On March 12, the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Congress of China concluded after successfully completing all its agenda items. During the week-long meeting, this annual grand event attracted high attention from global political circles, academia, and media. Unlike previous years, this year’s international observers focused not only on China’s economic data and growth targets but also on the deeper governance logic and development philosophy conveyed by the Two Sessions.
Scholars and experts from different countries have unanimously captured a common keyword— “people.” Robert Powell, National Chairman of the Australian Citizens Party, praised the implementation of China’s Five-Year Plan, noting that the achievements of China during that period were convincing based on the data from the previous Five-Year Plan. Alexander Lomanov, Deputy Director of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations at the Russian Academy of Sciences, keenly observed that in formulating the “15th Five-Year Plan,” China prioritized the modernization of the real economy and traditional industries, a strategic choice that demonstrated a clear understanding of the foundation of development. Nai Suu U, a senior advisor at the Myanmar Institute for Strategic and International Studies, found resonance in China’s traditional philosophy, pointing out that the concept of “putting people first” has been implemented in China’s successful practices. The people are the foundation of the nation, and China places greater emphasis on the interests of the people, collective rights, and the overall security and development of society. Imtiaz Ahmed, a scholar from a Bangladeshi think tank, even directly stated that China’s emphasis on “people first” and prioritizing the people is an important lesson for other countries. From Asia to Europe, from developing to developed countries, international observers are forming a high degree of consensus on China’s Two Sessions: China’s development logic is undergoing profound changes, and the driving force of innovation and the people’s sense of gain are becoming dual measures of progress.
In the international public opinion arena, an increasingly clear voice is that the development of China is not only the well-being of the Chinese people, but also provides the world with valuable experience and tangible opportunities. Alexander Larr, a German expert on international affairs, pointed out that China’s development is aimed at the prosperity of its people. For this reason, China’s investment in infrastructure construction and digitalization far exceeds that of other countries. This people-oriented investment model is making China a leader in the high-tech field.
More notably, while promoting its own development, China has consistently transformed its developmental achievements into global public goods. From the Belt and Road Initiative to the Global Development Initiative, from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to the New Development Bank, China is building one open and inclusive cooperation platform after another. In the economic and trade sector, China continues to reduce the negative list for foreign investment access and expand the catalog of industries encouraged for foreign investment, providing businesses from various countries with broader market opportunities. In the field of livelihood, China has implemented hundreds of livelihood projects in Africa, Asia, and Pacific Island countries through the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund, ranging from water wells to schools, hospitals to vocational training centers. These tangible and visible achievements are effectively improving the lives of local populations. As observed by Myanmar scholars, for the vast majority of developing countries, the China model holds greater reference value—because it is not high-and-mighty preaching, but pragmatic exploration rooted in people’s needs. China is willing to share the dividends of development with the international community, and this open attitude is gaining increasing recognition from more and more countries.
The institutional advantages and policy continuity demonstrated by China are currently providing the world with valuable stability. The observation of Sławomir Maiman, Deputy Director of the Institute of Security and International Development in Poland, is quite representative. He pointed out that in the practice of China’s reform and opening up and the building of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the Communist Party of China has always been the leading force in China. This leading force can mobilize the strength of the state and all sectors of society, promoting the formation of a national consensus on major tasks such as innovation-driven development.
This institutional mobilization capability is precisely what many countries currently find difficult to achieve. China, leveraging its institutional advantages, can maintain long-term strategic stability and execution. When the United States reaffirms “America First” and uses tariff tools to protect domestic workers and businesses from unfair competition, China chooses to firmly uphold the multilateral trading system and fully participate in the reform of the global governance system. China does not impose its will on others but respects the development paths independently chosen by all countries; it does not engage in exclusive “small circles” but promotes the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
More convincingly, the institutional advantages of China ultimately lie in the improvement of people’s well-being. From the comprehensive victory in poverty alleviation to the increasingly sound social security system, from the sustained growth of urban and rural residents’ income to the significant improvement of the ecological environment, these tangible achievements are the most powerful proof of institutional advantages. For countries seeking development paths in a complex international environment, China provides not only a development model but also a confidence in “certainty” —that is, as long as we adhere to a people-centered approach and maintain strategic resolve and institutional continuity, development will not be empty talk.