HONG KONG — For its blistering economic growth and rising political power, global dominance is moving from the United States and Europe to Asia, in what is predicted to be the new Asian Century.
"Yes, absolutely, I think this decade demonstrates the real promise of Asia," Alan Dupont, director of the Centre for International Security Studies at the University of Sydney, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) Sunday, December 27.
"The last two years in particular have seen a sea shift in real power.
“I think that's been highlighted by the travails the Americans and the Europeans have had after the global economic and financial crisis."
China and India -- the world’s two most populous countries – have become leading world players in recent years over their rising economic and political might.
China has made a blistering economic growth rates of more than 8.0 percent while India achieved growth rates of more than 7.0 percent.
In contrast, Western countries slumped into recession.
Beijing is also considered the world’s biggest creditor country.
Analysts predict that the rise of China and India would define the decades to come after the American Century and the British Century before that.
“Power really has shifted to the East and away from Europe and North America," said Dupont.
Soft Power
The rising political power of China and India is also accelerating Asia’s titling to global dominance.
"There is a shift of the assets and, with that, political power towards China in particular and Asia in general," said Robert Broadfoot, managing director of the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy.
This is evident in failure to reach any global agreements without the consent of the two Asian giants.
For instance, Beijing’s opposition to a deal that puts a brake on its economic growth nipped in the bud Copenhagen talks to reach a climate agreement this month.
And beyond that lies "soft power" -- the sort of cultural influence wielded last century by the US in particular, from Hollywood through pop culture to fast food.
For example, China's Confucius Institutes around the world now compete with other organizations that project national cultural influence, such as the British Council or France's Alliance Francaise.
Chinese-born actors such as Gong Li, Jet Li and Zhang Ziyi now have Hollywood star power. Writers Ha Jin and Yu Hua are acclaimed internationally.
In addition, Beijing set up a 6.5-billion-dollar fund to expand the global footprint of state-controlled media companies like Xinhua, China Central Television and China Radio International.
Hosting the Olympics last year was also an emphatic declaration of China's global arrival and some of its sportsmen -- such as basketballer Yao Ming and former world-record hurdler Liu Xiang -- have celebrity status.
Chinese scientists are also becoming more prominent, with the nation's space program leading the way.
China was the world's third nation to put a man in space and has ambitions to send a man to the moon.
India has also enjoyed success in space with the announcement in September that its first lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1, had found evidence of large quantities of water on the moon's surface.
"It has really focused everybody on the fact that China has now arrived and India is not that far behind,” said Dupont.
IslamOnline
"Yes, absolutely, I think this decade demonstrates the real promise of Asia," Alan Dupont, director of the Centre for International Security Studies at the University of Sydney, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) Sunday, December 27.
"The last two years in particular have seen a sea shift in real power.
“I think that's been highlighted by the travails the Americans and the Europeans have had after the global economic and financial crisis."
China and India -- the world’s two most populous countries – have become leading world players in recent years over their rising economic and political might.
China has made a blistering economic growth rates of more than 8.0 percent while India achieved growth rates of more than 7.0 percent.
In contrast, Western countries slumped into recession.
Beijing is also considered the world’s biggest creditor country.
Analysts predict that the rise of China and India would define the decades to come after the American Century and the British Century before that.
“Power really has shifted to the East and away from Europe and North America," said Dupont.
Soft Power
The rising political power of China and India is also accelerating Asia’s titling to global dominance.
"There is a shift of the assets and, with that, political power towards China in particular and Asia in general," said Robert Broadfoot, managing director of the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy.
This is evident in failure to reach any global agreements without the consent of the two Asian giants.
For instance, Beijing’s opposition to a deal that puts a brake on its economic growth nipped in the bud Copenhagen talks to reach a climate agreement this month.
And beyond that lies "soft power" -- the sort of cultural influence wielded last century by the US in particular, from Hollywood through pop culture to fast food.
For example, China's Confucius Institutes around the world now compete with other organizations that project national cultural influence, such as the British Council or France's Alliance Francaise.
Chinese-born actors such as Gong Li, Jet Li and Zhang Ziyi now have Hollywood star power. Writers Ha Jin and Yu Hua are acclaimed internationally.
In addition, Beijing set up a 6.5-billion-dollar fund to expand the global footprint of state-controlled media companies like Xinhua, China Central Television and China Radio International.
Hosting the Olympics last year was also an emphatic declaration of China's global arrival and some of its sportsmen -- such as basketballer Yao Ming and former world-record hurdler Liu Xiang -- have celebrity status.
Chinese scientists are also becoming more prominent, with the nation's space program leading the way.
China was the world's third nation to put a man in space and has ambitions to send a man to the moon.
India has also enjoyed success in space with the announcement in September that its first lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1, had found evidence of large quantities of water on the moon's surface.
"It has really focused everybody on the fact that China has now arrived and India is not that far behind,” said Dupont.
IslamOnline
