Contents Introduction 1 I. The Chinese Path to Modernization: Shared by a Huge Population 3 (1) Road to follow: socialism with Chinese characteristics 4 (2) Guiding principle: people-centered 11 (3) Reform goal: modernizing China’s system and capacity for governance 17 (4) Innovative vision: new development philosophy 21 (5) Strategy: high-quality development 25 II. The Chinese Path to Modernization: Common Prosperity for All 35 (1) An intrinsic requirement: people’s desire for a better life 36 (2) A key step: eliminating poverty 40 (3) Equitable access to basic public services 46 (4) Collaboration and participation to benefit all 50 III. The Chinese Path to Modernization: Coordinated Material and Cultural-ethical Progress 55 (1) Core values: core socialist values 56 (2) National identity: a sense of the Chinese nation as one community 58 (3) China’s goal: a socialist country with a thriving culture 60 (4) Common values of humanity 65 (5) A new model for human progress 68 IV. The Chinese Path to Modernization: Harmony Between Humanity and Nature 73 (1) A striking metaphor: lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets 74 (2) Humanity and nature form a community of life 77 (3) Principles for responsibility: fairness, justice and shared gains 80 (4) China’s promises: to peak carbon dioxide emissions and achieve carbon neutrality 83 (5) China’s proposal: a green Silk Road 85 (6) A Beautiful China 89 V. The Chinese Path to Modernization: Peaceful Development 93 (1) The road to take: peaceful development 94 (2) International contacts: a new form of international relations 98 (3) The principle of global governance: achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration 101 (4) Platform for practice: the Belt and Road Initiative 104 (5) Relations between civilizations: exchanges and mutual learning 107 (6) Vision: a global community of shared future 109 Conclusion 115