One Country,Two Systems represents an innovative and emblematic concept within China's independent knowledge system.It emerged from the integration of Marxist theories of the state with China's specific realities,as well as with the political wisdom of"harmony in diversity"rooted in traditional Chinese culture.This theory has guided the construction and development of its institutional framework and has been further refined and deepened alongside institutional evolution.Embodying core values of peace,inclusiveness,openness,and shared development,the theory of One Country,Two Systems offers a new form of political civilization for the peaceful resolution to problems carried over from history,enriches the connotations of state structural forms,and provides the international community with public goods that reflect the Chinese stance,Chinese wisdom,and Chinese values in advancing regional governance modernization and the diversification of legal jurisdictions.
Marx's early engagement with the issue of the state within the philosophy of law led him to identify a more fundamental issue:the nature of civil society.Through his research on philosophical anthropology,he further recognized the real individuals who constitute civil society.Using this insight as the basis for his critique of the philosophy of history,he established the historical materialist theory of the state.Marx incorporated this theoretical foundation into empirical historical research and,after analyzing capitalist society through political economy,attempted to extend his critique to the bourgeois state.Thereafter,the critique of political economy marked Marx's overall transition from speculative philosophy to positive science.He was clearly prepared to undertake a critique of positive anthropology and historical science,and work on jurisprudence was also clearly underway.Systematically,Marx's theory of the state evolved through four cardinal anchors-civil society,the real individual,the economic base,and capitalist society-and progressed through four stages of critique:the critique of the philosophy of law,of philosophical anthropology,of the philosophy of history,and of political economy.Taken together,this trajectory reflects Marx's broader movement from critiquing speculative philosophy to critiquing positive science.
Modernity refers to the set of values established by Western countries during their modernization processes and embodies the spirit inherent in each stage of modernization.Because Western capitalist countries were the first to undergo intellectual enlightenment and industrial revolution,they gained a privileged position in defining both modernization and modernity.As a new framework for constructing modernity,Chinese modernization avoids the binary of"dependence versus decoupling."It selectively draws from modernity's values—such as science and innovation,democracy,freedom,equality,and openness—while critically discarding its negative aspects,including Western-centrism,institutional and value biases,and ecological injustice.In doing so,it charts an independent course for late-developing countries to achieve catch-up modernization.As a new form of modernization rooted in socialism with Chinese characteristics,Chinese modernization redefines modernization across multiple dimensions:theoretical logic,value orientation,institutional design,and ecological civilization.It deconstructs and transcends Western modernity,breaking the singular narrative that equates modernization with Westernization,and presents an alternative model with its own distinct trajectory.
Modernization is a systemic social transformation rooted in industrialization.As modernization spread globally,different countries developed distinct models.As a latecomer to modernization,China successfully advanced and expanded the common features of modernization found in various countries,and more importantly,it has developed a Chinese path to modernization with distinctive Chinese characteristics based on its national conditions.However,in international academic discussions on China's modernization,the political dimension is often overlooked or casually dismissed under the label of"Chinese characteristics."In fact,within our analytical framework of the"party-state-government-society,"China's"mission-oriented party,""autonomous state,"and"proactive government,"working in dynamic interaction with society,have developed a form of adaptive governance that serves the overarching goal of national modernization.This institutional configuration explains the sustained progress of China's path to modernization.China's achievements in modernization not only corroborate existing theoretical knowledge but also provide valuable institutional references for late modernizers in areas such as political institution building in relation to political parties,state building,government capacity,and general society.
"The West" and "Western civilization" are dynamically constructed concepts with rational and historical validity. Yet when extended to notions such as the "European Miracle," which claim that the West's advantages are the inevitable outcome of historical progression since Ancient Greece and that the West constitutes the center of human progress, such assertions embody ignorance and arrogance. This Eurocentric linear historical perspective obscures the diversity, richness, equality, and agency of human civilizations, making it impossible to present an objective and comprehensive world history. American geographer James M. Blaut's concept of the "European tunnel of time" critiques traditional Western narratives that divide history into an inner Western core and an outer Eastern periphery, portraying non- Western development as an inferior Other awaiting "civilization." In confronting the myth of the "European Miracle," both Western scholars engaged in self-reflection and intellectuals from Asia, Africa, and Latin America have sought to reclaim the right to narrate history. UNESCO's initiative of writing a shared human history, based on the principle of serving all humanity, offers another significant path toward de-Western-centrism. Historical materialism, moreover, provides essential intellectual guidance for redrawing the evolutionary map of world civilizations.
