Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries: An Overview of China

Description

This book focuses on the current internal and external situation China is facing both from a macro perspective and a theoretical height, and puts forward practical development strategies and diplomatic ideas. It is of great methodological significance. At home, the development thought after the conclusion of the hundred-year change is the guiding thought for China's further development, and abroad, the international communication and the construction of international order highlighted by the hundred-year change also have important reference significance for the world's development. Contents About the Authors 1 Introduction: 500 Years? 400 Years? 300 Years? 200 Years? 100 Years? How to Understand the “Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries”? 1.1 Understanding the “Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries” in Five Time Dimensions 1.2 A Change is Never a Foregone Conclusion 1.3 An Evaluation of China’s Rise in Power During This Period of “Profound Changes” References Part I Changes in Politics 2 Looking Back at World War I at the Centenary 2.1 The Reflections, Treatment and Strategic Consequences of World War I a Hundred Years Ago 2.2 Over the Past 100 Years, Mankind is Still Repeating the Mistakes of World War I: Alliance Confrontation 2.3 What is the Future for Mankind a Hundred years Later? Rethinking from the Perspective of “A Community with a Shared Future for Mankind” 3 The International Pattern and World Order Under the “Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries” 3.1 The Definition and Judgment Criteria of “International Structure” 3.2 The Polarizing Trend of the Current International Structure 3.3 The Impact and Influence of the “Polarization” Trend on China–US Relations 3.4 Challenges and Potential for the Comprehensive Deepening of China–EU Strategic Cooperation 3.4.1 The “EU” in China’s Diplomatic Map Versus The “China” in the EU Report 3.4.2 The Nature of the Conflict Between China and Europe 3.4.3 The Foundation and Potential for China–EU Cooperation 3.5 The China–Russia Relation is Now at Its Best in History References 4 National Rejuvenation and Neighborhood Diplomacy Under “Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries” 4.1 The Reversal of the Situation in the South China Sea 4.2 The Turning Point of China–India Relations 4.3 The Melting of the “Ice” in China–Japan Relations References 5 The Responsibilities of Great Powers and Global Governance Under “Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries” 5.1 The Development, Current Problems and Challenges of the G20 5.1.1 20 years of G20: governance achievements and the logic behind its evolution 5.1.2 The latest dilemma of global governance 5.1.3 Current challenges faced by the G20 Summit 5.2 The Proposal and Progress of  the “China’s Plan” 5.2.1 The West still has more experience, resources, and means in global governance than China 5.2.2 There are still considerable differences between the Chinese and Western concepts of global governance, and the “Chinese Plan” of global governance is under the threat of being misinterpreted and stigmatized by the West 5.2.3 Several principles established at the Hangzhou Summit are facing the risk of being marginalized 5.3 Coping and Thinking 5.3.1 Strategic thinking on the continuation of the “Hangzhou Consensus” and defending China's plan in the short and medium-term 5.3.2 Strategic thinking on further optimizing the G20 structure and advancing global governance reform in the medium and long term References 6 From “Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries” to “Human Community with a Shared Future” 6.1 The Common Vision and Common Challenges for Mankind 6.2 The Flowers of Friendship Bloom at the Foot of the Himalayas 6.2.1 Gwadar: A Legend from a Small Fishing Village to an International Port 6.2.2 Jamal Dini and Yaozong Hu: Experience History and Build a Home Together 6.2.3 China-Nepal-India Corridor: The Snowy “Heaven Road” Goes Straight to the West 6.2.4 Trans-Himalayan Sustainable Development Community 6.3 