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Economist explores human stories behind development_我的网站

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A | 在过去的几周，南海的局势愈发紧张，菲律宾与中国之间的摩擦再次成为全球关注的焦点。

B | 菲律宾政府在南海的两项军事行动——侵犯中国黄岩岛领空和组织与美澳等国的联合巡航演习，不仅展现了该国在面对中国的强硬姿态，也反映出国际地缘政治格局的微妙变化。 8月21日，菲律宾出动三架小型军机未经许可进入中国黄岩岛领空，随即遭到中国南部战区的严厉警告与驱离。

Zhou Jiang speaks at an event. Photo: Courtesy of Zhou Jiang
Zhou Jiang, a researcher at the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, has a favorite book: White Deer Tableland or Bai Lu Yuan by renowned writer Chen Zhongshi.
As vice president of the Regional Science Association of China (RSAC), Zhou told the Global Times that a lifetime of reading has profoundly shaped the way he sees and understands the world. It ultimately led him to a career in research and academia, where he teaches and pursues scholarly work.
Since earning his PhD in economics in 2000, he has devoted himself to the study of regional science and economics, a field that demands a constant crossing of disciplinary boundaries, drawing on the fields of geography, sociology, history, and ecology among others.
"Reading has kept alive my sense of curiosity and taught me to ask questions with patience and persistence: Where do disparities in regional development come from? How do policies affect different groups in society? And how can a region pursue both efficiency and equity so that development is not merely effective, but also imbued with a greater sense of humanity and warmth?" Zhou noted.
Founded in 1991, RSAC is a national academic society dedicated to advancing domestic and international academic exchange and cooperation, providing consulting services on spatial planning, urbanization, and regional development, and offering intellectual support for China's modernization drive.
The 57-year-old researcher noted that reading has empowered him in two distinct ways.
"The first is discernment. When confronted with a complex issue, I try not to settle for a simple conclusion. Instead, I make an effort to understand its broader context, how it has unfolded, and the perspectives of the different people involved," he said.
"The second is a sense of inner steadiness. Setbacks are an inevitable part of both life and work. Good books remind us that hardship is never ours alone to bear; countless people before us have faced circumstances more difficult than our own, made difficult choices, and found the strength to carry on. Reading cannot solve every problem for us, but it can help us remain calm when challenges arise, giving us the clarity and resilience that allow us not to panic or give up too easily," he said.
Historical depth

