new great historical achievements, ensuring that the fruits of modernization benefit all people more extensively and fairly. Otherwise, even for countries that have already achieved modernization, if development deviates from the people, the fruits of modernization will be undermined. Therefore, "relying on the people" is a vital value dimension in Chinese-path modernization and our greatest source of confidence.
(3) Proposing a "Theory of the People as the Purpose" establishes the value goal for advancing modernization. Marx and Engels pointed out: "In order to 'make history,' men must be able to live. But life involves before everything else eating and drinking, a habitation, clothing and many other things." [5] As "species-beings," humans possess both a corporeal and a spiritual life. Political parties in every era and historical period should strive for the better life of the people. Specifically, "the Communist Party of China insists on governing for the people, and the people's aspiration for a better life is our goal." From the perspective of historical necessity, the goal of humanity moving toward modernization is to "benefit itself." However, Western modernization, centered on capital, has inverted the relationship between "ends" and "means," resulting in a "value displacement" where capital is the subject of value and the human being is the means. Unlike Western modernization, Chinese-path modernization resets this relationship, emphasizing that "the essence of modernization is the modernization of the person," and establishing the value goal of modernization as "the human being itself." In contemporary China, promoting high-quality economic and social development is, in the final analysis, to enable the masses to lead happy lives. "Chinese-path modernization insists that development is for the people, relies on the people, and its fruits are shared by the people," which manifests the essence of socialism and practices the Party's fundamental purpose. The ultimate value objective of Chinese-path modernization is to realize the people's needs for a better life and continuously benefit the people. In this sense, the value pursuit of Chinese-path modernization is also the modernization of the person and the free and comprehensive development of the person. "Continuously benefiting the people" profoundly reflects the fundamental goal of modernization in contemporary China and is the direction of Chinese-path modernization.
(4) Proposing a "Theory of the People as the Value Standard" establishes the supreme criterion for advancing modernization. Marx and Engels clearly stated that the materialist conception of history "does not explain practice from the idea but explains the formation of ideas from material practice." Historical materialism establishes the priority of human practical activity and endows human practice with the standard of truth for testing objective objects. "If we take the criterion of practice as the basis of epistemology, we inevitably arrive at materialism." Specifically, the practice of the masses is the living source of ideological theory and the fundamental standard for judging historical progress. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, in leading the "Great Ship of China" forward, has established a new positioning for "people-value," emphasizing that the fundamental standard for judging the gains, losses, successes, or failures of China's reform and development is the people's sense of gain [6]. It emphasizes that reform and development have meaning only if they are for the people, and have momentum only if they rely on the people. This also tells the world that the meaning and value of modernization should be tested by the people; "satisfying the people" is the supreme standard for measuring modernization. In contemporary China, our Party has creatively proposed that "the people are the fundamental force that determines our future and destiny," emphasizing that "the era is the paper-setter, we are the examinees, and the people are the graders." [7] We maintain that "satisfying the masses is the value orientation and fundamental standard for all our Party's work, and the opinions of the masses are the best yardstick." These important concepts and discourses have innovatively developed the "axiology" of the historical materialist view of the masses, providing a profound answer to why "satisfying the people" is the fundamental test of modernization. Xi Jinping noted: "Modernization must look not only at indicators and data on paper but more importantly at the happiness and well-being of the people." "Whether the path of modernization can ultimately be successful and stable depends crucially on whether it adheres to a people-centered approach." Entirely different from the Western modernization that "sees things but not people," Chinese-path modernization re-establishes the new positioning of people-value in the unity of theory and practice, vividly illustrating that the people are the "graders" on the new "journey to take the exam" [8] of comprehensively advancing Chinese-path modernization.
