'Chinese dream' draws international attention(2)

"BIG DREAM" AND "SMALL DREAM"

Xi has described the Chinese dream as a big dream for the Chinese nation: "History tells us that everybody has one's future and destiny closely connected to those of the country and nation."

Wang Zheng, a public policy scholar of the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said China had a highly collective culture "and that is an important feature of the Chinese dream."

"The charm of the Chinese dream lies in that every Chinese could at the same time realize their own values, ideals, improve their lives and pursue happiness as they devote themselves to the cause of national rejuvenation," Yao said.

OPPORTUNITIES

Insisting on socialism with Chinese characteristics is the only viable path for China to fulfill its dream, experts say.

"Reform and opening-up and building socialism with Chinese characteristics are key to the realization of the Chinese dream," Kim said.

Analysts said the Chinese dream had a global impact, as it targeted one-fifth of the world's population and offered rich opportunities for other countries.

"China's development serves an engine for global growth," Li said. "Its pursuit of 'harmony' in society and in the world is also a unique culture that will be more widely recognized by other countries."

The Chinese dream, Li points out, will not pose any threat to other nations as Beijing pursues the path of peaceful development, which is in line with the heritage of the country's thousands of years of history and culture.

Khalid Rahman, director general of the Institute of Policy Studies in Pakistan, agrees with Li. He said, with a big population, China would see its development exert a positive influence on the global economy and trade.

On the road ahead, however, China will encounter many challenges, which require collective wisdom, analysts say.

Suh Seong-hwan, a professor at South Korea's Yonsei University, said China must first accomplish the task of bridging the urban-rural gap and addressing regional disparity.

On top of that, separatist forces and other potential unstable factors are also obstacles to the drive to realize the Chinese dream, experts say, adding many around the world are still suspicious of China's development.

Meanwhile, challenges also remain in developing "soft power."

Zhang suggests China pursue its dream in an open environment. "Our ideal and faith will inevitably engage in the competition with that of other countries," he said, adding that, to win out, increasing influence and persuasion of the Chinese dream was required.