Xu Xiujun: Promoting Global Modernization Characterized by Peaceful Development, Mutually Beneficial Cooperation, and Common Prosperity
Modernization is the tide of development in human society and the goal pursued by all countries in the world. Today, the process of modernizing human society has once again arrived at a crossroads of history. What kind of modernization does today's world need? How can modernization be achieved? A series of "questions of modernization" are arrayed before humanity. Volume V of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China includes a specialized chapter titled "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Achieve Common Prosperity," which provides a systematic exposition. It centrally reflects General Secretary Xi Jinping’s profound reflections and scientific answers to the questions of modernization, based on the general trend of historical development and the developmental aspirations of all nations.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Strive to promote the realization of a world modernization characterized by peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and common prosperity." A world modernization of peaceful development rejects the obsolete logic of achieving modernization through war, colonization, and plunder. Instead, it persists in achieving national development through one's own efforts within a peaceful international environment, while simultaneously creating a peaceful international environment through one's own development. A world modernization of mutually beneficial cooperation transcends the old mindset of zero-sum games; it creates shared opportunities through openness and inclusiveness, addresses common challenges through coordination and connectivity, and sees all nations jointly shaping new drivers for global development. A world modernization of common prosperity is committed to narrowing the development gap between different countries and groups, ensuring that the fruits of development benefit the people of all countries more fairly, and breaking the interest distribution pattern where the results of modernization are enjoyed exclusively by a few countries and groups. This new paradigm of modernization—with peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and common prosperity as its core connotations, and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity as its goal—constitutes a major innovation in both theory and practice and is an inevitable trend of historical development.
Shaping a Modernization Paradigm that Conforms to the Trend of History
After the Industrial Revolution, Western countries, represented by Britain, took the lead in entering the era of mechanized production, thereby creating a splendid industrial civilization and immense material wealth, which propelled the development and progress of human society. In the Manifesto of the Communist Party, Marx and Engels highly evaluated this period of history, noting: "The bourgeoisie, during its rule of scarce one hundred years, has created more massive and more colossal productive forces than have all preceding generations together." Taking the Industrial Revolution as a starting point, Western countries accelerated onto a path of modernization characterized primarily by industrialization, urbanization, democratization, and secularization.
Due to their first-mover advantage in the modernization process, Western countries, relying on powerful capital and military force, launched colonial expansion and plunder full of violence and blood on a global scale, gradually constructing a world colonial system. By the beginning of the 20th century, the world had been basically partitioned by imperialist powers. As Lenin pointed out: "Capitalism has grown into a world system of colonial oppression and of the financial strangling of the overwhelming majority of the population of the world by a handful of 'advanced' countries." This meant the vast majority of countries and regions were reduced to colonies and objects of plunder for Western nations, firmly shackled to the low end of the international division of labor and industrial chains.
In the text "China and Africa Join Hands to Pursue the Dream of Modernization," General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Achieving modernization is an inalienable right of all countries in the world." In "Joining Hands on the Path Toward Modernization," he noted: "Developing countries have the right and the ability to independently explore a modernization path with their own characteristics based on their own national conditions." Since the Second World War, few developing countries have joined the ranks of developed nations, and some developing countries with good development momentum have repeatedly fallen into the "middle-income trap" [1]. Facing the important opportunities brought by the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, the vast number of developing countries and the Global South [2] cannot help but ask: "Is modernization merely the 'patent' of Western countries?" The answer is clearly no. World modernization is not, and should not be, the modernization of a few. The fact that late-developing countries, which account for the vast majority of the global population, find it difficult to obtain an "entry ticket" to modernized statehood precisely proves the hypocrisy of Western modernization, the deceptive nature of Western modernization discourse, and the unsustainability of the Western modernization path. The inherent exclusivity, expansionism, and tendency to shift contradictions [3] characteristic of Western modernization have become the historical roots of many structural crises in the world.
The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. The peace deficit, development deficit, security deficit, and governance deficit are interwoven, becoming common challenges standing before all of humanity, leading to a marked increase in unstable, uncertain, and unpredictable factors in the process of world modernization. Currently, the geostrict-strategic game between major powers is intensifying, economic globalization is encountering countercurrents, and unilateralism and protectionism are rising significantly. Global economic recovery is sluggish, the problem of unbalanced and inadequate global development is increasingly prominent, and global sustainable development faces new bottlenecks. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024 (published by the UN) shows that overall progress on the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is slow. Among the 139 specific targets that can be assessed using global trend data since the 2015 baseline, 48% show only slight improvement or have stalled completely, while 18% have regressed below the 2015 baseline level. Meanwhile, the global governance system has failed to fully reflect the profound changes in the world political and economic landscape. Reforms of major international institutions such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund are lagging, and the authority and effectiveness of multilateral mechanisms are being challenged. In multilateral platforms such as the G20, it is becoming increasingly difficult for members to build strength and consensus to respond to global problems and challenges, and increasingly difficult to take global action to safeguard common interests.
