China’s Success Benefits the World

Xu Hao

ICina is the clear global frontrunner in economic and social development over the last four decades，” declared Professor Kishore Mahbubani in the Practice of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. “In my view， no other country has improved its peoples livelihoods as much as China. China has been successful in effectively lifting its people out of poverty， which is an outstanding achievement.”

An academic and former diplomat， Mahbubani was enthusiastic with his compliments about Chinas achievements in reform and opening-up. Thirty years have passed since he first visited China in the 1980s. Over the years， he has witnessed tremendous social and economic development in China.

“Chinas success is very important to the world in many ways，” said Mahbubani.

‘Inspiration for Other Countries

China has a population of 1.4 billion， which accounts for about one-fifth of the worlds total population of 7 billion. Mahbubani believes China has made remarkable progress in improving its living standards through reform and opening-up. “I think Chinas success is having a spillover effect on other countries，” he opined. “ASEAN has already benefited a lot from Chinas development.”

Mahbubani noted that bilateral trade between China and ASEAN has increased more than 50 times over the last two decades， a miracle fueled by both sides. According to him， when ASEAN was established in 1967， many didnt expect it to survive five years in a situation more complicated than the Middle East. Many believed that conflicts would be prevalent in the most diverse region of the world.

“Southeast Asia is directly south of China，” Mahbubani pointed out. “Peace in ASEAN is good for China. Deng Xiaoping already visited Southeast Asia even before China opened its door to the outside world. Ties between China and ASEAN have long been very close. It is remarkable that our bilateral trade has achieved such great progress."

Mahbubani has continuously stressed Chinas role in promoting the success of ASEAN. In 1991， although bilateral trade between China and ASEAN was merely US$8 billion， China was the first to propose a FTA agreement with ASEAN. Today， bilateral trade exceeds US$500 billion. “ASEAN member states were shocked when China proposed the first free trade agreement，” he illustrated. “Now they are even more shocked at the volume of the bilateral trade." He considers the development a miracle of ASEAN-China cooperation that sets a good example for the world.

Equally important， Chinas success has been an inspiration for other countries. China has

eliminated poverty—why cant we do the same？ “Many people from African and Asian countries have visited China to learn the Chinese experience， which is quite significant to the world，” said Mahbubani. “Chinas success story of 40 years of reform and opening-up will always be an inspiration for other countries.”

Mahbubani believes that as a developing country， China stays closely connected to the world through initiatives to drive common development. “I could not more heartily endorse Chinas Belt and Road Initiative， because the world is getting smaller and increasingly interdependent，” he said. “In this context， we should try to find more ways and means to cooperate with each other. I believe that the purpose of the Belt and Road Initiative is to bring people together. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is also a very good idea， in which Singapore has been actively involved.”

‘The World is a Boat

“I hope China will continue to play a leading role in global governance，” declared Mahbubani. “That is why I was so greatly inspired by President Xi Jinpings speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2017.” Mahbubani hopes China will open even wider to the world. He believes that global governance is crucial in the world today. “We should strive to strengthen the global governance capabilities of all multilateral institutions， including the United Nations， the International Monetary Fund， the World Bank and the World Trade Organization，” he remarked.

“I really appreciate President Xis proposition of ‘a community of shared future for mankind， because I think the phrase is right in tune with the changes in the world，” said Mahbubani.

In 2013， Mahbubani published The Great Convergence： Asia， the West， and the Logic of One World. He pointed out in his book that global circumstances have changed dramatically in recent times. Before the era of modern globalization， when 7 billion people lived discretely in 197 separate countries， humankind was like a flotilla of 197 separate boats. What the world then needed was a set of rules designed to ensure that these many boats did not collide. Today， the 7 billion people who inhabit planet earth no longer live in 197 separate boats. Instead， they live in 197 separate cabins on the same boat.

“But this boat has a problem，” elaborated Mahbubani. “It has 197 captains and crews， each claiming exclusive responsibility for one cabin. However， it has no one guiding or overseeing the boat as a whole. This absence has resulted in emerging problems such as global warming， the global financial crisis， global terrorism and worldwide epidemics. President Xi Jinping is stressing with the phrase ‘a community of shared future for mankind that the worlds population of 7 billion are in the same boat. We should care not just for our own cabin， but the entire boat， if for no other reason than if the boat sinks， everyone is drowning.”

Mahbubani believes that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative has won the support of so many countries because it provides not only development opportunities within each of them， but also opportunities to cooperate with and learn from China. “China can do more，” he surmised. “China can contribute to a more stable world order， which is beneficial for both China and the rest of the world.”

“I think its important for China to behave differently than the United States， which has started to behave increasingly unilateral，” opined Mahbubani. “As the worlds largest trading nation， China benefits from multilateralism. Multilateralism is also conducive to the establishment of a rules-based world order. The world will welcome Chinas efforts to this end.”