With the emergence of signs of global economic recovery, China has once again become the focus of heated discussion by Western media agencies. "Can China Save the World?" was the headline of a cover story in the latest issue of US-based Time magazine's Asian Edition. Another article published on the US-based BusinessWeek website entitled "Is China leading a global recovery?" analyzed China's economic rebound. Media agencies in many Western countries such as Germany and Spain have also discussed China's role in the future global economy.

It is clear that this wave of heated discussion about China is related to the international financial crisis, being significantly different from previous debates about "the rise of China." When some Westerners found it hard to rely on other big powers to lead the recovery from the global financial crisis, they naturally turned their eyes to China. The words "China is no longer the future. It's the present" in the above-mentioned cover story of Time weekly magazine are very representative. Some analysts noted that China has been pushed onto the world stage "too early" by the financial crisis sweeping the globe.

The wave of heated discussions focuses on three main aspects: firstly, China's power is rapidly increasing, China is much different from the past; secondly, expressions of global expectations of China; thirdly, the belief that once China leads the recovery and reveals its capacity to withstand the global financial crisis, the influence of its successful model will expand.

This wave of China-focused discussions are different from the preceding oversimplified and all-or-nothing estimates preceding it, and have the noticeable feature of more objective analysis on issues currently faced by China. Although some Westerners have been aware that stereotypical theories and viewpoints cannot accurately and comprehensively explain China's development, when it comes to China-related judgments they cannot eradicate them. These contradictions have always affected the West's observation of China. In light of such contradictions, Westerners have been paying increasing attention to challenges that the "Chinese model" poses to the Western value system. They have a complex attitude towards China; on the one hand they are optimistic about China's development, but on the other hand they are worried about it.

It is a good thing that China's development is attracting the attention of increasing numbers of people worldwide after all. Nevertheless, growing China still has an enormous amount of work to do. As a developing country, China still has a long way to go to realize modernization. More communication and exchanges between China and the West are needed to enhance mutual trust. In the long-term future, China's greatest contribution to the world will still lie in handling its own affairs well.

By People's Daily Online

http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2009-08/11/content_317318.htm