"Chinese-style Modernization" Published in Vietnam, Fueling Local Theoretical Interest in China's Development Path
In August 2023, the Vietnamese edition of Chinese-path Modernization, authored by Professor Xin Xiangyang (Secretary of the Party Committee and President of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), translated by Nguyen Minh Hoan and proofread by Pan Jin’e, was published by the Vietnam Political Theory Publishing House. This book is the first monograph published in Vietnam specifically introducing Chinese-path modernization. With content that is innovative, concise, and focused, it provides a comprehensive interpretation of the core connotations and profound significance of Chinese-path modernization. Since its publication, the book has piqued intense interest within Vietnamese theoretical circles. The Academy of Journalism and Communication of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (the Central Party School of the Communist Party of Vietnam) recommended the book on its official website. Major media outlets, including Vietnam’s People's Army Newspaper, Vietnam Cable Television, and the Vietnam Institute for Strategic Studies, followed up with interpretations, sparking a surge of inquiry into Chinese-path modernization within the Vietnamese theoretical community. The widespread attention received by Chinese-path Modernization in Vietnam is a microcosm of the strong resonance Chinese-path modernization has found among socialist countries worldwide.
The following is a brief introduction to the primary perspectives from Vietnamese media and academia.
1. Recommendation from the official website of the Vietnamese Academy of Journalism and Communication
The Academy of Journalism and Communication of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics reported:
Modernization is an important hallmark of the level of civilization in human society. How to achieve modernization is a vital subject facing developing countries, and it is also an internal requirement for achieving national prosperity and development under socialism with Chinese characteristics. At the 20th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that Chinese-path modernization is socialist modernization led by the Communist Party of China. It shares the common characteristics of modernization in all countries while also possessing Chinese characteristics.
Chinese-path modernization embodies the essence of socialism. Centered on the people, Chinese-path modernization abandons the Western "capital-centered" modernization model, redraws the map of world modernization, and provides Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions for developing countries to achieve modernization. Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of common prosperity for all people, aligning with the fundamental tenets of Marxism. It is a modernization characterized by the coordination of material and spiritual civilizations and the harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. It transcends the Western developmental path of plundering natural resources, providing valuable experience for countries worldwide to pursue a sustainable path of modernization. Looking at the modernization paths of various nations, Western capitalist countries such as those in Europe and America completed their primitive accumulation [1] through colonial plunder, whereas Chinese-path modernization is achieved by following the path of peaceful development. Chinese-path modernization promotes the free and well-rounded development of humanity, advances social progress, and promotes the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. It has created a new form of human civilization and possesses pioneering theoretical and practical significance.
To this end, we have translated, published, and recommended to our readers the book Chinese-path Modernization by Professor Xin Xiangyang. Professor Xin is a renowned Chinese theorist who has published dozens of books and hundreds of papers and undertaken numerous major research projects, making significant contributions to the development of Marxist theory and the promotion of theoretical exchanges between Chinese and foreign Marxism. The book Chinese-path Modernization is one of the significant outcomes of long-term cooperation and exchange between experts from Vietnam and China. Expert and translation teams from both countries have made important contributions, building an essential bridge for the exchange of Marxist theory between the two nations.
2. Discussions in Vietnam’s People's Army Newspaper
The official website of Vietnam’s People's Army Newspaper provided a summary of Chinese-path modernization, noting: The most important characteristic of Chinese-path modernization is that it is socialist modernization led by the Communist Party of China. It possesses the common characteristics of modernization in all countries while remaining grounded in China's national conditions. In the context of global modernization paths, the modernization of Western capitalist countries completed primitive accumulation through colonial plunder, while Chinese-path modernization is realized through a path of peaceful development. It adheres to a path of civilized development centered on the people and the common values of humanity. It possesses pioneering theoretical significance, promotes the free and well-rounded development of humanity, and drives the comprehensive progress of human society.
In the process of reform and opening up and modernization construction, the Communist Party of China has deeply recognized that Chinese-path modernization is an important component of world modernization, and the historical torrent of world modernization is unstoppable. Chinese-path modernization must embody its own unique values while simultaneously following the universal laws of modernization; Chinese-path modernization must break the myth that "modernization equals Westernization."
Chinese-path modernization contains unique values. For example: emphasizing morality and advocating that "virtue is primary and punishment is auxiliary" [2], using morality to educate people; emphasizing people-oriented thought and advocating that "the people are of supreme importance, while the sovereign is of lesser weight" [3]; advocating the concept of equality, proposing that people should not be divided by status and favoring "robbing the rich to give to the poor" [4]; pursuing justice and proposing that "the law does not flatter the noble, and the plumb line does not bend for the crooked" [5]; and emphasizing character cultivation and advocating filial piety, fraternal duty, loyalty, trustworthiness, propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame [6]. All of these represent the unique values inherent in Chinese-path modernization.
In short, unique cultural traditions, historical destiny, and realistic conditions have determined that China must follow a path of modernization that conforms to its own characteristics. Facts have proven that the path of socialist modernization with Chinese characteristics is the correct choice for this country.
3. Interpretations by other media
The aforementioned article from the People's Army Newspaper was reposted by several major Vietnamese media outlets, such as the Bureau of Foreign Information under the Ministry of Information and Communications and Vietnam Cable Television (VTC). The publication of the Vietnamese version of Chinese-path Modernization has fueled a surge of research into the topic among Vietnamese scholars.
Among these, an article on the website of the Vietnam Institute for Strategic Studies provided a synthetic interpretation of the main characteristics of Chinese-path modernization. One expert noted, "Although Chinese-path modernization may not be as attractive in the West, developing and less-developed countries have embraced the concept, with many of them viewing China as a model for successful development."
Furthermore, several Vietnamese scholars were interviewed by media outlets such as China Radio International’s Vietnamese service. They highly affirmed the significance of the book's publication in Vietnam, praising Chinese-path modernization for providing an important reference for other socialist countries exploring their own paths to modernization. Experts from the Theoretical Council of the CPV Central Committee expressed their hope to read more Chinese theoretical works and research results to further expand exchanges between the theoretical circles of the two countries.