Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at the opening ceremony of a study session of provincial and ministerial-level officials.  The study session was held from Tuesday to Wednesday in Beijing. [Xinhua/Xie Huanchi]

* Xi stressed reliance on China's own efforts to drive the nation's development, calling for efforts to make sure the future of China's development and progress remains firmly in its own hands.

* Xi said there is no set model of modernization in the world, nor is there a universal criterion for modernization that fits all.

* Xi noted that all-round development is a must for China to realize modernization.

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) — At a high-level meeting held in Beijing earlier this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the necessity to push forward national rejuvenation by following a uniquely Chinese path to modernization.

At the meeting, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, noted that the Party's 20th National Congress scheduled to be held later this year will envision the two-step strategic plan for building China into a great modern socialist country, and focus on outlining strategic tasks and major initiatives for the next five years.

"We must stress reliance on our own efforts to drive the nation's development, and make sure the future of China's development and progress remains firmly in our own hands," said Xi when speaking of China's modernization and further development.

Aerial photo taken on June 20, 2022 shows a train running on the Meixi River grand bridge, in southwest China's Chongqing, on the Zhengzhou-Chongqing high-speed railway. [Xinhua/Shu Peng]

In the past ten years, regarding the country's goals and means of building a great modern socialist country, the Chinese leader has put forward a series of new ideas, new thinking, and new strategies.

In 2012, the 18th CPC National Congress made socialist modernization and national rejuvenation the general task of building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Five years later, the 19th CPC National Congress made a new top-level design, proposing a two-stage strategic plan for building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects by the middle of the century.

To achieve these goals, China must follow its own path.

There is no set model of modernization in the world, nor is there a universal criterion for modernization that fits all, Xi told this week's meeting.

The pursuit of modernization in a vast developing country like China is unprecedented. There are no examples to refer to, nor a charted course to follow. The country can only explore its own path with resolve.

To achieve national development and revitalization, the most important thing for China, a country with a vast territory and a large population, is to follow a development path suited to its specific conditions, Xi once said.

China's modernization does not copy any existing model. Rather, it follows a distinctive path based on its own situation and reality. In the past ten years, the country has made remarkable progress.

Economically, China has stayed firmly in the position of the world's second largest economy, with the quality of people's lives steadily improving. China's GDP has exceeded 100 trillion yuan (14.8 trillion U.S. dollars), and per capita GDP has exceeded 12,000 U.S. dollars.

China's development is also reflected by its sci-tech progress. The country has made notable achievements in multiple areas, from cutting-edge technologies like manned spaceflight, to high-speed railways and technological projects related to people's well-being.

Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Nov. 7, 2021 shows Chinese taikonaut Zhai Zhigang conducting extravehicular activities out of the space station core module Tianhe. [Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng]

Simultaneous with the aforementioned developments is the country's cultural and ethical progress. In recent years, the quantity and quality of cultural venues like libraries, museums and art galleries have increased. Also, cultural activities like nationwide reading activities are carried out, and basic public cultural services in cities have become more accessible to the general public.

Photo taken on April 15, 2022 shows the Wormhole Library in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province. [Xinhua/Zhang Liyun]

China puts equal emphasis on environment protection and economic development and puts into practice the philosophy of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets."

All-round development is a must for China to realize modernization, Xi once said.

When illustrating the features of China's modernization, Xi noted that the country's modernization benefits a large population. It features common prosperity, coordinated material and cultural-ethical progress, harmony between humanity and nature, and peaceful development.

The Chinese path to modernization will bring more benefits to the world, according to Xi.

A technician works during a test run of the "fill and finish" process for CanSino vaccines at Solution Biologics factory in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sept. 8, 2021. Chinese company CanSino Biologics has helped Malaysia cross a milestone in vaccine manufacturing, by transferring technology to enable the local "fill and finish" of the COVID-19 vaccines based on the adenovirus platform. [Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung]

Over the past decade, in the face of global changes and challenges, Xi has proposed a series of ideas and philosophies, including the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative. Together, these initiatives provide answers to crucial questions concerning the future of humanity.

China's path to modernization is one that champions win-win cooperation and brings benefits to the world, instead of the old paths characterized by the zero-sum game of major powers, observers have said.

(Source: Xinhua)