At the Opening Plenary of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2011 this April, President Hu Jintao said in his keynote speech: "It has been proven by history and reality that economic and social development is not possible without a development path suited to realities on the ground. The people of Asia know full well that there is no ready model or unchanging path of development that applies to all countries in the world." This comment reveals the inevitability of every country choosing development paths suited to their own realities. China's exploration and choice of a suitable development mode conforms to this objective law of the development of human society.

The 60 plus years since the founding of the People's Republic of China has been a period when China has rid itself of the blind belief there is a mode suitable for all countries and finally found a development road suiting China's own national conditions. Particularly, in the past 30 years since China began to adopt the policy of reform and opening up in 1978, China's annual economic aggregate had hit 39,790 billion yuan by 2010, up 109 times, an unprecedented record of continuous and rapid growth.

China's economic aggregate jumped from the world's 10th in 1978 to second in 2010. In May 2011, the rise of China was listed by Global Language Monitor as the top in terms of the top 10 news stories of the 21st century. During this time, Asia was hit by the financial crisis of 1997, but China decided not to devalue the RMB and contributed strong support for stability in Asia's financial markets and final success in the crisis. The 2008 global financial crisis which started in the United States has been the worst since the Great Depression of 1929.

Developed economies, emerging economies and the vast developing countries one by one slipped into meltdown. China has tried to expand domestic demand in consumption, production and construction; and stuck to mutual benefit in foreign trade. China never takes advantage of other countries, but has always tried to work hard with other countries to combat crises. China was the first to realize economic recovery and has made great contributions to the recovery of the global economy.

Regarding China's experience in its peaceful rise as well as its continuous and rapid development in what is called the Chinese mode, or Chinese development mode, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said in an interview with Cankao Xiaoxi in June China's development mode is of great significance to the world as well as to itself.

But, some people do not agree with China's mode, or deny the existence of the Chinese mode, and a greater number are separating China's mode from its system. They acknowledge China's success in economic development, but doubt China's social and political system. In fact, no development mode can be separated from the social and political system. A system of failure is unable to produce successful development modes. World history is not lacking in examples. The relationship between the design and implementation of systems and the formation and development of a mode is like that between soil and plants: The system's environment gives birth to development modes while growth enriches and improves systems. Looking back on the developmental history of all countries, we find different forms of economic modes of different functions appeared in different historical periods, corresponding to certain socio-political systems. They came into being when they were needed, changed with advancing times, and were different in various countries. They played different roles in the world's development and the progress of human civilization. The world thus became and is becoming more colorful, diversified and vigorous.

Modes are objective existence. They are a comprehensive exhibition of social material production and spiritual life, and are basically a shaped but not fixed development path. A country's development mode must be a social and economic structure consisting of economic, political and cultural systems. The objective criteria in measuring whether a mode is successful or not is whether it helps to push forward productivity, people's material and cultural lives and social progress. Modes are real images presented in front of the public. They do not need intentional decoration nor should they be decorated casually.

China is a big developing country of 1.3 billion people, vast in territory and strikingly varied in natural resources distribution. Because of a backward economic basis and imbalanced development, it's impossible to realize long-term, rapid and continuous development overnight or to achieve goals by relying on several temporary measures. There must be in-depth reasons and the core is system factors that are the internal driving forces. China's practices prove, without the socialist system of Chinese characteristics, there wouldn't be China's successful development modes.

It is a scientific summary to regard China's peaceful rise, rapid development, and the improvement in people's living conditions and social progress as China's mode.It has nothing to do with humility or arrogance. Now we need to explore the relationship between China's mode and China's system as a whole. Research should focus on their corresponding relationship and mutual impact as well as their successes and deficiencies. To tap into this relationship in a country that accounts for one fifth of the world's population is a great innovation in human society. In any sense, it is a big event of great importance.

The success of China's mode is a full expression of the superiority and effectiveness of China's socialist system. When it comes to the relationship between fairness and efficiency, between current and future interests and between the whole and the part, the socialist system is able to deal with things on a higher plane, with a more distant view and in a better manner. The function of China' social system in promoting the formation of the Chinese mode is striking and outstanding in these aspects:

First, China adheres to the basic principles of Marxism and seeking truth from facts. We have scientifically analyzed and correctly understand China's national conditions. During the long-term revolution, construction and innovation, China has always tried to make Marxism suit China's national conditions. China has developed and will keep to improving the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Based on the country's real conditions, we have made clear China is currently a preliminary stage of socialism and will remain so for quite a long time. China has proposed to center on economic development while at the same time sticking to the Four Cardinal Principles and the policy of reform and opening up. China adheres to the basic economic system of maintaining public ownership as the mainstay of the economy and allowing diverse forms of ownership to develop side by side. The rapid growth of productivity, greater national strength, and all-round social progress as well as better material and cultural lives for the people, are all consolidating China's socialist system.

Second, the Communist Party of China is the core leadership. Particularly, lofty ideals, great abilities and the dedication to the nation of the CPC's central leadership; the effective operation of the state machine; as well as its leadership system and operation mechanism of democratic centralism, does to the largest extent mobilize, organize and coordinate various resources and pool them all into the development of China as a modernized socialist country. This core leadership enjoys high prestige among the Chinese people and is the core force in extending the Chinese mode and China's system into various areas.