III. Innovation in the View of History: Maintaining Self-Confidence and Self-Reliance in Development
The historical generation of human modernization is rooted in the laws of the evolution of human society. Xi Jinping pointed out: "There is no fixed model for the path to modernization; the one that fits you is the best. One cannot 'cut the feet to fit the shoes' [9]." The history of Western modernization is a history of "serial" development—industrialization, democratization, the rule of law, and urbanization—and a history of continuous external aggression and colonial expansion with capital as the core goal, eventually resulting in social polarization and the swelling of materialism. "In the 300-odd years since the start of industrial civilization, the immense productive forces created by human society have produced Western-style modernization for a few developed countries, but this has already threatened human survival and the continuation of life on Earth." From a historical dimension, Western modernization has fallen into the trap of historical determinism and the "end of history" thesis. In contrast, Chinese-path modernization has shattered the myth that "modernization = Westernization." It has transcended the expansionist and predatory nature of Western modernization, opening a new path for late-developing countries to move toward modernization with a spirit of historical initiative characterized by independence, self-confidence, and self-reliance, thereby innovatively developing the materialist conception of history.
(1) Applying "Historical Laws" clarifies the historical premise for advancing modernization. Human historical activity is the manifestation of human self-activity; historical activity is, in the final analysis, human activity (especially human material productive activity), and humans are the premise of historical activity. Engels pointed out: "The determining factor in history is, in the last resort, the production and reproduction of immediate life." Historical materialism examines the processes and laws of historical evolution by focusing on the productive activities of real individuals, ultimately revealing the drivers, processes, and results of human history moving from tradition to modernity. Western scholars, adhering to an idealist conception of history, promote the "classical model" based on Western modernization as the ultimate version of modernization. They advocate the "end of history" thesis, emphasizing that "the end of history is a theory of modernization that focuses on the question of where the process of modernization will eventually lead." The "end of history" essentially plays up a linear historical view of modernization, using the ideal of liberal democracy as its value foundation, and falling into the quagmire of nihilistic idealism in both theory and practice. Perfectly consistent with the historical laws inherent in historical materialism, Chinese-path modernization has inherited and developed the spirit of modernity within historical materialism. It consistently "remains on the ground of real history; it does not explain practice from the idea but explains the formation of ideas from material practice." Especially since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has upheld the theoretical essence and basic spirit of historical materialism and creatively applied the three great laws—the law of the unity of opposites, the law of the transition from quantitative to qualitative change, and the law of the negation of the negation. It has further revealed the history of the occurrence, development, and future of modernization, proposing to "explore the laws of building Chinese-path modernization" and clarifying the historical premise for advancing modernization in contemporary China.
First, proceeding from "historical laws," it has objectively judged our "historical orientation." By making a new summary of the principal contradiction in our society, it clarified the greatest objective reality of contemporary China and put forward the major judgment that "socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a New Era," establishing the objective baseline for our advancement of modernization. Second, proceeding from the theory of world history and the laws of development, it has objectively judged the "global situation." It originally proposed the important thesis of the "Two Overalls" [10], clarifying the "world-historical coordinates" for contemporary China's advancement of modernization. Third, proceeding from the laws and trends of socialist development, it has analyzed the historical orientation and phased characteristics of our country. Based on the "new stage of development," it proposed the "new development philosophy" and the "construction of a new development pattern," clarifying the objective economic realities and development requirements faced in advancing Chinese-path modernization.
(2) Answering the "Questions of History" clarifies the central task of advancing modernization. Social historical development is...
The unity of "conformity to law" and "conformity to purpose" suggests that the path of human modernization should likewise be a unity of these two principles. However, since its inception, Western modernization has not only marginalized the majority in poverty but has also periodically generated crises of overproduction and the contemporary new forms of such crises. This model of modernization follows notions of polarization rather than common prosperity, "draining the pond to catch the fish" [11] rather than achieving harmony between humanity and nature, zero-sum games rather than win-win cooperation, and dependence on others rather than independence and self-reliance. This has triggered a rupture between "conformity to law" and "conformity to purpose," resulting in a "putting the cart before the horse" [12] within modern society.
Historical materialism maintains that capital-led modernization eventually leads to the paradox of modernity, which would cause "the destruction of the entire modern society"; this is the inevitable logic of historical development. Within the historical logic revealed by historical materialism, only by choosing "another path"—the socialist path—and "not passing through the Caudine Forks" [13] of the capitalist system, can one avoid the paradoxical nature of Western modernization. If historical materialism answers the grand historical question of "whither human society" from a macro-logical perspective, then Chinese-path modernization answers the "question of the developmental path" regarding where humanity should go in the 21st century.
