Modernity with Chinese characteristics

At the start of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on Oct 18, General Secretary Xi Jinping unveiled his "two-stage development plan" to turn China into a "modern socialist state" basically by 2035. Since then, commentators have been furiously debating the theme of "China rising".

In fact, Xi's plan is far more comprehensive and forward-looking than most observers seem to think. Much like his predecessors Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, Xi has established a strategy for transforming China into a "prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful" country over the next decades. The key to success will be the balance between modernity and CPC-led socialism.

When Xi became Party general secretary in 2012, the Chinese economy was facing some problems. China's rapid industrial growth had brought rampant corruption, growing income inequality, and high levels of pollution. Western countries, too, were facing rising inequality, as they reeled from a global crisis of their own making - a crisis that, among other things, weakened their appetite for Chinese imports.