Question: Modernization is the theme of the national rejuvenation of China, and advancing socialist modernization is a focusof the CPC's governance. The successful practice of the Chinese path to modernization shows that modernization is not exclusive to the West. Every country that finds a modernization path suited to its national conditions can achieve leapfrog development. How do you think of "modernization"?
Chen Wenling: The Chinese path to modernization offers a new option for human society to achieve modernization. It is also the Chinese wisdom and solution offered by the CPC and the Chinese people to address common challenges and issues facing mankind in the new era, reflectingthe strong leadership of the CPC and the great creation of the Chinese people. As for the indicators of modernization, there are many descriptions of indicator systems and forms around the world. For example, American sociologist Alex Inkeles proposed a ten-indicator system with social modernization and human modernization serving as foundation for each other. Being highly recognized in the international community, it measures the level of economic development and human development of a country witheconomic scale, economic qualityandpurchasing power. The goals of national modernization set out in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, such as human modernization, economic and social modernization, are the common directionfor all countries to strive for.
Modernization is a dynamic concept, withdifferent criteria at different historical stages. For example, in the 1960s, if a country maintained a growth rate of more than 7%withper capita GDP of500-1,000 US dollars, we can sayit entered a period of rapid modernization. Over the past four decades of reform and opening-up, China has maintained an average annual growth rateof 9.6%, with the highest in the world in both growth rate and duration. This has laid a solid foundation for China's modernization.
Human society has accumulated both experience and lessons in the process of modernization, and Western modernization is not the only choice. It is impossible for China to copy the western mode indiscriminately to achieve the Chinese path to modernization proposed by Xi Jinping in the Report of the 20thCPC National Congress. But we can still draw on some experience from the western mode, e.g. science and technology as the primary productive force; improving the original innovation ability of science and technology; the talent policy of attracting the brightest minds from all over the world; government public policies and systems; the system for procurement of government public goods, and so on.
Published on November 10, 2022