Buildings: Several Perspectives on Chinese-style Modernization in Latin American Academic Circles
Abstract: The study of China's path to modernization constitutes an essential component of contemporary Chinese studies within Latin American academia. Primary research perspectives and representative viewpoints include: China has pioneered a modernization development model distinct from previous ones, achieving remarkable successes that provide valuable experience and a brand-new path for Latin American countries to achieve modernization; the success of Chinese-path modernization is inseparable from the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), profoundly reflecting the CPC's original aspiration and founding mission to seek happiness for the Chinese people and demonstrating the superiority of the socialist system; Chinese-path modernization has injected forces of peace and development into the world, creating more development opportunities for the Latin American region. Relevant research provides a Latin American perspective for us to further understand the rich connotations of Chinese-path modernization and its contribution to the history of human development.
Keywords: Chinese-path modernization; Socialism with Chinese Characteristics; Latin American academia
General Secretary Xi Jinping explicitly pointed out in the report to the 20th CPC National Congress: "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 Chinese-path modernization." Modernization is a profound transformation covering many fields such as economy, politics, society, culture, and ideology; it is a common challenge faced by developing countries. Latin America is one of the regions with the highest concentration of developing countries, and nations located in this region have all encountered severe challenges and setbacks in the process of advancing modernization. Consequently, China's experience in exploring modernization and the achievements it has attained have attracted widespread attention from Latin American academia. This article aims to collate and analyze the research results and main viewpoints of Latin American scholars regarding Chinese-path modernization, providing a Latin American perspective for our further understanding of the rich connotations of Chinese-path modernization and its contribution to the history of human development.
I. The Remarkable Achievements of Chinese-Path Modernization: A Miracle of Modernization for Developing Countries
Latin American academia generally believes that although China's exploration of the path to modernization began after the Opium War [1], it was only with the birth of the CPC that China truly embarked on the long journey toward modernization. As the world's largest developing country, the complexity and arduousness faced by China's modernization development are unprecedented. For over 100 years, Chinese-path modernization has undergone multiple reforms and adjustments, ultimately achieving brilliant successes and creating a miracle of modernization for developing countries.
(1) Enormous Achievements in the Field of Economic Construction Research on economic development and transformation is a vital part of modernization studies. In this regard, Latin American academia consistently affirms the world-renowned achievements China has made in the field of economic construction. Brazilian scholar Wladimir Pomar points out that after decades of development, China has risen in a way that many scholars call "the greatest economic transformation in the world in the last 250 years." Atilio Boron, a famous Latin American leftist scholar and former Vice Rector of the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, believes that China initiated a series of experiments and innovations in the economic field, discarded dogmatism, implemented reform and opening up, and leaped to become a major global economic power. "The results of China's reforms are obvious to all and amazing; it is the greatest revolution in global economic history."
Some Latin American scholars explore the development process of China's economic modernization from a historical perspective. Juan Fernando Romero, a professor at Veracruz University in Mexico, believes that the historical starting points for each country embarking on the road to modernization are different, and the forms adopted also have their own characteristics. Chinese-path modernization is a revolutionary process that germinated in 1911 and truly began in 1949. The Chinese government first proposed the "two-step" vision [2] for achieving the Four Modernizations [3] in the 1960s; after 1978, it shifted the focus of its work to economic construction and implemented reform and opening up, changing the situation of severe economic and social backwardness in the early period of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and achieving fruitful results in modernization construction. He analyzes and points out that Chinese-path modernization follows a "4+4" model—namely, the "Four Modernizations" plus the "Four Cardinal Principles" [4]. Its process is characterized by gradualism and accumulation; from rural reforms to the development of urbanization and industrialization, and from the household contract responsibility system [5] to comprehensive reform and opening up, all reflect pragmatism and scientific rigor. Argentine economist Emilio Katz, who served as a member of the executive committee of the Argentine Association of Small and Medium-Sized Entrepreneurs, reviewed the course of economic reform since the founding of the PRC over 70 years ago in his article "China Knows Where It Is Going." He pointed out that China tried various reforms and encountered many complex situations, moving from adopting a planned economic system in the early days of its founding to later finding a socialist market economy system more suitable for China's development. However, China successfully responded to various internal and external challenges and achieved an economic takeoff. He believes that "China's reform is incremental and daring to experiment, focusing on breaking through the dogmatic shackles that hinder the spirit of modernization."
