Beijing-based New World Press and London-based Global China Press sign a publishing agreement at the 2018 London Book Fair for China’s Role in a Shared Human Future. Photo: Sun Wei/GT
A launch ceremony for China’s Role in a Shared Human Future was held at the ongoing London Book Fair on Tuesday.
The event was co-organized by China International Publishing Group, New World Press, and Global China Press.
The book’s author, Professor Martin Albrow, told the Global Times that China was set to be a major player when it comes to shaping global ethics.
“China’s role is set by the rest of the world, it can’t decide its own role without the rest of the world matching up to that,” Albrow said.
Albrow said that the fact when a Chinese leader speaks to the people, he speaks about the traditions and the heritage of China, which inspired him to write the book. Talking about understanding between nations, Albrow wants to impress on his readers that finding shared goals is crucial to a healthy human future.
The book delves into China’s role in the world to come and includes the author’s recent explorations of China’s readiness to assume a global leadership role.
The book effectively links the theories of Max Weber, an important Western theorist during the global transformation that took place between the 19th to 20th centuries, with the proposals made by Chinese President Xi Jinping concerning today’s global transformation.
Albrow states that while Western classical theory can still provide the core foundation for rethinking today’s global cooperation, Xi’s Belt and Road initiative, though only a very recent example that shows how China as a new player in the world can help to heal global divisions, will serve as a means to promote global peace and cooperation rather than intensify rivalries.
Xiang Xiaowei, minister counselor for culture at the Chinese Embassy in London, said at the ceremony that Albrow is offering a new perspective for observing the impact China’s development is having on the world.
“This is a ground-breaking theoretical contribution with major academic and social significance,” Xiang said, adding that as a component of Sino-British cultural exchange, cooperation in the field of ideological dialogue and the publishing industry is particularly important.
Sociologist Professor Anthony Giddens, former director of the London School of Economics, commented at the ceremony that Albrow does a remarkable job in his book of shedding light on the extraordinary changes happening today and on the pivotal role that China is likely to play in shaping their further evolution. Giddens noted that as the US pulls back from its global responsibilities, China not only can, but must, assume a pivotal position in shaping global society for the better.
The book will be translated into Chinese so that readers in China can understand how the country can contribute to a shared human future.
Currently a fellow at the Academy of Social Sciences in the UK, Albrow has been president of the British Sociological Association, editor of its British Journal of Sociology and was founding editor of International Sociology, the journal of the International Sociological Association.
Internationally known for his pioneering work on globalization, Albrow’s fields of expertise include social theory, organization theory and Max Weber thought.
Source http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1097426.shtml?from=singlemessage