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China says it wants to help build a new Asian order. President Xi Jinping revealed the contours of that plan in a speech last week
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China says it wants to help build a new Asian order. President Xi Jinping revealed the contours of that plan in a speech at the Boao Forum of Asia last week, a regional variant of the Davos gabfest. He spoke about a common destiny for Asia.
A growing number of countries are signing up for the new infrastructure finance bank that China is setting up. There are also grand plans to connect Asia with transport networks such as the Maritime Silk Route. Some believe these are the first moves towards the economic integration of Asia.
In his speech, Xi tried to downplay fears of Chinese dominance in the new Asia he is talking about. An earlier attempt by the Japanese, the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere, was a merely a cover for militaristic expansion in the 1930s. China was at the receiving end then.
In a way, the question of Chinese dominance is quite similar to the issue of whether its economic power allows Germany to dominate the new Europe.
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