Insights | Vietnamese scholar: Chinese path to modernization offers a new development paradigm for developing countries
(ECNS) -- The Chinese path to modernization breaks the preconceived logic that equates modernization with Westernization, offering the world, particularly developing countries, an entirely new development paradigm, said Nguyen Minh Hoan, head of the Department of Philosophy at the Faculty of Journalism and Communication of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, at an academic forum in southeast China's Fujian Province.
"The Chinese path to modernization is the result of arduous exploration, not a stroke of luck," he noted. This model differs from both the Western and Soviet approaches, instead, it forms a unique development path tailored to China's national conditions across economic, political, social, and cultural dimensions. China has not only successfully avoided the traps of colonialism, rigid systems, and dependent development but also demonstrated new possibilities for socialist modernization.
Nguyen further analyzed that Chinese modernization possesses five distinct characteristics: a massive population scale, common prosperity for all, balanced material and spiritual progress, harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, and a commitment to peaceful development. This model has not only propelled China's high-quality development but also provided valuable insights for countries worldwide, especially those in the Global South.
In his view, Chinese modernization is not an isolated or closed process but has always been closely interconnected with the world. "China's modernization welcomes other countries to ‘ride along'—it is a path of collective development, not one that frequently imposes sanctions, bulles or coerces other countries. From the outset, Chinese-style modernization has been about peaceful coexistence and mutual cooperation with all nations."
He believes that Chinese modernization offers a fresh choice for global modernization and contributes China's wisdom, solutions, and strength to addressing humanity's common challenges.