From the perspective of history, Chinese-path modernization takes historical materialism as its theoretical guide, pioneering a socialist path to modernization in a country with a relatively backward economy and culture. It expands the avenues for developing countries to move toward modernization, conforms to the laws of history revealed by historical materialism, and represents the direction of human historical progress. Particularly on the new journey of the New Era, Chinese-path modernization has established a series of missions, strategic priorities, and essential requirements for comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. It has established a "demonstration blueprint for modernization" for how humanity can create a better future in the 21st century. The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out: "From this day forward, the central task of the Communist Party of China will be to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization." This central task ultimately aims to "promote the comprehensive abundance of things and the well-rounded development of people," profoundly reflecting the "future trends" and "beautiful prospects" of modernization, embodying the unity of process and goal, and of truth and value.
(3) Promoting the "spirit of historical initiative" and clarifying the strategies and tactics for advancing modernization
Western modernization takes the concept of "universal history" as its premise. However, this historical view of modernization is idealistic because it highlights the power of the "Absolute Spirit" or pure reason while denying human historical initiative. It views the process of history as something that can only be derived from spiritual concepts and emphasizes that the path of modernization opened by the transformation of history into world history is a "purely abstract act of 'self-consciousness,' the World Spirit, or some metaphysical ghost," rather than a "completely material, empirically verifiable act" as confirmed by historical materialism. Within the horizon of world history, modernization has never been the result of the action of an absolute spiritual force, but rather a developmental path opened by the human spirit of historical initiative. Xi Jinping pointed out: "Modernization will not fall from the sky; it must be achieved through the promotion of the spirit of historical initiative."
In human history, there are immense differences in the paths and tactics used to achieve modernization. Western modernization is essentially an aggressive-expansionist model; it completed its "transformation and upgrading" by relying on aggression, conquest, control, and infiltration. Chinese-path modernization is not a dependent or convergent path that relies on or imitates others; rather, it is the result of independent, unyielding, and painstaking exploration under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. Xi Jinping noted: "In the long-term practice of leading revolution, construction, and reform, our Party has always persisted in opening up its own path independently. This spirit of independent exploration and practice, and this firm confidence and determination to follow our own path, is the fundamental foothold of all our Party’s theory and practice, and the fundamental guarantee for the continuous victory of the Party and the people's cause."
Chinese-path modernization contains a profound spirit of historical initiative, mainly reflected in our Party’s firm faith and conviction, its grasp of historical initiative, and its adherence to a path of self-confidence, self-reliance, and independence. This created a Chinese version of the modernization path within the logic of human history and found the fundamental road for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Xi Jinping pointed out: "Following our own road is the foothold of all the Party's theory and practice, and even more so the historical conclusion drawn from the Party's century of struggle." The unique historical outlook contained in Chinese-path modernization is mainly reflected in strengthening historical initiative, respecting the people's pioneering spirit, and maintaining firm historical confidence. In other words, it means persisting in following our own path of modernization—neither "blowing out others' lamps" nor "blocking others' way"—but insisting on proceeding from China's basic national conditions, upholding the principle of independence, and ensuring that the "question of modernization" is answered by the Chinese people themselves. We must neither "mark the boat to find the sword" [14] (staying stagnant and rigid) nor blindly copy others or remain dependent, unable to digest foreign concepts. Rather, on the basis of self-confidence and self-reliance, we must hold the future and destiny of China's modernization firmly in our own hands.
IV. Innovation in the View of Civilization: Upholding the Fundamentals and Breaking New Ground to Flourish Culture
Civilization is the cultural expression and collective memory of human activities, and the concentrated display of humanity’s material and spiritual life. The diversity of the vast world stems largely from the diversity of civilizations. Civilizations become colorful through exchange and rich through mutual learning. Xi Jinping emphasized: "We sincerely call upon all countries to promote the common values of humanity—peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, and freedom—to promote mutual understanding and affinity among peoples, and to respect the diversity of world civilizations. Let us transcend civilization barriers through exchange, civilization conflict through mutual learning, and civilization superiority through coexistence, to jointly address various global challenges."
