XIA Lu: Chinese modernization inspiring for other countries

Chinese modernization encourages different countries to pursue different paths to modernization and helps clarify current goals of modernization for them, a Chinese expert says.

The theory of Chinese modernization stresses the uniqueness of not only China but all countries, said Xia Lu, a research fellow of the National Academy for Development and Strategy at Renmin University of China, in an recent interview with Xinhua.

"Modernization surely has variations. There is no universally applicable model for the development of modernization," Xia said.

There is no standardized model of development and modernization. For a long time, Western countries have dominated the definition of modernization. Most developing countries bent over backward to emulate the path of modernization that developed countries have taken but with little success.

"For many, there is some kind of 'distortion' in the understanding of modernization," Xia said.

"It's like an Asian man turning on a British TV. You are in Asia but all you can see from the TV is what's happening in London, Paris, and Berlin. It's just not relevant to you. Developing countries and developed countries are totally different in terms of the period and problems of development," Xia added.

The theory of Chinese modernization, however, is rather "cool-minded." Development, especially development with high quality, is the priority of developing countries including China. Given that China and other developing countries have similar problems, the theory points out that China's development experience can serve as a reference for developing countries.

"Reducing poverty can be a great example," and China's lifting of more than 800 million people out of extreme poverty since the late 1970s has been the largest global reduction in inequality in modern history, he said.

Xia said Western countries tend to offer money and food, the so-called "international aid," to poor countries in the world. But as an old Chinese saying goes: "Better teach a man how to fish than give him fish." China has realized that reducing poverty should focus on promoting the development momentum of poor regions.

"We have favorable educational policies for poor regions and encourage talents of the whole country to work there, which has greatly boosted their development. That experience can be borrowed by most of the developing countries," Xia said.

Furthermore, Xia also pointed out that Chinese modernization is the modernization of peaceful development in contrast to the West.

On the issues of peace and security, China has the best record of a major power in the world and has always been unequivocally opposed to hegemonism and power politics. "In the course of achieving modernization, we are faced with new challenges of how to stick to our own path, but we keep bringing new attempts for modernization to the world, which contributes to human civilization," Xia told Xinhua.

(Translated by ZHANG Yuqing; Proofread by YANG Fanxin)