China’s Spokesperson Identifies Physical Economy: “It’s about making people’s lives better”

August 28, 2026August 28, 2026 Lawrence Africa, China, electicity, Global South, high-speed rail, Infrastructure, physical economy, rice, US

*Examine the exponential growth of electricity in China in a mere forty years*.

*China, in 2000 had zero high-speed rail trains, in 2025 it has 50,000 kilometers of rail, more than the rest of the world combined.*

August 28, 2026

The true measurement of an economy is not money, not macro statistics, not stock market indexes: it is the improvement in the material standard of living of the population. Liu Chang, Spokesperson for the China Embassy, speaking on July 31, described the elementary metric of economic development: It’s about making people’s lives better.

As the Chinese understand very well, a key factor in improving the standard of living of its population, requires massive infrastructure investments. The Chinese government are unsurpassed, among all nations of the world, in expanding vital categories of infrastructure that are indispensable to increasing the productivity of their entire economy. As African nations have experienced, without infrastructure, especially electricity and rail, real economic growth will be thwarted, if not impossible. Examine the two graphs above. These images are startling. However, they should not be shocking. For the last two generations China has concentrated on industrializing its economy, becoming the leading nation in manufacturing, ship building and the refinement of critical minerals. This has resulted in lifting 700 million of its people from abject poverty and improving the standard of living for all members of its society. China is committed to assisting the Global South, which encompasses the majority of the world’s population, land mass, and minerals. As the U.S. led Western alliance of nations thrash about in their collapsing rules-based order, China and the Global South can create a new system, a new paradigm of political-economic relationships premised on a common share future of economic development for mankind.

The presentation below is reprinted from the August 21, 2026 issue of Executive Intelligence Review magazine,

From a Grain of Rice to a World of Greater Equality—China and the Global South: A Story of Shared Development

*Liu Chang, Spokesperson for China Embassy*

by Liu Chang, July 31, 2026

Ladies and Gentlemen, first of all, I want to say thank you to the Schiller Institute for inviting me. It’s my real pleasure to join you today. Today’s topic is “A Dialogue of Civilizations: Development or World War III,” so I will emphasize the part of development, and share some thoughts of how China sees global development. My title is “China and the Global South: A Story of Shared Development.”

When it comes to development, people tend to think of GDP, investment, or massive infrastructure projects. But for most families, development looks much simpler. It means having lights during the night; roads remaining open through the rainy season; a doctor available when someone falls ill; a young person learning skills that lead to a decent job. These may sound like ordinary things, but that’s exactly what development is about. It’s not about making the numbers look better; it’s about making people’s lives better. Development matters when a family can feel the difference, and when an entire community can share in its benefits.

Not long ago, I read a story about farmers in Madagascar planting hybrid rice developed in China. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, these varieties can produce between 9 and 11 tons of rice per hectare, compared with about 2.8 tons for traditional local varieties. Those figures are more than statistics. To a local farmer, they could mean something more tangible; fuller granaries, a little more income, and a better chance of keeping a child in school.

So, what can a single grain of rice tell us? It reminds us that development cooperation is only meaningful if it improves ordinary lives. And in today’s inter-connected world, it raises four larger questions: How do we make development more inclusive? How do we protect it with lasting peace? How do we enable different civilizations to learn from one another? And how do we build a fairer system of global governance? These are exactly the questions that China has been seeking to answer.

China’s Four Global initiatives

First, how can the fruits of development benefit more people? China proposed the Global Development Initiative in 2021. Under the initiative, more than $23 billion have been mobilized and over 1,800 cooperation projects launched. But numbers alone do not tell the whole story. The more important question is whether these efforts can change people’s lives for the better. In Madagascar, as I mentioned earlier, change means higher yields from the hybrid rice. In Papua New Guinea, change could be a stand of Juncao grass allowing small farmers to grow edible mushrooms without cutting down forests, while creating new sources of income. Or it could be a Luban workshop in Kazakhstan, where local students learn practical skills in areas such as renewable energy, automation, and rail transportation based on the needs of local industries.

What China seeks is not simply to deliver a project and move on. It is to work with local partners to develop skills, share appropriate technologies, and create opportunities that can take root, continue to grow, and benefit local communities over the long term.

