The Silk Road and China's 21st century spirit

The charm of an open and inclusive culture

Throughout history, China only sought expansion when it was conquered by minority nomads, who were assimilated sooner or later by the Chinese Han culture. The ethnic groups not only accepted Chinese culture but also merged into Chinese culture, a fact that demonstrated the openness and inclusiveness of Chinese culture.

As a major power since ancient times, China has acted differently than Western countries, who deliberately sought to shape a self-centered international order. China is in a natural international order with countries who shared similar needs to China. China's concern is how to govern the naturally formed order.

From this point of view, China has kept a low profile with trade always being the focus of diplomacy while military force and conquest has seldom been an option, because trade is a reciprocal relationship with win-win results.

China is facing more severe challenges in promoting the modern Silk Road, because ancient China was a traditional power which could promote trade through top-down orders; by contrast, China is now in a very different geopolitical environment in which Western powers dominate the world, including countries on China's periphery.

Taking on the Silk Road spirit requires China to analyze challenges in its peripheral environment, while understanding the important implication of building the New Silk Road, besides its responsibilities in the process.

China should abandon the starry-eyed fantasy that a major power will naturally fall, and realize that maintaining major power means toil and struggles for generations.

The New Silk Road may be the threshold for China to become fully involved in the world, and it is also a major test for China, as it continues on the road to becoming a true major power.

The author is director of East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore.

The article was translated by Chen Boyuan. Its original version was published in Chinese.