(East-West Question) Huang Ping: In the face of uncertain and high-risk times, how does China plan for a rainy day?

  China News Agency, Beijing, May 10th: In the face of uncertain and high-risk times, how does China plan for a rainy day?

  ——Interview with Huang Ping, Executive Vice President of the Hong Kong Institute of Chinese Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

  China News Agency reporter Li Shuangnan

  At present, the world is becoming more uncertain and high-risk, and globalization is facing many challenges.

How does China plan ahead?

How to unswervingly promote common prosperity and seek development?

As a major variable in the world and a driving force for development and peace, what theoretical innovations and institutional contributions can China bring to the world?

China News Agency's "East and West Questions" column conducted an exclusive interview with Huang Ping, executive vice president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Hong Kong, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The following is a summary of the interview transcript:

China News Service: You pointed out that the world has entered an era of uncertainty and high risk.

How does China plan ahead?

Huang Ping:

In the early days of industrialization in the 18th and 19th centuries, people experienced chaos for a long time. Although there were economic crises and even world wars after that, they still believed, or even believed, that certain certainties or laws and order could be found.

But over the centuries, especially after entering the 21st century, people have experienced the global financial crisis caused by "9.11" and the Wall Street financial turmoil in 2007-2008; coupled with non-traditional security areas such as climate change, virus raging, etc., "Uncertainty" became the key word instead.

Because these crises disrupt the established order, subvert or shake the traditional understanding that there is or can be found with certain regularity.

In April 2019, spring flooding occurred in the town of Bracebridge, about 200 kilometers north of Toronto, Canada.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Yu Ruidong

  In addition, with the advancement of knowledge in modern society and the improvement of governance capabilities, people thought that the risks caused by ignorance of nature in the past would gradually decrease.

However, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Chernobyl Incident that occurred in the last century have shown the high-risk characteristics of modern society.

In modern society, people's lives are increasingly placed in systems that cannot be controlled by individuals, such as systems such as finance, electricity, and information.

To a certain extent, the higher the level of modernization, the higher the social risks.

  China's high-speed and high-efficiency development after reform and opening up has brought high benefits, so that few people completely deny China's economic development.

On the other hand, China must also guard against various risks and uncertainties, and guard against various crises and "traps".

  There is no doubt that China is deeply involved in globalization, and will continue to move forward on the road of modernization, along the road of improving the happiness and quality of life of its people, and achieving national prosperity and national rejuvenation.

At the same time, today's issue is no longer the relationship between China and the world, because China is deeply embedded in the world, and is a major variable in the world and a driving force for development and peace, and changes in various regions and countries in the world will also Influence and influence China.

After the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the central government has emphasized bottom-line thinking and risk awareness, which is a strategic plan.

In my opinion, in the face of uncertainty and high risks in the future, China must have short-, medium- and long-term strategic planning and various feasible plans and practical steps to deal with the uncertainty.

China News Service: At present, China is promoting common prosperity.

Why is common prosperity the only way for China's development?

Huang Ping:

Economic and social development cannot be achieved overnight.

The 30 years from the May Fourth Movement in 1919 to the founding of New China in 1949 was a historical period in which the Chinese people overthrew imperialism and feudalism, drove out the colonialists and aggressors, abolished unequal treaties, and allowed the Chinese people to stand up.

  After the founding of the People's Republic of China, on the one hand, the Chinese people have stood up, on the other hand, the country is faced with the situation of "one poverty and two whites", and the starting point of development is very low.

After 30 years of exploration, we have found the key to reform and opening up.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, in terms of strategies, methods, and steps, China formed the idea of ​​"letting some people in some areas get rich first, and then by getting rich first and then getting rich, and finally achieving common prosperity".

  Today, China's promotion of common prosperity has at least three significances:

  First, the promotion of common prosperity is the logical, natural, and inherent meaning of socialism. It is not only the original intention of building the Party and the country, but also the original intention and goal of reform and opening up.

The development of the first three decades from 1949 to 1978 laid a lot of foundations for China, such as literacy and basic education, basic health and sanitation, farmland and water conservancy construction, and a complete national economic and industrial system.

So far, more than 40 years have passed since the reform and opening up. Our country has grown from standing up to become prosperous and is growing stronger. It has the conditions to move forward from the goal of prosperity for some people and some regions to the goal of common prosperity.

  Second, common prosperity is not only reflected in the economic and income level, but also in medical care, education, pension, housing, aesthetic education, ecology and other aspects.

After solving the poverty problem and realizing a moderately prosperous society, it is necessary to build a modern and powerful country and realize modernization.

The process of realizing modernization is also the process of common prosperity.

At present, there are demonstration areas for high-quality development and construction of common prosperity in Zhejiang Province, which will be piloted first, but other places such as "old and young borders" (collectively referred to as old revolutionary base areas, ethnic minority areas, border and remote areas, and poverty-stricken areas) and relative development lag behind. It is not a matter of "waiting for it", but should gradually realize common prosperity and equitable development through its own development and independent development.

Although different regions have different development stages and characteristics, they should all achieve common prosperity through hard work and entrepreneurial innovation.

In Longxi Village, Yuhuan City, Zhejiang Province, roads, rice fields, and private houses form a beautiful picture of the new countryside.

Photo by Wu Dafu issued by China News Agency

  Third, common prosperity is not only the road to economic reform, opening up to the outside world, but also the road to the rule of law.

The other side of the market economy is the guarantee of the rule of law. For tax evasion and violations of law and discipline, of course, they must be punished according to law. This is not "robbing the rich to help the poor", but a must in accordance with the governance model and system requirements of modern society.

Businesses, whether small or large or public or private, must operate legally and pay taxes legally.

Entrepreneurs must follow the laws of the economy and the market, as well as social laws and social ethics.

China News Service: You suggested that China is the only country that wants to become a global power through socialism.

What theoretical innovations and institutional contributions can China bring to the world?

At the same time, how to minimize the "discourse risk" of being denied by the outside world?

Huang Ping:

China's own development provides a new reference for non-Western countries that want to maintain independence and pursue development.

China has brought new experience to the economic and social development and solution of social problems of the vast non-Western developing countries with large countries, large populations and weak foundations, but it has always respected the choices of various countries and has not imposed its own experience on other countries. .

  However, people in some Western countries not only do not recognize China's experience, but also demonize it.

From the "China Collapse Theory" in the past to the current "China Threat Theory", they spread all kinds of distortions or smears against China, except that some are really ignorant, and there is also a deep-rooted arrogance and prejudice behind them.

China is by far the only non-Western, socialist country that is also the most populous and fastest growing country.

Regarding the misunderstanding of China's voice, we should increase communication and exchanges, tell China's story well, and enhance mutual learning between civilizations.

For those who deliberately and maliciously slander and vilify China, especially those who blatantly confuse black and white, we must do our own thing well, believe that we are not afraid of shadows, facts speak louder than words, and dare to speak out and be good at speaking out.

At the same time, we must continue to talk about China objectively and rationally to the general public in developing countries and Western society, and we also believe in people’s discernment.

China News Service: You pointed out that globalization has a very prominent contradiction, that is, the separation of economy and politics.

China emphasizes defending the international system with the United Nations at its core, but on the other hand, how to optimize the international system to solve the contradictions of globalization?

Huang Ping:

Objectively, globalization is mainly economic globalization, that is, beyond the limitations of the original national borders, so that commodities, capital, technology, information, etc. can enter a larger market, and enter production, circulation, exchange, and distribution more conveniently. , consumption in various fields.

But on the other hand, the politics of various countries, including those of "developed countries", are basically limited to local affairs, and most of them only focus on themselves and their immediate affairs. and the absence of world politics.

Aerial photography of Yangshan Deepwater Port in Shanghai.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Yin Liqin

  Against this background, it is particularly important to defend the international system with the United Nations at its core.

So far, the United Nations is the only international system with legitimacy and legitimacy at the global level. After the end of World War II, the United Nations provided institutional support for world peace and development.

Of course, while maintaining the international system with the United Nations at its core, it is also necessary to carry out reforms that adapt to the times.

In fact, the issue of UN reform has been called for for many years and has been explored.

This not only needs to solve the problems of high bureaucracy and inefficiency from within the UN, but more importantly, it needs to strengthen the position and role of the UN in solving global problems and challenges.

(Finish)

Interviewee Profile:

  Huang Ping, Ph.D. in Sociology (London School of Economics, UK, 1991), currently a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a researcher of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a distinguished professor of the Chinese University of Social Sciences, and the executive vice president of the Hong Kong Institute of Chinese Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences , Director of the Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and concurrently serves as the chairman of the China World Politics Research Association, the chairman of the Chinese Cultural Exchange and Promotion Association, and the vice chairman of the National Hong Kong and Macao Research Association.

His major works include Unfinished Narratives, Western Experience, Misdirection and Development, Our Times: Where Did Modern China Come From and Go? (co-authored), Local Globalization, Dream Home Country: Social Change , Globalization and China's Path", "Family State in the World: China's Development Path and Global Governance", etc.

Editor-in-chief of "Rural China and Cultural Consciousness", "Re-signing with the Earth", "Reconstruction of Publicity", "China's Migrant Workers Against Poverty", "China and Globalization: Washington Consensus or Beijing Consensus?"

", CHINA REFLEXTED, etc., translated "Consequences of Modernity", "Adam Smith in Beijing" and so on.