Judging from the research results of Latin American scholars, "China Speed" is also a focus of attention. Romero emphasizes that the speed of China's modernization development is completely different from that of Western countries. In just over 30 years, China achieved economic and social development in many aspects that took Western Europe and the United States nearly 200 years to realize. He states: "One might interpret China's development in a simplified way by likening China to a volcano that suddenly erupted with accumulated huge energy; moreover, this volcano is unique in the world." Mariano Ciafardini, head of the China and Latin America Research Group at the "Floreal Gorini" Cultural Cooperation Center in Argentina, also marveled at China's rapid economic development. He pointed out that with the continuous advancement of reform and opening up, "China's GDP grew rapidly; no country in the world has ever been able to achieve such rapid development in such a short period. China quickly emerged from the Asian financial crisis of 1997–1998 and successfully resisted several subsequent crises, including the 2008 international financial crisis and the current global health and economic crisis brought about by the decline of financial capitalism and the COVID-19 pandemic."
(2) Periodic Victories in Attaining Common Prosperity for All People Latin American scholars generally believe that Chinese-path modernization is not a single economic modernization, but rather the active promotion of modernization in multiple fields—including society, science and technology, and education—while developing the economy, committed to comprehensively improving the people's standard of living. Argentine scholar Marcelo Fabián Rodríguez believes that China's industrialization, urbanization, and modernization processes are of great significance to the entirety of human history. From the initial land reform, women's liberation, and illiteracy eradication movements to the social security systems for education, medical care, housing, and elderly care that have been continuously improved in recent years, the living standards of hundreds of millions of Chinese people have undergone tremendous changes. Pomar pointed out in the article "China: 70 Years of Practicing Socialism" that since the day the PRC was founded in 1949, the CPC has launched a great transformation covering many fields, seeking to change the backward appearance of old China which had been devastated by feudalism and imperialism, and to improve the living standards of the people of 56 ethnic groups. Today, China has not only made rapid progress in infrastructure construction, education, science and technology, and health, but has also lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.
Many Latin American scholars have noted that for China, as a country with a large population, its path to modernization was full of difficulties from the start. Yet China took only a few decades to achieve leapfrog development from "solving the problem of food and clothing" to "living a moderately prosperous life" (xiaokang). Víctor Kot, director of the editorial board of the Argentine academic journal Marxist Studies, pointed out that at the beginning of the founding of the PRC, former US Secretary of State Dean Acheson once asserted: "China has a large population, therefore, it is impossible for China to ever overcome famine." However, after only a few decades, China used facts to powerfully refute Acheson's view, not only solving the people's problem of food and clothing but also completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. "This is a great achievement of the CPC and the Chinese people, a tangible victory with symbolic significance that transcends the era." Julio Aracelio Díaz Vázquez, a researcher at the Center for International Economic Research at the University of Havana, Cuba, pointed out that China is vast, has a massive population and a large rural population, and faces problems such as unbalanced regional development. However, these difficulties failed to stop the development of China's modernization, and in recent decades, China has "experienced a historical economic and social awakening."
