China s belt and road initiative and building the community of common destiny

| Zhao, Jianglin, editor.Title: China’s belt and road initiative and building the community of common destiny / edited byLinggui Wang Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China and Jiangl

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Vol 5 China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Building the Community of

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edited by WANG Linggui and ZHAO Jianglin

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Title: China’s belt and road initiative and building the community of common destiny / edited by Linggui Wang (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China) and Jianglin Zhao (Chinese Academy

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Description: New Jersey : World Scientific, [2019] | Series: Series on China’s belt and road initiative, vol 5.

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The National Institute for Global Strategy (NIGS) of Chinese Academy ofSocial Sciences (CASS) and University of International Relations jointly heldthe International Think Tank Forum was held from 18th to 19th November

2016 in Beijing The theme of the forum is “Building the Community ofCommon Destiny between China and Its Neighbors: Challenges and theFuture” After the event, participants made further explorations into thetheme of the forum This review volume is the selection of these furtherstudies and represents the outcome of joint study by NIGS and major foreignthink tanks

Recently, while exchanging ideas with foreign think tank scholars, I wassurprised by one of them who mentioned two facts He said that, the world atlarge, especially those developed economies, have formed their impression ofChina from different materials and sources, 80% to 85% of which waswritten or reported in English by scholars from western countries.Conversely, among China’s materials and sources for learning aboutneighbouring countries, 85% to 90% of them are from the similar origin,which is quite narrow As one think tank that supplies products of policystudies, if we refer to homogeneous sources for research, will they help uslearn about other countries and serve for formulating foreign policies? Willthey help us reach more consensuses and increase mutual interests? Theanswer is negative The foundation of diversified civilizations is thediversification of thoughts and ideas, because humans mind always craves forvarious knowledge and truths

The idea “Community of Common Destiny” has been mentioned by

Chinese President Xi Jinping in various major events and the concept of

“Raising Awareness about Human Beings Sharing a Community of CommonDestiny” has been elaborated in details Dating back to May 2014, on the 4thConference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia,President Xi addressed that “Asia today is home to 67% of the world’spopulation and accounts for one third of the global economy”, that “Peaceand development of Asia is closely connected with the future of the mankind,and Asia’s stability and revival is the blessing of peace and development ofthe world”, and Asian countries should “jointly build a road for security ofAsia that is shared by and win–win to all” In March of the following year,President Xi delivered a speech titled “Towards a Community of CommonDestiny and A New Future for Asia” at the opening ceremony of Boao Forumfor Asia Annual Conference During the speech, President Xi indicated thatcommunity of common destiny was the “new future for Asia” and hebelieved that as long as China and other Asian countries kept their goal andwork together, they would bring about common prosperity

Facing the fast changing international and regional landscapes, we mustsee the whole picture, follow the trend of our times and jointly build acommunity of common destiny, which is not all about sharing commoninterest, but also include of sharing responsibility In that sense, building acommunity of common destiny does not equal to establishing an institutionalarrangement that transcends ethnicity and nation By establishingacknowledgement of interest and obligation among Asian countries on thefoundation of mutual beneficial cooperation, we can have the opportunity tobuild win–win and multi-win partnership from in-depth interaction Aiming

at co-consultation, co-construction, sharing, and co-prosperity, the Chinesegovernment is making great effort to advance the development of AsianCommunity of Common Destiny that embraces toleration, interaction andintegration

When it comes to Asia, it has been known that this continent is home tomultiple cultures, whose coexistence have been relying on mutual respect andtolerance Over the past several decades, Asian countries have graduallytranscended their differences in ideology and social system Mutual trust andtoleration, accumulated throughout the history, allow us to resolve seriouscrisis and tackle major challenges, and serve as the theoretical and practicalfoundation for joint studies on “Community of Common Destiny” Today, wepropose the establishment of Community of Common Destiny is not only

because the interests of Asian countries become intertwined, but also need anew dynamic to be explored for countries to coexist in this multi-polar world.The theories and practices learned from the establishment of AsianCommunity of Common Destiny may well form a new example for resolvingconflicts worldwide which is also likely to be a public model.

Wang Linggui

Senior Research Fellow, Executive Vice Chairman of Board of Directors &

Secretary General of National Institute for Global Strategy (NIGS), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

About the Editors

Wang Linggui, Senior Research Fellow, Executive

Vice Chairman of Board of Directors & SecretaryGeneral of National Institute for Global Strategy(NIGS), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS)since the end of 2015 His major study covers China’s

counterterrorism issue, Middle East issue, and others.During the period of his posi tion, he published about

400 pieces of papers, books and reports Some of hisworks were awarded by CASS and some governmentinstitutions He also acts as the chief of several important governmental studyprojects

Zhao Jianglin, Senior Research Fellow, Deputy

Secretary of National Institute for Global Strategy(NIGS), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences(CASS) Her research areas cover InternationalEconomics, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, andothers During the period of her position, she haspublished papers, books and reports and also acts asthe chief of study projects

Preface

About the Editors

Part 1 Conceptual Exploration

Chapter 1 Introduction

The Community of Common Destiny between China and itsNeighbors: A New Paradigm for Promoting World Socio-Economic Development

Wang Linggui & Zhao Jianglin

Chapter 2 Building a Community of Common Destiny: The Choice for the

West is Either “Staying the Course” or Undertakes “CourseCorrection”

Syed Hasan Javed

Chapter 3 Building the Community of Common Destiny between China

and its Neighbors: The Prospect and Policy SuggestionRomyen Kosaikanont

Chapter 4 Building the Community of Common Destiny

Kyee MyintChapter 5 Building a Community of Common Destiny between China and

the Neighboring Countries: Concept, Connotation and ApproachWang Junsheng

Part 2 Economic Community

Chapter 6 Philippines–China Trade, Economic Cooperation, and Prospects

for Policy ResearchDanilo C Israel

Chapter 7 Building a Community of Common Destiny between China and

its Neighbors: Challenges and the Future of EconomicCooperation in China–Sri Lanka Relations

