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资深报人,著名时评政论家,厦门大学文学博士。先后出版十余本著作,包括《马来西亚华人政治思潮演变》、《巫统政治风暴》、《林苍佑评传》、《柬埔寨的悲剧》,《以巴千年恩怨》、《槟城华人两百年》及《伍连德医生评传》等著作。 目前担任马来西亚一带一路研究中心主席、马来西亚中国客家总商会会长及中天咨询有限公司董事长

14.3.24

一带一路10周年圆桌会议与座谈会:槟城与中国的丝路故事:回顾与展望

谢诗坚讲话要点: 槟城与一带一路的微妙关系

当中国国家主席习近平于2013年提出“一带一路”倡议时,他是分开两个阶段阐述陆地上的丝绸之路与海上丝绸之路。第一个阶段是在9月出访哈萨克时提出复兴历史上的“陆上丝绸之路”,而在10月访问印尼时则提出第二阶段的“海上丝绸之路”。

为什么分为“陆上”和“海上”?这其中又有什么异同?原来陆上丝绸之路是于两千年前由西汉(公元前202年至公元8年)汉武帝派遣张骞出使西域,从长安出发,经过河西走廊到达中亚国家,再进入地中海,在罗马是为终点,全长6440公里,昔日称为“陆上丝绸之路”,如今则统称为“大陆桥”。

至于第二阶段的“丝绸之路”由谁开辟虽然有一定的争议,但比较客观和具有历史根据的是在唐朝时的一位高僧义净法师(635-713)开拓的第一条航海路线图。

(一)义净法师是在公元671年(唐太宗在位年代)得到州官冯孝全的资助,于11月从番禺(今广州)乘搭波斯商船抵达泰南洛坤和吉打羯荼,旋经马六甲海峡进入末罗瑜(印尼占碑),而后抵达印度,并在各处圣地朝礼。

公元685年,义净法师乘船回到番禺,又于同年11月再赴古佛逝国(苏门答腊)取经,以巨港(Palembang)为王都。公元695年,义净法师告别古佛逝国回到洛阳,被武则天皇帝迎于东门外。

义净法师是与法显法师(334-420)及唐玄奘(602-664)(西游记中的唐三藏)在后来被誉为中国三大著名高僧。

专门研究义净法师历史的邓鸿瑞博士(原澳洲大学电机工程博士,后任教于美国波多黎谷理工大学电机工程系教授,如今已退休,专研佛法)在其著作《寻找义净大师的足迹》中这样说:在唐代,羯荼古国已是一个重要的海港,提供来自中国、印度及阿拉伯国家的船只进行贸易。

旋后,来自理大的考古学者在羯荼古国遗址挖掘时,找到不少唐宋元时期的各类文物。

羯荼帝国位于今时吉打的布秧谷,离亚罗士打西南50公里的地区,有400平方公里。已出土87所古建筑,其中60 所是庙宇。政府也已在这个地点建了一座布秧河谷考古博物馆。

当年在吉打逗留约半年的义净法师也留下他的历史踪迹。

中国除了于2023年在济南举行“义净文化论坛”外,我国团结部也将在711日与中国联办“义净法师国际大会”。若能成事,将是马来西亚回佛对话的新开端,必然能从历史文物和记录中印证华巫印族在很早的时候已是一起生活在这块土地上。因此任何鼓吹种族主义的政客如果能从布秧谷中找到历史的印记,肯定不会对不同的种族存有不同的偏见,也不会贸然认为一向以来这是属于单一种族的国家。

从唐朝(618-907)建国的289年中,东南亚基本上是一个印度化的国家,例如柬埔寨(扶南)、越南(占婆)、北大年(狼牙修)(今属泰国领土)及吉打羯荼,及后出现在印尼的是室利佛逝(三佛齐)(其中9世纪以来,室利佛逝迁都占碑(Jambi),又将末罗瑜(Melayu)王国占有。末罗瑜在后来成为马来人的专用名词)、中爪哇(刹朗特拉王朝)、满者伯夷王朝及在爪哇的玛打萳王朝等。

这些印度化的国家到了13世纪(1207年)已走向没落。

在这之后,马来亚兴起信奉回教的潮流,那就是在1402年由拜里米苏拉(Parameswara)在马六甲所创立的马六甲王朝。

事缘在14世纪末,有一位来自巨港的王子拜里米苏拉因不堪满者伯夷(苏门答腊国王)的压迫(他因娶了国王的女儿为妻),终于兵戎相见。在战败后,拜里米苏拉逃到新加坡(单马锡)立足,后又被暹罗军驱赶。辗转来到马六甲,一个独立王朝就在马六甲建立起来(1403年)。

