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INTRODUCTION The People’s Republic of China [PRC] is the world’s third largest country by area [9.957 million km2] and has a population of ~1.4 billion people made up of 56 ethnic groups residing in: 23 provinces (省)
4 municipalities (直辖市) Beijing [Capital of China] Chongqing Shanghai Tianjin 5 autonomous regions (自治区) Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Tibet Autonomous Region Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region 2 special administrative regions (特别行政区) Hong Kong Macao Over the last 3 decades, China lifted more than 700 million Chinese people out of poverty – an achievement unprecedented in human history. Poverty alleviation has resulted in hundreds of millions of poor Chinese people becoming much more productive and making greater contribution to China’s socio-economic and GDP growth. Chinese people now have an average life expectancy of 78.2 years and a literacy rate of 99.8% [US 79% and declining and India 76%] and increasing each year. It is predicted that China’s average life expectancy will surpass the US by 2025. China has a middle-class of almost 700 million people and rapidly increasing as more and more Chinese people are being lifted out of poverty and enter the middle class each year. As a result, China’s market and consuming power is massive, offering enormous opportunities for both domestic and foreign businesses. GOVERNMENT - China is a socialist country with Chinese characteristics governed by the Communist Party of China. China is very much a people-oriented democratic meritocracy with the government at all levels dedicated to the modernization and rejuvenation of the nation. The Chinese government is structured to respond and serve the interests and needs of its people. The Chinese government is truly a government of the people, for the people and by the people. Unlike many countries, Chinese government officials and politicians at every level are not arbitrarily appointed by those who happen to be in power or have good connections. Chinese government officials and politicians are selected based on education achievement, knowledge, ability, performance and experience. Government policies are people-oriented and its short, medium and long-term action plans are the results of extensive consultations starting with the collection of grassroot opinions and submissions by a broad spectrum of think tanks, academic and industry experts and society for discussion, refining, consolidation and then crafted into policies that truly represent the needs and aspirations of the people and the country. Unlike many western governments - Chinese government officials and politicians work for the people, not for the country’s powerful, the rich or the special interests that fund their elections and personal gains. It is not surprising that the Chinese leadership and its government’s popularity are routinely high at over 90% and the people’s happiness index is among the highest in the world. As a result, many countries around the world - particularly the developing countries and those in the global south are looking to China as the alternative model and system for governance, social and economic development, industrialization, modernization and poverty alleviation. MODERNIZATION - It took the US more than a century and the British more than 2 centuries to industrialize and become rich nations and economic powers. In comparison - it took China only 40 years to become a global economic and industrial powerhouse and it started from an extremely low base - a country with extreme poverty, a huge but poorly educated population, limited arable land and water resources, limited capital and technology and natural resources, frequent natural disasters, western technology and capital embargo, the ravages of World War II and years of western interference and colonization. India’s GDP was higher than that of China in the 1970s. Today, China’s GDP is 5 times larger than that of India and the gap continues to widen. What is more remarkable about the rise of China is not just the speed, but it is achieved without colonization, invasions and wars, slavery and the exploitation and plundering of the wealth and resources of the under developed countries across the globe. China has just surpassed UK to become the world's second most influential soft power nation just behind the US, whose global reputation and governance index are declining. China’s advancement in soft power is driven by combination of its foreign policy of working together with the 193 UN member states for a just, fair and multipolar world, the global socio-economic connectivity and development program BRI and its strong support for the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and internationalization of its culture and brands. It is inevitable that China will surpass the US in both hard and soft power in the not-too-distant future. ECONOMY, TRADE AND MANUFACTURING - China is the world's largest economy by PPP surpassing the United States, Japan and Germany and with a FOREX reserve of ~USD 3.2 trillion. China has a rapidly growing middle class and an economy that has been growing at a remarkable average rate of 10% for most of the last 3 decades. China's economy is currently going through a period rapid modernization, upgrading and strategic restructuring - transforming to a more open, sustainable, green, quality-oriented, high value and high technology driven model. An economic system that is knowledge and technology-based and one that is much more equitable, eco-friendly and less reliance on export and where new growth engines, new quality productive forces, services and domestic consumption playing a greater role in GDP growth. Despite relentless US led western containment, sanctions, tariffs, supply chain disruption and technology blockade to disrupt and contain China’s development and modernization, China has been the world's engine of economic growth for the last 2 decades - contributing to 1/3 of the world's annual GDP growth and more than the combined contributions made by the US and G7 countries. Despite an uncertain world with many international and domestic challenges, China will continue to be the cornerstone of global stability and the anchor of economic growth. China has entered industrial revolution 4.0 and its economic, industrial and manufacturing engines are now powered more and more by new quality productive forces and innovations, particularly in areas such as AI, big data, quantum, cloud computing, blockchain, robotics, automation, informatization, networked digitalization and all things smart. China is the world’s industrial and manufacturing superpower, responsible for more than 35% of global manufacturing production and nearly three times that of the US. China overtook the US to become the largest economy in 2016 and in 2024 made up 19% of global GDP based on PPP, compared to just 15% for the US. China’s economy and industries will become much more smart, efficient, resilient, self-sufficient and interference proof – including technology sanctions and blockades. Despite global geopolitical uncertainties, rising protectionism, supply chain decoupling and economic contraction in G7 and EU countries - it is predicted that China’s economy will remain strong and continue to grow both in quantity and quality at a rate of approximately 5% for the next decade and achieves its goal of becoming a modern, advanced and prosperous country by 2030. In terms of global economic and trade governance, China has been instrumental in advocating for reforms to the western controlled and weaponized international institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to better reflect the voice, quotas and voting power of emerging and developing countries. China is also at the forefront of demanding the reform of WTO where every country is expected to abide its rules and judgements with no exceptions and veto power for the US, G7 and its allied countries. INDUSTRY AND INVESTMENT - China is the world’s largest