Latin American countries generally face severe poverty problems; therefore, China's poverty reduction schemes and poverty alleviation practices have become one of the key areas of focus for Latin American scholars. Several experts from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) pointed out that China has promoted the growth of per capita income over the past 40 years by actively advancing a multi-field, diversified, and multi-level industrialization process, encouraging independent technological R&D, and promoting the development of innovative fields such as green energy and digitalization. China designed a comprehensive and systematic poverty reduction strategy at the national level and effectively advanced it with outstanding leadership, thereby achieving the largest and fastest poverty alleviation process in human history. In addition, when advancing poverty reduction and alleviation policies, the Chinese government fully considered the characteristics of different regions, adopted specific policies adapted to local reality, and issued corresponding plans for different groups such as children, people with disabilities, and ethnic minorities. The scale of China's poverty reduction can be described as unprecedented. Aníbal Carlos Zottele, director of the China Research Center at Veracruz University in Mexico, believes that China's poverty reduction cause has international significance. He pointed out: "China's realization of poverty alleviation goals as scheduled means that one-fifth of the world's population has completely escaped poverty. China has not only eliminated domestic poverty but also adhered to its responsibility as a major power with an internationalist spirit, actively helping other developing countries reduce poverty. The experience of China's poverty alleviation cause has a huge international impact, so much so that international indicators related to poverty reduction and alleviation have been adjusted accordingly."
Boron believes that China is following a path of sustainable development, which is different from the developmental experience of other countries. "China is a country that has historically suffered from famine; whenever there was a famine, a large number of poor people could not even guarantee the most basic sanitary conditions. But the CPC changed the poverty situation of this country. In just a few years, the aforementioned situation became a painful memory of a bygone era; today's China has leaped to become a global model for effectively defeating poverty." Sergio Ortiz, an Argentine international affairs expert and former chairman of the Liberation Party of Argentina, believes that one of the most important achievements China has achieved in recent years is poverty alleviation. He emphasized: "After China officially promulgated the 'Decision on Winning the Battle Against Poverty' in 2015, it achieved this goal in just a few short years; China completely eliminated absolute poverty." Starting from a comparative perspective, Ortiz believes that China's poverty alleviation experience is worth serious study by other countries in the world. He pointed out: "Argentina often regards itself as a rich country, but the report from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses shows our poverty rate is as high as 36.5%. The latest 'World Economic Outlook' released by the International Monetary Fund predicts that the global economy faces severe challenges, the economic recession is becoming increasingly serious, and poverty problems are intensifying. Therefore, at the international level, China's economic and social development is particularly important."
Many Latin American scholars believe that after achieving major historic success in the battle against poverty, China is now marching toward a modernization characterized by common prosperity [6] for all people. Sergio Rodríguez Gelfenstein, a renowned Latin American expert in international relations and professor at the Central University of Venezuela, points out that China has introduced a series of policies over a long period to narrow the wealth gap. Following the 20th National Congress of the CPC, the Chinese government is expected to formulate more specific action plans to promote common prosperity for all, expand the middle-income group, vigorously promote urban-rural integration, and increase the income of urban and rural residents through multiple channels. The goal is to form a bottom-up model of high-quality development and create a more equitable society. Juan Sebastián Schulz, a researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) of Argentina, analyzed the link between the New Development Philosophy [7], common prosperity, and the new development pattern of "dual circulation." He noted that for a large populous country with unbalanced development like China, Xi Jinping Economic Thought possesses vital investigative and guiding significance. Advancing common prosperity aims to comprehensively improve people's well-being, promote social fairness, and further resolve the problems of regional, urban-rural, and income gaps facing China.
II. Important Factors in the Success of Chinese-path Modernization: "People-Centered" Modernization Led by the CPC
Latin American countries began their exploration of modernization at a time close to China's, starting in the mid-19th century. For over 100 years, the modernization process in Latin American countries has experienced three developmental stages—the primary product export model, the import-substitution industrialization model, and the outward-oriented development model—yet it still faces immense developmental dilemmas. Facing the outstanding achievements made by China, which is also a "late-developing" modernizing country, Latin American scholars have attempted to explore the deep-seated reasons behind the "Chinese miracle."
