Theworldisundergoingprofoundchanges,includingmulti-polarization,economicglobalization,culturaldiversification,andtheemergenceofnewtechnologies.OnApril10,attheBoaoForumforAsiaAnnualConference2018,ChinesePresidentXiJinpingdeliveredakeynotespeech,inwhichheraisedthefundamentalquestionofourtimes,“Inthiscomplexandchangingworld,whereareweheadedandwhatisthefutureofAsia?”Beforeattemptingtoanswerthisquestion,wehavetounderstandtheinspirationthatfourdecadesofreformandopening-uphasgivenChina,asXipointedoutinhisspeech,“Foranycountryornationtoachieverejuvenation,itmustfollowthelogicofhistoryandthetrendofthetimesinitspursuitofprogressanddevelopment.”
Acommunitywithasharedfuturetoseekthewellbeingofthewholehumansocietyundoubtedlyrepresentsthehistoricaldirectionofhumansociety’sprogress.Thedevelopmenttrendofthetimesispeace,cooperation,openness,connectivity,reform,andinnovation.Hence,inthenewera,Chinashouldintegrateitsdevelopmentwiththatoftherestoftheworldbyopeningitsdoorwiderandthroughpeacefulcooperation.Chinashouldalsobringthecountry’sdevelopmenttoanewstagebyadvancingreformandpromotinginnovation,thusshapingitselfintoaresponsible,strong,andmodernsocialistcountry,andmakingtheworldmorepeaceful,prosperous,open,andbeautiful.
OpennessandConnectivity
InhiskeynotespeechattheBoaoForumforAsiaAnnualConference2018,PresidentXipointedoutthateconomicglobalizationisanirreversibletrendofourtimes.“China’sdoorwillnotbeclosedandwillonlyopenevenwider,”hesaid.TheQianhai&ShekouAreaofShenzhen,China(Guangdong)PilotFreeTradeZone(FTZ).Byfurtheringitsopening-up,Chinahasthechancetobetterintegrateintotheworldthroughinternationalexchanges,andbecomeacontributortotheworldeconomybysharingChina’swisdomandcreationswiththeworld.Byopeningitsdoorwider,Chinacandomoretosafeguardworldpeace,promoteitsconcepts,andshowitscapacity,charms,andconcernsaboutthefutureofthehumansociety.Inaddition,Chinacantakeanactiveroleinbeingaresponsiblemajorcountry.ThroughtheBeltandRoadInitiative,Chinapursuespeaceandcooperationinsteadofageopoliticalagenda.Initsopeningupprocess,Chinahasadvocateddialogueandnegotiationmechanismsinsteadofseekingexclusionaryblocs.Byemphasizingequality,respect,mutualbenefit,winwincooperation,andopposingcoercion,Chinaaimstobecomeavindicatoroftheworldorder.
China’sreformandopening-upaimstoembraceeconomicglobalizationinitscourageousexplorationofdevelopment,representingavoluntaryintegrationwiththeworld.Economicglobalization,asatrendofourtimes,isbringingaboutboomingtrade,investmentfacilitation,greatermobilityofpeople,andsignificanttechnologydevelopment.Todevelopfurther,Chinamustopenitsdoor,furtherintegratewiththeworld,andendeavortobuildanopenandrationalworldorder.Furthermore,Chinaalsoneedstoseizetheglobalstrategicopportunity,properlycopewithchallenges,andtakeintoaccountbothdomesticandinternationalsituationswiththeaimtoliftChina’sdevelopmenttoanewlevelandthusadvancethedevelopmentoftheglobalgovernancesystemtowardsbeingfairerandmorereasonable,creatingfavorableconditionsforChina’sdevelopmentandworldpeace.
Whenacountrytakesanisolateddevelopmentpath,onlyconcernedwithprotectingitsowninterestsandtryingtoavoidrisksintheoutsideworldaltogether,itlosesthedriveforsustainabledevelopment.AsPresidentXipointedoutinhisspeechattheconferencemarkingthe200thanniversaryofthebirthofKarlMarx,“Theintegratedworldisthere.Thoserefusingtheworldwillfinallybedeniedbytheworld.”
ReformandInnovation
Intheearlydaysofitsreformandopening-up,Chinaleverageditscomparativeadvantageofabundantandcheapworkforcebyencouragingsmall-scalelaborintensiveindustries,andthensecuredalargeshareofthedomesticandinternationalmarket.ThisdevelopmentstrategyconformingtoChina’sconditionsatthetimegreatlypropelledChina’seconomicandsocialdevelopment.AsChina’snationalstrengthcontinuestogrow,industrialcapitalaccumulates,andindustriesupgrade.Supportedbyabundantcapital,Chinahasformeditslate-comeradvantageasadevelopingcountrybylearningandacquiringadvancedtechnologiesandindustrialpracticesofdevelopedcountries.DuringthecourseofChina’sreformandopening-up,itscomparativeandlate-comeradvantageshavedirectlyacceleratedChina’seconomicdevelopmentandlaidasolidfoundationforsocialismwithChinesecharacteristicstoenterthenewera.
Astheworldmarketexpandsandthepoliticallandscapechanges,Chinaismovingevenclosertotheworldcenterstage.China’smanufacturingsectorisfacinganarrayofnewproblemsrelatedtohumanandnaturalresources,andChina’scomparativeandlate-comeradvantagesarewaning.Theroleoftheworld’sfactoryisnolongersuitableforChina.Transformationisinevitable.Thekeyliesininnovationanddevelopingcoretechnologieswithindependentintellectualpropertyrights.