Dushni WeerakoonChapter 8 Economic Cooperation between China and Central Asia

Roman MogilevskiiChapter 9 Opportunities for Investment in Mongolia

Chuluungombiin NarantuyaChapter 10 Tourism: Economic and Cultural Bond between China and Nepal

Bishnu B KhatriPart 3 Cultural Community

Chapter 11 Bridging China and Indonesia: The Role of Chinese Indonesians

Hoon Chang Yau

Chapter 12 Promoting Regional People-to-People Exchange and

Establishing Mechanisms of Exchange and Cooperation amongRegional Think Tanks

Chauyen Lai ShresthaChapter 13 A Preliminary Study of Southeast Asian Foreign Policy Think

Tanks’ Attitudes towards ChinaNgeow Chow Bing

Part 4 Security Community

Chapter 14 Security Issues Faced by Asian Countries and its Suggestions

Park Jiyoung

Chapter 15 China and its Adjacent Areas: Terrorist Threat Situation and

CountermeasuresChen Li

Chapter 16 Afghanistan’s Understanding of Building a Community of

Common Destiny between China and its NeighborsSayed Mahdi Munadi

Chapter 17 Building a Community of Common Destiny: Cambodia–China

Military CooperationKin Phea

Chapter 18 CICA Mechanism: The Progress Status and Prospect

Yang DanzhiPart 5 Regional Community

Chapter 19 The Future of Thai-Chinese Relationship: Challenges and

OpportunitiesSompong Sanguanbun

Chapter 20 Building a Community of Common Destiny From the Laos’

PerspectiveLattana ThavonsoukChapter 21 Forging a Community of Common Destiny between China and

Central AsiaKemel Toktomushev

Chapter 22 Suggestions on the Cooperation between China and ASEAN in

the New SituationJinsen Du

Chapter 23 The Belt and Road Initiative and ASEAN Connectivity: Synergy

Issues and PotentialitiesBruno Jetin

Chapter 24 Colliding Nationalisms: Interstate Relations in Asia

Sow Keat TokChapter 25 The Future of Transnational Cooperation in Eurasia

Yulia A Kryachkina

Index

Part 1 Conceptual Exploration

Chapter

1

Introduction

The Community of Common Destiny between China and its Neighbors: A

New Paradigm for Promoting World Socio- Economic Development

Wang Linggui and Zhao Jianglin

National Institute for Global Strategy (NIGS), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China

On 18th to 19th November 2016, the National Institute for Global Strategy(NIGS), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and University ofInternational Relations, organized the International Think Tank Forum on

“Building the Community of Common Destiny between China and ItsNeighbors: Challenges and the Future” in Beijing About 30 experts from

China’s 20 neighboring countries and 30 experts from China gathered todiscuss the theories and practices with regards to promoting the Community

of Common Destiny (CCD) between China and its neighbors

The participating experts generally agreed that the CCD was a newparadigm for promoting regional socio-economic development, and forshaping international cooperation and international order from an entirelynovel perspective Although countries and regions are having varied socio-economic development difficulties and challenges, and their understanding ofthe concept of the CCD differs, the notion for common development andcommon security is widely shared and generally advocated by allparticipating scholars

The Community of Common Destiny: A New

Perspective for Shaping International Cooperation

and International Order

Exploring the Connotation of the CCD

Views of the Chinese Scholars

Prof Cai Fang, Vice President, CASS and Chairman of Board of Directors,NIGS, CASS, pointed out that the Chinese government has been stronglyadvocating for an inclusive, interactive and integrated approach to the process

of building the CCD for consultation and common development Think tanksplay an important and indispensable role in such an endeavor

Mr Lu Zhongwei, Former Director-General of China Institute ofContemporary International Relations, talked about the advantages ofbuilding the CCD in terms of political relations, geographical neighborhood,and economic complementarity He suggested to translate those advantagesinto incentives and benefits for practical collaboration, mutual support, andsustainable growth among countries in the region

Views of the Foreign Scholars

Mr Syed Hasan Javed, Ambassador (Retired) of the Foreign Service of

Pakistan, and Director of Chinese Studies Centre, National University ofScience and Technology (NUST) of Pakistan, commented that China is amain driving force for peace and development, and went on to say that oneshould acknowledge and understand China’s peaceful rise The pastdevelopment model was a zero-sum game, which had caused manydifficulties, but China’s rise provides the world with a reason and anopportunity for optimism What the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) advocates

is exactly a win–win development model We should not be conned to the oldway of thinking

Mr Kyee Myint, Senior Researcher, Myanmar Institute of Strategic andInternational Studies (Myanmar ISIS) believed that the concept of buildingthe CCD had four main principles Firstly, it assures that all countries treateach other equally and with respect Secondly, it seeks win–win cooperationand shared development Thirdly, it aims for collaboration and sustainablesecurity And lastly, it promises inclusiveness and mutual learning amongcivilizations The CCD is an important strategy of China for ensuringpeaceful and stable relations with its neighbors It is believed that the CCD is

in essence of China’s efforts to develop cordial relations with its neighbors toensure a peaceful and stable external strategic environment The concept ofthe CCD is centered on economic initiatives The AIIB and the BRI are thetwo main pillars of this concept Its ultimate goal is to demonstrate China’sresponsibility as a big country, and to establish a new world economic order

Opportunities and Challenges Facing the Building of the CCD

Views of the Foreign Scholars

Ms Yulia A Kryachkina, Researcher of Russian Institute for StrategicStudies (RISS), commented that Russia’s present strategy in the Asia andPacific region was very clear Russia hopes to connect with the BRI as well

as other projects, such as the Eurasia Economic Union and the EurasiaInitiative of Korea The cooperation between China and Russia in theeconomic area has been dynamic and significant, as well as in the politicalarena To address the security issues, the key is to build mutual trust fordevelopment Mr Sayed Mahdi Munadi, Director of Center for StrategicStudies (CSS), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, argued that theAsia region was facing serious challenges from separatism, terrorism and

extremism Actions are needed to maintain regional peace and development.

