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The Rise of China and India: A New Asian Drama (review)

The Rise of China and India: A New Asian Drama (review) Reviews 83 too haveathousandhouseholdsofmusicians,butusethemonlyforbanquetsof state....Iexpectfromthistimeforwardtolookupon[Cunxu]asawarningtous all."2Musicalinterestsonthepartofprospectivemonarchshadacquiredominous associationsby930duetorecenthistoricalexperience. Withoutdoubt,thegreatestsingleflawofKurz'sworkishispervasivereliance ontheZizhi Tongjianattheexpenseofotherimportantworks,suchasNan Tang shu,thefirstpublishedbyMaLingin1105,andthesecondwrittenbyLuYou nearlyacenturylater.HealsomakesminimaluseoftheShiguo chunqiu,aQingdynastyworkontheTenStatesthatisexceptionallyreadableandreliable;these sourcesarecitedonlyinfrequentlybytheauthor.TheZizhi Tongjianprecedesthe workbyMaLingbyageneration,anditprecedestheworkofLuYoubyseveral generations,butthisisapoorexcuseforslightingboth.Thesameappliesto OuyangXiu'sHistorical Records of the Five Dynasties,whichcontainsalengthy chapterontheSouthernTang.Asanativetotheareawhogrewup"hearingelders conveystoriesfromSouthernTangtimes,"3OuyangXiu'shistoryoffersanimportantsupplementtotheotherprimarysources.TheOld History of the Five Dynasties, whoseportionsfortheSouthernTangarelargelymissing,doescontainuseful informationontheSouthernTangscatteredthroughoutthetext,andKurzmakes pooruseofthelargerhistory.Chinesesecondaryscholarshipisinshortsupplyas well. RichardL.Davis Richard L. Davis is chair professor of history, Lingnan University, Hong Kong. NOTES 1. OuyangXiu,Historical Records of the Five Dynasties,translatedbyRichardL.Davis(New York:ColumbiaUniversityPress,2004),pp.495­497. 2. F.W.Mote,Imperial China, 900­1800(Cambridge,MA:HarvardUniversityPress,1999), p.46. 3. OuyangXiu,Historical Records,p.503. LamPengErandLimTaiWei,editors.The Rise of China and India: A New Asian Drama.Singapore:WorldScientificPublishingCompany,2009.viii, © 2012 by University of Hawai`i Press 169pp.Hardcover$102.00,isbn978-981-4280-33-4. AnewAsiandramaisfastunfoldingwhosescriptisinconstantevolution.The onlythingthatiscertainisthatthephenomenonhasaglobaleffect.Thehighrate ofeconomicgrowthofChinaandIndiapresentsthecentralcharacterstothatplay. 84 ChinaReviewInternational:Vol.18,No.1,2011 ButthereareotherAsianactorsonthestagewhoplaykeyrolesaswell,shaping thecourseofhistorytogetherwiththetworisingpowers.Itisthisfulsomedynamicsoftheemergingstrategicenvironmentandthepolitical-economicpictureof Asiathatarethesubjectofthisimportantsymposiumvolumeproducedbythe prestigiousEastAsiaInstituteofSingaporewithcontributionsbyscholarsfrom sevenAsiancountries.Indeed,AsiahasmovedonatgreatspeedsinceGunnar MyrdalanalyzedthecausesofpovertyinIndiaandtheAsianregionasawholein 1968,callingittheAsianDramawhereaweakstatewasatthecenterofthepoor performance.Fourdecadeslater,wewitnessthetwenty-firstcenturybeing describedastheAsianCenturyeventhoughweknowfullywellthatthenewera is alsoseeingtheresurgenceofLatinAmericaandAfrica.However,itis un uestionablyanewmomentforAsianpeoplestrivingtoendpovertyandthe q underdevelopmentofthepasttwocenturiesandaffirmautonomyandselfdeterminationand,mostimportant,seekingarenasofcollaborationamongthem selvesforcommonprosperityandsecurity.Asthisvolumesuggests,thisprocessis goingtobeacomplexjourneywithmanyroadblocksfromwithintheregionand fromoutside,butthereareenoughreasonstobeoptimisticabouttheprospectsof theunfoldinghistory.Or,toputitintheSingaporeanframeofdiscourse,thereare possibilitiesonthepartoftheAsiancountriesandpeopletomovetogetherwith careandoptimismandsteerthehistoricalprocessonthepathofpeaceand development. The Singapore Perspective TheSingaporeperspective--aviewfromasmallcity-statewithamultiethnic society,surroundedbybigneighborsandseekingthecollectivegoodofpeople