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In discussing developing philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, some people have asked whether I was the one who proposed the concept of “the path of China's peaceful rise.” I have never shied away from this. It is true, and denying the truth is meaningless. What needs to be pointed out is that the peaceful rise of China and the path of China's peaceful rise are objective facts based on the great changes of the times, and I am only emphasizing this fact. In addition, I am very proud of China's peaceful rise and the associated path it has taken, because I am Chinese.
My ancestral home is in Sichuan of southwestern China. I remember my father said that when my ancestors lived there in 1900, far from Beijing, they heard that the Eight-Nation Alliance had occupied Beijing. When that happened, all the elderly people in his hometown held their heads and cried. An intense sorrow resulting from national humiliation became rooted deep within the hearts of many Chinese people. Generation after generation of our people have dreamed of the rise of China and held steadfast in pursuing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Beginning with the Opium War, the Chinese people fought for this for 109 years, engaging in bitter struggles until the establishment of the People's Republic of China. Then, during the 1980s, the world entered a period of focus on peace and development, and China's development accelerated with reform and opening up. Such dream and such pursuit are actualized step by step. China is indeed peacefully attaining the rejuvenation of its people along with strength and prosperity for the nation. This is quite an inspiring turn of events for history!
Particularly inspiring is that I have lived through the greatest turnaround since the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the CPC. I personally heard the insight of Deng Xiaoping, the chief architect of reform and opening up, regarding persisting in and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. I deeply understood that if Deng had held to old ideas and ignored the fact that peace and development were the theme of the times, we might have once again missed the opportunity for the rejuvenation of our nation and our peaceful rise. Deng's proposal that peaceful development was a theme of the times took place over 30 years ago. History has proven that his assessment changed China and is still valid today. For me, his assessment is the basic prerequisite for the ideas of the rise of China and the path of China's peaceful rise.
As workers in China's field of philosophy and social science, there is no reason why we should not study how China has realized such a transformation and such historic progress. There is no reason why we should not place great importance in the Chinese experience created under Deng's leadership and, in turn, refining Chinese theory, which has led to the formation of philosophy and social science with Chinese characteristics. That is to say, in the face of China's peaceful rise, we have an inevitable responsibility to history to research the origins of, conditions for, and challenges faced on the path of China's peaceful rise.
Looking back on history, there is no doubt that the establishment of the People's Republic of China and its socialist system drove the political rise of China, which in turn opened the door to all of China's future progress. The historical event of China's peaceful rise occurred mainly after the reform and opening up. The reform and opening up was a great practice, providing the most solid foundations and prerequisite from which to propel our theories and innovation while creating and allowing for the development of philosophy and social science with Chinese characteristics. All we have done and all of the scientific achievements we have attained can be traced back to that era, to the leadership of the CPC, and to the sinicization of Marxism as advocated by the CPC.
With peace and development being the theme of the times, a huge step forward has been China's reform of establishing a socialist market economy system. Another big step has been linking China to economic globalization (as marked by its entry into the WTO) instead of economic separatism. During the first ten years after entering the WTO, China's national economy saw average annual growth of 10.6%, which also means the overall GDP saw rapid growth. Thus, the eight industrialized nations (except for the US and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the latter long since having ceased to exist) that had occupied Beijing in 1900 have oneby-one been surpassed economically by China. Russia was the first to be overtaken. Later, between 2000 and 2002, China's GDP surpassed that of Italy and ranked sixth in the world; in 2005, it moved up to fifth place over France; in 2006, it moved up to fourth place over the UK; in 2007, it moved up to third place over Germany; and in 2010, it moved up to second place over Japan (Japan had reached second place in 1968 when it surpassed West Germany). This history of China's economy surpassing that of other countries is part of the story of China's peaceful rise. It is this important fact of history that inspired me to form the following basic concept: With peace and development being the theme of the times, China has independently built up socialism with Chinese characteristics during the process of becoming linked to economic globalization instead of economic separatism. This is my summary of the whole and highly meaningful history of the modernization of Chinese society.
Special gratitude must be given to Deng Xiaoping, the chief architect of the reform and opening up, for the progress made along the path of China's peaceful rise and the resulting benefits for the Chinese people. It is he who led the whole Party in liberating thinking, bringing order from chaos in transferring the focus to economic modernization. It is he who opened the road to socialism with Chinese characteristics, formulating the basic route of “one central task and two basic points.” It is he who assessed that the theme of the times was changing from one of war and revolution to one of peace and development. It is he who pointed out that the rapid changes and revolutions in new technology are the perfect opportunities for China to achieve modernization. It is he who made opening up to the world a fundamental policy. It is he who introduced a peaceful foreign policy of independence and autonomy, establishing China's general framework for peaceful and multilateral relations with large nations, neighboring nations, and developing nations. It is he who proposed that China cannot draw lines in foreign affairs based on ideology or social systems, but that we must find common interests with other countries. [1] It is he who emphasized that a socialism with Chinese characteristics is a socialism that helps to constantly develop the productive forces and that favors peace. [2] When all is said and done, Deng Xiaoping Theory is what has made possible the opening up of a path for the peaceful rise of China and the guidance provided by the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, which includes Theory of the Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
[1] While meeting with Henry Kissinger on November 10, 1989, Deng Xiaoping stated, “The era in which the relations between two countries was decided by their social systems has passed. Nations with different social systems can coexist in peace, develop their friendships, and find common interests. China and the US are certainly able to find common interests.” Chronicles of Deng Xiaoping (1975-1997) , Vol. II, Central Party Literature Press, 2004, Chinese edition, p. 1297.
[2] Deng Xiaoping: “No One Can Shake Socialist China,” Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping , Vol. III, Foreign Languages Press, 1995, p. 318.