In that regard, mutual support under the concept of CCD is necessary.Security and economy are complementary to each other, since economicinitiatives are effective ways to deal with unemployment, poverty and energyshortage On the other hand, Mr Munadi argued that alliances or associations

of any forms should be discouraged and the BRI should be pursued inindirect ways What is needed today in the region is a new form ofconservatism for measured, rather than radical changes

Mr Sompong Sanguanbun, Dean of Institute of Diplomacy andInternational Studies, Rangsit University, Thailand, commented that the longhistory of relationship between China and Thailand goes back to a thousandyears The two countries share common values and traditions and havesimilar religions In recent years, the Sino-Thai relationship has developedvery rapidly For future development, China will need to assure othercountries that winners will not take all It will also be necessary to take intoconsideration the interests of all countries and commit to sharedresponsibilities

Mr Sow Keat Tok, Deputy Director of Centre for Contemporary ChineseStudies, Asia Institute, University of Melbourne, Australia, believed thatnationalism was harmful to the common development of Asia Pacificcountries, which made it extremely difficult to form any global thinking.Therefore, it is necessary to control nationalistic extremists

Views of the Chinese Scholars

Mr Wu Li, Director and Senior Research Fellow of Tibet Think Tank,CASS, believed that the building of CCD was aligned with the worlddevelopment trend The BRI and the CCD reflect China’s efforts to promotecommon development, win–win cooperation and open-minded approach ofChina for friendship and peaceful development in the region

Mr Xu Yongquan, Deputy Director of China Center for ContemporaryWorld Studies, International Department of Central Committee of CPC,underscored the importance of the BRI and the CCD and stated that theywere actually public goods that the Government of China provided to theworld

Mr Huang Renwei, Deputy Director of Shanghai Academy of Social

Sciences, remarked that the smooth implementation of the BRI required thesupport of big countries It would be a great challenge if the major powerssuch as the US, EU and Russia continued the Cold War and geopoliticalmentality, not giving any consideration to shared interests.

Prof Lin Limin from Department of International Politics, University ofInternational Relations, believed that the biggest challenge facing buildingthe CCD came from trust-building and confidence-building Historical issues,land and maritime disputes, as well as issues related to civil wars all play apart in that regard It is widely observed that Asia is rising while the West,including the US and Europe, is declining The gravity of world development

is shifting, not only to the Asia-Pacific region but also from oceans toinlands It offers new opportunities to build CCD

Building the Economic Community between China

and Its Neighbors: Achievements and Challenges

Great Achievements Were Made but Some Challenges Remain Cognition of the Foreign Scholars about the Concept of Building the Economic Community

Mr Bruno Jetin, Associate Professor of Institute of Asian Studies, UniversityBrunei Darussalam, stated that the BRI became a hot topic in the region Theinitiative will have far-reaching implications in China, Asia and even thewhole world The BRI is destined to bring more dynamics to Asianeconomies, helping all Asian countries prosper and develop Besides the BRI,there are other initiatives and ideas; we need to find common ground amongthese initiatives and common interests of China and other countries including

ASEAN countries It is important to ensure that infrastructure and connectivity projects between China and ASEAN member countries canavoid adhocness and are sustainable.

inter-Mr Hyung-Gon Jeong, Senior Research Fellow of Korea Institute forInternational Economic Policy, observed that there is a lot to gain from acloser community between China and ASEAN By 2020, the East Asia CCDwould also become a reality The main economic driving force in the future iseconomic integration, hence high-quality and high-level free trade zones areneeded Meanwhile, Asian countries should make even greater efforts in thearea of energy cooperation to ensure energy security in the region Inter-connectivity is critical to economic activities On the other hand, greaterattention should be given to exchanges of non-governmental organizationsand promoting cultural and social exchanges

Mr Dushni Weerakoon, Deputy Director of Institute of Policy Studies,Sri Lanka, informed that Sri Lanka was facing a lot of challenges overconcerns regarding domestic and geopolitical policies, and relations withChina China is the largest source of budget support and financial aid for SriLanka Some believe that the infrastructure development in Sri Lankasupported by China is not transparent, and such investments would bringmore liabilities rather than foreign direct investments These concerns to alarge extent stem from the perception that Sri Lanka and China became veryclose in recent years In fact, the suspension of the Colombo Port City projecthas greatly impacted Sri Lanka’s economy It should be acknowledged thatChina is an important, and probably the most important economic partner forSri Lanka today

Buyankhishigiin Otgonsuren, Senior Researcher of Center ofInternational Studies, Institute for Strategic Studies (ISS), National SecurityCouncil of Mongolia, talked about the current status of the China–Mongolia–Russia Economic Corridor and the progress of triangular cooperation amongthe three countries Triangular cooperation is going well, and the mid-termroadmap has been concluded To strengthen cooperation under the economiccorridor project, it is necessary to link up the domestic development planning

of all parties Mongolia proposed the Steppe Road Initiative in 2011.Mongolia also supports the idea of connecting the Steppe Road with the SilkRoad of China Mongolia has several advantages in this regard, includingMongolia’s geographic location, low trans-shipment cost, Mongolia’s mid-term and long-term planning frameworks for road and railway development,

and the fact that Mongolia has no outstanding historical issues or anyterritorial disputes with its two neighbors, China and Russia Mongolia is asafe country, where there are no threats from the so-called “three evil forces”.