whohavehighmaterialandspiritualaspirations--canbebothcreativeandchallenging.Itischallengingbecauseitbearstheburdenofacolonialpastthattiesitto theWest,andcreativebecauseitfacesnewdemandsfromitscitizensinafast changingregionalenvironment.Thisperspectivehasadistinctflavor,verydifferentfromthetonsofpublicationsoneithertheriseofChinaortheriseofChina andIndia,whichrelishtheartofscaremongeringononeextreme,andcondescensionontheother.TwocenturiesofWesterncolonialplunderofAsiaandanother halfcenturyofmilitary-economicmanipulationthroughtheColdWarandglobalizationcreatedsomanymentalblocksthatitisdifficultformostWestern observerstoacceptanewglobalenvironmentofapluralityofcountries,peoples, andculturesstandingindignityandequalstatusanddemandingrestructuring of theworldpoliticaleconomy.Theperspectivespresentedinthisvolumeactually arenotaunifiedplatformforanewglobalorder,buttheyembodystrandsthatcan constitutethatargument.Onelineofthinkingisthecommonassertionofopen andinclusiveregionalismthatisrepresentedbythegradualevolutionofASEAN andhowChinaandIndiaweresteadilyintergratedwiththeASEANprocess.The contributorspointouthowthisprocesswashastenedaftertheAsianfinancial Reviews 85 crisisof1997.SeveralscholarsshowhowtheASEANRegionalForumandEast AsianSummit(EAS)haveemergedasimportantregionalplatformsofstrategic dialogueandeconomiccooperation,respectively.Anothereffort,aratherpersuasiveone,istoshiftthefocusofthediscussiononthe"Chinathreat"totheopportunitiesthatChina'seconomicgrowthpresentedtotheworld.Mostofthe contributorsplaceChina-Indiarelationsinarelativelybalancedperspective, positivelyshapingtheAsiansecurityenvironment,ratherthanstressingthe inevitabilityofaChina-IndiaconfrontationthatwouldpolarizeAsiaintocontendingblocks.ThetreatmentoftheU.S.factorinAsiaisalsodonecautiously. SomeseethecontinuationofthebalanceofpowerprocesswiththeUnited States maintainingalliesandbasesinAsia,whileothersseenewerpossibilitiesin China-U.S.relationshipsguidedbyeconomicconsiderationsandlocalsecurity arrangementsasthedominanttrend.Onthewhole,thevisionproclaimedby Singapore'sscholar-bureaucratKishoreMahbubani,asdiscussedbyLim,stands outastheprincipalpropositionpropoundedinthisvolume.Mahbubanifocuses onwhathecallsthe"civilizationalarrivalofAsia,"drawingattentiontothelarger historicalmeaningtotheAsiangrowthstory.Thisperspectivegoesmuchbeyond thefamiliarWesterndiscoursesonpeace,security,anddevelopment.Atthesame time,thebalanceofpowerthinkingisapowerfulintellectualthreadinmanyof thechapters.Inadvancingthisperspective,eventhoughtheauthorsfocustheir discussiononstrategicandregionalissues,thelinkagesbetweenthedomestic situationprevailinginthecountries,especiallythesocioeconomicdevelopment experiences,andtheinternationalenvironmentareintegrallyrelatedtotheir arguments. InterpretingtheriseofChina,comparingChina'srisewithIndia's,andreflectingonthescenariosconcerningU.S.policyinEastAsiaarethemainthemes treatedinthisvolumefromthescholarsofthevariouscountriesfromtheirrespectivevantagepoints. Interpreting the Rise of China TheinterpretationofChina'srisegivenbythescholarDingDoufromChinaisa compositeformulationcombiningrealistandinstitutionalistelements.Thereisa realistelementofChina'sriseobjectivelybalancingU.S.-dominatedworldpolitics, butatthesametimeChinaoperatedinaninstitutionalistmoderespectinginternationallawandthenorms.Headdsthat,alongwiththosetwoelements,Chinais constructingitsidentityasanindependentpowerinthepostcolonialworld, havingsufferedatthehandsofcolonialpowersinthepast.HeassertsthatChina hasenormousdomestictasks,and,tofacilitatethesolutiontothesetasks,ithas advocatedthepolicyofbuildingaharmoniousworld.Inaway,Ding'sformulation encompassesthemanyalternativeassessmentsgivenbytheotherauthors.The balanceofpowerinterpretationwasthehighlightoftheSingaporescholarMichael Leifer,whoconsistentlypromotedchecksandbalanceswithintheSoutheastand 86 