Beijing, 31 Dec (China News Service) -- David Lampton: It was a strategic mistake for the United States not to join the AIIB
China News Service reporter Wang Enbo Zeng Nai
Promoting infrastructure construction around the world has been a core issue of domestic and diplomatic concern in recent years. The belt and road initiative proposed by China has effectively promoted the development of regional integration and the economic growth of countries along the route. The AIIB, launched by China, has helped more countries around the world to provide financing for infrastructure construction. Recently, the United States' push for the "Rebuild a Better World" plan proposed by the Group of Seven (G7) also indicates that European and American countries want to play a more important role in regional infrastructure construction.
Can China and the United States cooperate to promote global infrastructure construction? China News Agency's East-West China Dialogue invited Wang Huiyao, chairman of the Globalization Think Tank (CCG), to engage in dialogue with David Lampton, a senior fellow at the Institute of Foreign Policy at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
From the 1980s to the 1990s, Lampton served as chairman of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations for a long time, and is regarded as one of the most authoritative "China communicators" in the United States today. He said China benefits from economic integration and regional connectivity, as does the United States. In terms of promoting global infrastructure development, the United States should try to cooperate more with all parties, including China. China's launch of the AIIB could help more countries around the world finance infrastructure, and it was a strategic mistake for the United States not to join it.
David Lampton. Globalization Think Tank offers
The transcript of the dialogue is reproduced as follows:
Wang Huiyao: What do you think of the recent video meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Biden? What signals have been released in recent diplomatic activities about the future direction of Sino-US relations?
David Lampton: In a way, the U.S.-China relationship is at its most unpredictable moment since President Nixon's visit to China in 1972. To borrow a phrase deng xiaoping said, I think both the United States and China are "crossing the river by feeling the stones." We are conducting a step-by-step attempt to understand how to handle the relationship between the two countries in a very different environment. At this moment, compared with 40 years ago, it is naturally important that the strength of China's economy and its ability to shape the regional economic structure and infrastructure construction have developed rapidly.
The video meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Biden can give us more confidence, because it shows that at least both sides have a strong will to handle the U.S.-China relationship well. As far as the video meeting between the leaders of the two countries is concerned, I think it is better to talk than not to talk, which is undoubtedly the first step in making progress.
On the morning of November 16, President Xi Jinping held a video conference with US President Joe Biden in Beijing. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yue Yuewei
Wang Huiyao: There is a huge problem between China and the United States, and to some extent it is also a misunderstanding. As a vast power, China needs strong central coordination. For example, state-owned enterprises play a unique role in the construction of large-scale infrastructure projects such as the Three Gorges Dam and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. But outside of China, people don't quite understand this.
David Lampton: I think in terms of Chinese history, that's right. China has a different history and geography and must cope with a larger population. Americans should better understand China's special situation. At the same time, China also needs to acknowledge the special situation of the United States. Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy, and even the largest companies have little or no direct ownership by the government in most cases. So in our politics, the private sector or small businesses worry about how to compete with companies with a national background.
In the past of China's accession to the WTO, and in the future, china's application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), we all hope that the United States and China can develop more common economic practices to reduce tensions between the two countries. My basic feeling is that in the past few years, the United States has not joined the AIIB, it has not joined the CPTPP, and China has joined the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which has caused us to become more and more estranged. In my view, the United States and China must re-try to get more common growth.
Infographic: The Chinese flag and the American flag. Image source: People's Vision
Wang Huiyao: You have done some exploratory research on the Belt and Road Initiative and are the author of the book "Iron River: Railways and The Power of China in Southeast Asia". Can you tell us about this book?
David Lampton: This book is the story of how China built a high-speed rail industry on its own. Around 2000, there was no high-speed rail industry or high-speed rail system in China, and the first part of the book describes how China built technology and infrastructure for the high-speed rail system. The second part is about how China is communicating with seven Southeast Asian countries to build a rail system that could potentially connect them to southern China.
Some will ask, is this a Chinese strategy to "occupy" Southeast Asia? I don't think so. Leaving aside the quality of the development of each specific project, in general, we can see that the prosperity of neighboring countries contributes to China's development, and if China's neighboring countries want to get rich, they also need to connect with China and each other. This is an effort to develop infrastructure to modernize and integrate Asia's economy, not a conspiracy theory that China has "taken over" the world or the region.
Eight cities in Xinjiang have opened China-Europe express trains, and local products can also go overseas with the help of the "Belt and Road". Photo by Li Ming
Wang Huiyao: Connectivity through infrastructure is a very good thing, and the United States is beginning to realize this. The United States recently launched the "Rebuild a Better World" program with the G7 countries. This plan and the Belt and Road Initiative should be combined in some way.
David Lampton: Personally, I think the United States and other countries should agree with the idea that the world needs infrastructure. The difference between the economic policies of the two countries means that the United States will not play as much as China in infrastructure construction around the world, but I think the United States should try, and if there is an opportunity, we should work with more friends and work with China.
Overall, the United States will do more worldwide. Just as China benefits from this integration and connectivity, if the United States is to achieve economies of scale, we need to forge closer ties with larger markets. So I think the U.S. and China are moving in the same direction. At the same time, I believe that globalization is not dying. This is the reality, and the United States is returning to the game of "globalization."
Over time, the Belt and Road Initiative itself is also developing, and China is involved in different types of infrastructure projects in many parts of the world and is accumulating experience in dealing with different situations. Overall, I think China is learning and becoming more deliberate. With the passage of time, China's economic growth rate may slow down, domestic demand is also very large, perhaps Chinese themselves will also ask: how much talent, resources and technology should be invested in our country, and how much should be left for domestic development?
I'm trying to tell Western observers that, at least as I understand it, china is discussing these issues and is exploring more robust policies rather than over-investing financially. I've always believed that one of the reasons China launched the AIIB was that it was a very good idea to be able to get more countries outside of China to finance infrastructure. In my view, it was a strategic mistake for the United States not to join the AIIB during the Obama administration. (End)
Source: China News Network