Wednesday, January 21, 2015

XI JINPING ERA, THE FULFILMENT OF CHINA DREAM

XI JIN PING ERA, THE FULFILMENT OF CHINA DREAM BY FRANCIS C W FUNG, PH.D. Two recent excellent China watch articles by Western expats passed Western media with intentionally little attention are very informative and important China development news. They are must read articles by those interested in China future. The first article by Robert Lawrence Kuhn is aptly titled “Xi’s grand vision of new diplomacy”. In the article he summarized China’s “New Diplomacy” as follows. “There is now, at this particular point of time, an inflection point occurring in China’s diplomacy, as country changes from being reactive to proactive in its international relations. Future historian may characterize this transformation as one of the defining geopolitical trends of the first half of the 21st century. China, Xi said, should conduct “diplomacy as a great power” in an increasingly multipolar world, making friends and forming partnership networks throughout the world and striving to gain more understanding and support from all countries for the Chinese Dream.” “China cannot compete for global leadership with power alone. Economic and military strength, while necessary, are not sufficient. There must also be moral and ethical aspects to China’s rise. China, Xi asserted, should see to it that equal importance is attached to justice and benefits, stress faithfulness, value friendship, carry forward righteousness, and foster ethics, as Xi extoled the nation to adhere to the 8 socialist core values. Xi insightfully proclaimed “In today’s world, the real conflict is not between opposing political systems but rather between the forces of modernity, competence and development on the one hand, and those of ignorance, exploitation and oppression on the other.” China will continually rise peacefully based on this principle to lead the world to common prosperity and harmony(Confucian ideal Da Tong). Kuhn continued, “For its part, the U.S. should reject the Cold War mentality of “containing China” as being both archaic and self-defeating. Politico economic theories constructed in the 18th and 19th centuries have little utility in the 21st century, where most nations optimize free markets and government regulation that by nature can be neither generalized nor static.” In an article titled “China’s Grand Strategy: The New Silk Road”, David Gosset summarized that “The contrast is striking: on one side, the 2016 U.S. presidential elections are already absorbing Washington's energy, the European Union is in an urgent need of decisive leadership and a series of severe crises are eroding Russia's power. On the other side, China, rapidly regaining a position of centrality, is developing a new grand strategy with a global vision. Far from being an empty rhetorical effect, Xi Jinping's New Silk Road will not only be one of the most discussed topics of 2015, but it will profoundly mark China's coming decade and reshape Eurasia.” "Global China is certainly one of the features defining the Chinese renaissance, the country's opening up creates conditions in which the world impacts the Chinese society but an open China projects also herself globally, Xi's New Silk Road vision, reminiscent of the Tang dynasty's dynamics, illustrates this movement. The People's Republic of China, soon the world's largest economy, is aware that with power comes responsibility -- and vice versa. In a sense, the New Silk Road can be understood as a Marshall Plan with Chinese characteristics, it reassures the Middle Country's neighbors, contributes to their growth and places them in a system designed by Beijing. Xi's grand diplomacy has the advantage to envelop China's West, Xinjiang, one sixth of China's territory, de facto at the center of the Eurasian continent, is a key element of the Silk Road Economic Belt. Infrastructure projects, trade, innovative public/private partnerships will transform China's most Western region into an international platform and take it simultaneously closer to Shanghai, Turkey and Europe.” It would be for China's first trading partner, the European Union, strategic blindness to miss the opportunities offered by Xi's proposal, a vision whose scope goes far beyond the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. 2015, year of the 40th anniversary of the China-EU relations, can mark a new departure for the relations between the two edges of Eurasia.” Gosset emphasized “A Sino-European Silk Road Fund could be a complementary mechanism to finance large projects -- from infrastructure to education -- serving the shared vision of a peaceful and prosperous Eurasia. An ambitious trade agreement between the EU and China would complement the efforts to facilitate commercial exchanges across the Atlantic and across the Pacific. Italy, where the Silk Road has a unique significance, Germany, the country of Ferdinand Richthofen the geographer who coined the term "Seidenstrasse" and France, especially apt to conceive a bold and independent policy toward China, can push the European Union to seize the New Silk Road moment. Rome, Berlin and Paris will certainly get the full support of Eastern Europe whose history and culture are, through the Eurasian continuities, connected with Central Asia.” Gosset continued, “Eurasia is under