他原是印度教的教徒,在改信回教后,改称伊斯干陀沙。就这样,回教进入了东南亚。为求中国的保护,拜里米苏拉在1405年抵达南京(金陵),确定了马中的友好关系。而马来亚也在日后成为回教的主要地盘,取代了印度教,但南来的华人带来了佛教和道教也就分别在各地零星的保存下来。

(二)马来亚从印度化演变成回教国家后,与中国的友好关系并没有改变。

1405年,明成祖(朱元璋第四公子)朱棣在政变中取得大权后,对郑和恩宠有加,因郑和协助朱棣在乱局中登位有功,乃在1404年将其原名马三保改名为郑和。从此这个人成为历史上家喻户晓的大人物。

马三宝本只是一名太监,后来被尊称为“三保太监”。

也是在这一年(1405年),在获得御准下,郑和率领7千余名军人,带着皇帝的诏书和大量的黄金、绵帛、瓷器等文物分成62艘大木舰从刘家港(江苏太仓县刘河口)出发,经过福建沿南海行。先到占城(越南南部),又陆续到达南洋和印度洋沿岸各国。每到一国,郑和就宣示明朝皇帝的诏书,以示中国的伟大。

郑和的航海事业终于1433年,前后28年。这期间,郑和一共航海7次,其中5次经过马六甲海峡。除了有庞大的武装外,足迹也是远达非洲的东岸。

根据历史学家林莲在1961年出版的《中国历史讲话》中有一段是这样描述郑和之行的:

“郑和7次航海,前后经过36个国家,他的工作是艰巨的,不但要和惊涛骇浪作战,而且在必要时还得使用武力和敌对的力量周旋。

郑和的出使西洋也大大地开拓了中国在印度洋和南洋群岛的市场。他的航海不仅是中国历史上空前的壮举,而且是世界航海史上的伟大行动。”

(正是印度洋和南中国海的重要战略地位,今天已成为美国压制和遏制中国军力崛起的核心地带)

即便郑和比哥伦布发现新大陆要早了80年,但有人质问为何中国没有占有外面的任何土地,只是突显国威,而花费的经费更是无从计算,是不是中国没有侵略的野心;加上中国人的思想狭隘与过于自信,没有动过扩大领土的念头?

及至后来,也有后人不甚明白,西方国家侵略其他国家而被指“政治正确”,带来文明和发展;反之,中国并没有占有任何的土地,却在后来蒙受百年的屈辱。

有人因此争议说,如果中国在郑和时代就捷足先登拿下未开垦的土地带入文明和发展,那么世界肯定不会是今天这个样子,也不会突显哥伦布的重要性。

哥伦布(Christopher Columbus)(1451-1506)出生于意大利,在1492年被西班牙女王批准出使印度和中国。1493年无功而返。

1496年又回到西班牙,直到第四次出航才落脚在美洲。就这样,他发现了美洲新大陆,也就是后来的美国。这是西方殖民地拓展史上最重要的一页,相比之下,中国封建王朝则是望尘莫及。

(三)可惜中国在未能意识到古老的封建思想对中国的突破性发展是有阻力的,甚至是不利的。比如中国历代的王朝思想是可以用八个字来概括的,即“普天之下,莫非王土”。这种典型的反世界潮流的思想终于为此付出惨痛的代价。

既然中国帝王认为世界上所有的土地是皇帝的,为何又对外敌的入侵有所担心?

为阻止匈奴的入侵,在秦代时期修建了万里长城,以阻止匈奴来犯。基本上是切割外敌的入侵(但后来又证明无法阻止蒙古人的入侵建立元朝,及满洲人的入侵建立清朝,实在是对封建王朝最大的讽刺),但在那个年代,北方只有在后来纳入中国民族的匈奴和其它少数民族。反而是中国在封建王朝时代犯下最严重的错误,那就是在明清两个朝代竟实施400年的海禁,与外界隔离,又如何能知天下事?

如明朝在1371年至1567年的196年实施海禁,主要目的是防止倭寇入侵,藉此切断了海路让小日本无法得逞。

同样的,到了清朝时代,也在1655年至1840年实施海禁,一共是185年。

明清两朝的海禁同是防止外敌入侵,但防范得了吗?如今回想起来,只觉得封建王朝帝王思想的愚蠢与落后,竟不知天外有天,国外有国。同时最严重的是,这个世界有70%是海洋,也只有30%是陆地,而陆地扣除南极和北极、沙漠及无人烟的大丛林外,所留下的空间也剩下不多。

最严重的是,当中国禁止鸦片由英输入原本是天经地义的正义行动,以阻止鸦片荼毒人民。但英商反而强词夺理,指责中方损害英商利益,在本身没有充足的武装下,也就在1840年爆发鸦片战争。这一仗,清廷大败,除了割地赔偿,将香港岛割予英国外,英国也迫使中国开放广州、厦门、福州、宁波、上海五处为通商口岸。

