China's "national brand" has more world influence

　 The First Session of the 14th National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China concluded on the morning of 13 August at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing after successfully completing its agenda and electing the members of a new state organ. Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the People's Republic of China and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered an important speech at the meeting and stressed that the grand goal of building a strong country and national rejuvenation is encouraging and urging people to forge ahead. We must seize the day, strengthen historical self-confidence, enhance historical initiative, persist in upholding integrity and innovation, maintain strategic concentration, carry forward the spirit of struggle, have the courage to overcome difficulties, and constantly contribute to the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation.

　　"Unswervingly promoting high-quality development", "accelerating the promotion of Chinese-style modernization" and "strengthening historical self-confidence" have set off heated discussions in Chinese and foreign academic circles around General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech at the conference. Among them, focusing on the characteristics of Chinese-style modernization and the role of culture in promoting Chinese-style modernization, our reporter interviewed Ivica Bakota, a Croatian associate professor at the National and Regional Research Institute of Capital Normal University.

　　■ Ivica Bakota interviewee/courtesy photo

　　Chinese-style modernization has worldwide significance

　　China Social Sciences News: On the basis of long-term exploration and practice since the founding of New China, especially since the reform and opening up, the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has achieved innovative breakthroughs in theory and practice, and successfully promoted and expanded Chinese-style modernization. In your opinion, how is Chinese-style modernization different from Western-style modernization?

　　Bai Yiwei: Although "Western-style" modernization is often heard in public opinion today, I think that "Western-style" modernization is not monolithic. There are many paths to modernization from the West, and in the past hundred years, many different and even contradictory models of modernization have been born in the West. Therefore, including Chinese-style modernization, the world's modernization model should not be compared with only one "Western-style". If the original meaning of "Western-style" modernization is that "certain Western powers pursue unbridled capitalism and promote it from their own countries to developing countries and third world countries, thus forming a system based on a wide development gap, energy consumption, and exploitation of cheap labor, and a model that serves the interests of capital", then I believe that the Chinese-style modernization proclaimed by the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is very different from this modernization model. Chinese-style modernization refers to comprehensively deepening reform, implementing a series of policies to alleviate poverty, narrow the gap between the rich and the poor in society, promote a fairer income distribution, encourage the growth of the middle class, implement environmental protection policies, and promote sustainable development. In addition, in my opinion, Chinese-style modernization is also very important internationally. China's Global Security Initiative and Global Development Initiative are designed to respond to the current global security, energy, and supply chain crises, with a particular focus on "lagging behind" countries and regions during the crisis. The concept of Chinese-style modernization means the gradual process of "Sinicization" of socialism, as well as the continuous enrichment and improvement of Marxist theoretical content, and China is more confident to show its modernization experience and model to other countries.

　　China Social Sciences News: History and culture are the precious wealth of a country, and spiritual wealth and material prosperity are the fundamental requirements of socialist modernization. How do you understand the role of history and culture in modernization?

　　Bai Yiwei: There are many examples of history and culture driving national prosperity. "British parliamentary system", "Italian Renaissance", "German classical idealism", "Haitian revolution", "Bhutan happiness index", "Tunisian Carthage ancient city heritage", etc., are all "national brands" produced by the interaction of national history and culture through different ways. The "nation brand" here can be understood as the concept of a country strategically managing its historical and cultural prosperity in global competition. This is not only synonymous with external propaganda, nor is it limited to a kind of external "public diplomacy", that is, borrowing one's own historical and cultural "competitive advantage" to enhance influence on the international stage. With a history of more than 5,000 years of civilization, a glorious civilization, an independent ideology and a unique political system, China has a good prospect of shaping a "national brand".

　　Culture and civilization can solve the "epoch-making" problems of the international community

　　China Social Sciences News: The world contains many civilizations, how do you see the impact of different civilizations and cultures on human progress? Can different cultures learn from each other and live in harmony?

　　Bai Yiwei: I think different cultures can learn from each other and live in harmony. As a foreign teacher working in China, my experience can also prove that there are no insurmountable barriers between different civilizations and cultures in the world. Although there may be differences or differences among civilizations and cultures at the political, diplomatic, ideological or other levels, we should focus on common interests, which is closely related to the logic of win-win cooperation and seeking common ground while reserving differences. This should be the main driving force for interaction and mutual learning among civilizations and cultures.