All the Way to the West: The Revival and Integration of Civilization on the Three “Silk Roads” 6.3.1 Camel Bell Silk Road: bring Central Asia Towards a Bright Future 6.3.2 Prairie Silk Road: The Legend of the North Written by Madrid-Yiwu Train 6.3.3 The Silk Road on the Ice: An Unprecedented Pioneering Work 6.4 The Moonrise by the Sea 6.4.1 From China to Nanyang: A Bosom Friend Afar Brings a Distant Land Near 6.4.2 From Nanyang to Western: Rewriting the Legend of Zheng He 6.4.3 From Nanyang to Southern Pacific: Asia–Pacific Cooperation Reaches a New Level 6.5 Epilogue: The Preface of a Brand New Section References Part II Changes in Economics 7 The Prospect: Viewing Economic History as the History of Corporates 7.1 Origin: The Era of Colonial Trade 7.2 Inheritance: The Age of Imperialism 7.3 Transformation: The Era of Globalization  7.4 Convergence: The Era of Financialization References 8 Evolution: The Fifth Floor of Modernization  8.1 The Age of Great Innovation: The Changing Global Economic Landscape  8.2 Engineering of Network Structure: The “Underlying Architecture” of Today’s World 8.3 Tree-Planting Pattern Innovation: Why the Future Belongs to China References 9 Change: The Economy in the Age of Financialization 9.1 Financialization is a Derivative of Systematization  9.2 Financial Crisis Promotes Financial Deepening 9.3 The End of the “Golden Age” 9.4 From War to War 9.5 Gold, Oil and the “Big Bang” 10 The Game: Who Will Gain the Hegemony? 10.1 The Secret of the “Hegemony Dividend” 10.2 The Game of Modifing the Statistical Rules 10.3 Intellectual Property is at the Heart of the Rules Game 10.4 The Franchise Monopoly Nature of Patents 10.5 The International Patent System is Based on Mutual Market Access 10.6 Global Industrial Restructuring Creates the Dismatch of International Intellectual Property Rights and Obligations 10.7 The Essence of the Intellectual Property Game is the Profit Control Game 10.8 The Game of “Internationalization of Domestic Laws” and Its Response 10.9 “Industrial Ecology” is Fundamental 11 Trends: Possibilities for the Future Road 11.1 The Rise of “De-dollarization” 11.2 Where Innovation Will Drive China? 11.3 China’s Institutional Advantages in Financial Perspective 11.4 Western Democracy Faces an Institutional Dilemma 11.5 A New Understanding of China's Institutional Advantages 11.6 Shaping the New Path of Economic Globalization 11.7 Choice of National Development Path in  the Twenty-First Century References Part III Changes in Digitalization 12 The Human Crisis in the Age of Artificial Intelligence 12.1 The Artificial Intelligence Revolution in Historical Perspective 12.1.1 1952–1956: Birth of Artificial Intelligence 12.1.2 1956–1974: The Golden Age of Artificial Intelligence 12.1.3 1974–1980: The First Winter of Artificial Intelligence 12.1.4 1980–1987: Boom Period 12.1.5 1987–1993: The Second Winter of Artificial Intelligence 12.1.6 1993–2011: The Third Development Period of Artificial Intelligence 12.1.7 2011–Present: a Period of Big Data-Driven AI Development 12.2 Ethical and Privacy Dilemmas of Artificial Intelligence 12.2.1 The Crisis of Artificial Intelligence “Stripping with a Click” 12.2.2 Wanting to Avoid Risks is the Biggest Risk in Development: Take the Example of Drones 12.2.3 Current Problems in the Development of Artificial Intelligence in China 12.2.4 Suggestions for the Future Development of Artificial Intelligence in China: Laying a Solid Foundation, Protecting Intellectual Property Rights, and Encouraging Innovation 12.3 The Integration and Struggle Between Machines and Humans 12.3.1 Robotics Development Has a Greater Impact on Low-Income Populations 12.3.2 The Machine Will Not Just Be a Tool to Increase the Worker’s Efficiency, But the Machine Itself Will Become the Worker 12.3.3 Will the Musk “Brain-Computer Interface System” Usher in the Age of Cyberhumans? 