Op-Ed Contributors

It's still a long road out there

By Ding Yifan (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-10 06:50

China's low urbanization rate signifies its developing nation status. In some developed countries, the urbanization level is about 70 to 80 percent, whereas in China it is as low as 45 percent.

It is true that China's urbanization has been fast over the past three decades, with about 400 million people moving to townships or cities and its total urban population reaching up to 600 million. But it is also true that the country's rural population still is in majority.

The imbalanced economic and demographic structures may help China enjoy a long period of robust economic development. But economic development history shows that when people of a country complete the rural-to-urban transition, its production efficiency grows manifold. Once that happens in China, its other economic elements will experience a coordinated, sustainable and healthy development.

If China achieves its goal of becoming a medium-level developed country by the middle of this century, it may become the world's largest economy given its huge population base. But till then China is most likely to remain a developing country.

That China is a developing country is also reflected in its similarity to other developing nations in terms of their political goals and historical experiences. A number of developing countries were once colonies, semi-colonies or dependencies of imperial powers. Most of them may have earned their independence after World War II, but they still face the common task of how to safeguard their national interests and promote economic development to achieve prosperity and fulfill their peoples' needs.

Most of the developing countries, including China, have chosen an independent and non-aligned foreign policy, oppose foreign intervention and power politics and advocate peaceful negotiations to settle international disputes .

The global economic crisis has wreaked greater havoc in the developing nations. Since they are heavily dependent on foreign investment, many of them are facing terrible credit tightening as international capital flows back to the developed countries. And since most of the developing nations are the world's primary materials providers, the global economic slowdown-induced fall in the prices of bulk commodities has debilitated their trade further.

Under such circumstances, China has increased its investment in some developing countries and raised its level of assistance to them. This is one of its big contributions to the world economy. But instead of appreciating it, China-baiters, especially in the West, have criticized it saying Beijing's "unprincipled" help will fuel corruption in those countries and sabotage the West-led global governance.

China's performance on the international stage - whether it has been a responsible power - should be judged not only by the developed countries, but also by the large number of developing nations.

China is expected to play an important role in maintaining world peace, and opposing hegemony and power politics. And its aid to developing countries will not only help the world economy recover fully and faster, but also spread its long-cherished political concepts such as democratization of international relations and the building of a harmonious global society.

The author is a research scholar with the Development Research Center of the State Council, China's Cabinet.

China Forum

(China Daily 07/10/2010 page5)