从那个时候起,中国人注定成为悲剧人物,在1860年第二次鸦片战争中,圆明园不但被焚毁,而且又将九龙半岛割让给英国。

及后在1894年又爆发甲午战争,清廷再一败涂地,台湾也被日本占有。在此之后,清廷痛定思痛,仿效日本推行洋务运动(日本的明治维新,起于1858年,而在1889年结束,造就了日本成为军事强国。而清廷的洋务运动起于第二次鸦片战争的1861年,终结1895年,因这一年的甲午战争清廷的军舰全部覆没),清廷的西颦东效,在1900年义和团运动中,再被八国联军打得落花流水。中国人至此已陷入第一次世界大战(1914-1918)的泥潭,其结果又是被美苏英瓜分利益。中国的辛亥革命(1911年)也没有给中国带来实质上的好处,反而形成军阀割据,直到1949年国共战争结束,才分出胜负。

在解放后的中国是一穷二白,又不幸碰上朝鲜战争,也打乱了中国解放台湾的战略,直到1976年结束文革后,中国才又进入一个和平建设的年代。

在这个过程中,我们看到在1916年时,第一座欧亚大陆桥由俄罗斯承建,从海参崴到哈尔滨,再通向莫斯科和德国等国家,但这是苏联的工程,与中国无关。

直到1990年, 才有了第二座欧亚大陆桥的出现,从江苏的连云港到俄罗斯及德国,在1992年正式通车,展示了中国的列车成就。

接着,在改革开放的40年间(1978-2018),中国已脱胎换骨,成为另一个新中国,这也涉及中国列车的改善进入规划期和调整期。在中国国内方面,开始于1997年到2007年的规划,总共有六次对列车大提速。在规划中,将当前的四纵四横发展成八纵八横,第一阶段已在2020年提前完成;而第二阶段将在2030年完成。到了那个时候,中国国内的列车不但四通八达,时速也大大提升成为名副其实的“高铁”。

至于与欧洲交接的中欧班列,更是中国人的骄傲,因为这是打进美国后院的最重要的突破。自从2016年挂起中欧班列招牌以来,货运列车已川行中国各大城市和港口,也已经通达欧洲22个国家的160个城市。中国希望到了2035年,它将成为国际领先列车的冠军。对此,中国相信未来的高铁将照亮人类前进的道路。

中欧班列是通过货运列车进入欧洲,其收费不仅比海运和空运便宜,而且更加环保,列车所产生的二氧化碳排量只有4%

按照高铁的标准,在中国国内,时速超过200公里的才可被称为“高铁”,但现代的世界要求更高,时速350公里的高铁也出现了。高铁改变了中国,也改变了世界的交通网络。

这是一个充满活力的世界,但只有和平才能让我们看到未来,战争则是世界的末日。

在结束之前,我对于“一带一路”有几点补充的意见:

其一,在清朝时代对来自西方的玩意儿是没有兴趣的,比如在1876年英国怡和洋行在上海到吴淞建了一条长14.5公里的列车,但在1877年被清廷买下而销毁,简直是不可思议。

直到1905年中国才出现第一架由中国人建造的列车,从北京到湖南张家界,全长222公里,在1908年通车。这个人就是后来扬名于世界的詹天佑工程师,毕业于牛津大学。

但在1937年爆发中日战争,严重地破坏了铁道,只剩下3793公里可运行。而在战后(1945年)又爆发国共内战,更多的铁路被荒废与捣毁。

到了1949年解放后才有8278公里的列车可运行。

到了1980年全国铁道达49940公里;而到了1990年,已增至66428公里。这印证了在改革开放下,中国正大步前进。

1994年时,中国的列车时速只有每小时48公里。但到了1998年,秦皇岛与沈阳做出试验,证明国产高铁可行,在2003年成功出台时速超过200公里的高铁。

2016年,挂起了“中欧班列”,显然中国货运列车已进入了美国的后院。截至今天,货运额已超过2千亿美元。自通欧以来,已开行4万列次。

在中国国内,载客及货运列车也已发展到23条,下来中国关注的是如何完成泛亚铁路?

按照原计划,隆新高铁将在2018年动工,预计2026年通车,全长327.7公里,其中有15公里是通过隧道进入新加坡。

当时政府并未公布造价,因为有关工程尚未招标,不知花落谁家?最大的竞争者是中国和日本。一般估计,造价不少于1000亿令吉。

不幸的,在2018年的大选换上希盟的马哈迪上台,他宣布取消隆新高铁,因马方承受不起其巨额造价。当时有人估计大概耗资1010亿令吉。

随着高铁的终止,马方须赔偿新加坡3亿余令吉。

与此同时,马哈迪政府也在同一时候宣布取消中国承建的三条气油管,一是多元石油产品输送管(MPP)、二是沙巴天然气输送管(TSGP)和三是由马六甲连接至柔佛的油炼厂管道,总额高达18亿美元。

