- Gordon Dumoulin
a look into Win-Win Cooperation 合作共赢
Do not '𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 囫囵吞枣’
Let’s take a look into 𝗪𝗶𝗻-𝗪𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 合作共赢, a popular term these days how China sees the development of collaborations with other countries. A term often raising eyebrows in Western nations and media like a hollow or captious phrase.
Despite what people might think, Win-Win Cooperation is nothing new in China. The concept is 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆. Win-Win Cooperation is not a stagnant concept, it is a constantly changing and adapting movement to find balance (win-win) at any time or circumstance in an ecosystem. This applies to collaborations but also to societies, families, nature, actually everything.
A more familiar term for people is Yin Yang, often perceived as mystic or floating but on the contrary, it is a pragmatic concept of acceptance that each environment (micro as business or family, or macro as society or international relations) consists of different forces and emotions, all related to each other and changing constantly. There is no single way or truth to clinch on, there is no single right or wrong or black and white. It is all there, related and connected, moving up and down, left and right, 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘇𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗺.
Win-Win Cooperation is about continuously working together on this inter-connected moving balance 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 and the benefit of the whole ecosystem.
In the West people tend to analyse situations, developments or trends by 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 to isolated stand-alone uniform perspectives for trying to obtain a logical understanding to form a stagnant conclusion or policy how to stand in an ecosystem or collaboration. Relations, connections, influences or changes by, from within or between those situations or developments are mostly kept out of the analytical equation.
𝙋𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘽𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮.
Distinct cultural concepts but certainly no polar opposites, instead complementary and of mutual value. Collaboration is all about starting off with similarities and integral ambitions instead of focusing on differences.
Another term from China usually not being grasped with comfort in the West, '𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆' is another example of these culturally rooted thoughts.
Cross-cultural learning is key for a better people-to-people understanding, especially in this media and politicizing era of separatism and xenophobia. Do keep in mind, people’s similarities are far greater than the differences.
Read more about Yin Yang in pragmatic perspectives in following link “Yin Yang – Balance between Dark & Light, War & Peace” by Todd Cornell 康鸿熹
Yin Yang – Balance between Dark & Light, War & Peace”