Ms Chuluungombiin Narantuya, Senior Researcher of Center for RussianStudies, Institute for Strategic Studies, National Security Council ofMongolia, observed that the primary objective of Mongolia’s foreign policy

is to maintain equal, friendly and cooperative relations with China andRussia Mongolia’s permanent neutrality has no political connotation andrepresents its non-alliance policy Mongolia strives to develop mutuallybeneficial cooperation with all countries and regions The Northeast Asianregion, where Mongolia situates and where good development platforms alsoexist, has great potentials for the development of mutually beneficialcooperation among the countries concerned

Mr Le Kim Sa, Deputy Director of Centre for Analysis and Forecasting,Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, remarked about China’s cooperationwith the Greater Mekong River sub-region, and hoped that there would be nomilitary conflicts in some of the disputed areas In the economic sphere,China took measures to encourage economic cooperation in the LancangRiver and Mekong River region, e.g lowering tax rates On the other hand,non-conventional security issues have brought about a great deal of pressure

on China He also commented that the Greater Mekong River sub-regionalcooperation and the BRI are complementary to each other The GreaterMekong River sub-region has a lot of potentials It will be very helpful toevaluate the cooperative activities in this area in order to find ways toenhance mutual understanding and cooperation among the countriesconcerned

Cognition of the Chinese Scholars about the Concept

of Building the Economic Community

Mr Li Wei, Senior Research Fellow and Director-General Assistant of ChinaInstitute of Contemporary International Relations, emphasized that from along-term perspective, globalization was beneficial to all countries in theworld A fair and transparent process is a pre-requisite for increasedeconomic cooperation in the Asia region Ultimately all initiatives andmechanisms, despite their differences, aim to promote cooperation and

development among Asian countries To address the uneven developmentamong Asian countries, it is necessary to transfer and maximize benefitsamong all countries.

Ms Zhao Jianglin, Head of Division of International Economic Relations,National Institute of International Strategy, CASS, touched upon the concept

of building of the CCD and suggested to focus on the commonalities ratherthan the differences, among the member countries She stressed that membercountries should be encouraged to enhance comparability and pursuecommon development Furthermore, it is necessary to reduce the gaps andincrease synchronization of economic development in order to maintain thedesire of member countries for common development In that regard, everyeffort should be made to avoid competition for resources, and to establish asystem of matching responsibilities with interests within the community.Lastly, she recommended to conduct a feasibility assessment of the economiccommunity in the region

Policy Recommendations for Future Economic Cooperation

Mr Do Tien Sam, Former Director General of Institute of Chinese Studies,Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, suggested to link economiccooperation with ecological environment protection and to strengtheneconomic integration, rather than to increase competition between China andits neighboring countries Attention should also be paid to non-conventionalsecurity issues, including issues related to smuggling and counterfeitcurrency

Mr Roman Mogilevskii, Director of Institute of Public Policy andAdministration, University of Central Asia, Kyrgyz Republic, observed thatthere were some problems in the economic cooperation between China andCentral Asian countries In his view, Chinese enterprises should make somechanges to the modalities and areas of investments in Central Asiancountries Infrastructure development should be sustainable and compliantwith local requirements Chinese enterprises are also recommended to investmore in manufacturing, agricultural and service industries In addition, China

is expected to make more technology transfers and China may wish toincrease cooperation in the area of organic agriculture

The Mongolian scholar suggested to enhance mutual understanding and

increase mutual trust among the three countries — China, Mongolia andRussia, to avoid to the maximum possible extent, misjudgment and cognitivebias It would be helpful to identify the converging point for mutuallybeneficial and win–win trilateral trade and economic cooperation.Furthermore, it is important to profit from the respective advantages of thethree countries, and to ensure that specific economic corridor cooperativeprojects are mutually agreed upon and meet local interests Additionally, it isnecessary to enlarge the industries from natural resources to agriculture,animal husbandry, tourism, new energy, etc It is recommended to set upguidelines for harmonized management of the triangular cooperation toensure interconnectivity of the cooperative mechanisms In that case,coordinating mechanisms among foreign and domestic departments of thethree countries should be established for better and more effectivecoordination and management.

Mr Danilo Israel, Senior Research Fellow, Philippine Institute forDevelopment Studies (PIDS), Philippines, commented that China is ofcritical importance to the economy of the Philippines Overall, the Sino-Philippine relations have been progressing, in spite of some smallfluctuations He recommended that the two countries should agree on a visa-free arrangement so that Chinese tourists may visit the Philippines withoutthe need of visa The two countries will have further trade and investment,and people-to-people and non-governmental exchanges He believed that theSouth China Sea is not a fundamental issue in the Sino-Philippine relations

He also recommended to extend the line of the 21st century Maritime SilkRoad to include Manila

With regard to the comments that China’s influence over Sri Lanka’seconomy and inter-governmental dealings lack of transparency, the SriLankan scholar suggested that the Governments should strengthentransparency, as well as better play the role of civil society and non-governmental organizations In the future, China may wish to increaseinvestments in the manufacturing and service industries On the other hand,Sri Lanka, out of consideration of geopolitics, also needs to balance theinterests of various parties

Building the Security Community between China

and Its Neighbors: Mechanisms Deficiency and

Future Development

The need to build the security community largely stems from people’sconcern that security impacts development There is a strong consensus thatthe process of regional security cooperation needs to link with that ofeconomic cooperation and that there is a need to further strengthen securitycooperation in the region The participating scholars generally agreed that themain constraint to security cooperation in the region related to the lack ofregional security cooperation mechanisms This has contributed to the factthat presently a variety of regional security issues remain to be dealt witheffectively Therefore, the scholars have put the building of securitymechanisms as a priority for cooperation in the future

