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The world is in chaos and anxiety, China's stable and mature brings the power of healing. China's most important political agenda this year has arrived as scheduled, with countries focusing on Beijing, and the world is hotly discussed "China's governance". Recently, Kishore Mahbubani, a senior Singapore diplomat and famous international relations scholar, accepted an exclusive interview with the German Business Daily, analyzing the Western misjudgment of China from multiple angles such as the Sino-US game, the competition between China and the West, and the effectiveness of China's governance. Let’s take a look at his insights.
▲Kishore Mahbubani, a senior diplomat in Singapore and a famous international relations scholar,
1. The Sino-US game will dominate the world's development trend
" American century " has ended, and the Sino-US game will define the world's development trend in the next few decades. In contrast, the Ukrainian crisis is only a footnote to the century-long game between China and the United States and will not change the historical process.
The biggest problem in the United States is the lack of a long-term geopolitical strategy like China. At present, the United States must answer three strategic questions: First, can it subvert the Chinese Communist Party as much as it is to subvert the Soviet Union? cannot! Because the Communist Party of China is very strong.
Second, can China be isolated? cannot! Because no country in the world is as closely intertwined with global economy like China.
▲The fifth China International Import Expo will be held in Shanghai from November 5 to 10, 2022. The National Convention and Exhibition Center (Shanghai) has been renovated and is waiting for guests from all over the world.
Third, can it stop China's development? No! Even though China's economic growth slowed down in 2022, China's low growth years have been far fewer than the West in the past 30 years. In the next decade, China's economy will continue to grow smoothly at an average rate of 5%.
2. Value diplomacy exposes the hypocrisy and arrogance of the West
The attempt to "promote change through trade" is pure fantasy, and more reflects the arrogance of the West. How can an ancient civilization with thousands of years of history be Westernized? What qualifications does the West, which only accounts for 12% of the world's population, have the right to preach to other countries?
In the long history, China and India maintained their status as the world's most powerful economy until 1820. The West's leading position in the past two hundred years is just an exception to history. We cannot think that the Western model is more superior. Just as no one asks Europe to change its flag, Europe should also allow other countries to explore their own development paths.
▲In May 2021, European Parliament Member Mick Wallace deeply analyzed China's peaceful development history of "never invading, never bombing, and never sanctioning other countries" in the past 6,000 years.
Values are important, but every country cannot help but sacrifice their values for geopolitical goals. As the greatest moral authority ever in India, Mahatma Gandhi is quite great. But if we want to make a decision about geopolitics , we should ask Henry Kissinger's opinion. For big countries, geopolitical priority is even more.
We live in a very complex world. The West often deals with problems in a simplified way of either black or white, which may drag ourselves into the abyss of despair. If values are really adhered to, why doesn’t the West stop importing energy from “problematic autocratic regimes”? Why withdraw troops from Afghanistan and let Taliban take over the regime? This allows the world to see the hypocrisy of Western values diplomacy.
▲In August 2021, thousands of Afghans flocked to the runway of Kabul Karzai International Airport, trying to chase and board the US C-17 transport plane that was about to take off.
Fukuyama 's " Historical Ending " makes the West admire itself. The problem is that the West should not dominate the world on how to achieve democracy. I call on the West to give up preaching, give up exporting self-righteous values, and instead seek dialogue. Do not impose sanctions on other countries based on different values. The West has long lost its moral high ground.
3. Decoupling and breaking chains is not in line with the interests of the United States and Europe
Decoupling from China is not a wise move.The West was originally the creator of open markets and globalization, but now China is more willing to sign the free trade agreement than the United States. It is of historic significance to promote the implementation of the " Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement " (RCEP) and promote the world's largest free trade zone.
▲China has promoted the entry into force of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPT), and took new steps in regional cooperation in the protectionism headwind. (Comics | Cai Meng)
and the United States did not join, this is a mistake. The United States should be clear that decoupling to China means being separated from most of the world economy, because China is the starting point or end point of many global supply chains.
"de-globalization" is impossible to achieve. China did benefit from US consumption in its early days. But now the situation has long changed, and the Asian middle class is growing and rewriting history. No one will discuss "de-globalization" in Asia, and Asians like globalization. EU should also strengthen cooperation with ASEAN countries. Although ASEAN is loosely organized, its pragmatic culture is worth learning.
4. "China's Governance" is a blessing in the world
China may not be a perfect country, but no country in the world has improved the living standards of its people like China. International public opinion ignores the current "Good Governance". In fact, the Chinese government has always upheld a pragmatic spirit and improved people's life as the best in the world.
During the financial crisis, China's economy was the first to recover and turned the tide around the world. China is regarded as a global role model in epidemic prevention and control. Despite the problems of the outbreak of foreign capital, China's attitude of welcomeing foreign capital has not changed. Moreover, China's patent applications have jumped to the world's first place and no longer rely on investors' intellectual property rights. I believe that China can properly resolve relevant issues, and let us wait and see next year.
▲China will continue to contribute valuable certainty to the world economy.
Whether the future world can be more just, peaceful and beautiful depends largely on how we deal with China's rise. A strong multilateral institution and a rule-based world are beneficial to all countries, especially to China.
▲On September 24, 2022, after the Chinese speech ended at the 77th General debate at the United Nations General Assembly , representatives from many countries were waiting to shake hands with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, expressing their support and recognition of China's initiative.
Chinese people value predictability and stability. Compared with a strong China, the West should be more worried about China's weakness. Because China has suffered a century of humiliation from foreign invasion, a weak China may lead to the rise of nationalism. It is a blessing for the world to lead China into a predictable force on the international stage.
