An International Conference on the Nexus of Traditional & Non-Traditional Security Dynamics: Chinese Experiences Meet Global Challenges

Jin Jiyong

An international conference entitled the Nexus of Traditional & Non-Traditional Security Dynamics: Chinese Experiences Meet Global Challenges was held at Zhejiang University National Science Park, Hangzhou, China on 18-20 September 2009. It was hosted and organized  by the Centre for Non-Traditional Security & Peaceful Development Studies (NTS-PD), Zhejiang University, China.

The forum aimed to explore the nexus of traditional & non-traditional security dynamics in case of China’s response to non-traditional security threats. The participants to the conference analyzed the complex non-traditional security challenges faced by the international community and tried to come up with innovative approaches to addressing the challenges. In his welcom remarks, Prof. Yu Xiaofeng, Director of NTS-PD, put an emphasis on the importance of non-traditional sucurity studies(NTSS) to the globalized world in general and to China in particular. He highlighted the interdependence among all the nation-states in dealing with such non-traditional security threats as climate change, the spread of pandemics, mondey-laundering, and terrorism etc. In addition, he identified the most urgent and imminent non-traditional security issues faced by China.  

The first session of the conference began with Prof. Barry Buzan’s speech on non-traditional security studies. As one of the most prominent scholars in international security studies, Prof. Barry Buzan put forward a general framework for thinking about how to differentiate non-traditional security studies(NTSS) from traditional security studies(TSS). He was of the opinion that securitization theory presented us a constructive perspective to probe into non-traditional security issues. He also touched upon the five driving forces for the evolution from TSS to NTSS. Such conceptions as human security, national security, and international security were also investigated in his speech. In the end, he remarked that all of the widening and deepening developments in international security studies would contribute greatly to NTSS, which helps us to deal with our shared concerns about non-traditional security threats.

Rosemary Foot, Professor of St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, U.K, traced the origins of Responsibility to Protect. She thought that a balance shoud be kept between national security and human security. Meanwhile, she examined China’s contribution to the UN’s humanitarian role as well as its position in the debate over Responsibility to Protect. In the end, she came to a conclusion that China had not obstructed the development of the concept. On the contrary, China’s growing involvement in PKOs allowed Beijing to cultivate the image of a responsible great power, and cultivate the image of a state which protects international peace.

Dr. Katherune Morton, Research Fellow of the Australian National University, Australia, and Dr. Cui Shunji, Research Fellow of NTS-PD, Zhejiang University, concurred with the points raised by Barry Buzan. They applied securitization theory to climate change and China’s frontier issues respectively and concluded that those non-traditional challenges have been securitized to some extent.

In the second session of the conference, Prof. Amitav Acharya, School of International Service, American University, hightlighted key changes in our thinking about what security means and how best to realize it. He remarked that the advent of transnational security consciousness spurred new approaches and mechnisms for ensuring security, and that national security structures were non longer monopolized by armed forces. Whereas, in his opinion, human security paradigm is not well established in East Asia.

In view of non-traditional security threats confronted by China, Prof. Yu Xiaofeng analyzed the capacity building measures taken by China. He was of the opinion that these non-traditional security threats shouldn’t be considered as “low politics” any longer. They should be put into the realm of “high politics” and prioritized. He noted that responsive capacity building has been increasingly recognized as an important component of China’s national security strategy.

Prof. Shen Dingli, Director of Center for American Studies, Fudan University, China, described China’s humiliating history around 19^th century. Historically, China encountered more external threats than internal ones. That is why China used to assume national security strategies traditionally. Currently, China’s domestic issues endanger national security. Freedom from those internal insecurity is conducive to the enhancement of China’s national security. 

Prof. Wang Yizhou, senior fellow and deputy director in Institute of World Economics and Politics, CASS, clarified the concept of non-traditional security. He analyzed China’s progressive attitude towards non-traditional security issues and explained the complexity concerning non-traditional security threats, arguing that non-traditional security is important in economic, political and security sense, but it needs far more efforts from the academics to reach consensus in understanding and dealing with these issues.

Other participants to the conference also contributed to the discussions regarding NTSS from different perspectives. They offered constructive, tentative, and thought-provoking ideas, both theoritically and practically. Prof. Yu Xiaofeng then concluded the event by extending thanks to all present for their time and effort in making the conference a success. He also expressed his expectation of further collaboration with all present so as to better deal with non-traditional security issues.