Xi's address underscores global welfare

Experts hail New Year vision that aims to bring more opportunities to world

Chinese President Xi Jinping's New Year speech highlighted the Chinese path to modernization and a community of shared future for mankind, which is destined to bring more opportunities and benefits to the rest of the world, experts said.

Shakeel Ahmad Ramay, chief executive officer of the Asian Institute of Eco-civilization Research and Development, a think tank based in Islamabad, Pakistan, said the speech shows that Beijing's commitment to the Chinese style of modernization is getting stronger.

"Modernization driven by innovation is turning China into a new hub of innovation and technology," he noted. "It has started to deliver results like C919 (China's first self-developed narrow-body jet), space advancements, new energy sources, new energy vehicles, and technological revolution."

China is now more focused on cultivating talent to lead the modernization drive, he added.

He said the country is not only celebrating achievements but keeping a keen eye on the future of the nation by focusing on children's education, jobs for youth, and innovation-driven development.

Moreover, Xi assures the world that China is ready to share prosperity with the world by deepening reforms and opening-up, promoting peace and harmony among civilizations, and implementing a fair and just global system to achieve the goal of a community with a shared future for present and future generations, Ahmad said.

"This is the most inspiring New Year message I have ever seen from a world leader. … It covers areas such as the COVID-19 pandemic, international politics, economy, green energy and low-carbon lifestyles, innovation, Chinese modernization, and so on," said Chin Yew Sin, a Malaysian business owner and political analyst.

He said Xi has clearly outlined the current and future economic development models of China, which will be based on smart, green, space and ocean technologies, etc.

"China, through its Belt and Road Initiative, has helped many developing countries in Asia, Africa and South America to construct infrastructure in their countries to speed up their development process," Chin noted.

The world, particularly the Global South, expects China to maintain a leadership role on the international stage in 2024 and beyond, said Adhere Cavince, a scholar of international relations with a focus on China-Africa development cooperation.

"Xi's assertion that China would carry forward the banner of shared prosperity for humanity as well as play a stabilizer role in the backdrop of intense global geopolitics is not only refreshing, it rekindles hope for a better tomorrow for the world," said Cavince based in Nairobi, Kenya.

China is the largest trade partner for over 120 countries, he noted. Cavince said that in Africa, China is a leading source of foreign direct investment, and that Chinese companies have created jobs, and modernized Africa's infrastructure. Also, Beijing remains a leading source of development financing for a majority of African economies.

Proactive approach

He mentioned that China is building the fastest-growing middle class in the world. China's inclusive and sustainable development ideas, as manifested by the BRI, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative, all reflect a proactive approach to leverage both multilateral and bilateral channels for the betterment of humanity, he said.

"With a world increasingly pushed into political hostilities and economic uncertainties, China's stabilizing role is imperative," Cavince said, adding that Beijing is a guarantor of world peace and economic rejuvenation.

Noting that Xi, in his speech, mentioned the problems faced by businesses amid a tough operating environment, and issues such as employment and livelihoods, Henry Chan, a visiting senior research fellow at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, said this bodes well for solving economic and social problems in 2024.

"The idea of people-centric focus in 2024 permeates throughout the speech, and seeking social harmony can ease concerns of over-ideological focus in policy formulation and implementation," said Chan, noting it was an "unusually warm" speech that touched the ground.

Dicky Budiman, a public health researcher at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, is impressed that Xi mentioned in his New Year speech the issue of medical services and elderly care.

"This is an issue that not only concerns China but also has influence around the globe, including many Asian countries, that will also face this elderly challenge," he said.