Editor's note: Martin Albrow, Founding Honorary President of Global China Academy, sits down with CGTN's Liu Xin. Prof. Albrow says China's "great contribution" is to convert their value commitments into practically possible projects. "The world needs Chinese pragmatism." The views expressed in the video are his and do not necessarily represent those of CGTN.

Liu Xin: In terms of global ethics and providing inspiration to global ethics, why do you think the West cannot do? Or do you think that the West can also offer something in addition to what the Chinese ethics can offer?

Martin Albrow: I don't think there's any one agency that can do everything. All agencies in the world which have any influence can and must contribute. China is setting an example to the world currently in how to manage all those other agencies within their own country.

Certainly, I think it's quite fascinating for the rest of the world at the moment how the Party is managing to bring the big financial forces under control and is implementing policies which will reduce the gross inequalities which can develop under strange capitalism. So, this is an example to the world. The Chinese system is one which tries to balance all those factors in order to produce a harmonious country. And it's that those principles which can be extended to the world as a whole. But of course, China can't do this on its own.

One of the important things for the world is not just that China sets an example, China must also try to exercise an influence. I would distinguish between example and influence. You can set an example and not do anything for the rest of the world. But you've both got to set an example and to exercise influence. And there are several ways I think China can do that.

Liu Xin: One of your arguments is that maintaining a common shared value can also lead to higher tensions, for instance, China and the United States for example, two countries that both say they value democracy, human rights, equality, and justice are actually in a standoff over the different perceptions of what they value in common. How do we deal with that? Is that the case?

Martin Albrow: Values ultimately are guidelines. They are visions, they look to the future. Now, how does one prevent values themselves becoming so dominant in one's imagination that you don't lead, shall we say, a balanced life? I would suggest the Chinese have found the way very well because the Chinese are very pragmatic people. When it comes down to values, they look always to what is practically possible.

And one of the great, I think, contributions that the Chinese make always is when they get down to it, they convert their commitments to values into particular projects and goals, things that they can achieve. And from that point of view, we need in the world Chinese pragmatism, China is often thought of in the West as an ideologically-driven country. In actual fact, the West is far more ideologically-driven in the sense of promoting values as such than China is.

China has a complex system of ideas. It's a system which combines traditional Chinese thought with modern Marxist thought and with modern science and putting them all together produces then a complex of ideas which are ultimately practical. You have to do practical things with the Chinese ideas. They're not just floating in the atmosphere.