BY TIMUR SHAFIR
Executive Secretary/Head of the International Department of Russian Union of Journalists, Russia
My first encounter with China did not happen today or yesterday. In fact, it probably began even before any particular visit, official meeting, city landscape, cultural experience or personal conversation. My first real impression of China was formed when I began to look at the country through the lens of governance – and, more broadly, through the question of how a major civilization-state understands its role in global governance.
This is the dimension in which China makes perhaps the strongest impression. It is not only an ancient civilization, not only a rapidly developing economy, and not only a country with remarkable technological achievements. China is also a state that has managed to turn historical scale into a system of governance, and national development into a long-term strategic project.
Since then, every new encounter with China has only confirmed that first impression. The more one learns about China, the clearer it becomes that this is not a country of short political impulses, but a country of long historical breathing. In today’s world, this is a rare quality. Many states live from crisis to crisis, from election cycle to election cycle, from one media campaign to another. China demonstrates a different logic: development requires not only energy, but patience; not only resources, but discipline; not only reforms, but also a clear understanding of historical purpose.
The issue of global governance has become one of the central questions of contemporary international politics. The world is becoming more complex, more interconnected and, at the same time, more conflict-prone. Old institutions often struggle to respond to new challenges. International rules are too often interpreted selectively. Technological development moves faster than political thinking. Economic globalization has brought growth, but it has also produced new forms of inequality and dependence.
In such conditions, the experience of countries capable of thinking beyond the immediate moment becomes especially important. China’s experience is significant precisely because it shows that governance is not merely a technical set of administrative decisions. It is a culture of coordination, a capacity to balance stability and development, national identity and openness to the world, technological progress and social responsibility.
For an outside observer, China’s work with scale is particularly important. Governing a vast country with different regions, different development levels, diverse social tasks and a powerful dynamic of modernization mean dealing every day with a challenge that many countries would find almost impossible even to formulate. China shows that scale does not necessarily lead to chaos. With strategic vision, it can become a source of strength.
In this sense, China matters not only for China itself. Its experience has become part of the global conversation about the future international order. Global governance can no longer be built as a monologue of one power, one model or one civilization. The world is becoming multipolar not because this is a beautiful diplomatic phrase, but because different countries and regions increasingly insist on their right to choose their own path of development.
China brings a distinctive voice to this conversation. It does not call for the erasure of differences. On the contrary, the Chinese approach reminds us that sustainable international cooperation is possible only when states respect each other’s historical experience, cultural identity and sovereign choice. Universal challenges do not always have universal recipes. Sometimes fair global governance begins not with the attempt to make everyone identical, but with the recognition of the world’s real diversity.
My first impression of China as an important participant in the formation of a new model of global governance has only grown stronger over time. Each new encounter with the Chinese agenda adds details, but does not change the main conclusion: China is not simply adapting to changes in the world system. It seeks to contribute to the creation of a more stable, more balanced and more responsible architecture of international relations.
It is especially important that China combines modernization with civilizational continuity. For many countries, modernity is often presented as a rejection of their own identity. The Chinese experience suggests another possibility: it is possible to develop without dissolving oneself; to introduce new technologies without destroying cultural foundations; to be open to the world without losing a sovereign vision of one’s own future.
For a journalist and researcher, this is particularly valuable. China forces us to move beyond ready-made schemes and simplified categories. It cannot be honestly understood through primitive oppositions: East and West, tradition and progress, state and market, stability and development. Chinese reality is more complex than these formulas. That is exactly why it requires careful, professional and respectful study.
Today, returning to the theme of China and governance, I understand that my first impression was correct. China is important not only because of what it has achieved, but also because of how it thinks about development. In a world where too many political systems think in short timeframes, China reminds us of the importance of long- term strategy. In a world where governance is often reduced to crisis response, China demonstrates the value of planning. In a world where global governance is sometimes turned into an instrument of pressure, China speaks about the need for cooperation, respect and balance.
Therefore, every new encounter with China is not a beginning from a blank page for me. It is a continuation of an important intellectual conversation – a conversation about what the world order may become if it is based not on domination, but on respect; not on the destruction of identity, but on development; not on the chaos of rivalry, but on the search for responsible balance.
My first impression of China was formed long ago. But the value of genuine understanding is that it does not remain frozen. It develops, deepens and becomes more precise. Perhaps this is also one of the important lessons of the Chinese approach to governance: true understanding, like true development, requires time, consistency and the ability to see a larger historical trajectory behind individual events.
*The views and opinions expressed in the articles are solely those of the individual authors and do not reflect the position of the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Journalist Network.