China

LANG KUN

International Area Studies, Ph.D course

Arm yourself as an insider

How do you see this world? Why are people acting like this? Where do those decisions come from? My father left these questions to me when he sent me here in 2007. We say everybody always struggles for something no matter who you are or where you are from, but for the young generations, sometimes we got confused what we are fighting for or what we really want from life. Well paid job? Turf and power? Respects from the others? These fantasy byproducts of the developed world just got us blind, we are always in deliberately chasing the results rather than reasons, because we don’t exactly know how to explain the results and where to start to analysis the results. This is the key point of the gap between people’s communication, this is the key point of the disputes in the international affairs ―― We couldn’t’t understand.
  I finished my master program of International & Area Studies in GSIS of Pusan National University last year. Lucky for me that the professors in GSIS not only just provide me the relevant knowledge of the major, but also lead me to another level of analyzation through brilliant ideas in the class discussion. In my case, for example, the articles, theories and methodologies that I’ve studied made me feel that the gap between domestic China and international level is incredibly big. Because of in the era of globalization, most of this western-based knowledge which was widely accepted might not work anymore for the rising developing countries. With the development, the characteristics of the developing countries are getting more prominent, which means they are calling for a new pattern in line with their own national conditions, for instance, AIIB, or Asian-based international trade system. People cannot be transformed completely into others, because they were born with their own personalities and growing up under their unique environment. So the innovational ways of cooperation between developed countries and developing countries are required in the recent situation, the dilemma of Doha Round has already proved my argument here. Thus, if we are not clear about the background, characteristics and actual situation of each country, each region, each area, how could we figure out an effective solution for the emerging problems in the international affairs?
  Actually, people got panic when they realized the future might not be under control. But the truth is that this kind of fear is not real, the place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is the product of our imagination which causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. It reminds me the “China threat theory”. Even this forecast of the western experts is logical, if they compare the Sino-centric system with their Westphalia system and pay more attention to the study of East Asia history, their argument might not survive. So as a member of young generation, not only for Chinese students, but for every one of you who has the experiences of oversea study or not, the best part of study in school is not about what you have learned, it is what you will make of what you have learned. Remember every great achievement always seems unworthy and ridiculous at the beginning, no matter whatever difficulties you encounter once your goals were settled, you just have a little faith and keep fighting to the end.