Each time Zhou returns to the White Deer Tableland, he finds something different in its pages.
"When I first read it as a young person, I was drawn primarily to the characters and the twists and turns of their lives. Later, as I began researching regional economics, I found myself paying closer attention to the changes in the land, the countryside, families and social order presented in the story. Now, approaching 60, I have come to appreciate more deeply the choices the characters make, the constraints they face, and the quiet perseverance they show amid the sweeping currents of their times," he said.
White Deer Tableland uses Bai Lu village in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province as a microcosm, tracing the feuds and intertwined fortunes of three generations of the Bai (literally meaning white) and Lu families. Through their stories, it captures more than half a century of sweeping historical change, from the final years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to the 1970s and 1980s. The novel won the Mao Dun Literature Prize, one of China's top literature awards, in 1997.
Zhou prefers literary works with historical depth and a keen eye for social change.
Regional economics may appear to be concerned with the spatial distribution of industries, population and resources, but at its heart, it is about how people live on a particular piece of land, and why some places flourish while others decline, he noted.
In this sense, literature and history are more than pastimes beyond professional research. They often help him understand the historical context, cultural traditions and social mentality that lie behind economic data, he said.
When reading novels, Zhou said that he often pays close attention to the relationship between people and the places they inhabit: How the land shapes the local character, how transportation transforms a region, and how shifts in industry reshape families and villages. Such details may not offer a direct conclusion, but they broaden a researcher's perspective. They also serve as a reminder that research should look beyond growth rates and statistical indicators to consider the sense of fulfillment experienced by ordinary people and the dignity of human beings.
Understanding ourselves
Once, while tidying his study, he came across a book filled with notes he had scribbled in his early years. Among them was a question that particularly caught his attention: "In the face of sweeping changes in the times and profound social transformation, what can a person truly determine for himself?"
Looking at those words he had written in his youth was like coming face to face with the person he had been decades ago.
Reading is not simply the act of understanding a book; it is also a record of a person's own growth, he said. The same book can reveal something entirely different when read at different stages of life.
When we are young, we turn to books in search of answers; but when we become seasoned, we read more to understand life, to understand others, and ultimately, to better understand ourselves, Zhou said.
In this era of fragmented information, AI can help people access information quickly, organize materials, and gain a basic understanding of unfamiliar fields. Yet deep reading, Zhou said, allows people to see how a conclusion is reached — what evidence supports it, where its boundaries lie, and what alternative interpretations it may invite.
What truly shapes a person, after all, is not how much information they have browsed, but the words that have made them pause and reflect - and the words that have remained with them for many years, he added.
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C | 这一举动无疑是在向中国发出一种挑衅信号，展现出菲律宾在这个复杂局势中的决绝态度。一天后，菲律宾又联合美国和澳大利亚进行了一场为期七天的“多边海上合作活动”。参与此次演练的包括菲律宾的导弹护卫舰和美澳的战斗舰艇及多国巡逻飞机，让人不禁想问：菲律宾究竟是在增强自身的防务能力，还是在加剧地区的紧张局势？在小马科斯政府看来，菲律宾自身的海空力量相对薄弱，正面与中国对抗显然没有胜算。因此，他们通过拉拢外部力量来提升自己的谈判筹码，试图将双边摩擦转变为多边议题。然而，这样的策略是否真的能够奏效，值得深思。在国际博弈中，多边合作不一定能带来预期的安全感，反而可能使局势进一步复杂化，给菲律宾带来更大的风险。面对菲律宾的一系列挑衅，中国南部战区的反应可谓“毫不留情”。

D | 自2026年起，南部战区的发言人换成了海军大校翟士臣，他的表态逐渐变得更加坚定，语气也愈发强硬。从“正告”到“坚决捍卫”，再到“坚定维护”，每一步都传达出中国决不妥协的立场。

E | 随之而来的，是实际行动的升级。中国连续多个夜间出动轰-6K轰炸机编队进行南海巡航，显示出派遣军力的坚定决心。此外，中国还在黄岩岛及周边海域进行了海警联合执法和立法确权，从军事控制扩展到法律保障，形成立体式的管控体系。种种迹象显示，中方在南海问题上的底线不断被加强，菲律宾若继续推进挑衅，将难逃其后果。在菲律宾海上行动频繁的同时，仁爱礁的局势也在悄然变化。8月22日，菲律宾完成了近50天后的物资运补，这是在中方严密监管下实现的。尽管菲方希望借此展示其在南海的存在，但中方的控制已使这一过程变得极其有限。

F | 这种“温和的紧张”在时间线上显得尤为微妙，一边是补给，一边是联合巡航，菲律宾政府似乎在及时地调整策略以维持其在南海的利益。曾经在仁爱礁的断供经历也在提醒菲律宾，单靠外援并不能支撑其战略布局。

G | 确实，历史已经证明，依赖外援的据点最终无法避免回到谈判桌上，特别是在强大的对手面前。对菲律宾而言，在国际舞台上展现出勇气和决心固然重要，但如何在强权与合作之间找到平衡，却是摆在面前的巨大挑战。菲律宾与外部国家的联合巡航无疑是一种在国际关系中有所作为的表现，但从长远来看，这种策略能否真正改变边界争端的游戏规则仍存疑。每一次的联合巡航都伴随着中方管控的进一步升级，菲方的道德高地似乎在逐渐消失。

H | 正如南部战区所指出的，争夺南海的主权不仅仅是军事对抗的较量，更是对地区稳定与和平的考验。不仅如此，地缘政治的复杂性也意味着，将来可能出现更多意想不到的挑战。菲律宾与外部势力的联手并非万无一失，反而可能因误判而引发不可控的局面。在这样的背景下，南海的未来仍需各国冷静思考，尤其是如何在追求国家利益的同时，避免冲突的发生。