China At 75

The Great Chinese Civilization
Chinese civilization, over 5,500 years old, arose alongside those of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley. While those ancient civilizations and their languages disappeared, the Chinese civilization and language both written and spoken—continue to flourish. The written Chinese language has preserved knowledge on governance, trade, agriculture, medicine, education, and diplomacy for millennia.

China became a unified country in 226 BC when the North conquered the South, making it perhaps the oldest continuous state in the world. Despite invasions by the Mongols, British, French, Americans, Germans, Dutch, Italians, and Japanese, China has never itself invaded another nation. Nor did it ever institutionalize slavery, unlike many ancient and modern empires.

Chinese Wisdom and Contributions
Chinese philosophy stresses win-win relations, sustainability in dealings between buyer and seller, giver and taker. China’s defensive posture in history reflects this ethos; it seeks peace with neighbors like Taiwan and the Philippines despite U.S. provocations.

China pioneered agricultural methods such as terracing and crop rotation, which enhanced global food security. Its long-established Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), now integrated with modern technologies—CT scans, MRIs, robotics—combines best practices from allopathy, homeopathy, herbal, and ayurvedic traditions. China today is the world’s largest producer of diagnostic equipment and pharmaceutical ingredients.

China has also contributed to infrastructure and social development in Africa and Latin America. A major seaport in Peru was recently inaugurated by President Xi Jinping, and China continues investing across Central America and the Caribbean.

The Belt and Road Initiative
Launched in 2013 by President Xi, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has invested over USD 1.5 trillion in 150 member countries within just twelve years—USD 1 trillion from China’s private sector and the rest from state-owned enterprises and loans. Except in Pakistan, where government inefficiencies hampered progress, BRI projects have largely succeeded. For comparison, the U.S. and allies invested about USD 100 billion globally between 1946 and 2024.

China champions multilateralism through active roles in the UN Security Council, G20, BRICS, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. It is also a leading contributor to UN peacekeeping missions. A recent example of its diplomatic influence was mediating peace between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and encouraging unity among Palestinian factions.

China’s Tumultuous Past
China’s history is uniquely well-preserved due to its written language. The “Century of Humiliation” (19th–early 20th centuries) saw the First and Second Opium Wars (1839–42, 1856–60) with Britain and France and the Eight-Nation Alliance invasion (1900–01).
In 1912, Sun Yat-sen led a revolution overthrowing the Qing dynasty and founding the Republic of China. Civil war between Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists and the Communist Party of China (CPC) followed until 1949, when Chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Mao inherited a devastated country, its infrastructure, education, and governance in ruins. By 1964, China became a nuclear power, followed by a hydrogen bomb in 1968, marking its emergence as a major nation. His industrial and Five-Year Plans built a foundation for growth, though the Cultural Revolution caused social and human losses.

The eform Era
Deng Xiaoping, succeeding Mao in 1978, opened China’s economy, creating Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and attracting foreign investment. Cities like Shenzhen became global industrial hubs. Subsequent leaders, Jiang Zemin (1992–2002) and Hu Jintao (2002–2012) continued this reform path, ensuring stability and continuity that propelled China to global prominence.

President Xi Jinping’s Era
President Xi, born 1953, assumed office in 2013 and was re-elected in 2018 and 2023. His early anti-corruption campaign won popular support. Under his leadership, over 850 million people have been lifted from poverty using targeted policies and data-driven performance systems.

The Healthy China 2030 plan aims for universal healthcare, while initiatives like the “Double First-Class” university program and “Internet Plus Education” have expanded quality education. The “Beautiful China” campaign targets pollution reduction, and “Digital Transformation 2030” is building a digital economy powered by 5G and AI.

Xi also introduced three major global initiatives:

• Global Development Initiative (GDI) – launched 2021, promotes people-centered, inclusive, innovation-driven progress in harmony with nature.

• Global Security Initiative (GSI) – introduced 2022, advocates common, cooperative, and sustainable security, addressing cyber threats, terrorism, and climate change through UN and ASEAN frameworks.

• Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) – proposed 2023, encourages dialogue and mutual learning among civilizations, rejecting the “Clash of Civilizations” theory in favor of cooperation and cultural harmony.

China’s Modern Achievements
China now possesses the world’s largest road network—5.28 million km, including 169,000 km of expressways, more than the U.S., Canada, and India combined. Its railway system is the second-largest globally and includes over 45,000 km of high-speed rail, serving 1.45 billion passengers annually. Inland waterways span 127,600 km, carrying 3 billion tonnes of freight yearly. With a 14,500 km coastline and more than 3,000 seaports, China is a maritime powerhouse.

Its aviation network includes 450 airports and 2,000 aircraft, handling around 700 million passengers annually. China also leads in renewable energy, particularly hydro, solar, and wind power.

The telecommunications sector is vast: 173 million landlines, 1.76 billion mobile phones, and 1.1 billion internet users—exceeding the U.S., Canada, India, Russia, and Brazil combined. Heavy investments in 5G, AI, and satellites have made China a global tech leader.

China tops global production in agriculture, steel, shipbuilding, automobiles, locomotives, white goods, and electronics. Its per-hectare agricultural output is 4.9 tonnes, higher than Russia (4.3), Canada (4.1), the U.S. (3.9), Brazil (3.7), and India (2.6). In 2023, it produced over 50% of global shipbuilding output and surpassed the U.S. as the largest automobile manufacturer.

Conclusion
Seventy-five years after its founding, the People’s Republic of China stands as a testament to resilience, reform, and renewal. From a fragmented, war-torn nation in 1949, China has evolved into a global leader in technology, infrastructure, diplomacy, and human development. Guided by its ancient wisdom of harmony and balance, modern China continues to shape the world through cooperation, innovation, and peace.