manufacturer, exporter and trader and the second largest foreign investor – particularly in the global south and BRI countries. China is the top trading partner of more than 120 countries. China’s total trade for 2014 is $6.1 trillion with an export value of $3.58 trillion, an import value of $2.59 trillion and a trade surplus of $992 billion. In order to reduce reliance on Western economies and firewall its economy and global trade, China is in the process of re-structuring many of its trade routes and enhance its trade and investments with ASEAN, African countries, the Middle East, BRI and global south countries and with BRICS+ nations - particularly Russia. Despite global economic down turn and challenges, China remains one of the world's favorite destinations for foreign direct investment, especially for those enterprises that can adapt to the rapidly changing consumption patterns and industrial landscape in China. China is committed to creating favourable investment environments and market openness for foreign enterprises, reducing the negative list and opening its economy and many economic sectors further. Economic dual circulation, development of new economic engines, expanding middle class and the ongoing urbanization process are poised to usher in new opportunities for consumption and industrial development in China. Plans to broaden the pilot programs for opening-up in sectors such as telecoms, healthcare, and education are underway. TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION - China has surpassed the US as the global center for talent, graduating 7 times more STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] students each year than the US and EU combined. China’s superiority in STEM graduates is not just in quantity but also in quality. Chinese students are well known to consistently top the PISA [Programme for International Student Assessment] ranking each year while the US is ranked on average at 25 and has made no improvement over the last decade. PISA is an international assessment administered by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that assesses how well 15-year-old students from various countries can apply the knowledge and skills [reading, mathematics and science] they have learned at school to real-life problems and situations. China has surpassed western nations and now leads the world in most of the critical and emerging technologies that will shape industrial revolution 4.0 and the future global socio-economic, industrial, defence and aerospace landscapes for decades to come. China has been investing heavily in education and research and development, particularly in fundamental science and innovation and is now the world leader in the publication of high impact research papers and patent applications and most of the top critical technology research institutions, eco-systems, industrial clusters and supply chains – particularly those relating to green technologies and critical materials such as rare earth minerals are now concentrated and located in China. Today, 8 of the top 10 and 50 of the top 100 quality STEM research universities in the world are in China. Out of top 50 global research universities, 26 are Chinese while only 14 are American. Out of top 50 research universities, 26 are Chinese while only 14 are American. Soochow University [30] ranks higher than Yale [31] and Xiamen University [37] has higher ranking than Berkely [38], Colombia [39], Connell [44] and Uni Chicago [49]. Hunan University [51] out ranks Princeton [52]. Little known Sichuan University ranks higher than Stanford, MIT, Oxford and Uni Tokyo. No Indian or Australian universities are in the top 100. In 2022, China publishes 1/3 of the most influential research papers in the world, more than the US. In terms of the number of world-recognised top scientists, China surpassed the US in 2024. In fact, many of the top scientists in US are Chinese and many of them are returning to China. Rare earth and many strategic minerals such as lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium etc are indispensable not only for the manufacturing of numerous critical and high technology industrial products, but also vital for renewable technologies, aerospace, defence and semiconductor production. There is no doubt that this century is the Asian century with China as the key engine and driver. China's political and socio-economic impact and influence on the world for decades to come will be guided by its global vision of building a community of shared future for mankind by actively working together with the global community to tackle global challenges and safe guard world peace and stability. At the same time, crafts a more inclusive, fair, just and equitable multipolar world under the UN charter and re-shape the world’s order, governance, political and financial infrastructures where the BRICS and SCO platforms and the global socio-economic development and connectivity project - the Belt and Road Initiative [BRI] acting as major driving forces. China’s international agenda to assist the advancement of human society will be guided by its 5 core principles - mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence, and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s 4 global initiatives – the Global Development Initiative [GDI], the Global Security Initiative [GSI], the Global Civilization Initiative [GCI] and the Global Governance Initiative [GGI] These initiatives aim to shape a global governance system that aligns with the global majority's vision for a multipolar world Global Development Initiative China's Global Development Initiative (GDI) is a global program announced by President Xi Jinping in 2021 to accelerate the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It aims to promote international cooperation in areas such as poverty, food security, and climate change through various development projects, funding, and capacity-building initiatives in the Global South. The GDI is guided by principles such as development as a priority, a people-centered approach, and innovation-driven development. Key aspects of GDI:
Major areas of focus: The initiative concentrates on key areas of international cooperation, including:
Global Security Initiative China's Global Security Initiative (GSI) is a global framework proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2022 that outlines a vision for international security based on six principles: national sovereignty, adherence to the UN Charter, considering the legitimate security concerns of all countries, using dialogue to resolve disputes, and addressing both traditional and non-traditional security issues. The initiative advocates for a "win-win" approach to security that prioritizes partnership and dialogue over confrontation and alliances, and it seeks to promote a new path for global security that aligns and contributes to a multipolar world. Key aspects of GSI:
Global Civilization Initiative China's Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) is a global diplomatic proposal launched in 2023 to promote cultural diversity, mutual learning, and peaceful coexistence among different civilizations. It advocates for respecting the diversity of world civilizations, promoting the common values of humanity, and encouraging closer international people-to-people exchanges to counter ideas like the "clash of civilizations". Key aspects of the GCI:
Global Governance Initiative China's Global Governance Initiative (GGI) is a global diplomatic proposal aimed at reforming global governance to be more equitable and just. Its core principles include respecting sovereign equality, upholding the international rule of law, and promoting multilateralism, a people-centered approach, and pragmatism. The GGI advocates for greater representation for developing nations and seeks to create a more inclusive "community with a shared future for humanity" that addresses global challenges more effectively. Key aspects of the GGI:
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