The Chinese path to modernisation: Its universality and uniqueness

Modernisation is a worldwide phenomenon.It marks a revolution-ary transformation in all fields of human endeavour,including politics,society,culture,thought,and values.In many ways,China’s modernisation has the common characteristics of modern-isation,including the nature of being developmental and trans-formative,institutional innovation,the guiding role of values,consciousness of material exchange between man and nature,and global openness.It also has the unique characteristics of catching up with and surpassing the modernisation of other countries through institutional construction and reform under the leadership of the Communist Party of China(CPC).In the new era,China will build itself into a strong and modernised country through the Chinese path to modernisation.

Key issues in promoting rural revitalisation in China

Since the rural revitalisation strategy was first introduced in the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China,government agencies and scholars have put forward a series of indicators to measure its implementation.However,such a large number of indicators complicate the process.The rural revitalisation strategy aims to boost agricultural labour productivity,reduce the urban–rural income disparity,and promote the equalisation of basic public services,thereby accelerating the modernisation of agriculture and rural areas.This paper puts forward five indicators to evaluate the progress of implementing the rural revitalisation strategy.The indicators,though simple,underscore the key issues in promoting rural revitalisation in China.This paper also suggests that the rural revitalisation policy should aim to improve the quality of life of the rural population and promote the equalisation of basic public services rather than to reverse the population flow brought by industrialisation and urbanisation.

Religious Affiliated Political Parties in the Post-Arab Spring Era:In Retrospect and Future Prospects

Since the rise of the Arab Spring,a series of social movements have led to a deterioration of political stability in some Arab countries.In the past decade,ordinary people in Arab countries have generally increased their aspirations to express their own political opinions in the public sphere.When viewed from the consequences of contemporary political reforms,the degrees of political participation of different national parliaments are eventually influenced by the transition from authoritarian rule and are characterised by their polity.While before the Arab Spring,the performance of religious affiliated political parties in every nation’s parliament was not prominent,but the democratisation reform provided these religious affiliated political parties with important political opportunities to even overtake their secular opponents.Religious traditions are dominant cultural in the Middle East and North Africa(MENA).The political participation of religious affiliated political parties plays a directionally representative role on the current development of political and religious relations in this era.By comparing the political performance of Islamic political parties in the parliamentary elections in Arab countries since 2010,this essay attempts to theoretically explore the role of religious affiliated political parties in the process of social integration and the political modernisation after the democratisation revolution,and explains the intervention of deeplyrooted religious tradition into public politics.Religious affiliated political parties in the Arab countries are strengthened on the one hand by internal initiative and on the other hand by catering to external needs.However,at the same time,the political participation of religious affiliated political parties has triggered concerns amongst secularists about theocracy,and its true effectiveness is also severely constrained by the degree of progress in the political modernisation process of the host country.