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This year marks the 200th anniversary of the opening of Raffles in Singapore. All parties have conducted some very meaningful commemorative activities.For Singapore, its significance lies in understanding the past, understanding today, and knowing the future.
However, in a historical perspective, the significance of Raffles's port Singapore has greatly surpassed Singapore itself.It can be said that the opening of Raffles is not only the beginning of modern Singapore, but also a milestone for the formation and development of the order of modern Asian.This historical heritage not only affects Singapore, but also affects the entire Asian order.
The order of modern Asian is starting from European pirate activities.This is not to say that in modern times, Asia does not exist in its own regional order, but that the Asian order that people see today starts from the Europeans after coming to Asia.In other words, after the Europeans came to Asia, they completely changed the original Asian order.The formation of this new Asian order is the result of the two seas mdash; MDASH; that is, the result of the interaction between the Mediterranean and the South China Sea, while the Indian Ocean is a connection between the two seas.
Originally, the Portuguese and the Spaniards passed the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia, followed by Dutch, British and French.The Europeans who are called European navigators today have pirate backgrounds, but once these people's sailing activities have the recognition and support of the country (king), with the goal of the country (king), their identity will from from the goal of the country (king).The pirate transformed into a navigator.Undoubtedly, the activities of these navigators are the beginning of Europeans' overseas expansion colonies.
The Europeans' navigation activities have created the initial globalization of modern times and driving the global level (between Europe and Asia) trade and economic exchanges.More importantly, intercontinental trade has brought many innovations of economic and trade systems.The Dutch East India Corporation, the British East India Company and the French East India Company are both similar and different, but each form is a product of institutional innovation. Many modern systems include shares, insurance and government corporate associations, etc.Related.
Then, the international law that people saw later was also closely inseparable from the trade from Europeans to Southeast Asia.Hugo Grotius, a modern Dutch thinker, known as the father of international law;The freedom of thought is from Graouus.
Although the order in modern Asian is related to so many European countries, Britain's position in this regard is very special.Britain is a typical marine country. Although the British Empire established by it is a global empire, Britain has never established its leadership in Europe itself.Historically, the British seem to have little interest in the European continent, and they always expand to places outside Europe.However, this is also because Britain does not have enough capabilities to develop to the European continent. Instead, it is easier to find that it is easier to develop to the European continent.
After the start of the ocean era, the existence of the British Strait made Britain avoid the impact and conquest from the mainland.During World War II, British Prime Minister Churchill even thought that if Britain was conquered by Germany, Britain could also use its overseas British territory and Germany to fight.From this perspective, today's Brexit movement is not difficult to understand Mdash; MDash; Britain is a European country, but its mentality has never been a typical European country.
The contact between European colonists and Asia not only created early globalization, but also affected the internal institutional model of Asian countries.In this regard, Britain also has a dominant position.Portuguese, Spain, the Netherlands, France, etc. have rarely left anything, and even later the United States has not left anything. Now most people see are negative heritage.Unlike Britain, Mr. Li Guangyao listed a long list on the heritage left by Britain in his memoirs.However, the author believes that the British have two heritage to be extremely important for national governance, namely the rule of law and botanical gardens.
Wherever the British go, these two projects will be developed.From today, the rule of law is required by the rulers, and the botanical garden is needed by the people.Of course, this is not to say that all the heritage of British colonies are positive, and there are many aspects of extremely negative aspects. For example, many border issues in Asian countries (including the Macmahon line that causes China and Indian border disputes today) is caused by British people caused by British people.;
For another example, the division of the British colonists on various nations has severely deteriorated racial problems within Asian countries. Even the traditional Indian surnames system is strengthened because of the British division of policies (laws).
China is unable to form a modern Asian order
Compared with European colonists, the situation in China is very different.Although China has always been a big country and has a huge influence, it does not have the ability to form modern Asian order like Europeans.Today, it is believed that before the arrival of Europeans, China has its own Asian order, which is the tribute system.However, the history and experience of the tribute system were exaggerated because it was difficult to say that this was a order.
At least two aspects can be spent.First of all, the tribute system at that time was not only in China, but also Japan, and Vietnam also, and other countries in the next region had their own different versions of the tribute system.In this sense, the tribute system is not so much regional order, it is better to be a convenient arrangement of China to deal with small countries with small countries around (if not helpless).
Secondly, at least in China, the tribute system is only a unilateral open policy in China. Other countries scratch their heads to the Chinese emperor and demand that trade with China will basically agree with the Chinese emperor.However, the Chinese emperor obviously did not require these countries to open up the market to China. Not only did it not be required, the Chinese emperor has always banned Chinese businessmen from going out.
Since modern times, some Western scholars believe that China's tribute system shows the expansionist in Chinese history, but this is the Westerners added their own expansion logic to China, because in fact, the tribute system shows that China is an internal internalLu State has a restrained tendency and an unprepared expansion orientation and culture.
However, if Chinese countries are unable to build a modern state order, Chinese people have always been part of the Asian order.Immigration played an important role in the formation and expansion of Chinese countries, and immigrants also played an indispensable role in the formation and expansion of Asian order.From the perspective of historical materials that have been discovered, China has close trade relations with Southeast Asian countries as early as the Tang and Song dynasties.The Mongolians of the Yuan Dynasty led to Southeast Asia, but ended in failure.
