China has shown the world an alternative, author says

China's rapid growth since it embarked on reform and opening-up in 1978 has not only created an economic miracle for the country but also provided a new development model for other emerging economies to look to, according to Martin Jacques, author of the global best-seller When China Rules the World.

In doing so, China broke the previous consensus that the Western model of development was the only path to success. Effectively, China has inspired other emerging countries to explore development paths that are suitable for their own situations, Jacques said.

"The achievements of China's reform and opening-up are very simple: One, the transformation of China; two, the transformation of the world," he said in his apartment in London, where piles of books and notes on China lay scattered across the floor, desk and bookshelves.