difference brings creativity, innovation
photo: vcg
edited by qi liming
difference is intrinsically good, a vital force behind creativity and innovation, and an essential ingredient for international competition. the troubled u.s. could learn from its differences with china, rather than simply challenge them.
that's the opinion of david dodwell, ceo of the trade policy and international relations consultancy strategic access.
dodwell, who focuses on developments and challenges facing the asia-pacific over the past four decades, told the south china morning post recently, that he has a chronic, deep-seated discomfort with u.s. president joe biden's call for the world's democracies to wage war on different regimes, particularly when used as a pretext to isolate and decouple from china.
dodwell said, his discomfort comes not simply from the difficulty of defining a democracy, wikipedia defines dozens of types of democracy, many of which stray far from the template biden is starting from, but because a precondition for human survival in this increasingly crowded world is a tolerance of difference.
it becomes a negative force only when people or governments try to impose those differences on others, and this is not something china has done, said dodwell, who believes that rather than being morally outraged at those alien customs and beliefs, it should be measured by their effectiveness in managing the conflicts that arise in crowded communities, and in encouraging civic-mindedness and community cooperation.
he said difference should not just be tolerated; it should be treasured as part of life's rich tapestry, and as a critical ingredient of healthy competition.
china provided an alternative development path, challenging the idea that modernization must equal westernization, and there is no harm in this. if it leads to a fresh examination of governments' strengths and shortcomings, so be it. competition can be no bad thing, said dodwell.