虽然在安华时期有人提出重新启动隆新高铁,且将其延长至泰国曼谷,但造价就不知多少了。而政府也迟迟没有动静。

据知,中国政府现只剩下的大工程是东铁的建造(估计耗资400亿令吉)。

回想1994年槟城建造第二大桥时,时任首相阿都拉就向中国总理温家宝达成协议,中方贷出8亿美元共建大桥,而总造价是45亿令吉。

什么时候“一带一路”才能完成整体规划?我们也正期待着。

When China President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, he elaborated on the land Silk Road and the maritime Silk Road in two stages. The first stage was to propose the revival of the historical "Land Silk Road" when visiting Kazakhstan in September, and the second stage of the "Maritime Silk Road" was proposed during the visit to Indonesia in October.

Why is it divided into "land" and "sea"? What are the similarities and differences between them? It turns out that the Overland Silk Road was started by Zhang Qian sent by Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC to 8 AD) to the Western Regions two thousand years ago. It started from Chang'an, passed through the Hexi Corridor to Central Asian countries, and then entered the Mediterranean. In Rome, it was It is the end point with a total length of 6,440 kilometers. It used to be called the "Overland Silk Road", but now it is collectively called the "Land Bridge".

Although there is some controversy as to who opened the second stage of the "Silk Road", the more objective and historically based one is the first navigation route map developed by Master Yijing (635-713), an eminent monk in the Tang Dynasty. .

(1) In 671 AD (the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty), Master Yijing received funding from the state official Feng Xiaoquan. In November, he took a Persian merchant ship from Panyu (now Guangzhou) to Southern Thailand Luokhun and Kedah Jitu. Passing through the Straits of Malacca, he entered Melayu (Jambi, Indonesia), and then arrived in India, where he paid homage at various holy places.

In 685 AD, Master Yijing returned to Panyu by boat. In November of the same year, he went to Srivijaya to learn Buddhist scriptures. During that time, Palembang was the royal capital. In 695 AD, Master Yijing said goodbye to the ancient Buddha's country and returned to Luoyang, where he was welcomed by Emperor Wu Zetian outside the east gate.

Master Yijing, together with Master Faxian (334-420) and Tang Xuanzang (602-664) (Tang Sanzang in Journey to the West), were later known as the three most famous eminent monks in China.

Dr. Benjamin F C Teng , who specializes in the history of Master Yijing (PhD in EEC from the University of Queensland, Australia. His last full-time position was associate research professor in electrical engineering at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, San Juan. Now retired, specializing in Buddhism), in his book "Looking for the Footprints of Master Yijing" said: In the Tang Dynasty, the ancient kingdom of Jietu (羯荼) was already an important seaport, providing ships from China, India and Arab countries for trade.

Soon after, archaeologists from USM discovered many cultural relics from the Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties while excavating the ruins of the ancient Kingdom of Jietu.

The Jietu Empire was located in the Buyang Valley of present-day Kedah, an area 50 kilometers southwest of Alor Setar, covering an area of 400 square kilometers. 87 ancient buildings have been unearthed, 60 of which are temples. The government has also built a Buyang River Valley Archaeological Museum at this location.

Master Yijing, who stayed in Kedah for about half a year, also left his historical traces.

In addition to the "Yijing Cultural Forum" held in Jinan in 2023, Malaysia government will also co-organize the "Master Yijing International Conference" with China on July 11. It will be a new chapter for the dialogue between Muslim and Buddhism, and it will definitely be confirmed from historical artifacts and records that the Chinese, Malay and Indian people have lived together on this land very early on. Therefore, if any politician who advocates racism can find traces of history in Buyang Valley, he will certainly not have different prejudices against different races, nor will he rashly believe that this country has always been a single race.

During the 289 years since the founding of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Southeast Asia was basically an Indianized country, such as Cambodia (Funan), Vietnam (Champa), Pattani (Langkasuka) (now is a part of Thailand) and Kedah Jietu, and later Srivijaya appeared in Indonesia (since the 9th century, Srivijaya moved his capital to Jambi, and also occupied the Kingdom of Melayu. At the end of the century, Srivijaya moved his capital to Jambi). Melayu later became a special name for the Malays), Central Java (Shailendra Dynasty), Majapahit Dynasty and the Mataram Kingdom in Java, etc.

These Indianized countries had declined by the 13th century (1207).

After this, the trend of Islam emerged in Malaya, which was the Malacca dynasty founded by Parameswara in Malacca in 1402.

The incident happened at the end of the 14th century, when a prince from Palembang, Parameswara could not bear the oppression of Majapahit (King of Sumatra) (because he married the king's daughter), and finally went to war with him. After the defeat, Parameswara fled to Singapore (Temasek) to establish his empire in Singapore, and was later driven out by the Siamese army. After arriving in Malacca, an independent dynasty was established in Malacca (1403).