Cognition of the Security Community

Views of the Foreign Scholars

Ms Park Jiyoung, Director and Senior Researcher of Centre for GlobalGovernance, Asian Institute for Policy Studies, Korea, believed that security

is critical to the development of East Asia, in particular, the issue ofbalancing the interests of different parties In her view, the CCD proposed byChina is an excellent idea, but may be difficult to achieve in the security area.For regional stability, what is needed is innovative and sustainablemechanisms for dialogue and exchange based on short-term and long-termgoals, respectively For the short-term, we need to deal with issues ofterrorism, while mechanisms for building mutual trust are required for thelong-term

The Thai scholar Mr Sompong Sanguanbun believe that China hadalways been a force for regional stability

Mr Bali Ram Deepak, Professor of Center of Chinese and SoutheastAsian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, explored, from theperspective of constructivism, the building of the CCD between China andIndia In his view, the BRI helps deconstruct pseudo CCD established duringthe colonial period, and reinstates the close cultural relationship The BRI is aChinese proposal for re-globalization, by which China hopes to bring the

scattered small forces of globalization together.

Mr Kin Phea, Deputy Director General of International RelationsInstitute of Cambodia, Royal Academy of Cambodia, commented that Sino-Cambodian relationship had a long history There is also close militarycooperation between the two countries With regard to building the CCD,Cambodia adheres to the “One China” principle, and advocates formultilateral consultations to solve the South China Sea issues

Views of the Chinese Scholars

Mr Wang Junsheng, Head of Division of Regional Studies, National Institute

of International Strategy, CASS, argued that the CCD implied an interestcommunity and responsibility consciousness The main constraints tobuilding the CCD come from several dimensions: historical and territorialissues, relatively low political trust between China and some neighboringcountries, and the challenges of China–US competition The concept of CCDstill carries some ambiguity and needs to be clarified

Mr Yang Danzhi, PhD of Division of Regional Security Studies,National Institute of International Strategy, CASS, compared the concept ofCCD with the “CICBMA” (Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia) mechanism, and argued that currently there didnot exist any widely recognized regional security architecture in Asia The

“CICBMA” mechanism has made some efforts and progress in this direction,but its development has also been constrained by challenges in manyrespects, including, for example, the great number of member states, thelimited roles played by small and medium-size countries, deficiencies insystem establishment, and lack of binding arrangements and internalcohesion

Prof Sun Xuefeng of Tsinghua University commented that the challengesfacing security cooperation are much bigger than those facing economiccooperation Efforts were made to promote security cooperation througheconomic stability While some progress has been achieved, challenges stillremain For example, it remains a difficult task to better coordinate the two

He argued that regional security situation is dependent on patience One mustnot go too fast Otherwise, it may cause discomfort to others In addition,Asia does not have a well-established security structure This requires further

Mr Li Wei, Senior Research Fellow, Director-General Assistant, ChinaInstitute of Contemporary International Relations, when talking aboutconventional security issues, commented that it was a fundamental principle

to pursue peaceful resolution of disputes To deal with non-conventionalsecurity threats would still require greater and deeper cooperation among allAsian countries, as well as security mechanisms including the Mekong Rivermechanism

Mr Chen Li, PhD Candidate of China Institute of ContemporaryInternational Relations, elaborated that China and its neighboring countriesfaced threats from both local as well as international terrorist activities.International counter-terrorism actions face three dilemmas, i.e double-standards by the West, indifference by some countries to the root causes ofterrorism, and lack of concerted efforts by the UN-coordinated counter-terrorism activities To get out of the dilemmas, China is collaborating withother countries to promote the top-level design of international counter-terrorism actions of the United Nations It is imperative that China continues

to collaborate with its neighboring countries and promote economicdevelopment and social stability to get rid of the breeding ground forterrorism

Mr Shi Yuanhua, Director and Professor of Center of InternationalStudies, Fudan University, believed that the Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea (DPRK or North Korea) should not be excluded from the Asiacooperation In his view, the CCD and BRI need DPRK’s participation Inthis connection, China may guide the DPRK to partake in the process.Besides, the DPRK may play an important role in the CCD and the Korea-proposed Eurasia Initiative However, it requires shared efforts of theinternational community to make the DPRK a partaker as well as contributor

in these initiatives

Recommendations for Promoting Security Cooperation

Mr Rocky Intan, Researcher of Department of Politics and InternationalRelations, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Indonesia,talked about building the security community and recommended tostrengthen cooperation in the area of fishery and marine resources protection

and build trust to avoid any misunderstanding of intentions between Chinaand ASEAN countries In that case, it is necessary to provide Englishlanguage training to some of the staff to avoid complications caused bylanguage difficulties Furthermore, he recommended to enhance managementcapacity and use preventive diplomacy to improve crisis management Anyunnecessary military forces may be withdrawn to create a conduciveenvironment for cooperation.

Prof Deepak made a few recommendations with regard to cooperationbetween China and India It is important to learn from the well-establishedcrisis management mechanisms in the world, manage the differences in asystematic way, and prevent any chances for brewing border crisis Hebelieve that the two countries should develop a strategic alignment betweenthem, and further recommended to establish the necessary consultationmechanisms He also suggested that the China and India should supportenergy cooperation in the northwest of China and the north of India as well as

to promote railway connectivity between the two countries

Mr Wang Junsheng, Assistant Research Fellow, made fiverecommendations, namely, (1) to play economic and trade advantages; (2) toenhance political trust; (3) to increase joint research; (4) to expand culturalexchange; and (5) to promote system development

