Visitors pose for a photo in front of a parterre showcasing Chinese modernization at Chang’an Street in Beijing on Sept. 23. Photo: IC PHOTO

SHANGHAI—On Oct. 14–15, approximately 80 experts and scholars from 25 countries and regions gathered in Shanghai for a conference themed “Chinese Modernization: Theoretical Analysis and Empirical Insights,” a sub-forum of the Second World Conference on China Studies.

In his opening address, Gao Xiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), noted that Chinese modernization is socialist modernization pursued under the leadership of the CPC. Rooted deeply in China’s fine traditional culture, it upholds the principles of independence and self-reliance and carries profound global significance.

Chinese modernization not only follows the general principles of modernization but also aligns with China’s national realities, embodying distinct Chinese characteristics, Gao said. It has broadened the pathways for other developing countries to achieve modernization, created new opportunities for global development, and injected greater stability and certainty into world peace and development.

Syed Hasan Javed, former director of the China Studies Center at the National University of Sciences and Technology in Pakistan, observed that the achievements of Chinese modernization draw strength from China’s millennia-old civilization, which forms the foundation of its “Chinese characteristics.” He added that in theoretical terms, Chinese modernization rests on a precise understanding of historical trends.

The series of global initiatives proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, including the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative, have brought renewed hope for high-quality societal development and for building a community with a shared future for humanity. The remarkable achievements of Chinese modernization, Javed said, have pointed the way forward.

Louise Edwards, a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and professor of China studies at the University of New South Wales, emphasized the close relationship between national development and gender equality. She noted that the practical measures announced by President Xi at the recent Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women—including China’s pledge of donating another $10 million to UN Women—are inspiring.

“China is at the forefront of promoting gender equality,” Edwards said. She explained that since the founding of the PRC, the CPC has implemented a series of consistent and forward-looking policies to advance women’s development, bringing tangible benefits to women across the country. These sustained efforts to empower women have transformed the lives of countless women and driven broad social progress.

The advancement of women’s rights in China has become a powerful force for social transformation and an integral part of Chinese modernization, Edwards added.

Contemporary China has emerged from the long arc of its history, with its time-honored civilization deeply integrated into its current development path and the practice of Chinese modernization. Scholars at the forum offered systematic theoretical analyses of Chinese modernization from a historical perspective.

Li Guoqiang, a CASS Member and vice president of the Chinese Academy of History under CASS, pointed out that China’s ancient and enduring civilization provides fertile cultural ground for Chinese modernization. This fundamentally dictates that the Chinese nation must follow a path to modernization suited to its own conditions. History shows that Chinese modernization carries forward the country’s ancient cultural traditions rather than discarding them, grows from the soil of China’s own experience rather than copying foreign models, and represents a renewal of civilization rather than a break with the past.

For a long time, discourse on modernization models was dominated by capitalist countries, and the Western model was once regarded as the only viable path. Chinese modernization has dispelled the misconception that “modernization equals Westernization” and introduced an alternative vision.

In this regard, Ivona Ladjevac, deputy director of the Institute of International Politics and Economics in Serbia, argues that unlike the Western neoliberal model, Chinese modernization emphasizes collective wellbeing, gradual reform, and long-term strategic governance under the guiding principle of “common prosperity.” It organically integrates socialism with market mechanisms within the context of China’s unique institutional and civilizational framework. By combining economic growth, technological innovation, and global engagement with strong national leadership, social equity, and cultural continuity, Chinese modernization represents a distinctive development paradigm.

Chinese modernization has forged a development path rooted in China’s own experience while maintaining global relevance. Nkolo Foé, a professor at the University of Yaoundé I in Cameroon, noted that regardless of shifts in the international environment or domestic challenges, China has consistently achieved its development goals through strategic planning that looks decades, even centuries, ahead. In contrast to electoral systems constrained by short-term political cycles, China remains committed to sustained long-term development. This results-oriented governance model goes beyond the traditional division between planned and market economies and offers developing nations a new perspective on modernization.

The sub-forum was hosted by CASS and organized by the National Academy of Chinese Modernization at CASS.