On 13 November, Deputy Director of the Institute of China Studies at the University of Malaya, Dr Ngeow Chow Bing, presented a guest lecture on ‘Religion in China’s Public Diplomacy towards the Belt and Road Countries’. Dr Ngeow’s research interests include China’s political reforms, organisation and management of the Chinese Communist Party, China’s minorities, and China-Southeast Asia relations. This talk was part of UIC’s General Education Office (GEO) One Belt One Road Impact Lecture Series.
Dr Ngeow talks about China's Public Diplomacy
The lecture began with Dr Ngeow explaining how China has promoted “soft power” under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) initiative and looked at how to enhance people-to-people understanding, media, tourism, education, cultural exchanges and religion. Dr Ngeow acknowledged that even though China is officially secular, it has many indigenous religious resources that it can enlist and mobilize to promote stronger people-to-people exchanges with many countries involved in the BRI.
While China politically is secular, the people in many countries along the BRI remain strongly religious, or at least more spiritual or religious compared to the average Chinese person. To enhance people-to-people exchange, the spiritual dimension should not be overlooked. Dr Ngeow went into details particularly about Buddhism and Islam, and how these two religions are very much part of the Chinese heritage and how and why China should not overlook them in the conduct of public diplomacy towards BRI countries.
Public diplomacy was another term discussed, with Dr Ngeow mentioning how China’s public diplomacy would have to be target-specific to be effective. He talked about how the Hui people of China, who are usually Muslim, have gotten along peacefully with the majority Han people of China. Sarira diplomacy was talked about, with Dr Ngeow providing examples of China being heavily involved in this throughout Asia.
Associate Professor of GEO, Dr Wong Wei Chin talks about how China can adapt with the BRI
Dr Ngeow ended the discussion with the three dilemmas that China may face with public diplomacy. These included the sensitivity of the abundant resources that China has, the international implications of how China deals with religious issues domestically and national interests as well as global religious networks and movements.
Associate Professor of GEO, Dr Shawn Wang giving his thoughts
Following the lecture, Director of WPEO, Dr Guo Haipeng, as well as Associate Professors of GEO, Dr Wong Wei Chin and Dr Shawn Wang, gave their opinions and feedback on how China could deal with religion on the BRI. They all agreed that China is rich with history due to the success of the Silk Road, which helped to bring religious elements to China.
Reporter: Samuel Burgess
Photographer: Samuel Burgess
Editors: Deen He, Samantha Burns
(from MPRO)