　　China Social Sciences News: At present, mankind is facing more severe global challenges. Meeting these challenges requires both economic and technological power, as well as cultural and civilizational power. How do you understand this?

　　I think these two forces can solve two key "epoch-making" questions for the international community today: do we move towards greater interdependence and mutual guarantees of development and security, or do we maintain the current status quo of inequality and inequality? Do we define global relations on the basis of cooperation, openness, multilateralism, or on the basis of decoupling, protectionism, "friendly outsourcing" and the resulting division? These issues have not only been prevalent during the pandemic, but have become more intense as a series of events such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict have evolved. Under such circumstances, actively harnessing the power of human culture and civilization is very important for building a global development community. Because every time a crisis and confrontation strikes, the weakest and poorest pay the heaviest price. Only by adhering to the common destiny, unswervingly committed to global interests, common development and common security, not replacing the commitment to promote the development and progress of human society with "continental priority", and not establishing some "exclusive clubs" in international relations, can we help solve a series of world problems.

　　The internationalization of Chinese culture is undergoing transformation

　　China Social Sciences News: What do you think is the development of China's cultural construction compared with the past?

　　Bai Yiwei: I think the internationalization of Chinese culture is accelerating. For example, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the spread of Confucius Institutes around the world over the past decade, the more active co-production of Hollywood films with actors from other countries, and China's diplomatic support and initiation of global or regional cooperation initiatives are testament to these developments. In the past ten years, more and more "Chinese brands" have gone global. Many Chinese cultural products have gained world fame in this way. In the next stage, China's already international "brands" will gradually become familiar products in the lives of people around the world, such as martial arts, Sun Tzu's Art of War, and Chinese cuisine, which have become familiar products in the "post-ideological" world, and China can further dig out more such new products from its vast and profound historical and cultural reserves. But focusing on cultural branding in the post-ideological era does not mean ignoring the importance of one's institutions and values in the international community. From the perspective of the development of "cultural soft power", China has more opportunities to promote the basic values it advocates on the international stage, such as respect for the sovereignty of all countries and peaceful coexistence.

　　China Social Sciences News: What progress have been made in cultural exchanges between China and Croatia in recent years?

　　Bai Yiwei: In the more than 30 years of cooperation between China and Croatia, the two countries have respected each other, achieved mutual benefit and win-win results, and continuously strengthened and deepened cooperation. As a country in South-Eastern Europe, Croatia is participating in China's foreign cooperation initiative, and as a member of the European Union, Croatia is also participating in the EU's common China policy. In the context of China-Croatia cooperation, the two countries have signed a number of cooperation agreements in culture and education, promoting exchanges between students, scholars and artists from both sides. Science and technology and infrastructure are priority areas for China-Croatia cooperation. In 2022, the Pelješac Bridge in Croatia, built by China Road and Bridge Group, will be opened, which not only demonstrates the superb technology of Chinese enterprises in engineering construction, but also meets Croatia's green development goals, and related tourism projects are waiting to be fully realized. Overall, these projects between the two countries have successfully set an example of mutually beneficial cooperation, which not only contributes to the development and infrastructure construction of one side, but also provides a showcase for high-quality construction services and superb engineering construction on the other side, thereby helping Chinese companies enter the broader European market. This is a true win-win situation and a good example for the two countries in promoting cooperation.

　　China Social Sciences News: What are your further views on Chinese-style modernization and cultural construction?

　　Bai Yiwei: Like many developed European countries, China is slowly entering a stage of continuous population decline. At the beginning of the decline in population and labor force, most countries have developed a series of policies aimed at attracting foreign workers and facilitating their integration into local society, improving the global competitiveness of the country in the context of a severely aging society. In the long run, China may have to face this choice, despite its different national circumstances. It is now time to start thinking about how to integrate foreign residents more deeply into Chinese society, not only to share but also to build on the fruits of China's cultural development.

Author: Reporter Zhao Qi Source: China Social Science Network - China Social Sciences News