Since entering the twenty-first century, the global community has been discussing and paying closer attention to China. Thus, “China’s Road” continues to be the focus of hot discussions, of which various perspectives emerge. From the “Beijing Consensus” proposed by Joshua Cooper Ramo to Martin Yacques’ prediction of “China’s domination of the world,” the world both looks forward to China’s Road and is concerned about China’s future development direction. Regarding the evaluation and prospect of China’s Road, there are various versions of the “China Threat” theory and “the Collapse of China.” However, the “China Responsibility” theory is more commonly discussed and commentary about “China’s Opportunity” and the “China Contribution” theory continue. This includes not only an objective analysis of China’s Road but also many misunderstandings, exaggerations, and even intentional distortions. Many developing countries closely follow the experience of China’s Road, while numerous Western scholars have used their inherent theories to explain the phenomenon. However, they are unable to provide an objective analysis and always present views mingled with ideologies and political bias.

Examining existing research findings on China, we can find relevant research but the atmosphere of political expression is generally strong. Such research always focuses on one point only and not others. Furthermore, many scholars are obsessed with and confident in China’s bright future instead of problem analysis. In a general sense, the selection, initiation, and development of the country’s road is the core problem deciding the fortune and destiny of the nation. China has initiated and is improving China’s Road, whereby China has experienced hardships and twists and turns, as well as challenges and tests. Despite the above, China’s future prospects continue to attract global attention. It can be said that, in the current climate, China’s Road is one that should be intensively researched and paid significant attention by the rest of the world.

1 Exploration, Initiation, and Development of China’s Road

Su Shi said, “If the world booms, the boom must come from certain consequences.” Research on China’s Road first began in the mid-nineteenth century when China began to emerge as a semi-colony society. In the last 170 years, China has experienced two democratic revolutions, a socialist revolution, construction, and reform. Many generations with ambitious ideals have advanced wave upon wave and untiringly searched as how to help modernize a poor and backward country. Through hardships and twists and turns, the main objective has been achieved. China’s Road is a summary of the experiences whereby the Chinese people saved the nation from destruction, realized self-improvement, and strived for the rejuvenation of China’s great nationhood. This included a democratic revolution with Chinese characteristics, and socialist transformation and reform with Chinese characteristics. China’s Road is unique because the properties and the selection of the system, ideas, and development mode all comprise an unalterable socialist direction, government-led market economic system, human-oriented core ideas, and gradual reform.

The foundation of China’s Road is socialism with Chinese characteristics. The first-generation central collective leadership with Mao Tse-Tung as the core provided valuable experiences, theory preparation, and a material basis for creating socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new period. The second-generation central collective leadership with Deng Xiaoping as the core successfully initiated socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the third-generation with Jiang Zemin successfully pushed socialism into the twenty-first century. In the first decade of twenty-first century, the central leading body of the Party with Hu Jintao as General Secretary has successfully insisted on and developed socialism with Chinese characteristics. The report presented at the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) showed the “three steps” of China’s Road in the twenty-first century: to build a moderately well-off society by the time of the Party’s 100-year anniversary; to build a rich, strong, democratic, civilized, and harmonious modernized socialist country by the time of New China’s 100-year anniversary; and to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation during the twenty-first century. This great strategy is mobilized based on the further enrichment and improvement of China’s Road.

Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, discussed the implication of China’s Road at the height of combining the “Dream” and the “Road.” He pointed out that the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation was China’s greatest dream in modern times, while the socialist road with Chinese characteristics must be followed to realize China’s Dream. The socialist road with Chinese characteristics is the dialectical unity of the logic of scientific socialist theory and the historical logic of Chinese social development. It takes root in China and reflects the will of the Chinese people. Furthermore, the socialist road is suitable to the development requirements of modern China and modern times, and is the necessary road to creating a moderately well-off society, realizing socialist modernization and achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Since the 18th National Congress, the CPC with Xi Jinping as the core has been devoted to opening a new era of comprehensively deepening the reform and opening-up, implementing profound strategic reforms in various fields such as politics, the economy, society, culture, ecology, safety, diplomacy and national defense, and gradually forming a great strategy relating to the mid- and long-term development of China. In respect to system construction, China is energetically facilitating the construction of its state governance system while also focusing on combating corruption. It also seeks to establish a basis for long-term governance and the safety of the nation. Regarding China’s economic and social strategies, a “New Normal” is proposed, and the reform of the economic system is advanced. Such reforms will positively safeguard and improve the livelihood of the people and ensure social health and stability. In terms of culture construction, China insists on the core values of socialism and emphasizes the importance of the rejuvenation of traditional culture. Namely, the future is created on the basis of origin, and innovation may be better realized if the nation is open to influences from its traditional culture. Regarding China’s security strategy, an “Overall Concept of National Security” is proposed and a key focus lies on the improvement of China’s national security system. Attention is also paid to China’s diplomatic strategy, whereby the national strategic interests of China will be expanded, and the opening of a new diplomatic era with “common interests,” “mutual benefit and win-win”, and “Chinese responsibilities” are at the core of the reform. Thus, China’s Road, with the above traits as the basis, with socialism with Chinese characteristics as the foundation, and with balanced development, peaceful development, cooperation, and mutual benefits as outstanding characteristics, will ensure that China walks firmly and calmly.

