Dai Mucai: The Fundamental Characteristics of Chinese Modernization | Marxism Research Network

The Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) pointed out: "On the basis of long-term exploration and practice since the founding of New China, and especially since the reform and opening up, and through theoretical and practical innovations and breakthroughs since the 18th National Congress, our Party has successfully promoted and expanded Chinese-path modernization." The systematic conceptualization and profound elaboration of the theory of Chinese-path modernization has not only become a narrative of practice for the development of modernization with Chinese characteristics, but has also become a theoretical research paradigm for such development. As an organic unity of specific modernization and general modernization, Chinese-path modernization possesses a distinct socialist nature, Chinese characteristics, and fundamental qualities.

General Secretary Xi Jinping, in his important speech at the opening of a study session for newly elected members and alternate members of the CPC Central Committee and provincial-level and ministerial-level officials, emphasized that "Chinese-path modernization has both the common characteristics of the modernization of all countries and, more importantly, distinct features based on our own national conditions," and that "the leadership of the Party determines the fundamental nature of Chinese-path modernization." Chinese-path modernization is a socialist modernization guided by Marxism and led by the CPC. It is a modernization process characterized by socialist qualities, independent and self-reliant ^[1] traits, and the features of an ancient civilization. It possesses the integrated characteristics of independence, autonomy, endogeneity, and innovation. It differs from the modernization of other developing countries and socialist countries, and even more so from Western-style modernization; it is an original, new type of modernization.

Chinese-path modernization is a comprehensive creation. From the perspective of its developmental history, the creation of the path of Chinese-path modernization has been a process of critiquing and drawing lessons from Western capitalist modernization—an application of "making foreign things serve China" ^[2]—but more importantly, it has been a process of development through unique creation by applying the basic tenets of Marxism to China’s specific realities and its fine traditional culture (the "Two Combinations"). Therefore, the path of Chinese-path modernization possesses both the general characteristics of modernization and the characteristics of Chinese features explored independently and autonomously in line with basic national conditions. Even more so, it possesses a socialist nature determined by the basic tenets of scientific socialism. It is a comprehensive reconstruction of the essential elements of socialism, the elements of Chinese characteristics, and the general elements of modernization. At the opening session of the seminar on studying and implementing the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Chinese-path modernization contains a unique worldview, values, outlook on history, outlook on civilization, outlook on democracy, and ecological outlook, as well as their great practices. These constitute a major innovation in the theory and practice of world modernization."

Chinese-path modernization conforms to the laws governing the development of Chinese history since the beginning of modern times. History shows that Chinese-path modernization is an unprecedented undertaking. it is a great social transformation carried out amidst the intersection of history and reality, theory and practice, and China and the world—within the process of the development of world history and the linkage of global interactions. Under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people have unswervingly persisted in and developed socialism with Chinese characteristics, thereby creating the path of Chinese-path modernization. This has allowed a large developing socialist country with a population of over 1.4 billion—nearly one-fifth of the world’s population—to move steadily toward common prosperity on the basis of having built a moderately prosperous society in all respects. A country with the third-largest land area in the world and vast internal regional differences is becoming strong and prosperous, and an ancient civilization with a long history of over 5,000 years is moving toward great rejuvenation. This proves that the path of Chinese-path modernization fully conforms to the laws of Chinese history, especially the development of Chinese society in modern times. Whether for the Chinese nation or for today's world, which is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century ^[3], it possesses unparalleled historical and global significance.

China is the world's largest developing country, as well as its largest socialist country and its oldest ancient civilization. Because it possesses the characteristics of both a latecomer and a "catch-up" actor in the process of social development and modernization, it is determined that "promoting Chinese-path modernization is an exploratory undertaking with many unknown areas, requiring us to explore boldly in practice." Although a complete industrial system and national economic system have been established since the founding of New China, China is still in a developmental stage of completing the tasks of industrialization. The modernization strategy China has chosen is not to complete industrialization first and then move to informatization, urbanization, and agricultural modernization. Instead, it follows a path of new industrialization, using industrialization to drive informatization and informatization to enhance industrialization, achieving the coordinated development of industrialization, informatization, urbanization, and agricultural modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly pointed out: "Our modernization is very different from that of Western developed countries. The Western developed countries underwent a 'serial' development process, where industrialization, urbanization, agricultural modernization, and informatization developed sequentially; it took them more than two hundred years to reach their current level. We must catch up from behind and win back the 'lost two hundred years,' which determines that our development must necessarily be a 'parallel' process, where industrialization, informatization, urbanization, and agricultural modernization are developed in an overlapping manner."

Chinese-path modernization possesses dual developmental characteristics based on the basic national conditions of the primary stage of socialism. China is the world's largest developing country, with the typical characteristics of a dual structure ^[4] common to developing nations. With a large population and a weak foundation, and with significant differences in natural geographical conditions and the distribution of population and resources, as well as a large gap in urban-rural and regional development, the basic national condition—that China is still in and will long remain in the primary stage of socialism—has not fundamentally changed. As socialism with Chinese characteristics enters the New Era, China's economic and social development has presented a series of new stage-specific features. The principal contradiction in Chinese society has evolved into the contradiction between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life. Due to the challenge of unbalanced and inadequate development, the economy and society exhibit dual developmental characteristics. On the one hand, from the perspective of the modernization process, China has regions dominated by industrial and high-tech production that can rival developed countries, as well as regions dominated by agricultural production that have just solved the problem of food and clothing and entered the path toward moderate prosperity but remain relatively backward in development. The disparity in modernization development between regions and zones is obvious. On the other hand, in terms of enjoying the fruits of reform, development, and modernization, the flow of human resources under the influence of unbalanced and inadequate development also exhibits a duality. In many central and western regions, the phenomena of large-scale population outflow, labor abandoning farming for manual work, and the "brain drain" of talent have a clear spillover effect on the economic development of agriculture-based regions.

Chinese-path modernization possesses dual developmental characteristics in achieving the individualization and personalization of human development. In the process of world modernization, individualization and personalization are two concepts with different connotations. Individualization mainly refers to solving the problem of human survival and survival methods—that is, material security, which we call the problem of developing material civilization or material wealth. Personalization mainly refers to the problem of human development and development methods—that is, spiritual life, which we call the problem of developing spiritual civilization or spiritual abundance. These two are in a relationship of mutual determination, but also complement and advance one another. In the process of Chinese-path modernization, these dual features of individualization and personalization necessarily require further persisting in and improving the socialist market economy system, continuously expanding the space for free social activity, showing greater respect for the concept of individual subjectivity, and satisfying the basic rights and subjective consciousness of individuals as citizens. That is to say, adhering to the coordinated development of material and spiritual civilization is an inherent requirement of Chinese-path modernization and constitutes the dual content of achieving the modernization of the human being.

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Chinese-path modernization is an important model for the path of world modernization development. After the Opium War, under the artillery fire of Western powers, the Chinese nation was forced into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, and was passively integrated into the developmental tide and historical process of world modernization. However, this passive situation of being backward and being attacked caused the Chinese nation to suffer repeated setbacks and failures on the road to modernization; for a long time, it had no place in the process of world modernization. In the history of the development of world modernization, various models have been formed, represented by Western-style modernization paths such as the Anglo-Saxon model, the Rhine model, and the Nordic model, as well as the socialist modernization path of the Soviet era and the Latin American modernization path of developing countries. The CPC has led the Chinese people in successfully creating the path of Chinese-path modernization, achieving great achievements that have attracted worldwide attention. The country’s comprehensive national strength has been significantly enhanced, the people's standard of living has been greatly improved, and China's influence on the international stage has grown increasingly. Clearly, China's development is an important component of world development, and Chinese-path modernization is an important component of world modernization, changing the pattern and influencing the process of world modernization in a certain sense.

China has blazed a path of modernization through peaceful development. The economic globalization brought about by the modernization of human society has closely linked the interests of all peoples and made their destinies shared. However, the modernization of developed capitalist countries was built on the basis of exploiting and extracting the interests, resources, labor, and unequal treatment of colonial and semi-colonial countries. The Western-style modernization path was full of blood, killing, and war. Chinese-path modernization adheres to the path of peaceful development, breaking the "spell" of the Western-style modernization path and presenting another picture of modernization. it expands the choices for developing countries to move toward modernization and provides a Chinese solution for humanity's exploration of better social systems. This not only conforms to the fundamental interests of the Chinese people but also aligns with the common aspirations of all humanity for peace and development. The Report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC solemnly declared: "China has always stayed committed to its foreign policy goal of upholding world peace and promoting common development, and it is dedicated to promoting a community with a shared future for humanity." China develops itself by maintaining world peace and promotes world peace through its own development. China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansionism. While promoting domestic development, it simultaneously promotes the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Chinese-path modernization is a modernization that benefits both the Chinese people and the people of the world. As early as the early period of New China, the Chinese Communists, with Comrade Mao Zedong as their chief representative, proposed that the Chinese nation should strive to make more and greater contributions to the world. Since the reform and opening up, with the enhancement of comprehensive national strength, China's contribution to human society has grown, and its capacity to participate in global governance has become stronger. To realize Chinese-path modernization, on the one hand, China must do its own work well, which "in itself is a contribution to building a community with a shared future for humanity"; on the other hand, the great practice of Chinese-path modernization also creates more opportunities for the world through China’s development, "deepening the exploration of the laws of human social development through its own practice and sharing them with the world." General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we "are not only committed to China's own development but also emphasize our responsibility and contribution to the world; we benefit not only the Chinese people but also the people of the world. The realization of the Chinese Dream brings peace to the world, not turmoil; opportunities, not threats." Since entering the New Era, China has held high the banner of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit, proposing the active construction of a community with a shared future for humanity. It seeks to let exchanges among civilizations transcend barriers, mutual learning transcend shocks, and coexistence transcend feelings of superiority, jointly responding to various global challenges. China strives to contribute Chinese propositions, Chinese wisdom, and Chinese solutions to global governance, demonstrating the responsibility of a major power. China has increasingly become a globally recognized builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order.