Martin Jacques: Historical China and Contemporary China in a Global Perspective
The role, nature, and importance of China Studies are undergoing a profound transformation, mirroring China’s own developmental trajectory. Twenty years ago, the landscape of China Studies was starkly different. At that time, constrained by China's stage of development, research in both Chinese and international academic circles was relatively concentrated on China in isolation, and the primary subjects of study were mostly Sinologists [1]. As China has risen to become a global power with increasing influence across all regions of the world, China Studies—and the attention paid to it—has become a global phenomenon. As China becomes a key actor in global economic growth, climate change, global governance, technological innovation, and "Global South" affairs, China Studies has grown increasingly important and increasingly characterized by interdisciplinary integration. Even those who are not specialists in the field of China Studies now possess a keen interest in, and a deep understanding of, the roles China plays in these and many other fields. As China moves toward the world, China Studies has also gone global. Understanding China and grasping its dynamics is increasingly becoming an essential quality for global experts across different disciplines.
If in the past the centers for China Studies outside China were located primarily in Western countries, this situation is now changing rapidly and is increasingly on the decline. As China's engagement with "Global South" countries deepens, many developing nations—including Chile, Brazil, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and Saudi Arabia—need to understand China profoundly and establish connections with it, whether through the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the "Four Global Initiatives" [2], or in areas such as trade with China and Chinese investment. Given that the vast majority of the world's population lives in the "Global South" and that these countries' links with China are growing ever closer, the "Global South" has now become the primary growth area for the development of China Studies. Among foreign students studying at Chinese universities, more come from "Global South" countries than from the United States or Europe. We are witnessing the globalization of China Studies and the subsequent gradual decentralization of Western influence within the field. While Western attitudes toward China still carry influence in developing countries, this has significantly weakened because "Global South" countries interact with China with increasing frequency. Consequently, they are forming their own perspectives based on firsthand experience, accumulated knowledge, and independent research, thus relying less and less on the narratives of Western media.
The growing importance of social media and the currently critical technology of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will have a profound impact on China Studies, just as they have already demonstrated across various fields of knowledge. We are all familiar with the concept of the "global village," where air travel, smartphones, and instant communication have tightly connected the world. In the age of AI, we are witnessing the birth of a "knowledge global village." Today, massive amounts of information are available at one's fingertips; the research work of experts is being transformed, and universities and research centers are in the early stages of a profound revolution. Chinese AI technology, with its distinct characteristics, will play a very important role in this process.
A core dilemma facing China Studies lies in the paradigmatic gap between China and the West—most Western scholars and experts believe that China should be understood through a Western lens. Ultimately, they attempt to measure China's performance in various fields according to Western standards and the degree to which China has "Westernized." Of course, by such measures, China will always "fail." China is not the West; it never was, and it never will be. The starting point for research can only be to understand China based on its own national conditions [3], rather than denying China's particularity and its profound historical and contemporary differences. In my view, this remains the mainstream attitude in Western intellectual circles and continues to be reflected in the attitudes toward China held by Western governments, political parties, media, and universities.
This point, perhaps more than any other factor, explains the negative perceptions of China in the West—China always "fails" the Western "test" because it is not the West. This attitude is deeply rooted, a product of more than two centuries of Western global hegemony. The West holds a singular worldview and cannot tolerate difference—every country must follow the Western path. This mindset has caused serious damage to the West; it means the West does not understand China, and its predictions regarding China are almost always wrong. The problem the West faces is that, despite their repeated denials, China continues to rise, surpassing the West in one field after another and becoming the new carrier of modernity. In short, China is displacing the West. This way of thinking has left the West culturally and intellectually impoverished; it prevents the West from understanding and learning from the logic, wisdom, values, and achievements of other cultures and civilizations.
As the world seeks to understand China, cooperate with China, and learn from China, China Studies is entering an era of great development, and we are only at the beginning of this process. Even now, China’s glorious history, extraordinary culture, efficient governance systems and traditions, and the essence of its foreign policy remain largely under-understood. A great thirst for understanding China already exists and will become even stronger in the future; this is precisely the major challenge facing China Studies in the coming decades.