Opportunities in China in the eyes of former politicians and scholars from ten countries
Through the "storm", they found the "anchor" in China
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jenny Shipley said bluntly that throughout the world today, countries are looking for "anchors of stability", sources of power for development and innovation, and paths to achieve inclusiveness and shared prosperity. China continues to make important contributions to global economic growth and has also brought practical development opportunities to New Zealand and other countries.
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In the past week, many former political figures and well-known scholars from 10 countries came to China. Among them were the former President of Ethiopia, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and a former British MP... In the past few days, along the Bund of Shanghai, they felt the openness, vitality and modern pulse of China's largest economic center city. Afterwards, the group went south to Wenzhou to explore the context of the globalization of China's private economy, and then went deep into the thousand-year-old villages in Xinyu, Jiangxi, to re-observe today's China from another perspective. After the on-site visit, they reached a consensus: the resilience and vitality of the Chinese economy have long been obvious to all.
"The global economy is seeking an 'anchor' for stability, and today China's high-quality development is becoming a 'stabilizer' and powerful engine for global growth." Former Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome said that judging from multiple data, the resilience of the Chinese economy is self-evident. China's innovative development in green technology, advanced manufacturing and digital economy not only promotes its own economic transformation and upgrading, but also opens up new paths and injects new momentum into the world economy.
How can the world find new opportunities for development in China's resilience and vitality? On October 11, at the "Mingde Strategic Dialogue (2026)" hosted by Renmin University of China, they talked about how China empowers the world in their own eyes.
Ma Huaide, President of Renmin University of China, said that "resilience" is the ability to protect certainty, and "vitality" is the driving force to open up possibilities. Against the background of global development being under pressure, China has been moving forward steadily under the guidance of the "Five-Year Plan", providing development dividends with its ultra-large market and complete industrial system, and stimulating growth momentum with reform, opening up, and technological innovation. China has always been the most stable, reliable, and positive force in a turbulent world. He also mentioned that the realization of resilience and vitality is inseparable from the four key pillars of development momentum, safety bottom line, civilized ties, and governance direction.
Resilience and vitality under "reconstruction"
Regarding the two keywords of "resilience" and "vitality", Mulatu Teshome gave his own comments at the scene: Resilience not only means being able to weather difficulties and pass through the "storm", but also becoming more adaptable and stronger "after the storm"; vitality is not only about expansion or growth, but more about stimulating the generation of a kind of energy.
China's development path is providing reference for the world. Mulatu Teshome observed that China is accelerating its transition to green, promoting the innovation and popularization of clean energy technologies, and providing useful experience for the global response to climate change. In terms of technological innovation, the development of China's robotics technology and digital economy has provided more opportunities for international companies to carry out innovative cooperation.
At the same time, he also mentioned that China will continue to extend zero-tariff treatment to developing countries, broaden trade channels for the "global South", and promote deeper global integration.
Also looking for an "anchor" is former New Zealand Prime Minister Jenny Shipley. She bluntly said that throughout the world today, all countries are looking for "anchors of stability", sources of power for development and innovation, and paths to achieve inclusiveness and shared prosperity. China continues to make important contributions to global economic growth and has also brought practical development opportunities to New Zealand and other countries.
Jenny Shipley saw that China is now at the world's leading level in the development of new energy vehicles, robots and other fields. These are only part of the "China's development story", which strongly proves to the world that China's economy is strong and resilient. The resilience and vitality displayed by China's economy are due to its insistence on long-term planning, strengthening infrastructure construction, continuing to promote scientific and technological innovation, and constantly adjusting its development strategy according to the situation.
Industrial upgrading is the most intuitive footnote of development resilience. Former British MP George Galloway witnessed the power of China's "intelligent" manufacturing from one side, and this visit to China was an eye-opener for him. During the visit, he glimpsed from a thin piece of "hand-shredded steel" that "China is in a leading position in many industrial fields, and it can even be said that it is almost an insurmountable lead."
George Galloway mentioned that China has shifted from exporting daily necessities to exporting advanced technology. Some Western countries call China's exports "over-production" and set up tariff barriers, which is actually protectionism and deviates from free trade. In the past, these countries were big exporters.
Maiman, deputy director of the Polish Institute of Security and International Development and former director of the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, believes that the world economy is undergoing a large-scale restructuring. If the economy is regarded as a game in which "one side must lose and the other must win," global growth will be impossible. What countries really need is cooperation. He summarized the outside world's attitudes toward China's development into three types: one is "copying" imitation, trying to copy China's blueprint; the other is "double standards"; the third is geopolitical panic, which is stuffing facts into the framework of security policies. He believes that China is entering a new stage of historical development, and its new development model is reshaping the world's technological and economic landscape.