(1) Adhering to the Leadership of the Communist Party of China
Latin American academia generally believes that Chinese-path modernization is a modernization of a socialist nature, primarily formed through the continuous exploration of the CPC, and its success is inseparable from the Party's leadership. Borón points out that China has become the largest trading partner of more than 120 countries and regions, "a status that the United States failed to reach even at the peak of its hegemony." He notes, "Surveying political organizations globally, no other organization has been able to bring about such profound changes in a vast country like China in just a century as the CPC has." "That small party, founded in 1921 with only about 50 members, has continuously germinated and grown, ultimately bearing the most spectacular fruit in the history of world economics; moreover, China's great achievements are not limited to this." Jaime Caycedo Turriago, General Secretary of the Colombian Communist Party and professor at the National University of Colombia, also stated: "Under extremely difficult circumstances, the CPC, through its scientific and wise leadership, propelled the Chinese Revolution to success, which is one of the most far-reaching social revolutions in the world." In the past 40-plus years, China has achieved an unprecedented leap, becoming a model for the world. China's achievements stem from socialist construction, "residing in the fact that China clearly planned its own socialist path and used this system of socialism with Chinese characteristics to resolve the major problems and profound contradictions left behind by capitalism in history."
Romero believes that the success of Chinese-path modernization "is mainly due to a series of political decisions made by the CPC and the National People's Congress," which not only drove China's rapid economic growth but also effectively promoted social development and regional coordinated development. He focused his analysis on the "Five-Year Plans" launched by the CPC. He pointed out that at the beginning of the founding of New China, the CPC adopted this measure by drawing on Soviet experience, but it was relatively rigid at the time and the results were not ideal. Subsequently, the CPC adjusted its policies in a timely manner, moving away from mechanically formulating development plans to instead formulating economic and social development programs based on reality and with a scientific and rational attitude. Therefore, the steady development of China's economy is inseparable from the CPC’s scientific planning and effective management. In the era of globalization and information, economic development requires not only efficiency but also a stable social environment, effective social coordination, government credibility, and strong political cohesion. China achieved this goal by developing a socialist market economy. Gelfenstein also pointed out that a very important point in China's ability to continuously achieve development success is that the CPC ensured China's political stability as well as the coherence and continuity of its policies. Starting from a philosophical level, he further noted that the Western view of time, when projected into the realm of national governance, tends to be "limited" and "short-term," whereas the Chinese view of time is "infinite" and "long-term." Therefore, the CPC can design and plan various projects over a long period, continuously advancing economic and social transformation. Alberto Moreno Rojas, President of the Communist Party of Peru (Red Fatherland), also noticed this difference between Chinese and Western views of time. He pointed out, "Chinese Communists are adept at viewing development with a long-term perspective, assessing and planning the current situation and the future as an interconnected whole. In contrast, Western bourgeois culture focuses more on short-term plans."
Within Latin American academia, there are also some scholars with ideological biases who, with ulterior motives, misinterpret China's modernization as a capitalist development model, attempting to attribute China's success to the "success of the Western model." Facing such remarks that misrepresent the facts and maliciously smear China, many Latin American scholars have offered forceful rebuttals, emphasizing that the success of Chinese-path modernization is the success of socialist modernization led by the CPC. Sunamis Fabelo Concepción, a researcher at the Cuban Center for International Policy Research (CIPI), pointed out that the essence of such propaganda and dissemination is an important part of the containment strategy against China led by the United States and the West. The narrative strategy generated in this context aims to simplify and abstract complex issues, attacking and smearing China's international image through public opinion, and demonizing the socialist political systems of countries like China and Cuba. Brazilian scholar Gabriel Martinez pointed out that some international observers of China's development process have adopted a strategy of overgeneralization when explaining China's undeniable achievements. For instance, when explaining the "Chinese miracle," they deliberately avoid the role and contribution of the CPC, believing that China's development is nothing more than "developmentalism" similar to the Singaporean or South Korean models, or the result of a "civilizational state"—that is, emphasizing the "civilizational advantage" of the Chinese nation. Martinez believes that the leadership of the CPC and the Sinicization of Marxism are the decisive factors in "China's rise." The CPC has been able to combine Marxism with China's specific realities, avoiding the mistake of the Soviet Communist Party, which gradually deviated from Marxism. The success of the CPC in leading the Chinese people in socialist construction demonstrates the vitality and scientific nature of Marxism to the world. Gelfenstein explicitly pointed out that "Chinese-path modernization is fundamentally different from the Western modernization model." This is mainly reflected in several aspects: Chinese-path modernization is people-centered, while the Western model is capital-centered; the goal pursued by the CPC is common prosperity, rather than the polarization between rich and poor found in Western societies; Chinese-path modernization emphasizes the coordination between material and cultural-ethical [8] advancement, rather than the Western social atmosphere of blindly pursuing high consumption and material pleasure; at the international level, Chinese-path modernization advocates peaceful development, which is completely different from the Western practice of launching wars to plunder the resources of other countries; the CPC has formulated clear short-, medium-, and long-term goals, emphasizing the protection of the ecological environment and attempting to better resolve the relationship between development and the improvement of people's living conditions so that they develop in coordination. To achieve these goals, the CPC has created a model that emphasizes holism, institutionality, and organization based on the experience of its own independent exploration.
