Voices of foreign training participants: China's rise is no accident

Editor's Note: The Seminar on China's Development Experience and the Global Development Initiative, launched by the China International Development Cooperation Agency and hosted by the Academy for International Business Officials under the Ministry of Commerce, was successfully held from April 15 to 28.

Thirty‑one representatives from Panama, North Macedonia, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Grenada, South Africa, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Uganda and other countries took part in the seminar.

A young staff member of Tlou Dunes Tourism Consulting, a tourism firm based in South Africa, gained profound insights through the training program and wrote down his reflections upon returning home.

Over the past decades, China has evolved into a safe, economically prosperous and technologically advanced country. Today it stands as one of the outstanding examples of modernization in terms of strategic development and long‑term governance.

A recurring message delivered throughout the seminar was that there exists no one‑size‑fits‑all development model, nor any fixed answer for what a country "ought to look like". Instead, China's approach was highly adaptable and experimental, deeply rooted in its own history and realities.

What impressed me most during the seminar was China's ability to integrate national planning with market vitality. The market drives the efficiency and scale of economic activities, while the government plays a strategic role in steering development, supporting key sectors and redressing imbalances.

Another key topic of the seminar was the importance of economies of scale and industrial capacity. China's leadership recognized at an early stage that development calls for capital accumulation, economies of scale, and the deliberate cultivation of strategic industries.

China's attitude toward global development and international cooperation was also featured prominently across the seminar. Lecturers emphasized that the rise of the Global South constitutes one of the most transformative forces of the 21st century. Developing countries have significant strengths, including young populations, abundant mineral resources and expanding consumer markets.

Apart from classroom lectures, I participated in extensive field visits. My trip to Shenzhen, a metropolis in South China's Guangdong province, proved particularly thought‑provoking. Once a small fishing village, Shenzhen has grown into one of the world’s leading innovation hubs.

The seminar helped me realize that China's rise is no accident. Rather, it is the result of the combined forces of pragmatism, discipline, an experimental mindset, strategic capacity at the national level and long‑term planning.