… As Chinese President insists route to modernisation requires general patterns
By Olukayode Idowu
Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent congratulatory message to Lanting Forum on Chinese Modernisation and the World
At the Forum held on 21 April at the Meet-the-World Lounge in Shanghai, the Chinese President pointed out that realizing modernization is a relentless pursuit of the Chinese people since modern times began and also the common aspiration of people of all countries.
He added that in pursuing modernization, a country needs to follow certain general patterns, which include that more importantly, it should proceed from its own realities and develop its own features.
He said: @After a long and arduous quest, the Communist Party of China has led the entire Chinese nation in finding a development path that suits China’s conditions. We are now building a strong country and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.
“China will provide new opportunities for global development with new accomplishments in Chinese modernization, lend new impetus to humanity’s search for paths toward modernization and better social systems, and work with all countries to advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.”
The Lanting Forum on Chinese Modernization and the World was organized by the China Public Diplomacy Association and the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, and was supported by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government. Representatives of governments, think tanks and the media from nearly 80 countries participated in the Forum.
Also speaking at the Forum, China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, said: “Chinese modernization is the natural choice of China’s 100-year-long quest for development. Modernization for China has been a journey of hardship and perseverance, anguish and glory, honour and dreams. During modern times, countless patriots looked to the West for a formula of modernization to save the nation, but they all failed. It was not until the birth of the CPC in 1921 that China found the pillar and guidance for its modernization. It is under the CPC’s strong leadership that we have embarked on the great journey of independently building a modern country.
“We have turned China from an impoverished and backward land into the world’s second largest economy, top trader in goods, biggest holder of foreign exchange reserves, and biggest manufacturer. We have put in place the world’s largest compulsory education system, social security system, and medical and health system. China has realized, in a short span of several decades, industrialization that had taken developed countries several centuries. We have caught up with the times in great strides.”
He added that: “Chinese modernization is the natural requirement for promoting national rejuvenation on all fronts. As of the 18th CPC National Congress, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the “acceleration button” was pressed in China’s modernization drive. The two major miracles — fast economic development and long-term social stability — continued. Absolute poverty was eradicated. A moderately prosperous society in all respects became a reality.
“With this, the First Centenary Goal was realized. The Chinese nation has achieved a great transformation from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong. National rejuvenation is now on an irreversible course. At the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) sessions last month, General Secretary Xi Jinping was again unanimously elected President of the People’s Republic of China. It was a choice by history and by the people. With the conviction and responsibility of “serving the people selflessly”, President Xi Jinping is steering Chinese modernization forward and leading us in marching on the right path toward a better future.”
He noted that: “Chinese modernization is a natural outcome of the laws governing human development. Modernization is a common cause of all humanity. Although the West enjoyed the fruits of modernization ahead of others, history will not end there. As early as 140 years ago, Karl Marx envisioned crossing the Caudine Forks of capitalism, providing a solid theoretical basis for a path of modernization different from that of the West. Through the past 100 years and more, China has found by itself a path to modernization, and created a new form of human advancement. Ample facts have proved that there is no fixed model of, or single solution to, modernization. Any country can achieve modernization, as long as the path suits its conditions and answers the need of its people for development. On the contrary, mechanically copying ill-fitted foreign models is counter-productive, and may even lead to catastrophic consequences.”
