Photo taken on April 19, 2022 shows the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) International Conference Center in Boao, South China's Hainan province. [PHOTO / XINHUA]

The Chinese path to modernization has demonstrated a new mode to achieve progress, offering an alternative for nations to take a route other than the Western way, experts said.

Speaking at the annual Boao Forum for Asia, which kicked off on March 28 in Boao in China’s southern island province of Hainan, the experts noted that Chinese modernization has the universal features of modernization of successful countries while incorporating some unique elements suited to China’s conditions.

Martin Jacques, a senior fellow at Cambridge University, said the question being posed now is what the next stage of modernization be will like because China has now arrived, in key areas, more or less at the same technological level as the most advanced countries in the world. 

Panelists discuss the Chinese path to modernization at the Boao Forum for Asia in Boao, Hainan province, on March 29, 2023. (XU WEIWEI / CHINA DAILY)

“So I think the perspective now for China is to embark on a modernization which has got much stronger, specific current Chinese characteristics,” he said. “You always have to learn; however advanced, you must learn. … But the next stage I think, Chinese modernization (will be) a very potentially creative phase of offering the world a new kind of modernity.”

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former president of the Philippines, said that compared with the Western countries, China has a unique path of globalization. She pointed out that China, the Philippines and several other nations in Asia had faced colonial repression in the past.

“I believe that experience makes it understandable that China's (talk) of progress and modernization is often in the context of a community of shared and common prosperity,” she said.

Vincent H.S. Lo, chairman of Hong Kong-based business enterprise Shui On Group, said China’s modernization will continue to develop, which is not only hugely beneficial to the country but also for the whole world, especially now that the global economy is facing a recession scenario. 

Companies from around the world want a share of the country's market featuring 1.4 billion people, he said. 

“But now it is a pity that some Western countries led by the United States want to suppress us, which may slow down our growth, but cannot stop our long-term development in the future,” Lo said. 

According to Lo, this particular situation will have a greater impact on Western countries than on China, because they will lose a huge market. He added, “I hope the Western countries think about whether they are supposed to create a more prosperous world, which will benefit everyone.”

Jiang Zelin, former deputy secretary-general of the State Council and chairman of the 12th CPPCC Jilin Provincial Committee, said the Chinese modernization under the leadership of the Communist Party of China reflects a deep understanding and vision for the nation’s future. 

Over the years, the country has been promoting Chinese-style modernization, he said, noting that since the reform and opening-up process began, industrialization and urbanization have been greatly accelerated. 

“But this is also based on the scientifical and technological progress, and follows the general characteristics of modernization in the world,” he said, “And we are now considering more about the Chinese characteristics.”

Contact the writer at vivienxu@chinadailyapac.com