许通美：亚细安期待富裕、和平、世界主义的中国
Illustration:
Sun Ying
Most of the
ASEAN countries have a benign view of China. This is based in part on their
reading of Chinese history and, in part, on the behavior of China in the past
20 years.
Our
understanding of Chinese history leads us to conclude that, except for the two
periods when China was ruled by the Mongols in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and
the Manchus under the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), China was not an aggressive or
expansionist state. On the contrary, China was frequently invaded by
foreigners. The preoccupation of China has been to defend its sovereignty,
independence and territorial integrity.
China's
relations with Southeast Asia go back many centuries. During the Ming Dynasty
(1368-1644), the kings and sultans of Southeast Asia acknowledged China as the
superior power and civilization. They sought China's protection and rendered
tribute to the Chinese emperors. A sultan of Sulu and a sultan of Brunei, for
example, died while they were in China. Their tombs have been maintained by the
Chinese authorities through the centuries.
In subsequent
centuries, China turned inward and declined. At the same time, the West
colonized many of the countries in Southeast Asia. During the period of Western
domination, relations between China and Southeast Asia progressively declined.
However, during
the early part of the 20th century, the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia
played a crucial role in supporting Sun Yat-sen's revolution to overthrow the
Qing Dynasty and to introduce republican rule. There are centers in Singapore
and Penang, Malaysia to honor Sun and to commemorate the contributions of the
Chinese communities of the two countries to the 1911 revolution and the end of
dynastic rule in 1912.
During the
Japanese invasion of China, many idealistic young men and women in Southeast
Asia of Chinese descent volunteered to help China. Some volunteered to drive
the trucks which brought much-needed fuel, food and other essentials, through
the perilous mountains of Myanmar and Yunnan, to Kunming.
Many lost their
lives. Others were stranded in China when the project was abandoned. Other
young men brought relief by air, piloting decrepit planes dubbed the
"flying tigers," with US General Claire Lee Chennault. It is only in
recent years that the archives of China and Singapore have curated exhibitions
to honor the memories of those brave young men and women.
After World War
II, many countries in Southeast Asia gained their independence. Relations
between the newly independent countries and the People's Republic of China went
through some difficult years during the 1960s and 1970s, because of the Cold
War and because some of the ASEAN countries were fighting against insurgencies
which had the support of external parties, including China.
The tour by then
Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore in 1978 was a
turning point. Relations between China and ASEAN have grown better and stronger
in the past 20 years. The conclusion of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement
was a critical moment. Today, China is ASEAN's No.1 trading partner.
ASEAN wants
China to be a strong and prosperous country. The reason is that ASEAN has
benefited from China's growing prosperity. ASEAN prefers a China which is
exporting goods, services and investments. A weak and disgruntled China would
be more difficult for ASEAN to deal with than a strong and prosperous China.
However, as
China's power continues to rise, it should be very sensitive in its dealings
with its smaller neighbors. In China's conduct of its disputes with Brunei,
Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam, in the South China Sea, it should
scrupulously eschew the use of force or the threat to use force.
The disputes
should be settled peacefully, through negotiations, mediation, arbitration or
adjudication or by way of joint development. The disputes should also be
settled in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention
on the Law of the Sea.
During the past
two decades, China has pursued a policy of good neighborliness toward her
neighbors in Southeast Asia. China has also been generous toward and supportive
of the ASEAN countries. This has gained China enormous goodwill. China should
not squander this goodwill, but continue to treat its neighbors with equality
and mutual respect. As China grows more and more powerful, it should learn to
speak more softly and exercise its power with great sensitivity.
The rise of
China is the biggest story of this century. As I look to the future, my wish
for China is that it will be inspired by the China of the Tang Dynasty
(618-906).