Different from the view of civilization inherent in Western modernization, Chinese-path modernization upholds the concepts of peaceful development and mutual benefit. It creatively proposes concepts such as "respecting the diversity of world civilizations," "promoting the common values of humanity," and "valuing the inheritance and innovation of civilizations." it advocates promoting human progress and world peace through exchange and mutual learning between civilizations, thereby innovatively developing the historical materialist view of civilization.
(1) Proposing "respect for the diversity of world civilizations" to solidify the civilizational foundation for advancing modernization
The history of human society has created a diversity of civilizations due to the diversity of practice; this diversity is an essential characteristic of human society. Dialectical materialism holds that everything is a dialectical unity of identity and difference, with difference being the manifestation of a thing’s diversity. Engels pointed out: "True, concrete identity contains difference and change within itself." Difference confirms identity and is expressed through it. In the development of social history, world civilizations profoundly embody the unity of identity and difference. As an important component of contemporary Chinese ideological theory, Chinese-path modernization elucidates the practical qualities and diverse characteristics of "world civilization" within the framework of historical materialism. By creatively proposing "respect for the diversity of world civilizations" and emphasizing the differences and variety in human modernization paths, it solidifies the civilizational foundation for modernization.
Xi Jinping pointed out: "Different histories and national conditions, different ethnic groups and customs, have nurtured different civilizations, making the world more colorful." "The various civilizations created by human society all shine with brilliance, accumulating deep heritage and bestowing distinct characteristics upon the modernization of various countries; they transcend time and space, surpass national borders, and together make important contributions to the process of human modernization." This profoundly illustrates that different civilizations possess difference and diversity. It is precisely this difference that constitutes the colorful garden of world civilizations, and it is the diversity of human civilizations that creates the diversity of modernization paths. Xi Jinping noted: "The diversity of human civilizations is a basic feature of the world and a source of human progress." In the map of human civilizational diversity, the modernization paths chosen by humanity will always differ; they cannot be cast from a single mold. Chinese-path modernization upholds the concept of civilizational diversity, persists in the diversity of modernization paths, and emphasizes the "win-win" and "universally beneficial" nature of modernization results, thereby enhancing the foundation of human civilization.
(2) Proposing the "promotion of the common values of humanity" to build a value consensus for advancing modernization
Every modernization model embedded in social-historical development reflects different value pursuits. The values inherent in a modernization path directly determine the goals toward which modernization develops. Looking at past Western modernization practices, the inherent value pursuits have shown tendencies toward "singularization," "unification," "supremacy," and "patent-holding." Guided by these pursuits, their modernization paths often moved toward an "either-or" single-choice model, eventually forming a monotonous "Westernization-only" pattern. In fact, human modernization paths cannot be "copied and pasted," nor can their underlying values be "singularized" or "universalized" (in the Western sense). On the contrary, the diversity of human civilization implies a diversity of modernization paths and value pursuits.
From the perspective of the evolution of world civilization, Chinese-path modernization transcends the "wounds of modernity" caused by industrial civilization. It emphasizes that civilizations are not ranked as superior or inferior, and advocates an attitude of upholding the fundamentals while breaking new ground, seeking harmony without uniformity [15] to promote symbiotic interests, shared rights, and common responsibilities, thereby coalescing the "greatest common denominator" of world civilizational values. Xi Jinping pointed out: "Countries have different histories, cultures, systems, and levels of development, but the people of all countries pursue the common values of humanity: peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, and freedom." Unlike capitalism, which "creates a world after its own image," Chinese-path modernization emphasizes and promotes the common values of humanity. On the path to modernization, it proposes "inclusive," "pluralistic," and "multi-choice" solutions. Xi Jinping noted: "There is no developmental model in the world that is universally applicable, and all parties should respect the diversity of world civilizations and developmental models." Within the horizon of world history, Chinese-path modernization rejects the "only one shop, no branches" [16] rhetoric, abandons the erroneous value of "self-centered supremacy," breaks the hegemony of Western "universal values," and provides humanity with a path of modernization characterized by peaceful development and mutual benefit.
(3) Proposing "valuing the inheritance and innovation of civilizations" to construct the spiritual power for advancing modernization
Attaching importance to the inheritance and innovation of civilizations is a key move to solidify the civilizational depth of modernization. Xi Jinping pointed out: "The modernization paths with distinct characteristics in different countries and regions of the world today are rooted in rich, diverse, and long-standing civilizational heritages." Particularly against the backdrop of the accelerated evolution of the "changes unseen in a century," the various civilizations created by human society in different periods are the crystallization of human practice. In the process of world modernization, the diversity of civilizations can accumulate a profound heritage for countries and display a spiritual power that transcends time and space.
