China’s modernization journey as I see it

Dato Abdul Majid

I spent some 11 and a half years of my diplomatic career working in the Peoples Republic of China. My first assignment was from 1980 to 1985， and 13 years later， in 1998， I returned as the eighth Malaysian ambassador to the country. The opportunity given to me to serve twice in China is very much cherished. The postings coincided with the period that China started its reform and opening-up policy. Hence， I had the opportunity to have a firsthand view on Chinas transformation and its reengagement with the world.

Upon my arrival in Beijing in September 1980， China was in the fourth year of its reform and opening-up policy implementation. The “Cultural Revolution” had ended in 1976， and the new Chinese leadership had just embarked on the restoration of stability and a national reset toward modernization. I witnessed in the early 1980s that China was still a country trying to find a national consensus： Its people and the global community were still trying to digest its new policy direction. The Chinese leadership then was making tremendous efforts to instill confidence in the global community about its new policy initiative. Slogans such as “It doesnt matter whether the cat is black or white， as long as it catches mice”and “To be rich is glorious” reflected the flavor of the new ideological approach. It reflected Chinas pragmatism toward reengagement with the world and its modernization goals. It was a period I remember well in which Chinese leaders and delegations were making frequent visits abroad and receiving streams of foreign visitors in Beijing. This was the hallmark of Chinas reengagement. Chinese leaders， including Deng Xiaoping， visited Malaysia.

Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad， the fourth prime minister of Malaysia， noticed this new direction by China and started a new process of engagement. In 1985， he led a large official and business delegation to China， convinced that China was open for business and ready to be part of the global commu- nity. He urged Malaysians to take advantage of the emerging opportunities in China.

The long years of closing its doors to the outside world， coupled with the different ideologies， culture and language， created a perception of a mysterious and secretive China in the outside world. To be frank， I too was colored by the above perception on China then. I felt a sense of anxiety when I first arrived in China， as the environment and the working system were vastly different from Malaysias. However， with the passage of time， I discovered China and its people were ready to rebuild friendship and cooperation on a new development path. From my perspective， China in the early 1980s was a nation deep in poverty， isolated from the world and with few friends. At the same time， however， I sensed that it was also determined to achieve progress， development and modernization. I detected a strong readiness to embrace the world， albeit guided by its own tempo and template.

Many positive events changed my prior misconception of China as I journeyed through my tour of duty in the 1980s. I experienced an abundance of goodwill and friendship from the people and government. The welfare and well-being of foreign diplomats and other foreigners were well looked after， despite the many shortcomings and weaknesses that China was facing at that time. I witnessed the introduction of the modernization program and the entry of luxuries and imported goods into the system. The Friendship Store， a State-owned department store that catered for foreigners， had begun to transform its appearance and mode of operation. It turned itself into a modern supermarket， like those in Hong Kong. This transformation was much to the delight of the expatriate community， as there was now no necessity to import common foreign brand products from abroad.

The landscape of Beijing， too， was undergoing gradual change. There were more private cars on the road， construction of five-star foreign brand hotels and the opening of international restaurants and entertainment outlets. Restrictions on foreigners for travel within the city and to other provinces were gradually relaxed， as China appeared ready to introduce its many beautiful tourist attractions and historical and cultural sites to the world. The presence of foreign joint venture companies and multinationals began to be felt， bringing with them expatriate talent. I encountered many of these expatriates， especially those from Malaysia. The Malaysians were employed because of their proficiency in Mandarin， as well as the skills required in Chinas early industrialization process.

The more visible and significant transformation that was taking place was the rising living standard of ordinary Chinese people. I sensed they were enthusiastic and responsive to the reforms initiative. They demonstrated a strong desire to be as rich and beautiful as everyone else in the world. The people had a better choice for variety in their daily needs， and more foods， accommodations and new services were made available. Officials and friends I spoke to were elated that their wages had been raised and apartment sizes increased. Now their children had more lucrative jobs. Entrepreneurship and private enterprises had begun to spring up. The agriculture sector was also undergoing change from the collective to the household system. Looking back， it was indeed the beginning of the building block of the more dramatic changes to come.

As a foreigner living in Beijing， I too felt the excitement and joy on this incremental changes taking place. These developments boosted confidence in Chinas future in many countries. This sense of confidence had a personal effect on me and my family. The transformation that we saw taking place led to our decision to have our two sons born in Beijing. My wife could have delivered in Malaysia， but she chose to take advantage of the health facilities at Capital Hospital in Beijing. Her experience was a pleasant one. The safe delivery of our first son， as well as the care and friendship of the medical professionals， provided her the encouragement to have another child four years later at the same hospital. In this context， my first assignment to China， personally speaking， was indeed memorable.

As for Malaysia-China relations in the early 1980s， the formal link established was only six years old. As such， bilateral content was negligible. Given the ramifications of the Cold War， the main task ahead for the two countries after the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1974 was to build confidence and trust. In this context， many from Malaysia and China were involved in nurturing activities to further cement the friendship and partnership between our two countries.

