"Faced with the general trend of economic globalization, burying your head in the sand like an ostrich and pretending to turn a blind eye, or waving a spear like Don Quixote to resist, are against the laws of history." In the general debate of the 75th UN General Assembly In response to the "anti-globalization" trend of thought that has emerged in recent years, President Xi Jinping's words are loud and loud.

  The new crown pneumonia epidemic is a global pandemic, the global supply chain industry chain has suffered a huge impact, coupled with new changes in the international environment, economic globalization has encountered a countercurrent.

Some people think that mankind will enter the era of anti-globalization from now on, and the global economy will show more localized development trends, showing the trend of economic "decoupling" between countries, and globalization has come to an end.

Is this really the case?

How should we view economic globalization?

Researching and discussing this issue has very important practical significance at the moment.

Economic globalization is an objective historical development process

  Although there is still controversy about when economic globalization started, an indisputable basic fact is that the development of economic globalization has gone through a long historical period. Even though it has been hit hard by various unfavorable factors such as plague and war, the economic globalization Regardless of its breadth and depth, the current level of development is unmatched by other periods in history.

Despite the sudden global pandemic of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, given that mankind has reached a considerable height in science and technology, it should be no problem to overcome various difficulties and continue to promote the healthy development of economic globalization.

But some people say that the key issue is not technology, but that cooperation among regions and countries in the world has become more and more difficult, and cooperation between people has become more and more difficult.

Subjectively, this view also has some basis, but economic globalization is mainly an objective historical development process. We must look at this issue from an objective perspective.

  First of all, one of the most basic objective facts is that from the past to the present and even in the future, human beings have lived in the same "global village", and have already formed a "closely connected, destiny and common" interconnected relationship. It is no longer possible to return to the state of human existence where "old and dead do not interact", and it is impossible for this relationship to be artificially divided again.

Therefore, in order to solve the common problems of the "global village", there is only one correct choice, and that is to cooperate closely with each other, otherwise it will be very difficult to maintain the basic operation of the "global village".

  Secondly, in the process of economic globalization, mankind has found some ways, rules and mechanisms to achieve mutual benefit and win-win through peaceful cooperation, mutual learning and mutual learning. For example, people from different nationalities and different cultural backgrounds are under the influence of the price mechanism. , To realize the transaction of goods and services, and to expand the scale of global production through investment to meet their different needs.

Such methods, rules, and mechanisms have been accepted by more and more countries and their people.

If it is overturned and started again, global transaction costs will be very high and totally unaffordable.

  In addition, the process of human development is an objective process of system evolution. After a long period of evolution and development, the stable state of the system is formed today.

Economic globalization is one of the most important evolutionary systems. If this evolutionary system has major problems or ends, then the entire human development and evolution system will also have major problems or end. This is completely incompatible with the historical development trend. Nor is it a correct reflection of objective reality.

  Therefore, as long as we look at the problem objectively, we will find that economic globalization not only reflects the objective reality, but also represents the trend of history, showing an objective development process that is independent of human subjective will.

Significant positive effects of economic globalization

  There are many data and typical cases about economic globalization and its impact, and there are many related research results.

In general, these data, cases, and research results have clearly shown that economic globalization has a very significant positive effect on promoting economic growth, especially for promoting economic growth in developing countries.

  From the basic mechanism of economic globalization to promote economic growth, economic globalization directly leads to a substantial drop in the cost of engaging in various economic activities, and shows the basic law that the higher the degree of economic globalization, the lower the cost of economic activities.

In particular, with the rapid development of the Internet, big data, 5G, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things technology and related emerging industries, the spread and flow of information, professional knowledge, advanced ideas, etc. among different countries and regions has greatly accelerated, greatly advancing The development process of global industrialization, urbanization, and informatization, especially the rapid development of industrialization, urbanization, and agricultural modernization in developing countries, has led to the transformation and upgrading of the economic structure, the increase in value added, and the corresponding level of national taxation and people’s income. To improve.

  A large number of empirical research results show that trade opening has a very significant stimulus effect on promoting national economic growth.

At the same time, economic globalization factors such as foreign direct investment, the use of global financial market financing, and global technology transfer have generally promoted national economic growth.

Regardless of the type of country, the overall impact is positive and effective.

  In addition to the significant positive effects of economic globalization on stimulating national economic growth, a large number of empirical research results from different countries also show that economic globalization is also significant for global poverty reduction.

An important reason is that international trade often leads to an increase in the real wages of unskilled workers.

Another important reason is that increasing foreign direct investment generally increases employment and training opportunities for the poor.

Global technology transfer and the formation of a global production network system also provide new opportunities for the poor.

Of course, economic globalization can also improve the welfare of the poor by changing the relative price levels of consumers and producers.

  It is based on the results of empirical research from different types of countries that Nobel Prize winner Stiglitz believes that economic globalization has improved the living standards of all countries and all people in the world.

  The practice of my country's reform and opening for more than 40 years has well proved how economic globalization promotes my country's economic growth and helps my country eliminate poverty.

my country is not only a beneficiary of economic globalization, but also a contributor to economic globalization.

  Needless to say, while promoting global economic growth and helping global poverty reduction, the process of economic globalization has also brought about some new problems. For example, due to the rapid advancement of economic globalization, the relative gap in development level between some countries is not only Reduced, but expanded.

The income gap between regions and individuals is also relatively widening.

For another example, economic globalization has promoted the accelerated development of industrialization throughout the world. As a result, some countries have seen a substantial increase in carbon dioxide emissions, and climate change has become a new global issue.

Therefore, we cannot avoid the challenges brought about by economic globalization. We should not let ourselves go. Instead, we should strengthen global cooperation. By promoting healthy globalization, we can equitably benefit different countries, different classes, and different groups of people, thereby benefiting mankind. society.

Promote the healthy development of economic globalization

  In the face of the challenges brought by economic globalization, the correct approach should be to continue to promote economic globalization to benefit more and better the world and its people through deeper international cooperation, on the other hand, to limit its negative effects The generation and spread of influence.

Starting from the current reality, countries and international organizations in the world should focus on strengthening cooperation in the following three aspects in the future to promote the smooth progress of related work.

  First, establish the correct concept and choose the correct path.

The correct concept is to step out of the small circle and zero-sum game thinking under the premise of enhancing the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, and establish the concept of big family and win-win cooperation.

With this concept, all countries in the world will choose to take a multilateralist path, and they will clearly oppose unilateralism and protectionism, and jointly build an open world economic system through international cooperation.

  Second, all countries should continue to improve their national governance and governance capabilities, and more effectively deal with the problems and challenges arising in the process of economic globalization at the national level. In particular, they should pay special attention to and deal with the government and market, fairness and fairness proposed by President Xi Jinping. The relationship with efficiency, growth and distribution, technology and employment makes development both balanced and adequate.

  Third, further reform and improve the global governance system, and improve the level and ability to respond to various global challenges.

First, based on past experience and lessons, global governance should uphold the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and promote the realization of common governance of global affairs on an equal basis.

The second is to establish a healthy global common development mechanism, that is, a dialogue and consultation mechanism.

The third is to clarify the main tasks, that is, the tasks set forth in the "United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development". The core is to achieve the global poverty reduction goal as soon as possible.

(Author: Hu Biliang, of "all the way along the" Beijing Normal University, Executive Dean, Professor of Economics)