Since the 18th National Congress, the CPC has been committed to promoting mutual learning between Chinese civilization and other civilizations worldwide. Xi Jinping pointed out: "Today, as the fates of all countries are closely linked, the inclusive coexistence and mutual learning of different civilizations play an irreplaceable role in promoting the process of human modernization and flourishing the garden of world civilizations." Chinese-path modernization is deeply rooted in the "soul-vein" of Marxism and the "root-vein" of fine traditional Chinese culture. Through the "Two Combinations," it has bestowed a profound "cultural heritage" upon the Chinese path. "The 'Second Combination' [17] makes Marxism Chinese and fine traditional Chinese culture modern, allowing the new culture formed through this 'combination' to become the cultural form of Chinese-path modernization." Through the "Two Combinations," we have constructed the spiritual power for advancing Chinese-path modernization. Furthermore, contemporary China uses the Global Civilization Initiative to promote exchange and mutual development among different civilizations, injecting Chinese wisdom into world modernization. Xi Jinping pointed out: "We are willing to work with the international community to open a new situation of cultural exchange, integration, and people-to-people bonds, making the garden of world civilizations colorful and full of vitality." Facts show that Chinese-path modernization persists in a path of peaceful development, fully mining the spiritual qualities of benevolence, people-centeredness, honesty, justice, harmony, and the Great Unity [18] within Chinese civilization, providing a powerful spiritual support for the practice of human modernization.
V. Innovation in the View of Democracy: Persisting in People's Democracy to Gather Strength
Democracy is a common value of all humanity and a right of the people of all nations. Democracy takes different practical forms in different countries. If the conception of democracy inherent in Western modernization is a capitalist-led, moneyed conception of democracy, then the unique conception of democracy inherent in Chinese-path modernization is profoundly embodied in our status as a socialist state under the people's democratic dictatorship, led by the working class and based on the alliance of workers and peasants, where all power of the state belongs to the people. In other words, "People's democracy is the lifeblood of socialism; without democracy, there would be no socialism, no socialist modernization, and no great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." As Xi Jinping has stated: "We must be clear that our people's democracy is essentially different from so-called Western 'constitutionalism'." This means that Chinese-path modernization has transcended the traps of Western democracy in its democratic concepts and forms, drawn upon the beneficial achievements of human political civilization, and pioneered an entirely new form of socialist democracy.
(I) Proposing "whole-process people's democracy" has broadened the path of political development for Chinese-path modernization
From the perspective of the essence of democracy, the democracy inherent in Western modernization consists of "election-price-tag democracy," "political-donation democracy," "political-lobbying democracy," and "formalist democracy." This democracy is essentially a capital-led democracy, an extension and manifestation of the power of capital in the political sphere. This is because "capital is the all-dominating economic power of bourgeois society." Xi Jinping pointed out: "If the people only have the right to vote but no right to extensive participation, if the people are only awakened at the time of voting and enter a dormant period after voting, such a democracy is formalistic." Unlike the formalist view of democracy in Western modernization, Chinese-path modernization has broken the "discourse monopoly" and the "uniqueness assumption" of the Western democratic view. It has creatively proposed whole-process people's democracy as a new form of human democratic development, broadening the democratic political implications of the path to human modernization. "Whole-process people's democracy is the essential attribute of socialist democratic politics; it is the most extensive, genuine, and effective democracy." In short, whole-process people's democracy possesses not only a complete set of institutional procedures but also a complete set of participatory practices. Xi Jinping noted: "China's whole-process people's democracy achieves the unification of process-oriented democracy and result-oriented democracy, procedural democracy and substantive democracy, direct democracy and indirect democracy, and people's democracy and the will of the state. It is a full-chain, all-dimensional, and full-coverage democracy; it is the most extensive, genuine, and effective socialist democracy." This profoundly demonstrates that whole-process people's democracy transcends the abstract conception of democracy dominated by the Western "logic of capital." it is a major political contribution of Chinese-path modernization to world modernization theory and practice, highlighting the people-centered character of socialist democracy and enriching the forms of human democratic politics. In other words, "there is no political system model in the world that is exactly the same. A political system cannot be judged in the abstract apart from specific socio-political conditions and historical-cultural traditions; it cannot be set on a pedestal [19], and one cannot mechanically copy foreign political system models." In short, developing whole-process people's democracy is the new contribution of Chinese-path modernization to the development of human political civilization.