Rice is flourishing in Madagascar, the island nation which now has Africa’s largest area cultivating high-yield, hybrid rice. In 2007, China launched the hybrid rice demonstration center project in Madagascar, one of 10 such ag-tech specialty centers across the continent.

Second, what protects the gains of development? For many developing countries, security means far more than the absence of war. It also means hospitals can continue to operate during floods, droughts, or public health crises. It means stable access to food and energy. It means having the resilience to emerge from challenges. A war can destroy a school overnight. A severe natural disaster or public health emergency can set back the development of an entire community for years.

This is why China proposed the Global Security Initiative in 2022. It calls for a vision of security that is common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable. It emphasizes resolving differences through dialogue and consultation, while also addressing global challenges such as food security, energy security, public health, and climate change. Peace is the foundation on which development grows. And development itself can help address the root causes of conflict and instability, creating stronger foundations for lasting peace.

Third, can different paths of development respect and enrich one another? China’s answer is yes. Every country has its own history, culture, and path of development. Cooperation should not begin with the assumption that one country must first become a copy of another. True civilizational exchange is not about one side changing the other, nor replacing the other. It is about learning from each other with equality and respect, drawing inspiration from different experiences, and allowing diverse civilizations to grow together through dialogue rather than compete through exclusion.

In 2023, China proposed the Global Civilization Initiative, which recognizes that the greatest value of mutual learning between civilizations is not to erase differences, but to make those differences a starting point for mutual understanding and mutual reinforcement.

Last but not the least, who should shape global rules, and whom should those rules serve? Today, the contribution of the Global South to global development continues to grow. Yet in some international institutions, its representation and voice remain limited.

In 2025, China proposed the Global Governance Initiative, which emphasizes sovereign equality, the rule of international law, multilateralism, a people-centered approach, and action-oriented cooperation. The goal is not to tear down the existing international system or start over from scratch. Rather, it is to make that system more representative, more effective, and better able to respond to the concerns of developing countries. Global rules should be shaped through the participation of more countries, not written by a few and simply accepted by the rest. The affairs of the world should be discussed and decided together. And the benefits of development should be shared by all.

These four Global Initiatives reflect China’s vision for the future of our world: development gives people hope; security protects that hope; civilizations help us understand one another; and governance provides fairer institutions for shared progress.

From Poverty to Development

China has always been a member of the Global South. We have experienced the long journey from poverty to development, and we understand that there is no single model for modernization, nor any shortcut that can simply be copied and pasted. China is willing to share its experience, but not turn that experience into a prescription for others. We are willing to provide support, but not make decisions on behalf of our partners. We are willing to build bridges, roads, and hospitals, but we also want to work with countries around the world to develop the talent that allows people to shape their own future.

China looks forward to continuing to work with countries around the world so that development is no longer the privilege of a few, but a right shared by all; so that modernization is not painted in a single color, but reflects a landscape of diverse paths and possibilities; and so that every country and every people can take part in shaping our shared future.

Thank you very much.

Read below my earlier post on this topic.

Will China’s Global Governance Initiative Replace The West’s Failed “Rules Based Order?

Lawrence Freeman is a Political-Economic Analyst for Africa, who has been involved in economic development policies for Africa for 35 years. He is a teacher, writer, public speaker, consultant on Africa, and an analyst of global strategic relations. Mr. Freeman strongly believes that economic development is an essential human right. He is the creator of the blog: lawrencefreemanafricaandtheworld.com, also publishes on: lawrencefreeman.substack.com, “Freeman’s Africa and the World, and on X @lkfreemansafrica

Rules-Based Order Strategic Mistake to Label China Enemy #1

November 7, 2024April 9, 2025 Lawrence Africa, Beijing, China, high-speed rail, Infrastructure, modernization, poverty, rules-based order, US, Xiangshan Forum

Lecture by Lawrence Freeman on US adversarial policy against China. October 27, 20024, Rising Tide Foundation at risingtidefoundation.net

November 8, 2024

Watch my one hour lecture in the video above, in which I present my insights, gained from attending the Beijing Xiangshan Forum (September 12-14), and spending nine days in Beijing and Shanghai from (September 9-17). Read my report on Xiangshan forum: China Not An Enemy of the US, Could Be A Partner For Global Economic Development. I experienced special treat during my visit. I was able travel on China’s high-speed train from Beijing to Shanghai. At 215 miles per hour, it took only 4.5 hours to travel 819 miles.

