October 1, 2019 sees the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The vision of the Chinese leadership and commitment of its people have changed the status of the nation from that of one with a backward economy towards a prosperous one that is playing an active role in the international arena.
China Today interviewed some foreign experts and diplomats who shared their views on China’s achievements over the past 70 years.
Thomas S. Axworthy, Secretary-General of the InterAction Council
China has made dramatic economic advances in the world in the post war era. The World Bank reports that 850 million people have risen from extreme poverty, as China's poverty rate fell from 88 percent in 1981 to just 0.7 percent today (as measured by the extreme poverty metric of living on US $2 or less per day). There are many reasons for this remarkable achievement, among which one is surely the strength and vitality of local governments. What has impressed me most on my visits to China was the dynamism of the mayors and provincial governors I have met. They compete with each other for ideas and projects that will enhance the life of their citizens and the people benefit accordingly. Peaceful competition is always productive.
Being an important international actor brings huge responsibilities with it. China now has a large role in the institutions created after 1945 such as the United Nations and the World Bank, and in the institutions it has itself created like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which began operations in 2015.
There can be no progress on global problems like climate change, nuclear arsenal reduction, reducing plastic consumption, preventing epidemics, working towards the peaceful resolution of disputes, or a host of other problems unless China is involved.
Having done so much to relieve the poverty of its own citizens, China is in a strong position to help other nations develop economically. The Belt and Road initiative is one of the greatest development initiatives underway in the world, offering investment capital for ports, railways, and roads to nations that otherwise would not have the resources to compete globally.
Mehmet Öğütçü, Chairman of Global Resources Partnership, UK
A former Turkish diplomat and OECD senior executive
It was exactly 30 years ago when I landed for the first time at the Beijing Capital International Airport to work as a diplomat to advance relations between Turkey and China. I can recall vividly that China showed many aspects of a developing country with some deprivation and shortfalls in terms of the quality of life, infrastructure, and people’s well-being. Having returned after three decades, it is breathtaking to experience a fast developing China, from Shanghai and Xi’an to Harbin and Chengdu. As the world’s largest economy in terms of purchasing power with many other impressive statistics that has put China in the top or one of the top positions, China has significantly and visibly changed. You can feel this spirit of proud achievement over the last 70 years while talking to students, entrepreneurs, farmers, lawyers, and doctors.
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a brainchild of Chinese President Xi Jinping, is a global visionary project of the 21st century. If well managed and sustained as a win-win proposition between China and world nations, the BRI has the potential to transform the entire region from China to Europe and Africa via Eurasia and the Indian Ocean.
I am looking forward to 30 years down the road, to celebrate the centennial of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 2049 with the same vigor for China and the world at large.
Congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China!
Nicholas Platt, President Emeritus of the Asia Society
“Huode Gan” is a desired goal described in Xi’s speeches, roughly translated as a “feeling of having achieved shared benefit”. China’s rapid urbanization has increased the country’s wealth and power many times over. New concert halls have sprouted, not only in the major cities, but also in second and third tier urban centers.
Most of my work for the past 25 years has concentrated on the people-to-people relationships that have come to form the foundation of U.S.-China ties. Cultural exchange is currently the most promising sector of our relationship. The long arc of my historical perspective gives me confidence for the future of our bilateral relations.
Vincent Koen, Country Studies Division Head at the OECD
This October witnesses the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of People’s Republic of China. Over the past seven decades, China has boasted impressive economic achievements. It has changed from an overwhelmingly rural to a mostly urban society and drastically reduced poverty. China’s opening to the outside world, and its accession to the WTO in particular played a major role.
