Reform and opening up provides an institutional support for Chinese modernization. Photo: TUCHONG

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Chinese modernization has enriched and expanded theories of human modernization, offering significant methodological insights for many developing countries on their path to modernization.

Adhering to national conditions and cultural heritage, China has independently explored its own path to modernization. Chinese modernization shares common features of modernization, conforming to universal development principles, actively promoting industrialization, urbanization, and informatization while advancing democracy and the rule of law. However, it also maintains distinctive Chinese characteristics, steadfastly upholding a socialist orientation, rooted in its historical legacy and unique national conditions and emphasizing national pride and confidence while it steadfastly treads its own path.  

 China consistently upholds and strengthens the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), inspiring enthusiasm and creativity among its people. Chinese modernization is a socialist modernization led by the CPC. The CPC’s leadership is the most essential characteristic of socialism with Chinese characteristics and its greatest institutional advantage.

By upholding the unification of inheritance and innovation, China continuously upholds and develops Marxism, advancing theoretical, institutional, and practical innovations. Building on the great practice of reform and opening up, the nation has pioneered, upheld, defended, and developed socialism with Chinese characteristics, steadfastly pursuing Chinese modernization.  

By upholding the unification of efficiency and fairness, China properly leverages the roles of both the government and the market. Integrating socialism with a market economy represents a significant theoretical and practical innovation of traditional Marxism, surpassing Western liberalism.

By maintaining unification of independence and opening up, China ensures that its modernization has a solid internal foundation while also benefiting from the achievements of human civilization. Modern Chinese history demonstrates that without national independence, there can be no modernization. National independence is a prerequisite for modernization, and modernization, in turn, safeguards national independence.

By aligning long-term and short-term goals, China advances modernization in stages. Like China, many developing countries have struggled with weak economic foundations. These countries must eliminate disruptions and stay focused on long-term modernization goals while also addressing immediate realities. Through persistent, phased progress and the accumulation of incremental achievements, they can achieve significant leaps in modernization. 

China adheres to the unification of vitality and order. Vitality and order are the eternal themes of the development of modernization. They influence and reinforce each other. Vitality serves as the driving force of modernization, while order provides the foundation for its development and the consolidation of its achievements, ensuring that vitality is sustained. Chinese modernization has harnessed the power of reform and opening-up to fully stimulate societal innovation and creativity, achieving rapid economic growth and promoting high-quality development. At the same time, it has strongly maintained national security and social stability, ensuring dynamic yet orderly progress. This approach has resulted in the remarkable long-term stability of Chinese society. 

China aligns the central task of economic development with comprehensive advancement. Chinese modernization advances in stages and across various fields, evolving from focusing on industrialization to comprehensive modernization. For many developing countries, it is crucial to maintain an unwavering focus on economic development as the central task, continually reinforcing the material foundation for modernization before pursuing comprehensive progress.

In summary, the success of Chinese modernization lies in the effective management of a series of major relationships, offering valuable insights for many developing countries on their path to modernization. While differences in national conditions and cultural heritage mean that Chinese modernization cannot directly provide ready-made solutions for other developing countries, it can offer useful methodological guidance.

Chen Zhigang is a research fellow from the Academy of Marxism at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. 

Edited by ZHAO YUAN