Scholars engage in active discussion at the fifth Asia Research Forum.

 

At the fifth Asia Research Forum in Beijing on June 11, attendees agreed that countries alongside the territorial Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime Silk Road need to cooperate with each other, learn from one another and meet mutual needs with active exchanges to maximize collective advantages and achievements.
 

They added that China’s role in the “One Belt, One Road” project is about “cheerleading” and dedication instead of domination. As a rising power, China’s contribution to the international system does not have to be confined to economics, trade and its vast currency reserve. Instead, the country should become the engine of globalization and contribute to the cosmopolitan cultural agenda.

International relations are not a zero-sum game as some countries have argued, said Li Yang, director-general of the Center of Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). Li said every party can be a winner in the international system provided that each one works together on the basis of equality and reciprocity. That is why China advocates mutually beneficial cooperation in order to reshape international relations, he said.
 

There are four strategic concepts related to the integration of Eurasia: the eastward expansion of the European Union, the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union, America’s “New Silk Road” plan and China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative. The first three concepts contain inherent contradictory and conflicting elements, which were exposed in the Ukraine crisis, Li said. Unlike these other approaches, China’s initiative aims to build a community that shares a common interest, destiny and responsibility, he said.
 

In response to reservations articulated by some countries, Chinese leaders continue to emphasize that the “One Belt, One Road” initiative embraces the values of inclusiveness and openness. Silk Road countries have already worked out a number of cooperation mechanisms and initiatives.

Under the framework of the “One Belt, One Road” project, China will make full use of these mechanisms and forge a coherent system, said Zhang Yunling, director of the Division of International Studies at CASS. In particular, scholars and policymakers need to think about how to link infrastructure together and improve policy coordination, he said.
 

At the forum, foreign scholars offered constructive feedback. “Russia is not merely a transfer station. China needs our natural resources,” said Vladimir Portyakov, vice-president of the Institute of the Far East Studies at the Russian Academy of  Sciences.

He also indicated that Russia expects to include the reconstruction and expansion of infrastructure in the agenda of “One Belt, One Road” from the very beginning. Furthermore, China needs to think about local concerns to build support and cultivate understanding among natives whenever initiating projects at a certain site, said Khin Maung Nyo, president of the Burmese Economic Society. He also praised China for its down-to-earth approach to bilateral cooperation with Burma.
 

The forum was co-organized by the Center of Asian Studies and the Institute of World Economics and Politics at CASS. It attracted more than 40 scholars from higher education and research institutions in China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Iran, Indonesia, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, India and Pakistan.

 

Deng Zhimei is a reporter at the Chinese Social Sciences Today.