By Staff Reporter
Common prosperity is emerging as a central theme in China’s vision for the future, emphasizing the importance of shared wealth and social cohesion in a rapidly changing world. Francesco Sisci, a senior researcher at Renmin University of China and former cultural counselor at the Italian Embassy in China, shared his insights on the significance of this vision for both China and the global community.
Speaking on the topic, Sisci highlighted that “common prosperity is the keystone of any society.” He noted that significant social disparities can lead to animosity and hostility, underscoring the need for a cohesive social structure. “It’s extremely important to have a very cohesive social structure in China,” he said. “The well-being which has been created in the past 40 years has to be distributed in a better way, and that could help future development of the country, and also of the world, because China is an important part of the world, with 20 percent of the global population.”
Sisci also reflected on the evolution of Chinese civilization amidst modernization. “China is changing its own civilization,” he observed. “China now is no longer the China of 40 years ago or 100 years ago. It is something different. China is now more embedded in the world than perhaps ever in its history.”
He emphasized the delicate balance China must maintain between embracing globalization and preserving its traditional values. “It’s extremely important that China doesn’t lose its roots because losing its roots would be a major failure for China and for everybody else,” Sisci stated. “Everybody can be inspired by Chinese traditional and modern achievements in many ways.”
Highlighting the challenges and necessities of intercultural understanding, Sisci added, “We have to keep our traditional values… but we also have to embrace and understand others, and this is very difficult to have in practice. But it’s important and crucial. If we just use our values to close off the rest of the world, it’s a dying proposition. However, if we want to embrace the values of the world, losing our traditional values, this will never happen. So it is a tightrope… however, it’s the only way forward.”
China’s pursuit of common prosperity aligns with President Xi Jinping’s emphasis on a people-centered development philosophy, promoting social equity while pursuing high-quality development. As China continues to integrate with the global community, the balance between modernization and cultural heritage remains a pivotal aspect of its journey.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