12.4 Artificial Intelligence Technology Enables Breakthroughs in Other Areas 12.5 Outlook: The Inescapable Problem of Humanistic Concern References 13 Assessment and Governance of the Digital Society 13.1 The Rapid Growth of Smart Phones and Mobile Internet 13.2 The Development of Internet and the Formation of a Digital Society 13.2.1 Period of Basic Development 13.2.2 Portal Period 13.2.3 Mobile Internet Age 13.3 The Rise and Assessment of Digital Society in China 13.3.1 Foundations of China’s Digital Society: Big Data Development Strategies 13.3.2 The Overall Evaluation System of China’s Digital Society Development and Related Assessment 13.3.3 Digital Development in the Digital Economy Evaluation System 13.4 Big Data, Digital Society and Future Governance 13.4.1 Three Levels of Digital-Social Interaction 13.4.2 China Has Formed a Digital Social Governance Model Based on Human–Computer Interaction 13.5 The Future Development of the Digital Society 13.5.1 To Maintain the Competitive Dynamics of the Digital Society 13.5.2 To Develop and Implement a Comprehensive Digital Society Strategy 13.5.3 Strengthening Digital Privacy and Security Systems 13.5.4 Reducing Barriers to Access to the Digital Society at the Enterprise Level 13.5.5 Rethinking the Model for Training Digital Skills 13.5.6 To Improve the Ability of Society to Withstand and Stabilize the Negative Effects of Upgrading Economic Development and Eliminating Backward Production Capacity 13.6 Concluding Remarks 13.6.1 The “Sense of Access” to the Digital Society Is Closely Related to the Development of the Digital Economy 13.6.2 Digital Society Policy on the Ground, Requiring Deeper Institutional Reform References 14 China’s Version of the Global Interconnection Concept 14.1 Research Progress and Practice of the Digital Silk Road 14.1.1 International and Domestic Research Progress on the Digital Silk Road 14.1.2 Digital Silk Road Projects that Have Been Successfully Implemented and the Progress of Government Practices 14.2 The Rapid Development of China’s Digital Economy 14.2.1 China is Accelerating Its Transition to a Digital Economy 14.2.2 China’s Digital Economy Leads the World and Lays a Good Foundation for the Development of Digital “BRI” 14.3 Countries Along the “The Belt and Road Initiative” Have Widely Different Foundations for Digital Economy Development 14.3.1 Countries Along the BRI Have Varying Degrees of “Readiness” for Digital Economy Development 14.3.2 Mobile Internet Along the “BRI” Is Growing Faster Than Wired Internet 14.4 The Number of People with Internet Access Worldwide Grows Slowly, While the Internet of Things Grows Rapidly 14.4.1 The Number of New Internet Connections Is Slowing Down, but Personal Internet Use Is Getting Longer. The Trend of Internet Change Is Clear 14.4.2 The Internet of Everything and the Rapid Growth of the Global Internet of Things 14.5 “Silent Revolution” of the Internet of Things and Digital Silk Road Development Opportunities 14.5.1 The Internet of Things Has a Natural Advantage in the Development of Digital Processes: The “Silent Revolution” 14.5.2 IoT Development Provides Opportunities for Industrial Companies to Break Internet Company Data Monopoly 14.5.3 The Internet of Things Is an Important Foundation for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence 14.6 Suggestions on the Development of the Digital Silk Road 14.6.1 Grasp the Five Core Elements of the Development of the Digital Silk Road 14.6.2 Establishing a Digital Silk Road or Digital “BRI” Product Certification System 14.6.3 Accelerate the Integration of 5G and IoT Technologies, the Development of Digital Silk Road of Intellectual Property and Technical Standards is the Key 14.6.4 It Is Recommended that a Unified National-Level Digital Silk Road or “Digital BRI” Construction Strategic Plan Be Introduced as Soon as Possible References 15 Future Prospects of Blockchain Development 15.1 Basic Facts About Blockchain in the Past Decade 15.1.1 Blockchain’s International Influence in China is Beginning to Show, and Domestic Voices of Rethinking and Questioning Are Increasing 15.1.2 Most  “Blockchain” Companies in China Started in 2017 15.1.3 The Current Focus on Blockchain in Various Countries is Mainly on Cryptocurrency Issues 15.2 Vision for the Blockchain Market 15.2.1 Current Market Research in the Financial Sector is Focused on Payment Issues 15.2.2 A Bright Future for Digital Records Management 