Saturday, November 22, 2014

THE NEW SILK ROAD IS CHINA DREAM AS WELL AS WORLD DREAM

THE NEW SILK ROAD IS CHINA DREAM AS WELL AS WORLD DREAM BY FRANCIS C W FUNG, PH.D. One cannot emphasize more how important the impact the ancient Silk Road made on human civilization development. It not only facilitated trade and commerce between East and West, and cultural exchange and integration, it was also the road through which the Mongols during the 13th century transported the four most important Chinese ancient inventions to Europe. These are the well-known compass, paper, movable prints and finally dynamite among others. Without compass Columbus could not have set sailed to discover the New World. Without the help of the next three inventions to enable the transmission of information and discovery, European Renaissance could not very well taken off and propagate throughout Europe. Without the enlightenment of human mind through European Renaissance one could hardly imagine how the industrial revolution could have taken place during the 18th century in Europe. Without the industrial revolution that brought steam power and electricity for mass manufacturing U.S. could not have become the manufacturing center of the world during and after the Second World War. Thus to a large extent America became the world’s major power today owes directly and indirectly to the existence of the ancient silk road that allows the transportation of science and technology from the East to the West to facilitate the European Renaissance and the European industrial revolution. America jumped started to become a developed nation and benefitted by inheriting all her early technology from European industrial revolution. The new silk road in the spirit of the ancient silk road as proposed by China recently consists of “One belt and one road” or the “belt and road” proposal in short. “One belt” refers to the Silk Road economic belt, which Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed during his visit to Kazakhstan last September, and “One Road” stands for the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road” which he proposed in Indonesia last October. With one route extends from China to central and western parts of Eurasia and the other from China to the Pacific and Indian oceans. According to Zhou Li, Vice-minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, in a paper titled “New Silk Road spreads benefit to all”, I quote “President Xi Jinping's proposal to build a new Silk Road Economic Belt is in line with the trend of economic globalization, leading to a truly multipolar world and "information revolution". The project envisages China cooperating with Eurasian countries to build a stable, peaceful and developed region. If the Silk Road plan's aims are achieved, it could well be the project of the century.” “The Silk Road Economic Belt will help overcome the aftershocks of the global financial crisis and make global governance more efficient. The world economy has not yet recovered from the global financial crisis which started in the United States in 2008 and which exposed the institutional weaknesses of the global governance system. Emerging market economies have a strong need to make the global governance system fairer and more representative, especially because it is becoming increasingly difficult to coordinate the interests of the developed and developing countries under the current system.” “No country can develop in isolation. Regional development and governance, based on cooperation and negotiation, can better solve the external risks. In this context, the Silk Road Economic Belt will ensure that civilizational diversity is respected, multilateralism promoted, and extremism and trade protectionism are excluded. Since the economic belt covers Eurasia, it can deepen mutual respect, dependence and win-win cooperation in the region. This is China's plan to tackle the severe aftermath of the global financial crises, as well as translate the harmonious co-existence concept into reality.” “The Silk Road Economic Belt conforms to China's peaceful development, and cooperative and win-win diplomatic concepts. China will always respect other nations' and peoples' freedom to choose their own development path, and devise their own external and internal policies, because it is not interested in seeking dominance or creating its own sphere of influence in any region, or intervening in other countries' internal affairs.” China's unswerving adherence to a peaceful development path will be reflected in the development of the Silk Road Economic Belt. In time, I hope through the Silk Road development the idea of “Harmony Renaissance” (see Francis C W Fung’s papers on harmony Renaissance) will spread from China to the rest of the world. Building the economic belt is a task for all the countries along the ancient Silk Road because this is a project of mutual benefit, with no threat of discrimination. The spirit of Harmony Renaissance thus can be nurtured. China's vision is to see the Silk Road Economic Belt improving inter-connectivity in the region with favorable policies, better roads, stronger trade, and more exchanges of culture and peoples. Zhou Li continues in his article “China has already worked out three networks for deepened cooperation with countries of the region: China-Central Asia-West Asia, China-Trans-Caucasus-Europe and China-Mongolia-Russia. Toward this end, it is actively cooperating with the countries in infrastructure construction, for example, of railways, roads, harbors, airports and telecom networks. These projects will facilitate transportation, trade and people-to-people exchanges in the fields of education, sports, tourism, science and technology, and media.” “China has signed agreements with some East European countries to help them improve their infrastructure, and earmarked $10 billion as special loans for the projects. Also, China, Russia and Mongolia have agreed to a