2 Basic Features and Strategic Values of China’s Road

Since China’s reform and opening-up, the economy has experience rapid development. Furthermore, its comprehensive power promotes stability, which has provided an inexhaustible impetus to global economic development and peace maintenance. China is considered the key power to reshape international order and its future strategy is attracting close attention from the international community. China also influences strategies of other major countries. Thus, China’s national interests, responsibilities, and destiny retain global relevance in the new era. However, as various problems emerge during China’s development, overseas reservations regarding the intention, speed, and scale of China’s development have led to misunderstandings such as “China Threat” and “China Collapse”, which to a certain extent influence China’s image. Thus, there is an obvious scramble for the right to discuss China’s Road.

Regarding relevant theories, China’s Road is based on the inheritance and improvement of Chinese historical tradition and complies with the concepts of peaceful and win-win development since ancient times. China’s Road represents the new development of Marxism and furthers the Chinization of Marxism. Furthermore, China’s Road is the enrichment of Chinese diplomatic theories and international relationship theories, and endows them with both time and Chinese characteristics. This pathway is also a response to certain negative public voices in the international community and may provide supporting theories that act to cancel the negative influences.

In terms of China’s practices, China’s Road has provided a strategic path to China’s future development as well as guidance for internal affairs and diplomacy. China’s Road aims to promote national comprehensive power and further build the basis for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Furthermore, it promotes China’s national influence power and provides assistance to the enrichment and innovation of global development modes. China’s Road also seeks to promote the sound development of international transactions and investments and to help international political and economic orders to be both just and rational. China’s Road further aims to establish a wonderful world with lasting peace and joint development and to highlight China’s significant status as a “great responsible power.”

China’s Road, as the modern rejuvenation pathway of a long-standing and great power, is the most successful modernization development road of non-Western countries and can be considered the most dazzling example in the development history of the world’s socialist societies. It is a road upon which China is connected to economic globalization rather than ignoring it to independently build a socialist nation with Chinese characteristics. It also enables China, with a population of 1.4 billion people, to achieve modernization based on socialism. Thus, it represents an unprecedented and brand-new road in the growing history of a newly developing great power. China’s Road is also an unprecedented and brand-new road in both the world’s socialist and Marxist history. To continually deepen the research on China’s Road, we should obtain a much closer and deeper connection with the practices in the many aspects of China’s reform and opening-up and its modernization construction. It is also essential to get a much closer understanding of the history, status quo, and prospects of the economic, political, and cultural development worldwide.

At present, Chinese economic development has entered a stage of the “New Normal,” and comprehensive reform has entered a critical state. Similarly, China’s state strategic layout has entered a material phase. In the face of the expectations from the global economy and international public opinions on Chinese development, China must continue to deepen and innovate China’s Road in both theory and practice.

3 China’s Road Needs Further Study

China’s Road has grabbed the attention of the world. The fundamental reason for this is that China has designed an independent and automatic socialist development road with Chinese characteristics, while also taking into account the present realities of the state. This helps China to not only gain huge achievements and to lay a solid foundation for future development but also realize opening-up and tolerance in the face of future strategic designs. After a grueling period of exploration lasting more than 60 years, the Chinese people have realized that to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation they must unswervingly insist on the leadership of the Communist Party. Similarly, they must demand reform in the direction of a socialist market economy and follow a development road that combines gradual reform and decisive advancement. It is also important that the Chinese people unswervingly adhere to a socialist economic system that is mainly composed of public systems and various ownership types. Furthermore, the people must adhere to the guiding status of Marxism, advance the localization of Marxism in China, and look to outside successes for reference.

