Environment

Once Chinese dreamed about modern life, they dreamed of steel factories with tall chimneys, trains belching steam, fertilizers and pesticides, as well as farmlands claimed from grasslands, wetlands, lakes and forests. They dreamed to live in cities with mushrooming steel and concrete block-shaped buildings and asphalt-paved roads.

As the public's dream about modern life begins to materialize, another dream is born.

People now dream for a beautiful natural environment and a safe social environment. They dream for safe water and food, and for clean air, noise-free nights, unlittered streets, parks, and natural habitats such as wetlands, green mountains and clear rivers.

Social Development

In the 21st century, Chinese people aspire to be in a free, democratic, equal, just, caring and harmonious society in which they can fully use their wisdom and talent.

China not only needs a free, democratic and dynamic society, but also an orderly society. It needs a strong party and a government that follow scientific and democratic policymaking procedures and are able to implement these policies and solve various problems for the people, in order to create a free, democratic, orderly and stable environment for the people to live in and for the country to develop.

The relationship between individualism and collectivism, between citizens' rights and national interests, and between market competition and social justice must be handled properly.

A society, a community and an organization must protect an individual's personal and property rights from infringement, respect personal freedom, encourage entrepreneurship and work initiatives, protect legal income and on the other hand, prevent public interests from being damaged by an individual's behavior.

China has hundreds of millions of religious followers. Protecting and meeting people's demand for religion is a responsibility of the government.

In the modernization process, while learning from foreign cultures, we should preserve and pass on China's cultural traditions.

The author is a professor at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China