trans-Eurasia railway that will pass through the three countries, and China and Germany have reached a series of agreements to promote land trade and building the Silk Road Economic Belt.” “Moreover, the Silk Road Economic Belt can promote the development of other regional cooperative organizations because it is an open platform, and does not conflict with the functions of the European Union, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Free Trade Area of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Eurasian Economic Union.” Zhou Li concluded by saying “Given the benefits that the Silk Road Economic Belt will create, China hopes to strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust and remove misgivings with other countries to make the plan a world success like the ancient silk road.” In another article by the Director of the China Institute of World Political Studies, titled “China Belt and Road Initiative” the author claims that “ China considers the policy as the embodiment of its concepts of "community of shared destiny" and "amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness", as well as concrete measures to push forward its "going global" policy. The Party and governments at all levels have placed considerable emphasis on the Silk Road plans. Industrial and financial sectors are using them to create opportunities. New and traditional media outlets are dedicating special columns to them. Civil institutions and non-governmental organizations are working on various exchange programs to make them a success. Think tanks, colleges, and consultancy firms are organizing forums and symposiums to contribute their share of knowledge to the plans. A fresh round of “Dunhuang craze” and “Maritime Silk Road craze” is on the rise in literary and art circles. Think tanks, colleges, and consulting companies are convening all kinds of forums and symposiums to contribute wisdom.” “In contrast, the US administration, leaders, academics and media have shown little interest in the plans, although some American scholars have likened them to a mirage, because their goals are too ambitious, their contents numerous and jumbled.” “The "Belt and Road Initiatives" are open propositions for economic cooperation; they are meant to help the region's common development. But some American observers have said they are China's macro-strategy wrapped in the disguise of the "Silk Road", which could be used to challenge, even transform, the regional and world orders. They see the "belt-road" policy, BRICS Bank, Shanghai Cooperation Organization Bank, and Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank as attempts to create a new regime and challenge US hegemony. Such misunderstandings can be removed only if China and the US communicate over the proposals, narrow their differences, and use the "belt-road" policy to facilitate a new type of major country relationship which will benefit both countries and the world.” In response to America’s misgiving, as I mentioned at the very beginning, that global interconnectivity is a very important aspect of globalization, which the Silk Road established more than 2,700 years ago. The Silk Road was not only a trade route; it was a major artery of political, cultural and ideological exchanges between East and West as well, which means all countries related to the Silk Road, including America as a benefiter of the industrial revolution are stakeholders in the "Belt and Road Initiatives.” Even former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also mentioned the idea of a New Silk Road , which reflected the global and open nature of the silk road. Today China has the finance, technology and experience to provide global public goods by strengthening interconnectivity construction, which is also conducive to the US' and world’s development. Since the "Belt and Road Initiatives" are the Chinese version of the global interconnectivity strategy, which can be harmoniously and universally beneficial and inclusive. This is what the US cannot overlook in its short range zero sum mentality. Like the ancient silk road the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Initiatives, or the Belt and the Road Initiatives, are not simply about trade and economics, but also the interaction and integration of different civilizations. When Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the notion of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road in Indonesia in October 2013, he mentioned the word "civilization," the core of which is the integration of various civilizations. Along this line in a paper titled “The Belt and the Road and the integration of civilizations”, Peng Bo, researcher from the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, suggested the following outline approach for a smooth implementation of the “Belt and Road” project : “The idea of "civilization" has rich connotations, including culture, politics and economics. These three dimensions can either promote each other or stand in the way of each other. Politics and economics are fairly less profound than culture. We can only grasp the reality only if we handle well the intricate relationship between culture, politics and economy. The smooth implementation of the Belt and the Road Initiatives also requires the mutual interaction and promotion of the three aspects.” “In order to better develop the Belt and the Road, we need to regard the economy and trade as the motivation, politics as the lead, history as the base, culture as the platform, and build mutual trust and cooperate further. Only in this way can we integrate civilizations along the Belt and the Road, forge deep harmony between culture, politics, and economics, and eventually gain a better outcome.” “Why is trade and economy the motivation? Economy is the basis for the development of society, and the benefits brought by economics and trade are palpable and can be seen immediately. Long-term economic