The profound substance of China's peaceful development is the
revival of the Chinese civilization. The key issue here is the
relationship between "peaceful rise" and civilized renaissance. We
can understand the scenario from the following three aspects.
First, from the aspect of the practical needs of modern China,
the peaceful development or rise refers to dealing with the
difficulties and challenges confronting modern China in a civilized
manner and to realize a civilized revival through autonomous
innovation.
China faces three major challenges in the process of peaceful
development and rise, namely: the challenge of resources shortage,
especially the shortage of energies, environmental challenge in
particular the deterioration of the ecological environment, and a
series of dilemma challenges in the economic and social
development. To solve these problems, people should set up the
concept of scientific development, put people first, and promote a
comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development. All these
words are familiar to our ears. However, to put them into a
nationwide, profound and sustaining conscious action, efforts
should be made to improve the overall civilized level and meet the
three major challenges in a civilized manner.
Second, from the aspect of the relationship between China and
the whole world, the peaceful development or rise means to build up
the image of a civilized power in the world.
The civilization history of the human being tells us that a
truly strong nation has always been led by an advanced culture and
higher-level civilized nationality. Today, the international
community recognized China's "rising" because of China's sustaining
and rapid growth. The opening and reform of the country has brought
it an average 9 percent of GDP growth in the last over 20 years.
However, some international communities are also concerned about
the potential threat of the rise of China, partially because of the
ideological bias that has "demonized" China, partially because of
the problems resulted from the insufficient civilized building
created by ourselves. For the latter, the problems of inadequate
civilized building worth deep attention from us. Drawing on and
assimilating the advanced experience of human civilization reflects
the convergence of the Chinese civilization with the world
civilization; strengthening the affinity and inspiring the Chinese
civilization to be close to the world together with the enhancement
of national strength reflects the same. China needs to build up the
image being both "peaceful" and "civilized" in its adhering to the
road of peaceful development.
Third, from the aspect of China's historical development, its
peaceful development or rise refers to making the dream of the
Chinese people through the over 100 years come true through
invigorating the nation and realizing the revival of the Chinese
civilization.
In the history, the Chinese nations have created a brilliant
material and spiritual civilization and made tremendous
contribution to the development of human society. Only in the
modern times, China fell behind with the other countries and
suffered oppressive humiliation and bitterness. Although the over
100 years, Chinese people have been dreaming about the rejuvenation
of the whole nation. The process of the progressive realization of
the "powers dream" and the process of China's peaceful development
and rise should be neither a process of sheer westernization, nor a
process of outdated-dominant revival. It should be a process that
takes the Marxist theory as the guidelines in the development of
modern China, creatively inherits and develops the fine cultural
traditions, and confidently absorbs and takes advantage of the
useful experiences in the history of human civilization. It should
be a process in which Chinese civilization could be rehabilitated
through autonomous innovation.
China's development is a peaceful development. Its revival
refers to a civilized renaissance. There are "four integrations"
going through the whole process of the peaceful development and the
civilized revival: First, to integrate the heritance of traditions
with the reform and innovation; second, to integrate the absorbing
of outstanding civilizations of the world with our own realities;
third, to integrate natural science with human social science;
fourth, to integrate the external peace with internal harmony.
These four integrations are of utmost importance. They are closely
bound up to the success of our undertakings. It is also the
fundamental reason why the revival of the Chinese civilization in
the first half of the 21st Century is the profound substance of
China's peaceful development.
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The author Zheng Bijian is the chairman of the China Reform
Forum.
(People's Daily April 11, 2006)
