Return of the Boao Forum

The Boao Forum for Asia(BFA) Annual Conference 2021, set to take place on April 18-21 in Boao, Hainan Province, will center around the theme A World in Change: Join Hands to Strengthen Global Governance and Advance Belt and Road Cooperation.     

SMART POWER

正Technological progress is key to the future If technological breakthroughs can be made in the next 65 years at a speed comparable to that of the past 65 years, future technological development will be even faster, famed American cryptographer and scholar Whitfield Diffie said during a session on artificial intelligence(AI) at the Boao Forum for Asia(BFA) Annual Conference on April 19.     

SILK ROAD FOR HEALTH

The Health Silk Road features prominently at this year’s Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference. The Shanghai Institutes for International Studies and Grisons Peak Services, a consultancy firm based in London, recently published a report on this program, which is part of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. In an interview with Beijing Review reporter Wen Qing, Henry Tillman, founder and Chairman of Grisons Peak Services, shared some of the key findings. This is an edited excerpt of the interview.     

Destination China

China's foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows dropped by about 20 percent year on year in the first quarter,raising questions about the country's attractiveness to foreign investors. Edgar G. Hotard,Chairman of the Monitor Group (China),sat down with Beijing Review reporter Hu Yue on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia on April 17-19,to discuss this issue. The Monitor Group is a global provider of strategy consulting services,headquartered in the United States and with offices in China.     

Taxing the Digits

正A global taxation framework is underway and perhaps China should care more China needs to take on a more active role in the application of taxes to the digital economy in order to avoid a potential"new tariff war,"forewarned Zhou Xiaochuan,the nation's former central banker.The remarks,     

Growing Pains

As clouds gather over its economic prospects,the United States seems to still have a long way to go toward riding out the recession. In striking contrast,emerging Asian economies are becoming a stabilizing force in the global battle against the economic crisis. John Rutledge,former economic advisor to U.S. presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush,discussed this issue in an interview with Beijing Review reporter Hu Yue on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia on April 17-19.     

Forging a Brighter Future

正The 2021 Annual Conference of the Boao Forum for Asia(BFA) opened on April 20, with Chinese President Xi Jinping delivering a keynote speech via video link at the opening ceremony. In his speech, Xi called on all to pursue discussion on an equal footing to create a future of shared benefits, pursue openness and innovation to create a future of development and prosperity, pursue solidarity and cooperation to create a future of health and security, and fulfill their commitment to justice to create a future of mutual respect and learning.     

PULLING TOGETHER THROUGH ADVERSITY

正By promoting Belt and Road cooperation and opening wider, China could contribute more to regional and global development Where should humanity go from here? What kind of future should we create for future generations? Chinese President Xi Jinping raised these questions during his keynote speech via video link at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia(BFA) Annual Conference on April 20,     

Global Security Drives Common Development

正Forum highlights importance of international cooperation in post-COVID-19 economic recovery ‘Competition, yes. Enemies, no." This was how Carlos Gutierrez, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, characterized relations between the world's two largest economies during the First Global Economic Development and Security Forum(GEDS) of the Boao Forum for Asia(BFA), which took place in Changsha, Hunan Province, on October 18-20.     

SETTING A NEW AGENDA:Boao 2021 addresses the needs of a world in change

Boao Forum for Asia seeks to stay youthful and vibrant amid changes After a hiatus imposed by COVID-19, the Boao Forum for Asia(BFA) will resume its annual rendezvous at the eponymous tropical town in the Chinese island province of Hainan.     

FOR A SHARED FUTURE

The shared future of Asia and the world can only be secured by the close and win-win cooperation of all This year marks the 20 th anniversary of the Boao Forum for Asia(BFA). This is a moment of significance, with much to look back on and much more to look forward to.     

China and Asian regionalism: Challenge and policy choice

Regionalism has become an interesting phenomenon in Asian international relations. Driven by fast growing trade and investment, Asian countries have developed variegated patterns of economic co‐operation and a complex level of interdependence among themselves. Although the growing Asian regionalism is very much an economics‐driven process, it has profound impacts on regional political organization. This analysis examines Beijing's changing attitudes toward Asian regionalism and its policy choice in the regional economic integration. It is argued that the integration of the Chinese economy into the regional structure is promoted by the government as well as driven by market dynamics. Although Beijing has let the Chinese economy develop into the regional ‘flying geese’ structure, the best policy choice for China, as many Chinese scholars have argued, would be a three‐circle strategy of integrating into the world economy and a strategy of ‘market for technology’ in regional economic co‐operation. This analysis also discusses the regional political obstacles impeding co‐operation across national borders. It is argued that healthy bilateral relations and more political will toward regional multilateralism on political issues would be instrumental for future regional prosperity and stablity in Asia.     

China's Rise in Southeast Asia: implications for the United States

During the past few decades, China's economic success has permitted it to pursue a greater role on the international stage. China is recognized both as a regional and aspiring global power. Nowhere is this more evident than within Southeast Asia, where China's more active diplomacy is reflected in growing trade relations, proposals for stronger security ties, and the signing of numerous cooperative agreements on issues as varied as environmental protection, drug trafficking, and public health. As a whole, the region has received China's activism with both enthusiasm and trepidation. China has expended significant effort to assuage the fears of its neighbors by adopting a foreign policy approach that is active, non-threatening, and generally aligned with the economic and security interests of the region. This positive diplomacy has clearly yielded some success, most notably in the trade realm, where China is rapidly emerging as an engine of regional economic growth and integration that may well challenge Japanese and American dominance in the next three to five years. In the security realm, China's diplomacy, while rhetorically appealing to regional actors, has yet to make significant inroads in a regional security structure dominated by the United States and its bilateral security relationships. Most significantly, however, if China is to emerge as a real leader within Southeast Asia, it will also need to assume more of the social and political burden that leadership entails. As China continues to advance itself as a regional leader, its policies on issues such as health, drugs, the environment and human rights will face additional scrutiny not only for their impact on the region but also for the more profound question they raise concerning the potential of China's moral leadership. For the United States, China's greater presence and activism suggest at the very least that it cannot remain complacent about the status quo that has governed political, economic and security relations for the past few decades. Shared leadership within Southeast Asia will likely include China in the near future, with all the potential benefits and challenges that such leadership will entail.     