cooperation and the trust built after rounds of negotiations will be the basis for building the Belt and the Road. The historical Silk Road, which the new Belt and Road are modeled after, was also built through economic reciprocity.” “Why is politics the lead? Because as the superstructure, politics will impact and react to the economy. Compared to economics and culture, politics is a more proactive and more changeable force. Political negotiations often bring forth opportunities for social development and transition. The Bretton Woods Conference and the APEC conference are both examples.” “Why is culture the platform? Culture is more enduring and profound than economics and politics. The economy often undergoes transformations and witnesses highs and lows. Politics is even more changeable. Western political philosophy believes that there are no permanent friends but only permanent interests between countries. Thus, only by shaping friendship and cooperation along the Belt and the Road on a cultural dimension will the friendship be ever-lasting and form the cornerstone of the stable development of economic and trade relations.” “Why is history the base? Because history always exerts a sustained and profound impact on the current situation. When we tell the countries along the Belt and the Road that we will rebuild the Silk Road, the notion of the Silk Road evoke their historical memories, and convey to them the idea that it is our common cause rather than China's own strategy. The Belt and the Road maintains the common interest of countries and peoples along the road, rather than just the interest of China. It is therefore more likely to touch a chord in the hearts of the citizens involved.” “Therefore in the cause of implementing the strategy of the Belt and the Road, we need to rouse the enthusiasm of the relevant countries, seek common ground while reserving differences on the cultural front, develop the economy together, and build political mutual trust and benefit. Only when we reach out through cultural inclusiveness, motivate through economic development and appeal through political cooperation can we integrate civilizations and achieve more effective results for the world.” Francis C W Fung,Ph.D. Director General World Harmony Organization San Francisco, CA

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

MUTUAL DEVELOPMENT NOT MILITARY ALLIANCE IS THE TREND OF WORLD DEVELOPMENT

MUTUAL DEVELOPMENT NOT MILITARY ALLIANCE IS THE TREND OF WORLD DEVELOPMENT By Francis C W Fung, Ph.D. More than 35 years ago Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese leader who led the Chinese nation on "reform and open up" correctly predicted that in the conceivable future the path for the world will be peace and development and not war. Today with the world more inter connected and interdependent the future trend for the world is more mutual development and not military alliance and war. In the current G20 meeting both the host nation Australia and China emphasized growth and development whereas U.S. emphasized security and military alliance. No wonder the Australia Prime Minister Abbott finds more in common with Chinese president, Xi Jinping than Obama. While Abbott and Xi signed a free trade agreement that was in discussion for ten years Obama made a speech in a warning not so subtle to China to play by American security rules. In a speech to the Australian parliament Xi Jinping stated in no uncertain terms that China is resolutely committed to world peace and those that favor war to solve problems will finally fail no matter how strong they are. Obama in the APEC meeting at one hand officially announced that he welcomes China’s rise but on the other hand made a dig of China by saying that U.S. must speak out for Hong Kong’s Occupy Central movement. These seemingly contrary statements are the paradoxes of American domestic politics that it is not politically correct to be too friendly to China. Obama will be seen as weak by American public without lecturing China. This strange phenomenon is the deep rooted result of many decades of Cold War propaganda. But the matter of fact is that the U.S. actually does not have too much to offer above and beyond talks of security and military alliance to show its strength in the Pacific region. Or his warning of potential Pacific military conflict is essential part of the U.S. pivot to Asia grand plan? There is also the unspoken rule , that a U.S. President must lecture China whenever the opportunities arises otherwise he will be criticized as weak and soft. It is business as usual, the last two times Obama went to Asia, he warned China about military conflict in China sea. Because it is only in military power America can exert influence in the region as the most powerful police force. China will never use force to achieve results as clearly demonstrated in the following exert of Xi Jinping’s G20 peace speech. It is important to point out that out of the 14 territory dispute China has with neighbors China resolved 12 disputes by discussion and diplomacy. That exemplifies an outstanding peace effort. The following is an excerpt of a peace offer by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 meeting in response to Obama’s warning :- “Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to always use peaceful means in pursuit of Beijing's goals, including in maritime disputes, just days after US President Barack Obama warned of the dangers of outright conflict in Asia.” "China remains unshakable in its resolve to pursue peaceful development. Neither turbulence nor war serves the fundamental interests of the Chinese people," Xi said on Monday, addressing the Australian parliament. "There's only one trend in today's world, that is, the trend of peace and development and win/win cooperation." "A review of history shows that countries that attempted to pursue development with force invariably failed," Xi said. "China is dedicated to upholding