(ECNS) -- Chinese modernization provides an opportunity to the world and its whole approach is different from the West, said Martin Jacques, a world-leading expert on China, on Wednesday.
Jacques, also a British journalist and editor, made the remarks at a conference hosted by China News Service and organized by China News Network.
He explained that the idea of Chinese modernization is, in some respects, relatively new.
He stressed that modernization has long been defined in essentially Western terms, but China's success in modernizing, in its own way, circumstances, and conditions, has had very strong Chinese characteristics.
Around the turn of the 21st century, China is no longer just catching up, not least in the technological and economic field, but has caught up or reached the level of development of the most successful countries in the West, Jacques commented.
Chinese modernization involves the country and its style of governance, aimed at fostering a comprehensive economic system, Jacques said.
He highlighted the fact that Chinese modernization is not narrowly economic and technological, but ultimately, for the people.
He called the question "What will Chinese modernity mean for China and the world?" interesting.
Chinese modernization is not a slogan but has got a purchase on reality and the country's prospects, he said.
We could have a very modern, but very unequal economy, he mentioned, like in the United States today.
If you look globally, the question of inequality has only grown, he said. Hardly any society since 1980 has moved in the opposite direction. Now, the Chinese government is trying to find a way of tackling this question.
Jacques believes China can maintain a culture of growth, and urges emphasis on the centrality of economic growth.
"I think China can maintain high-quality development backed by its increasing innovative strength," he concluded.
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