Country’s efforts will help unite ASEAN and world

As the global economic power shifts from the West to the East, the unique Chinese culture and China’s efforts for a shared future for mankind, as promoted by President Xi Jinping, can help unite the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the whole world, said Malaysian political analyst Chin Yew Sin.

“President Xi’s concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, for instance, is resonant with the ancient concept of ‘bringing peace to all states’, which originated in The Book of History,” said Chin, an adviser for the Asia-Pacific region at the Global One Belt One Road Association, in a recent interview with China Daily.

It has been more than 10 years since Xi proposed the shared future concept in 2013, the same year he put forward the Belt and Road Initiative proposal. It has reflected in China’s foreign policy, incorporated in and carried out through the BRI by assisting many developing countries to build physical and digital infrastructures to enhance their economic growth in a much shorter time, he said.

“Eventually, this concept will promote ‘universal brotherhood’, ‘global unity’ and world peace for all,” said Chin.

Xi’s notion of peace and development as well as coexistence for mutual benefits is vital in resolving the current conflicts in the world, he said, adding that many conflicts can be resolved or avoided by adhering to this concept. “China is well poised to become a peacemaker in the world.”

China has a long civilization as evidenced by new archaeological discoveries at Liangzhu and Erlitou sites, which were mentioned by Xi in his recent New Year message, he noted.

China is not only a state by legal definition, but also a civilization by itself, said the analyst of Chinese descent. China has about 5,000 years of historical records and is the only ancient civilization that still exists with uninterrupted continuity for 5,000 years. “Harmony in diversity, and not unity in disharmony, for instance, comes from the philosophy of Confucius.”

Also, the Chinese culture always believes in a win-win outcome, which indicates that there is adequate space for everyone to develop, he said.

The essence of Chinese culture teaches the doctrine of “the golden mean” — or the most desirable outcome between two sides — which is very much different from the Western culture of “dominance”, said Chin, who is also a successful businessman.

However, in the minds of some Western leaders, there is no such thing as a win-win situation, he said. There is no such thing as a compromise for them, as they think one party will have to lose, Chin added.

The analyst pointed out that, in the 248 years since the US achieved independence in 1776, there have been less than 15 years where the US has not been at war with other nations.

Some countries “can’t survive economically without starting wars or conflicts with other nations”, he said.

“The reason is that (when) there is a war, oil prices and agricultural production will go up, and weapons can be sold better. This is known as the War Economy.”

Chin noted that the BRI shows the difference between the two powers. “China constructs, US destructs,” he said.

He said that countries such as ASEAN members cannot depend on the US dollar as the country can weaponize the currency and those who rely on it will become victims.

ASEAN countries should join BRICS — the recently expanded bloc started by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — as soon as possible so that the pace of de-dollarization can be faster for the benefit of its members.

ASEAN, with its 670 million population, is the second largest trading bloc in the world in terms of population after the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Several ASEAN members including Vietnam have been working with China in jointly building a community with a shared future.

“China’s path to modernization will provide a very good example for other developing countries to modernize themselves and become prosperous solely based on their own efforts without having to rob other countries’ resources,” said Chin.

One of Xi’s biggest achievements has been to uplift the living standards of people in rural areas and eradicate the absolute poverty of 800 million people from the total population of 1.4 billion Chinese people, he added.

He noted that Xi has also carried out many development plans to revitalize and modernize China, including rural areas, through modern infrastructure developments and advanced digital technologies.

Chin mentioned Xi’s immense contributions to modernize China. “Since assuming office in 2013, Xi has made social, economic, technological, and military reforms,” he said.