ChinaReviewInternational:Vol.18,No.1,2011 NortheastAsianregionandadvocatedapolicyofengagementwithChinafrom theperspectivepointedoutbyLim.Manycountriesmaintainedrelationswiththe UnitedStateswhiledevelopingtradeandpoliticalrelationswithChina,asanalyzedbythescholarsfromMalaysiaandThailand.Japanreneweditssecurity alliancewiththeUnitedStatesevenwhileemergingasChina'slargesttrading partner. Thatthesimplenotionofbalanceofpowercannotfullyexplainthenew situationispointedoutbyMineruKoida,whodrawsattentiontotheimplications ofChina'sriseforJapan.HeadmitsthatChina'seconomicgrowthhasconsiderably enhancedJapan'sinvestmentandtradeopportunities.China'sactiveparticipation inregionalformationssuchasAPEC,ASEAN-plus-three,andEAShasexpanded conditionsoffreetradeinEastAsiabesidescreatingafavorableenvironmentfor confidence-buildingmeasures.However,atthesametime,Japanhassomeserious concernsaccordingtoKoida.China'seconomicgrowthhascausedenvironmental degradationtosuchanextentthatitaffectstheair,water,foodsupply,thegeneral lifestyleofthepeopleofJapan.Onemayaddthat,inviewoftheFukushima nuclearreactorexplosioninthewakeoftheearthquakeandtsunamiinMarch 2011,thisissuehasacquiredevengreaterurgency.ItwasnotChina'sbutJapan's ownnuclearsafetysystemthatwasfoundtobeinadequate.Infact,afterthe nuclearcrisis,theChinesepremierWenJiabaoledthefirsthigh-levelforeign delegationtoJapanthatcalledforunderstandingandjointaction.Koidarightly raisestheissueofnucleardominosinAsia.AftertheFukushimadisaster,the nucleardisarmamentmovementhasafreshmandatetopursuethisagenda. However,itisalreadyevidentthatneitherChinanorIndiaislikelytoalterits nuclearenergyexpansionstrategyevenaftertheFukushimatragedy.Thereseems tobenochangeinthetimetablesetbytheIndia-U.S.civilnuclearagreementorin http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png China Review International University of Hawai'I Press

The Rise of China and India: A New Asian Drama (review)

Mohanty, Manoranjan
China Review International , Volume 18 (1) – Aug 9, 2011
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Abstract

Reviews 83 too haveathousandhouseholdsofmusicians,butusethemonlyforbanquetsof state....Iexpectfromthistimeforwardtolookupon[Cunxu]asawarningtous all."2Musicalinterestsonthepartofprospectivemonarchshadacquiredominous associationsby930duetorecenthistoricalexperience. Withoutdoubt,thegreatestsingleflawofKurz'sworkishispervasivereliance ontheZizhi Tongjianattheexpenseofotherimportantworks,suchasNan Tang shu,thefirstpublishedbyMaLingin1105,andthesecondwrittenbyLuYou nearlyacenturylater.HealsomakesminimaluseoftheShiguo chunqiu,aQingdynastyworkontheTenStatesthatisexceptionallyreadableandreliable;these sourcesarecitedonlyinfrequentlybytheauthor.TheZizhi Tongjianprecedesthe workbyMaLingbyageneration,anditprecedestheworkofLuYoubyseveral generations,butthisisapoorexcuseforslightingboth.Thesameappliesto OuyangXiu'sHistorical Records of the Five Dynasties,whichcontainsalengthy chapterontheSouthernTang.Asanativetotheareawhogrewup"hearingelders conveystoriesfromSouthernTangtimes,"3OuyangXiu'shistoryoffersanimportantsupplementtotheotherprimarysources.TheOld History of the Five Dynasties, whoseportionsfortheSouthernTangarelargelymissing,doescontainuseful informationontheSouthernTangscatteredthroughoutthetext,andKurzmakes pooruseofthelargerhistory.Chinesesecondaryscholarshipisinshortsupplyas well. RichardL.Davis Richard L. Davis is chair professor of history, Lingnan University, Hong Kong. NOTES 1. OuyangXiu,Historical Records of the Five Dynasties,translatedbyRichardL.Davis(New York:ColumbiaUniversityPress,2004),pp.495­497. 2. F.W.Mote,Imperial China, 900­1800(Cambridge,MA:HarvardUniversityPress,1999), p.46. 