The United States and China should cooperate to face the
challenges of today's world, former US secretary of state Dr Henry
A. Kissinger told 800-odd scholars and students in Beijing
yesterday.
A new international system is what Kissinger was talking about
when he said the two countries should cooperate to overcome the
odds in the future world. His concept is based on Immanuel Kant's
philosophy of peace and prosperity without human
catastrophes.
?
Kissinger should know what he is talking about, for his visit to
China in 1971 changed the face of international order. Some
analysts believe Kissinger's historic visit to China set off a
chain of events that transformed the old international order. The
system that has existed for almost 300 years is becoming obsolete,
according to him, because of today's fast changing world.
Kissinger's visit to China in 1971 was a secret mission that
paved the way for diplomatic relations between Beijing and
Washington after a lull of 20-odd years. On his first visit to
China, he had the privilege of meeting then premier Zhou Enlai. "I
prepared a speech in which there was only one sentence: 'Now I have
arrived in this mysterious country'."
"What is so mysterious about China?" Kissinger quoted Zhou as
having said. "There are 900 million of us and it's not mysterious
to us." The former secretary of state said: "It was an important
lesson for me."
Kissinger must have visited China dozens of times since that
ice-breaking trip in 1971, and has seen the different phases of
development in the country, Today, he is a household name in China,
where he is known for his "courage and farsightedness", said
scholar and board chairman of China Forum on Science and Humanity
Zheng Bijian, who has invited him to speak in Beijing, mostly to
future scientists.
In his keynote address at the Graduate School of the Chinese
Academy of Sciences yesterday, Kissinger said: "Our future depends
on (Sino-US) cooperation, and that's why I am so committed to the
friendship between our two countries." The former secretary
understands the meaning of friendship better than most politicians
and diplomats across the world. His tireless efforts, along with
those of other stalwarts', made the Shanghai Communiqu a reality 35 years ago. It
"laid the political foundation for Sino-US relations," Zheng
said.
"When we first encountered each other, we were concerned with
the threats of the Cold War," Kissinger said about his meeting with
Zhou. "When (Richard) Nixon met Chairman Mao (Zedong), the only
subjects they discussed were important subjects," and they were
able "to reflect the nature of the international system and how
each side could contribute."
They were discussing a system based on the nation state at the
time: "nations with an agricultural unit and political
organization". It has existed for 300 years, mostly in Europe, with
the Atlantic as its center. "The concept of balance of power
prevails" by that order because there are many nations and because
"different nations have political obligations defined by culture
units". The seriousness and farsightedness of the Chinese leaders
and academics in their quest for peace was "exemplary" throughout
that period, he said.
But today that old international order is in the process of
"fundamental changes, moving from the Atlantic, to the Pacific,
with most of the key countries in Asia". In the last couple of
decades, the US has become the only superpower "permanently
involved in international affairs, making daily decisions that
would affect its future".
In Europe, countries have given up "substantial attributes that
make up nations" to form the European Union. "The idea of
sovereignty on which the system was based from 17th century on is
being transferred gradually to European institutions," he
explained.
Conflicts between EU countries are disappearing and they are
busy mostly with their own economic development and political
institution building, he said. As a result, EU countries seem less
active in foreign policies than they were in the past. On the other
hand, Asia has maintained a structure that is "most similar to the
international system that one reads in textbooks".
For most part of history, China had been a dominant country in
Asia. But the past 100 years has seen Japan taking the dominant
role. Today, however, besides Japan, the region has seen the rise
of China, India, Indonesia (in the foreseeable future) and the
Republic of Korea (to a lesser extent). These countries have strong
national identities with their relationships mostly based on
cooperation, though competition is very much a reality.
"The relationships of these countries will have a huge impact on
the future of peace and prosperity in the region," he said. And
this is exactly why he calls for Sino-US cooperation. "China has
developed in a manner that none of us could have imagined 35 years
ago It has grown with the dedication of its people by its own
efforts."
Many of the students in the audience were eager to know what
Kissinger thought about the rise of China. Stressing that he
appreciated China's economic and diplomatic rise, he said: "I tell
my friends and colleagues when they talk about the rise of China
and the ensuing problems and challenges that it was inevitable
There is nothing we could or should do to prevent it."
The traditional concept that shaped the international system of
the past three centuries has made people believe that conflicts are
inevitable when "the center of gravity moves from one region to
another" and when another country suddenly becomes "very powerful",
he said. That is why "cooperation is essential".
This is a cooperation between the most developed country and the
country that is most developing to face a series of new problems
such as climate change, environmental problems, globalization,
energy needs, nuclear proliferation and other security issues, he
said. These are the real challenges facing humanity today.
For instance, countries ought to cooperate to deal with energy
issues by looking for new sources, he said. Every country is now
interdependent and faces similar, if not the same, challenges, he
said. So countries must start communicating with each other through
strategic economic dialogues that the US and China are now engaged
in.
China's rise has also given rise to talk on interaction of
military forces, which he said, is inevitable. "Every country
protects its security and looks at military forces of other
countries' as a threat A dialogue on this issue is of great
importance and (has been) taking place to some extent. And it
should be continued."
"Anybody who has studied history knows that you cannot predict
what will happen in 20 or 25 years," he said, but hoped students
and the youth "should not think of other countries are
adversaries", especially because they "will be shaping the
international system and the world 20 or 25 years from now".
Students should not grow up believing that the power of the US, or
the rise of China, will harm relations.
"Our future depends on cooperation and being able to create an
international system that has never existed before," he said.
German philosopher Kant talked about "perpetual peace" in the world
more than 200 years ago. "Someday, the world will achieve universal
peace, but the question is whether it will be achieved by human
insight or through catastrophes of such a nature that there is no
return," Kissinger quoted Kant as saying.
(China Daily April 4, 2007)
