Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries: An Overview of China

Contents
About the Authors
1 Introduction: 500 Years? 400 Years? 300 Years? 200 Years? 100 Years? How to Understand the “Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries”?
1.1 Understanding the “Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries” in Five Time Dimensions
1.2 A Change is Never a Foregone Conclusion
1.3 An Evaluation of China’s Rise in Power During This Period of “Profound Changes”
References
Part I Changes in Politics
2 Looking Back at World War I at the Centenary
2.1 The Reflections, Treatment and Strategic Consequences of World War I a Hundred Years Ago
2.2 Over the Past 100 Years, Mankind is Still Repeating the Mistakes of World War I: Alliance Confrontation
2.3 What is the Future for Mankind a Hundred years Later? Rethinking from the Perspective of “A Community with a Shared Future for Mankind”
3 The International Pattern and World Order Under the “Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries”
3.1 The Definition and Judgment Criteria of “International Structure”
3.2 The Polarizing Trend of the Current International Structure
3.3 The Impact and Influence of the “Polarization” Trend on China–US Relations
3.4 Challenges and Potential for the Comprehensive Deepening of China–EU Strategic Cooperation
3.4.1 The “EU” in China’s Diplomatic Map Versus The “China” in the EU Report
3.4.2 The Nature of the Conflict Between China and Europe
3.4.3 The Foundation and Potential for China–EU Cooperation
3.5 The China–Russia Relation is Now at Its Best in History
References
4 National Rejuvenation and Neighborhood Diplomacy Under “Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries”
4.1 The Reversal of the Situation in the South China Sea
4.2 The Turning Point of China–India Relations
4.3 The Melting of the “Ice” in China–Japan Relations
References
5 The Responsibilities of Great Powers and Global Governance Under “Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries”
5.1 The Development, Current Problems and Challenges of the G20
5.1.1 20 years of G20: governance achievements and the logic behind its evolution
5.1.2 The latest dilemma of global governance
5.1.3 Current challenges faced by the G20 Summit
5.2 The Proposal and Progress of  the “China’s Plan”
5.2.1 The West still has more experience, resources, and means in global governance than China
5.2.2 There are still considerable differences between the Chinese and Western concepts of global governance, and the “Chinese Plan” of global governance is under the threat of being misinterpreted and stigmatized by the West
5.2.3 Several principles established at the Hangzhou Summit are facing the risk of being marginalized
5.3 Coping and Thinking
5.3.1 Strategic thinking on the continuation of the “Hangzhou Consensus” and defending China's plan in the short and medium-term
5.3.2 Strategic thinking on further optimizing the G20 structure and advancing global governance reform in the medium and long term