3. OuyangXiu,Historical Records,p.503. LamPengErandLimTaiWei,editors.The Rise of China and India: A New Asian Drama.Singapore:WorldScientificPublishingCompany,2009.viii, © 2012 by University of Hawai`i Press 169pp.Hardcover$102.00,isbn978-981-4280-33-4. AnewAsiandramaisfastunfoldingwhosescriptisinconstantevolution.The onlythingthatiscertainisthatthephenomenonhasaglobaleffect.Thehighrate ofeconomicgrowthofChinaandIndiapresentsthecentralcharacterstothatplay. 84 ChinaReviewInternational:Vol.18,No.1,2011 ButthereareotherAsianactorsonthestagewhoplaykeyrolesaswell,shaping thecourseofhistorytogetherwiththetworisingpowers.Itisthisfulsomedynamicsoftheemergingstrategicenvironmentandthepolitical-economicpictureof Asiathatarethesubjectofthisimportantsymposiumvolumeproducedbythe prestigiousEastAsiaInstituteofSingaporewithcontributionsbyscholarsfrom sevenAsiancountries.Indeed,AsiahasmovedonatgreatspeedsinceGunnar MyrdalanalyzedthecausesofpovertyinIndiaandtheAsianregionasawholein 1968,callingittheAsianDramawhereaweakstatewasatthecenterofthepoor performance.Fourdecadeslater,wewitnessthetwenty-firstcenturybeing describedastheAsianCenturyeventhoughweknowfullywellthatthenewera is alsoseeingtheresurgenceofLatinAmericaandAfrica.However,itis un uestionablyanewmomentforAsianpeoplestrivingtoendpovertyandthe q underdevelopmentofthepasttwocenturiesandaffirmautonomyandselfdeterminationand,mostimportant,seekingarenasofcollaborationamongthem selvesforcommonprosperityandsecurity.Asthisvolumesuggests,thisprocessis goingtobeacomplexjourneywithmanyroadblocksfromwithintheregionand fromoutside,butthereareenoughreasonstobeoptimisticabouttheprospectsof theunfoldinghistory.Or,toputitintheSingaporeanframeofdiscourse,thereare possibilitiesonthepartoftheAsiancountriesandpeopletomovetogetherwith careandoptimismandsteerthehistoricalprocessonthepathofpeaceand development. The Singapore Perspective TheSingaporeperspective--aviewfromasmallcity-statewithamultiethnic society,surroundedbybigneighborsandseekingthecollectivegoodofpeople whohavehighmaterialandspiritualaspirations--canbebothcreativeandchallenging.Itischallengingbecauseitbearstheburdenofacolonialpastthattiesitto theWest,andcreativebecauseitfacesnewdemandsfromitscitizensinafast changingregionalenvironment.Thisperspectivehasadistinctflavor,verydifferentfromthetonsofpublicationsoneithertheriseofChinaortheriseofChina andIndia,whichrelishtheartofscaremongeringononeextreme,andcondescensionontheother.TwocenturiesofWesterncolonialplunderofAsiaandanother halfcenturyofmilitary-economicmanipulationthroughtheColdWarandglobalizationcreatedsomanymentalblocksthatitisdifficultformostWestern observerstoacceptanewglobalenvironmentofapluralityofcountries,peoples, andculturesstandingindignityandequalstatusanddemandingrestructuring of theworldpoliticaleconomy.Theperspectivespresentedinthisvolumeactually arenotaunifiedplatformforanewglobalorder,buttheyembodystrandsthatcan constitutethatargument.Onelineofthinkingisthecommonassertionofopen andinclusiveregionalismthatisrepresentedbythegradualevolutionofASEAN andhowChinaandIndiaweresteadilyintergratedwiththeASEANprocess.The contributorspointouthowthisprocesswashastenedaftertheAsianfinancial Reviews 85 crisisof1997.SeveralscholarsshowhowtheASEANRegionalForumandEast AsianSummit(EAS)haveemergedasimportantregionalplatformsofstrategic dialogueandeconomiccooperation,respectively.Anothereffort,aratherpersuasiveone,istoshiftthefocusofthediscussiononthe"Chinathreat"totheopportunitiesthatChina'seconomicgrowthpresentedtotheworld.Mostofthe contributorsplaceChina-Indiarelationsinarelativelybalancedperspective, positivelyshapingtheAsiansecurityenvironment,ratherthanstressingthe inevitabilityofaChina-IndiaconfrontationthatwouldpolarizeAsiaintocontendingblocks.ThetreatmentoftheU.S.factorinAsiaisalsodonecautiously. SomeseethecontinuationofthebalanceofpowerprocesswiththeUnited States maintainingalliesandbasesinAsia,whileothersseenewerpossibilitiesin China-U.S.relationshipsguidedbyeconomicconsiderationsandlocalsecurity