Looking at B&R from cultural perspective
Tim Winter has introduced a cultural perspective to the analysis of the Belt and Road. Photo: Wang Youran/CSST
Launched in 2013, China’s Belt and Road (B&R) initiative has been discussed primarily from political and economic perspectives, but less from a cultural perspective. Recently, CSST interviewed Tim Winter, a professor from the School of Social Sciences at the University of Western Australia, who has introduced a cultural perspective to the analysis of international affairs. In his opinion, China is becoming the new author of Eurasian history and the architect of the bridge between East and West through reviving the Silk Road within the framework of the B&R. Countries along the B&R are also taking this opportunity to revisit their histories and find points of diplomatic and cultural connection.
Winter has been observing and studying history and culture in Asia for the past 20 years. He said that when reading about the launch of the B&R initiative in 2013, he had a strong sense that “this would produce some fascinating developments.” The discussion of the B&R initiative in Western countries was then focused on political and infrastructure issues, but Winter thought something meaningful and important was being missed. His research focuses on how the Silk Road provides a framework for cooperation between countries along the B&R and the ways in which culture and history are being used to promote the B&R initiative.
The term “Silk Road” was coined in modern times, though these routes have a very long history. The Silk Road, the passages of peaceful exchange and trade between regions and cultures in ancient times, came to be associated with peace, diplomacy, international cooperation, cosmopolitanism and adventure in the 20th century. The West sees the Silk Road as a bridge connecting Europe and Asia, while in Asia the emphasis has been more on cultural exchange within the region. By reviving the Silk Road, Winter observed that China is developing a powerful platform that gives new cultural and political significance to Chinese civilization, a cultural form distinct from that of the West.
Many people differentiate between soft and hard power and consider culture a source of soft power. Winter said he does not want to differentiate this way because an analytical binary of “soft” and “hard” often leads to interpretations of international affairs and the changing nature of state power that ignore historical, cultural or religious background. He noted that the B&R initiative exemplifies the need to look across sectors, to read the entanglements between sectors, and to see how the worldviews different countries hold about trade, internationalism and cooperation are shaped by the ways history is read.
The key themes and ideas associated with the Silk Road form, to some extent, a strategic narrative that is aimed at negotiating a highly complex set of cultural, economic and political relations, within and across borders, Winter said. The Silk Road provides a language for building friendships and trust while at the same time helping construct a regional order. Winter said he has investigated the different ways in which the Silk Road idea is used by countries along the B&R, and he has been struck by the subtle, yet powerful ways it becomes a symbol of trans-regional connectivity.
How the B&R initiative will contribute to China and other countries along its route is a complex question, as there are so many elements of the B&R initiative that it will be several years before its broader societal impacts can be better understood, Winter noted. In the West, the Silk Road is now seen as a history of trade and exchange between East and West. China, by reviving the Silk Road, is creating a new language of international relations in Asia, where governments are looking to link their own economic and societal progress to a wider regional revival. One of the common threads of Silk Road diplomacy in Afghanistan, Greece, Sri Lanka and elsewhere relates to reclaiming dignity. Each of these countries has deep civilizational pasts, but they all currently face economically and socially uncertain futures.
In terms of China itself, it is well documented that the B&R initiative can help foster development across different regions and reduce economic and social gaps. Winter believed that at a more abstract level, the Silk Road helps communicate the idea that China is most successful when it is open to the world with confidence, actively shares ideas and technologies, and engages in different forms of exchange with other countries.
Chinese civilization is very tolerant of cultural differences, Winter observed. In an uncertain and increasingly inter-connected world, such values can be very important forces in creating inter-cultural harmony and social stability across the wider Asia region. Adopting this as a long-term strategy, the B&R initiative will make a very important contribution to international affairs in the 21st century.
The B&R initiative will become a very significant platform for preserving and restoring the cultural past across a number of countries, Winter concluded. Japan, India and South Korea have been conducting cultural aid in other Asian countries for some years. China is only now beginning to enter this space, and it is developing the necessary institutions and expertise. The B&R initiative is likely to create opportunities for studying and preserving the material past in countries and locations that desperately need resources and assistance. Given that many countries in Asia and Europe have specific connections to Silk Road heritage, there are real possibilities for building multilateral forms of cooperation in the coming years.
edited by JIANG HONG