Chinese modernization has global resonance

Chinese modernization has set a new model for development not only for the country but also for the world. As President Xi Jinping rightly pointed out, major changes unseen in a century are taking place in our world. In this once-in-a-century change, Chinese modernization is not only building a new society within China but also shaping a new form of international relations globally.

Let us examine the ingredients of the Chinese approach to modernization. These include effective leadership, consistency and continuity of policy, ability to do a course correction where necessary, willingness to learn from others and, above all, consistent pursuit of a peaceful foreign policy.

Globalization is at the core of Chinese modernization. China is the biggest proponent of globalization, with the country's economy contributes to 30 percent of global growth. The first example of globalization can be seen in the 2,000-year-old Silk Road, which originated in China and connected countries through commerce and culture. So, globalization and connectivity are very much ingrained in the Chinese worldview.

China is spearheading globalization through its economy, through trade and commerce and through the various global initiatives it has launched. Since the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, over 150 countries have participated in the BRI cooperation. The BRI is probably the biggest developmental project of the 21st century. Globally, the BRI is expected to lift almost 40 million people out of poverty as well as contribute to the growth of global trade. According to figures provided by the World Bank, the BRI is projected to contribute 6.2 percent to global trade growth and nearly 3 percent to global income growth, which is remarkable in terms of both size and speed.

Therefore, it is no accident that the Chinese model of modernization now resonates globally. The Western economic historian, Adam Tooze, has termed China as the master key to understanding modernization.

This global resonance of Chinese path to modernization is because China has followed a people-centered, result-oriented approach that upholds transparency and accountability. It has improved the quality of life for its people and lifted 800 million people out of poverty since 1970s. Green development, poverty alleviation and infrastructure development are the tripod on which this modernization stands.

The Chinese concept of modernization is not only inspiring growth in the Global South but also fostering a new form of international relations based on a multilateral approach that respects the unique conditions of each country, rather than a "one-size-fits-all" model.

Writer Kaiser Kuo had once wondered what China's trajectory (of modernization) would mean for countries across the Global South that had been told for decades that there was only one path to prosperity. China offers proof that another model can work.

The author is chairman of the Pakistan-China Institute.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

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