I can tell you unequivocally, do not believe U.S. propaganda about China. The U.S. is drowning in its rules-based order ideology, with its zero-sum doctrine. China is a very interesting country, with its ancient culture and its friendly people. I highly recommend visiting this fascinating nation, if you can.

I discuss China’s remarkable accomplishment of transforming its economy and lifting 750 million of its citizens out of poverty in just thirty-five years, from 1978 to 2023. As an expert on Africa, it is clear that China is in the best position to assist African nations in eliminating poverty, which is its declared intention. The U.S. has no such inclination.

The U.S. treats China as its number one enemy, claiming that China wants to be the number one power-hegemon in the world. Contrary to this false belief, China’s concentration is on modernizing its economy to become by 2035, a modern socialist nation with Chinese characteristics. China as a leader of the BRICS is concerned with economic development, as are all nations in the Global South.

If, and when the elites of Western nations that adhere to the rules-based order recover from their dementia, they could understand that China can become a partner in global economic development. I proposed in the Xiangshan Forum that the U.S. and China collaborate on a great joint mission: eliminating poverty and hunger in Africa. Read: Freeman Speaks on China-Africa Strategy at Respected Beijing Xiangshan Forum

Please watch the full hour on my video, which politically and musically crescendos at the conclusion. Freeman on China

Watch Part two for pictures and discussion.

Read my earlier post: Chinese Amb Xie Feng Rejects “zero-sum” Mentality of the West at 75th Anniversary

Watch Freeman on Global Times

Lawrence Freeman is a Political-Economic Analyst for Africa, who has been involved in economic development policies for Africa for 35 years. He is a teacher, writer, public speaker, and consultant on Africa. Mr. Freeman strongly believes that economic development is an essential human right. He is the creator of the blog: lawrencefreemanafricaandtheworld.com, and also publishing on: lawrencefreeman.substack.com, “Freeman’s Africa and the World.”

China Not An Enemy of the US, Could Be A Partner For Global Economic Development

October 1, 2024October 1, 2024 Lawrence China, creativity, development, Global South, high-speed rail, poverty, rules-based order, US, Xiangshan Forum, zero-sum

Beijing Xiangshan Forum Part II

*Courtesy of South China Morning Post, scmp.com*

October 1, 2024

Happy 75th Anniversary of New China

Read my earlier article on Xiangshan Forum: Freeman Speaks on China-Africa Strategy at Respected Beijing Xaingshan Forum

After attending three days of discussion at the 11^th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, from September 12-14, and spending over a week in China, it is apparent to me that neither the people of China nor the government, desire confrontation with the United States. However, it is also evident that China has no intention of submitting to the doctrine of the West’s so called rules-based order, with its demented zero-sum game doctrine.

As someone who has attended hundreds of conferences in Washington DC over many years, this gathering in Beijing was unique. It was comprised of a diverse and inclusive list of speakers from all over the world, with a sizable number of Americans participating. There was a refreshing open exchange of ideas with opposing points views expressed.

Over 500 delegates, scholars, security experts, and thirty defense ministers, from over 100 countries, plus a large delegation from China, attended this three day conference, as reported: Xiangshan Forum Global Times. There were thirty-six separate sessions. In the four plenary sessions, twenty-four speakers, predominantly representing their nation’s defense establishment, addressed the conference attendees. The composition of presenters was heavily weighted to the nations of the Global South. This included a dozen nations from Africa and Asia, the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Of special note, plenary speakers from the Ministry of Defense for the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the German Federal Ministry of Defense, addressed the conference. The Vice-President of the International Red Cross also delivered remarks.

Three most important and prominent themes of the conference were:

–China-U.S. relations

–China and the Global South commitment to development

–China’s challenge to Western domination through its “rules-based international order.”

China: Enemy or Competitor of U.S.?

In the first session on China-US relations the U.S. position was represented by John Richard Waters III, former Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. He was a key Coordinator for the U.S. Department of State for China and Taiwan for the administration of President Joe Biden, from 2021-2023. Although he repeatedly professed that he was not speaking for the Biden administration, he was the top American diplomat (former) at the conference and thoroughly knowledgeable about U.S. policy towards China and Taiwan.