peace. Peace is precious and needs to be protected."But he added: "We must always be on high alert against the factors that may deprive us of peace." "It is China's longstanding position to address peacefully its disputes with countries concerned and territorial sovereignty and maritime interests through dialogue and consultation,China has settled land boundary issues with 12 out of its 14 neighbours through friendly consultation. And we will continue to work in this direction," Xi said. "The Chinese government is ready to enhance dialogue and cooperation with relevant countries to maintain freedom of navigation and the safety of maritime routes, and ensure a maritime border of peace, tranquillity and cooperation." Xi made the comments as he sealed a long-awaited free trade agreement with Australia - a country that has long profited from China's voracious demand for its natural resources - after nearly a decade of talks.” Concludes the Xi Jinping peace speech at the current 7th G20 meeting. The following included essay by Hannay Richards titled “Obama offers same old vision of division”, is a critic of Obama’s warning speech to China at the current 7th G20 meeting. “Speaking at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, on Saturday, US President Barack Obama gave what at least one person has called "the historic Brisbane speech". It was hardly that, but certainly it had one eye on history as it was clearly intended to be both part of the cement fixing Obama's place in history before he steps through the White House door for the last time, and a reassertion of the United States' leadership credentials after China's successful week in the spotlight hosting the Asia-pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in Beijing. Unlike his performance in the Chinese capital last week, during which he cultivated the image of being just one of the boys hanging out in the local neighborhood, Obama's speech in Brisbane was intended to tell the world that the US is still firmly in the driving seat, and to tell future historians that it was Obama who ensured the US was behind the wheel during the Asia-Pacific century, thanks to his "pivot" policy. Obama claimed that he was in town to talk about "the future that we can build together, here in the Asia-Pacific region". Yet the future he envisioned was clearly the US way or the highway, or as Obama put it, a choice between conflict and cooperation. Most people would say that's a no-brainer, let's all work together for a better future. Indeed, that was what appeared to have been the consensus at the APEC summit, where the regional leaders stated in their final declaration, "We commit to working together to shape the future through Asia-Pacific partnership in the spirit of mutual respect and trust, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation." But, as with most things when you get tired of reading the small print, there was a catch in Obama's speech. What he actually meant by cooperation is not everyone pulling together so the boat doesn't end up on the rocks that all the disputes are about, but everyone pulling together to follow a course set by the US in favor of its own interests. Although Obama claimed the US believes that nations and peoples have the right to live in security and peace, it was hard to ignore the subliminal message that it is only the US that has some god-like ability to grant these, even though there are one or two nations and peoples who would probably argue that in using what power it has, the US has only bought them turmoil and violence. Obama offers same old vision of division He asserted that an effective security order for Asia must be based "not on spheres of influence, or coercion, or intimidation where big nations bully the small", yet those should be laid at the door of the White House, as it is the US' insistence on such tactics to promote its own dominance that have resulted in the tensions and uncertainties plaguing the region. The alliances that Obama went to great lengths to praise are an inflexible structure that heralds disaster unless adjusted to meet the changing times. Obama's allusive remarks were clearly aimed at China, whose rise the US is having trouble adapting to. When Obama did finally get round to naming China, it was to portray the two countries as best buddies, but only when it is acting in accordance with the US' wishes. He was happy to praise China's role as a responsible actor in the region when the two countries' interests overlap, when it is "cut from the same cloth" as Australia or the US' other regional allies. He was less forthcoming about China's role in the areas where they disagree. The message was clear, if you're not wearing the gang colors you're not welcome to have a say in what the US regards as its area. And so there could be no doubts about the message, Obama elaborated how the US will continue to modernize its defense posture across the region, deploying more of its "most advanced military capabilities to keep the peace and deter aggression" and steadily deepening its engagement in the region "day in and day out". Then with a straight face he said, "We do this without any territorial claims". This after quoting Brisbane's famous son, David Malouf, who has written that the shrinking of distance means "even the Pacific, the largest of oceans, has become a lake", which only served to reinforce the perception that the US considers the Pacific to be its own private lake that others can use only if it chooses to grant them the privilege; a privilege that it will extend exclusively to its friends. The overall tone of his speech was another clear indication that the US' self-conceived exceptionalism is nothing more than the hubris that comes with thinking you are better than anyone else. On the surface, Obama appeared to be promoting inclusiveness and friendship, nicely wrapped up as usual with the promotion of values that have universal appeal, but in reality it was a reaffirmation to its allies that the US had not changed tack. After the positive vibes given off by the APEC meeting in Beijing, Obama's speech, with its business-as-usual message, was a real a downer. The paucity of imagination shown in the old-school vision of division he presented was in stark contrast to the forward-looking inclusiveness elaborated by Beijing earlier in the week. But, of course, if the US is to continue to play its leading role in world affairs in the 21st century, it needs a bogeyman to star against, and China is the country that best fits the bill.” Francis C W Fung, Ph.D. Director General World Harmony Organization San Francisco, CA

