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Chinese Scholar calls for "Moral Guideline" in Globalization
A scholar from China's Beijing University said Friday that "moral guidelines" should be strictly adhered to in the process of economic globalization.
Yuan Ming, director of the university's Institute of International Relations, made the appeal in a speech at the 21st Century Forum -- Conference 2000, organized here by the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee.
He expressed the concern that in today's society, moral principles are often ignored by people in the pursuit of money, a situation which might lead to disaster for mankind in the increasingly interdependent society.
For example, he said, the performance of the hedge funds during the Asia financial crisis received a lot of criticism. Also at the World Trade Organization annual meeting in Seattle last December, people showed deep concern for moral issues, especially people from developing countries.
He also quoted the 1999 report of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which reminds people of the seriousness of the potential world crisis and argues that more attention should be paid to human beings, not just to profits.
The report sends the warning that if the market's major players get out of control, the moral standard would be severely threatened, and world justice and human rights would be sacrificed.
"The trends of globalization have raised a great obligation for all of us. A moral guideline should be set to accompany the economic interactions," he said.
Yuan suggested that full discussion of this should be encouraged at the UN assembly, the UNDP and the UN human rights commission.
In addition, more dialogue should be encouraged between developed countries and developing countries, between the "haves and have nots," he said.
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