The opening-up and forming of China’s Road is closely tied to China’s unique development course and historical culture. As pointed out by General Secretary Xi Jinping, China’s Road emerged from the great practices of more than 30 years of reform and opening-up. It has emerged from continual exploration since the founding of the People’s Republic of China more than 60 years ago. It has also stemmed from the profound summary of more than 170 years of development, as well as the inheritance of a 5000-year-old civilization. It has a deep-seated historical origin and a very realistic foundation. The report presented at the 18th National Congress of the CPC stated that China’s Road is “under the leadership of the Communist Party, based on the basic conditions of the state and oriented to economic construction. It upholds the four fundamental principles and promotes reform and opening-up. Furthermore, it liberates and develops social productive forces, consolidates and improves the socialist system, and seeks to build a socialist market economy, socialist democracy, advanced socialist culture, harmonious socialist society, and a socialist ecological civilization. It also facilitates the comprehensive development of the people, gradually realizes the common prosperity of all people, and seeks to build a rich, powerful, democratic, civilized, and harmonious modern socialist state.”

The brand-new layout of China’s Road is being created. The Book of Changes comments that “Everything changes as time goes on and people should advance with the times.” Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party with Xi Jinping as the core has been promoting a strategic idea that closely combines domestic and international situations, positively advances the deepening of the system’s reform, and promotes the construction of a state governance system. The Party is also focusing on the improvement of its governance capacity while carrying out the systematic design of a “five-sphere system reform,” which includes politics, the economy, society, culture, and ecology. The Party has also committed to balanced national development, while proposing an overall concept of state development to build a moderately well-off society. This strategy also seeks to deepen the reform and the rule of law, and to strengthen Party discipline. Similarly, it will advance the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. The Party aims to begin a new journey in China’s reform, opening-up, and modernization. Greater efforts to engage in international affairs are being made and the implementation of “international strategies” (e.g., Belt and Road Initiative) is helping China to integrate with the rest of the world and enjoy a significant international influence. Such actions reveal China as a constructive participator and leader in global economic governance and world order. Thus, the influence of China’s great power is becoming more prominent. The exploration along China’s Road has entered a new historical era. China’s Road is China’s rising road, the road to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the road to the realization of the Chinese Dream.

The initiation and development of China’s Road has universal significance around the world. Most developing countries face the same problem: how best to implement modernization? All great powers have noticed that no matter which country produces certain innovations along the development road and becomes a world leader in that regard, another country may stand out and take the lead. On the one hand, China’s Road has provided a road that differs from those Western roads available to developing countries and shows a beneficial enlightenment for exploration along the development road of human society. On the other hand, China’s Road also shows the international community China’s understanding of national development and offers its experiences to developing countries worldwide. China’s Road has widened the way for developing countries to modernize, facilitated the diversified development of human civilization in an era of economic globalization, and influenced the road selected by other developing countries.

4 Promote China’s Discourse Power on China’s Road

As stated in the Book of Changes, “A wise man always comes at a moment’s notice.” In 2020, China will enter a crucial period: it will have established a comprehensive well-off society and laid a solid foundation for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This will be an important time for China, as its international influence will be growing and overall preparations will be made for the shift from a regional power to worldwide great power. According to the changes within the domestic and international environments facing China, it has been shown that opportunities coexist with challenges and that the opportunities are even greater than challenges. China’s Road can only be improved by following the trends of the times, by ensuring that it is based on China’s realistic conditions, and by focusing on the achieving the best results possible. It is also imperative that China implements bottom-line thinking and facilitates ideological innovation.

China’s Road features strong Chinese characteristics, while relevant research and summaries should be further deepened. Research on China’s Road generally provides a historical summary, and evaluates the status quo and future expectations. We should carefully summarize the combination of the cultural connotations of China’s Road and Chinese historical traditions, and both the conceptual construction and scientific theory analysis of China’s Road. Attention must also be paid to the realistic approaches taken by China’s Road and Chinese strategic design to realize the innovation of research on China’s Road in three dimensions, namely, history, theory, and strategy.

China ushers in a new era whereby it will make significant contributions to the international community and this is the proper time for China to promote its Discourse Right on China’s Road. Research on China’s Road is extremely active, with many commentators scrambling to put their opinions and views forward. The unceasing feeding of the China Threat theory and the gaining popularity of the Collapse of China theory prove that it is crucial for China to speak about China’s Road. Thus, many academic circles are facing the important research task to properly tell “China story,” and the task must be realized through the careful consideration of academic elites.