在世界的东方，中国这个拥有13亿多人口的文明古国，正在现代化道路上阔步前行。世界对中国的关注集中起来就是，中国选择了一条什么样的发展道路，中国的发展对世界意味着什么？
中国多次向世界宣示，中国始终不渝走和平发展道路，在坚持自己和平发展的同时，致力于维护世界和平，积极促进各国共同发展繁荣。在进入21世纪第二个十年和中国共产党成立90周年之际，中国再次向世界郑重宣告，和平发展是中国实现现代化和富民强国、为世界文明进步作出更大贡献的战略抉择。中国将坚定不移沿着和平发展道路走下去。
一、中国和平发展道路的开辟
Situated in the East, China, a country with an ancient civilization and a population of over 1.3 billion, is making big strides in its advance toward modernization. What path of development has China chosen? What will China’s development bring to the rest of the world? These issues are the focus of the whole world.
China has declared to the rest of the world on many occasions that it takes a path of peaceful development and is committed to upholding world peace and promoting common development and prosperity for all countries. At the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century and on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China declared solemnly again to the world that peaceful development is a strategic choice made by China to realize modernization, make itself strong and prosperous, and make more contribution to the progress of human civilization. China will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development.
I. The Path of China’s Peaceful Develop-ment: What It Is About
在5000多年文明发展历程中，中国各族人民以自己的勤劳智慧，创造了璀璨的中华文明，缔造了统一的多民族国家。中华文明具有独特的延续性、包容性、开放性。在长期对外交往中，中华民族努力学习借鉴其他民族的长处，自强不息，为人类文明进步作出了重大贡献。
19世纪中叶，西方列强用炮舰打开中国封闭的门户，内忧外患导致中国逐步成为半殖民地半封建社会，国家积贫积弱、战乱不已，民不聊生。在民族存亡的危急关头，无数仁人志士前仆后继，苦苦追寻变革救亡之路。1911年的辛亥革命，结束了统治中国几千年的君主专制制度，激励中国人民为争取民族独立和国家富强而斗争。然而，这些探索和斗争都未能改变中国半殖民地半封建的社会性质和中国人民的悲惨命运。中国共产党肩负民族的期望，带领中国人民进行了艰苦卓绝的奋斗，于1949年建立了中华人民共和国，实现了民族独立、人民解放，开创了中国历史新纪元。
Over the past 5,000 years, people of all ethnic groups in China, with diligence and wisdom, have created a splendid civilization and built a unified multi-ethnic country. The Chinese civilization has a unique feature of being enduring, inclusive and open. The Chinese nation has endeavored to learn from other nations and improved itself through centuries of interactions with the rest of the world, making major contribution to the progress of human civilization.
In the mid-19th century, Western powers forced open China’s door with gunboats. Internal turmoil and foreign aggression gradually turned China into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. The country became poor and weak, and the people suffered from wars and chaos. Facing imminent danger of national subjugation, one generation of patriots after another fought hard to find a way to reform and save the nation. The Revolution of 1911 put an end to the system of monarchy which had ruled China for several thousand years, and inspired the Chinese people to struggle for independence and prosperity. However, such efforts and struggle failed to change the nature of China as a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, or lift the Chinese people out of misery. Living up to the people’s expectation, the CPC led them in carrying out arduous struggle, and finally founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949. This marked the realization of China’s independence and liberation of its people and ushered in a new epoch in China’s history.
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