中国FTA战略对双边贸易依存度的影响研究

随着经济全球化不断地深入发展,区域经济一体化也正在加速发展,双边FTA不断在国家之间签署,以自由贸易区为主要形式的区域贸易安排不断出现。该文选取2002年-2017年中国和FTA协议国双边的贸易数据,运用PSM-DID模型分析中国签订FTA对双边贸易依存度的影响如何。研究结果发现:第一,签订FTA对中国和协议国双方的贸易依存度具有提升作用;第二,中国与不同发展程度、不同区域类型的国家签订FTA对双边贸易依存度的影响不同,与发达国家签订FTA对双边贸易依存度的提升作用比发展中国家作用明显,与周边国家签订FTA对双边贸易依存度的影响也更大。     

China and the Asian Economies: mutual acceptance,economic interaction and interactive dynamics

The objective of this article is to explore the economic relationship between China and the surrounding dynamic Asian economies. It delves into China's influence over the Asian economies and whether this relationship has evolved in a market- and institution-led symbiotic manner. The three principal channels of regional integration analyzed in this article are trade, FDI and vertically integrated production networks. Another issue that this article explores is the so-called China ‘threat’ or ‘fear’ in Asia. The China threat implied that China was crowding out exports from the other Asian economies in the world market place. Also, as China became the most attractive FDI destination among developing countries, it was understood that China was receiving FDI at the expense of the Asian economies. These concerns were examined by several empirical studies and the inference was that they were exaggerated. The article concludes that China methodically expanded and deepened its economic ties with its regional neighbors. At the present juncture, China's integration with the surrounding Asian nations is deep. Both China and its dynamic Asian neighbors have benefited from this synergy.     

Multilateral versus Bilateral and Regional Trade Liberalization: explaining China's pursuit of free trade agreements (FTAs)

In recent years, at the same time it has pursued multilateral trade negotiations via membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO), China has embraced a regional approach to trade liberalization by negotiating a number of bilateral or regional free trade agreements (FTAs) with its trading partners. This paper examines China's increasingly active FTA diplomacy and seeks to explain China's motives for pursuing expanded FTAs. Specifically, this paper argues that while China's FTA activism reflects considerations about enhancing China's influence in the Asia–Pacific region, capturing the economic gains of FTA participation, and minimizing the trade and investment diversion resulting from the competitive dynamics of regional trade liberalization, the move toward expanded FTAs is also consistent with the desire to create alternative bargaining forums over trade issues that could help to stabilize expectations as well as the need to use FTAs to control the pace of trade liberalization so as to accommodate protectionist pressure emanating from domestic interest groups. In particular, this paper highlights the impact of domestic politics on China's FTA negotiations through a detailed discussion of how pressure from protectionist seeking interests influences the scope and depth of China's FTAs.     

Asia's Platform

Ten years have passed since the Boao Forum for Asia was created in 2001.Bringing Asian countries closer together,the forum has become a major event in the region.In an exclusive interview with Beijing Review reporter Yu Shujun,Chi Fulin,President of the China Institute for Reform and Development(CIRD),discussed the forum’s increasing global reputation and what makes it unique from other international forums.Edited excerpts follow     

Domestic Institutional Constraints on China's Leadership in East Asian Economic Cooperation Mechanisms

The study of Chinese foreign policy has long shown that domestic politics and domestic constraints are sources of foreign policy, albeit generally considered less potent than ideology and interests. Domestic political constraints should also be explored as factors in Chinese regional policies toward East Asia, including regional economic institutions. This paper examines three domestic institutional constraints on regional foreign policy in the area of trade and economics: a fragmented decision-making structure that has difficulty with coordination, a relatively heavy reliance on top level decision-makers at a time when issues of Asian economic policy have relatively low priority for these same decision-makers, and the relatively extreme lack of autonomy for negotiators vis-á-vis top decision-makers in Beijing. These constraints are by any means unique to China. However, at a time when many observers and participants are expecting—indeed, often hoping for—Chinese leadership in the region, the paper posits that these constraints hinder the PRC's ability to fill this role. The key empirical focus is regional trade agreements and regional economic organizations.     

Building the Prime Forum for Asia

Addressing Asian concerns;mediating issues among emerging Asian economies-this is the purpose of the Boao Forum for Asia.This has been the forum’s goal since its inception a decade ago.Zhou Wenzhong,Secretary General of the BFA and former Ambassador to the United States,wants the forum’s prominence to grow several-fold in the coming years.Before leaving for this year’s BFA in south China’s Hainan Province,Zhou answered questions from Beijing Review reporter Ding Zhitao about the BFA’s development and influence on Asian economic integration and emerging economies.Edited excerpts follow     

全球化、区域化与本土化视野下的东南亚华文教育

东南亚的华文教育体系包括三个组成部分,即公立学校、民办学校、孔子学院,这三个部分互为基础,相互促进。当前东南亚的华文教育热潮一浪高过一浪,全球化和区域经济一体化是促进这一波东南亚华文教育热潮的根本动力,反过来,华文教育热潮又助推全球化和区域化,为“一带一路”倡议在东南亚的实践提供基础和条件,进一步促进中国—东盟之间的民心相通。