What South Asia can learn from China’s development journey

On May 24, I had the pleasure of travelling to China to meet a delegation of over 20 members from across South Asia, as well as representatives of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC).

- BY ERESH OMAR JAMAL

The seven-day trip, during which CPC representatives held dialogues with political parties from South Asia, as well as members of academia, think tanks, and the media, proved to be a truly enlightening experience.

Our first stop was Beijing, and what was particularly noticeable from the outset was the warmth and graciousness of our hosts. The delegation from Bangladesh was greeted at the airport—and later at the hotel—by several CPC members, who also welcomed delegates from across South Asia and accompanied us throughout the entire visit.

Our stay in Beijing involved visits to various places in an effort to experience Chinese culture first-hand. It was evident that, for the Chinese, their culture forms the foundational pillar of their identity and aspirations.

During our time in the city, we also had the pleasure of attending a large-scale dialogue that included senior representatives from Southeast Asian and Central Asian countries. At that event, the enthusiasm of all stakeholders regarding the Chinese-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was visible. It was also evident how much progress had been made in terms of connecting China with Southeast Asia, as well as in improving connectivity among the Southeast Asian countries themselves.

Unfortunately, perhaps due largely to intra-regional conflict, it was equally clear how far South Asia has fallen behind in this regard.

Representatives from Central Asian countries spoke of how China's technological prowess has been harnessed to extract their significant natural resource reserves. Once again, it was clear that South Asian countries are lagging far behind in their ability to make effective use of their own resources.