Liu Shiping

Chairman of Gilbeck Information Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., professor and doctoral supervisor of the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, director of the Financial Science and Technology Research Center, chief scientist of the key project of the national key research and development program "Internet of Things and Smart City Key Technology and Demonstration", part-time professor of Tongji University, vice chairman of XBRL China Executive Committee, member of the Independent Board Committee of China Association of Listed Companies, and independent director of Everbright Bank, Independent director of Love Life, the third invited advisory member of the Guangxi Decision making Committee, the distinguished expert of the Silk Road International Cooperation Working Committee, the vice chairman of the National Next Generation Internet Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance, the honorary president of Guangdong Jinchuang Blockchain Research Institute, etc.

He used to be the chief consultant of business intelligence of IBM's global service department, the head of the global Team leader of data mining applications in the financial industry, the independent director of Industrial Bank, Zhejiang Tailong Bank, and the independent director of People's Daily Online. He has published more than 80 professional and academic articles and 7 academic monographs at home and abroad, and has consulting service experience in the field of Big data of hundreds of global financial institutions.

Because they are not far apart, Southeast Asian countries make many Chinese people feel familiar and friendly. The establishment of contacts with Southeast Asian countries can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. By the Song Dynasty, the understanding of Southeast Asian countries had begun to deepen. The exchanges between the Ming Dynasty and Southeast Asian countries reached the peak, and Southeast Asia became an important channel of the Maritime Silk Road. Nowadays, Southeast Asian countries have become a popular destination for Chinese tourists.

At the same time, many Chinese people also find Southeast Asian countries very unfamiliar, not only because their religious culture differs greatly from ours, but also because there are few reports from Southeast Asian countries in China. From this perspective, Southeast Asian countries have become our "strangers".

Liu Shiping: In 1999, I first went to Southeast Asia and went to Singapore. At that time, I felt that they were still relatively developed. The most recent time I visited Laos was in 2022, and I felt that there was still a significant difference in the development level of Southeast Asian countries. For example, the development of Laos was relatively lagging behind. However, my impression of Laos was quite profound because the people here have a devout heart.

I feel that the people of Laos are more friendly and content, so their happiness index in life is also higher. His spiritual world is relatively calm, with no worldly impatience or eagerness for quick success or instant gain.

Both the people and officials can feel that they are very low-key in the process of communication with them.

Reporter: In the past few months, there have been many negative news related to Southeast Asian countries on the internet. This summer, we should have reached the peak of outbound tourism. According to data from a well-known domestic tourism platform, compared to 2019, Thailand's tourism has recovered to around 30%, while other Southeast Asian countries still have around 10%. Do you think the security issues in Southeast Asian countries are like those spread online?

Liu Shiping: The law of internet dissemination is like this. The more negative information is, the wider it spreads. I think from a tourism perspective, Southeast Asian countries are still quite safe.

At present, the global economic development is still in a relatively low operating period, which can be said to be a low valley. In such a state, the tourism industry may indeed recover slowly, or rather not fully as expected.

This current situation cannot be said to be unrelated to security, but security issues are only a small factor. The cases related to Southeast Asian countries that were previously circulated online did indeed reflect some security and other issues, but these cases were ultimately individual incidents.

These cases, although somewhat accidental, also reflect the need for Southeast Asian governments, at least in the tourism industry, to strengthen their emergency management capabilities.

Reporter: Many websites used to say that Southeast Asian countries are the "most familiar strangers" to China. Familiarity is because our history has been intertwined for thousands of years, and unfamiliarity actually means that our understanding of Southeast Asia is not deep.

Do you think this statement is exaggerated, or have we really overlooked our understanding of Southeast Asian countries around us?

Liu Shiping: I think the term 'the most familiar stranger' has a certain representativeness. Many Southeast Asian countries have a deep historical connection with China. Almost 60% to 70% of people in Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore are Chinese. The proportion of Chinese Americans in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines is also quite high. These countries have cultural inheritance and transmission with China, so everyone is very familiar with this, which is the first aspect.

Secondly, Southeast Asian countries are basically close neighbors to China in terms of geographical location. In the past, when transportation was not so developed, which country could we get to know the fastest? So this must be close.

So why is Southeast Asian countries unfamiliar? Because overall, the level of development of these countries is not sufficient. After China's reform and opening up, we have emphasized the Four Modernizations. We have always been on a par with Europe and the United States. We have sent a large number of overseas students to study in developed countries in Europe and the United States. That is to say, in the past 40 years, our own industrial structure development and adjustment, as well as private exchanges, have become closer to Europe and the United States.

But as time goes by, I think this situation will change greatly. Based on China's current international strategy, some industries must flow to places that are geographically closer and slightly behind us. Southeast Asian countries are a good choice.

With the continuous export of China's industries and technology, the level of unfamiliarity between China and Southeast Asia will definitely improve greatly. I believe that everyone will become more familiar with each other.

In the future, Southeast Asian countries will also be a big trading partner for us, and in fact, ASEAN is already one of China's largest trading partners. With the increase of trade, it will drive cultural exchange. Through my last trip to Laos, I found that there are many international students between the two countries, including those studying languages and arts... I think as time goes on, the exchange between China and Southeast Asian countries will gradually increase.

Reporter: What is the significance of close cooperation between China and Southeast Asian countries? Why is Southeast Asia the focus and priority of the the Belt and Road Initiative?

Liu Shiping: The close cooperation with Southeast Asia is truly significant. ASEAN is China's largest trading partner, surpassing Europe and the United States. From a commercial perspective, this is the greatest value.

When I went to Laos last year, I learned that the per capita GDP there is about 1/4 to 1/5 of China's, which means that the labor force in Laos will be relatively cheaper. In the future, we can gradually shift these more labor-intensive industries to Southeast Asia.

Furthermore, China's deployment of high-speed railways, water conservancy facilities, dam construction, bridge construction, road construction, and other technological outputs in Southeast Asia will also be of great help in the long run from the perspective of economic development.

We share the same roots and ancestors with Southeast Asian countries. Taking Southeast Asia as the starting point of our the Belt and Road strategy, to some extent, is conducive to the success of the "the Belt and Road" and will play a huge role in promoting the global advancement of our "the Belt and Road".

Reporter: What channels and methods do you think are available to enhance the connectivity between China and Southeast Asian countries?

Liu Shiping: I think China's practices in many aspects are quite good now. We take win-win cooperation and non-interference in each other's internal affairs as our strategic guidelines, because in order to engage in in-depth cooperation with a country, we must first obtain long-term recognition from the local government in order to achieve future collaboration. Therefore, what we are required to do is helpful to this country.

The important point here is to attach importance to solving some local livelihood problems. In fact, this is also the experience accumulated by China's own development. How to use livelihood projects to gain the recognition of the people.

In addition, in terms of cultural promotion, attention should be paid to adapting to local conditions, and communication methods should comply with local cultural, religious, and cultural habits. In addition to organizing official exchanges, civil communication is also very important. I pay attention to the issues that the local people are concerned about, solve their cultural pain points, and gain recognition from the local people. Our economic and technological output will only receive support and support, bringing about win-win economic cooperation.