(II) Comprehensively developing "consultative democracy" has enriched the forms for realizing socialist democracy
Looking across the history of the development of democratic politics, because of differences in cultural traditions, political systems, and developmental practices, the forms for realizing democracy under different systems are not identical. However, in the process of advancing Western modernization, it always presupposes a "uniqueness" assumption for its view of democracy and maintains an appearance of "money-supremacy." In practice, it peddles this under hollow, vainglorious names such as "election democracy," "democratic peace," and "democratic prosperity," ultimately turning democracy into a false slogan. Unlike the conception of democracy inherent in Western modernization, Chinese-path modernization emphasizes the diversity of the connotations of democracy and the multidimensionality of its realization. The democratic conception and practical forms pioneered by Chinese-path modernization include not only the system of people's congresses but also consultative democracy. "Consultative democracy is an important form of practicing whole-process people's democracy," "an important way to realize the Party's leadership, and a unique form and unique advantage of China's socialist democratic politics." Chinese-path modernization has pioneered multidimensionality and multiple channels for the realization of democracy, emphasizing that different countries should choose democratic forms suitable for themselves based on their own national conditions and historical traditions. Xi Jinping emphasized: "Democracy is not an ornament, not for decoration; it is for solving the problems the people need solved." This fully demonstrates that democracy is not a slogan but must be integrated with the practical problems in the process of modernization and embedded into the entire process of building democratic politics. From the perspective of practice, the channels and avenues for realizing democracy in contemporary China are diverse. Among them, "consulting whenever matters arise, and having matters that concern everyone discussed by everyone, is the essence of people's democracy." The original contribution of Chinese-path modernization to the conception of democracy is profoundly reflected in consultative democracy, which is a "distinctive, unique, and ingenious form of democracy" in the political construction of Chinese-path modernization, "deeply embedded in the entire process of Chinese socialist democratic politics."
(III) Using an institutional system to ensure that the people are masters of the country has greatly enhanced national governance efficiency
The innovation of Chinese-path modernization in its conception of democracy is also reflected in its persistence in driving innovation in democratic politics through institutional innovation. It consistently uses an institutional system to ensure that the people are masters of the country and continuously explores new political institutions to promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. Xi Jinping pointed out: "Our country's socialist democracy is the most extensive, genuine, and effective democracy for safeguarding the fundamental interests of the people. Developing socialist democratic politics is about embodying the people's will, ensuring the people's rights and interests, and stimulating the people's creative vitality, using an institutional system to ensure the people are masters of the country." In other words, "To govern a country and promote its modernization, the Western institutional model is not the only path; countries can entirely forge their own path. It can be said that we have used facts to announce the bankruptcy of the 'end of history' [20] and the bankruptcy of the unilinear historical view that all countries must ultimately find their destination in the Western institutional model." Chinese-path modernization persists in and exerts the role of the system of people's congresses as the fundamental political system. Through the coordination of the "fundamental system," "basic systems," "important systems," and other "specific systems," [21] it firmly keeps the future and destiny of the country and the nation in the hands of the people, transforming institutional advantages into governance efficiency. Xi Jinping emphasized: "Mechanically copying the political systems of other countries will not work; it will result in a failure to adapt to local conditions [22], and like 'painting a tiger but ending up with a dog' [23], it may even bury the future and destiny of the country. Only a system rooted in the nation's soil and drawing abundant nutrients is the most reliable and most effective." The innovation of the democratic view in Chinese-path modernization is also reflected in political institutional innovation. It is precisely because we have formed a system of socialist democratic political institutions that contemporary China can effectively guarantee that the people enjoy more extensive and substantial rights and freedoms, and that socialist democratic politics has a more powerful institutional guarantee.