He was originally a Hindu, but after converting to Islam, he changed his name to Iskandar Shah. In this way, Islam entered Southeast Asia. In order to seek protection from China, Parameswara arrived in Nanjing (Jinling) in 1405, confirming the friendly relations between Malaysia and China. Malaya also became the main territory of Islam in the future, replacing Hinduism. However, the Chinese who came from the south brought Buddhism and Taoism, and they have been preserved sporadically in various places.

(2) After Malaya evolved from Indianization to a Muslim country, its friendly relations with China did not change.

In 1405, after Ming Chengzu (the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang) Zhu Di gained power in a coup, he favored Zheng He. Because Zheng He helped Zhu Di to ascend the throne in the chaos, he changed his original name from Ma Sanbao to Zheng He in 1404. and. From then on this man became a household name in history.

Ma Sanbao was originally just a eunuch, but later he was honored as "Sanbao Eunuch".

Also in this year 1405, imperial approve Zheng He led more than 7,000 soldiers and carried the emperor's edict and a large amount of gold, silk, porcelain and other cultural relics into 62 large wooden ships depart from Liujiagang (Liuhe Kou, Jiangsu Province), passing through Fujian and traveling along the South China Sea. They arrived Champa (southern Vietnam), and then successively reached countries along the Southeast Asian and Indian Ocean coasts. Every time he visited a country, Zheng He proclaimed the imperial edict of the Ming Dynasty emperor to show the greatness of China.

Zheng He's navigation career ended in 1433, a period of 28 years. During this period, Zheng He made a total of 7 voyages, 5 of which passed through the Strait of Malacca. In addition to having a huge armed force, its footprints also reach as far as the east coast of Africa.

According to a passage in "Speeches on Chinese History" published by historian Lin Lian in 1961, this is how Zheng He's trip was described:

"Zheng He sailed seven times and passed through 36 countries. His work was arduous. Not only had to fight rough waves, but also had to use force to deal with hostile forces when necessary.

Zheng He's mission to the West also greatly opened up China's market in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asian Islands. His voyage was not only an unprecedented feat in Chinese history, but also a great action in the history of world navigation. "

(It is the important strategic position of the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea that today has become the core area for the United States to suppress and contain the rise of China’s military power)

Even though Zheng He discovered the new land 80 years before Columbus, some people question why China does not occupy any land outside? It only highlights its national prestige and spends an uncalculated amount of money. Does it mean that China does not have the ambition to invade? In addition, if that the Chinese are very narrow-minded and overconfident, and have never thought of expanding territory?

Later, some descendants did not understand that Western countries were describe of being "politically correct" when they invaded other countries brought civilization and development; on the contrary, China did not occupy any land, but suffered a hundred years of humiliation later on.

Some people argue that if China had taken the initiative to seize uncultivated land and bring civilization and development during the Zheng He era, the world would definitely not be what it is today, and the importance of Columbus would not be so highlighted.

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) was born in Italy. In 1492, he was approved by the Queen of Spain to go to India and China. Returned without success in 1493.

He returned to Spain in 1496 and did not settle in America until his fourth voyage. In this way, he discovered the New World of America, which later became the United States. This is the most important page in the history of Western colonial expansion. In comparison, China's feudal dynasty is far behind.

(3) It is a pity that China has failed to realise that the ancient feudal ideology is resistant and even detrimental to China's breakthrough development. For example, the dynastic thinking of successive Chinese dynasties can be summed up: "Under the sky, there is no place other than the king's land". The Chinese people finally paid a heavy price for this feudal ideology.

To prevent the invasion of the Huns, the Great Wall was built during the Qin Dynasty. Basically, it was to cut off the invasion of foreign enemies (but it later proved unable to prevent the invasion of the Mongols and the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, and the invasion of the Manchus to establish the Qing Dynasty. It was really the biggest irony of the feudal dynasty). But in that era, the north could only be incorporated into China later. ethnic Huns and other ethnic minorities. On the contrary, China made the most serious mistake during the feudal dynasty era, that is, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, it implemented around 400-year maritime ban and was isolated from the outside world. How could it know the world's affairs?

For example, the Ming Dynasty implemented a sea ban for 196 years from 1371 to 1567. The main purpose was to prevent Japanese pirates from invading, thereby cutting off the sea routes so that Japan could not succeed.

During the Qing Dynasty, maritime bans were also implemented from 1655 to 1840, a total of 185 years.

The maritime ban in the Ming and Qing dynasties was both to prevent foreign invasion, but was it possible to prevent it? Looking back now, I only feel that the thoughts of the feudal emperors were stupid and backward. They didn't know that there was a heaven outside the world and there were countries abroad. At the same time, the most serious thing is that 70% of the world is ocean and only 30% is land. Excluding the Antarctic and Arctic, deserts and uninhabited jungles, there is not much space left on land.