Building the Cultural Community between China

and Its Neighbors: Acknowledging Diversity and

Cultivating Common Values

In the discussion about cultural cooperation, both the foreign and Chinesescholars agreed that cultural differences, or even conflicts, had created greatharms to regional development Therefore, it is necessary to nurture commonvalues and understanding, while acknowledging cultural diversity at the sametime This is the foundation for the CCD, and the prerequisite for commoneconomic and social development Recognizing the importance of culturalcooperation, some scholars stressed that people-to-people exchange should be

a priority agenda item for future discussion of the CCD

Cognition of Building the Cultural Community: The Foundation for Building the Cultural Community

between China and Its Neighboring Countries

Most of the foreign scholars agreed that China and its neighboring countriesshared a long history of exchange This, however, was interrupted byWestern colonialism and consequently some new changes developed Mr.Lattana Thavonsouk, Deputy Director of Foreign Research Institute, Laos,emphasized that China and Laos are close neighboring countries The longhistorical contacts, as well as the close cultural and geographical connectionshad determined that these two countries would continue the partnershipdevelopment Ms Irene Niazi Manna of International Radio commented thatBangladesh is fully supportive to China’s BRI These two countries haveidentical development goals, and Bangladesh hopes to become a developedcountry by 2040

Cultural Cooperation is an Integral Part of the CCD

Mr Zhao Peijie remarked that cultural exchange and cooperation was theprerequisite for economic, political and diplomatic exchanges People-to-people bond is an integral part of the BRI and the CCD It is also the catalystfor facilities connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and policycommunication People-to-people bond is about cultural mutualunderstanding and mutual respect In other words, mutual understanding andmutual respect are important pillars and mediums for people-to-people bond,and would serve as the basis for mutual understanding in all other aspects

Mr Syed Hasan Javed, Ambassador (Retired) of the Foreign Service ofPakistan, and Director of Chinese Studies Centre, National University ofScience and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan, argued that today wasthe 21st century, not the 19th or the 18th century We should have an openmind, increase soft power, learn Chinese, and change our mindset

Mr Bruno Jetin, Associate Professor of Institute of Asian Studies,University Brunei Darussalam, argued that we need to construct culturaldiversity, rather than assume everyone has the foundation of this community,which has yet to exist We need to be aware of the differences among thevarious languages, cultures and traditions, which would help us betterunderstand each other A lot is yet to be done

Afghan scholar Mr Sayed Mahdi Munadi commented that Afghanistan isfacing serious security problems, most of which stemmed from culturaldifferences The conflicts between Islamic extremism and Islamic liberalism

in Afghanistan have caused social and cultural conflicts in the country.Cultural conflicts not only harm the cultures themselves, but also sacrifice thepeople who serve them We need to be mindful of problems arising fromcultural hegemony and regional cultural hegemony must be eliminated

Ways to Strengthen Exchanges with Think Tanks in Southeast Asia

Mr Ngeow Chow Bing, Deputy Director of Institute of China Studies,University of Malaya, Malaysia, commented that think tanks in ASEANcountries generally have four main streams of attitudes towards China–supportive, neutral, suspicious, and opposing The suspicious attitude by

ASEAN think tanks towards China is structural, and will not change over along period of time.

Issues Related to Overseas Chinese

Mr Hoon Chang Yau, Associate Professor of Institute of Asian Studies,University Brunei Darussalam, commented that today, overseas Chineseserve as a cultural bridge between China and Brunei In many countries,overseas Chinese have become a very important resource for the promotion

of the cultural, economic and non-governmental exchanges between Chinaand the Southeast Asian countries

Recommendations for Building the Cultural Community

Mr Hyung-Gon Jeong, Professor of Korea Institute for InternationalEconomic Policy, stated that people-to-people and institution-to-institutionexchanges are very important to nurture cultural identity The Silk Road aims

to develop a healthier country-to-country relationship We need to build acommon identity, while at the same time, maintain cultural diversity

Mr Xu Liping of the CASS stressed the importance of building thefoundations of value identity, and highlighted three advantages in thebuilding of a cultural community: overseas Chinese, friendly historicalexchanges, and rich cultural resources In this regard, he recommendedgiving greater attention to: (1) mechanism-building, which means to establishthe frameworks and mechanisms for social and cultural exchanges betweenChina and its neighboring countries; (2) branding, that is to increase theinfluence, appeal and suitability of cultural exchanges through brands, linking

up with the Internet, and cultural and creative industries; and (3)popularization, i.e public participation in cultural cooperation, by which thepublic can truly benefit from it, beyond mere exchange of official agreementsand documents

Zhao Peijie argued that the primary task of cultural exchange andcooperation with neighboring countries is to create a conductive cultural andpublic opinion environment for the BRI and the building of the CCD Thinktanks have a special mission to facilitate dialogues and play a bridging rolebetween political parties, governments, and peoples of different countries

Cultural exchange and cooperation will help eliminate prejudices, resolveconflicts, and promote consensus among different parties.

Promote Border Trade and Tourism, and Increase China’s

Contribution to the Economic Development of Neighboring

Countries

Scholars from Laos and Nepal expressed that tourism cooperation betweenChina and Laos and between China and Nepal, helped boost local economies.The BRI will make great contribution to the development of the globaltourism industry

Strengthen Exchanges of Think Tanks, in Particular Actively

Cultivate pro-China Think Tanks in Southeast Asia

Mr Ngeow Chow Bing observed that in order to better promote the exchange

of think tanks, China should pay more attention to the way of thinking ofASEAN think tanks when communicating with ASEAN think tanks Prof.Deepak of the University of India, New Delhi, believed that living andstudying in China will help better decode the genes of Chinese culture andthus more thoroughly understand China It is not appropriate to try tounderstand China through the third eye

The Community of Common Destiny between China and Its Neighboring Countries: A New Paradigm for Promoting Dispute-Resolution and Socio-Economic Development in the World

During the fifth agenda discussions, Chinese and foreign scholars exploredthe meanings, modalities, and directions of building the CCD Despite thedifferences in the cognition of these notions, there is a consensus in oneaspect that CCD is a new paradigm, different from the Western paradigm, isused to promote dispute resolution and socio-economic development in theworld

Cognition of the New CCD Paradigm

What is the CCD?