In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the policy of closed -minded guards was implemented, but the court still did not completely ban the business activities of Chinese businessmen, and formed the situation that Professor Wang Xiwu said that Merchants Without Empires did not have an empire.To a large extent, after the European colonists arrived in Southeast Asia, Chinese and Chinese businessmen are still the main body of local business and trade. Europeans often seek the help and support of Chinese and Chinese businessmen to carry out business activities. Without the latter, the former business expansion in Southeast Asia will be difficult.It's much more.
To a large extent, modern international order is created by marine countries.This has a reference significance for China to this day.Pirates along the coast of China have been at least two centuries earlier than Europe, and in the Ming Dynasty, it reached its peak.In the Ming Dynasty, China's maritime forces reached the peak of the world at that time in both the government and the folk level.At that time, the pirates on the southeast coast were rampant. Among these pirates were Japanese (the so -called pirates), but the actual Shanghai theftThe main body of Zhejiang and Fujian is a folk sea merchant.
Because the government prohibits their maritime activities, they will always be pirates, and they do not get the opportunity to become navigators like European pirates.Only Zheng He is an official navigator, so there is a story of Zheng He, who is people who people who are people today.
However, Zheng He's many large -scale navigation activities did not bring a regional order because the purpose of his navigation was not trade, but politics.The official navigation activities have no substantial contribution to China's own business activities or business activities of Southeast Asian countries.What's more, Zheng He, who is Muslim, seems to have his own purpose, because he helped the local Muslims defeat the non -Muslim population and contributed to the expansion of Muslims in Southeast Asia.(Of course, another very interesting story).In any case, the Ming Dynasty was the beginning of the modern Western marine era. The sea ban policy of the Chinese court made China lose the marine era.
In fact, China is both a land country and a marine country.As far as marine commerce is concerned, the Tang and Song dynasties cannot be said to be underdeveloped.In terms of technology, whether it is shipbuilding technology, compass and gunpowder, China is the most powerful in a long history.In the West, the combination of these three has created the powerful navigation capabilities in the West, and later evolved into modern maritime hegemony.
However, in China, which invented the compass and gunpowder, the gunpowder was used to set off firecrackers, and the compass was used to investigate Feng Shui, which was completely daily.In other words, in the end, land culture defeated marine culture.The ruling class, with the ideological form of agricultural society, the vested interests, and the political struggle of the court, excluded and defeated the marine culture that could have been prosperous.
Different from marine countries and land countries
A kind of inland culture is difficult to build an international order.What's more ironic is that in modern times, land culture has often been easily defeated by marine culture.According to experience, marine countries and land countries have different mentality, culture and development orientation.Rule of land more relying on power and level.It is not easy to expand land. There are people in every inch of land; relying on strong expansion of land requires a high -level order in order to obtain a sense of governance and obtaining security.And marine culture is different.
It is easier to expand the ocean. In the case of having the conditions of navigation, there is not much resistance. At the same time, marine countries are also easier to defend foreign enemies.Compared with the relationship between land and countries, there is more equal spirit between marine countries; when governing other countries, it also uses more local order instead of forcibly adding its order to other countries.(For example, the division of the UK above).
Since the reform and opening up, both the government and the folk level have shown the mentality of developing to the ocean.This is undoubtedly correct, because with China's economic development, China has become the world's largest trading country, and most of the trade is carried out through the ocean.Today China's marine strategy also meets the needs of China as a business country.
However, there is no doubt that to this day, the traditional land state mentality still affects China's international strategy and diplomatic relations.During the development of the ocean, once a bottleneck is encountered, it is easy to turn to the land.In any case, if marine culture is a new thing, then land culture has a long history and is deeply rooted.In terms of geographical terms, land is still important for China's stability, and even more important than the ocean; the importance of the ocean is more reflected in future development.
That is to say, if we continue to use land culture to cope with the problems in the ocean, it will appear very difficult and even inefficient.Over the years, China has encountered different degrees of difficulties and trouble in the East China Sea, the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.The factors here are complicated, but how to grasp these problems is extremely important.For example, how to effectively deal with the South China Sea?Obviously, if the concept of land sovereignty is adopted to solve the marine problem, not only can it not solve the marine problem, but creates resistance to solve the marine problem.
In fact, this is exactly the case.Relevant Asian countries including China are still dealing with marine issues in adhering to the principles of modern western sovereignty.For example, on the South China Sea issue, whether it is the safety line of 13 nautical miles or the economic regional concept of 200 nautical miles, all of them are Western heritage.But it is clear that if these Western concepts are used to mechanically to the South China Sea issue, no one can say that it can solve marine problems.
Today, the United States and other countries have proposed a new concept of Indo -Pacific.This aspect has the smell of the dream of China's marine country, and at the same time attempts to stay in the state of landing China in land countries or return to territorial countries.How to effectively solve the problems of the East China Sea, the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean?How to not be excluded during the Indo -Pacific strategy of the United States and other countries?How to truly become a marine country?Both history and reality show that this is not only a matter of actual ability, but also the development of marine culture.
In a word, if there is no marine spirit, it is difficult to become a marine country.How can China revive its traditional marine spirit and how to develop new marine culture according to the needs of reality?This is a question that has to be answered.
(The author is the director of the East Asia Research Institute of the National University of Singapore)
(The article only represents personal point of view)