the immediate threat of a territorialized terrorism that will not be defeated with drones, killing machines which, on the contrary, generate infinite hatred and fuel radicalism. The New Silk Road, addressing the long term needs of economic and social progress, creates the conditions to eliminate the roots of extremism. Fully embraced by the European Union and other Eurasian actors, the New Silk Road will take 65 percent of the world population toward an unprecedented level of cohesiveness and prosperity. Following the "China Dream" mainly articulated for the Chinese people, Xi Jinping proposes a humanistic vision of progress which goes beyond national interests, based on China's own experience of material development and inspired by the Chinese sense of universalism, Da Tong, or Grand Harmony, the New Silk Road is "Eurasia's Dream", a dream we can pursue together.” As the greatest contemporary leader of China, Xi Jinping has accomplished what are necessary to fulfil the China dream and China renaissance. To illustrate his accomplishments during his service as President we can summarize as follows: 1) Launched the socialist 8 core moral values campaign as discussed previously to guide the nation on a spiritual path. 2) Launched the China rejuvenation movement by restoring Confucian culture and harmony renaissance. 3) Launched an effective anticorruption campaign that imprisons “tigers”, swaps flies and hunts foxes. 4) Continuing reform and open up on the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics to bring the nation to overall well- being and higher quality of life. 5) Launched rule of law reform by expanding amendment to the constitution and follow through with implementation. 6) As mentioned previously initiated the one belt and one road strategy to modernize the ancient overland silk road and the ocean silk road. This grand project will connect Asia-Europe-Africa into one common development zone. It will provide connectivity and modern communication to landlocked developing countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South East Asia and Africa for fast development. China will provide funding, internet and fast train technologies as well as skilled labor all over the world. 50 countries have signed up to participate including developed countries, Russia, Germany and Italy. It will be more grand than the American Marshall plan, which the U.S. was very proud of that helped Europe rebuilt after the Second World War. See David Gosset paper above for more details. 7) Announced the grand vision of new diplomacy for major powers. Xi insightfully proclaimed “In today’s world, the real conflict is not between opposing political systems but rather between the forces of modernity, competence and development on the one hand, and those of ignorance, exploitation and oppression on the other.” China will continually rise peacefully based on this principle to lead the world to common prosperity and harmony (Confucian ideal Da Tong). See Robert Kuhn paper above for more details. At age 75 I have lived through the humiliating years of China occupation by European colonial powers after the Opium War; the Japanese war and occupation China suffered because she was behind Japan in industrialization; the civil war between the nationalist and the communists. Victory by the communists liberated the Chinese peasants and women from oppression. However in her eagerness to modernize the cultural revolution fermented by the red guards caused chaos and set back china by two decades in her search for modernization. After thirty years of reform and open up under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, China finally regained her position as the world’s greatest trading nation which she occupied for most of human history except the last 300 years of 20th century. Today China also rise to become the world’s leading economic power surpassing the U.S. by purchasing power calculation. Once she was the most improvised nation occupied by European power after the Opium War. Under Xi Jinping’s great leadership I now feel most fortunate to live to see the coming of the best historical moment in China history as suggested by David Gosset and Robert Kuhn in the previous important papers. There were two critical thoughts by the two greatest leaders of modern China that set the background of China’s modern peaceful rise. Both Deng Xiao Ping and Xi Jinping seized the opportunity to lead China to peaceful rise because they foresee that first, development is the path not war and according to Xi Jinping “In today’s world, the real conflict is not between opposing political systems but rather between the forces of modernity, competence and development on the one hand, and those of ignorance, exploitation and oppression on the other.” Both of these principles will continue China’s peaceful rise for world common development for the foreseeable future. Now we have arrived at the best historical moment to be Chinese to help build China dream and China renaissance! Announcement: Should there be any interest to produce Xi Jinping Era epic document film based on mutual interest, kindly contact Francis C W Fung, Director General, World harmony Organization by email at fung.geneius@gmail .com Francis C W Fung, Ph.D. Director General World Harmony Organization San Francisco, CA

