BEIJING, Feb. 21 -- China intends to achieve basic modernization in the mid-21st century through peaceful development. The next 20 years will be very important for the country, as its progress in reform, opening up and building a market economy has reached the critical stage.

    Right now, China is still the largest developing country in the world. It is faced with "difficulties in ultra-extensive development" such as sustainable development, resources, population, employment and the gap between rich and poor and between the eastern and western regions of the country.

    With these facts in mind, the Chinese Government has begun building up a harmonious society. The nation has singled out the primary goal for its efforts in the first 20 years of the century: Building the country into a xiaokang, or moderately well-off, society.

    The pursuit of development is the most important strategic goal for China at present. The nation needs a peaceful environment for its own development. China has absolutely no intention or motive to threaten others, having marched since 1978 along the path of integration with, rather than alienation from, the tide of globalization.

    It has successfully blazed a trail for peaceful development by mainly relying on its own strength while opening up to the outside world. There is simply no reason for China not to follow this proven track even further to achieve greater success.

    To the world at large, China's peaceful development is not a threat but an opportunity.

    First of all, the sustained development of China's economy has been pulling the world economy along for some time and will continue to do so.

    According to the World Bank, the average yearly contribution to world economy by China's economic growth was 13 per cent from the year 2000 to 2004, making the country an important driving force behind the growth of the world economy. And from 2001 to 2005, China's total import value amounted to US$2 trillion, which translates into 40 million new jobs for other countries. The country's total foreign trade value reached US$1.422 trillion last year, of which nearly US$700 billion came from imports.

    All this shows that China has become a major export market for other countries. As the size of its economy and foreign trade grow further, China will provide the rest of the world with even more market opportunities and generate a greater boost to the scale of employment in other countries.

    Second, by mainly relying on its own resources, China has been making unremitting efforts to reduce human poverty and improve life quality with undisputed results. By following the path of peaceful development, China has managed to feed almost 22 per cent of the world's population with less than 10 per cent of the cultivated land on the planet.

    Since it began the reforms and opening up, the Chinese Government has helped 220 million people shake free of poverty, while providing 22.05 million urban residents with minimum security of living and more than 60 million handicapped people with assistance.

    In order to further improve people's lives, the Chinese Government recently unveiled the goal for economic development in the years 2006 to 2010. On the basis of structural optimization, increased economic efficiency and reduced consumption of resources, the country will make its per capita GDP in 2010 double that in 2000, while reducing its consumption of energy resources in proportion to GDP by about 20 per cent from last year's figure.

    To reach this new strategic target, China will stick to the philosophy of relying on the people to achieve sustainable development, go all out to push forward economic, political, cultural and social development in a well-rounded and well-co-ordinated manner.

    Third, through its history of peaceful development, China has shown to the world it is responsible major member of the international community. Its peaceful development has not harmed any other country, but instead helped many countries to the best of its abilities.

    During the Asian financial turmoil of 1997, China resisted the tremendous pressure to devaluate its currency by expanding internal demand. It provided assistance to countries worst hit by the man-made crisis and made critical contributions to the triumph over the financial disaster.

    In 2005, the Chinese Government and people provided the largest amount of emergency aid it has ever made since 1949 to countries hit by the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in late December 2004. And in the same year, China also sent emergency help immediately to countries hit by the massive earthquake in South Asia.

    As well as this, China, as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has always been a protective and stabilizing force for world peace and stability.

    Fourth, China intends to link its own development with that of the world through peaceful development and build a harmonious world.

    On September 15 last year, Chinese President Hu Jintao stated in his address at the world summit celebrating the 60th anniversary of the United Nations: "The new century has presented human society with a bright prospect. At this important historical period of both opportunities and challenges, countries everywhere can truly build a harmonious world with lasting peace and mutual prosperity only if they commit themselves to forging unbreakable unity." To do so, "China will unswervingly link its own development with that of the whole humankind."

    And starting from this commitment, China will take upon itself the task of a standard bearer for peace, development and co-operation, actively promote such important principles as maintaining peace, opposing use of military force, mutual respect, equality for all sovereignties, freedom of choice, seeking common interests despite differences, mutual benefit and co-operation and joint development.

    The mission of China's foreign diplomacy is to promote world peace and push forward collective development, while the aim of its diplomatic work is to proactively create a peaceful environment that will last for a long time so that the country's modernization drive can go on advancing and join hands with other countries in building up a harmonious world with lasting peace and prosperity for all.

    All said, China can, and needs to, follow through on the strategic decision of making peace and never seek to act in a hegemonic way during or after its peaceful rise.

    The author is a professor and deputy director of the Centre for International Strategic Studies of the Central Party School.
    
    (Source: China Daily)