Wang Qiu: Deeply Grasping the Practical Logic of Promoting Global Common Prosperity
Volume V of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China collects 91 important documents from General Secretary Xi Jinping between May 2022 and December 2024. Organized into 18 topics with "Chinese-path modernization" as its central theme, it not only sketches a grand blueprint for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation but also encapsulates a profound practical logic for promoting shared global prosperity. Deeply grasping this logic is essential for understanding China’s development path and its global significance.
The Logical Starting Point: Shaping a New Form of Human Civilization and Forging the Torch of Spiritual Prosperity through Mutual Learning among Civilizations
General Secretary Xi Jinping has noted: "We live in an era full of challenges, but also one full of hope." Within this historical coordinate, the practice of Chinese-path modernization is restructuring the logic of civilizational narrative. By constructing mechanisms for civilizational dialogue, cultivating the soil for mutual learning, and establishing a value coordinate of "harmonious coexistence," China promotes the symbiotic prosperity of different civilizations through equal dialogue.
First, constructing mechanisms for civilizational dialogue and building platforms for exchange between diverse civilizations. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, China has consistently used institutional arrangements to break down civilizational barriers and enhance mutual understanding. From the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations to the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting, China has maintained an open posture in building an institutional framework for global mutual learning. As of 2024, China has signed cultural cooperation agreements with over 140 countries and regions and conducted in-depth discussions with more than 600 political parties and organizations on topics such as "building a community with a shared future for humanity" and "building a better world." This breaks through the stale constraints of the Western-led "clash of civilizations" theory [1], elevating civilizational exchange from scattered activities to systematic practice.
Second, cultivating the soil for mutual learning among civilizations and strengthening the foundation of people-to-people connectivity. China emphasizes nurturing the fertile ground of civilizational integration through cultural and people-to-people ties, allowing different civilizations to coexist naturally through grassroots interactions. In the field of cultural heritage protection, China maintains extensive archaeological cooperation with multiple countries, dispatching expert teams to India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and others to conduct excavations at Silk Road sites. The Dunhuang Academy has utilized digital technology to provide technical support for the restoration of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan, allowing these thousand-year-old statues to regain their splendor in the virtual world. This "salvage dialogue of civilizations" demonstrates China’s responsibility and commitment to safeguarding the common cultural heritage of humanity. In education, Confucius Institutes cover over 150 countries and regions, serving as a vital platform for Chinese cultural and educational exchange. These ties allow different civilizations to blend naturally through folk interactions, fostering cross-border civilizational understanding.
Third, constructing a value coordinate of "harmonious coexistence" and leading the direction of civilizational development. During a speech at UNESCO headquarters, President Xi Jinping emphasized the need to "respect the diversity of world civilizations, and let exchanges among civilizations transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcend clash, and coexistence transcend feelings of superiority." The outlook on civilization advocated by Chinese-path modernization is painting a picture of "each beauty its own, appreciating the beauty of others, beauty in common, and a world of great harmony" [2]. From the initial 2017 proposal of "equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness" to the 2023 Global Civilization Initiative's advocacy for "respecting the diversity of civilizations and promoting the common values of all humanity," China continues to provide theoretical support for civilizational dialogue, enabling different civilizations to find a common denominator of values through equal dialogue.
The Core Path: Stimulating New Kinetic Energy for Global Cooperation and Strengthening the Foundation of Human Prosperity through Openness and Win-Win Results
Only by breaking down barriers through open cooperation and building consensus through win-win thinking can the deep-seated drivers of global development be activated, laying a solid foundation for human prosperity. Volume V of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China emphasizes that "China’s door of opening up will only open wider and wider," advocating for the use of high-standard opening up to promote deep-seated reform and high-quality development. The practice of Chinese-path modernization demonstrates that openness, inclusiveness, and mutual benefit are the ways to break the deadlock of global development.
On one hand, Chinese-path modernization uses institutional opening up to dismantle "anti-globalization" barriers. Currently, with the rise of unilateralism and protectionism, and the fragmentation and regionalization of trade and investment rules, global industrial chains face risks of "broken links" and "decoupling." China has proactively aligned itself with high-standard international economic and trade rules, utilizing institutional opening up to promote a pattern of opening that is broader in scope, wider in field, and deeper in level. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to "steadily expand institutional opening up with regard to rules, regulations, management, and standards." Through practices such as the strategy to upgrade Pilot Free Trade Zones and the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port, breakthroughs have been made in areas like aligning with the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA). The pilot "opening the first line and controlling the second line" [3] import-export management system has shown significant results. China is building an institutional system that interfaces with commonly accepted international rules. Notably, this opening is not merely a "flow-based" opening of goods and factors, but uses institutional opening as a handle to provide a market environment of fair competition for global enterprises. By adding demonstration zones for innovative import trade promotion, optimizing the list of retail imported goods for cross-border e-commerce, and promoting the local processing of imported goods in border trade, China is taking concrete actions to maintain the multilateral trading system and inject certainty into the recovery of the world economy.