References
6 From “Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries” to “Human Community with a Shared Future”
6.1 The Common Vision and Common Challenges for Mankind
6.2 The Flowers of Friendship Bloom at the Foot of the Himalayas
6.2.1 Gwadar: A Legend from a Small Fishing Village to an International Port
6.2.2 Jamal Dini and Yaozong Hu: Experience History and Build a Home Together
6.2.3 China-Nepal-India Corridor: The Snowy “Heaven Road” Goes Straight to the West
6.2.4 Trans-Himalayan Sustainable Development Community
6.3 All the Way to the West: The Revival and Integration of Civilization on the Three “Silk Roads”
6.3.1 Camel Bell Silk Road: bring Central Asia Towards a Bright Future
6.3.2 Prairie Silk Road: The Legend of the North Written by Madrid-Yiwu Train
6.3.3 The Silk Road on the Ice: An Unprecedented Pioneering Work
6.4 The Moonrise by the Sea
6.4.1 From China to Nanyang: A Bosom Friend Afar Brings a Distant Land Near
6.4.2 From Nanyang to Western: Rewriting the Legend of Zheng He
6.4.3 From Nanyang to Southern Pacific: Asia–Pacific Cooperation Reaches a New Level
6.5 Epilogue: The Preface of a Brand New Section
References
Part II Changes in Economics
7 The Prospect: Viewing Economic History as the History of Corporates
7.1 Origin: The Era of Colonial Trade
7.2 Inheritance: The Age of Imperialism
7.3 Transformation: The Era of Globalization 
7.4 Convergence: The Era of Financialization
References
8 Evolution: The Fifth Floor of Modernization 
8.1 The Age of Great Innovation: The Changing Global Economic Landscape 
8.2 Engineering of Network Structure: The “Underlying Architecture” of Today’s World
8.3 Tree-Planting Pattern Innovation: Why the Future Belongs to China
References
9 Change: The Economy in the Age of Financialization
9.1 Financialization is a Derivative of Systematization 
9.2 Financial Crisis Promotes Financial Deepening
9.3 The End of the “Golden Age”
9.4 From War to War
9.5 Gold, Oil and the “Big Bang”
10 The Game: Who Will Gain the Hegemony?
10.1 The Secret of the “Hegemony Dividend”
10.2 The Game of Modifing the Statistical Rules
10.3 Intellectual Property is at the Heart of the Rules Game
10.4 The Franchise Monopoly Nature of Patents
10.5 The International Patent System is Based on Mutual Market Access
10.6 Global Industrial Restructuring Creates the Dismatch of International Intellectual Property Rights and Obligations
10.7 The Essence of the Intellectual Property Game is the Profit Control Game
10.8 The Game of “Internationalization of Domestic Laws” and Its Response
10.9 “Industrial Ecology” is Fundamental
11 Trends: Possibilities for the Future Road
11.1 The Rise of “De-dollarization”
11.2 Where Innovation Will Drive China?
11.3 China’s Institutional Advantages in Financial Perspective
11.4 Western Democracy Faces an Institutional Dilemma
11.5 A New Understanding of China's Institutional Advantages
11.6 Shaping the New Path of Economic Globalization
11.7 Choice of National Development Path in  the Twenty-First Century
References
Part III Changes in Digitalization
12 The Human Crisis in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
12.1 The Artificial Intelligence Revolution in Historical Perspective
12.1.1 1952–1956: Birth of Artificial Intelligence
12.1.2 1956–1974: The Golden Age of Artificial Intelligence
12.1.3 1974–1980: The First Winter of Artificial Intelligence
12.1.4 1980–1987: Boom Period
12.1.5 1987–1993: The Second Winter of Artificial Intelligence
12.1.6 1993–2011: The Third Development Period of Artificial Intelligence
12.1.7 2011–Present: a Period of Big Data-Driven AI Development
12.2 Ethical and Privacy Dilemmas of Artificial Intelligence
12.2.1 The Crisis of Artificial Intelligence “Stripping with a Click”
12.2.2 Wanting to Avoid Risks is the Biggest Risk in Development: Take the Example of Drones
12.2.3 Current Problems in the Development of Artificial Intelligence in China
12.2.4 Suggestions for the Future Development of Artificial Intelligence in China: Laying a Solid Foundation, Protecting Intellectual Property Rights, and Encouraging Innovation
12.3 The Integration and Struggle Between Machines and Humans
12.3.1 Robotics Development Has a Greater Impact on Low-Income Populations
12.3.2 The Machine Will Not Just Be a Tool to Increase the Worker’s Efficiency, But the Machine Itself Will Become the Worker
