The West has always regarded modernity as singular. There is only one form of modernity and that is Western. Every country will eventually follow the Western path. Of course, this is a nonsense. Modernity is shaped by history and culture as well as economics and technology. There is not one modernity but many. The first example of non-Western modernity was Japan. China, having made enormous technological progress, is now thinking of the ways in which its modernisation will be distinctive and Chinese. Of course, Chinese modernisation will continue to share many features with Western and other modernities, but as a civilization-state, a huge country, and with an extraordinary history, Chinese modernity will also be strikingly different.
China has been making serious progress in its diplomatic influence since the beginning of the year. The most dramatic example is its pivotal role in the rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia which took the whole world by surprise. It was an extraordinary demonstration of China’s power and diplomatic potential in seemingly almost any area of the world. Increasing attention is now being paid to how China might play a central role in bringing the Ukraine war to an end.
With unexpected speed, China has abandoned its zero-Covid policy. The West predicted a crackdown on the anti-Covid demonstrators. There has been no sign of it. China is once more open for business. It is seeking to restore its economic growth. This will help to galvanise the global economy. We are beginning to emerge into the post-Covid world.
Can the West demonstrate the intelligence and humility to learn from its own failures and China’s success in governance? The challenge is to understand the strengths of the Chinese political system and find ways of applying them to a Western democracy.
So what does the future hold? America will not be able to contain China. The latter will remain deeply connected with the world. China’s greatest strength is the close relationship it has built with the developing world.
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Panellist: New Development of China, New Opportunities for the World
Lanting Forum on Chinese Modernisation and the World
Shanghai
Keynote speech: ‘A decade of the Concept of Building a Community based on a Shared Future for Mankind’
Forum on ‘Community with a shared future for mankind’
RDCY
Renmin University
Beijing
Keynote speech: ‘Modernisation 3.0: A New Challenge and a New Mentality’
Wenzhou Entrepreneurs Forum
Wenzhou Business College
Wenzhou
Panellist: The Chinese Path to Modernisation.
Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference
Boao, Hainan
This is a speech given at an International Forum in Hong Kong, 16 June 2022.
Hong Kong is moving into a new phase of development. It has three key features: order and stability, integration with the Chinese economy, and crucially, winning the hearts and minds of the Hong Kong people