Saturday, January 10, 2015

THE NEW SILK ROAD, CONTINUATION OF CHINA RENAISSANCE AND CHINA DREAM OF WORLD HARMONY, (CONFUCIAN DA TONG) BY FRANCIS C W FUNG, PH.D.

THE NEW SILK ROAD, CONTINUATION OF CHINA RENAISSANCE AND CHINA DREAM OF WORLD HARMONY, (CONFUCIAN DA TONG) BY FRANCIS C W FUNG, PH.D. In support of the most insightful essay “China’s Grand Strategy: The New Silk Road” by David Gosset, Director Academia Sinica Europaea. I wish to comment as follows: The new silk road as proposed by Xi Jinping, is the modernization of the ancient silk road which served to bridge East and West. The ancient silk road brought the most important Chinese inventions including compass, paper and silk making, dynamite and printing to Europe. It can be said the European Renaissance was based in large part on China inventions. Without the all-important Chinese inventions the European renaissance would not have propagated so fast across Europe and to the New World. The modern silk road as conceived by Xi Jinping's grand strategy is to provide connectivity through the land locked developing nations in central Asia and south East Asia. With China's help of advanced infrastructure, modern day communication Euro-Asia and South East Asia can be linked to China and Europe into one commerce zone for mutual development and common prosperity. Imagine a Beijing Moscow high speed rail that will connect Europe and China that will speed goods through the two continents in two days instead of the current 20 days by ocean freight. The saving of time and money is so enormous a factor that the improvement of trade will benefit the whole world. The ancient silk road traveled by Marco Polo to China was initiated by the prosperous Tang dynasty. The modernization of the ancient silk road can well be called the the continuation of China Renaissance after China's three decades of reform and open up. Tang dynasty was the most prosperous and open Empire at the time. Along with the new silk road proposal to the world, Xi Jinping also proposed the China Dream to the Chinese citizens to rejuvenate China. The ancient dream of Confucius was Da Tong, which by today's interpretation is World Harmony. So the China dream at the end is also world's dream. The whole world is invited to participate in the new silk road. The ancient over land silk road and ocean silk road carried Chinese silk, porcelain and tea all over the world that made China the biggest trading nation in the world. Currently China is again the biggest trading country in the world. The new silk road will open up new trade routes all over the world. World trade will be expanded many times by overland Eurasia fast trains and China and South East Asian trade can by pass Strait of Malacca by high speed train directly from China thorough South east Asia and come out by way of Indian Ocean saving many days of ocean travel through pirate invested Strait of Malacca. Japan will thus be a direct beneficiary of the new ocean silk road. The over land silk road has direct significance to Russia, Eastern Europe, Italy and Germany also. Germany's Mercedes, BMW and Audio cannot wait to sell China made German cars to be sold in Eastern Europe. Thus all nations of the world are stake holders to participate in the modernization of the "One belt and one road" project envisioned by China. It does not make sense for Europe not to participate in the Silk road fund. So far there are more than 50 nations that have signed up to the new silk road world common project. Trough out history, Commerce has been the best way to facilitate cultural exchanges and increase world understanding. Improvement of transportation and communication can make profound influence in improving commerce. With the world connectivity increased by infrastructures and modern communication the world will be a more peaceful and harmonious place to live. Today's conflicts and wars are reflected by misunderstanding and distrust. Commerce will increase world understanding and thus removing misunderstanding and distrust. The U.S. hostility towards China is largely a result of misunderstanding. Thus the new silk road and China dream are interconnected one will lead to the other. Thus China Renaissance and China dream are two sides of the same coin and will benefit the whole world. China's ancient dream of Da Tong will lead to world Harmony through a more interconnected Eurasia and South East Asia where most of the developing countries still remain. The Eurasia continent consists of 65 % of the world economy. When the whole world is approaching development parity that will be the day of arrival of greater world understanding and harmony. The new silk road will have a profound effect in bring mankind together more understanding and harmonious world. The world today is fast approaching a multipolar world with increased mutual understanding. America as the sole military and economy power who does not want to loose its world dominant hegemony and holding out. Thus America is reluctant to warm up to the new silk road by fear of losing influence. In a popularity poll 80% of American population like to remain hegemony power whereas by contrast only 15 percent of Chinese population like to be a hegemony power. Thus U.S. has nothing to fear but fear itself by not warming up to the new silk road. Obama's idea of pivot to Asia is to send more fleets and military installation to Australia, Japan and Philippine and the idea of forming the Trans Pacific Partnership is to exclude China. Thus American way of increasing influence is a zero sum game of winning like playing chess, rather short ranged. A chess strategy is suited to achieve military dominance. On the other hand the Chinese idea of the new silk road is much more long ranged. The plan is to build connectivity and improve communication for common mutual development. It is a harmony win- win game like a Weiqi (Go) game. A weiqi game is long ranged about connectivity and mutual development. It is not simply about military confrontation and capture and kill. A weiqi game is more about patience, sacrifice and building of lasting dynamic harmony balance piece by piece. Thus weiqi strategy is more suited for long term global development such as world prosperity, peace and harmony. Francis C W Fung, PH.D. DIRECTOR GENERAL WORLD HARMONY ORGANIZATION SAN FRANCISCO, CA