12.3.3 Will the Musk “Brain-Computer Interface System” Usher in the Age of Cyberhumans?
12.4 Artificial Intelligence Technology Enables Breakthroughs in Other Areas
12.5 Outlook: The Inescapable Problem of Humanistic Concern
References
13 Assessment and Governance of the Digital Society
13.1 The Rapid Growth of Smart Phones and Mobile Internet
13.2 The Development of Internet and the Formation of a Digital Society
13.2.1 Period of Basic Development
13.2.2 Portal Period
13.2.3 Mobile Internet Age
13.3 The Rise and Assessment of Digital Society in China
13.3.1 Foundations of China’s Digital Society: Big Data Development Strategies
13.3.2 The Overall Evaluation System of China’s Digital Society Development and Related Assessment
13.3.3 Digital Development in the Digital Economy Evaluation System
13.4 Big Data, Digital Society and Future Governance
13.4.1 Three Levels of Digital-Social Interaction
13.4.2 China Has Formed a Digital Social Governance Model Based on Human–Computer Interaction
13.5 The Future Development of the Digital Society
13.5.1 To Maintain the Competitive Dynamics of the Digital Society
13.5.2 To Develop and Implement a Comprehensive Digital Society Strategy
13.5.3 Strengthening Digital Privacy and Security Systems
13.5.4 Reducing Barriers to Access to the Digital Society at the Enterprise Level
13.5.5 Rethinking the Model for Training Digital Skills
13.5.6 To Improve the Ability of Society to Withstand and Stabilize the Negative Effects of Upgrading Economic Development and Eliminating Backward Production Capacity
13.6 Concluding Remarks
13.6.1 The “Sense of Access” to the Digital Society Is Closely Related to the Development of the Digital Economy
13.6.2 Digital Society Policy on the Ground, Requiring Deeper Institutional Reform
References
14 China’s Version of the Global Interconnection Concept
14.1 Research Progress and Practice of the Digital Silk Road
14.1.1 International and Domestic Research Progress on the Digital Silk Road
14.1.2 Digital Silk Road Projects that Have Been Successfully Implemented and the Progress of Government Practices
14.2 The Rapid Development of China’s Digital Economy
14.2.1 China is Accelerating Its Transition to a Digital Economy
14.2.2 China’s Digital Economy Leads the World and Lays a Good Foundation for the Development of Digital “BRI”
14.3 Countries Along the “The Belt and Road Initiative” Have Widely Different Foundations for Digital Economy Development
14.3.1 Countries Along the BRI Have Varying Degrees of “Readiness” for Digital Economy Development
14.3.2 Mobile Internet Along the “BRI” Is Growing Faster Than Wired Internet
14.4 The Number of People with Internet Access Worldwide Grows Slowly, While the Internet of Things Grows Rapidly
14.4.1 The Number of New Internet Connections Is Slowing Down, but Personal Internet Use Is Getting Longer. The Trend of Internet Change Is Clear
14.4.2 The Internet of Everything and the Rapid Growth of the Global Internet of Things
14.5 “Silent Revolution” of the Internet of Things and Digital Silk Road Development Opportunities
14.5.1 The Internet of Things Has a Natural Advantage in the Development of Digital Processes: The “Silent Revolution”
14.5.2 IoT Development Provides Opportunities for Industrial Companies to Break Internet Company Data Monopoly
14.5.3 The Internet of Things Is an Important Foundation for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence
14.6 Suggestions on the Development of the Digital Silk Road
14.6.1 Grasp the Five Core Elements of the Development of the Digital Silk Road
14.6.2 Establishing a Digital Silk Road or Digital “BRI” Product Certification System
14.6.3 Accelerate the Integration of 5G and IoT Technologies, the Development of Digital Silk Road of Intellectual Property and Technical Standards is the Key
14.6.4 It Is Recommended that a Unified National-Level Digital Silk Road or “Digital BRI” Construction Strategic Plan Be Introduced as Soon as Possible
References
15 Future Prospects of Blockchain Development
15.1 Basic Facts About Blockchain in the Past Decade
15.1.1 Blockchain’s International Influence in China is Beginning to Show, and Domestic Voices of Rethinking and Questioning Are Increasing
15.1.2 Most  “Blockchain” Companies in China Started in 2017
15.1.3 The Current Focus on Blockchain in Various Countries is Mainly on Cryptocurrency Issues
