Recently, especially since 2016, the Western world has been chaotic. In sharp contrast, China enjoys social stability. Over a few decades, China has risen rapidly in a way different from that of the West, surprising the West and the whole world as well.

Among the many factors contributing to China’s steady development, certain institutional advantages are particularly worthy of attention.

In terms of its overall political system, China has a political force representing the interests of the people as a whole. The Communist Party of China has become the world’s strongest political party in terms of strategic planning and execution, social integration, reform and innovation. These attributes enable the Chinese ship of state to brave wind and waves while always continuing forward.

In terms of its economic system, China’s development of a socialist market economy is essentially a new model for common development. It combines the “invisible hand” of the market and the “visible hand” of the government, combining the public economy and private economy. It is this model that has created the miracle of China’s rapid rise and remarkable improvements in living standards for the vast majority of Chinese people.

In terms of social governance, China has achieved unprecedented social stability as a country with a population of more than 1.3 billion. This is because China has, through exploration and practice, established a socialist system with its own unique characteristics. This system is characterized by the sound interaction of the state and society. It is a social governance model featuring Party and government leadership, nongovernmental support and public participation.

Behind this “Chinese governance” model sit institutional advantages based on the interests of the people as a whole. These advantages are attributable to the DNA of Chinese civilization, the red genes of “socialism with Chinese characteristics” and lessons learned from the world’s other great civilizations.

(The author is Dean of the China Institute, Fudan University. And this article is originally published on People’s Daily Overseas Edition. It is abridged and translated for use here.)