Edward Tse

The View | Chinese modernisation may baffle the West, but it works

The ability to experiment, learn and adapt, and to embrace seemingly opposing concepts simultaneously, lies behind China’s rapid economic transformation

Xi Jinping’s resolve to achieve both higher-efficiency growth and common prosperity, and to balance manufacturing prowess with sustainable development, should be seen in this light

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People stroll along the Bund, in Shanghai, China, on January 27. In recent decades, China’s ability to coordinate large-scale economic activity has steadily increased. Photo: EPA-EFE

Edward Tse

Published: 12:30am, 22 Feb 2023

President Xi Jinping told key Communist Party figures on February 7 that China would continue to pursue Chinese modernisation, as a path distinct from Westernisation. The rest of the world is still trying to decipher what Chinese modernisation means.

The failure to understand Chinese modernisation outside China is tied to the West’s belief that the country owes its competitiveness in global markets to unfair means, including infringement of intellectual property rights and use of government subsidies.

Some Western critics believe China’s massive population and domestic market have facilitated huge – but largely by way of brute force – manufacturing capacities. Some say the Chinese have an ability to take a long-term view but can’t explain why, and some believe that while China is efficient, it lacks ingenuity.

Chinese thinkers and leaders began to reflect on how China should modernise itself in the early 1840s. Since then, there have been many rounds of reflection and attempts at revitalisation. The period between the First Opium War and the late 1970s was marked by almost continual tumult.

Deng Xiaoping’s reform and opening up marked a turning point towards greater experimentation and adaptation. Deng knew he didn’t have all the answers, but was willing to try.

That this pragmatic approach has delivered economic growth is evident to the world. China is now seeking its own path to modernity, one that is compatible with its own history, culture and civilisation.