This October 1 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.

Bert Hofman, Professor at the East Asian Institute at the National University Singapore

China’s success in development and poverty reduction is of great interest to the rest of the world.

What’s more, China’s growing presence in the world economy, as investor, as a destination for exports, and increasingly as innovator and provider of technical progress, and the country’s leading role in international development initiatives such as China-Africa and the Belt and Road Initiative, all increase the need and desire of other countries to understand China’s development journey.

More and more countries see China as an example to emulate, a model of development that could mean moving from rags to riches within a generation.

Bill Brown, a professor at Xiamen University

China is great because it has both farsighted top-down leadership and bottom-up innovation by the people. China’s leadership had a very farsighted perspective on poverty alleviation. The ancients said, “Give a hungry person a fish and they eat one day; teach them to fish and they eat for a lifetime.” Simply doling money to such a large population would not address the root of poverty, and might make it even worse if people became dependent upon aid. Improved infrastructure and living conditions, however, gave people hope of lifting themselves out of poverty.

Today, China’s possibilities are greater than ever, and her success at eradicating poverty offers the hope of a fresh new life, not only for Chinese but for other peoples. All people, after all, are dreamers -- dreaming of a better, safer world for our descendants.

Richard Freeman, Herbert Ascherman Chair in Economics, Harvard University

Over the past 70 years, China’s higher education has accommodated a much larger number of students enrolled and graduated than ever before. China has also sent many of its best and brightest to obtain degrees overseas as international students.

China has raised its R&D/GDP level to a ratio of a country with far higher GDP per capita, and spent to encourage high-tech industries and private firms to invest.

As a major contributor in global science, China’s frontier research advances world knowledge and will make the lives of people around the world better.

David Blank, Israeli zoologist, former biodiversity conservation expert of UNDP

China has made continuous achievements in environmental protection. In order to combat desertification, people plant trees around cities and along roads, forming a barrier to protect the city. This is the epitome of China's continuous achievements in sustainable development.

President Xi Jinping said that people should "protect the ecological environment like protecting the eye," which I very much agree with. Protecting the natural environment means protecting our life and health.

The Belt and Road Initiative has not only promoted the economic and social development of the countries along the route, but also linked many countries with the concept of equal cooperation and enhanced the development of science and technology as well as people's livelihood.