For the Malaysian embassy， the main focus during this period was the monitoring of policies in China and to understand and digest Chinas new direction. There were still doubts about Chinas drive toward reform. But for Malaysia， Chinas policy change was viewed as real.

Malaysia responded to this change by participating in Chinas economic development in promoting the economic growth of Shenzhen and Hainan to foreign investors. Although these areas were still underdeveloped， the embassys report to Kuala Lumpur was positive. It urged the Malaysian business community to seize the new op-portunities. Looking back now， some of the Malaysian companies that are successful today in China were those that responded to Chinas invitation to invest during the early years of Chinas opening-up.

My second assignment to China as ambassador in 1998 was a promotion in my career path. I was briefed that Malaysia viewed Beijing as a priority and strategic diplomatic post， and I was expected to push bilateral relations to a higher and deeper level.

I was pleasantly astonished to see a totally different China in 1998 when I reported for duty. The country had become increasingly globalized. It was filled with optimism and lucrative opportunities. There were more foreign companies and foreigners working in the country. Noticeably， Chinese lifestyles and living standards had undergone rapid changes， with the landscape turning more colorful and luxuriant. Beijing went through an unrecognizable urbanization， crowded with modern accommodations， improved transportation systems — including the construction of new subways and the advent of modern taxi services. Shops and retail outlets， as well as modern malls， began to spring up all over the city. More imported products and services were available， and English appeared to be used in many areas. Coffee had emerged as a fashionable beverage among urbanites.

One of the hallmarks of a developed city is traffic jams， and Beijing streets were not devoid of that， but the lives of diplomats and their families had become more comfortable， with multiple choices available. Communication with the Chinese people had become more open and practically unrestricted.

For the next seven and half years of my stay in Beijing， what I saw was the further expansion of the abovementioned development — and even more visibly Chinas increasing connectivity to the global grid. This development， which started in first-tier cities， had begun to spread out to other cities， such as Tianjin， Hangzhou and Dalian. In fact， all of China was experiencing this transformation at a pace known as “Chinese speed”， a reference to the almost overnight transformation of the country. The public display of success and wealth also became evident as demonstrated by the increasing numbers of luxury lifestyle brands —imported products， cars and exotic and rare breeds of pets.

Another aspect of the liberalization was that more Chinese nationals were allowed to have passports. With this， Chinese travelers abroad became a boon to the tourist industry in many countries， including Malaysia. The emergence of fancy new restaurants serving high-end exotic menus delighted and amazed foreigners like me. I remembered well that in the 1980s “scarcity” was the description applied to the situation in China. But by the 1990s“abundance” and “multiple choice”characterized it.

Chinas semi-urban and rural areas also benefited from the development trend. In my many travels to various provinces and counties， I witnessed similar transformations and urbanization taking place. From our meetings with local officials， we detected high enthusiasm for the reform agenda. They demonstrated a highly competitive spirit and were proud of their respective cities. These officials always made a point to foreign visitors that their city was the best destination for foreign investment， compared with neighboring areas.

As part of the transformation process， China also started engaging actively with the outside world. The country began to host international conferences， exhibitions， seminars and trade fairs， both at the national and provincial level. These events aimed to promote trade， investment， tourism and cultural exchanges. I became an active participant in these events， and they really provided me with a clear understanding of Chinas active engagement with the world. Many of the exhibitions— such as the ASEAN-China Expo and The Boao Forum — have been in existence for decades now and have grown and attained international reputations. I remembered the debate surrounding Chinas admission to the World Trade Organization in 2002. Looking back， the decision to become a WTO member was indeed right， as it has made the country more competitive and open. It is a leading trading nation today.

I also learned much about Chinas modernizing journey through the many activities organized by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The familiarity tours organized by the ministry opened our eyes to Chinas growing industrialization and scientific progress， as these programs involved visits to emerging Chinese and joint venture factories that produced goods for export.

One establishment that I visited in 1999， was Huawei in Shenzhen， which was just then beginning its operations. Through these visits， I was exposed to the local culture and people. I noticed the local population was filled with curiosity and eagerness to learn about the outside world.

The ASEAN missions in Beijing were fortunate to have the attention of the Foreign Ministry， particularly by Mr Wang Yi， who was active in arranging programs including sports， picnics and dinners. These informal get-togethers contributed much to our bonds of friendship between the ASEAN participants and our Chinese friends.

The China-ASEAN cooperation and partnership was just beginning to develop at that time. I also made extensive visits to other Chinese provinces and cities. These visits provided me with a kaleidoscopic picture of China ranging from its amazing landscape， architecture， ancient history and culture to the rapid modernization process. More significantly， they provided me with the real pulse of the Chinese people and nation， which wanted to progress and to be part of the global community. It is this strong， dedicated spirit that helped make China what it is today.