(2) People-Centered Modernization
Many Latin American scholars point out that Chinese-path modernization profoundly embodies the CPC’s tenet of being "people-centered" and "putting the people first." Rodríguez believes: "The CPC always puts the interests of the masses first; it is precisely because of this that Chinese Communists continuously strive, carry out theoretical innovation, and independently explore development paths." Rojas pointed out that China's strategic advantage lies in having a strong and powerful Communist Party that is deeply rooted in the people and always adheres to the fundamental tenet of serving the people wholeheartedly. Turriago emphasized: We recognize the superiority shown by the Chinese system; we recognize that another model is feasible; and we recognize that human problems can be solved through political channels and government actions—actions whose purpose is to let the "social" take priority over the "individual."
Latin American scholars generally believe that the "people-centered" characteristic of Chinese-path modernization is reflected in multiple fields. Kote pointed out that a series of policies proposed by the CPC in recent years all embody the principle of being people-centered and seeking benefits for the people. For example: comprehensively deepening reform and continuing to advance reform and opening up; building a harmonious society; proposing the New Development Philosophy of innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and sharing; respecting nature, advocating energy conservation and environmental protection, creating a good production and living environment for the people, and contributing to global ecological security. Bolivian scholar Muruchi Poma believes that Western countries caused serious damage to the global ecology during their development process, whereas although China also impacted the environment during its development, the CPC adjusted its policies quickly, actively managed the environment, and emphasized a sustainable development path of harmony between humanity and nature. He believes that only a government that emphasizes putting the people first would hesitate not for a moment to invest tens of billions in desertification control; only the Chinese government would undertake projects like environmental protection that are high-cost and yield no immediate return. Irina Santesteban, President of the Liberation Party of Argentina, pointed out that the modernization China seeks to build is one of harmony between humanity and nature. "The Chinese government has always emphasized that only by protecting the environment can the country be strong, society be stable, and the people's lives be more colorful." China has proven through practical actions that protecting the environment and developing productive forces are not in conflict; protecting the environment is protecting the productive forces, and improving the environment is developing the productive forces. Industrial development and environmental protection are not completely antithetical or mutually exclusive. Pomar pointed out that China once paid a heavy environmental price for industrial development, but today's China has become one of the world's most active advocates for environmental protection. The speed at which China has shifted from fossil fuels to renewable energy is staggering; it occupies a leading position in the world in the use of solar and wind energy, and the projects to return farmland to forests and grasslands have also yielded fruitful results.
