The original title: Enhancing Global Prosperity Through Self-Development (Zhong Sheng · Major Power Diplomacy · 2025 Retrospective) – 2025 Sino-US Economic and Trade Insights ⑤ As the world's largest developing country and developed nation respectively, when China and the United States focus on their own development and manage their domestic affairs well, it not only concerns the well-being of their peoples but also serves as a crucial driving force for global peace and development.
In 2025, the world is evolving at an accelerated pace amidst intertwined transformations and turmoil. The interconnectedness between China's development and the global landscape continues to strengthen, with China's influence on global growth, technological innovation, and global governance becoming increasingly profound and positive. The latest 2025 global survey on China's international image reveals that nearly 90% of respondents express confidence in China's sustained economic growth over the next decade, while international public opinion shows high interest in Chinese culture and technology, with expectations for China's greater participation in international affairs and reform of global governance.
"Confidence," "patience," and "strength" – these have become high-frequency terms in the international community's observation of how China navigates complex external environments. This year, facing severe shocks to the international economic and trade order, China has coordinated domestic economic development with international economic cooperation, unwaveringly managing its own affairs well, with major socio-economic development targets expected to be successfully completed. Maintaining composure amidst turbulent clouds, China has remained clear-headed and steadfast in confronting various risks and challenges on its path forward, concentrating on managing its own affairs to seize initiative, advantages, and the future, continuously advancing Chinese modernization to benefit both itself and the world.
The key to any nation or ethnic group's development lies in following its own path and managing its own affairs well. This fundamental principle revealed by materialist dialectics has been profoundly demonstrated throughout China's development journey. As a major developing country, China's progress cannot depend on others. Over the 70-plus years since the founding of New China, the country has persisted in implementing long-term plans through successive generations of effort – from the First Five-Year Plan to the 14th Five-Year Plan, transforming from poverty and backwardness to an estimated economic总量 of approximately 140 trillion yuan this year, firmly maintaining its position as the world's second-largest economy and top manufacturing nation. The Chinese economic vessel has navigated rapids and overcome hardships precisely through unwavering focus on managing its own affairs.
This year, a sudden tariff tsunami descended, casting dark clouds over the global economy. During these challenging times, China demonstrated to the world its calm confidence: "We have displayed Chinese people's ambition, backbone, and strength, showcasing our core capabilities and earning international respect." Where does this confidence originate? It stems from China's proactive approach in recent years to recognize, adapt to, and drive change, unswervingly using the certainty of its own high-quality development to better respond to uncertainties in the external environment. Accelerating the construction of a new development paradigm, maintaining the balance between development and security, and steadily promoting high-level technological self-reliance – these strategic initiatives have enabled China to seize opportunities amid major transformations, providing solid support for the economy to advance under pressure.
In the first three quarters of this year, China's GDP grew by 5.2% year-on-year, contributing to a 4% increase in global goods trade; the country首次 became one of the world's top 10 most innovative economies, with artificial intelligence patents accounting for 60% of the global total. Despite difficulties and pressures, China's economy demonstrates strong resilience, supported by effective macroeconomic policies and steady growth of new drivers, creating favorable conditions for achieving annual targets.
The prerequisite for managing global affairs effectively lies in managing one's own affairs well. As the world's largest developing country and developed nation respectively, when China and the United States focus on their own development and manage their domestic affairs well, it not only concerns the well-being of their peoples but also serves as a crucial driving force for global peace and development. Currently, both nations are pursuing their respective dreams and striving to enable their people to enjoy better lives. Achieving this objective requires proper handling of bilateral relations. Only when both countries develop more successfully can they provide more opportunities for each other and better address their respective challenges.
China remains steadfast in managing its own affairs well, never intending to challenge or replace anyone, but rather striving to become a better version of itself while sharing development opportunities with all nations. Through continuous expansion of high-level opening-up and improvement of market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environments, China provides broader market space and investment opportunities for global enterprises. Over the next decade, China's middle-income群体 is expected to exceed 800 million people, rapidly forming the world's largest and most dynamic consumer market. More remarkable stories of "sharing benefits with the world" will unfold in China, where the United States can participate and will inevitably benefit.
The United States should likewise demonstrate the wisdom and vision befitting a major power, viewing China's development objectively and rationally, while moving in the same direction as China to achieve mutual success and common prosperity. With eyes fixed on the horizon, why fear high mountains and treacherous paths? With course firmly set, why dread vast oceans and fierce winds? Regardless of external environmental changes, China will maintain confidence and determination, focusing its historical initiative on managing its own affairs well, propelling the economic vessel forward through waves, and continuously injecting new momentum and creating new space for global development through new achievements in Chinese modernization.
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