Third, China sticks to the principles of emancipating the mind, being practical and realistic, keeping up with the times, and always trying to encourage social vitality and people's eagerness to make progress. As for various problems in mode formation and system improvement, particularly deficiencies in systems and mechanisms, as well as positive and negative impacts from the outside world, the country is able to make use of reform and opening up and the socialist market economy's distribution ability to keep pace with adjustment. This ensures the development and improvement of this mode and system and ensures the full display of the public's enthusiasm, initiative and creativity.

Fourth, China steadily pushes forward democracy and the construction of a legal system suited to its national conditions. China persists with CPC leadership and the combination of the people being the country's masters, and rule by law. It adheres to improving the people's congress system, multi-party cooperation and political consultation system led by the CPC, as well as the system of regional autonomy for ethnic minorities and the system of community level self-governance. The country offers guides to public opinion and social forces, respecting ideas and the practice of law-based supervision. As well, it enables properly dealing with various conflicts, creating an atmosphere for harmonious development and a stable internal environment, so as to prevent the interruption and destruction of the country's development process.

Fifth, China sticks to the concepts of peace, development and cooperation, pursues a peaceful foreign policy of independence and the road of peaceful development. China adheres to an open strategy of mutual benefit, actively takes part in global economic cooperation and competition and pushes forward the construction of a new world economic order, with a view to building a harmonious world and peaceful external environment conducive to China's development.

Sixth, China's modernization goal is worked out in line with its Constitution. This goal is rooted in China's history and culture and also in the Chinese people's ideals and pursuits. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, overthrowing the rule of imperialism, feudalism and bureaucratic capitalism and realizing national liberalization and independence were the political preconditions for construction of the new mode and system. After the founding of the PRC, proposals to provide the Chinese people with adequate food and clothing, to build a relatively well-off society and to basically realize modernization, were all temporary goals in certain stages. From the First Five-Year Plan to the 12th Five-Year Plan, thanks to the socialist system, China has been able to solve various economic, political, cultural and social problems in the process of modernization. China has completed huge projects such as the Three Gorges Dam, and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, and is in the process of constructing the South to North Water Diversion Project, which has continued for several five-year plans.

Pairs assistance was organized to help less developed regions and regions hit by huge disasters. Here, the socialist system has laid a solid material and technological foundation for the revitalization of the Chinese nation. China's ruling party, its people's congress system, the government, the political consultative conference and China's democratic parties all carry out regular elections on time. China's efforts in developing socialist modernization have never been interrupted. Important policies stay consistent and stable. Government, society, businesses and even individuals have all benefited greatly from long-term development. The legality of the CPC's ruling position is recognized to the largest extent.

What's discussed above is the important content of the Chinese mode. It's also a striking expression of how China's system plays a role. China's mode and China's system are each other's preconditions and help to improve each other. To separate the Chinese mode from China's system neither suits China's development reality nor is able to explain China's successful development correctly. Looking back on China's history, especially from the mid 18th century to the first half of the 20th century, the fundamental reason for China staying in stagnation was a reactionary and backward feudal system, as well as the semi-colonial and semi-feudal political and social system. This system led to long-term foreign invasion and internal oppression, social instability, terrible living conditions and the country's stagnation. China's development from the founding of the People's Republic of China, particularly since the policy of reform and opening up was adopted in the late 1970s, proves the removal of these basic negative factors was the most important reason for the success of the Chinese mode, and also the starting point and destination of system reform and system construction.

Karl Marx said in Preface to a Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy: "In the social production of their existence, men inevitably enter into definite relations, who are independent of their will, namely relations of production appropriate to a given stage in the development of their material forces of production. The totality of these relations of production constitutes the economic structure of society, the real foundation, on which arises a legal and political superstructure and to which correspond definite forms of social consciousness."

The Chinese mode and China's system help to improve each other, which is a reflection of a suitable relationship between material production activities and the superstructure, and is an important innovation of Marxism's developmental concept.

Every country's development modes are of striking national characteristics, enriched by imported experience. All successful modes featured openness and tolerance, stressing the absorption of various human civilizations.

The Chinese mode is the result of the Chinese people's wisdom, and also a combination of various achievements of civilization brought in thanks to the country's opening-up policy. China never refuses to learn from successful external experience, and never will it impose its own development modes on others. The Chinese mode and China's social system are not perfect, but like any other mode and system, they have shortcomings and deficiencies, in the face of various internal and external challenges. However, these are problems commonly seen in growth and in historical processes. The most important thing is: Chinese society has the necessary driving forces and mechanisms. The Communist Party of China, the Chinese Government and the Chinese people are able to hold correct attitudes towards problems, persist in reform and opening up, and try to solve problems through development and achieve development through solving problems. We call on all countries to improve their development modes and systems in line with their national conditions, by learning from each other, communicating and drawing on each other's merits, so as to manage their own affairs well and jointly push forward the cause of human progress in a harmonious world.

(The author is a former vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference)