Insights from a Two-Week Delegation Tour of China’s Development Model
A delegation of 31 officials and journalists visited China on a program highlighting Xi Jinping’s development policies, noting the country’s economic scale yet uneven regional progress.
Invited by the Global Development Promotion Center of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, a mixed delegation of 31 participants from 21 countries spent two weeks in China examining the local implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics. Their itinerary included a luxury hotel in Xiamen, trips through rapidly built urban districts, and a final stop at the Shanghai Institute of Artificial Intelligence.
While the tour highlighted impressive skyscrapers, parks, and high-tech hubs, organizers stressed that these sites are not representative of the whole nation, particularly the vast western regions beyond the Heihe-Tengchong Line that remain less developed. Economic data presented showed China as the world’s largest economy by purchasing-power parity, with a 2025 GDP of about $19.5 trillion but still classified as an upper-middle-income country by the World Bank and just shy of “very high” human development.
The program also underscored China’s strategy of inviting Global South delegations to showcase its development experience and to promote a multipolar world order. Participants expressed cautious optimism about Chinese investment opportunities, while also questioning how China would respond if partner nations failed to meet loan or agreement obligations.
How this story developed
- Sep 21 US and China discuss new AI safety notification system ahead of summit
- Sep 21 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the eight‑hour New York talks “very successful” and presented a proposal for an AI safety notification mechanism.
- Sep 24 The Busan trade truce was extended to Jan. 10.
- Sep 28 The two leaders met at a high-profile summit and confirmed two more meetings later this year, extending the existing agreement that limits tariffs and rare-earth restrictions. Analysts note that despite the extension, both sides remain locked in fierce competition over trade, technology, Taiwan and defense. US officials view the short-term extension as a compliance measure, expressing doubts about China’s full adherence to earlier commitments.
- Sep 29 The bilateral trade truce has been extended.
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