“Chinese modernization improves the living standards of people around the world. It addresses one of the world’s biggest problems: economic inequality in the developing countries, particularly the poorest nations,” Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, told GDToday in a recent interview hosted by the “Understanding China · GBA dialogue” forum.

Kuhn is a renowned US expert on China and the author of multiple books depicting the country. He has visited more than 100 cities over the past 30 years observing and documenting China’s development.

He has witnessed China’s “anti-poverty campaign” in the country’s villages. “China took various approaches to alleviate poverty based on the specific conditions of different places, such as educating and training the local people, and supporting the development of micro-businesses.”

He furthered, “When China completed the campaign in 2020, hundreds of millions were brought out of poverty. Now the country is marching toward its second centenary goal: envisioning a future where everyone shares prosperity by 2049.”

Kuhn told GDToday that Chinese modernization has also enhanced people’s life quality in other countries. “In the developed world such as the US, people can buy better products made in China at lower prices.”

He added that China is expanding imports at the same time, in a bid to stabilize global trade and supply chains. “An exemplification is the annual China International Import Expo in Shanghai, which demonstrates how China is dedicated to win-win cooperation.”

Kuhn elaborated that Chinese modernization has also been helping other countries’ development through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which firstly assists in infrastructure construction and then the economic development of these countries.

“China recognizes that infrastructure, roads, railways, power plants, and telecommunications networks are the critical factors enabling a country to develop,” Kuhn said.

He noted that the infrastructure built through BRI projects has laid a solid foundation for the Global Development Initiative, which China announced in 2021, focusing on global cooperation in eight key areas: poverty alleviation, food security, COVID-19 response and vaccines, financing for development, climate change and green development, industrialization, digital economy, and connectivity.

“It’s a very natural progression from the BRI to the Global Development Initiative, and now ultimately the Global Civilization Initiative proposed in March, which takes a broader vision of each country working together,” Kuhn said.

Reporter | Lydia Liu

Video editor | Zoey

Video script | Lydia Liu, Zhang Xiao (intern)

Poster designer | Lu Lu

Editor | Wing, Jasmine, Nan, James