Wu Xinbo, Professor, Dean of institute for International Studies, Fudan university, China, while also not a spokesperson for his government, articulated Chinese foreign policy in his exchange with Waters.

Rick Waters attempted to present a more reasonable view of U.S. attitude towards China then what one hears from President Biden and State Department on a weekly basis. Rick Waters espoused the position of the U.S. towards China as one of competition, and not always a zero-sum game. Wu Xinbo pointed out that the U.S. policy towards China is more than so called competition, but rather one of rivalry, with the U.S. treating China as an adversary. He said, if the U.S. policy towards China is not as an enemy, then it should “walk the walk” as opposed to “talk the talk.”

Wu Xinbu also accused the U.S. of being less sympathetic to China’s goal of reunification with Taiwan and that the U.S. uses the Taiwan issue to contain China.

As one who closely follows Washington’s strategy toward China, it is more than obvious that the U.S. does indeed see China as an enemy; a threat to the transatlantic political and military establishment. This hostile anti-China attitude is expressed by leaders of both the Republican and Democratic parties, and the majority of the Congress. One can find, on almost any given week, a seminar in Washington DC, or a written commentary, by one think-tank or another, predicting when and how China will attack Taiwan, and suggested military counter measures the U.S. should take, even preemptively. The primary justification for the gargantuan U.S. defense budget of almost one trillion dollars, is to contain China’s influence in the Asia-Pacific theater.

*A zero sum game is one in which a participant wins at the expense of another. courtesy of phemex.com*

The Disease of the “Zero-Sum” Mindset

The real grievance that the U.S. (and the West) has with China, is its insistence to chart its own independent course of development for its people, not willing to be subservient to Western domination. China correctly, does not accept the precepts of the so called rules-based international order. Rick Waters let the cat out of the bag, so to speak, when he explicitly accused China of trying to change the rules of the West’s rules-based order. To that extent he is correct. China’s actions have produced rage in the Western establishment for its refusal to submit to their ideologically driven system.

Germany’s representative from the Ministry of Defense, was dripping with Western arrogance towards China in his presentation during the plenary session. After criticizing China for not condemning Russia, he stated the obvious, that we live in a multi-polar world. He went on to insist, that this multi polar fact must be embedded in an internationally accepted framework…the world needs rules based multipolarity.

Is it a crime for China to want to change the axioms of a structure created by the West, which is based on a false understanding of reality?

The following few paragraphs briefly explain the inherent flawed axioms embedded in their rules-based order.

The first thing to understand is that our universe and us humans in it, are not guided by rules, but rather, our ability to comprehend and act on the principles that govern our existence.

The most critically flawed axiom in the world view of those supporting the rules-based order geopolitical structure, is its fictitious view of a fixed universe. In their imagined world, the zero-sum mentality decrees that there are only winners or losers, victors or victims. This notion of “zero-sum,” stipulates that action must be taken to suppress China’s development, because it is perceived (wrongly) as a threatening hegemon to their existing rules-based order.

This warped outlook has three perilous epistemological defects. One, the actual physical universe in which the human race dwells, is not static. We do not exist in an unchanging world, where each nation is dependent for survival on acquiring a fixed, limited category of so called natural resources. Our universe is constantly advancing to higher levels of development. Two, all human beings are born with the potential for creativity, irrespective of nationality or ethnicity. We humans are uniquely endowed with the power to hypothesize previously unknown principles embedded in the universe. From this power of creative reason, not logic, these discoveries allow civilization to overcome any constraints. It is this inborn potential of creative mentation, which each of us possesses, that makes us exclusively human. Three, the physical universe is structured to respond fruitfully to human creative intervention. If we comprehend these three principles, we know unequivocally that there are no limits to the continuous advancement of our planet. There are no limits to growth!

All nations have the same common interest: satisfying the material needs of their citizens and nurturing their creativity. Thus, the anti-human, zero-sum game outlook should be abolished and replaced with the concept that humankind can act cooperatively for the benefit every nation and its people. This principle should form the corner stone of all foreign policy.

The Global South Demands Development

China’s leadership in the emerging Global South, which has led to an irreversible multi-polar world, has caused consternation in the West, even as they publicly dismiss it.

