The Lijian-1 Y4 commercial carrier rocket carrying five satellites blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China.

75 years on, China, a staunch force for peace and progress, defies the discourse of ‘a strong nation must be hegemonic’

(Global Times) -- The upcoming October 1 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and it beckons with anticipation. The city of Beijing has been geared up as a vibrant giant flower basket gracefully rose in Tian’anmen Square and workers wove a colorful tapestry of flowers decorations along Chang’an Avenue to welcome guests from across China and the world. Children laughed with their joyous giggles weaving through the air, and adults captured cherished moments with cameras in hand, sending heartfelt blessings to the homeland.
Over the past 75 years, China has transformed from a poor and backward country into a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Today, China ranks among the world’s leading economic powers and is the largest manufacturing, goods trading, and foreign exchange reserve country globally.
Over the past 75 years, China’s GDP has risen from 67.9 billion yuan (US$9.67 billion) in 1952 to 126 trillion yuan in 2023, accounting for approximately 17 percent of the global economy. Its national economic output has grown 223 times, and per capita GDP has increased from 119 yuan in 1952 to over 89,000 yuan last year.
Over the past 75 years, China’s circle of friends has also expanded, with diplomatic relations established with a total of 183 countries as of September, contributing to global stability. In September, leaders from China and Africa successfully convened the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, setting forth plans to enhance China-Africa cooperation in the new era. And more events are anticipated to be held between China and other members ofthe Global South nations in the upcoming months to address development and other global challenges.
As China gradually develops, a discourse represented by “a strong nation must be hegemonic” has emerged. This discourse, which leads to what they call the “China threat” theory, suggests that when a country becomes powerful, its demands inevitably increase, leading it to exercise hegemony abroad to gain excessive benefits. This logic can explain the actions of some Western powers, but will China follow the path of “a strong nation must be hegemonic” like some Western countries?
While delivering a speech at the conference marking the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in June this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that “China’s resolve to stay on the path of peaceful development will not change. We will never take the trodden path of colonial plundering, or the wrong path of seeking hegemony when one becomes strong. We will stay on the right path of peaceful development.”
Those who say China will follow the track of some big powers in seeking hegemony either know little about China’s history and the Chinese civilisation or project their own shameful moves onto China, Wang Yiwei, a professor at China’s Renmin University in Beijing, told the Global Times.

(Latest Update September 27, 2024)