The far-reaching global impact of advancing Chinese-style modernization

Author: Sun Jisheng (Vice President and Professor, China Foreign Affairs University)

At present, the international and domestic situation is complex, the evolution of major changes unseen in a century is accelerating, the game of major powers and geopolitical competition is intensifying, local conflicts and turmoil are frequent, economic globalization has encountered headwinds, the world economic recovery is weak, various global problems have made the task of global governance arduous, the fourth industrial revolution led by intelligence is constantly advancing, and new technologies such as artificial intelligence are having a profound impact on mankind. China has entered a critical period of comprehensively promoting the construction of a great country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization. At the same time, China is facing escalating external suppression and containment, and uncertainties and unpredictable factors are increasing, so it is necessary to make good use of strategic opportunities and mitigate risks and challenges. Against this background, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee was held. The plenum put reform in a more prominent position, and proposed to further deepen reform in an all-round way around the promotion of Chinese-style modernization. Chinese modernization is the modernization that follows the path of peaceful development, and openness is a clear sign of Chinese modernization. Promoting Chinese-style modernization will not only affect the overall situation of domestic construction and development, but will also have a far-reaching impact on the world.

First, we will continue to promote the process of human modernization through Chinese-style modernization.

Since the implementation of reform and opening up in 1978, China has continued to learn from and make progress through interaction with the world, and at the same time, it has also shared China's opportunities with the world and promoted the development of other countries through its own development. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), on the basis of summarizing the achievements and experience of past reforms, gave more prominence to the reform and construction of systems, mechanisms, and systems in different aspects, such as a high-level socialist market economic system, an institutional mechanism for high-quality economic development, an innovative institutional mechanism that adapts to new quality productive forces, and a macroeconomic governance system. The plenary session pointed out that the overall goal of further comprehensively deepening reform is to continue to improve and develop the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. By 2035, a high-level socialist market economy system will be built in an all-round way, the socialist system with Chinese characteristics will be further improved, the national governance system and governance capacity will be basically modernized, and socialist modernization will be basically realized.

Looking around the world, many countries in the world are still facing arduous development tasks, and mankind has a long way to go to achieve modernization. China's institutional construction can not only provide institutional guarantee for Chinese-style modernization, but also make China an important stabilizing and determining force in the world today. From being poor and white in the early days of the People's Republic of China to developing into the world's second largest economy and building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, China has made tremendous achievements in development, and has also made clear its goal of building itself into a modern socialist country in all respects by the middle of the 21st century. In the process, China's system has continued to develop and improve, laying the foundation for further modernizing the country's governance system and capacity. China's development process, system building and improvement process is a successful example of developing countries exploring a development path suited to their national conditions, which can not only help the vast number of developing countries establish confidence in development and modernization, further enrich and improve the theory, knowledge and practice of mankind to achieve modernization, and provide important reference and enlightenment for the vast number of developing countries to achieve modernization, but will also vigorously promote the modernization process of the entire mankind.

The second is to promote a new round of economic globalization through institutional opening-up.

Looking back on history, economic globalization has been characterized by promoting the global flow of capital, personnel, information, and technology, and has played an important role in improving productivity, promoting economic development, promoting exchanges and mutual learning among different cultures and civilizations, and promoting the overall development and progress of mankind. However, in recent years, some countries' perceptions and attitudes toward economic globalization have changed, and trends of thought such as anti-globalization, protectionism, and isolationism have emerged one after another. Factors such as the new crown epidemic and the game of major powers have also had an impact on economic globalization, with global industrial chains, supply chains, value chains, and technology chains being disrupted and damaged from time to time.

Since the implementation of reform and opening up, especially since joining the World Trade Organization, China has always made efforts to integrate into and promote the process of economic globalization. At present, when economic globalization is in trouble, China, as the largest trading partner of more than 140 countries and the largest country in global trade in goods, has a more far-reaching impact on its attitude and policies towards economic globalization. The plenary session clearly pointed out that it is necessary to improve the system and mechanism of high-level opening-up, emphasizing that opening-up is a clear sign of Chinese-style modernization, opening up is a basic national policy, and it is necessary to enhance the ability of opening-up and build a new system of a higher-level open economy. The plenary session particularly emphasized the need to expand institutional opening-up and create a transparent, stable and predictable institutional environment, such as taking the initiative to align with international high-standard economic and trade rules, achieving the compatibility of rules, regulations, management and standards in the fields of property rights protection, industrial subsidies, environmental standards, labor protection, government procurement, e-commerce, and finance, expanding independent opening up, orderly opening up of commodity markets, service markets, capital markets, and labor markets, and expanding unilateral opening to the least developed countries. The plenary session also proposed to deepen the reform of the foreign trade system, deepen the reform of the foreign investment and foreign investment management system, optimize the layout of regional opening-up, and improve the mechanism for promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. For example, in view of the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, the specific areas of multilateral cooperation platform construction, such as green development, digital economy, artificial intelligence, energy, taxation, finance, disaster reduction, etc., have also been clarified, and the layout of improving the integration of land, sea and space networks and building a three-dimensional interconnection network of the "Belt and Road" has also been made. These measures not only send the strongest message of China's promotion of economic globalization to the world, but also make China's opening up more institutionalized and standardized, and contribute China's strength to promoting the construction of inclusive economic globalization.

Third, we need to reform the global governance system and effectively respond to global issues.

At present, various global issues are becoming increasingly prominent, and the task of global governance is arduous. At the same time, the international order and system have undergone profound and complex changes, and it is often difficult to ensure world peace, stability and security, and the world is facing deficits in peace, trust, development and governance. As the largest developing country in the world, China's development itself is already an important contribution to global governance, and China's concrete measures also provide important lessons for the world to deal with global issues.

The plenary session clearly stated that it is necessary to uphold the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, actively participate in the reform of the global economic governance system, and provide more global public goods. Expand the network of high-standard free trade zones for the world, establish a compliance mechanism that is in line with international rules, and optimize the environment for openness and cooperation. In the face of the challenges brought about by the development of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, the plenary session clarified and improved the development and management mechanism of generative AI. Strengthen the establishment of the rule of law in cyberspace, and complete long-term and effective mechanisms for the governance of the online ecosystem. The plenum called for the need to improve the institutional system of ecological civilization, promote carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion and growth, actively respond to climate change, accelerate the improvement of the institutional mechanism for the implementation of the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, improve the basic system of ecological civilization, improve the ecological environment governance system, and improve the green and low-carbon development mechanism. These institutions and mechanisms will play an important role in China's efforts to address climate change.

Fourth, we should promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind by adhering to peaceful development.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, China has always adhered to an independent foreign policy of peace. At present, geopolitical competition and games are intensifying, and regional and even world security, stability and peace are threatened from time to time. Under the new situation, despite constant external suppression and containment, China has always adhered to the path of peaceful development, ensuring development through security and promoting security through development. The plenary session once again declared that Chinese modernization is a modernization that follows the path of peaceful development, and stressed that external work must firmly pursue an independent foreign policy of peace and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

In order to achieve the goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind, we should continue to practice the common values of all mankind, implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and inclusive economic globalization, deepen the reform of the foreign affairs work mechanism, participate in and lead the reform and construction of the global governance system, firmly safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and create a favorable external environment for further deepening reform in an all-round way and advancing Chinese-style modernization. These measures not only demonstrate the long-term independence and self-reliance of China's diplomacy and keeping pace with the times, but also have a far-reaching and lasting impact on promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and better promote the joint efforts of all countries to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world with lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.

Guangming Daily (2024-08-05 12th edition)

Source: Guangming Net-Guangming Daily