The most serious thing is that when China banned the import of opium from Britain in 1838, it was a just and just action to stop opium from poisoning the people. However, the British businessmen made strong excuses and accused China of harming the interests of British businessmen. The Opium War broke out in 1840 without adequate armed forces. In this battle, the Qing government was defeated. In addition to ceding land compensation and ceding Hong Kong Island to the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom also forced China to open Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai as treaty ports.

From that time on, the Chinese were destined to become tragic figures. During the Second Opium War in 1860, the Old Summer Palace was not only burned down, but the Kowloon Peninsula was ceded to the British.

Later, in 1894, the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 broke out. The Qing government suffered another defeat and Taiwan was occupied by Japan. After this, the Qing court learned from the painful experience and followed Japan's example in promoting the Westernization Movement (Japan's Meiji Restoration began in 1858 and ended in 1889, making Japan a military power. The Qing court's Westernization Movement began after the Second Opium War (from 1861 to 1895, all the Qing court's warships were wiped out). The Qing court's efforts to learn from west were totally defeated again by the Eight-Power Allied Forces in the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. The Chinese had now fallen into the quagmire of the First World War (1914-1918), and the result was that the United States, the Soviet Union, and Britain divided their interests sadly. China's Revolution of 1911 (1911) did not bring substantial benefits to China. Instead, it formed a warlord regime. It was not until the end of the Kuomintang-Communist War in 1949 that the winner was determined.

After liberation, China was impoverished, and unfortunately encountered the Korean War, which also disrupted China's strategy of liberating Taiwan. It was not until the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976 that China entered an era of peace and construction.

In this process, we saw that in 1916, the first Eurasian Continental Bridge was built by Russia, from Vladivostok to Harbin, and then to countries such as Moscow and Germany. However, this was a Soviet project and had nothing to do with China.

It was not until 1990 that the second Eurasian Continental Bridge appeared, from Lianyungang in Jiangsu to Russia and Germany. It was officially opened to traffic in 1992, demonstrating China's train achievements.

Then, during the 40 years of reform and opening up (1978-2018), China has been reborn and become another new China, which also involves the improvement of Chinese trains entering the planning and adjustment period. In China, planning started from 1997 to 2007, and there were a total of six major train speed increases. In the plan, the current four vertical and four horizontal buildings will be developed into eight vertical and eight horizontal buildings. The first phase has been completed ahead of schedule in 2020; and the second phase will be completed in 2030. By that time, China's domestic trains will not only extend in all directions, but their speed will also be greatly increased, becoming a veritable "high-speed rail".

As for the China-Europe trains connecting with Europe, the Chinese are even more proud of it, because it is the most important breakthrough in reaching the United States' backyard. Since the China-Europe freight train sign was put up in 2016, freight trains have traveled to major cities and ports in China, and have also reached 160 cities in 22 European countries. China hopes that by 2035, it will become the world's leading train champion. In this regard, China believes that future high-speed rail will illuminate the way forward for mankind.

China-Europe trains enter Europe via freight trains. The charges are not only cheaper than sea and air transportation, but also more environmentally friendly. The carbon dioxide emissions generated by the trains are only 4%.

According to the standards of high-speed rail, only those with a speed of more than 200 kilometers per hour can be called "high-speed rail" in China. However, the modern world has higher requirements, and high-speed rail with a speed of 350 kilometers per hour has also appeared. High-speed rail has changed China and the world's transportation network.

This is a dynamic world, but only peace can allow us to see the future, and war is the end of the world.

Before ending, I have a few additional comments on the “Belt and Road Initiative”:

First, during the Qing Dynasty, there was no interest in gadgets from the West. For example, in 1876, the British company Jardine Matheson built a 14.5-kilometer long train from Shanghai to Wusong, but it was bought and destroyed by the Qing government in 1877. It's incredible.

It was not until 1905 that the first train built by the Chinese appeared in China. It ran from Beijing to Zhangjiajie, Hunan, with a total length of 222 kilometers and was opened to traffic in 1908. This person was engineer Zhan Tianyou who later became famous all over the world. He graduated from Oxford University.

However, the Sino-Japanese War broke out in 1937, which severely damaged the railway, leaving only 3,793 kilometers operational. After the war (1945), the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party broke out, and more railways were abandoned and destroyed.

After liberation in 1949, there were 8,278 kilometers of trains available.

By 1980, the number of railways nationwide reached 49,940 kilometers; by 1990, it had increased to 66,428 kilometers. This confirms that China is making great strides under the reform and opening up.

In 1994, China's train speed was only 48 kilometers per hour. But in 1998, Qinhuangdao and Shenyang conducted experiments to prove the feasibility of domestic high-speed rail. In 2003, they successfully launched a high-speed rail with a speed of over 200 kilometers per hour.

