China’s image shines en route to modernization
Sound internal governance, global credibility boost appeal
In a report delivered to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on October 16, Xi Jinping expounded on the missions and tasks of the CPC on the new journey of the new era.
The tasks were specified to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.
The country’s modernization has deep implications for how China presents itself to the world and how the world perceives China, observers said.
This is the sixth installment of the Global Times’ special coverage of the special event.
Expounding on the “great socialist modern country” as “prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful,” Xi noted at the opening session on Sunday the need to better tell China’s stories, make China’s voice heard, and present a China that is credible, appealing, and respectable.
How will China realize its socialist modernization and present an image that is commensurate with this idea?
Observers said the country’s international image and appeal are ultimately defined not only by the course of its progress, but also by its means of development and how it engages with and what it brings to the global community.
Decoding China’s vision of a socialist modern country, we should know that the idea is deeply rooted in the country’s rich culture and traditional philosophies, while organically combines universal values and China’s own development experience.
The soft power of a country ultimately lies in its moral appeal, which comes from what it has promised and achieved both at home and internationally, experts said, holding the belief that China’s sound internal governance and strategic credibility in foreign policy will enhance Chinese appeal and ensure that the ideal image is presented.
Prosperous and strong
In 2012, China had already surpassed Japan to become the world’s second largest economy only behind the US, but nearly 100 million Chinese still lived in poverty.
Ten years later, China has successfully shaken off “poverty” and realized the long-cherished
dream of xiaokang, moderate prosperity in all respects.
China also has a greater ambition of high-quality development, with objectives including boosting China’s strength in manufacturing, product quality, aerospace, transportation, cyberspace, and digital development, advancing rural revitalization across the board and promoting high-standard opening-up.
Smart factories facilitated by 5G, lunar and Mars probes and space stations, electric vehicles and pilotless automobiles and booming eco-tourism in villages are becoming new name cards for China.
Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Peking University, told the Global Times that the progress made in modernization has greatly boosted Chinese people’s confidence in and capability of presenting a real and multidimensional China.
China’s rising economic strength is also making its image more visible and meaningful to the world.
As China vows to promote the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in its future opening-up, the initiative, first put forward by Xi in 2013 and inspired by exchanges between ancient civilizations, also epitomizes the way that China’s development benefits the world, experts said.
They predicted that the BRI, along with other China-proposed development initiatives, will continue to play an integral part in shaping the international perception of China.
Democratic
In the political realm, China’s image has long been smeared as “authoritarian” and “undemocratic”, because the narrative of democracy has been monopolized by the US and the West.
In the Western sense, multiple parties vying for power and governing in turn and universal suffrage are essential parts of democracy.
It was only recently that China started to elaborate on and explain to the world its concept and practices of democracy – the whole-process people’s democracy – a term Xi brought up in 2019 during his visit to a civic center in Shanghai where legislation was being discussed at the local community level.
Whole-process people’s democracy is a combination of electoral democracy and consultative democracy, and is applied through a combination of elections, consultations, decision-making, management and oversight, according to a white paper issued in December 2021 on the concept.
Xi said on Sunday at the opening session of the 20th CPC National Congress that “We will improve the system of institutions through which the people run the country.”
The people-centered ideal that the CPC embraces has its roots in traditional culture and the governance philosophy of Confucianism, while its connotation and relevant practices are suited to contemporary China, analysts said.
Zheng Yongnian, a noted Chinese political scientist, said democracy is sustainable when it is compatible with a country’s economic, social and cultural reality. Democracy lasts longer when it is born from inside rather than imposed by outside forces.
While China forges ahead on its unique path of democracy, Westernstyle democracy is on the verge of collapse, with the US Capitol riots in 2021 as a prominent example.
Not only do Chinese people have stronger confidence in their democracy and political path, as a poll in 2021 suggested, but more and more people around the world are also starting to realize and daring to speak out the simple truth that democracy is not like Coca-Cola, tasting the same everywhere in the world.
Culturally advanced
“To build a modern socialist country in all respects, we must develop a socialist culture with Chinese characteristics and be more confident in our culture,” Xi said in the report.
No one can deny the richness of Chinese culture, said Zhang Yiwu, but the issue is how we present it and whether the message gets delivered.
Zhang pointed out a notable trend of Chinese people taking greater initiative in defending their traditional culture and showing greater confidence in revitalizing their own culture through interpretations in pace with the times.
TV dramas and novels have also been playing an important role in bringing innovation to the delivery of Chinese