Monday, November 3, 2014

HARMONY ECONOMY FOR HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

HARMONY ECONOMY FOR HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BY FRANCIS C W FUNG, PH.D. A grand view of world’s economy reveals that no country’s economic development is in perfect state, despite the egocentric claims of certain developed country. There existed only relative degrees of success at times and dramatic failures that had disastrous effects to certain nations’ population whether the country is developed or undeveloped. The reasons for failures to meet population needs are many but can be categorized as follows: inadequacy of political system, lack of understanding of economic models, inept political leadership, lack of essential technology, economy closed or partially closed because of political prejudice and finally absence of a comprehensive national harmony philosophy. The need for comprehensive national harmony philosophy came to our attention by the fact that among many ancient cultures only the Chinese culture continued 5000 years with relative prosperity and without interruption. The Confucian Chinese society, with a market economy balanced by harmony philosophy and humane authority governance was a shining example of relative economic prosperity without irreversible natural destruction and manmade disaster for the longest period of human history. In modern days, we can survey the performance failures of individual national economies according to the above mentioned inadequacies and fault lines and come up with the following examples. First let us look at America, the most developed nation with self-proclaimed perfect liberal economic system. The 2008 economic crises began in the U.S. due to under regulated speculation of packaged toxic mortgage investment products aided by the collusion of financial rating agencies. This is the combined error of an extreme liberal democracy system and the lack of political leadership that led to excessive speculation. The devastating financial collapse of America quickly spread its cancerous effect worldwide and caused disastrous sufferings to the world, developed or undeveloped alike. Next, take the example of Russia, the second major power of the developed world during the cold war era. After it exhausted its national wealth in an armament race with the U.S. against all axioms of harmony philosophy, Russia’s economy collapsed. Under Gobachev and Yeltsin, Russia bought the Western liberal democracy governance system wholesale with the full political support from the West. This experiment of drastic political change without time honored harmonizing with actual national conditions totally disintegrated the Soviet Empire. To this day, twenty years later, Putin is still trying hard to reverse the damages caused by the inept importation of a foreign governance system without full understanding. For a counter example to Russia one is referred to another article by the present author titled “How China harmonizes socialism with Chinese characteristics” The other major reason for economic under performance is a closed society. Throughout history successful nations are always open to the outside world and are keen to learn from best experiences and technology from others. One of the most successful Chinese dynasties was the Tang Dynasty, which was open to the West through the ancient Silk Road and sent Tang Zeng to India to bring back Buddhism scripture to China. During Ming Dynasty Zheng He commanded the biggest sea going fleet in history sailed by way of the marine silk route to South Asia and Africa seven times for trade and goodwill. The successful industrial revolution was full of learning examples of America learning from Europe, China was left behind because of closed policy during the Ching Dynasty. A closed society is bound to be left behind and suffer stagnation. A classic example of a modern nation suffering economic bankruptcy is the isolation of North Korea by U.S. embargo and sanction. History tells us we must learn from each other to make progress. As true an axiom as this is, there are nations today that profess to be the most open but in truth because for political prejudices are closed to Eastern cultures. To be truly open we must learn from all whether we agree politically or not. China’s current reform and opening up has ushered in the most profound economic progress in human history. Her level of GDP growth in 30 years took Europe three hundred years to accomplish. This is because she has learned from Japan,Singapore, Europe and America and disregards political differences. Due to political differences, America has blocked all successful experience from China. Continuing our survey of underperforming economies there are large numbers of oil rich countries that are rich and economically under developed. This is because over reliance on natural resources led to under employment and retarded essential manufacturing technology. This dysfunction in economy also applies to nations too dependent on export natural resources export. Thus, they suffer from lack of manufacturing and under employment. By becoming the world’s factory, China, following the examples of Japan and Korea, learned essential manufacturing technology from Japan, Europe and