Scholar: Modernization path inspires

China's path to modernization not only maps out a vision for the nation over the coming decades but also offers inspiration for other developing countries, a senior scholar at a Thai institute said in a recent interview with China Daily.

In October, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, elaborated on the Chinese path to modernization in his report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC.

"It's a new model for human advancement, and it dispels the myth that modernization is equal to Westernization," said Tang Zhimin, director of the China-ASEAN Studies at the Bangkok-based Panyapiwat Institute of Management.

He said China's path to modernization presents another option for development and provides a Chinese solution to realize a better social system for humanity.

Tang said Chinese modernization has been a transitional process from a high proportion of heavy industry and a planned economy to a market-oriented economy with a more balanced industrial structure.

Over the past decades, China has gone through reforms in several areas and seen remarkable growth, with its GDP rising from 53.9 trillion yuan ($7.8 trillion) in 2012 to 114.9 trillion yuan in 2021.

"China's success has been widely recognized as a miracle in the history of human development," Tang said.

Although a Chinese path to modernization is characterized by features that are unique to the Chinese context, he said it will inspire many developing countries to seek their paths to development and prosperity.

"It showed that modernization is not simply about industrialization and urbanization. It is a permanent process carried out through continuous reform and innovation," he added.

Tang stressed that the success of China's modernization is also attributable to the country's political stability as well as the high quality of governance by the CPC.

"It has been proved by the country's several prominent achievements such as poverty alleviation," he added.

With a huge population of 1.4 billion, China's success in eradicating absolute poverty and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects has inspired many countries to seek solutions to reduce poverty and promote economic development that suits their conditions, Tang said.

"It is reflected in Xi's remark that a country is its people and the people are the country. The Chinese path to modernization is essentially the modernization of the people, and it aims to benefit the people," he said.

Delivering the report to the 20th CPC National Congress, Xi said Chinese modernization is characterized by five features. Among them, the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature very much impressed Tang.

China has made joint efforts with Thailand to promote eco-friendly industries for sustainable development over the past years in many fields, including expanding the electric vehicle market and jointly constructing wind and solar farms.

"China has been a pioneer in seeking green development. As many other Asian countries are also heading in the same direction, there will be more opportunities for China to share its experiences and contribute to realizing regional sustainable development goals," Tang said.

In addition, he emphasized that China's modernization goes beyond the notion of putting one's own country first, as it is a path to development that pursues common prosperity for all.

As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative that was proposed by Xi in 2013, Tang said ASEAN countries will also look forward to working closely with China and creating a better future for humanity.