The increasing and intensifying global challenges indicate that Western countries can no longer rely on their own strength to find a way out of the many problems of modernization. In an era of economic globalization where all countries are highly interdependent, no country can remain unaffected by global challenges. Reflected behind a series of severe challenges is the fact that Western modernization, which unilaterally pursues its own development, can no longer adapt to the needs of the times. In "Joining Hands on the Path Toward Modernization," General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Modernization is not the 'patent' of a few countries, nor is it a 'single-choice question' of either/or." More and more countries strongly demand a change to the situation where a few countries monopoly the power to define and the discourse on modernization. They strive to seek a path that can both achieve their own development and maintain their own independence and cultural characteristics. This has catalyzed an urgent demand for a diversified and inclusive modernization discourse, and has provided the soil for the proposal of a new type of modernization paradigm characterized by peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and common prosperity.
Building a New Type of International Relations Centered on Win-Win Cooperation
In "Joining Hands on the Path Toward Modernization," General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Any country pursuing modernization should uphold the concepts of solidarity, cooperation, and common development, and follow the path of joint contribution, shared benefits, and win-win results." Different from a modernization that seeks only one’s own progress or even "beggars thy neighbor," a world modernization of peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and common prosperity reflects the relationship of interdependence, mutual promotion, and mutual achievement among all nations in the process of modernization. This is a profound transformation of the modernization paradigm, which essentially requires all countries to jointly build a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation, and to jointly advance the process of world modernization.
Mutual respect is the political prerequisite for world modernization. As the primary principle of the new type of international relations, mutual respect is a change to the traditional international order based on hierarchy and hegemony. It emphasizes that sovereign equality is not only a legal principle but also a norm for interaction, recognizing and respecting the diversity of civilizations, the differences in the social systems of various countries, and the right to independently choose a development path. Western modernization is often accompanied by the export of political and economic models and ideological interference, which historically led to the development paths of many countries being dominated by a single model. In fact, modernization is a pluralistic process, and the logic of hegemony must be fundamentally rejected. The choice of a modernization path should be based on the autonomy and volition of each country. Only by building a new type of international relations of mutual respect can the autonomy of all countries be guaranteed and their creativity stimulated, allowing countries to combine their own cultures and national conditions to explore and establish modernization paths that suit their own realities.
Fairness and justice provide the systemic guarantee for world modernization. In the text "The Concept of Building a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity is the Best Inheritance, Promotion, and Sublimation of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence," General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Without justice and equity, power politics will run rampant, and the law of the jungle will prevail." To ensure that the fruits of modernization benefit all countries in the world rather than being monopolized by a few, fairness and justice must be taken as values of modernization. Regardless of size or strength, all countries should have equal rights in the formulation of international rules, enjoy equal opportunities in the process of global development, and receive fair treatment in the maintenance of their core interests. For a long time, the unjust and irrational international political and economic order constructed by Western countries has led world modernization onto a wrong path of developmental imbalance and turbulence. Only by building a new type of international relations based on fairness and justice can we find the "greatest common denominator" [4] for advancing modernization in the international community, pool broad forces for advancing modernization, and prevent some countries and groups from "falling behind" in the process.
Win-win cooperation is the lasting momentum for world modernization. As the core of the new type of international relations, win-win cooperation advocates for open cooperation—not only continuously creating a new and larger "cake" of common interests but also ensuring that all parties can share the fruits of development, thereby promoting common development and prosperity. In "China and Africa Join Hands to Pursue the Dream of Modernization," General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Mutually beneficial cooperation is the broad path that conforms to the long-term and fundamental interests of all countries." Win-win cooperation not only emphasizes producing a synergistic effect where "one plus one is greater than two" through cooperation to catalyze new development opportunities, but also takes "win-win" as the ultimate goal of cooperation, providing stable and sustainable momentum for it. Only by building a new type of international relations of win-win cooperation can all participants derive tangible benefits from the process of modernization and continuously consolidate and expand the achievements of modernization.
In short, mutual respect lays the fundamental prerequisite for international interaction, fairness and justice establish the core value of international interaction, and win-win cooperation sets the method and goal of international interaction. The new type of international relations with win-win cooperation at its core provides the foundation of international relations and the guarantee of an international environment for world modernization, injecting more certainty, stability, and predictability into the process of world modernization.
Advancing World Modernization Through High-Quality, Sustainable Development
In recent years, the pursuit of high-quality, sustainable development has become the consensus of more and more countries, and it is also the only way to achieve a world modernization of peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and common prosperity. Looking back at history, the path of modernization taken by Western countries was essentially a linear path of "pollute first, treat later" and "high carbon first, decarbonize later." This path was formed under specific historical conditions and brought about immense ecological destruction and irreversible climate problems. In the current era, global ecosystems are increasingly fragile, extreme weather events are frequent, and the climate crisis continues to intensify. For the vast number of late-developing countries, Western modernization is not only uncopyable but also a dead end. Therefore, it is necessary to explore a path of high-quality, sustainable modernization. This path is a fundamental transcendence of traditional development models; it entails a shift from the past pursuit of speed and scale—the question of "whether there is development"—to the pursuit of efficiency, quality, and sustainability—the question of "how good the development is." This is a mode of intensive growth [5], with innovation-driven development, green and low-carbon transitions, inclusive sharing, and safety and control at its core, committed to achieving the synergistic advancement of economic growth, ecological protection, and all-round human development.
