Chinese youth are generally confident that their country will have a brighter future, and this “collective confidence” is very much needed in the development of the country.

Young Chinese see their country as a beacon of strength and stability in a world of uncertainty and the West is losing attraction to them, the Wall Street Journal said in an article.

A survey carried out by a British foundation earlier this year has found that Chinese youth are more optimistic about their future, with 29 percent of them believing that their country is an ideal place to live and work, and a society where their hard work will be repaid.

Another 93 percent of the respondents think they will benefit from China’s progress in medicine, renewable energy resources, and computer technology. However, their peers in some developed countries are more pessimistic about future of their country.

Young people are no longer viewed as rebellious and selfish but instead are seen as confident and responsible.

More importantly, instead of being held back by the “pride and prejudice” of the West, they now stand up to the Western misunderstandings about their country, by explaining or refuting in a confident and sometimes self-mocking manner.

Undoubtedly, China’s development has injected confidence into the new generations. For a very long time after the Opium War, the Chinese people lacked confidence when dealing with the West, and were used to saying no in a mild and indirect way.

Young generations are now communicating with the West on a basis more equal than ever. They do not automatically believe the West is better than China, because they grew up in a better-off society, get information more easily, and have a broader outlook.

The change in mindset is absolutely influencing the country in a positive way.

What’s the country’s next step in the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics? With less and less experience to learn from other countries, self-reliance is the only way forward.

Delightfully and luckily, Chinese youth are able to think on the basis of the country’s reality and in a manner totally independent from the West’s point of view.

There is a better China for the young generations to explore, and their confidence will help them make the country and the world better.