By Zhang Penghui, Gong Ming, Luo Aihua, Jiang Xiaodan, People's Daily
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Dec. 2 sent a congratulatory letter to the 2023 Understanding China Conference (Guangzhou) held in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province.
He analyzed the general trend of the world today, saying to understand China, the key lies in understanding Chinese modernization. He noted that China looks forward to working hand in hand with the rest of the world to realize global modernization that features peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and prosperity for all.
Attendees of the conference told People's Daily that all countries in the world shared the same future, and all parties should join hands to cope with global challenges, promote common development of the world and enhance the wellbeing of mankind.
The steady progress of Chinese modernization, the expanding high-level opening-up of China, as well as the country's efforts to promote high-quality development will provide important opportunities for the development of the world.
British scholar Martin Jacques noted that both the speed and achievements of China's development over the past decades are rare in the world. He believes that Chinese modernization benefits the world and the country's economic development has created new opportunities for the rest of the world.
David Ferguson, a foreign expert with Beijing-based Foreign Languages Press, has a deep understanding of Chinese modernization as one who lives and works in China. He said Chinese modernization, different from that in the West, is the modernization of common prosperity for all. China has achieved the goal of eliminating absolute poverty and enhanced the wellbeing of all Chinese people.
He noted that Chinese modernization is the modernization of peaceful development, and China is always committed to win-win and all-win results, bringing opportunities to the rest of the world while pursuing its own development.
Warner Bros. Discovery's Vice President Vikram Channa told People's Daily that his company hopes to present the grand topic of Chinese modernization to the audience from multiple perspectives.
It is reported that a documentary of China's Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge co-produced by Warner Bros. Discovery and its Chinese partners has earned a high reputation among the audience for its multi-dimensional, broad-perspective and panoramic narrative of the construction of the mega project.
Chinese modernization has not only provided documentary filmmakers with ample creative space, but also presented rich visual elements and shooting scenes, Channa said, adding that his company is currently advancing multiple relevant projects and hopes to produce more China-themed documentaries so that the world can better understand the country.
Yves Leterme, former Prime Minister of Belgium, who has had multiple visits to China, spoke highly of the forceful measures taken by China to expand institutional opening-up, calling the development of China one of the most stirring economic miracles.
As China enters a phase of high-quality development, a batch of internationally competitive enterprises have emerged. China's opening-up and development as well as the country's efforts to build an open world economy are good news to the world economy in sluggish recovery, Leterme said.
Christopher Thomas, senior fellow at Brookings Institution, said that China is a huge market that creates tremendous opportunities for foreign companies and investors.
In the congratulatory letter, Xi emphasized that China will continue to foster a market-oriented, world-class business environment underpinned by a sound legal framework, and steadily expand institutional opening up with regard to rules, regulations, management and standards, and this, Thomas believes, has released a very positive signal to foreign investors.
Neil Bush, chairman of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations, who has visited China multiple times this year, shared his experience of seeing towering wind turbines and massive solar panels during these visits.
He said he was impressed by China's efforts to advance ecological progress and build a modernization characterized by harmonious coexistence between man and nature.
Noting that China is a world leader in developing clean energy and electric vehicles, he said U.S.-China cooperation can accelerate the application of the two countries' advanced green energy technologies in more places around the world and make greater contributions to the global response to climate change.
He also called on all parties to further reduce trade barriers and let Chinese green industries benefit people in more countries.
"In today's world, countries are closely connected with each other. No country is able to cope with climate change, post-pandemic recovery, international and regional security and other challenges alone. There's an urgent need for them to cooperate closely and cope with challenges hand in hand," said former Chancellor of Austria Wolfgang Schussel, who applauds the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind proposed by Xi.
He said countries should properly deal with security concerns and prevent Cold War mentality from disturbing normal business exchanges.
Ferguson has joined the Understanding China Conference multiple time. He believes the conference provides a platform where personages from different countries communicate with each other and build closer friendships.
He said the theme of the 2023 Understanding China Conference (Guangzhou) - "China's New Endeavors amid Unprecedented Global Changes - Expanding the Convergence of Interests and Building a Community of Shared Future" - bears important significance.
The vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind proposed by China demonstrates the country's commitment to improving global governance, promoting multi-polarization and safeguarding equality and justice, Ferguson noted.