On the other hand, empowering global growth through the high-quality development of the "Belt and Road." Since its proposal over a decade ago, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has evolved from "sketching the broad outlines" to "meticulous brushwork" [4], becoming the world's largest and most far-reaching platform for international cooperation. As of 2024, China has signed over 200 cooperation documents with more than 150 countries and 30 international organizations, resulting in over 3,000 cooperation projects and catalyzing nearly one trillion dollars in investment. The success of this initiative lies in its consistent adherence to the principle of "extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits," focusing on "hard connectivity," "soft connectivity," and "people-to-people connectivity." Landmark projects like the China-Laos Railway and the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway have shortened distances in time and space, while cooperation in new fields—such as the Health Silk Road, Green Silk Road, and Digital Silk Road—has expanded the space for development. These visible and tangible results have turned the "initiative" into "action" and the "blueprint" into "reality," making the BRI a "two-way express lane" for participating countries to share development opportunities.
The Value Destination: Leading New Trends in World Development and Consolidating the Power of Development Consensus through Chinese Solutions
Volume V of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China clearly states: "Chinese-path modernization is socialist modernization led by the Communist Party of China." The leadership of the Party is the most defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the greatest advantage of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and an essential requirement of Chinese-path modernization. Adhering to the Party's leadership fundamentally defines the political character and development direction of this new form of human civilization. As a historic practice leading a giant country of over 1.4 billion people into modernization, Chinese-path modernization—led by the CPC—uses the traditional wisdom of Chinese civilization as its cultural foundation and the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics as its practical carrier. It profoundly reshapes the value orientation, development path, and civilizational form of modernization, providing systematic solutions to crack the global development deficit, governance deficit, and trust deficit.
First, Chinese-path modernization deconstructs the modernization myth of Western-centrism. From the "sheep eating men" enclosure movement [5] to the construction of the global colonial system, Western modernization has always been accompanied by the plunder and oppression of the non-Western world. "The greatest drawback of Western modernization is that it is capital-centered rather than people-centered... leading to a large wealth gap and serious polarization." This model has caused the global North-South divide to continue widening, leaving developing countries trapped in the "middle-income trap." Chinese-path modernization breaks the cognitive shackles of "modernization = Westernization." The collective advancement of over 1.4 billion people toward modernization via a path of peaceful development is rewriting the paradigm of modernization theory. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "The overall entry of our 1.4 billion people into a modernized society, a scale exceeding the combined population of existing developed countries, presents unprecedented difficulty and complexity." The development methods and advancement modes of Chinese-path modernization are unique, and this singular practical exploration is reshaping the discourse system of human modernization.
Second, Chinese-path modernization transcends the dilemma of human development alienation. At the level of material civilization, Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of "common prosperity for all," transcending the vicious cycle of "growth-cum-poverty." By constructing an institutional system that coordinates primary distribution, redistribution, and third-party distribution [6], China provides Chinese wisdom for resolving the global income gap. Regarding the relationship between humanity and nature, Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of "harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature," directly addressing the paradox of industrial civilizational development. With the ecological consciousness that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," it promotes green development modes, contributing an "Oriental solution" to global issues such as climate governance and biodiversity protection. In the dimension of civilizational development, Chinese-path modernization is the modernization in which "material and cultural-ethical civilizations are coordinated," avoiding the trap of bloated materialism while building a spiritual home through core socialist values, pointing the way for civilizational progress in an age of highly developed material technology.
Third, Chinese-path modernization constructs a practical system for shared development. Guided by common prosperity, Chinese-path modernization has built an international outlook on development based on equity and justice. Through strategies such as "targeted poverty alleviation" and "rural revitalization," China has historically eliminated absolute poverty, making a major contribution to the global cause of poverty reduction. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, "By adhering to targeted poverty alleviation and mobilizing all necessary resources, we have won the largest battle against poverty in human history. All 832 impoverished counties have been removed from the poverty list, and nearly 100 million rural poor have been lifted out of poverty." This people-centered development model provides a reference for the international community in feeding back into people's livelihoods and promoting inclusive growth. At the level of international practice, China promotes connectivity of facilities and unimpeded trade through the Belt and Road Initiative, signing over 200 cooperation documents and building a global cooperation platform for mutual benefit. This vividly illustrates the Oriental wisdom that "development is the master key to solving all problems."
In summary, Volume V of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China is the latest achievement in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. it is an original contribution by Chinese Communists based on a century-long journey of struggle, looking toward the future of humanity. It profoundly reveals that Chinese-path modernization is a path that develops China while benefiting the world. Its practical logic lies in closely integrating China's national rejuvenation with the common development of humanity. Through historic self-revolution, it provides new opportunities and ideas for global development and, through the leadership of ideas and practical innovation, actively participates in shaping a more just and reasonable new international order. By deeply grasping this practical logic, one can understand the global significance of China's development—promoting shared world prosperity through its own development. This is not only the inevitable path to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation but also a powerful driving force for building a community with a shared future for humanity. On the new journey, we must take upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground as our driver to continuously advance the development of our theoretical system to the times; take deepening reform and opening up as our path to constantly refine the rule-based system of institutional opening up; and take the strengthening of civilizational foundations as our support to cultivate the soil of mutual learning and people-to-people connectivity. Only in this way can we transform the ideological power of this work into a momentum for progress, providing inexhaustible energy for comprehensively building a modern socialist country and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, while contributing a more inclusive Chinese wisdom and Chinese solution to a world of turbulence and change.