Some thoughts on the Boao Forum 2023

 Some thoughts on the Boao Forum 2023            

Historically, China has the millennia-old tradition of turning their purchasing power into political influence. Almost always in the history, China has been the biggest polity in terms of population and they have evinced the ingenuity in utilizing their purchasing power as leverage to obtain the political control over its neighbors and trade partners from the olden time. Before the modern era, the government monopolized the international trade or exercise direct control over the cross-border trade so that they could maintain the tribute relationship with other countries. In other words, tribute system had been sustained because the free trade by private sector was punishable crime.

In a sense, Boao Forum is the resuscitation of the olden tribute system in that CCP takes advantage of their full control over its purchasing power and that the participation is actually a forced option for the participants under the circumstance. In appearance, international trade is not the governmental monopoly in China any more, but every body knows they can not sell their product in China next day they get on the bad side of the CCP. Apple and Volkswagen know they can be next SamSung and Hyundai in the Chinese market overnight. +

+For both Apple and Volkswagen, the Chinese market is so critical for their leading position in the global market.

The portrait of Duke Huan of Qi

There is a record of court conversation between a Chinese king and his chancellor that shows how the tribute system was born out of the governmental control over the purchasing power in the book named Guanzi (管子) on the historical figure who lived around 7C BC, in the Spring and Autumn period. The King of the country Qi 濟, afraid of the neighboring “Barbarians” not showing signs of obeisance and of their possible attacks, asks how he could make the neighboring countries come before him to show respect. The Guanzi’s answer was to pay more than the value for their staples so that they come on their foot for profit.+ China paid back much more in value to its important neighbors to sustain the system. Sometimes, they had to let slide the disgrace of getting ostentatiously poor tribute.

+From the record, we know China at the time imported from ancient Korea the clothes along with their mink firs. Ancient Korea called Gojoseon was located in the lower Manchuria with its southern border near today’s Beijing.

桓公曰 四夷不服 恐其逆政 游於天下 而傷寡人 寡人之行 爲此有道乎。 管子對曰 吳越不朝 珠象而以爲幣乎。發·朝鮮不朝 請文皮毤【他臥切 落毛也。】服而以爲幣乎。 … … 一豹之皮 容金而金也 然後八千里之發朝鮮可得而朝也。 … 故物無主 事無接 遠近無以相因 則四夷不得而朝矣。

What Boao sets itself apart is in the formats of gathering. Different from other international forums which are led by academic circles or by industrial interests in the private sector in the framework of democratic discussion, the scenes of the Chinese government meeting and addressing the visitors, reminiscent of the old-time international tribute events in Chinese court, seem to represent the nature of the gathering. The seats were designated by CCP for each delegate, letting on the CCP’s views and inner desires on the international order. The discussions are like a stage among those thus invited and dignitaries, competing to show how serious they are in wanting the role of China as savior for the future of mankind, trying to sound bold but not fawning.

So, the question makes the strong points by itself. The Boao forum was possible firstly because of the huge purchasing power of China and secondly because of CCP’s full control over the market and trade, if not by direct monopoly. Nobody goes to Dabos to please the Swiss people and government. Some go there to do business, some may go there to pretend they are concerned about the future of the mankind. I know some who went there just to show they are important enough. But nobody goes there afraid their absence may displease the Swiss government.

When we consider all the settings and the psychologies in play at the Boao Forum, we can say the the gathering is closer to the ancient tribute ceremony than to the Dabos one in nature. It will not change or, more probably, it will get more so as long as the CCP hosts the meeting, the forum itself becoming an important tool on its way to the global hegemony. I believe that If there is a need for a forum for Asia reflecting its growing importance and we are serious about having a real forum of free speech and intelligence, I think the venue should be held in the countries like Philippine or Brunei.

On the other hand, the apparent initiatives by CCP elates the Chinese people greatly who believe that they are getting back the “glory” of the past, where the Small Countries 小國 should show obeisance and respect to the Big Country 大國. ( China is the only Big Country of the world to the Chinese minds. ) That explains the sentiments of Chinese people supporting CCP. And it can be a luck to the West in the big picture because CCP after all is the one bottling in the great real potentials of the Chinese people. And that is what the West thanks Xi for.