Other scholars believe that "people-centered" Chinese-path modernization is also reflected in the fact that the people enjoy various rights. Rodríguez pointed out that in capitalist society, all social relations are commercialized, advocating individualism, exploitation, and Social Darwinism, whereas China pursues another social and economic model, emphasizing that healthcare, education, and culture are not tradable commodities but rights belonging to the people. Borón pointed out that true democracy and capitalism are a set of opposites. Capitalism pursues wealth and the privileges it generates, while true democracy pursues equality and justice. Borón emphasized that the characteristic of Chinese democracy is that all power belongs to the people, and it possesses a wide level of participation. "The form of China's political system conforms to the historical development characteristics of the Huaxia [9] nation with its thousands of years of history, and also conforms to the revolutionary process of China's socialist construction; it can effectively guarantee that every Chinese person enjoys basic human rights, and ensure that China fights poverty and invests large amounts of resources in fields such as health, education, housing, and culture to enhance the material and spiritual well-being of the Chinese people."
III. The World Significance of Chinese-path Modernization: Modernization Following the Path of Peaceful Development
With the rise of China's international status, Chinese-path modernization has begun to possess extensive global influence. Latin American scholars generally believe that the Chinese nation is a peace-loving nation. Historically, China has never bullied the weak or invaded other countries, and today it is a firm defender and active advocate of world peace. Moreover, China's modernization process has not only allowed China to achieve continuous and stable development but has also brought more development opportunities to the vast number of developing countries in Latin America.
Many Latin American scholars have fully affirmed that China has enhanced its global influence in the process of advancing modernization. Senior diplomat and Argentine expert on international affairs Diego Guelar, drawing from his professional experience, has observed from a close distance the profound changes occurring in Latin American countries, European and North American countries, and China over the past 30 years. He concluded: "Without a doubt, as the 'bellwether' of developing nations, China will lead the 21st century. Just as the 19th century was the British century and the 20th century was the American century, the 21st century is the Chinese century." Guelar's perspective represents a common view within Latin American academic circles. Chilean economist Osvaldo Rosales, former director of the International Trade and Integration Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), believes that "China’s rapid economic development is reshaping the global landscape for the coming decades. This phenomenon, along with technological innovation and climate change, will determine the world of the 21st century." Alicia Bárcena, former Executive Secretary of ECLAC, pointed out that since the beginning of the 21st century, "we have gradually formed a consensus that China's influence must be assessed in every important issue facing international affairs—such as the development of the world economy and the growth of international trade, the innovation of disruptive technologies, climate change, and the maintenance of multilateralism—all of which increasingly depend on the policies adopted by China." Rubén Darío Guzzetti, director of the Argentine Institute of Geopolitics, noted: "At the beginning of the 21st century, the center of gravity of the global economy has shifted from West to East. The core force of this shift is the People's Republic of China. China is leading an authentic revolution [10] that not only benefits the Chinese people and greatly improves their quality of life but also generates positive impacts at the international level. China has proposed a series of initiatives based on cooperation, solidarity, and mutual benefit that emphasize the common interests of humanity, aiming to benefit all of humanity rather than a privileged few."
In recent years, China has actively participated in global governance, proposing many new concepts and propositions beneficial to global development, and has also proposed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to build a public platform for global cooperation and actively explore new paths for multilateral cooperation and common development. The BRI has received a positive response from Latin American countries. As of December 2022, a total of 21 countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region have signed cooperation documents with China on the joint construction of the Belt and Road. The BRI has already become an important bond for strengthening China-Latin America cooperation and promoting the construction of a China-Latin America community with a shared future. Costa Rican scholar Sergio Rivero Soto, Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Research at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), reviewed the developmental course of China-Latin America relations over more than 20 years, pointing out that the rise of China on the international stage has brought new changes to the relationship between developed and developing countries, and North-South relations have been reshaped. China-Latin America relations have continued to develop in depth after entering the 21st century. He believes: "China's economic vitality has driven the development of Latin America and, to some extent, mitigated the heavy blows dealt to Latin America by the 2008 global economic crisis and the current COVID-19 pandemic." China-Latin America relations have become closer, expanding from the economic level to multiple fields such as social, political, and cultural spheres. The core of the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity proposed by President Xi Jinping is shared development and prosperity, which "can be regarded as the philosophical and political foundation of China’s New Era, while the 'Belt and Road' is the 'tool' for realizing a community with a shared future for humanity." He also emphasized that the BRI provides a framework for international cooperation that differs from the past, discarding zero-sum game thinking and upholding principles such as voluntarism, equality, openness, and inclusiveness. For many years, US protectionism has posed a serious threat to the economic growth and national development of Latin American countries. The cooperation plans promoted by China provide Latin American countries with a viable alternative. Katz believes that the BRI is "an initiative of major significance on a world scale that will bring a transformation to the global economy," helping to promote cultural exchange among countries, enhance friendship between peoples, and contribute to "accelerating the development of productive forces worldwide, while an equitable distribution system will also lay the foundation for people to live and work in peace and contentment locally." Sotre, in his monograph Approaching the 'Belt and Road', sorted through the cooperation mechanisms, achievements, and challenges faced by China and Latin America under the BRI framework. He pointed out that the concepts of win-win cooperation, common development, and multilateralism upheld by the BRI conform to the trends of the times, actively promoting the development of developing countries, including Latin America, and benefiting the people of many countries. In a sense, the BRI is the international projection of the Communist Party of China's principle of "putting the people first [11]."
