Scholars discuss Chinese modernization and Global South development at Beijing launch

Under the theme “China’s socialist modernization and perspectives from the Global South”, the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and the Chinese journal Wenhua Zongheng jointly organized a seminar in Beijing on Sunday, bringing together Chinese and international scholars for a panel discussion.

The two publications were released at the seminar: the latest issue of the international edition of Wenhua Zongheng, themed “Building a New Development Theory from the Global South”, and Walking on Two Legs: TheSocialism of Chinese Modernization, a dossier compiled by the institute.

In her opening remarks, Tings Chak, the Asia coordinator of the institute and a co-editor of the international edition of Wenhua Zongheng, said the study of Chinese modernization is not intended to frame China as exceptional, but to understand the realities of Global South countries that share similar historical experiences and development aspirations.

Vijay Prashad, the executive director of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, cautioned against two narratives he described as mirror images — the portrayal of China either as a threat or as a model to be uncritically celebrated — and said fact-based research is needed instead.

Yang Ping, the editor-in-chief of Wenhua Zongheng, attributed the success of China’s industrialization story to the combination of three traditions: the socialist revolution, which secured national sovereignty, carried out land reform and fostered social equality; the reform period, which integrated a market economy with socialism and opened the country after sovereignty had been consolidated; and China’s long tradition of national governance. He said the most important lesson of China’s model is that every country should decide its own development path according to its own conditions.

Emiliano Lopez, the chief economist at the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, presented findings from the institute’s political economy research, which found that dependency remained a structural condition across historical periods and correlated negatively with living conditions. He said state capacity is necessary but not sufficient for countries to change their position in the global economy, and emphasized the role of development planning, national and regional development banks and South-South cooperation.

Yan Hairong, a professor at Tsinghua University’s Institute for Advanced Study in Humanities and Social Sciences, explained the dossier’s title: The “two legs” are the development of productive forces and the transformation of production relations. She drew on the history of China’s rural cooperative movement and discussed current challenges facing rural China, including the fragmentation of land use and the need to reorganize rural resources.

Reflecting on China’s engagement with Africa based on her field research there since the early 2000s, Yan said Chinese investment has contributed to infrastructure and economic stability in many African countries, while noting that questions remain about how China’s role in the region can evolve. She said that Chinese researchers and institutions face the task of explaining China’s experience in terms that resonate with Global South audiences.

Shiran Illanperuma, an editorial researcher at the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and an editor of the international edition of Wenhua Zongheng, said China’s industrial upgrading had made capital goods more accessible to developing countries than at any time in recent decades, presenting an opportunity for industrialization in the Global South. Drawing on Sri Lanka’s experience — including its first trade agreement with China, the 1952 rubber-rice pact — he said the effectiveness of international cooperation ultimately depends on social conditions within partner countries.