Globalism and globalization are related. Globalization is the interaction among countries across different spheres — economic, cultural, and social — that is driven by market forces or people’s natural aspirations; globalism is cooperation among countries to meet the common challenges facing humanity. There has been a darker side of globalization in human history, and that is the history of colonization and military conquests of the strong over the weak. With the establishment of the United Nations, there was a hope that the laws of the jungle were over, that civilized coexistence among nations prevails, and that globalization will only bring peace and prosperity. We must not allow this hope to be dashed.
The period from the end of World War II in 1945 to the present day has been called “long peace”. It represents the absence of major wars between major global powers. It’s also called Pax Americana, underlying the United States’ leadership role in forging a period of a relative peace in the world. With the increasing division of labor and the “fragmentation of production”, which means that many countries contribute to the production of very sophisticated products, consumers experienced a long period of “paying less and getting more” for things such as mobile phones, computers, cars, cameras, and home appliances. The supply chain is long, meaning that disruption in the supply of some intermediate components will affect the supply of the final product. Even a Boeing airplane that is supposed to be produced by America relies heavily on foreign suppliers. In the case of a Boeing 737, up to 40 or 50 percent of the parts are obtained from overseas. This is why US President Donald Trump’s tariff plan could threaten 80,000 jobs in Boeing’s commercial aviation line, which depends on the availability of 100,000 aerospace parts to keep production going, according to one source.
It’s clear that if countries count on one another to supply key products, the world will be much more peaceful. Globalized production makes sense and helps the cause of world peace.
Given that China has been improving its governance, the Western allegation that constraints on government powers are absent falls apart. Over the past decade, the courts have convicted thousands of high-ranking officials on corruption charges. The anti-corruption campaign is clearly successful, as China’s latest ranking in absence of corruption is 76 out of 180 jurisdictions, according to Transparency International
Sadly, in the name of national security, the US is leading the world to autarky rather than interdependence. By cutting off supplies from cheaper sources, America is reducing production efficiency, leading to higher costs and poorer products. The title of a 2021 Newsweek article tells it all: Banning Drones from China Has Hurt US Ability to Fight Forest Fires. Paradoxically, banning DJI drones is hurting national security in the US, unless the US’ leaders think that wildfires have nothing to do with national security.
Why, then, would America, with so many smart people, prefer to shoot itself in the foot? In my view, all this talk about national security and using excuses to impose sanctions and trade restrictions simply reflects a lack of self-confidence and a lack of understanding about China’s system, driven by scaremongering notions, such as those presented in Peter Navarro’s and Greg Autry’s book, Death by China, published in 2011. China, in contrast, is full of confidence, and simply keeps on course with its agenda of opening-up, improving governance, accelerating green transition and promoting common prosperity for all. It was in the spirit of fostering cooperation that President Xi Jinping met Trump last week, and the agreements achieved, though humble, are real and a good start. Let us hope that this signals a period of working together in good faith.
Anyone who wants to understand the real China only needs to see what China has done for its people and the world. Navarro alleges that China is “totalitarian” and “intent on regional hegemony and bent on global domination”. But China pledges never to be the first user of nuclear weapons while America has never made such a pledge. China has far fewer nuclear warheads than the US. China has never invaded any country nor dropped a bomb on any country over the past four decades.
China’s citizens are served well by the government, which offers affordable healthcare to almost the entire population. In its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), one central theme is ensuring and improving public well-being and promoting common prosperity. It’s improving the social security system, advancing the Healthy China Initiative, and ensuring more equitable access to basic public services. What does Navarro mean by “totalitarian”, given that the Chinese people enjoy freedom of movement, freedom to look for a job, or to run a business under the law? There are boundaries to freedom of speech, which are in place for good reasons, such as limits to the spreading of unfounded rumors, speech that hurts community harmony, and personal attacks. China also applies security checks for train access. But this is for public safety. Just this past weekend, there was a mass stabbing of passengers traveling from Doncaster to London in England.
Given that China has been improving its governance, the Western allegation that constraints on government powers are absent falls apart. Over the past decade, the courts have convicted thousands of high-ranking officials on corruption charges. The anti-corruption campaign is clearly successful, as China’s latest ranking in absence of corruption is 76 out of 180 jurisdictions, according to Transparency International.
The author is an honorary research fellow at the Pan Sutong Shanghai-Hong Kong Economic Policy Research Institute, Lingnan University, and an adjunct professor at the Academy for Applied Policy Studies and Education Futures, the Education University of Hong Kong.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
