-Keynote Address at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level - H.E. Xi Jinping,
(Lanka-e-News -24.March.2025, 11.00 PM) In a world teetering on the precipice of epochal transformation, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s keynote address at the CPC’s High-Level Dialogue with World Political Parties resonated like a clarion call for a new paradigm in global modernization. With rhetorical flourish and philosophical gravitas, he unfurled a vision of modernization unshackled from the hegemonic diktats of the past, championing a symphony of civilizations wherein each nation orchestrates its own ascent to prosperity.
Xi’s address was a thinly veiled repudiation of the unipolar tendencies that have historically bedeviled the modernization discourse. He posed a fundamental question: should modernization be an exclusive fiefdom of a privileged few, or a shared endeavor rooted in mutual respect and diverse national conditions? His answer was unequivocal—a garden of a hundred blooming flowers is preferable to the arid sterility of imposed homogeneity.
He rejected the notion of modernization as a zero-sum game where one nation’s advancement necessitates another’s subjugation. Instead, he championed a model where sovereignty is sacrosanct, and development paths are sculpted not by external prescriptions but by the intrinsic realities of a nation’s history, culture, and aspirations.
With a rhetorical nod to Confucianism, Xi asserted that modernization should transcend the sterile arithmetic of GDP figures and instead hinge upon the holistic well-being of the people. It is not merely an economic exercise but a civilizational enterprise that must ensure material affluence harmonizes with cultural-ethical enrichment. In a world often held hostage to the relentless march of materialism, his advocacy for a people-first approach is an audacious call to reimagine progress beyond the cold calculus of markets.
Perhaps the most evocative segment of Xi’s address was his unveiling of the Global Civilization Initiative—a framework that celebrates the interplay of diverse civilizations rather than the supremacy of any singular model. He extolled the virtues of cross-civilizational dialogue, mutual learning, and the preservation of cultural identities, effectively rebutting the ideological dogma that seeks to impose one-size-fits-all governance models across sovereign nations.
This initiative, if actualized, could herald a new renaissance of intercultural cooperation, where civilizations are not ranked on an artificial hierarchy but appreciated in their unique glory. In an era when cultural narratives are often weaponized to stoke division, Xi’s call for mutual respect and exchange presents a tantalizing counter-narrative.
However, the luminous idealism of Xi’s vision is inevitably shadowed by geopolitical realities. While China’s modernization model has indeed lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, it remains a subject of scrutiny and debate among global observers. Can a model that prioritizes centralized governance over electoral pluralism truly be universalized? Will Xi’s rejection of Cold War mentalities find resonance in a world where strategic rivalries continue to escalate?
These are questions that the coming decades will answer. What remains undoubted is that Xi’s address has etched a compelling counterpoint to the Western modernization discourse—one that is rooted in historical continuity, civilizational self-determination, and an unyielding commitment to sovereign independence.
As the world grapples with the competing visions of progress, Xi’s address serves as both a philosophical treatise and a geopolitical manifesto. Whether one agrees with its premises or not, it is an invitation—perhaps even a provocation—to rethink modernization not as a Western monologue but as a global dialogue. The world, after all, is richer when it sings in polyphony rather than in a single note.
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by (2025-03-24 17:46:39)
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