World Politics and Justice World Politics and Justice The Asian Century

This Lesson 1.The China Imagery 2.The Asian Century 3.Normative Soft Power 4.Ancient Chinese Thought for a Modern Chinese Superpower

The China Imagery

Even Rabbits Can’t Resist

Pudong…then and now

The Asian Century  A cultural, economic and political shift from West to East (Asia is the world’s engine room)  ACU colleague: shift from Westphalia to Eastphalia  Once we looked to London, then to Washington. Will we now look to Beijing for global leadership? Facts  Asia’s population is 3.8 billion (more than half of the world’s population). It has the world’s most populous countries  By 2025, Asia will account for over half of the world’s output (producer and consumer of goods)

Australia and Asia  From Yellow Peril to Future Prosperity Facts:  Trade: increased fourfold since 1990  Education: increased by sixfold since 1990  Tourism: increased by fourfold since 1990  Migration: increased by 25% since 1990 Australia’s future challenge: to re-imagine ourselves as an integral part of the Asia Pacific region – rather than as an outlier of Europe/US

Normative Soft Power  Soft vs Hard Power – co-option vs coercion (Nye)  Soft power: it’s always in the eyes of the beholder (projecting status and authority)  For much of the twentieth century, Europe and the US were the most esteemed players on the world stage. They implemented and created the international system we know today (along with universal values like human rights, justice, democracy, capitalism, liberalism, etc.)  For the first time, in centuries, there is a soft power shift: where increasingly economic and cultural prestige is moving from Paris and New York to Shanghai and Mumbai  We are intrigued by these places and what they offer

The Globalisation of Chinese Norms Yan Xuetong  Key Question: Will China have the ability to affect moral leadership in world affairs?  Returns to pre-Qin political philosophy (i.e. Confucius, Mencius) for guidance  Emphasis on ‘conceptual’ rather than ‘material’ power  China must be a ‘humane authority’ rather than a ‘hegemonic authority’