“China is simply the other pole of the human experiment: China is the essential ‘other’ without the knowledge of which the West would not be able to perceive the outline and the limits of its own self.” Simon Leys, Sinologist
As individuals and society, we will tend to believe and act in certain ways according to the values, attitudes and the propaganda we are subjected to in our society. However, there are strengths and weaknesses in every culture and we should acknowledge each other’s humanity. Currently, due to geo-politics, there is a lot of negative news about China in the West, at times demonisation and war mongering. It is therefore important that we see through or at least question any disinformation from both sides.
‘Thinking About China and the West’ consists of 4 parts:
• The first part of book looks at how history has shaped the way the West and East developed.
• The second part explores some of the differences in philosophy, value and culture between the two.
• The third part comments on how differences in values are reflected in notions of the state, governance and economic development.
•The fourth and final part are concluding thoughts on how we hope the relationship between China and the West might develop in coming years.
Our aim for the book is to encourage dialogue around how the West can and should respond to the rise of China, for a sustainable future for all of us - in the West, for China and for every other country on our planet. Hopefully, China and the West (and other emerging powers in the global south) can find ways to peacefully co-exist through co-building multilateral mechanisms, and not destroy each other through fear, mistrust and desire for global domination.
Dr Yeow Poon, a British Malaysian Chinese, is a management consultant. He works in the UK and internationally with bilateral and multi-lateral agencies to support public administration reforms, strengthening public services and building the capacity of civil society in emerging economies, especially in Southeast Asia. He is semi-retired and is exploring social cohesion, cross culture mutuality and a sustainable, collaborative and peaceful multi-polar world. He is keen on connecting cultural values, and strongly believe that differences between China and the West can be brought together as positive forces to construct sustainable paradigms for overcoming the challenges today living in the 21st Century.
Bill Good has a mechanical engineering degree from Birmingham University and qualified as a Chartered Accountant at Robson Rhodes in London. He gained his commercial experience within Fast Moving Consumer Goods in the food processing industry at Brooke Bond PLC. For the last 35 years, he has held senior positions within manufacturing and service related companies, including the TI Group, Sandvik and Marshalls PLC, becoming Group MD of Thomas Walker Plc, an AIM listed company, as well as personally buying a street furniture company. More recently he has held a number of Non-Executive Director roles, and is currently CEO of Diverco Ltd, a corporate broker. Having traded through his industrial life with China, Bill is very interested in the importance of China to the world’s economy and of its deep-rooted culture.
