China’s reform experience boosts its international influence: expert

With a rapid economic development and rising national strength, China’s influence at the global stage has witnessed a dramatic growth since the beginning of the 21st century, especially after the outbreak of the global financial crisis in 2008, while the US has seen a decline in its dominance, an expert said on Sunday, adding that such a shift can be attributed to their different capabilities in implementing reforms.

Yan Xuetong, director of the Institute of International Studies at Tsinghua University, made the comments in an article published in the People’s Daily.

In the article titled “Reform capability determines national strength”, the scholar said that the reform ability plays a decisive role in growing national strength since reform can help a nation find out policy mistakes and correct them in timely manner.

An effective reform will drive up a country’s national strength, he said, adding that developing nations need strong leadership and rounds of reforms to emerge while the US also requires reform to maintain its hegemony.

However, hampered by rigid political policies and lack of ability to correct mistakes, the US has faced obstacles in reforming drawbacks and made quite a number of strategic diplomatic mistakes, Yan pointed out.

“The Trump phenomenon, to a certain extent, reflects that Americans are not so satisfied with the government on carrying out reforms,” he added.

The scholar further pointed out that in today’s world, more and more people have noted the narrowing economic gap between China and the US, and changed their views on the two political systems.

Some Western scholars even began to introspect on the reasons why the so-called superior “democratic system” adopted by the West failed to get themselves over the international financial crisis yet, but China, a country not in their camp, became the first to shackle off the crisis, Yan added.

He further explained that the US system contributed to its rise as a world superpower, but such success can neither ensure its ever-lasting dominance, nor be cited as a reason for its reluctance to reform.

After years of functioning, the current system of the US can hardly adapt to new changes, but the transition of times, technology, ideas, social environment and living standards requires a change of system so that the country can better increase its national strength, the scholar stressed.

Facts have proved that China's development is benefiting from its strong reform ability, the article noted.

China’s reform and opening up policies, which are in tune with the times, endow the country with ability to rise and prosper, he concluded.