VI. Innovation in the Ecological Outlook: Persisting in Green Development to Resolve Crises
Nature is the basic condition for human survival and an important foundation for sustainable human development. Xi Jinping pointed out: "Nature is the mother of life; man and nature form a life community. Humanity must revere nature, respect nature, follow nature's laws, and protect nature." In the process of Western modernization, accompanied by the application of large-scale machine industry, capital carried out a frantic plunder and enclosure of natural resources. Western capitalist countries achieved modernization through the over-exploitation of natural resources, choosing an extractive development model. It can be said that the ecological concept upheld by Western modernization is "exploring the whole of nature in order to discover new useful properties of things; the universal exchange of products from all different climates and countries; and the processing of natural objects in new ways (artificial) to endow them with new use-values." Unlike the mechanical, singular, and predatory development outlook upheld by Western modernization, Chinese-path modernization has creatively proposed the concept of green development, emphasizing that protecting nature is protecting humanity, thereby achieving a revolutionary shift in the outlook on development. Xi Jinping pointed out: "Green development is the defining feature of Chinese-path modernization." "Promoting the formation of green development methods and lifestyles is a profound revolution in the outlook on development." Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, we have persisted in taking Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization as our guide, continuously deepening the reform of the ecological civilization system, committing ourselves to building a modernization where man and nature coexist in harmony, and seeking a path for global ecological civilization construction, contributing Chinese wisdom to building a community of life on Earth.
(I) Proposing the concept of a "life community" has opened a new realm in the relationship between man and nature
Human beings are born of nature, and the relationship between man and nature is symbiotic. "Humanity can only effectively prevent detours in the development and utilization of nature by following natural laws. Damage to nature by humanity will ultimately harm humanity itself; this is an irresistible law." Dialectical materialism holds that nature is the matrix of human existence—without nature, there is no humanity. Man is a product of nature and relies on nature for life. From the perspective of the historical materialist outlook, man cannot live apart from the natural world: "Nature, in so far as it is not the human body, is man's inorganic body." But "if man by his science and creative genius has subdued the forces of nature, the latter avenge themselves upon him." Therefore, achieving harmony between man and nature is an important mission for human modernization. Tragically, in the process of development, Western modernization ignored the "inorganic body" function of nature, wantonly enclosing, extracting, and plundering nature, creating one ecological disaster after another and bringing a biochemical crisis to human sustainable development. In particular, "since modern times, the modernization of Western countries has mostly gone through a stage of wanton plunder of natural resources and vicious destruction of the ecological environment. While creating immense material wealth, it often caused serious problems such as environmental pollution and resource exhaustion." Completely different from this, Chinese-path modernization has originally proposed new theses and concepts on the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, emphasizing that "man and nature are a life community" and "mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, and grasslands are a life community." [24] It calls on the people of the world to work together to build a community of life on Earth and build a beautiful home on a clean and beautiful planet, elevating the status of "nature" to a level equal to "man," and opening up a new realm where Chinese-path modernization is a modernization of harmony between man and nature.
(II) Proposing the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" has opened new ideas for promoting a profound revolution in the outlook on development
The process of human modernization profoundly entails a transformation of the outlook on development. Different paths to modernization involve different development concepts. Overall, Western modernization adheres to an "objectified" [materialized] mechanical view of development—that is, in the process of development, it ignores the systematic nature of nature and upholds the "multiplication of things" and the "abundance of things," thereby becoming excessively dependent on "things" and over-exploiting "things," which eventually leads to a dependence on, seizure of, and destruction of nature and objects. Although Marx, in his critique of the capitalist mode of production, argued that previous societies, compared to capitalist society, had not truly turned nature into a practical object for man and a truly useful thing, this does not deny that capitalist society is still a society of "objective dependence." For capitalist society, the goal of its development is to "subject nature (whether as a consumer product or as a means of production) to human needs." Unlike Western modernization, "Chinese-path modernization is a modernization of harmony between man and nature." This modernization treats nature as the matrix for human survival and development, emphasizing that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," noting that "a good ecological environment is the most universal benefit for people's livelihoods," and in practice "protecting the ecological environment with the strictest systems and the most rigorous rule of law." It unswervingly promotes the path of prioritizing ecology and green development, strengthening ecological environmental protection with unprecedented determination and intensity, and opening up an entirely new situation for socialist ecological civilization construction. In contemporary China, we persist in the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," taking green, circular, and low-carbon development as the core value of our development outlook, making ecological environment restoration and improvement a long-term plan, and closely combining pollution reduction and carbon reduction with the green transformation of economic development, causing historical, transformative, and comprehensive changes in ecological civilization construction. The unique innovation in the ecological outlook inherent in Chinese-path modernization is mainly reflected in the transformation of development concepts: "Chinese-path modernization persists in sustainable development, adheres to the principles of prioritizing conservation, prioritizing protection, and focusing on natural restoration, and unswervingly takes the path of civilized development featuring productive development, prosperous life, and sound ecology, opening up broad prospects for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation."