On the bilateral relations front， by the late 1990s Malaysia-China relations had entered their golden years. The depth and scope of bilateral exchanges had skyrocketed， with bilateral trade reaching an all-time high. There was an explosion of growth in tourism， education and cultural exchanges， as well as cooperation in the banking and financial sectors. People-to-people connectivity experienced a new beginning.

The embassy of Malaysia also began to have active contact and interaction with the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China. For me， it was a positive experience to be exposed to the thinking of officials in the International Liaison Department about Chinas development direction and its relations with Malaysia.

This was also the period in which China was actively reaching out to the world to attract more trade， investment and cultural exchanges. In fact， there was a silent competition between the foreign missions in Beijing as to which country would get more Chinese delegations to visit their capitals and how frequently delegations from their home countries would visit China. It was indeed a very competitive and enriching experience for us at the Malaysian embassy， as we were all energized in upgrading our interaction and cooperation with China to higher level.

As a strategic manifestation of Malaysias desire to upgrade relations with a rising China， it decided to build its own embassy at the third diplomatic enclave situated at the Liang Mao Qiao district. As ambassador， I felt honored to be given the responsibility by the Malaysian Foreign Ministry to ensure the successful completion of the construction of the new chancery building.

In a regional context， China has become ASEANs dialogue partner. It was a memorable experience in Beijing to be part of the ASEAN group in building early relations with China. I experienced at close range the growing political trust and mutual confidence being nurtured by both sides.

China has become an active partner in supporting many ASEAN initiatives. This year marks the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue， and it is indeed gratifying to see both having successfully laid a strong foundation of regional strategic cooperation and partnership.

My deep interest in Chinas development as well as my advocacy of closer Malaysia-China relations during my diplomatic career spilled over into my retirement years. I was elected president of Malaysia-China Friendship Association immediately after my retirement in 2005 and have remained in this post for the last 15 years. The association is an NGO established in 1992 to act as a platform for fostering better understanding and friendship at the people-to-people level.

Our anchor partner in China is the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， together with which we have organized numerous activities and exchanges to further consolidate our bilateral friendship， along with similar associations in ASEAN. It has been a rewarding 15 years of further contributing to Malaysia-China friendship.

The Malaysia-China Friendship Association had successfully conducted many programs， including exchanges of visits， exhibitions， seminars， cultural education， tourism， youth， sports and trade and investment. We have also reached out to the other provinces in China. These visits and exchanges have enhanced our understanding of development in China. In particular， the Malaysia-China Friendship Association is pleased to be associated with the Belt and Road Initiative， which it has helped promote through the many seminars and exhibitions.

We are also pleased to be a joint organizer for the launch of President Xis book， The Governance of China， Volume 3， to the Malaysian public to appreciate Chinas achievements and development philosophy. The association is also pleased with the achievements of the program in the area of student and youth exchanges between the two countries. It is hoped that through this program， the continuity of friendship will be passed to younger generations.

I wish to record， too， my appreciation to our Chinese friends for initiating the China-ASEAN Friendship Association annual gathering over the last 10 years or so under the guidance of Madam Gu Xiulian. I found these gatherings extremely meaningful as the spirit of friendship and understanding were further cemented at the regional level.

It is unfortunate that since 2020 the ASEAN-China Friendship activities have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However， in our determination to ensure that our communication remains intact， we have held many virtual meetings to reaffirm our friendship and cooperation. The pandemic is still with us， but the two sides have agreed to work out measures to contain and prevent the virus， as well as to support each other as we move toward economic recovery.

Conclusion

Both from a personal and professional perspective， my 11 and a half years in China were indeed extremely memorable and enriching. It was a unique opportunity for close insight as China reengaged the world and modernized itself. It is really amazing to see the transformation of a country from a poor and isolated state some 40 years ago to the second-strongest economy in the world.

The apex of all these achievements was demonstrated during the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and later at the 70th anniversary celebrations of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China in 2019. China today has also emerged strong in science and technology， particularly in digital platform economy and in space exploration.

Chinas achievements in alleviating poverty and raising the standard of living of the Chinese people were indeed phenomenal and record-breaking in the history of human development. As this year is the centennial celebration of the founding of the CPC， it is only appropriate that recognition and appreciation be given to its leaders for their visionary role in Chinas transformation， particularly in the last 40 years. The Malaysia-China Friendship Association extends its heartfelt congratulations to the CPC and wishes China and its people further success.

It is my belief that China will continue to play a positive and significant global role in the coming years that will impact the globe. This is not to say that China is without its own challenges， both domestically and internationally. But Im happy to note that MalaysiaChina relations and friendship have matured and consolidated over the years. The two countries have demonstrated their traditional friendship in helping each other in time of crisis， as seen with the Asian financial crisis and the current COVID-19 pandemic. My experience in China tells me that this friendship will continue to be further strengthened and deepened for many years to come.

（This author is president of Malaysia-China Friendship Association and former ambassador to the Peoples Republic of China.）