"In order to oppose the'Belt and Road' and suppress China, the United States does not hesitate to blatantly confess its own ugliness, regardless of long-term interests and reputation." This is the sentiment expressed by friendly people from many friendly countries when the author has traveled around the world to talk about the topic of the "Belt and Road" in recent years.
Recently, because Ningbo Port was once suspended due to the epidemic, it caused shocks in the global shipping industry. The US media and think tanks hyped up the risk that the global supply chain is too dependent on China, and took the opportunity to attack the construction of the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road", claiming "China has invested in ports in more than 60 countries, and'soldiers are not bloody' to control the global strategic throat."
The background of these remarks is that China not only owns 7 of the world's top ten ports in its own country, but also has ports invested by Chinese state-owned enterprises in at least 60 countries, built, aided in construction, or leased. The importance of ports in today's world economy is obvious to all. 80% of global trade is completed by sea, and the port is the node of the sea.
In essence, the United States is a typical maritime hegemon. The global trade routes are basically controlled by the US alliance system.
China is the world's largest trader in goods, and it is not an ally of the United States. It is not controlled by the United States, so it makes the United States very unhappy; now through the "Belt and Road" construction investment, acquisitions, and shares in important ports in the world, the United States is a little anxious.
The logic of the United States is: if I think so, you will think so; I have done this, and you will do the same.
Why is the United States so sensitive to ports? The United States has achieved hegemony by relying on the oceans and controlling strategic channels. Commercial ports are considered to have dual military and civilian use, and they are therefore worried that they will be upgraded for military purposes.
Some U.S. military experts believe that "Chinese expansion" may eventually give it the ability to restrict the activities of the U.S. Navy in the waters near its controlled ports.
Obviously, the core is not the security issues of China's investment ports-the United States is not concerned with the security issues of these countries, but the hegemonic security of the United States. The ability of the United States to control the security of these ports and strategic channels may be impacted.
This is the crux of the problem.
By the way, it is the country where the port is used, not China. Why did 140 countries and China sign cooperation documents on the joint construction of the "Belt and Road"? Why do so many foreign port developments choose to cooperate with China?
Because the investment cycle of infrastructure construction is long, the cost is high, and the effect is slow, and the private capital that the United States respects is not interested, even the infrastructure in the United States is aging and cannot be repaired.
In addition, some countries have changed political situation, the investment environment is not good, there are certain risks, and international capital is even more reluctant to invest, which has produced the "Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank effect."
In a nutshell, Western countries invest in high-yield projects. At first, they were afraid of suffering and fear of risk. Now that China is doing it, they are all envy and hate. What's more, the countries along the "Belt and Road" agree with the successful experience of China's reform and opening up, such as building roads before getting rich.
The core content of the “Belt and Road” construction is to promote infrastructure construction and interconnection, link national policies and development strategies, deepen pragmatic cooperation, promote coordinated and linked development, and achieve common prosperity.
Infrastructure is the cornerstone of interconnection, and it is also a bottleneck commonly faced by some countries in the development. Building high-quality, sustainable, risk-resistant, reasonably priced, inclusive and accessible infrastructure is conducive to the full development of countries Resource endowment, better integration into the global supply chain, industrial chain, and value chain.
This objectively broke the original system of colonial exploitation and U.S. hegemony, and helped countries along the route have their own destiny instead of relying on the United States and the West.
In order to hedge against the "One Belt One Road" initiative, the United States announced the B3W plan at the G7 summit in June this year, claiming that it will also engage in infrastructure. But there are three kinds of mismatches between infrastructure construction and the United States today:
First, there is a mismatch in time. The economic base determines the superstructure, and the infrastructure investment cycle is long, while the political cycle in the United States is a four-year major election, a midterm election every two years, and the same is true for the state government.The reason why long-term investment is rarely considered is because politicians are unable to make achievements and profit assessment is the practice of private capital companies every year.
is the short-sighted political and economic logic of capital chasing profits, resulting in a situation where "the rich are richer and the poor are poorer".
Second, it is spatially inconsistent. Divide and conquer, geopolitics, this is a common tactic in the United States. The logic of the "Belt and Road" is interconnection, and the United States therefore opposes it.
In turn, mankind has entered the Internet of Everything , the era of interconnection, and the "Belt and Road" promotes a decentralized cooperation model that responds to the trend, wins the hearts of the people, benefits the people's livelihood, and benefits the world.
Third, it is opposite in nature: public-private, control-anti-control. The United States is accustomed to double standards. There are two systems under my leadership and under my control. One is for you and the other is under my control. "Only in this way, you are safe, because I can control your safety."
Infrastructure is to benefit the general public and pursue fairness and justice. Therefore, the "Belt and Road" is also an extension of China's domestic people-centered development concept. It is a global sharing of Chinese-style modernization and objectively challenges the traditional American and Western models.
Ports serve to develop local manufacturing and expand trade. From this perspective, China's participation and assistance in port construction projects in some countries is mainly to serve local economic development and to promote globalization efforts.
This is what China has repeatedly emphasized that the “Belt and Road Initiative” promotes globalization in an open, inclusive, inclusive, balanced, and win-win direction. However, the United States and the West are promoting the "de-sinicization" of the global supply chain, using the so-called "democratic alliance" to create a new global supply chain, industrial chain, and value chain, constantly slandering the "Belt and Road" and attempting to block China as a globalization. The "scapegoat".
In fact, as the pandemic is raging around the world, it is even more necessary for the smoothness of global trade in goods to ensure economic development. The United States is unable or unwilling to provide global public goods, and China is not allowed to do so. This is the crux of the problem.
On the contrary, we are more willing to see the United States abandon its exclusive thinking and work with China to serve other countries in the world to develop the necessary infrastructure.
The author is Professor , School of International Relations, Renmin University of China
Source: In-Depth Observation of Circle Time
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