Current affairs perspective
The rapid development of globalization has been continuously challenged by political populism and trade protection in recent years. During the post -Cold War, the topic of global governance was gradually heating up, and because of the excessive concern of local issues, it was gradually shelving.
When promoting cross -border cooperation in the fields of poverty alleviation, environmental protection, safety, infrastructure, etc., the international community composed of sovereign countries often fall into the predicament of prisoners because of the lack of the existence of the world government, which has caused international public products to tend to take a car.And it cannot be provided.
Judging from the history of modern international relations, international cooperation and institutional arrangements are often driven by Britain, the United States, and Russia. These big powers are willing to bear a larger share of cost and influence.Responsibility to establish a new international system and cooperation, and other member countries benefit from joining this cooperation framework.The typical examples of these include the establishment of NATO and Huayo Organization, the maintenance of the Commonwealth system, the establishment of the United Nations, and the establishment of international economic organizations such as the General Trade Organization (the predecessor of the WTO), the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.
However, since entering the new century, as the United States is the only superpower in the world, it is unwilling to continue to bear high costs to achieve its great power responsibilities, and the EU cannot exert its due leadership due to its own cracks., The World Bank Reform and the World Trade Organization negotiations are gradually falling into an impasse. The global differences (gap between developed countries and developing countries), income gaps, digital gaps (gaps in digital technology and other fields), insufficient infrastructure, etc.The problem has never been effectively solved.The US debt crisis and the European debt crisis that broke out over the past 10 years have further limited the ability of developed western countries to promote global governance.
Can the Belt and Road China fill the gap of global governance?
Chinese leaders ... The Belt and Road Initiative proposed has changed the style of China's low -key diplomatic participation in international affairs in the past, and transformed China from a member of the stool in various international cooperation to leaders who actively provided international public products.This is related to the continuous rise of China's rising national strength, and it is also closely related to the changes in leaders' diplomatic ideas.
Judging from the experience of Britain, the United States and other countries in the past, in the process of transitioning from the start of the great power from the began to the global leaders, it will face various strong resistance from home and abroad.The driving force will also go through the gradual development process of weakness.
Take the United States as an example after the First World War, and under the leadership of President Wilson, the U.S. government, which has just got rid of the neutral state and won the World War I, hopesFor disarmament, to curb the outbreak of the world war.
However, Wilson's idealist ideas have been strongly opposed by allies such as Britain and France and the conservative forces in the United States from the beginning.Later, although the Guolian was barely obtained at the international level, the United States, as the initiative, could not persuade its parliament to approve the addition of the National League's bill.After Wilson, the United States was in a state of isolation again, and it was not until the outbreak of the Pacific War that the United States thoroughly pushed the United States to global leaders.
Looking back at the situation in China in the past six years, it can also be seen that it has faced huge challenges and resistance at the international and domestic level.From an international analysis, although there is a large international cooperation gap in the fields of infrastructure construction and interconnection, to to how much the international community can accept China as an emerging country to replace traditional developed countries for international development issues for international development issues.The assistance is a large question mark, or at least one long -term process is required to gradually adapt and adjust.
Although the United States has more localist tendencies after Trump comes to power, and the European Union is also at a loss because of Brexit, these do not mean that the United States and Europe are willing to see China in carrying out the Belt and Road project within such a vast geographical scope.New leaders on international development issues.You know, 20 years ago, China was still receiving a large number of aid and guidance from Western -led international organizations in large scale.This fast change requires a certain time to make psychological adjustment.
On the other hand, in the process of participating in global governance, there are many lessons and lessons to learn.From the perspective of China, the provinces and departments have different understanding of the Belt and Road Initiative, and their understanding of participating in global governance standards is also different. Sometimes they lack understanding of the national conditions, politics, and culture of countries along the route, so it is inevitableDuring the implementation process, various subjective and objective problems were encountered, and even triggered a strong rebound in the local area.
Judging from the topic settings of the 2nd Belt and Road International Cooperation Summit Forum in Beijing this year, some new governance topics such as green development, anti -corruption and clean government construction have been included in order to echo some countries along the route.Concern.
Judging from the scale of this year's forum, it should exceed the first session, which also reflects the improvement of the Belt and Road Initiative, which will promote the diversification of global governance and be responded to the international community.Of course, as mentioned earlier, the wrestling of great powers will not stop there. The Chinese Belt and Road Program will still face huge challenges in the future. Geographical political tensions and competition between large powers will still bring great uncertainty.
The author is the National University of Singapore
East Asia Institute
Senior researcher
Assistant Director
