Path to modernization

In October, the report to the CPC's 20th National Congress made it clear that the Chinese path to modernization is one that "follows the path of peaceful development".

Scholars said this viewpoint is conducive to convincing the international community of China's consistent dedication to global stability and prosperity.

China is the only country in the world that has enshrined its adherence to the path of peaceful development in its constitution, and it is the only one of the "five nuclear-weapon states" that has pledged not to be the first to use such weapons.

China has never taken the initiative to provoke conflict or war, let alone resort to force or the threat of force, Chinese diplomats said in recent public speeches, adding that the country's development has always represented a growing force for peace in the world.

Jia Qingguo, a member of the 14th CPPCC National Committee and director of the Institute for Global Cooperation and Understanding at Peking University, said that this method of achieving modernization via the path of peaceful development is "based on history and reality" and it contributes Chinese wisdom to the solution of human problems. It rebuts the Clash of Civilizations theory and the stereotypical belief that "a powerful nation will surely become a hegemony", Jia said.

"More than 70 years after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the CPC and the Chinese people, who have endured major sufferings, know well the rarity of peace and the value of development, and they take it as their lofty duty to promote world peace and development," he said.

He added that in the face of the challenge of a growing deficit in global peace, development, security and governance, President Xi proposed the Global Development Initiative in 2021 and the Global Security Initiative last year.

These "provide a Chinese solution for the common development and progress of all countries in the world", Jia said.