Comments
China’s Dilemma in the Belt and Road Initiative
Wang Yiwei • 44 •
Recently, at the invitation of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the writer of this paper joined a delegation to the Brunei- Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA). He also served as head of delegations to Manila, Brunei, Sabah, Kuala Lumpur, and Jakarta. From his conversations with Southeast Asian politicians, scholars, business executives, and journalists on how to align the Belt and Road Initiative with the BIMP-EAGA, he strongly feels China faces a dilemma of the Belt and Road Initiative. The paper discusses this dilemma.
International Opinion on the Political Identity of the Chinese People
Chen Yasai & Yun Xinlei • 51 •
Political identity refers to the emotion and sense of belonging in the social life and political participation on the part of the citizens, which is one of the benchmarks for evaluating political institution, theory, and practice of that country. Most U.S. media hold negative beliefs toward the political identity of the Chinese people. Their narrow-minded and prejudiced stance implies their self- centeredness and ignores China’s unique history and social experience. Their views also reflect American hegemony in international discourse. China should be active in responding to this reality, gaining more media influence and contributing to a more open, inclusive, orderly, and competitive global media system.
China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation in the Post-WTO Era
Sun Xiaoguang & Cui Lei • 59 •
In June 2018, U.S. President Trump announced U.S. would levy more tariffs on imports from China, the European Union, and Japan, dragging itself and the rest of the world into dark shadow of tariffs and trade war. Distrust between WTO members and seclusion has led to much suspicion around multilateral trade system. Therefore, in the post-WTO era, bilateral cooperation and trade is a prominent and important issue. Since the China-Africa Cooperation Forum held in 2000, China-Africa ties has been continuously strengthened. Moreover, Chinese and African economies are highly complementary. In the post-WTO era, strengthening China-Africa cooperation and trade is a pragmatic significance to both sides.
Increasing China’s Soft Power in Southeast Asia
Huang Hong • 65 •
Public opinion polls and surveys in recent years in Southeast Asian countries show China needs to increase its soft power in these countries. The author undertook an analysis of the current situation of China’s soft power in Southeast Asia in government and non-government domains and argues that person-to- person communication would serve as a supplement to the governmental efforts and help to strengthen China’s soft power in the region.
New Bright Spots in the Judicial Cooperation of Shanghai Cooperation Organization — Analyzing the 13th Meeting of Supreme Court Chief Justices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
Lian Yang • 72 •
Trust is a precondition of healthy international relations. Reinforcing trust is the basis of win-win cooperation between two countries. Covenants like international treaties or international agreements are essential for reinforcing trust. Such covenants can only be reached through sufficient dialogue and judicial cooperation. The Meeting of Supreme Court Chief Justices from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was held for such dialogue and cooperation that would help reach consensus. There were a number of bright spots at the 13th meeting convened in China in 2018. Modern technology brought convenience to judicial conducts and contributed to the legal dimension of the Belt and Road Initiative. Moreover, the unique innovative experiences of Chinese courts added glamor to the meeting.