In 2016, the China-Europe freight train was launched, and it was clear that Chinese freight trains had entered the backyard of the United States. As of today, freight volume has exceeded 200 billion US dollars. Since the connection with Europe, 40,000 trains have been operated.

In China, the number of passenger and freight trains has also grown to 23, and now China is concerned about how to complete the Trans-Asian Railway.?

According to the original plan, the construction of the Kuala Lumpur–Singapore high-speed rail should start in 2018 and is expected to open in 2026, with a total length of 327.7 kilometres, 15 kilometres of which will be through a tunnel into Singapore..

At that time, the government did not announce the cost because the relevant projects had not yet been invited to bid. I wonder who would win the project? The biggest competitors are China and Japan. General estimates put the cost at no less than RM100 billion.

Unfortunately, Mahathir, who was on behalf of Pakatan Harapan coalition won the 2018 general election, after returning to power. He announced the cancellation of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail because Malaysia could not afford its huge cost. At that time, some people estimated that it would cost around RM101 billion.

With the termination of the high-speed rail, Malaysia must compensate Singapore for more than 300 million ringgit.

At the same time, the Mahathir government also announced the cancellation of three gas and oil pipelines built by China, the first is the Multi-Petroleum Products Pipeline (MPP), the second is the Sabah Natural Gas Pipeline (TSGP), and the third is from Malacca to Johor. Oil refinery pipelines, totaling up to $1.8 billion.

Although some people proposed to restart the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail during the Anwar period and extend it to Bangkok, Thailand, the cost is unknown. The government has also been silent.

It is known that the only major project left by the Chinese government is the construction of the East Rail Link (estimated to cost RM40 billion).

We recall that when the Second Bridge was built in Penang in 1994, then Prime Minister Abdullah reached an agreement with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. China loaned US$800 million to jointly build the bridge, and the total cost was RM4.5 billion.

When will the “One Belt, One Road” overall plan be completed? We are also looking forward to it.






座谈会的资料与活动详情:



其他新闻报导: 

https://weareunited.com.my/12138559

https://www.orientaldaily.com.my/news/north/2024/03/05/635260

https://www.kwongwah.com.my/20240305/%E9%BB%84%E6%B1%89%E4%BC%9F%EF%BC%9A%E9%80%9A%E8%BF%87%E4%B8%80%E5%B8%A6%E4%B8%80%E8%B7%AF%E5%80%A1%E8%AE%AE-%E4%BD%BF%E6%88%91%E5%9B%BD%E7%BB%8F%E6%B5%8E%E6%9B%B4%E4%B8%BA%E8%93%AC/

https://penang.chinapress.com.my/20240305/%E9%BB%84%E6%B1%89%E4%BC%9F%EF%BC%9A%E7%90%86%E5%A4%A7%E5%90%B8%E5%BC%95%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E5%AD%A6%E7%94%9F-%E5%9F%B9%E5%85%BB%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E9%80%9A-%E6%B7%B1%E5%8C%96/

https://guangming.com.my/%E3%80%90%E9%8D%BE%E9%9D%88%E7%8D%A8%E4%B8%AD%E4%B8%80%E5%B8%B6%E4%B8%80%E8%B7%AF%E5%80%A1%E8%AD%B010%E9%80%B1%E5%B9%B4%E9%96%89%E5%B9%95%E3%80%91%E9%BB%83%E6%BC%A2%E5%81%89%EF%BC%9A%E4%B8%80%E5%B8%B6

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Zebp5Y8Fr_qHMLeJcE5TcQ

29.2.24

评土著经济大会

 政府宣布将在229日至32日在布城国际会展中心举行“土著经济大会”。副首相阿末扎希补充说,大会将进行评估自1965年以来的首届土著经济大会后所成立的相关机构的表现,同时大会也将聚焦在十个领域,其中包括增强消息产业、沙巴土著经济、砂拉越土著经济及教育改革和人力资源等。

有人对此提出质问,为什么要举办“土著经济大会”?而不是“全民经济大会”?根据首相安华的说法,因为直到目前为止,土著尚未达到当初所设定的30%的目标,这是因为股权持有人不透明,因此有必要重新修整公司条文,改善股权持有者的透明度。

如果是为了股权的持有者必须透明化,大可通过立法来修改公司的持股法令。对此我们也支持政府对股权的法令做出修改,但是否有必要召开土著大会来确定有关事项则显得过于高调和缺乏敏感度。

这与马来西亚的多元种族和种族政策大有关系。在殖民时代,马来亚已是一个多元种族的国家,因此在给予马来亚独立时,英国有同意让三大种族的代表成为代表团成员,向英方争取独立。当然这是在马来人主导下的政治安排而不是由民间自愿发起的独立运动。

