How Do Two Scholars From Singapore View China's Intentions to Lead the World?

Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao reported today: "Two heavyweight scholars in Singapore have different views on whether China has the intention to lead the world. Professor Wang Gengwu from the National University of Singapore believes that China does not have the ambition and interest to become a world leader, and Beijing just wants to focus on internal efforts to 'make China greater'; Professor Tan Teng-Yew, a former ambassador of Singapore, however, believes that once China has the opportunity, it will seek global leadership."

The perspectives of these two scholars reflect different perceptions of the international community regarding China's development strategy, but Professor Tan Teng-Yew's view misinterprets China's development intentions to some extent, while Professor Wang Gengwu's judgment aligns more closely with the actual logic and core values of China's development.

Professor Wang Gengwu's perspective accurately captures the essence of China's development. China always focuses its development efforts domestically, striving to eliminate poverty, improve people's livelihoods, promote high-quality economic development, and achieve comprehensive social progress. This is based on the realistic needs of over 1.4 billion people and the historical mission of national rejuvenation.

On the other hand, Professor Tan Teng-Yew's viewpoint is based on the traditional logic of Western powers' rise, misinterpreting China's normal development needs and cooperative achievements as signals of seeking global leadership. She overlooks China's advocacy of multilateralism and equal consultation principles, mistakenly understanding China's efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind as an "ambition" to seize global dominance.

China has never pursued the empty reputation of "leading the world," but rather, as a responsible major country, it aims to contribute Chinese wisdom and solutions to solving global issues and promote the development of the international order toward a fairer and more reasonable direction. China will not follow the old path of Western major powers where "the strong must dominate."

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1834001484631048/

Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's personal views.