Valdai Club

For many in the West, East and South East Asia are generally perceived as a vast region that is relatively tranquil accommodating weaker and smaller nations that have held their heads down and stayed submissive to Western colonialists for hundreds of years, writes Nelson Wong, Vice Chairman, Shanghai Centre for RimPac Strategic and International Studies, for the 13th Asian conference of the Valdai Discussion Club.

Despite the fact that the world has crumbled and with Russia's military operation in Ukraine still ongoing, the Valdai Discussion Club's annual convention this year is therefore more important than ever, and the fact that it has still gathered over 100 participants from 41 countries alone has shown the due respect towards the club by experts, diplomats, politicians alike from around the world who care about not only the current crisis but also the way forward for us humanity.

In the context of the on-going worldwide geopolitical transition towards more competition among big powers, Hong Kong is still well-positioned to continue to serve as city of international importance and hence be a valuable asset to its motherland, Valdai Club expert Nelson Wong writes.

While the "special military operation" of Russia in Ukraine is still underway, the US and its Western allies have already announced several waves of sanctions against Russia over the last couple of days. Op-ed articles that have appeared in both Russian and Western media are feeding readers around the world with opinions of well-known scholars from Russia, Europe and the US on the background and root-cause of the on-going crisis in Ukraine, let us turn to look at those sanctions against Russia that have also taken the world by surprise.  

The post-pandemic world will not be determined by the outcome of the confrontation between the US and China, or by splitting the world into two competing camps, writes Nelson Wong, Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Centre for RimPac Strategic and International Studies, speaker at the Special Session of the 18th Annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club.

Cross-border trade and investment of the 21st century should be protected based on the principle of a level playing field and that any proposed change of the rules, if any, must be discussed and agreed upon by all stakeholders within the framework of the WTO; it should not be imposed or dictated by one country, even if it is the most powerful country, writes Nelson Wong, Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Centre for RimPac Strategic and International Studies.

Against all odds, threats and challenges, the world is moving steadily into a Pacific era powered by China’s large economy and consumer market, writes Nelson Wong, Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Centre for RimPac Strategic and International Studies. Yet it is wrong to just believe that the world’s agenda will thus be set by the Asians from now on and that the West will soon be marginalised or left out of the game. A better tomorrow for the world will not be achieved by a few countries’ attempt to contain China’s development, nor will it be determined by the outcome of confrontation between the US and China, or by splitting the world into two competing camps, as recent developments of world politics have shown. A worldwide call for rational dialogues among global leaders must therefore be placed on top of the agenda for all stakeholders to reach a consensus in order to protect and to safeguard the continued peace and development of mankind, particularly in a post-pandemic world.

Judging from the wider context of the conflict and the current relations between Washington and Beijing, one may easily come to the conclusion that Hong Kong has become collateral damage in the growing rivalry between the two countries, writes Nelson Wong, Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Centre for RimPac and International Studies.

Chinese culture favours restraint and considers self-control a virtue and a reflection of strength. Mutual respect and dialogue is by far the most advisable and practical approach to handle and solve problems or disputes, if we all believe peace and development to be the right way forward for mankind, writes Nelson Wong, Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Centre for RimPac Strategic and International Studies.

Today's Russia is not the Soviet Union during the Cold War, nor is China the same as it was forty years ago. The fast developing relations between China and Russia has far more strategic relevance worldwide than purely bilateral in nature, and should be appreciated as an endeavour of the two countries to grasp this historic opportunity to create a new horizon for peace and development that befits the wisdom and advancement of mankind.