During that
dynasty, China was a superpower. It was rich, cultured and powerful. It was at
peace with itself and with the world. It was cosmopolitan and open to other
countries and civilizations. China had good relations with all countries,
including those in Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
The author is
the chairman of the Centre for International Law of the National University of
Singapore. He is also the co-chairman of the China-Singapore Forum.
opinion@globaltimes.com.cn
许通美：亚细安期待富裕、和平、世界主义的中国
（2012-07-04）
● 许通美
大多数亚细安国家都认为中国是个善良的国家。这一方面是基于它们对中国历史的理解，另一方面是基于中国在过去20年的行为。
对中国历史的理解让我们得到的结论，是除了在两个时期，即中国被蒙古人统治的元朝（1271－1368）及被满洲人统治的清朝（1644－1911），中国并不是一个具侵略性和扩张主义的国家。相反的，中国不时被外人侵略。它所专注的是保卫其主权、独立及领土完整。
中国同东南亚的关系可以追溯到数世纪前。在明朝（1368－1644），东南亚的国王和苏丹承认中国是更强大的国家和文明。他们寻求中国的保护并向中国皇帝进贡。比如，苏禄国（Sulu）及文莱的苏丹便在向中国朝贡期间在那里去世。他们的坟墓多个世纪来一直得到中国官方的维修。
接下来的几个世纪，中国变得内向并开始衰落。与此同时，西方则把东南亚的许多国家变成它们的殖民地。在西方主宰世界的时期，中国和东南亚的关系也日益疏远。
然而，在20世纪初期，东南亚的海外华人，在支持孙中山推翻清朝和建立共和制度的革命中，扮演了至关重要的角色。在新加坡和马来西亚的槟城，都有记录孙中山和这两个国家华人社群对1911年的革命，以及于1912结束王朝统治的贡献的纪念中心。
日本侵略中国时，东南亚的许多热血华裔青年男女挺身而出帮助中国。一些人自愿驾驶卡车，运载急需的燃料、食物和其他重要物资，经过缅甸和云南的危险山区到昆明。
许多人丢了性命。一些在计划放弃时被困在中国，另外一些年轻人则同美国的陈纳德将军（Claire Lee Chennault）驾驶被称为“飞虎”的陈旧飞机，通过空路供应救济品。一直到近年，中国和新加坡的档案馆才开始主办展览，来纪念这些英勇年轻人的事迹。
二次世界大战后，许多东南亚国家取得独立。这些新独立的国家同中华人民共和国的关系，在1960及70年代经历了一些困难的时期。除了冷战，也因为一些亚细安国家，正努力平息得到包括中国在内的外来势力支持的叛乱。
中国领导人邓小平于1978年访问泰国、马来西亚和新加坡是个转折点。中国和亚细安的关系，在过去20年变得更好和更牢固。中国－亚细安自由贸易区的签署是个关键时刻。今天，中国已是亚细安的最大贸易伙伴。
亚细安希望中国成为强大和繁荣的国家，因为亚细安已从中国的日益繁荣受惠。亚细安期待一个出口商品、服务和投资的中国。对亚细安来说，一个软弱和不满的中国，比一个强大和繁荣的中国更难相处。
然而，中国在实力日增时，在同较小的邻居交往时，也应该更敏感。在处理同文莱、马来西亚、菲律宾和越南在南中国海的纠纷时，它应该小心翼翼地避免使用武力或恫言使用武力。
这些争执应该通过谈判、调解、仲裁、裁决或共同发展和平地解决。纠纷也应该根据国际法，特别是1982年的《联合国海洋法公约》来解决。
过去20年，中国对东南亚的邻国奉行了“好邻居”的政策，对亚细安国家也很宽厚和支持。这为它争取了它不应该浪费的许多善意。中国应该继续以平等和相互尊重的态度对待其邻国。中国在越来越强大的同时，也应该学会更轻声说话和更敏感的运用它的实力。
中国的崛起是这个世纪最引人注目的发展。展望未来，我希望现今的中国会从唐朝（618－906）时期的中国得到启示。
在唐朝，中国是个超级强国。它富有、文化丰富及国力鼎盛。国内和睦并与世无争。它是个对其他国家和文明开放的国际化国家，也同包括中亚、中东和欧洲的所有国家维持良好关系。
作者是新加坡国立大学国际法中心主席，也是中国—新加坡论坛联合主席。原载7月2日英文《环球时报》（Global Times）。叶琦保译。
中国在越来越强大的同时，也应该学会更轻声说话和更敏感的运用它的实力。
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