The Chinese Dream Is Not Confined to China

By+MARTIN+JACQUES

TODAYS China can dream about a life without material constraints like poverty or slow growth.

By the middle of the century， it is projected that the Chinese Dream will be realized. The dream is not just one of economy and prosperity； rather， like all dreams， it is about life in its broadest sense. The Chinese Dream emphasizes the importance of national unity. The individual is also encouraged to dream about their own as well as the countrys future. We can already see this amongst the young with their sense of optimism and possibility regarding the days to come. The Chinese people will， as anticipated by the Partys most recent Plenum statement， go through a broad transformation in countless different ways： a different kind of Chinese individual， more cosmopolitan， more global， more confident， more broad-minded， and more environmentally aware， will emerge.

“The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” must be seen as an international phenomenon in a globalized age， and it will transform Chinas relationship with the world. It is an integral part and one of the boldest elements of the Chinese Dream.

Let us consider the Chinese Dream with this kind of thinking. Imagine a world which is no longer shaped by the legacy of Western dominance， representing less than 15 percent of the worlds population， but instead shaped by the developing countries representing 85 percent of the worlds population， with China by far in the lead. China， as a civilization-state， fits uneasily with the old European norms of the nation-state. But imagine a world in which China， as a civilization-state， is the dominant influence. China could well be the catalyst， in a post-Western world， for a much greater diversity in the nature of state forms.

The discourse of the Chinese Dream will encourage the Chinese people to explore new relationships between the countrys history and its future. There is a growing confidence about the way in which China sees the future and its own place within it. There are two underlying reasons for this. The first is that Chinas success has imbued the country and its leadership with a strong sense of selfassurance and self-belief， and has also invested them with a strong attachment and commitment to the importance and virtue of change. The second reason involves a wider global transformation. The global center of gravity is shifting from the developed world， where a minority live， to the developing world， home to the great majority of the worlds population. In the defining trend of our time， China occupies a key strategic position. China has become engine of the transformation of the developing world. At the same time it is also a microcosm of what can be achieved by other developing countries.

Thus， the Chinese Dream is not confined to China alone.