Over the past year, the Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative proposed by China have also gained the attention of Latin American academic circles. Against the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis, Guzzetti re-examined the relationship between war, peace, development, and the geopolitical landscape, pointing out that these initiatives are in the same vein as China's previous advocacy of a community with a shared future for humanity and the common values of all humanity [12]. They all embody the foreign policy of the Communist Party of China and China's sense of international responsibility as a major power. "How can the world develop in peace? In this regard, all eyes of expectation are focused on China. For development, we need peace. To consolidate peace, we need development. Moreover, we need emerging powers like China to continue peaceful development and continuously inject more forces of peace and development into a world where all countries are closely intertwined and interconnected, countering Western capitalist countries like the United States, helping the broad masses of developing countries escape their predicaments, and jointly building a world that shares peace, seeks common development, and stays away from war."
Some Latin American scholars have also conducted comparative studies of Chinese and Western modernization models, interpreting the world significance of Chinese-path modernization from this perspective. Gustavo Ng, a renowned Argentine expert on China and researcher at Congress University, interpreted Chinese-path modernization as mentioned in the report to the 20th CPC National Congress. He pointed out that when Westerners read that China wants to "embark on a new journey to build a socialist modernized country in all respects," they might fall into confusion: "For more than a century, we in the West have been exploring how to get rid of the various ills brought about by modernization. Today, why does China, which is leading in many aspects, seek modernization? Is China still backward in this regard?" In other words, when Western society is already deeply mired in the multiple dilemmas of modernization and has begun to discuss postmodernity, China places modernization in a future context, regarding it as the direction of struggle; this is indeed thought-provoking. He believes that Chinese-path modernization is a modernization involving 1.4 billion people aimed at achieving common prosperity for all Chinese people, rather than modernization in the Western context.
IV. Conclusion
The perception of Chinese-path modernization in Latin American academic circles has undergone a process of continuous deepening, with research gradually expanding from a focus on economic construction to attention toward Chinese-path modernization in social, political, ecological, and other fields. Most Latin American scholars believe that Chinese-path modernization is different from the capitalist modernization of Western developed countries; it is a type of socialist modernization with Chinese characteristics. Chinese-path modernization provides a new reference for developing countries seeking to achieve modernization, contributing development experience based on one's own national conditions and independent exploration. China's modernization process shows that under complex international circumstances, China can not only continue to develop its domestic economy and guarantee and improve its people's standard of living but also actively participate in international cooperation, injecting certainty and stability into a world mired in multiple crises, and adding hope and confidence to the broad masses of developing countries. As Katz said: "The living conditions of the people in the underdeveloped countries and regions of the world are lagging behind, and the economic and social systems to which they belong are no longer able to solve those problems that seriously plague humanity at the current stage of development. They are looking at China's development path with eyes full of hope. Undoubtedly, the socialist system and the capitalist system respectively map out diametrically opposite prospects for the future of humanity."