arrangementsasthedominanttrend.Onthewhole,thevisionproclaimedby Singapore'sscholar-bureaucratKishoreMahbubani,asdiscussedbyLim,stands outastheprincipalpropositionpropoundedinthisvolume.Mahbubanifocuses onwhathecallsthe"civilizationalarrivalofAsia,"drawingattentiontothelarger historicalmeaningtotheAsiangrowthstory.Thisperspectivegoesmuchbeyond thefamiliarWesterndiscoursesonpeace,security,anddevelopment.Atthesame time,thebalanceofpowerthinkingisapowerfulintellectualthreadinmanyof thechapters.Inadvancingthisperspective,eventhoughtheauthorsfocustheir discussiononstrategicandregionalissues,thelinkagesbetweenthedomestic situationprevailinginthecountries,especiallythesocioeconomicdevelopment experiences,andtheinternationalenvironmentareintegrallyrelatedtotheir arguments. InterpretingtheriseofChina,comparingChina'srisewithIndia's,andreflectingonthescenariosconcerningU.S.policyinEastAsiaarethemainthemes treatedinthisvolumefromthescholarsofthevariouscountriesfromtheirrespectivevantagepoints. Interpreting the Rise of China TheinterpretationofChina'srisegivenbythescholarDingDoufromChinaisa compositeformulationcombiningrealistandinstitutionalistelements.Thereisa realistelementofChina'sriseobjectivelybalancingU.S.-dominatedworldpolitics, butatthesametimeChinaoperatedinaninstitutionalistmoderespectinginternationallawandthenorms.Headdsthat,alongwiththosetwoelements,Chinais constructingitsidentityasanindependentpowerinthepostcolonialworld, havingsufferedatthehandsofcolonialpowersinthepast.HeassertsthatChina hasenormousdomestictasks,and,tofacilitatethesolutiontothesetasks,ithas advocatedthepolicyofbuildingaharmoniousworld.Inaway,Ding'sformulation encompassesthemanyalternativeassessmentsgivenbytheotherauthors.The balanceofpowerinterpretationwasthehighlightoftheSingaporescholarMichael Leifer,whoconsistentlypromotedchecksandbalanceswithintheSoutheastand 86 ChinaReviewInternational:Vol.18,No.1,2011 NortheastAsianregionandadvocatedapolicyofengagementwithChinafrom theperspectivepointedoutbyLim.Manycountriesmaintainedrelationswiththe UnitedStateswhiledevelopingtradeandpoliticalrelationswithChina,asanalyzedbythescholarsfromMalaysiaandThailand.Japanreneweditssecurity alliancewiththeUnitedStatesevenwhileemergingasChina'slargesttrading partner. Thatthesimplenotionofbalanceofpowercannotfullyexplainthenew situationispointedoutbyMineruKoida,whodrawsattentiontotheimplications ofChina'sriseforJapan.HeadmitsthatChina'seconomicgrowthhasconsiderably enhancedJapan'sinvestmentandtradeopportunities.China'sactiveparticipation inregionalformationssuchasAPEC,ASEAN-plus-three,andEAShasexpanded conditionsoffreetradeinEastAsiabesidescreatingafavorableenvironmentfor confidence-buildingmeasures.However,atthesametime,Japanhassomeserious concernsaccordingtoKoida.China'seconomicgrowthhascausedenvironmental degradationtosuchanextentthatitaffectstheair,water,foodsupply,thegeneral lifestyleofthepeopleofJapan.Onemayaddthat,inviewoftheFukushima nuclearreactorexplosioninthewakeoftheearthquakeandtsunamiinMarch 2011,thisissuehasacquiredevengreaterurgency.ItwasnotChina'sbutJapan's ownnuclearsafetysystemthatwasfoundtobeinadequate.Infact,afterthe nuclearcrisis,theChinesepremierWenJiabaoledthefirsthigh-levelforeign delegationtoJapanthatcalledforunderstandingandjointaction.Koidarightly raisestheissueofnucleardominosinAsia.AftertheFukushimadisaster,the nucleardisarmamentmovementhasafreshmandatetopursuethisagenda. However,itisalreadyevidentthatneitherChinanorIndiaislikelytoalterits nuclearenergyexpansionstrategyevenaftertheFukushimatragedy.Thereseems tobenochangeinthetimetablesetbytheIndia-U.S.civilnuclearagreementorin

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China Review International – University of Hawai'I Press

Published: Aug 9, 2011

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