15.2 Vision for the Blockchain Market
15.2.1 Current Market Research in the Financial Sector is Focused on Payment Issues
15.2.2 A Bright Future for Digital Records Management
15.2.3 Great Potential in Entertainment, Communication and Intellectual Property
15.2.4 There Are Already Many Cases and Practical Scenarios in the E-commerce Field
15.2.5 The Current Market Adoption of Blockchain Must Overcome Three Major Challenges: Technical, Institutional, and Human
15.3 The Core Issues Constraining the Development of Blockchain
15.3.1 Computing Power Remains a Core Issue in the Development of Digital Technologies
15.3.2 The Ternary Paradox of Blockchain Decentralization
15.4 The Impacts of Blockchain on Government Development
15.4.1 Countries Begin to Actively Promote Blockchain Projects
15.4.2 Bureaucracy and Blockchain Functionally Similar but Structurally Reversed
15.4.3 Three Ways Blockchain Facilitates Government Function Reengineering
15.5 Four Problems Under the Trend of Decentralization
15.5.1 Blockchain’s Credit Mechanism Is Dimensionally Limited and Does Not Yet See the Possibility of Subverting Traditional Authority
15.5.2 Mankind Has Yet to Understand the Fact That the Digital Age Itself Has Become the “New Mineral”, and That the Higher Level Thinking Ability of the Masses in the Future May be Degraded by “Digital Feeding”
15.5.3 The Issue of Property Rights in Personal Privacy Is Inescapable and the Digital Value of People Needs to Be Re-evaluated
15.5.4 The Age of Digital Colonization Has Arrived
15.6 Related Suggestions
15.6.1 Further Strengthen the Fight Against Hype and Financial Fraud Using Blockchain, Quantum Computing and Other Gimmicks
15.6.2 Objectively Recognize the Gap Between “System Integration Capability” and “Innovation Capability Integration”, and Build an “Inverted Pyramid” Structure of Innovation Authority and Responsibility System
15.6.3 Further Strengthening of Humanities and Social Sciences in Response to the Problem of “Digital Feeding”
15.6.4 It Is Recommended that Work on the Definition of Individual Privacy Property Rights Begin as Soon as Possible
15.7 Conclusion
References
16 “The Death of the West” and the Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries
16.1 The Domestic Perception of the “Death of the West” Dates from the 1980s to the Present
16.2 The West Strikes Back: Reverse Globalization and the Profound Changes Unseen in Centuries
16.3 Objective Systematic Assessment of the Development of the East and the West, Warning of National Arrogance
References
Postscript: The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Accelerating Profound Changes of the Century
Part 1: The Interaction Between the Global Pandemic and the Global Depression
Low-Intensity Situation: Regional Crisis Level
Medium Intensity Situation: Centurial Crisis Level
High-Intensity Situation: Civilizational Crisis Level
Part 2: Preventing Foreign Economic Depression from Spreading to China
The Global Chaotic Exchange Rate Brought Huge Import Inflationary Pressures
Bear Markets in the West Make China’s Capital Markets Less Fluxible
The Stagnation of International Trade Impacted China’s Foreign Trade
Part 3: Geopolitical and Economic Changes Under the Context of the “New Global Depression”
The Oil Crisis May Trigger a Food Crisis and a More Serious Financial Crisis
Eurasia: The Epidemic Has Deepened the “The Belt and Road Initiative” Cooperation
Transatlantic System: The Unprecedented “Great Separation” in US Europe Relations
Part 4: China Must Build Six “ Bulwarks” for Protection
The Bulwark to Prevent the Impacts of the Worsening International Economic Situation: Call on the United States to Actively Cooperate with China and Be Prepared for the Chaos Created by the United States
The Bulwark to Prevent Economic and Financial Shocks: Reconstructing China’s Value Chain and Preventing International Financial Risk Transmission
The Bulwark Against Geopolitical Shock: To Safeguard Against Geopolitical Conflicts in Cyberspace
The Bulwark Against Social Impacts: To Protect the Safety of People, Enterprises, and Related Organizations Outside China
The Bulwark Against the Impact of Public Opinion: Resolutely Fight Against Virus Labeling
The Bulwark to Safeguard Against Systemic Risks: Move China’s “Defense Line” Outward to the World