BEIJING, Jan. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For more than a century, China has tirelessly pursued modernization — from "Revitalize China" to the "four modernizations" goal launched after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, referring to agriculture, industry, defense and science.
Now modernization is no longer simply a dream for the Chinese people. In 2022, China's leadership unveiled its blueprint for building a modern socialist China in all respects featuring a unique Chinese path.
"An ambitious blueprint has been drawn for building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization, sounding a clarion call of the times for us forging ahead on a new journey," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his New Year address on Saturday.
Toward Chinese modernization
In October, Chinese modernization, a key term defining China's journey to rejuvenation, was for the first time written into a report to the National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Chinese modernization has elements that are universal to all modernization processes but is characterized by features that are unique to the Chinese context.
President Xi has underscored the unique features of Chinese modernization: the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature, and of peaceful development.
China is working to achieve modernization for more than 1.4 billion people, a number larger than the combined population of all developed countries in the world today.
With the steady growth of its own economy, China champions common prosperity to ensure that everyone receives a fair share of its economic success and to reduce inequality. According to the Blue Book of Common Prosperity, China's index of common prosperity increased by 79.3 percent from 24.67 in 2013 to 44.23 in 2020.
While continuing to consolidate the material foundation for modernization and improve the material conditions for people's well-being, China is striving to develop advanced socialist culture, foster strong ideals and convictions, and carry forward China's cultural heritage. China now has 43 items on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, the highest number in the world.
Guided by the new development philosophy featuring innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development, China in 2022 continued to be a leading growth engine for the world economy. The International Monetary Fund forecast that China's economy would grow at 3.2 percent in 2022, aligning with the global projected pace.
As the Chinese leadership has pledged many times, the country has stayed committed to peaceful development. The Global Security Initiative launched in April is one example. It has already gained appreciation and support from over 70 countries.
With solid steps
The CPC aims to realize socialist modernization from 2020 through 2035, and build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful from 2035 through the middle of this century.
The path to achieving the goals is already taking shape. With its people-centered philosophy of development, the country has built the world's largest education, social security and healthcare systems.
Xi has called innovation the heart of China's modernization drive. China's pursuit of independence in scientific innovation is reflected in its various achievements, including the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, space exploration including lunar and Mars probes and the construction of China's own space station, and the deep-sea manned submersible Fendouzhe. The country has also developed its own high-speed railway technologies, 5G communication technologies and artificial intelligence.
In the Global Innovation Index 2022 provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization, a UN specialized agency, China's rank has risen to 11th among the 132 economies surveyed.
Guided by Xi's vision of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," China's modernization drive also emphasizes harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. The country has cut its carbon emission intensity by 34.4 percent over the past 10 years, and pledged to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.
Moreover, China reiterates that it will advance a broader agenda of opening up across more areas and with greater depth, follow the Chinese path to modernization, and share the nation's development opportunities with the world. In the first 11 months of 2022, China's trade in goods expanded 8.6 percent year on year to 38.34 trillion yuan ($5.5 trillion), according to the General Administration of Customs.