America. Now China has built the technology infrastructure to reach for the next innovation level to become a modernized nation thus further develop its economy. Above by no means exhausted reasons for economic under performance but merely illustrates how major disabling factors can affect countries economic performance. Having surveyed some negative contributing economic factors now let us look at the following success economic performance examples. United States because of its large land mass and endowment of rich resources plus competitive commercial enterprises is the reigning major world economic power. Its liberal democracy system encouraged individualism, entrepreneurism and business competitiveness. During the Second World War, Europe was immersed in a devastating war while the U.S. manufacturing ramp up to meet the needs of war was undisturbed. It thus became the world’s manufacturing center. It became the biggest export empire the world ever known, exceeding the golden days of Chinese silk, and porcelain and tea exports. Having learned and caught up with Europe in technology, America launched the new solid state technology industry in the Silicone Valley in California Industry. With the creation of a venture capital industry, Silicone Valley leap -frogged ahead and became leader of solid state manufacturing and later the computer industry. The 20th Century is now known as the American century. However because of U.S. past success and won the so called Cold War it continued to look disdainly at the failed Russian command technology approach with over focused state investment on heavy industry. The Russian state investment in the economy was now dreaded by America and became a rule for the U.S. government not to become involved in needed infrastructure investment. This is a shortsighted over- look of a balanced harmony economy to develop both the private and state industries. Thus the U.S. today is behind China in needed infrastructure modernization. The Chinese government learning from both the U.S. and Russia keep a balance between State and private industries in its model of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The truth is that both state and private industries have their own advantages. The private industry is more dynamic and lively while the state industry allows the government to invest in long term, large projects that private industries shy away from because of their high risk. The fast train world domination by China in a relative short ten years is an outstanding example of the advantage of harmony economies that learn from all good experiences and balance the economy by actual conditions in the nation. China has learned from Russia, Japan, Europe and America regardless of politics and optimized a system called socialism with Chinese characteristics. This is what I call a harmony economy that combines all good experience into a unique experience particularly suited for the need of a nation with unique development conditions and stage of development. This may be the reason why China may one day catch up with the U.S. and become finally an equal to America. China still has a lot to learn from the world especially from the great America. China is still a developing country facing some very daunting challenges or growing pains such as economic inequity, rapid urbanization, and environmental degradation. All these issues are being looked at by the Chinese government. That is why Xi Jinping, the Chinese president is calling for the China Dream to rejuvenate the nation by promising a better life for all Chinese citizens. Besides implementing new economic policies such as easier resident registration for migrant workers, better land compensation and health service for the farmers, balancing consumption with investment for growth, better urbanization for sustainable development. All these are essential balances a successful harmony economy for healthy and sustainable development must go through as new reforms. It needs to be comprehensive and will not be easy to implement. President XI also recognized that in order to accomplish above harmony economy China must reach deep into its ancient cultural values, especially Confucian teaching of harmony philosophy. “A nation without its roots is a Nation without its soul”, as stated by President Xi. He recommends that the Chinese must harmonize the old and new to build a lasting civilization that can contribute to the world. He has already taken the lead by incorporating ancient Chinese values into Chinese socialist core value in a poem for public education and thesis topics for higher education. The Chinese ancient cultural values combined with socialist core values are: WEALTH, DEMOCRACY, CULTURE, HARMONY, FREEDOM, EQUALITY, JUSTICE, RULE OF LAW, PATRIOTISM, PROFESSIONALISM, TRUSTWORTHINESS, FRIENDLINESS. These combined values clearly show China’s sincerity in learning and harmonize the best of East and West values that are universal. As the author is writing this article on “Harmony economy for healthy and sustainable national development” coincidently U.N. and China jointly launched the first International City Day for sustainable development at Beijing on the same day, Oct, 31st, 2014. The U.N. secretary of General used the occasion to call for world citizens to unite and marched towards sustainable development. He added by announcing “ To commemorate the first World City Day, United Nations, China and the world will unite together to discuss green and sustainable city growth policies”. The title of the conference is “China City future development international forum”. Hopefully there will be many new technologies such as 3D urban farming, clean water recovery, renewable energy, landfill management and waste disposal from this better city better harmony conference. I humbly dedicate my essay on harmony economy to this occasion. Francis C W Fung,Ph.D. Director General World Harmony Organization San Francisco, CA