AS a writer, I can say that there’s nothing like a good conflict to get one’s creative juices flowing. Somehow, conflicts always produce a sense of drama and throw up a cast of characters that make a good story.
Take the recent visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao to the US. The Chinese leader may have thought that he was going to the US to discuss simple issues of trade, but in reality he was going to fulfill the role of a protagonist in a drama that Newsweek billed as, “The Real Clash of Civilizations.” We had the perfect story. The two presidents were two adversaries, representing the conflict between good and evil and although no one expected the conflict to be resolved at the summit, there would be enough drama to leave the rest of us awaiting sequels.
As much as the writer in me appreciates this drama, it’s rather sad that the “clash of civilizations” story captured so much media space and froze out the more important one about the directions of current geopolitics.
Did anyone care to notice that the Chinese president did not rush to see his US counterpart when he landed in the US? What did it say about China’s perspective on the Sino-US relationship that the first person that President Hu visited in the US was Bill Gates, Microsoft’s chairman and the world’s richest man? No matter how rich Gates is, he is still a private citizen and one would surely imagine that the first person a visiting head of state and government visits before anyone else is his counterpart.
Why did President Hu visit a private businessman before a head of state and what did he achieve? In effect, he showed that China’s primary interest in the world today is to do business. No doubt, China is worried about its geopolitical position but primarily from a business perspective.
At the dinner that Gates hosted, President Hu assured Microsoft’s chairman that China would protect intellectual property, something that Microsoft has a deep interest in. President Hu clearly understands that protection of intellectual property is a bigger concern to foreign investors than the Chinese yuan’s fluctuation against the US dollar. President Hu was also showing that he knew who he needed to assure about China’s commitment to protecting intellectual property. Microsoft is as powerful a foreign investor as one can get.
President Hu seems to be blissfully unaware of his role in the “clash of civilizations,” drama that we as media people are so obsessed by.
The Chinese leader also visited Saudi Arabia where he signed business deals that will tie the interest of both nations. Asia has traditionally taken some 60 percent of the Kingdom’s energy exports and this figure should easily grow as China and India’s economy grow even faster. King Abdullah is clearly aware of where much of the growth in the Kingdome’s exports will be coming from and made his first overseas visits since becoming king to China and India.
Nobody in Saudi Arabia seems to be talking about the “clash of civilizations,” with the Chinese and the Indians. In fact, the Kingdom is actively telling its citizens to get to know Asia and its emerging markets on a people-to-people basis.
Saudi Arabia is definitely out to do business with the world. Not long after King Abdullah visiting China and India, Crown Prince Sultan made his first official visit since assuming his office to Japan, Singapore and Pakistan. The Crown Prince’s visit too was marked by the signing of more trade deals.
The implications of all these interactions are staggering. The world’s largest manufacturer (China) and the world’s largest back-office (India) are scurrying to build a relationship with the world’s largest supplier of energy (Saudi Arabia.) Nobody has talked about conflicts between these cultures and yet the results of the friendship that these nations are trying to develop will have an immense impact on the way the world economy develops.
Friendships lack the drama of conflicts — pictures of people shaking hands is undoubtedly less dramatic than people killing each other. The “clash of civilizations,” whether it’s between the West and East, or the East and the Islamic world or the West and Islamic world, certainly creates a wonderful sense of drama. It’s easy to get caught up in the drama.
What a pity that the media has so little desire to get excited about the unromantic things that are in fact far richer than the melodramas. The “clash of civilizations” dramas make for a great story — but imagine if we as a community of writers dared to dream about the story of how our lives will be changed by the growing desire of civilizations to do business in a spirit of friendship. Now that would be a story really worth telling.
— Tang Li is a Singapore-based freelance writer and public relations consultant. ([email protected])