Mr Romyen Kosaikanont, Vice President of Mae Fah Luang University,argued that the world today is in a state of instability, moving from an oldworld model to a new world model CCD is considered an opportunity fordevelopment in other countries On the other hand, it is sometimes seen bymany countries as a threat to help China to become a regional hegemony, andrestate the China-threat theory In essence, China wishes to link its destinywith that of the world It is an evolving mechanism, centered on the peacefuldevelopment and peaceful rise of China At the same time, it is anopportunity for China’s neighboring countries to benefit from it Presently,Thailand is implementing Development Model 4.0, driven by technology andinnovation China and Thailand have a lot of common interests, wherebyChina needs Thailand as much as Thailand needs China in their development

Basic Principles of the CCD

Ms Chauyen Lai Shrestha from Department of International Relations,Nepali Congress, and Secretary General, Institute of International Relations,Nepal, suggested to promote regional cooperation and establish mechanismsfor the exchange and cooperation of regional think tanks, and enhancecommon prosperity and development

Modalities of the Building of CCD

Mr Khin Zaw Win, Director of Tampadipa Institute, Myanmar, arguedagainst any close cooperation mechanisms He believed that the center of theworld is changing People are worries about the world centered on China andthat China is becoming a new hegemony Therefore, a loose and flexiblecooperation mechanism is more desirable to ensuring equality and respect inevery country

Mr Tang Yongsheng, Executive Deputy Director of Institute of StrategicStudies, the University of National Defense, commented that the CCD is inline with historical development trend Asian countries, if more closelyconnected, will be more capable and better positioned of meeting all

challenges and dealing with uncertainties CCD should be a win–wincommunity, and a community that makes and shares benefits.

Mr Luo Yingjie, Professor of Department of International Politics, UIR,remarked that it is important to coordinate CCD and the BRI This should be

a question for consideration by the Chinese diplomacy What the neighboringcountries are hoping for, is to benefit from the two and to achieve win–win.Unlike Western powers, China has never been claimed by any territoriesfrom any other regions or countries in the past, and never will be

Recommendations for the Building of the CCD

Mr Romyen Kosaikanont, Vice President of Mae Fah Luang University,recommended to establish an all-inclusive community, with China playing apromotional role China should consider its own pace of development, ensurethat all countries have the opportunity to truly benefit, while contributing tothe establishment of the community It is also important to abide by theprinciple of peaceful coexistence The CCD will bring about self-generatedgrowth With the development of China, CCD will provide more assistanceand support to other countries through technology transfer and infrastructureinvestments, and promote inclusive growth in the region In addition,countries should enhance cooperation and work together to over-come anydifficulties in the implementation process It is necessary to monitor the entireimplementation process of the community and ensure good policy andplanning, and make adjustments as needed Finally, she commented that intoday’s multipolar world, CCD should maintain a certain degree offlexibility, so that countries with different capabilities can participate indifferent ways and avoid being dominated by one country

Roman Mogilevskii, Director of Institute of Public Policy andAdministration, University of Central Asia, Kyrgyz Republic, remarked that

we need to first clarify the definition of CCD and the values it represents.Vietnamese scholars raised several proposals from a practical point ofview Prof Do Tien Sam, Former Director General of Institute of ChineseStudies, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, argued that China andASEAN should continue to promote regional peace and stability and promotesustainable development For strategic alignment, it is important that theChina’s policy reflect the principles of equality and mutual benefits

Furthermore, people-to-people exchange is very important and should bepromoted China needs to enhance public relations to promote the benefits ofthe BRI for ASEAN countries China should also encourage capablecompanies and enterprises to invest overseas while opening up China’simport market, including Vietnamese products On the other hand, it isnecessary to implement the China–ASEAN high-level mechanisms toeffectively manage maritime disputes to maintain peace and stability.

Mr Huang Yongguang, Senior Research Fellow of Tibet Think Tank,CASS, observed that CCD has a bright future, but there is still a long way to

go In his view, some key policy strategies are consultation and sharing,openness and inclusiveness In addition, the importance of people-to-peopleexchange and cultural cooperation cannot be overemphasized and should befurther enhanced, especially in the areas of think tanks, religion, education,and media In this regard, it is important to standardize the think tank networkexchange and cooperation platform

Chapter

2

Building a Community of Common Destiny: The Choice for the West is Either “Staying the Course”

or Undertakes “Course

Correction”

Syed Hasan Javed

Chinese Studies Centre, National University of Science and

Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan

Everything that appeared normal, just in the early 21st century, it is

“retreating” and moving backwards Politicians in the West are talking aboutbuilding “Walls” instead of “Bridges” The values of political liberalism,multiculturalism, open markets, free enterprise, globalization, freedom ofspeech, and human rights championed by the Western nations for more than acentury have been increasingly under the pressure of hatred, prejudice,intolerance, extremism, racism, xenophobia, protectionism, nationalism andthe blind pursuit of “domination” by the former Colonial and ImperialPowers The world is no longer but a fortress

The Post-Cold War era world was a world in disarray, with the decline ofthe so-called “Hyper Power” i.e the United States of America Initially, itappeared that the United States was called a “hyper power” by an exuberantmedia in 1991, would sustain its position for some time Today, just a quarter

of a century later, even the most ardent, qualified and credible pro-Americanstrategic analysts seem unlikely The rest of the world has been insteadcondemned to hope by those, who should have instead provided “solutions”.The protracted struggle for geo-political domination, the building of so-calledcoalitions and alliances, and the resumption of the Cold War language andmindset are “bad omens” for the future of the world

