Sifting fact from fiction: Nation vital to progress

Anti-China forces have long used words such as "debt", "collapse", "decline" and "threat" to portray China in a negative light in front of the world, to demoralize the Chinese people and to drive a wedge between them and the government.

The rhetoric can be amusing. On the one hand, the opponents want to propagate the idea that China is on the decline, the economy is in a mess, and the people are not satisfied with the government and the Communist Party of China's performance. At the same time, they also want us to believe that China's meteoric rise is threatening the world, especially the West.

This calls for analyzing the facts to find the truth about China.

Let's start with future drivers of growth and development. There is unanimous global acceptance of the fact that future growth drivers will be shaped by the power of innovation, technology development, and competence in compound computing, space technology and artificial intelligence.

Data show that China is a leading player in all the above areas, and a leader in some of them. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute said that China has become a leader in 37 of 44 critical technologies. The country is moving quickly and acquiring the capability to become the hub and superpower in technology.

China leads in investments in new energy. For example, in 2023, China was the world's largest investor in clean energy technologies, production and consumption, and was also the biggest supplier of wind turbines and solar panels in the global market.

However, China faces many obstacles in the chip and semiconductor segments. Western countries have gone all out to prevent Chinese companies from building their capacity in these areas. It is good to note that China has put in place numerous instruments to overcome these challenges.

China is aware that the drive for innovation and technology development will not be sustainable without investment in education and the creation of high-quality human capital. Thus, China is investing heavily in these areas. China already has the biggest pool of STEM graduates, and the number could be double that of the United States by 2025.

The country has also invested much in building capacity and resilience to fight against future challenges such as climate change, pandemics and technology-related hurdles. It displayed its resilience and spirit in fighting back the COVID-19 pandemic. It put in place instruments to counter and control the pandemic in no time, and assisted the rest of the world in combating the challenge with medical supplies and special teams.

In promotion of green agriculture and the food industry, China has achieved many milestones. It has significantly reduced usage of nitrogen fertilizers and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. These efforts have contributed to environmental protection, better and healthier food availability, and preservation of soil fertility. China has also launched a plan to develop modern protected agriculture in the 2023-30 period.

It has built the most sophisticated soft and hard infrastructure to address the challenges of new technologies and cyberspace.

China knows that the best way to survive and thrive in a global village is to go for win-win cooperation and build partnerships, and that confrontation, decoupling, undermining others, or winning at the cost of others are not the ways forward. Thus it has built partnerships and forums, such as the Boao Forum for Asia, Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, and the China-ASEAN cooperation mechanism.

Besides, China has launched and steered the Belt and Road Initiative, the biggest economic and connectivity program in human history. The latest statistics show that more than 150 countries and 30 international organizations have signed BRI cooperation agreements with China. The China International Import Expo is helping the country to strengthen its role in the global supply and value chains. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has established itself as a formidable global financial player.

It can be inferred that China has built the capacity and capabilities to enjoy early advantages from future growth and development drivers under the sound leadership of the CPC Central Committee. It has also established itself as a leader in new growth drivers, and the world is looking toward China to benefit from its development.

It is certain that China can tackle future challenges like climate change, technology and pandemics in a better way, and offer other countries the opportunity to benefit from its development and prosperity without them compromising on their dignity and sovereignty.

Therefore, China is neither on the decline nor a threat to the world but is instead a vital key to human progress. The question is, why do so many media outlets in the West initiate such false claims?

The author is CEO of the Asian Institute of Eco-civilization Research and Development in Pakistan. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.