(III) Proposing the concept of "global ecological civilization" has drawn a beautiful blueprint for our home on Earth
The Earth is the home upon which humanity relies for its survival; to protect the Earth is to protect humanity itself, and to build the Earthly home is to build our own beautiful home. Friedrich Engels once pointed out: "Nature exists independently of all philosophy; it is the foundation upon which we human beings, ourselves products of nature, have grown up." Reviewing modern history, since humanity entered the stage of industrial civilization, the combination of capital and technology has driven the rapid development of social productive forces while simultaneously accelerating the extraction from nature and the Earth, to some extent destroying the Earth's ecosystem and its inherent harmonious relations. In particular, the developmental model of "killing the hen to get the eggs" [25] or "draining the pond to catch the fish" [26]—wrapped within Western industrial civilization—has triggered deep-seated contradictions between humanity and nature. Today, humanity remains profoundly affected by the negative externalities of industrial civilization. From the perspective of the history of thought, Chinese-path modernization stands at the strategic height of global development and the future destiny of humanity. it creatively proposes that "ecological civilization is the historical trend of human civilizational development," emphasizes that cherishing and protecting the Earth is the only choice for humanity, and remains committed to actively constructing an Earthly home for the common development of all nations. Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Humanity has only one Earth; protecting the ecological environment and promoting sustainable development is the common responsibility of all countries." Since the 18th Party Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has planned development from the height of harmony between humanity and nature. It has pointed out that promoting harmony between humanity and nature is an essential requirement of Chinese-path modernization, advocated for building an Earthly home where humanity and nature coexist in harmony, and emphasized that "respecting, adapting to, and protecting nature, and promoting harmony between humanity and nature, are distinct features of Chinese-path modernization." Practice has proven that China has become an important participant, contributor, and leader in the global construction of ecological civilization.
In summary, Chinese-path modernization has shattered the myth that "modernization = Westernization," presenting another vista within the macro-pattern of global modernization, expanding the path options for the vast number of developing countries to move toward modernization, and creating a new form of human civilization. In particular, the unique worldview, values, historical outlook, and perspectives on civilization, democracy, and ecology inherent in Chinese-path modernization represent significant innovations in the dialectical materialist and historical materialist material worldview, the principle of the people’s subjectivity, the view of social progress, civilizational development, democratic politics, and ecological civilization. These enrich and develop Marxist modernization theory. Chinese-path modernization focuses on "directional" questions regarding where the modern world is headed; "subjective" questions regarding for whom the fruits of modernization are intended; "proactive" questions regarding how to advance modernization; "soft power" questions regarding how modern civilization can uphold the fundamentals and break new ground; "strategic" questions regarding how democratic politics is constructed; and "long-term" questions regarding the future of our earthly ecological home. Within the three-dimensional unity of world history, the Chinese context, and a future-oriented vision, it provides a Chinese solution characterized by: maintaining a global perspective to seek the Great Harmony [27]; persisting in the supremacy of the people to promote common prosperity; maintaining self-confidence and self-reliance to seek development; upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground to revitalize culture; persisting in people’s democracy to aggregate strength; and persisting in green development to resolve crises. It has achieved innovations in worldviews, values, historical outlooks, and perspectives on civilization, democracy, and ecology in both modernization theory and practice. It has made significant innovative contributions to global modernization theory and practice, providing a Chinese solution and contributing Chinese wisdom for humanity’s exploration of better social systems.