However, the Western mainstream media have not changed their “tone”

or “imperialistic mindset”, and they know that time has changed from theCold War days from 1945–1991 Ironically, in recent months it has come

“under siege” by the very right wing forces, which have been nurtured fordecades At the political level, there has never been a lack of globalleadership, as the dawn of the 21st century is witnessing The West cannotreverse the clock of history The new rules of the game in Asia will be moreand more written by the Chinese In fact, China has never been totally undercolonial rule, except the coastal cities were usurped by unequal treaties with afeeble and weak Qing Dynasty, which does not share many values with theWest However, since the reform and opening-up policy in early 1980s,Chinese has benefited enormously from western knowledge and technology

in the recent years

As China gains strength and confidence, its global role will also betransformed in line with its strategic interests, as it is already visible in thesophistication of its diplomatic initiatives and strategic moves For the rest ofthe world, it has become even more important to read through these postures

of “strategic communication” Throughout Asia, China is seen as a stabilizer,seeking peaceful rise Western nations are not reconciled to the rise of China,

as it is reflected in the annual Opinion Surveys conducted by the PewResearch Center (PEW), Washington One thing is for sure, the rules of thegame will need to be redrafted The West will never understand China for avariety of reasons, expect DNA Western media are full of negative stories onChina day by day, reflecting the deep frustrations within the Westernintellectuals However, it is amazing that none of the prognosis of theWestern Sinologists over the past decades has ever turned out to be true

The global society is facing all kinds of challenges Western thinkers saw

the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 as the achievement of the so-called

“Nirvana” Now, a quarter of a century later, the West, including Americaitself, is confronting with the specter of an irreversible decline ProminentWestern scholars including Dr Zbigniew Brzeznski, Paul Krugman, Thomas

L Friedman, Samuel Huntington, Roger Cohen, Tom Engelhardt, JavierSolana, Strobe Talbott, Richard Hass, Peter Hartcher, etc., know that thisprocess can never be checked What the Western intellectual elite shouldargued about is what caused their decline rather than what they are discussing

is whether “the Chinese can provide the alternate leadership.”

“No country, however powerful will enjoy everlasting domination, peace

or prosperity From ancient times until today this recurring theme has notchanged at all” (Ancient Chinese Metaphor)

Throughout history, the Empires have come and gone, and so are thesuperpowers The world is indeed living through an Era of New Normal andthe interesting times, if not a chaotic era The contemporary global situationwas described by United State President Barack Obama as the “Era of NewNormal.” This is an understatement To put it simply, it could be termed as an

“age of disorder and chaos” No great power in history has ever been willing

to relinquish its influence and domination, especially if it is a superpower It

is always ready to fight, just like what happens daily in the jungle kingdom.However, every existing power becomes the “status quo” power, followed bythe declining power However, all superpowers have pass through a period ofyouthful adolescence towards the zenith of power and influence, entered aplateau phase, and eventually entered a declining trajectory and becomehistory

Nature ensures rotation, with or without conflict, to ensure thesustainability of human civilization Old gives in to new The “weak” makes

a place for the “stronger” ones of the “human family” to continue itsgenerational sustainability The succeeding power may not have to fight towin Nature brings it in many ways, and even the most powerful empires inthe world history, powers and individuals have to bow to it The fall of theEuropean Colonial Empires, the breakup of the Soviet Union, the decline ofAmerica and the rise of the People’s Republic of China are just a few recentexamples of contemporary era

The clamor for freedom, human rights or democracy supported by theWest no longer shake the “hearts and minds” of Afro-Asian-Latin Americanmasses The world is now haunted by the cries and sufferings of millions of

people who have perished or continue to suffer from the Western Powers ortheir proxies, and now have surpassed the casualties of the Second WorldWar Proponents of Shock Therapy, Creative Destruction, Star Wars,Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), Double Standards, Selective justiceand geo-political domination have destroyed any remaining semblance ofsanity, tolerance, coexistence, love, understanding, growth, balance andharmony They are now their own victims However, there are now twoundeniable facts No one will win in a nuclear conflict, and no one cansuccessfully fight the world For instance, the Russians mistakenly orcorrectly believe that there is no justification for the continued existence ofthe North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), when the Soviet militarythreat no longer exist.

In addition, Chinese believe that there is no need for another round ofCold War, or for a repetition of the Containment doctrine, and this time thepurpose is to thwart the peaceful rise of China by using the historicalanimosities and opportunistic ambitions of regional powers in Asia Despitethis, even in the most pro-American Asian states, in the Catholic Philippines,hatred against Americans is high The president of Philippines and the formerMayor of Davao city, Rodrigo Duterte, know it all The episode relates to thecase of an American Michael Terrence Meiring, who was accused ofpossessing explosives but managed to flee the Philippines He joked that with

the CIA, it means “Christ in Action” (Source: International New York Times,

Front Page Monday, 16th May 2016)

In an interesting times, the United States Central Intelligence Agency(CIA) leaked reports to the press on December 9th stating that Russiainterfered with the Presidential Elections in the United States in November

2016 and wished to see President Donald Trump take office The presidentelect strongly denies this, calling it “ridiculous” This not only reflects deeperassures, but also reflects the loss of direction of the United States The UnitedStates itself is proud to interfere in global elections and provoke the so-called

“Colour Revolutions” Irrespective of the fact that the allegations are credible

or not, it shows the hard fact that “America” is not invincible If, thingscontinue to deteriorate there at the current speed, it cannot even rule out thereverse colour revolutions The return of the battle hardened military men andwomen from Afghanistan and Iraq, who have already done their part ofdamage from rising homicide and other crime rates

In fact, the tragedy is that, despite thousands of years of human evolution