Chinese Modernization: New Opportunity for China-Afghanistan Relations, New Blueprint for Social Development
中国式现代化：中阿关系新机遇，社会发展新蓝图
Ambassador Wang Yu
驻阿富汗大使王愚
9 April 2023
2023年4月9日
The history of human development is full of twists and turns. Similarly, the journey of each country to explore the path to modernization is also arduous. In today’s world, multiple challenges and crises are intertwined. The global economic recovery remains sluggish, the development gap is widening, ecological environment is deteriorating, and the Cold War mentality is lingering. Humanity’s modernization process has once again reached a crossroads of history. At the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Chinese President Xi Jinping systematically elaborated the essential features and scientific connotations of Chinese Modernization, breaking the myth that “Modernization is Westernization” and providing a Chinese solution for mankind’s search for a better path to modernization, as well as expanding the path options for developing countries, including Afghanistan, to achieve modernization.
在曲折起伏的人类社会发展进程中，各国探索现代化的道路充满艰辛。当今世界，多重挑战和危机交织叠加，世界经济复苏艰难，发展鸿沟不断拉大，生态环境持续恶化，冷战思维阴魂不散，人类社会现代化进程又一次来到历史的十字路口。中国国家主席习近平在中国共产党第二十届全国代表大会上系统阐述了中国式现代化的本质特征和科学内涵，打破了“现代化=西方化”的迷思，为人类对更好现代化道路的探索提供了中国方案，也拓展了包括阿富汗在内的发展中国家实现现代化的路径选项。
Chinese Modernization is the modernization of a huge population and common prosperity for all. With 56 ethnic groups and 1.4 billion people in China, the size of China’s population exceed the sum of the existing developed population, and the enormity and complexity of achieving modernization is unprecedented. Only by thinking, making decisions and doing things from the national situation can we lead all Chinese people into a modern society. Today, more than 40 million Afghan people have finally become the masters of their own homeland, and the prospects for modernization are vast and unlimited. China will assist the modernization of the Afghan side based on long-term development, and is willing to continue to provide more humanitarian assistance and economic reconstruction cooperation through bilateral and multilateral channels to bring more help to the well-being of the Afghan people. China also supports the Afghan side to focus on the people’s aspirations for a better life and further progress of civilization, so that modernization will better address the concerns and meet diversified needs of the people.
中国式现代化是人口规模巨大、全体人民共同富裕的现代化。中国有56个民族，人口总数已达14亿，民族数量和人口规模超过现有发达人口的总和，实现现代化的艰巨性和复杂性前所未有。我们只有从国情出发想问题、作决策、办事情，才能带领全体中国人迈进现代化社会。如今，4000多万阿富汗人民终于成为自己家园的主人，现代化建设前景广阔、希望无限。中方将立足长远发展助力阿方现代化建设，愿继续通过双多边渠道提供更多人道主义援助和经济重建合作，为广大阿人民生活福祉带来更多帮助。中方也支持阿方锚定人民对美好生活的向往，顺应人民对文明进步的渴望，让现代化更好回应人民各方面诉求和多层次需要。
Chinese Modernization is the modernization of material and cultural-ethical advancement. To achieve the goal of modernization, we must continue to enrich not only the material wealth, but also the spiritual content. “A single flower does not make spring, while all flowers in full blossom bring spring to the garden.” President Xi Jinping emphasized that tolerance, coexistence, exchanges, and mutual learning among different civilizations play an irreplaceable role in advancing humanity’s modernization process and making the garden of world civilizations flourish. China not only supports Afghanistan’s economic development and infrastructure construction, but is also willing to strengthen humanistic exchanges and friendship with Afghanistan. In bilateral cultural exchanges, China has always respected Afghanistan’s religious beliefs and ethnic customs, and opposes the imposition of values by foreign powers on the Afghan people. China opposes anyone interfering with Afghanistan’s sovereignty by manipulating the so-called “democracy” and “human rights” issues, and will continue to stand up for Afghanistan in international forums.
中国式现代化是物质文明和精神文明相协调的现代化。一个国家要实现现代化奋斗目标，既要不断丰富物质财富，也要不断丰富精神内涵。“一花独放不是春，百花齐放春满园”，习近平主席指出，不同文明包容共存、交流互鉴，在推动人类社会现代化进程、繁荣世界文明百花园中具有不可替代的作用。今天的阿富汗，正处于社会重建、百废待兴的起步阶段，中方不仅支持阿方发展社会经济、建设基础设施，还愿与阿方加强人文交流、厚植人文友谊。在双边文化交往中，中方始终尊重阿富汗的宗教信仰和民族习惯，反对域外大国将其价值观强加给阿人民，反对操弄所谓“民主”“人权”等议题干涉阿主权，并将继续在国际场合为阿仗义执言。
Chinese Modernization is the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature. China insists on the concept of “clear waters and green hills are as valuable as hills of gold and silver”. We will protect nature and the environment as we do our own eyes, and will continue to pursue a model of sound development featuring improved production, higher living standards, and healthy ecosystems. As the “Heart of Asia”, Afghanistan has diverse natural landscapes and rich natural resources. Only by protecting the green hills can the Afghan people have a good production and living environment, which will promote the sustainable development of humanity by not only increasing the well-being of this generation but also protecting the rights and interest of future generations. With the deepening of bilateral relations between China and Afghanistan, more and more Chinese enterprises have come to invest and set up businesses in Afghanistan. They are committed to taking the path of balanced development of economic interests with environmental protection and community progress, actively protecting Afghanistan’s ecological environment, fulfilling social responsibilities and promoting the improvement of people’s livelihood.