The First Plenary Session was opened by remarks from China’s Minister of National Defense, Dong Jun, whose theme was, building a community with a shared future for mankind. He discussed the shared pursuit of development, cooperation, and win-win, over conflict, and the need to abandon the zero-sum outlook. He also spoke of promoting economic development to narrow the gap between rich and poor nations.

This theme, and the linking of peace to development, in collaboration with China, was echoed by several speakers in the four plenary sessions.

Beti Assomo Joseph, Cameroon’s Defense Minister, called for a new just equitable world economic system. He said in a separate interview with China Central Television (CCTV)

“You have a Global South, it means we also have a Global North. So, if we can work hand-in-hand for all humanity so that those who have power, economic, political, or diplomatic power, can work hand-in-hand with those who are not developed or who are poor, so that there could be human solidarity. We have that dream, and we are doing that with China.

The defense minister from the Republic of the Congo, Charles Richard Mondjo, was emphatic about the need for economic development when he told the conference, no peace no development. He said the Global South was not industrialized, its economies are based on agriculture and mining. There is inequality between the North and the South; the North should reduce these inequalities. Any effort to support the Global South is an effort to support peace.

Sri Lanka’s Secretary of Defense discussed the need for a new economic order and reforming the current economic system to shape a more peaceful world.

Ignoring China’s Transformation

As China celebrates on October 1, its 75^th anniversary of the founding of New China by Mao Zedong, China’s accomplishments over three quarters of a century are quite remarkable.

The achievements over the last four decades, from the beginning of Deng Xiaoping’s economic reforms in his “opening up” of China in 1978 are astonishing. The World Bank reports that China has lifted 770 million Chinese from poverty, with poverty defined as $2.15 income per day. This represents three quarters of the world’s reduction in poverty and is more than the 450 million Africans still living in poverty today.

Examining China’s demographic trend also reveals its successful transformation of economic conditions for its people. In 1960, average life expectancy in China was thirty-three years, in 1978 it almost doubled to sixty three years. Today, average life expectancy in China is seventy-eight years, comparable to U.S. levels.

*China intends to expand the current high-speed rail system to 70,000km, and increase its total length of track to 200,000km.* *Courtesy of www.theb1m.com.*

Infrastructure, which drives economic growth and productivity, has been an essential component of China’s incredible transformation. During my stay in China, I chose to travel on their High Speed Rail (HSR) from Beijing to Shanghai/Pudong, rather than flying. It was a delightful journey. The HSR travelled at 215 miles per hour (345 kilometers-km) and covered the distance of 819 miles (1,318 km) in four-hours and thirty-seven minutes, on a smooth ride that arrived on time. Currently, China has 46,000 km (29,000 miles) of HSR, out of a total of 155 thousand km (96,312 miles) of rail. HSR represents almost thirty percent of China’s total rail system. The U.S. has no comparable rail system. Amtrak’s Acela train is the most advanced, but only travels a maximum speed of 150 miles per hour and there is only forty-nine miles of track that can even manage the Acela. The total rail network in the U.S. is 160,000 miles (260,000 km).

Think of the savings in time and increase in productivity if Americans could travel at the HSR speed of 215 mile per hour. For comparison, today, traveling to Chicago from Washington DC, a distance of 593 miles (956 km) by train will take almost eighteen hours.

Yes, China has a different political, economic, and social system than the U.S. Would it not be wise to investigate how China achieved all these economic successes? Might it not be possible to learn from China? Cannot the U.S. and China embark on a joint mission to eliminate poverty throughout the world, in service of the shared-common aims of humankind? I made this proposal in my presentation at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum. Freeman Speaks on China-Africa Strategy at Respected Beijing Xaingshan Forum

Read below my earlier posts:

Will FOCAC Summit Strategize For Africa’s Future Economic Growth?

Lawrence Freeman: Why The “Rules-Based International Order” Has Failed and Will Always Fail: The Case of Africa

Lawrence Freeman is a Political-Economic Analyst for Africa, who has been involved in economic development policies for Africa for 35 years. He is a teacher, writer, public speaker, and consultant on Africa. Mr. Freeman strongly believes that economic development is an essential human right. He is the creator of the blog: lawrencefreemanafricaandtheworld.com, and also publishing on: lawrencefreeman.substack.com, “Freeman’s Africa and the World.”