China’s remarkable progress in modernization within a short span has been a topic of discussion and admiration worldwide. The Chinese President, Xi Jinping, acknowledged the achievement of modernization at the Lanting Forum on Chinese Modernization and the World, held in Shanghai. He emphasized the need for China to find a development path that suits its unique situation, and he also promised to work with all countries to advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Chinese modernization is home-grown, and its opportunities are open to the world, said the State Councillor and Foreign Minister, Qin Gang. He noted that countries that have attained modernization should not prevent others from achieving the same. Gang also pointed out that there is no fixed model of modernization, and that copying foreign models is counter-productive. China’s approach to modernization is to domesticate models to suit its unique situation.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has completed over 3,000 cooperation projects in the past ten years, with $1 trillion investments made and 420,000 jobs created for participating countries. China’s direct investment flows abroad average $320 million daily, and over 3,000 foreign companies set up in China each month. Furthermore, over 140 countries and regions view China as a major trading partner, and 800 million Chinese people have been lifted out of poverty in the past 40 years.
China’s modernization benefits are felt across the globe, particularly in Africa through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). Nigeria, for example, has benefitted from China’s support in building roads, the Lekki Deep Sea Port, the Zungeru hydro power plant, and the Abuja-Kaduna and Lagos-Ibadan rail lines, among others.
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, with the support of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government. Representatives from about 80 countries, including governments, think tanks, and media organizations, participated in the forum.