15.2.3 Great Potential in Entertainment, Communication and Intellectual Property 15.2.4 There Are Already Many Cases and Practical Scenarios in the E-commerce Field 15.2.5 The Current Market Adoption of Blockchain Must Overcome Three Major Challenges: Technical, Institutional, and Human 15.3 The Core Issues Constraining the Development of Blockchain 15.3.1 Computing Power Remains a Core Issue in the Development of Digital Technologies 15.3.2 The Ternary Paradox of Blockchain Decentralization 15.4 The Impacts of Blockchain on Government Development 15.4.1 Countries Begin to Actively Promote Blockchain Projects 15.4.2 Bureaucracy and Blockchain Functionally Similar but Structurally Reversed 15.4.3 Three Ways Blockchain Facilitates Government Function Reengineering 15.5 Four Problems Under the Trend of Decentralization 15.5.1 Blockchain’s Credit Mechanism Is Dimensionally Limited and Does Not Yet See the Possibility of Subverting Traditional Authority 15.5.2 Mankind Has Yet to Understand the Fact That the Digital Age Itself Has Become the “New Mineral”, and That the Higher Level Thinking Ability of the Masses in the Future May be Degraded by “Digital Feeding” 15.5.3 The Issue of Property Rights in Personal Privacy Is Inescapable and the Digital Value of People Needs to Be Re-evaluated 15.5.4 The Age of Digital Colonization Has Arrived 15.6 Related Suggestions 15.6.1 Further Strengthen the Fight Against Hype and Financial Fraud Using Blockchain, Quantum Computing and Other Gimmicks 15.6.2 Objectively Recognize the Gap Between “System Integration Capability” and “Innovation Capability Integration”, and Build an “Inverted Pyramid” Structure of Innovation Authority and Responsibility System 15.6.3 Further Strengthening of Humanities and Social Sciences in Response to the Problem of “Digital Feeding” 15.6.4 It Is Recommended that Work on the Definition of Individual Privacy Property Rights Begin as Soon as Possible 15.7 Conclusion References 16 “The Death of the West” and the Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries 16.1 The Domestic Perception of the “Death of the West” Dates from the 1980s to the Present 16.2 The West Strikes Back: Reverse Globalization and the Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries 16.3 Objective Systematic Assessment of the Development of the East and the West, Warning of National Arrogance References Postscript: The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Accelerating Profound Changes of the Century Part 1: The Interaction Between the Global Pandemic and the Global Depression Low-Intensity Situation: Regional Crisis Level Medium Intensity Situation: Centurial Crisis Level High-Intensity Situation: Civilizational Crisis Level Part 2: Preventing Foreign Economic Depression from Spreading to China The Global Chaotic Exchange Rate Brought Huge Import Inflationary Pressures Bear Markets in the West Make China’s Capital Markets Less Fluxible The Stagnation of International Trade Impacted China’s Foreign Trade Part 3: Geopolitical and Economic Changes Under the Context of the “New Global Depression” The Oil Crisis May Trigger a Food Crisis and a More Serious Financial Crisis Eurasia: The Epidemic Has Deepened the “The Belt and Road Initiative” Cooperation Transatlantic System: The Unprecedented “Great Separation” in US Europe Relations Part 4: China Must Build Six “ Bulwarks” for Protection The Bulwark to Prevent the Impacts of the Worsening International Economic Situation: Call on the United States to Actively Cooperate with China and Be Prepared for the Chaos Created by the United States The Bulwark to Prevent Economic and Financial Shocks: Reconstructing China’s Value Chain and Preventing International Financial Risk Transmission The Bulwark Against Geopolitical Shock: To Safeguard Against Geopolitical Conflicts in Cyberspace The Bulwark Against Social Impacts: To Protect the Safety of People, Enterprises, and Related Organizations Outside China The Bulwark Against the Impact of Public Opinion: Resolutely Fight Against Virus Labeling The Bulwark to Safeguard Against Systemic Risks: Move China’s “Defense Line” Outward to the World