Innovation,asthefirstdrivingforceofacountry’sdevelopment,constitutesthestrategicsupportforChinatobuilditsmoderneconomicsystem.Onlyconstantinnovationcanprovidethedriveforsustainedeconomicgrowth.Overthepastfewdecades,thecourageanddeterminationoftheChinesepeopletoinno-vatehasimpressedtheworld.High-speedtrains,sharedbikes,mobilepayments,andonlineshopping,whichhaveallexperiencedboomingdevelopmentinChina,havemadetheworldmarvelattheChinesepeople’screativityandwisdom.TheimportanceofinnovationandreformhasbeenemphasizedinChineseculturesinceancienttimes,andnowtheyhavebecomepartofthenation’sdailypractices.
Duringthedynamicprocessofitsreformandopening-up,China,whichstartedwithcatchingupandcopyingadvancedeconomies,isgraduallygrowingintoaproponentofnewconcepts,inventorofnewtechnologies,andpioneerofnewtrends.
CooperationandSharedBenefits
Asatrendofourtimes,economicglobalizationalsoservesasameanstoallowpeopleallovertheworldtosharethedevelopmentsofhumankindandenableallcountriesandnationstosharethebenefitsbroughtaboutbyglobalization.Aimingtomakemorecontributionstohumansociety,Chinahaspromotedglobalgovernanceconceptsofextensiveconsultation,jointcontribution,andsharedbenefits,andendeavoredtosafeguardandperfectthemultilateraltradingsystem,inabidtomakeeconomicglobalizationmoreopen,inclusive,balanced,andbeneficialtoall.
Increasingconnectivityandinterdependenceamongcountrieshasalsobroughtmoreinstabilitiesanduncertainties.Theoldsystemofglobalgovernanceestablishedbycapitalistpowersisbeingerodedbyitsintrinsicdrawbacksandchallengedbyemergingeconomies.Asarepresentativeofemergingeconomiesanddevelopingcountries,Chinaisseeingitsinfluenceonglobalgovernancerisingrapidly.Withitsdeepinvolvementinglobalgovernanceandhavingtakenonmoreinternationalresponsibilities,Chinaisexertingmoreinfluenceontheglobaleconomyandprovidingmoretimely,effective,anddiversifiedpublicgoods.
Onmanyoccasions,XihasindicatedthatChinawelcomesothercountriesaboardtheexpresstrainofChina’sdevelopment.HequotedanArabproverb,“hewhotravelsalonegoesfast,buthewhotravelswithcompanygoesfar.”Xi’sviewshavefullydemonstratedChina’sinternationalvisiontoseekcommonprogressforthewholeofhumansociety,instrikingcontrastwiththehegemonicstabilitytheorypopularintheWest.ChinasincerelywelcomesotherdevelopingcountriestotapintoopportunitiesinChina’sdevelopmentasitintendstorealizesharedbenefitsinitsopening-up,thuspromotingfairnessandequity.
AunitedworldisaconceptoftraditionalChinesecultureaboutanidealsociety.“Thehumancommunity”wasputforwardbyKarlMarxonthebasisofjointlabor,withsocietycollectivelyowningallmeansofproduction.AcommunitywithasharedfutureformankindwasproposedbyPresidentXibasedonascientificpredictionofthedevelopmenttrendofhumansociety.Thethreeconceptsconvergeontheirgoalsofseekingtruefreedomandliberationofhumanbeingsandpursuingtheirwellbeinganddevelopment.
Inthissense,China’sneweraalsobelongstotheworld.Inaworldofagrowinginterdependence,it’sawiseoptionforcountriestomakethemostofglobalization,abandonzero-summentality,andjointlycopewithchallengesfacingmankind.Byconsultingwitheachotherondevelopmentstrategies,countriescanjointlybuildtheworldorderandsharebenefits.
Thedecisiontostartthereformandopening-updrive40yearsagowascriticalforChina’sdevelopmenttrajectory,andwasalsorequiredbythedemandtoliberateanddevelopthecountry’ssocialproductiveforces.FourdecadesofrelentlessendeavorshavenotonlyimprovedChina’ssocialistsystem,butalsousheredinaneweraforthecountrytocompleteitsbuildingofamoderatelyprosperoussocietyandbuilditselfintoagreatmodernsocialistcountry.China’ssuccessfulexperienceindevelopingsocialismwithChinesecharacteristicshasinstillednewvigorandvitalityintheworld’smulti-polarizationprocess.Itoffersanewoptionforothercountriesandnationswhowanttospeeduptheirdevelopmentwhilepreservingtheirindependence.Withreformasitsintrinsicimpetusandopening-upasitsoutsidedrivingforcefordevelopment,Chinaismovingevenclosertotheworldcenterstage,andpoisedtomakemorecontributionstotheworld.
Inthenewera,Chinawillfurtheritsopening-upandinnovation.ConnectingChina’snationalinterestswiththewellbeingofthewholehumansocietyandstrivingforfreedom,liberation,andhappinessofallhumanbeingsinitsupholdinganddevelopingsocialismwithChinesecharacteristicsisthebestcelebrationofthe40thanniversaryofChina’sreformandopening-up,andofthe200thanniversaryofthebirthofKarlMarx.C
DR.XIAYIPUisaresearchfellowwiththeResearchCenterofXiJinpingThoughtonSocialismwithChineseCharacteristicsforaNewEraundertheChineseAcademyofSocialSciences.