How did the People鈥檚 Republic of China (PRC) transform itself from an impoverished country on the brink of economic collapse into the world鈥檚 second largest economy in merely seven decades?

Many were asking themselves this question when the PRC celebrated its 70th founding anniversary on October 1.

Hardworking people, political stability, reform and opening-up are among the top factors that enabled the 鈥淐hina miracle,鈥� said a group of veteran US experts on the Asian country in recent interviews with Xinhua.

Driving principles

China has made two 鈥渆qually important historic transformations鈥� in the past 70 years alongside its remarkable economic development 鈥� China鈥檚 鈥減ro-active engagement鈥� with the world community and its 鈥渞emarkable success in poverty alleviation,鈥� said Robert Kuhn, 75, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation.

As regards the remarkable economic development undergirding the two historic transformations, Kuhn said it can be attributed to a set of 鈥渄riving principles.鈥�

Among them, he observed, are a people working long and hard to improve the lives of their families and the destiny of their country, and a system that enforces political stability and encourages economic freedom.

Also on Kuhn鈥檚 list are a vision that sets long-term goals, mid-term objectives and short-term policies that are monitored and modified continuously, a way of thinking that emphasizes experimentation before implementation, and a willingness to admit and correct errors.

鈥淭he free trade zone in Shanghai was operated for three years before the free trade zones were opened in other cities, now more than a dozen, including all of Hainan Province,鈥� he said.

鈥淣ot just foreigners, I guess for most Chinese people themselves, they had never imagined their country could develop so fast,鈥� said Ezra Vogel, 89, a professor emeritus at Harvard University.

鈥淚 see Chinese people鈥檚 livelihood get better year after year,鈥� said Vogel, who has been traveling to China 鈥渁t least once a year鈥� since the 1980s.

During his latest trip in November 2018, he took a bullet train from Beijing to eastern China鈥檚 Shandong Province, and found the experience 鈥渧ery good.鈥�

According to Vogel, China鈥檚 take-off was a direct result of its reform and opening-up policy 鈥� a 鈥渢errific decision鈥� made by late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping in 1978, as the country has since been growing by leaps and bounds.

Vogel spent 10 years studying Deng and turned this effort into a book titled 鈥淒eng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China.鈥�

Published in 2011, the over 900-page tome has provided a window for Westerners to gain a better understanding of modern China.

Vogel believes education has played a vital part in China鈥檚 success.

鈥淭he students (who) got enrolled into college (in China) after 1978 were very brilliant,鈥� he said. 鈥淭heir modern way of thinking has brought great changes to the country.鈥�

Unlike the former Soviet Union, Vogel said, China has never been afraid of sending tens of thousands of young people to study abroad, which is part of the capacity-building strategy spearheaded by Deng.

鈥淭he Communist Party of China (CPC) has done the right thing,鈥� said Henry Lee, 81, a forensic expert and professor at the University of New Haven.

鈥淯niting all the forces that can be united, concentrating on major tasks, pursuing economic development and leading the people to common prosperity is the only correct path for China,鈥� he said.

Praising the 鈥渇lexibility amongst China鈥檚 leaders,鈥� Sarwar Kashmeri, an adjunct professor of political science at Norwich University, said: 鈥淚 cannot even imagine how difficult it must have been for a leader of China to (reform and open up) a completely inward looking economy.鈥�

鈥淭hat must have taken so much courage and so much flexibility ... and to put all of that together into a strategy, which perhaps didn鈥檛 all come together at one time. But block by block it came together,鈥� he said.

Looking back at the PRC鈥檚 history, two major events had changed the country鈥檚 destiny, said James Hsiung, 84, a professor of politics and international law at New York University.

Chinese philosophy

The successful test of its first atomic bomb in 1964 had made countries including the United States begin to 鈥渢reat China differently,鈥� while the reform and opening-up in 1978 has enabled China鈥檚 economy to develop 鈥渁t an unprecedented speed,鈥� said Hsiung, who just came back from China in August.

鈥淢uch of China鈥檚 success has been due to its ability to combine two 鈥榦pposing鈥� systems 鈥� socialism and market economy and make them mutually reinforcing. To put it simple, 鈥榦ne plus one is more than two,鈥欌�� he said.

鈥淭his original idea is originated from the Chinese culture and philosophy,鈥� he said.

From a Western point of view, he said it was hard to believe that socialism and a market economy could be combined.

As 鈥渁 fundamental concept in Chinese philosophy and culture,鈥� the two opposites of yin and yang 鈥渁ttract and complement each other,鈥� said the professor, who was born in China鈥檚 central province of Henan.

鈥淭he success of the socialist market economy is precisely a result of the wisdom of Chinese philosophy,鈥� Hsiung concluded.

鈥淚t is undeniable that China鈥檚 splendid success proves Western capitalism is by no means the only option for a country鈥檚 development.鈥�

Another important factor that led to the success of China鈥檚 reform and opening-up is 鈥渢he unified leadership鈥� of the ruling CPC, Hsiung said.

The CPC is 鈥渂oth China鈥檚 鈥榤ind鈥� and 鈥榟eart,鈥欌�� and 鈥渋ts unified leadership鈥� guarantees an effective implementation of national policies from the central government on local levels.

鈥淭his is something totally different from how divided and weak China was before 1949,鈥� he said.

Looking to the future

Apparently, China鈥檚 remarkable achievements in the past 70 years also 鈥渕ade it clear鈥� that Chinese culture and philosophy 鈥済ot many advantages in national political and economic governance and the Chinese people have every reason to be confident and proud about their history and culture,鈥� Hsiung said.

鈥淲ithout a strong economic foundation, China would not have an important position on the world stage today,鈥� said Lee. 鈥淐hina has its own national conditions and must have a political system suitable for China鈥檚 development.鈥�

鈥淲eak countries have no diplomacy, and there must be a strong backing for diplomacy. Therefore, China needs not to be afraid of being criticized by others and does its own things earnestly,鈥� he said. 鈥淥nly by doing so can a strong China have a say in the world.鈥�

Kashmeri, also a Foreign Policy Association fellow, attributed China鈥檚 unprecedented rapid development to its 鈥渙wn way of governing 鈥� socialism with Chinese characteristics.鈥�

鈥淚 believe a lot of the (Western) theories that have been used to analyze China have been very self-serving,鈥� Kashmeri said.

鈥淚t should be understandable that China has its own way of governing. As far as I know, it (China) is not interested in taking its way and changing every country in the world.鈥�

鈥淐hina now is a place that has gleaming infrastructure 鈥� that鈥檚 the envy of the world. It鈥檚 a place that is dynamic. It鈥檚 a place that鈥檚 energetic,鈥� said James Heimowitz, president of the New York City-based China Institute, who has lived 45 years in China.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a place that knows how to respect its history. But it鈥檚 not trapped in living in the past. And it鈥檚 still looking to the future.鈥�

The author is a Xinhua writer.