Where is the space for collaboration? Zhu Guangyao, former Vice Minister of Finance, has set his sights on China’s 15th Five-Year Plan. China's smooth implementation of its five-year plan is not only crucial to China's development, but also injects impetus into world economic growth. He is confident in the sustainable growth of China's economy and the new five-year plan will continue to release considerable development momentum.
"Building bridges" rather than "building walls": "China's answer" in the production and supply chain
How the resilience and vitality of the Chinese economy is transmitted to the world will ultimately depend on the industrial chain and supply chain, which is the link between the real economy. Liu Ying, a researcher at the National Research Department of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, believes that resilience is the inherent strength of the Chinese economy to weather storms; vitality is the development momentum that continues to open to the world and is shared with the world. What is very important to connect these two points is the stability and upgrading of global industrial and supply chains.
"The resilience of the global industrial supply chain has never been achieved by 'building walls', but by 'building bridges'. China is not only an important engine of global economic growth, but also a staunch defender of the stability, resilience and vitality of the global industrial supply chain." Liu Ying said.
At present, the global economic order is facing deep challenges. Glenn Disen, a professor of international relations at the University of Southeast Norway, pointed out that with the decline of hegemony, the international economic system centered on the United States in the past is accelerating to be replaced by "new mercantilism", and technological blockades, financial sanctions and key corridor control have been fully "weaponized". He emphasized that the establishment of a new stable order must rely on multipolarity and multilateralism. Precisely to rebuild trust in the supply chain and financial architecture, mechanisms such as the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have shown great appeal and are becoming a key force in promoting global diversified balance and multilateral cooperation.
Tu Xinquan, dean of the China World Trade Organization Research Institute at the University of International Business and Economics, said that Western countries should open their arms and accept Chinese companies going overseas. This is a key step to resolve global imbalances and maintain the stability of the global industrial supply chain.
One of the most typical examples is the automobile industry. In the first eight months of this year, 7.153 million complete vehicles were exported, a year-on-year increase of 66.7%. Tu Xinquan said that compared with five years ago, the reversal of China's automobile industry is unprecedented, from a follower to a leader. The root cause is China's new energy technology catching up from behind. "It is during the process of opening up that Chinese companies have integrated into the global production and supply chain and continued to learn from leading Western companies, so that they have accumulated and cultivated their own production and innovation capabilities."
According to Tu Xinquan, in recent years, some Western public opinion has accused China of having an impact on the global economic system. The essence is that Chinese companies have made rapid and huge technological progress in the manufacturing field, breaking the long-term technological monopoly advantage of Western companies. However, some Western countries have set investment restrictions based on excessive security concerns. China's investment stock in Europe and the United States is relatively small, which not only hinders Chinese companies from participating in international competition, but also causes Europe and the United States to miss business opportunities and drags down the stability of the global industrial chain.
Australian independent international affairs media personality Matthew Williams shared the changing perception of China and the international order from the perspective of the younger generation in the West. He said that the West's view of China is quietly changing, and at present, Western rhetoric such as the "China threat theory" is being dismantled. Many ordinary people are exposed to the daily lives of ordinary Chinese people every day, and learn about their behaviors and relationships, as well as their overall experience. He always tells people: "It's good to learn about China from books, but traveling to China will change your life."
Huang Hanquan, director of the Macroeconomic Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that China’s support for the world economy is reflected in many aspects. For example, China is turning its super-large market advantage into real opportunities for goods from various countries to enter China. In the first eight months of this year, China’s import growth outperformed its exports. The upgrade of the production and supply chain supports the industrialization, intelligence, and greening of the world. In addition, the overseas deployment of Chinese enterprises supports the rebalancing of the global economy, and the technology, equipment, capital and services driven by enterprises going overseas also boost local employment and endogenous growth.
A few days ago, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the "Opinions on Developing New Quality Productive Forces." Huang Hanquan told reporters from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily that developing new productive forces will cultivate new industries, spawn new business formats, and forge new momentum for China. China will also continue to promote scientific and technological innovation achievements to the world, so that technological dividends can radiate outward and be shared globally.
"What a dynamic China brings to the world is not impact, but opportunity." Huang Hanquan said.
China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily reporter Zhao Limei
