Chinese Dream is to have a 'common world'

At the closing ceremony of the first session of the 12th National People's Congress in 2013, President Xi Jinping re-emphasized the "two centennial goals" as well as the Chinese Dream to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. He reiterated that the Chinese Dream is to build a rich and strong country, rejuvenate the people and help them live a happy life. To realize this great dream, Xi urged people of all ethnic groups to make unremitting efforts.

What exactly is the Chinese Dream? To put it plainly, it is to have a "common world". The world has more than 7 billion people of thousands of ethnic groups living in 239 countries and regions. Since they share a common home, Earth, they also have common interests: to build a beautiful and peaceful world rather than a world ruptured by wars and turmoil, an equal and prosperous world rather than a world of yawning disparity, a green world rather than a world haunted by environmental disasters.

This is the dream of the Chinese people as also people in the rest of the world.

The next two decades will see the collective rise of developing countries and the end of developed countries' dominance. During the period, the ratio of developing countries' economic scale to that of developed countries will change from the current 50:50 to 70:30, and the ratio of their trade volume will change from 60:40 to 70:30. Developing countries will become the major destinations of foreign investment and exports. Their share of the world economy will be closer to their share of the world population. The world will thus become more balanced and more equal, facilitating the development of a "common world".

A "common world" is neither a utopia nor beyond reach. It is a "mutually beneficial" proposition put forward by Chinese leaders, and has five distinct connotations.

Economically, the idea is that all countries should cooperate and complement each other to achieve common development through mutually beneficial means. Jointly pushing forward globalization, they should make the world a more equal, just and balanced place. And reversing the polarization trend of the past two centuries, they should ensure that developing and developed countries seek common prosperity.

Politically, the proposal is for countries to respect and consult each other, treat each other equally, and work together to create a more democratic, equal and balanced world. Developed countries have for long monopolized the decision-making rights in world affairs, which should be changed to give developing countries greater say and voting rights in regional and global organizations so that global issues are resolved through consultations and shared responsibilities.