Chinese experience shows no single path to modernization: expert

China's endeavor toward the pursuit of modernization shows that there is no single path to successful development, said an expert in Beijing on Wednesday on stage at the Global South Think Tanks Forum.

Organized by the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Central Committee and China Media Group, the forum, with both online and offline formats, brought together leaders and experts from developing nations to discuss crucial global issues such as peace, development, and security.

During the event, Wang Dong, executive director of the Institute for Global Cooperation and Understanding at Peking University, shared his insights on what the Chinese pathway to modernization has to offer the world.

"There is a Chinese saying. I think some of our friends in the audience might have heard about this. In Chinese, it's called "san ren xing, bi you wo shi", so if there are three companions and they take a journey together, there always will be at least one who could become my teacher. That's the Chinese culture. We will always be ready to learn from others, so I think in terms of the endeavor toward the pursuing of modernization, this concept "Zhongguo-shi xiandaihua" - the translation is Chinese pathway to modernization - there also could be the Brazilian pathway to modernization, the Philippine way to modernization, the Polish pathway to modernization, etc," said Wang.

According to Wang, a developing country like China can succeed by forging its own unique path to modernization rather than adopting a prescribed forumala.

"What I think the Chinese experiences really tells us is that it breaks this myth that there's only one pathway to modernization among us, which is West-is-best. If you're not following the Washington Consensus, or now they call it the New Washington Consensus, you are outdated, you are not part of this, [it is] impossible [for you] to achieve modernization whatsoever. We successfully broke that myth, and we demonstrated that as a developing country, poor country like China, as long as we do the right thing -- investment, education, capital, technology, and also, we just discussed the right balance between the efficient, invisible hand of the market and the efficiency of the government regulation -- to combine all those things together, we found this Chinese pathway to modernization," he said.

The forum attracted participation from political figures, government representatives, analysts, scholars, and journalists from 76 countries and regions worldwide.

At the event, 40 think tanks from Global South countries jointly released an initiative reaching a broad consensus on enhancing development cooperation, promoting fairness and justice, and collaborating to build a global community for peace, security, prosperity, and progress for all.

Chinese experience shows no single path to modernization: expert

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inspected the cities of Anqing and Hefei in east China's Anhui Province on Thursday afternoon.

Xi visited the Liuchi Alley in Tongcheng City under Anqing and the Hefei Binhu Science City.

During the visits, he learnt about the local efforts to carry forward fine traditional Chinese culture, promote cultural-ethical progress, advance institutional innovation of science and technology, and accelerate the application of scientific and technological advances.

Being part of the Yangtze River Delta, Anhui Province boasts beautiful landscapes and a rich cultural heritage.

It covers an area of 140,100 square kilometers and has a population of 61.21 million.

In the first half of 2024, its GDP reached 2.3967 trillion yuan, a year-on-year growth of 5.3 percent.

To comprehensively deepen reforms and promote high-quality development in manufacturing, Anhui is focused on building a "4433" trillion-yuan industrial system. The goal is to cultivate four trillion-yuan industries, four industries exceeding 500 billion yuan, three exceeding 300 billion yuan, and three exceeding 100 billion yuan by 2027.

Anhui Province has further enhanced its capacity for technological innovation by integrating reforms in education, technology, and talent systems. The strategical emerging industries driven by innovation are continuously growing, with technological advancements turning into new momentum for high-quality development.

As a major grain-producing area, Anhui's grain output has reached 40 billion kilograms for seven consecutive years.

Anhui is systematically advancing ecological protection and restoration while accelerating the green transformation of its development model. Over the past 10 years, energy consumption per unit of GDP in the province has decreased by 30 percent.

With a long and rich history and profound cultural heritage, Anhui is actively promoting cultural prosperity and development. The aim is to stimulate cultural innovation and creativity and accelerate the establishment of a thriving and strong cultural province.

Brief look at Anhui Province as Xi goes on inspection tour