On May 24, Professor Brantly Womack delivered an academic lecture titled "The Return of China and the Asian Center" at the Academy of Marxism.
On the afternoon of May 24, Professor Brantly Womack, Professor of Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia, was invited to the Institute of Marxism Studies (CASS) to deliver an academic lecture titled "The Re-centering of China and Asia." Jin Minqing, Deputy Director of the Institute of Marxism Studies, presided over the meeting, which was attended by the entire staff of the Institute.
Professor Womack traced the historical evolution of China's status in Asia from antiquity to the present, analyzing the origins of China’s role as the Asian center, future development trends, and the impact that changes in China's status in Asia bring to the region and the world. The lecture primarily focused on the following issues:
I. Why did China previously hold a significant status in Asia, enabling it to exist as a center?
Womack argued that three factors explain why China returns to the center of Asia after alternating periods of strength and weakness: (1) Geographic presence. China is located at the geographic center of Asia; no other country in Asia can compare with China in this regard. (2) Demographic factors. China's relatively large population scale has driven it to become the demographic center of Asia. Its large capacity for production and its market size determine China's central position in Asia. (3) The perspective of productive forces. China serves as both a market and a source of resources, which dictates its role as the center of Asia. These three factors were the objective elements that made China the center of Asia historically; today, these objective factors persist and manifest new characteristics. Geographically, China uses the "Belt and Road" [1] as a concrete method to connect Asia and the world. Demographically, China is not only a labor market comprising one-fifth of the global total but has also become a major consumer market that the world cannot ignore. In terms of productive forces, China has mastered advanced science and technology, and its international influence has greatly increased.
II. What is the relationship between a China-centered Asia and the rest of the world?
Womack’s analysis pointed out that, unlike historical Western colonizers who treated Asian countries merely as providers of raw materials, China possesses immense inclusiveness. The relationship between ancient China and the outside world was what he termed a "thin connection," built on the basis of minimizing the occurrence of unexpected contingencies. In contrast, European and American countries utilized their advanced power to transform Asia into a subsidiary part of the world system. This type of connection is called an "advantageous" connection, based on interconnectivity for the maximization of interests. In this world system, Asia became the periphery, and as a part of Asia, China was also marginalized. Conversely, China's relationship with other Asian countries is not about China seeking to subsume them, but rather about shared governance, shared benefits, and common development. Asia’s openness to China is likewise continuous.
In the context of globalization, China’s return to the center of Asia is grounded in a mutually beneficial "inclusiveness" and "thick connection." What it pursues is not merely China's unilateral development, but the common development of other countries within Asia and indeed the world. Specifically, this "thick connection" involves: first, internal interconnectivity within China, based on the development of Chinese infrastructure; second, interconnectivity between China and its neighboring countries achieved through investment and investment-induced projects—for example, the Belt and Road Initiative and the operations of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) [2] both facilitate friendly interconnectivity; third, Asia as a whole achieving a higher degree of interconnectivity with other regions of the world. Therefore, the repositioning of the Asian center is not a fragmentation of global politics and economics. In fact, by developing regional interconnectivity within Asia, the interconnectivity between Asia and the rest of the world can also be refined.
III. What does China’s return to the center of Asia mean for the region?
Womack views this as a transition. Asian countries remain cautious regarding processes of de-localization and de-regionalization; they worry that in the process of engaging with more advanced technologies within the world system, their own unique cultural and economic identities might be lost. In the process of China’s return to the center of Asia, other Asian countries expect their relationship with China to be predictable and rule-based rather than subject to changes in Chinese policy. Organizations such as ASEAN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) [3], and the WTO can play a significant role in mitigating asymmetrical relationships. For Japan, the repositioning of China at the center of Asia is a particularly difficult topic, as Japan has long maintained a mindset of seeing itself as the leader of Asia, with the goal of being more than just an ordinary Asian country.
IV. The importance of establishing an interconnected world system without superpowers
Womack’s analysis noted that world trade is currently undergoing structural changes. China's return to the center of Asia poses a challenge to the original international landscape. This is manifested in two main ways: first, the gap between developed and developing countries in terms of healthcare, education, and living conditions is continuously narrowing. This is a positive development, requiring developed countries to re-examine the psychological sense of superiority they previously held. Second, the ability of Western, European, and American countries to maintain a monopoly on standard-setting is weakening, primarily because other countries now have more options. Establishing an interconnected world system without superpowers requires that matters involving public goods and public interests be the shared responsibility of all countries. The establishment of an interconnected system will bring more dispersed risks and opportunities on a global scale. Beyond this, a balance and tension will emerge between the power China possesses based on population and the power the West possesses based on wealth. Asymmetric development exists between China and the United States, and the two maintain a competitive relationship.
Finally, Professor Womack engaged in further exchanges with researchers from the Institute of Marxism Studies on issues such as the future direction of Sino-Japanese relations and the role of Russia in the future development of Asia.
(Contributed by Pan Xihua)