Development agenda lauded as a global win

China's commitment to high-quality development and its efforts to foster "new quality productive forces" should contribute significantly to the government's common prosperity agenda, a goal that, if achieved, would be a "big win" for the world, according to an emeritus professor at Oxford University.

James Crabbe, a supernumerary fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford University, whose research spans biomedical and environmental sciences, has collaborated with Chinese scientists for two decades, loves reading Chinese literature, and follows the country's societal and economic development.

Crabbe has come to appreciate China's "common prosperity" initiative and believes it is an essential topic for discussion at the two sessions. Chinese lawmakers and advisers should discuss how to "bring the common prosperity agenda with the latest elements of high-quality development and new productive forces, and make sure that they can work in harmony", he said.

Since his first visit to China in 2005, Crabbe has collaborated extensively with Chinese researchers. Over the past two decades, he has traveled to the country once or twice a year, witnessing improvements in rural living standards and rapid urbanization in major cities.

"The common prosperity program has helped because it's raised the standard of living of people in the Huaihe River basin and elsewhere in those sorts of rural areas," said Crabbe, reflecting on his observation while working with Chinese scientists in tracking pollutants in rivers.

Crabbe also praised entrepreneurship in China but emphasized that the key is ensuring a socialist framework that profits benefit everyone. "People everywhere — whether in America or China — want this. If China can achieve it, it will be a big win for the world," he said.

Regarding China's science and innovation capability, Crabbe lauded its fast development as "fantastic" and said he has "seen it firsthand".

As a former editor-in-chief of an international academic journal, Crabbe recalled that early submissions from China were often of lower quality. However, over time, he observed a remarkable improvement in both the quality and quantity of Chinese research papers.

"There are now more scientific papers published by authors from China than in the United States, which is wonderful. And I think that's a tremendous testament to the value China has given to the world in our science understanding," he added.

To further advance China's new quality productive forces, Crabbe stressed the importance of international scientific collaboration. "That's what I try to do with my Chinese colleagues. We can all help each other, as we can feed our different cultures and how our minds work differently in our collaboration and then get something out of that," he said.

One of Crabbe's key Chinese collaborators was Zhong Yang, a renowned botanist and professor at Fudan University. The two met during Crabbe's first visit to China in 2005 and worked together until Zhong's passing in 2017. Crabbe continues collaborating with many of Zhong's former colleagues and doctoral students.

Amid rising geopolitical tensions between China and the West, which have begun to affect scientific cooperation, Crabbe emphasized the need for mutual trust and understanding.

To better understand the Chinese way of thinking, Crabbe has read all four great classical novels of China, his favorite being Outlaws of the Marsh.

"Geopolitics operates at one level, but scientists are individuals. Guanxi (connections) linked me with Zhong Yang on a personal level, and we worked well together," he said. "A lot of my friends go to international academic conferences, both in China and in the West. We have that rapport and sing the same hymn all the time, 'We can't give up collaboration.'

"It's got to happen. Because without it, we're all sunk," he added.