The resolution of the 20th CPC National Congress, held in October, points out that from now on, the CPC’s central task will be: to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realise 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 a Chinese path to modernisation.
The century-long history of the struggle of the CPC is a history of the exploration of a Chinese path to modernisation. Before the founding of the CPC, various forces in Chinese society had made multiple attempts at modernisation, all of which ended in failure. Over the past century, the CPC has united and led the Chinese people in a blood-soaked struggle to found the People’s Republic of China with a spirit of self-reliance, and a great endeavour to lay a solid institutional foundation for China’s modernisation, which has enabled the Chinese nation to embark on the path of modernisation. Ten years since socialism with Chinese characteristics entered a new era, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has led the Chinese people in bolstering self-confidence and self-reliance and in innovating on the basis of what has worked in the past, thereby bringing about historic achievements and great changes in the Party and the state, and ushering in a brighter future for the uniquely Chinese path to modernisation.
There is no set form of modernisation or one-size-fits-all modernisation standards in the world. The Chinese modernisation is socialist modernisation pursued under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. It has abandoned the old path of capital-centred, polarised and materialistic development featuring external expansion and plundering.
It shows that developing countries can explore unique ways toward modernisation according to their own national conditions. The essential requirements of Chinese modernisation are as follows: upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China and socialism with Chinese characteristics, pursuing high-quality development, developing whole-process people’s democracy, enriching the people’s cultural lives, achieving common prosperity for all, promoting harmony between humanity and nature, building a human community with a shared future, and creating a new form of human advancement.
The Chinese modernisation draws a grand blueprint for China to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts. It contains elements that are common to the modernisation processes of all countries, but it is more characterised by features that are unique to the Chinese context.
The Chinese modernisation is one of a huge population. For China to become a modern society with a population of more than 1.4 billion, larger than the population of the developed countries combined, this is an arduous task with unprecedented complexity, and naturally the path and means of China’s development will have its own characteristics.
The typical development process of developed countries in the West is one with industrialisation, urbanisation and information technology application progressing in sequence. Whereas the Chinese modernisation is one with overlapping advancement of industrialisation, urbanisation and information technology application, which requires proactive measures to fend off and deal with risks and challenges encountered in the process of rapid development.
In just a few decades, China has completed a course that took developed countries several hundred years, creating two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, and providing new experiences for other developing countries to draw strength from. China will always proceed from its national conditions.
We will neither aim high nor follow the old path. We will seek progress while maintaining stability and continue to pursue the Chinese path to modernisation.
The Chinese modernisation is one of common prosperity for all. Common prosperity is the essential requirement of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and it is also a long-term historical process. Common prosperity is not about robbing the rich to give to the poor, nor is it about offering social welfare that makes people lazy, or simultaneous and undifferentiated prosperity.
We are committed to taking people’s aspiration for a better life as the fundamental purpose and ultimate goal of modernisation. Through concerted efforts, we will make a bigger pie of people’s common interests, and then share it fairly through rational institutional arrangements.
We will strive to close gaps between urban and rural areas, gaps among different regions, and gaps in people’s incomes, so as to benefit all people with the fruits of economic growth. We have made consistent progress in ensuring access to childcare, education, employment, medical services, elderly care, housing, and social assistance.
And our people have a stronger sense of fulfilment, happiness and security.
The Chinese modernisation is one of material and cultural-ethical advancement. Material abundance and spiritual wealth are the fundamental requirements of socialist modernisation. The needs to be met for the people to live better lives are all-dimensional and multi-tiered. Not only have their material needs grown; their demands for democracy, rule of law, fairness, justice and security are also increasing.
Bearing this in mind, we have been co-ordinating efforts to enhance socialist cultural and ethical standards while promoting economic development to strengthen the material basis for modernisation that aims to enable our people to live a happy life.
Meanwhile, we are also vigorously developing the cultural sector to provide high-quality culture supply. We will raise the public awareness to stand firm in our ideals and convictions, carry forward the Chinese civilisation, and promote the well-rounded development of all our people while ensuring their material wellbeing.
The Chinese modernisation is one of harmony between humanity and nature. Over the past decade, China has upheld the philosophy that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. With an average annual growth rate of 3% in energy consumption, China has maintained an average economic growth of 6.6%. In 2021, China’s carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP decreased by 34.4% compared with 2012.
The installed capacity of wind, light, water and biomass power generation ranks first in the world. We will continue to pursue sustainable development, act on the principles of prioritising resource conservation and environmental protection and letting nature restore itself, and protect nature and preserve the environment like we protect our eyes.
We will continue to follow the development path featuring increased production, higher living standards, and healthy ecosystems to ensure the lasting and sustainable development of the Chinese nation.
The Chinese modernisation is one of peaceful development. In pursuing modernisation, China will not tread the old path of war, colonisation, and plunder taken by some countries.
That brutal and blood-stained path of enrichment at the expense of others caused great suffering for the people of developing countries. We will stand firmly on the right side of history and on the side of human progress.
Dedicated to peace, development, co-operation, and mutual benefit, we will strive to safeguard world peace and development as we pursue our own development, and we will make greater contributions to world peace and development through our own development. Let us allow cultural exchanges to transcend estrangement, mutual learning to transcend clashes, and coexistence to transcend feelings of superiority.
Let us create a new form of inclusive human advancement. As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in the Report to the 20th CPC National Congress, “Chinese modernisation offers humanity a new choice for achieving modernization”.
The Chinese modernisation is rooted in China’s soil and suits China’s reality. We develop our country and our nation with our own strength, and we maintain a firm grasp on the future of China’s development and progress.
The successful practice of the Chinese modernisation has demonstrated to the world that even if a late-industrialising economy does not have the same development conditions as an industrialised economy, it can still achieve leapfrog development as long as it anchors itself in its modernisation goals and independently explores its own modernisation path based on its own national conditions.
In this way, we have contributed Chinese wisdom and provided Chinese solutions to the major challenges and problems faced by mankind.
The 20th CPC National Congress has made a series of strategic plans to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernisation. China will steadfastly deepen reform and opening up, pursue high-quality development, promote the BRI international co-operation, and strive to create more opportunities for the world by achieving its own steady, faster and better development.
China will also continue to firmly support African countries, including South Africa, in exploring development paths that are in line with their own national conditions, strengthen the exchange of experience in governance, learn from each other for mutual development, and continue to promote the building of a China-South Africa, China-Africa community with a shared future!
Chen Xiaodong, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to South Africa.