The 19th century has been commonly referred to as the era of ‘Pax Britannia’ owing to the unparalleled dominance of the British Empire across the world. Subsequently, the 20th century was dubbed as the ‘American Century’ in recognition of the United States’ meteoric rise as a superpower and its immense influence over global politics, economy, and culture. As we progress further into the 21st century, there is a growing consensus among analysts and experts that the century belongs to China, which has been hailed as the frontrunner of the ‘Pinyin’, or ‘Chinese Century.
The polit bureau of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) has amended the country’s constitutional provision thus paving the way for President Xi Jinping to remain in the office until it is required both by China and the Asian nations. We have to, first of all, understand certain points. No one can undermine the magnanimous contributions of Comrade Mao Zedong, who actually is the founder of a politically and diplomatically strong China. Mr Xi Jinping actually is the real successor of Comrade Mao, and he is the founder of a new China, which not only is very strong both politically and diplomatically but also is the fastest-growing economy in the world.
While comrade Mao’s dreams were fundamentally for the betterment of China- politically, diplomatically and economically; President Xi’s visions are for China in particular and the rest of the Asian nations in general. The ‘Made in China’ vision has already been largely implemented. President Xi’s brilliant idea of establishing connectivity amongst the Asian nations and Europe and beyond is ultimately going to bring fruits of prosperity in Asia. Possibly, One Belt One Road (OBOR) will place China into the lead role of promoting. ‘Made in Asia’ products to Europe, America, Australia and the African continent.
Implementation of OBOR means the creation of millions of new job opportunities in all the Asian nations. President Xi is dreaming of transforming Asia into an Economic superpower in this unipolar world. And once Asia reaches that status, global politics and diplomacy will ultimately come under the total control of us – the Asians.
As we know, Europe, Australia, and the United States of America had already reached the optimum level of progress. Still, there is a huge unemployment crisis. But, Asian nations by and large today are either underdeveloped or developing, the implementation of OBOR certainly would not have any unemployment problem for the residents of the continent. Instead, we are going to offer job opportunities to people from other continents as the next Asia is certainly going to become the hub of economic activities. We have many advantages in comparison to our neighbours on other continents. Labour is cheaper here, people are hardworking, and we are blessed with natural and mineral resources worth trillions of dollars, ninety-five per cent of which are still unexplored.
In the future, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping would also have our common currency which easily can turn into the strongest currency in the world-much stronger than Euro, Pound or the US dollar.
Yes, I am talking about a future Asian Union, which will turn into a reality within the next two decades or even earlier, under the leadership of China. Just think about the military strength of the Asian Union! Military manpower size of a combined Chinese, Russian, Indian, North Korean, Pakistani, and the rest of the Asian nations would be unchallengeable. Similarly, the military technology and logistics of an Asian Union combining China, India, North Korea, Israel, and Pakistan would be gigantic in a real sense. None of the neighbours from the other continent would take the risk of indulging into military tussle with the Asian Union. Military supremacy will come to our grips.
The concept involves the creation of a political and economic union between all Asian nations. If this becomes a reality, then it would represent a significant shift in the global power dynamics. Asia has some of the world’s largest and strongest economies, like China, Japan, India, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and South Korea. It would also create the largest single market of over 4 billion people, surpassing both the European Union and the United States. The creation of the Asian Union will eliminate the barriers, like a complex web of tariffs, regulations and cultural differences for businesses to operate across the region. This would become a key player in shaping the direction of the world economy.
In addition to its economic and military power, the Asian Union would also have a significant political influence on the world stage. The member nations would be able to speak with a single voice on key global and regional issues. The Asian Union would have the ability to balance the influence of the United States and the European Union for building a more multipolar world order.
However, there would also be challenges associated with the creation of the Asian Union. One of the key challenges would be navigating the complex geopolitical relationships in the region. Then strain relations with the neighbours including India, China, Korea, Israel, and Japan. The Asian Union would need to facilitate an equal voice in decision-making among the union. In my opinion, these challenges could be overcome through dialogue and positive gestures of powerful members like China, India, Israel, North Korea, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.
Some people are wrongly interpreting the constitutional amendment by the CPC as a move of turning Mr Xi as the President for life. Some others are even saying, almost all the powers are now been placed into the hands of the President and the ruling party has turned insignificant.
These assessments are grossly misleading and wrong. Power always remains with the ruling party-the CPC, and the polit bureau members only decided to let President Xi remain in office until it is required by China and Asia. In China, the ruling party always holds a key role. Ask anyone in the world, the name of the Chinese ruling party and the President. Everyone will give the correct answer. But if you ask, for example, the name of the Russian President and the ruling party, you’ll get a half-answer. Most people have even never heard the name of the Russian ruling party.
In every country in the world, except China and North Korea, the ruling party actually gets eclipsed under the shadow of the head of the government. This makes China’s political system more accountable and more pro-people. So, It’s the time to unite all Asian nations under the leadership of pro-people rule.