中国式现代化是人与自然和谐共生的现代化。中方坚持“绿水青山就是金山银山”的理念，像保护眼睛一样保护自然和生态环境，坚定不移走生产发展、生活富裕、生态良好的文明发展道路。阿富汗作为“亚洲之心”，拥有多样的自然景观和丰富的自然资源，只有保护好绿水青山，才能让阿人民拥有良好的生产、生活环境，既增进当代人福祉，又保障子孙后代权益，实现社会可持续发展。随着中阿双边关系不断深化，越来越多的中资企业来到阿投资兴业，并致力于走经济利益与环境保护、社区进步的平衡发展路径，积极保护阿生态环境、履行社会责任、促进民生改善。
Chinese Modernization is the modernization of peaceful development. China has always committed to uphold world peace and promoting common development, and it is dedicated to promoting a human community with a shared future. China has stood firm in protecting international fairness and justice, advocated and practiced true multilateralism. China has taken a clear-cut stance against hegemonism and power politics in all their forms, and we have never wavered in our opposition to unilateralism, protectionism, and bullying of any kind. China will neither tread the old path of colonization and plunder, nor the crooked path taken by some countries to seek hegemony once they grow strong. What China pursues is the right course of peaceful development. No matter what level of development China achieves, it will never seek hegemony or expansion. Now under the banner of Chinese Modernization, China and Afghanistan have continued to deepen political mutual trust, economic cooperation and people-to-people exchange. China has always respected the independent choice of the Afghan people for their development path, supported the Afghan side in putting the development of the country and the nation at the base of its own strength, and put the fate of the country’s development and progress firmly in its own hands.
中国式现代化是走和平发展道路的现代化。中方始终坚持维护世界和平、促进共同发展，致力于推动构建人类命运共同体，坚定维护国际公平正义，倡导践行真正的多边主义，旗帜鲜明反对一切霸权主义和强权政治，毫不动摇反对任何单边主义、保护主义、霸凌行径。中方不走殖民掠夺的老路，不走国强必霸的歪路，走的是和平发展的人间正道，无论发展到什么程度，中国永远不称霸、永远不搞扩张。如今在中国式现代化的旗帜下，中阿两国不断深化政治互信、经济互通和民心相通，中方始终尊重阿人民对发展道路的自主选择，支持阿方把国家和民族发展放在自己力量的基点上，把国家发展进步的命运牢牢掌握在自己手中。
Not long ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a keynote address at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting, pointing out that modernization is not “an exclusive patent” of a small handful of countries, nor is it a single-answer question. It cannot be realized by a cookie-cutter approach or simple “copy and paste”. Chinese Modernization is rooted in our national conditions and also draws on the experience of other countries. It carries the imprint of history and traditional culture and also contains modern elements. It delivers benefit to the Chinese people and also advances common development of the world. It is a sure path for us to build a stronger nation and realize the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It is also a path we must take to seek progress for humanity and harmony for the entire world. China has always believed that the Afghan people have the most say in what kind of modernization suits them best, and the Afghan side have the right and ability to explore their own unique path of modernization based on their own national conditions.
不久前，习近平主席在出席中国共产党与世界政党高层对话会时发表重要讲话指出，“现代化不是少数国家的‘专利品’，也不是非此即彼的‘单选题’，不能搞简单的千篇一律、‘复制粘贴’”。中国式现代化既基于自身国情、又借鉴各国经验，既传承历史文化、又融合现代文明，既造福中国人民、又促进世界共同发展，是中国强国建设、民族复兴的康庄大道，也是中国谋求人类进步、世界大同的必由之路。中方始终坚信，什么样的现代化最适合自己，阿人民最有发言权，阿方有权利也有能力，基于自身国情自主探索独特的现代化之路。
China sincerely hopes that the Afghan side can find a modernization path based on its national conditions and characteristics, and truly realize the beautiful vision of the country’s long-lasting peace and security as well as people’s happiness and prosperity. China will always link its destiny closely with the destiny of all peoples, including Afghanistan, and strive to provide new opportunities for the world’s development with new achievements in Chinese Modernization, provide new assistance to the exploration of modernization by mankind, and make new contributions to the innovation of modernization theory and practice in human society.
中方衷心祝愿阿方能够摸索出一条立足阿国情、具备阿特色的现代化之路，真正实现国家长治久安、人民安居乐业的美好愿景。中方也将始终把自身命运同包括阿富汗在内的各国人民命运紧紧联系在一起，努力以中国式现代化新成就为世界发展提供新机遇，为人类对现代化道路的探索提供新助力，为人类社会现代化理论和实践创新作出新贡献