As the United States undergoes a strategic shift in its global priorities, experts in China are pushing Beijing’s vision for a new world order – but they say the country must improve its messaging.
Leading political scientist and government adviser Zheng Yongnian said China had two guiding principles: maintaining its agency while engaging with the world; and extending the ladder it climbed to help other nations ascend.
Zheng made the remarks on Tuesday at the International Forum on Mutual Learning Among Civilisations, hosted by the Macau government.
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In an interview on the sidelines of the forum, Zheng said modernisation had often been misunderstood as Westernisation.
He said nations or economies that simply copied or transplanted Western experiences were “highly likely to fail”.
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“I believe China’s modernisation – at least from our perspective – is not about replacing Western-style modernisation but rather about offering another important alternative to other countries,” he said.