October 1, 2024, marked the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Over the past 75 years, China developed from abject poverty to the world’s second-largest economy, with a per capita income of more than $12,500, reaching the level of upper-middle-income countries. Looking back at the 75 years of China’s modern history, no one can deny that this is an economic miracle the world has never seen. In 2022, the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to build China into a great modern socialist country in two steps in the next 27 years through the ‘Chinese path to modernization’, which features a huge population, common prosperity for all, and material and cultural-ethical advancement, and also entails harmony between humanity and nature, as well as peaceful development.
This July, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee adopted the Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization. More than 300 reform measures have been put forward to further improve and develop the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and modernization of the national governance system and capacity.
China’s economic miracle continues to shine. At this historic juncture, it is the best time to answer the question of interest: What are the reasons behind the Chinese miracle? Truth comes from practice. As the economic miracle was created by Chinese people, it is Chinese people who are more qualified to answer the question. Here are five reasons that reveal why.
Rooted in aspirations
The first reason is staying true to the original aspiration. A poem by Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran is popular in China, which goes, “We already walked too far, down to we had forgotten why embarked.” We Chinese people bear this in mind to alert ourselves not to betray our ideals and beliefs.
Deng Xiaoping, the chief architect of China’s Reform and Opening-up, proposed “making economic development the central task, upholding the Four Cardinal Principles, and remaining committed to reform and opening up” as the theoretical frame ‘Four Cardinal Principles’ are “keeping to the path of socialism, upholding the people’s democratic dictatorship, upholding the leadership of the CPC, upholding Marxism－Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought”. Therefore, China’s miracle is not a myth accomplished in the blink of an eye, but 75 years of unwavering efforts.
Equality
The second reason is to ensure equality. Chinese people have fought for equality and kept asking the question for more than 2000 years: “Are kings and nobles given their high status due to birth?” (meaning that every human, regardless of birth, can become something great if he applies himself).
However, it was not until the founding of New China that the Chinese people truly realized equality for all. In China, the best schools and hospitals are public, parks and venues are open to all, and even remote villages have electricity, clean water and internet access. China has built the world’s largest infrastructure network, maintained the world’s safest social environment, and provided the world’s most extensive and inclusive social security system.
Every Chinese has equal access to these seemingly ‘ordinary’ luxury services and enjoys equal rights to subsistence and development. It is said that Chinese travelling abroad are easy to spot for their obvious assertiveness. Equality of identity is the foundation of the assertiveness that makes the 1.4 billion population a real development bonus rather than a burden.
Reform & innovation
The third reason is reform and innovation. A 3700-year-old bronze bathtub made in Shang Dynasty has an inscribed sentence on it — if you can improve yourself in a day, do so each day, forever building on improvement. For Chinese people, reform is not about a specific historical event, but continuous progress.
Since the founding of the Communist Party of China, Chinese reform has entered a new stage. By integrating Marxism with China’s realities and its fine traditional culture, Chinese people have built a socialist country in the East and creatively developed a system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and embarked on a Chinese path to modernization. The CPC never denies its own problems. On the contrary, it is good at finding the problems and resolving them. It is self-reform that the CPC uses as an important way to push forward social reform.
Unity
The fourth reason is unity. For Chinese people, “1+1>2” is the most appreciated mathematical expression and “to pool all efforts to complete major tasks” is the most popular slogan. Unity is based on not only disciplines but also on democracy. When our people’s armed forces were, regular soldiers were given the right to voice their opinions in the Soldier Committee. After reading Dr. Kotnis’ letters, one believes it is the prevailing democracy that made him decide to stay in China and join the Communist Party of China.
In China, all the important political documents like the Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization adopted at the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China must extensively seek public comments before the introduction. All relevant authorities are required to regularly report how tasks in the documents are implemented to the People’s Congress after the introduction as a way to accept public oversight. Everyone has the right to speak and the responsibility to carry out the task. In such a way, 1.4 billion individuals are united together to form a mighty force to change the world.
Global relations
The fifth reason is embracing the world. China has always been an active champion and practitioner of international exchanges since ancient times. Twenty one hundred years ago, Zhang Qian, the special envoy of Emperor Wu, travelled to Central Asia and opened up the Silk Road. Six hundred years ago, Chinese admiral Zheng He commanded seven voyages to the Indian Ocean with his gigantic fleet, pushing Chinese maritime trade to the highest level of the world.
Today, China puts opening up on a position of the same importance as the reforms. The opening-up brings not only rich resources and vast markets, but also fierce competition. Thus, as the largest trader in goods, China is never a flower growing in the greenhouse of protectionism but a blue whale weathering storms and waves of free trade. The Belt and Road Initiative has emerged as the most important new engine of globalization and injected positive stablizing energy advocating peaceful development in this uncertain world. The BRI not only benefits China but also benefits the world.
The five reasons are far from enough to explain the 75-year story of China. But they can help in understanding Chinese reasons behind the Chinese miracle. One hopes this article could give a new perspective on understanding China. The deeper you know about China, the more you will love China and you will be more steadfast to be the contributor and beneficiary of China-India friendship.
(Kong Xianhua is Consul General of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Mumbai)
