Wu Guangqiang

    jw368@163.com

    DESPITE greatly divergent views on China’s political, economic and ideological systems, nearly every country in the world acknowledges China’s epic achievements in economic and social development.

    The Chinese cultural values of modesty and moderation discourage self-praise or self-glorification, so China seldom proclaims its greatness in public.

    Yet I would like to cite some facts that demonstrate how great China indeed is. The purpose of the self-glorification, however, is not to satisfy our vanity, but to help the rest of the world to better understand China as a rising global power and, more importantly, to share some of the secrets of China’s success with other developing countries.

    Facts speak louder than words.

    According to World Bank data, China’s GDP in 1980 was about US$190 billion, India’s was almost the same, Germany’s was 919 billion, Japan’s was 1 trillion, and America’s was 2.86 trillion. So China at that time had just an eighth of Germany’s, a ninth of Japan’s, and a twentieth of the U.S.’s GDP. Don’t forget that China was as “big” as India back then.

    Worldwide, 880 million people were lifted out of poverty from 1981 to 2010, 780 million of which were Chinese.

    China saw an annual increase of 7.9 percent in consumption from 1978 to 2014, outpacing every other country. The world’s annual increase rate was 2.7 percent during the same period.

    Even amid the recent sluggish global economy, China still led the world with its 6.7 percent GDP growth in the first half of this year. With its resiliency, diversity and innovation, China’s economic growth has been praised by IMF president Christine Lagarde as “of landmark significance.”

    Within a mere three decades, China has leapt from being a poverty-stricken agricultural nation to an industrialized and high-tech nation.

    Numerous titles name China the largest industrial manufacturer, the largest goods trader, the largest network of high-speed rails and expressways, the largest Internet market with the largest number of users enjoying the most advanced Internet application technologies, and so on.

    Yet, opinions vary greatly over what forces are behind the China miracle. An increasing number of countries have become aware that China’s unique political, social and economic systems are the formula for its success, while the U.S.-led West, out of pride and prejudice, never accepts the reality that there are correct routes to success other than the Western road. In their eyes, the only way to modernization and prosperity is by adopting Western ideas and practices: democratic elections, a multi-party system, a bicameral legislature, economic privatization, etc.

    History has proved and will continue to prove that what China has been doing is one of the greatest social experiments in the human evolution process. Let me explain why.

    China’s present accomplishments are not a result of luck but a natural outcome of the unremitting endeavor by the Communist Party of China (CPC) to modernize China over the past decades; each of its moves in the different historic periods has served as an integral step in the grand blueprint to build a brand-new, powerful and respected China.

    The CPC-led revolution in the 1940s overturned the reign of the Kuomintang and did away with all elements that had hindered the development of productive forces, thus paving the way to establish a strong country with strong centralized leadership, a huge united market and mechanisms that would make rapid and efficient development possible.

    The series of ensuing social movements, such as land reform and economic nationalization, realized the plan to make China a massive market with efficient and effective decision making and implementation. All these efforts laid a solid foundation for a later economic take-off.

    Despite some mistakes and setbacks, the CPC has been trekking on a rough yet correct trail toward success.

    It is China’s adherence to its unique political system that ensures its long-term stability and lasting economic growth. Had China adopted the Western pattern, it is certain that it would have fallen apart, to say nothing of the economic miracle.

    Some other factors also contribute to China’s greatness, such as its long history, profound culture, and its unique written language: Chinese characters serve as a strong bond, which ties China’s many different ethnic groups tightly together.

    Myriad little things make China great.

    (The author is an English tutor and a freelance writer.) Cai Meng/Newscartoon.com.cn