After suffering foreign invasion and subjugation, and enduring domestic oppression, the Chinese people yearn for stability and transformation - a new China that is independent, strong, and free from miseries of all kinds.

In addition, the Historical Chinese Dream includes the political development from Deng Xiaoping Theory, which re-oriented China from ideological struggle to economic development, through two generations of leadership breakthroughs, which modernized the CPC and addressed complex contemporary issues, to President Xi Jinping's all-encompassing "Chinese Dream". As Deng commenced economic reform and opening-up, Xi's Chinese Dream develops for the Chinese people a robust, more confident nation and happier, more enriched lives.

The Chinese Dream may also be viewed as snapshots of history, tracing how the aspirations of the Chinese people have grown. Recall the "three big things" from the 1960s (watch, bicycle, radio) and 1980s (TV, washing machine, refrigerator)?

Global: The "Global Chinese Dream" features two different kinds of subcategories: how the Chinese Dream benefits the world, and why the Chinese Dream worries the world.

The world benefits from the Chinese Dream because as living standards of the Chinese people rise, more goods and services are consumed, including imports, and because China's population is huge, jobs are created and prosperity is increased globally. In addition, China's low-cost manufacturing provides essential products, such as smartphones, at reasonable prices. (This is vital in the developing world.)

The world worries because some perceive the Chinese Dream to have expansionist, or even imperialist, undertones. Even when China's leaders repeat "no matter how strong China becomes, China will never seek hegemony", some foreigners, particularly those who do not know China or Chinese history, remain suspicious. When, they fret, will a more powerful China become a more aggressive China?

Although some foreigners will never trust China, China can mitigate concerns by explaining that the nation is determined to elevate domestic standards of living and international discord undermines this core goal.

Antithetical: The "Antithetical Chinese Dream" reflects the normal tradeoffs that all societies face - the contradictions and tensions among competing goods and policies. This allocation conflict can be characterized by the classic "guns versus butter" aphorism - how to apportion national resources between military requirements and social necessities. For China, however, the primary tradeoff is not between military and social, but between economic development and its unintended byproducts, such as income disparities and environmental degradation.

How to actualize the Chinese Dream? Look no further than the decisions of the Third Plenum of the 18th CPC Central Committee. While implementation is multifaceted, and will take years, the plenum's "comprehensively deepening reforms" are the road map.

The author, an international corporate strategist, is the author of How China's Leaders Think and the biography of former president Jiang Zemin.

(China Daily 01/25/2014 page5)