最明显的例子是在战后,马来亚已出现种族性政党。例如在1945年成立的马来亚民主同盟党(代表华人)、1945年成立的马来国民党(代表马来人),而在1946年促成了巫统的成立。

由于马来精英感觉到英国推出的“马来亚联邦”(Malayan Union)的体制是不利马来人的,因而在194633日,由拿督翁(曾担任柔佛署理州务大臣)号召41个马来团体参加在吉隆坡举行的马来人团结大会。除了一致反对“马来亚联邦”外,也在511日宣布巫统的成立,而拿督翁则当选主席。

接着,英国同意以“马来亚联合邦协定”取代“马来亚联邦”后,拿督翁就在194812月在其住家召集各民族代表(21名)决定成立“各民族联络委员会”,可是马来社会并不能接受拿督翁的开放政策,也就反对巫统开放门户,导致拿督翁在1951年退出巫统,另成立“马来亚独立党”(1954年改名为国家党)。

在马来亚联合邦协定中。其中重要的条文包括为马来人下定义:即信奉回教、奉行马来人习俗及操马来语。而在协定中也列明马来人享有“特别地位”(Special Position),后来也因政治的需要而被称为“特权”(Privilege)。

虽然拿督翁一度提倡多元合作(主张开放巫统让非马来人入党),不认为高举民族主义的大旗是一成不变的。可惜曲高和寡,拿督翁终于在选举中大败(1955年),而再也站不起来。

但是在196559日,因李光耀主催反对党共同组成“马来西亚团结大会”,参与的政党有人民行动党、砂人联党、砂马真达党、民主联合党及人民进步党。这一下子引得巫统担心李光耀势力的膨胀,乃决定在196589日通过国会宣布新加坡脱离马来西亚,成为独立国家。

反之,巫统也借助1964年大选的辉煌成绩而成为“一党独大”的姿态,因此巫统不需要再主办“马来人团结大会”,因为政权已牢牢掌握在巫统手里。

即便1969年的大选不幸爆发“513”种族冲突事件,致使国家进入紧急状态,但也没有削弱巫统的政治地位。国家成立了行动理事会,权力归于敦拉萨首相,也促成巫统开放门户,但不是改变巫统而是扩大巫统的控制权力。

值得一提的是,当敦拉萨在1970年提出新经济政策时,也没有大张旗鼓,更没有举办马来人大团结,一切按程序走。

这个时候,另一波民族主义的思潮已在巫统内滋长。在此情形下,巫统提出了将联盟扩大成国阵(1974年组成)。这来是巫统对其他政党抱持宽容心态,因而将伊斯兰党、民政党、人民进步党及砂人联党纳入国阵门下,阵容的扩大展现了巫统更加的一党独大。为了这个缘故,在1973年巫统有一个大集会,解释组成国阵的因由。

因此在“513”过后的1974年、1978年、1982年、19861990年到1995年的五届选举中,都是巫统掌控全局,其参选的议员也超过半数,在议会内的势力牢不可破。

另一方面,马华在1971年解开戒严恢复国会民主后,曾一度主办轰轰烈烈的华人大团结运动,有些仿效巫统的做法,但马华终究不是当家当权的政党,它的美好愿望也就无法实现,反而被人指责搞种族主义。在这个大前提下,马华甚至被指责搞“民粹主义”(只管本身的利益,而未思及其他种族的利益)。

我曾私下询问林苍祐(当时的槟州首席部长),对马华搞华人大团结有何看法?他的回应这是搞种族主义,不值得鼓励与仿效。

针对新经济政策,也一度引起争议。

最初时候,此政策将实施到1990年(即20年),而后将由马哈迪倡议的“2020年宏愿“所取代。马哈迪是以30年作为赌注(1990-2020),矢言在2020年时马来西亚将成为一个先进国家。

没有人知道这个政策是否还生效或已不用,改以新的政策取代?这就需要首相安华向国人明确解释。

基此,我们认为单纯举行土著经济大会是无法解决所面对的症结,例如马币下跌,已是1美元兑4.80令吉,对国家的经济产生非常不利的影响,也进一步削减外来的投资。

为此,即使有华印企业家参加土著经济大会,也起不了大作用。既然我们已选出国会议员为民服务,那他们的责任是捍卫人民的权益,而不是推给经济大会来承担。

因此我们不能本末倒置,而是要实事求是,对症下药,不是大声呐喊就可以解决问题的。

我们建议,类似的种族性的大会可以少开,不要被某些冲动份子将会议搞成乱局。

马来西亚目前需要的是和谐、冷静和努力恢复元气,而不是斗阵容和展示力量。国会应成为最有效的传达心声的工具。

发布于2024年2月29日东方online:https://www.orientaldaily.com.my/news/mingjia/2024/02/29/633817