Xictionary: Chinese modernization

BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping has expounded Chinese modernization at various settings -- be it domestic inspections or international gatherings.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, first introduced the concept of Chinese modernization, or "Chinese path to modernization," in a speech he gave to mark the Party's centennial in July 2021.

"As we have upheld and developed socialism with Chinese characteristics and driven coordinated progress in material, political, cultural-ethical, social, and ecological terms, we have pioneered a new and uniquely Chinese path to modernization, and created a new model for human civilization," Xi said in the speech.

Proclaiming the realization of the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects in the same speech, Xi announced that China is marching toward the second centenary goal of building itself into a great modern socialist country in all respects by 2049, the 100th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

The report to the 20th CPC National Congress delivered by Xi in October 2022 positioned realizing the second centenary goal and advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization as the Party's central task.

Five features of Chinese modernization were clarified in the same report: modernization of a huge population, common prosperity for all, material and cultural-ethical advancement, harmony between humanity and nature, and peaceful development.

The implications of Chinese modernization reach beyond the borders of China. The practice expands the channels for developing countries to achieve modernization and provides a Chinese solution for humanity in exploring a better social system, according to Xi.