Mahbubani: 2023 Award for Distinguished Contributions to China Studies

Kishore Mahbubani, a Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute, NUS, is the author of The Asian 21st Century, an open access book which has been downloaded over 3.3 million times since its release in January 2022. He is also the author of “Has China Won?“ Here is the full text of Mr. Mahbubani’s Award Acceptance Speech. Ladies and Gentlemen, It is truly a great honour to be recognised for my efforts to promote a greater understanding of China in the global community. I am truly sorry that I cannot be there in person with you today to celebrate this award. Sadly, prior commitments have prevented me from joining you. The need to develop a better understanding of China in our global community, especially in the West, has never been greater. The return of China, the world’s oldest continuous civilization, is a perfectly natural development. It’s an undeniable fact that from the year 1 to the year 1820, the two largest global economies were always those of China and India. The real aberration in human history was the past 200 years of Western domination. All aberrations come to a natural end. This explains the natural resurgence of China, India, and other great Asian societies. Sadly, Western leaders and policymakers have not been prepared, intellectually and emotionally, to accept the Asian 21st century that is unfolding before our eyes. Fortunately, most of the 88% of the world that lives outside the West accept this. Most societies in the world, especially in Asia, have had strong relations with China for centuries, if not millennia. Hence, there is deep respect for the deep pools of wisdom in Chinese civilisation. By sharing its wisdom, China is helping us create a better world for humanity. This is why the greatest global imperative today is to promote a deeper understanding of China. Even a brief study of the history of China, with its record of zero overseas colonial expansion, could help American policymakers lay to rest their deep fear that China is threatening America. It isn’t. Instead, China’s willingness to work with America and other global powers to address pressing global challenges should be seen as a massive opportunity to create a better world for humanity which now shares a “Community of Common Destiny for Mankind“. With this award in hand, I will redouble my efforts to promote a better understanding of China. Like the late Ezra Vogel, a good friend of mine who received a similar award said, “I am deeply moved to be recognized in China as one who has seriously endeavored to interpret China to the West.“ Kishore Mahbubani __________________ ShanghaiEye focuses on producing top-quality contents. Nobody knows SHANGHAI better than us. Please subscribe to us ☻☻☻ __________________ For more stories, please click ■ What’s up today in Shanghai, the most updated news of the city ■ Amazing Shanghai, exploring the unknown corners of the city, learning the people, food and stories behind them ■ What Chinese people’s lives are like during the post COVID-19 period ■ Views of foreign scholars on China and its affairs ■ Foreign faces in Shanghai, people living in this city sharing their true feelings ■ Mini-docs showing why China is the country it is today __________________ ☎Leave us messages if you have any suggestions or questions! Thank you!