The peaceful rise of China is on the one hand based on developing itself in an international situation of fighting for peace and on the other maintaining the world peace for its own development. Zheng Bijian, who's a notable theorist and President of the Institute of Humane Culture for Post-graduates of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said on April 22, and the outcome is to realize its rise while serving a mainstay for maintaining the world peace.

On the afternoon of April 22, a "Forum on Chinese Sciences and Humane Culture" sponsored by the Institute for Post-graduates of the Chinese Academy of Sciences continued on its thematic lectures in the 3rd phase in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Zheng Bijian, Chairman of the Forum Council made the aforesaid assertion in his final speech entitled the "Development of China's Peaceful Rise".

Zheng Bijian said, under the condition of the time in which peace and development is the main theme the peaceful rise of China features the independent construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics which is associated with the progress of the economic globalization but not separated from it.

The late Deng Xiaoping once mentioned, the socialism with Chinese characteristics means the socialism to persist in developing productivity, the socialism of advocating peace. The road for China to rise peacefully consists of two basically unified conceptions, advocated Zheng. The choice of China for peaceful rise, the utterly new strategic road has not only broken up the banal rule of "rising through fighting for hegemony and to rise must resort to hegemony" as advocated by some big countries in modern history, but has also the following five features:

1. Unswervingly persist in taking the development as of the primary importance for the CPC in the administration of and rejuvenating the country with the stress laid on economic construction;

2. Practice the policy of opening to the outside world and persevere in its linking up with the economic globalization instead of separation;

3. Adhere to the policy of independence and self-reliance while participating in the economic globalization;

4. Stick resolutely to the policy of reform while making an overall plan for paying attention to the strategic relations and interests of all aspects so as to realize a combination of reform, development and stability;

5. To make great efforts for the rise while abiding by the peaceful foreign policy of self-reliance and independence and never to fight for hegemony and seek for hegemony.

What time is considered the outset for China to rise? Generally speaking, the proclamation of the founding of the People's Republic of China is considered the outset for China to rise politically, said Zheng. But the road of peaceful rise and development we are now speaking of refers specifically to the historical period ranging from the 3rd plenary session of the 11th Party Congress to the middle of the 21st century. In this period China is going to realize basically its modernization and revitalization of the Chinese nation and it is a period in which China is going in for an overall historical orientation and connotation of rise and development. "Therefore, China's peaceful rise and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as well as the basic modernization of China belong to the same historical orientation, historical period and the same connotation in history".

For a period of time especially after the entry into the 21st century, there appeared in the world the theory of "China threat" and also the collapse of China. How can the peace be a threat? Zheng said, and how can the rise come to collapse? The peaceful rise of China is the most favorable counterblow at the theory of "China threat" and China collapse.

The international situation is very changeable, stressed Zheng Bijian and the peaceful rise of China can not be always a plain sailing. To realize the peaceful rise China still needs three big motive forces and four great guarantees. The three big motive forces include innovation of system, of sciences and of culture while the four great guarantees are respectively the competence construction of human resources, construction of a harmonious environment in society, and construction of a powerful national defense as well as a peaceful foreign policy of self-reliance and independence.

(People's Daily April 26, 2004)