Miao Miao, Acting Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Durban.
In discussions about development, people often look first at visible results: roads and railways, factories and ports, schools and hospitals, poverty reduction, and rising living standards. These are important signs of progress.
However, they also point to a deeper question: how can a country turn long-term national goals into steady improvements in people’s lives?
This question is shared by many countries in the Global South. Modernisation is not a ready-made formula, nor does it follow only one road.
It is shaped by history, culture, institutions, resources, and the choices of each people.