Taking innovation-driven development as the core driver to forge a solid foundation for world modernization. In "Joining Hands to Promote Inclusive and Beneficial Economic Globalization," General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must seek productive forces from technological innovation, give full play to the empowering role of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, and inject strong momentum into the world economy with a new round of technological revolution." Unlike development that relies on resource and factor inputs, innovation-driven development relies on the "twin engines" of technological innovation and institutional innovation. This includes not only the exploration of frontier technologies—such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and new energy—but also the cultivation of new business forms and models that meet the requirements of sustainable development. By building an open and inclusive innovation ecosystem and strengthening international cooperation in science and technology, late-developing countries can leapfrog the "lock-in effect" of traditional technological paths and ultimately achieve modernization.
Taking green and low-carbon development as the universal form to define the "background color" of world modernization. In "China and Africa Join Hands to Pursue the Dream of Modernization," General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out:
“Green development is the distinctive hallmark of modernization in the New Era.” In the present age, green and low-carbon development is not an optional extra in the modernization process, but a mandatory question [6] that must be answered to address the global ecological crisis; it is an inevitable requirement and a universal form of world modernization. The requirements of green and low-carbon development demand the deep integration of the concept of ecological civilization [7] into the entire process of development. All nations must work together to promote a fundamental transformation of energy structures, develop a circular economy, and advocate for green and low-carbon lifestyles. To paint the base colors of modernization with green and low-carbon development is a shared responsibility and commitment to protecting a habitable Earth for all humanity.
We must take inclusive sharing as the objective demand of development, clarifying the direction of world modernization. The ultimate goal of modernization is to achieve the well-rounded development of the individual. In his speech “Join Hands on the Path Toward Modernization,” General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out:
“We must persist in sharing opportunities and creating the future together, striving to make the ‘cake’ of human society's modernization larger, so that the fruits of modernization benefit the people of all countries more extensively and equitably. We must resolutely oppose the maintenance of one's own developmental ‘privileges’ by suppressing and containing the modernization of other countries.” If the fruits of modernization are enjoyed only by a small number of countries or a small number of classes, then such modernization is not only unsustainable but also fraught with risk. From a global perspective, inclusive sharing primarily means opposing unilateralism and protectionism, promoting the construction of a more just and reasonable global governance system, and ensuring that the modernization promoted by all countries moving hand-in-hand develops toward inclusive growth and common prosperity.
We must take security and controllability as the basic guarantee of development, escorting the process of world modernization. Currently, humanity finds itself in a world that is highly interdependent yet full of uncertainty, which brings many risks and challenges to the modernization of all countries. Security and controllability do not mean closing the country to the outside world [8]; rather, they mean enhancing the resilience of one's own development and the ability to resist risks through open cooperation. It requires all countries to work together to establish diverse and stable international cooperation networks, maintain the smooth flow and security of global industrial and supply chains, and jointly address traditional and non-traditional security threats, thus escorting the long and arduous process of world modernization.
In his speech “Translating the Vision of a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity into Action and Reality,” General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized:
“What the people of all countries look forward to is not a ‘New Cold War’ or ‘exclusive clubs,’ but a world of lasting peace and universal security; a world of common prosperity, openness, inclusiveness, cleanliness, and beauty. This is the logic of historical progress and the trend of the times.” The paths to modernization are diverse, but peaceful development is the common theme, mutually beneficial cooperation is the fundamental path, and common prosperity is the objective vision. A world modernization of peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and common prosperity is a summary of China's own developmental experience and, moreover, a profound reflection on where human modernization is headed. It clearly points the direction toward a better world and contributes unique Chinese wisdom to the overall evolution of human civilization. Only by establishing the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity can we achieve peaceful coexistence, complementary advantages, and synergistic development among all nations. China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative and utilizes it as a practical platform for building a community with a shared future for humanity. By adhering to the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, and by continuously strengthening the docking of development strategies with participating countries, China is walking a path of world modernization characterized by peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and common prosperity. At the same time, China has proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative, providing a feasible “toolbox” for promoting a world modernization of peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and common prosperity. China continues to provide new opportunities for world development through the new achievements of Chinese-path modernization, joining hands with all countries to strive for the realization of a world modernization of peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and common prosperity, so as to better benefit the people of all nations.
(The author is a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era)
Source: People's Daily (February 10, 2026) Editor: Huihui