Chinese Dream to shape global landscape

SHANGHAI - The realization of the Chinese Dream presents a vision for national revival and contributes to a new global landscape, said foreign experts at a dialogue Saturday in Shanghai.

Experts from over 20 countries are attending the two-day dialogue on Chinese Dream, which kicked off on Saturday and is hosted by China's State Council Information Office.

The Chinese Dream will change the global landscape, which was shaped by Western countries over the past two centuries during industrialization, said Martin Jacques, visiting senior fellow with the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Its realization will come along with the formation of the new global landscape, which will be established through international rules and experiences of both developed and emerging countries, he said.

"It is a good thing for the Chinese Dream to integrate with the world," Jacques said while delivering a speech at the International Dialogue on the Chinese Dream.

Of course, China will be challenged on its right to speak on international affairs from the traditional developed countries, and this process will test the wisdom of the Chinese leaders, Jacques said.

The Chinese Dream concept was put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he attended an exhibition themed "road towards renewal" at the end of 2012.

Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the greatest dream for the nation in modern times, Xi said.

It is obvious that the entire world would benefit from the Chinese Dream in the globalized economy, said Robert Kuhn, a China watcher from the United States.

"It's entirely in China's best interest to have a stable world in order for China to achieve the Chinese Dream for itself. It must have a world that is in peace," he said.

According to Kuhn, the world is waiting on two major issues: how the Chinese Dream will benefit the world, and how should the world better understand the Chinese Dream.

Xi stressed that the Chinese Dream means the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It embodies achieving prosperity for the country, renewal of the nation and happiness for citizens.

Xi also emphasized that the Chinese Dream is a dream for peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit for all. It will not only benefit the Chinese people, but also people of all countries in the world.

As Xi has highlighted in numerous comments since the start of his tenure, the aim is to make the country "prosperous and strong, " tapping into deep-seated aspirations for China's modern identity, said Gustaaf Geeraerts, director of the Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies.

Realizing the "Chinese dream" boils down to China becoming a "socialist welfare state" and a "responsible great power," a feat that can only come to fruition in a peaceful international environment or "harmonious world," he said.

To his understanding, the Chinese dream harbors three dreams, which are closely intertwined.

"It is about staging China's revival whilst remaining faithful to its rich cultural heritage and own socialist identity," he said.

"It is also about a stronger China that is to pursue an independent foreign policy and resolutely follow its own road, while at the same time increasing mutual cooperation with other countries, dealing with global challenges  together and working hard to make a contribution to global development."

On the global level, "it is about a world order where states are equal and trust each other, common security is achieved, diversity of civilizations is maintained and win-win cooperation leads to common prosperity," he added.