30 years on - after China´s ´hard day´s night´ nation no longer a forbidden place for foreigners

Martyn Davies, executive director of the Center for Chinese Studies at Stellenbosch University of South Africa, says China's development also is evidence that countries are able to reverse their situations and determine their own development trajectories, particularly for many African countries.

"China's increased engagement in Africa offers a new model for foreign power engagement with that continent - one that is not purely donor or only commodity driven, but rather, multifaceted, combining investment, trade and donor models," he says.

This has resulted in a reorientation in Africa's relations - away from traditional Western power in favor of renewed relations with the East, which centers on China, he suggests.

All the changes are deeply rooted in the meeting held exactly 30 years ago in Beijing.

"If there had not been a Deng Xiaoping, China would not have developed as rapidly as it has and in the manner that it has, and more generally the world would be a more dangerous place," Alden says.

But despite what China has achieved, Prof. Huang suggests that a lot of challenges need to be addressed in China's interaction with the outside world.

"Economically we are well interconnected with the world, but lack of mutual understanding on cultural levels is a concern for future relations," he says.

"China must continue to learn how to maintain a dialogue and correctly express itself in order to win the understanding and respect it deserves," he says.

Editor:Zheng Limin