CAIRO -- One of the highlights at the recently concluded 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is the concept of Chinese modernization, said former Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf Saturday evening.

It is a path of socialist modernization that is different from the Western-style modernization, said Sharaf, also head of the Sharaf Foundation for Sustainable Development, when attending a seminar held at the Chinese Cultural Center in Cairo.

Over the past several decades, China has achieved "development leaps through innovation," he said, adding that apart from the great success in poverty alleviation, the CPC has also achieved "unprecedented accomplishments" in education, scientific research and development, and infrastructure.

"This is what led China to become the world's second-largest economy with the largest volume of trade and the largest industrial producer, representing 18 percent of the world's economy," he said.

Meanwhile, Sharaf criticized some Western media outlets that are obsessed with disinformation and distorting the image of some countries, including China.

Titled "the 20th CPC National Congress in the Eyes of Egyptians," the seminar was attended by Egyptian experts in China and Asian affairs, scholars, Chinese language students and Chinese officials.

In his remark, Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang further explained the concept of Chinese modernization, saying it differs from the Western-style modernization. He also hailed the relations between China and Egypt.

"I'm confident that the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Egypt will witness further development, and the same for the relations between China and the Arab and African countries," Liao said.