"Modernization Is Not Westernization": China Stresses Its Own Path to Development

March 5, 2025, Opening ceremony of the 3rd session of the 14th National People's Congress held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. CMG

China is emphasizing a systematic national development framework by promoting its own modernization model, known as the "Five-Sphere Integrated Plan" (5wei1ti), as a central strategy. On May 15, China Media Group (CMG) highlighted that "Chinese-style modernization aims not only for economic growth but also for balanced development in the political, cultural, social, and ecological spheres."

The "Five-Sphere Integrated Plan" refers to a system that comprehensively manages five areas: economic development, political institutions, cultural cultivation, social security, and ecological and environmental protection. Since President Xi Jinping first introduced this concept at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party in 2017, it has become a core principle of China's governance model.

According to reports, China is pursuing high-quality growth through industrial upgrading and the expansion of the digital economy. At the same time, it is working to strengthen the rule of law for political stability, promote social cohesion through the preservation of traditional culture, expand social safety nets such as pensions and medical insurance, and implement environmental protection policies such as setting ecological red lines. Each of these policies is being advanced in parallel.

Chinese authorities assert that, through these efforts, the country is "taking a different path from the Western models of individualism and capital-driven development." CMG reported that "the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan is a structure rooted in the traditional Chinese philosophy of minben (the Confucian principle that 'the people are the foundation of the nation') as well as the values of harmony and moderation." The report added that "China is seeking sustainable modernization grounded in its own cultural traditions."

Meanwhile, Chinese authorities emphasize that this strategy is not merely a domestic policy but also aims to promote the international value of "shared prosperity for humanity." President Xi has previously stated that "there is no single path to modernization, and each country has the right to develop in a way that suits its own circumstances."