Gustaaf Geeraerts, director of the Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies, gives a keynote speech during the roundtable conference on Saturday afternoon in Shanghai. [Photo/China.org.cn/Li Jia]

Chinese dreaming in an interdependent world

Gustaaf Geeraerts

Director

Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies (BICCS)

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)

On closer examination, the Chinese dream harbours three dreams, which are closely intertwined. First, it is about staging China's revival whilst remaining faithful to its rich cultural heritage and own socialist identity. Second, it is about a stronger China (comprehensive national power) that is to pursue an independent foreign policy and resolutely follow its own road, while at the same time increasing mutual cooperation with other countries, dealing together with global challenges and working hard to make a contribution to global development. Third, it is about a world order where states are equal and trust each other, common security is achieved, diversity of civilizations is maintained and win-win cooperation leads to common prosperity.

China is no longer the developing country it once was and is becoming more prosperous. The Chinese leadership is at the head of the world's most successful economy and its self-confidence has been boosted by three decades of impressive economic. By integrating itself into the international economy and international society through its reform and opening-up policy, it has gradually become an insider of the international system and thus no longer has an interest in radically changing the current international system. China needs the rest of the world as much as the world needs China. Beijing can only continue to grow and prosper to the extent that China's regional and world environment remains stable and thus must steer its development and growth in a way to reassure other countries and limit their qualms about China's rise and prevent them from balancing, or even worse, containing China.

As China is very different in terms of culture, history, economy, political system and stage of development it de facto poses a challenge to the era of Western hegemony at the level of system values and rules of the game. In my expectation China is neither dreaming of adopting the "Western" system, nor is its dream about delegitimizing, challenging or replacing it. In line with China's past of cultural authority and exceptionalism, China's dream is about an evolutionary path of gradually accepting more commitments and responsibilities, focusing on domestic development and consolidation, contributing selectively to global governance, and seeking to implement its concept of a harmonious world pragmatically.