Exploring the Wisdom of the East

ZHOU LIN

Yasuo Fukuda on China： Eastern Wisdom and World Peace

Author： Yasuo Fukuda

Paperback， 184 pages

Published by Foreign Languages Press

Yasuo Fukuda and his father Takeo Fukuda were the first fathersonpair in Japanese history to serve as prime ministers， and theywere also firsthand witnesses to the signing of the China-JapanPeace and Friendship Treaty in 1978， a concrete implementation ofpeaceful diplomacy.

Yasuo Fukuda on China： Eastern Wisdom and World Peacecompiles articles and speeches by Yasuo Fukuda on various occasions，covering a wide range of topics， from Chinas opening upand robust economic growth to strategic and mutually beneficialChina-Japan ties， Chinas relationship with the rest of the world，and Chinas vision and practice of building a global community ofshared future.

Yasuo Fukuda describes his decades-long bond with China andhis strong belief in world peace from the perspective and with thetone of an old friend.

The first chapter， “Wisdom of the East – The Governance ofChina，” describes how many Japanese are familiar with the Confucianclassics from an early age. On September 26， 2020， theoldest manuscript of Annotations to the Analects of Confucius ，which dates back to the 6th-7th century， was found in Japan，indicating Confuciuss deep-rooted place in Japanese society.As a philosophy and belief system of ancient China， Confucianismadvocates ancestor worship and practicing human-centeredvirtues for living a peaceful life， which Fukuda and his father alsoadvocated.

In the second chapter， “Towards the Same Goal – Cooperationfor Mutual Benefit，” Fukuda， a farsighted political leader， indicatesthat the key to building a friendly relationship between China and Japan lies in whether both sides can think from each othersperspective， that is， to follow the golden rule of Confucianism –“Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do untoyou.” Taken from the Analects of Confucius ， it has now been widelyaccepted and recognized by the international community.

In 2008， the two countries issued the China-Japan Joint Statementon All-round Promotion of Strategic Relationship of MutualBenefit. Yasuo Fukuda was then the Japanese prime minister andsaw Chinas development as an opportunity for Japan.

Chinas four decades of reform and opening-up have also witnessedChina-Japan economic and trade cooperation and extensivecommunication. Geographically， Japan and China are neighborsand have very close cultural ties. Both sides must abide by thespirit of peaceful development and avoid conflict in the future. Thisis the mission of both Japan and China， he writes.

The peace-seeking wisdom of moderation and how Confucianismmakes the world a better place is the subject of the third chapter，“Thriving Together – Harmony and Peace.” Fukuda says Easternwisdom has profound significance in addressing todays globalchallenges. Faced with the severe international situation， Chinaand Japan should not only develop friendly relations， but also drawEastern wisdom from Confucianism to resolve disputes， and worktogether to become an important force in maintaining world peace.

Yasuo Fukuda also served as the chairman of the Boao Forumfor Asia from 2010 to 2018. During his tenure， he lauded the ChinaproposedBelt and Road Initiative （BRI）， calling it a vivid practiceof the concept of building a global community of shared future. Hepoints out that the BRI and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bankemerged at a time when China was developing rapidly and achievingremarkable results. The BRI especially aims to share Chinas developmentopportunities with the rest of the world.

The BRI， he underscores， is the embodiment of globalization.At its start， the Boao Forum for Asia was a global forum focusingon Asia and emerging economies， attended by representativesmainly from China and other Asian countries. Over the pastdecade， it has made great progress in regional economic integration，helped Asian countries achieve their development goals，and contributed to enhancing mutual understanding among Asianpeople. Today， it has become a high-level platform for dialogueon important Asian and global issues between government officials，influential business leaders， and academic leaders fromAsia and other continents.

“Review the old and learn the new” is another famous saying ofConfucius， which is also widely known in Japan. But it is not enoughto just know the new; one must also innovate and create. And thisis what China has been doing. In the last chapter， “Peaceful Development– A Shared Future，” Fukuda discusses Chinas proposalof building a global community of shared future， which is a pacifistconcept.

He says he has the Chinese， Japanese， and English versionsof Xi Jinping： The Governance of China in his office. In the book，Chinese President Xi Jinping expounds his ideas about peace anda global community of shared future. According to Fukuda， it is aninternational responsibility that China and Japan must shoulder tohelp other countries achieve win-win results.

Young people are the hope for the future. Fukuda is delighted tohear that his alma mater， the private Waseda University in Tokyo，signed an academic exchange agreement with Tsinghua Universityin 1996， and since then， the two universities have been carrying outstudent exchange programs.