Illustration: Xia Qing/GT

I write this at a time when I am in China, engaging directly with its scholars, walking its streets, and witnessing firsthand the pulse of a nation that refuses to waste a second. In just a few days, what has struck me the most is the relentless work ethic, the precision with which time is honored, and the sheer scale of order and ambition embedded in every layer of society. 

Conversations with Chinese intellectuals have not only deepened my understanding of their ideology but have also revealed a culture where development is not an aspiration, but a discipline. The commitment to excellence is not "performative"; it is structural, cultural and systemic. And for anyone who doubts that governance can be both firm and visionary, China offers a living example.

What makes this observation even more powerful is that China's transformation is unfolding in real time. 

In the great theater of global development, where the ideological clash between Western liberalism and nationalist sovereignty continues to unfold, no story has rewritten the script more definitively than China's. From rural poverty to technological supremacy, from revolutionary struggle to global influence, the Chinese state - led with almost uninterrupted continuity by the Communist Party of China (CPC) - has redefined not only what is possible, but what is replicable. But this is not merely China's story. For nations like Zimbabwe, it is an urgent invitation. 

China's modernization journey - termed "Chinese path to modernization" - was enshrined as state doctrine at the 20th National Congress of the CPC in 2022. It is adaptive, indigenous, and fiercely pragmatic. It is a model built not on mimicry, but on fit - what the Chinese call "crossing the river by feeling the stones." Every reform, every industrial push, every digital leap has been choreographed with political patience and a deep understanding of China's national reality.

China did not rise simply. It rose because the CPC ruled well - strategically, methodically, and with a level of internal accountability that often surprises its Western critics. The ascent of officials in China is rarely random. The Party has built a culture where merit, performance, and policy alignment trump popularity or patronage. This meritocratic backbone has enabled consistent, long-term policy direction even amid global uncertainty.

In many ways, Zimbabwe's ruling party, ZANU-PF, shares a similar political DNA with the CPC. For ZANU-PF, the challenge is whether it can become developmentally dominant, like the CPC. That shift demands a new political culture within the Party: one that prizes expertise and professionalism.

A state cannot inspire investor confidence or citizen trust without demonstrating that power is answerable to law. Economically, the blueprint is already in plain sight. China has industrialized by fusing infrastructure with export-led manufacturing, by building digital infrastructure alongside physical roads, and by continually upskilling its human capital. The results are staggering: per capita GDP rose from $156 in 1978 to over $13,000 today; more than 800 million people have been lifted out of poverty; and China leads the world in sectors ranging from electric vehicles to solar panels and 5G networks.

Africa, Zimbabwe in particular, has not been a spectator in this story. It has been a great partner. 

Through initiatives like the Belt and Road and China's vast network of concessional loans and technical cooperation, new roads, airports, factories, and power grids are rising across the continent. But for Zimbabwe, this relationship must evolve beyond infrastructure and become one of institutional learning.

The economic potential is undeniable. Zimbabwe, with its mineral wealth, human capital, and geostrategic location, is poised for transformation. But minerals do not mine themselves, roads do not maintain themselves, and digital economies do not build themselves. They require governance systems that are disciplined, technocratic, and efficient.

The good news is that Zimbabwe does not need to look far for a model. It already shares the basic political scaffolding with China. What remains is the will to evolve from political survival to developmental supremacy.

China's rise is not a miracle. It is a system built with intention and discipline. 

For Zimbabwe, it is not just a distant inspiration. It is a mirror. And now, the question is not whether to look into it - but whether to act on what it reflects.

The author is a Harare-based political commentator. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn