‘Globalization in the 21st Century’ | Magellan started it, says former EU leader

The Macao Polytechnic Institute (IPM) held a conference yesterday on “Globalization in the 21st Century: Other Connections Between the New Silk Road and the Seven Continents”, which was attended by Professor José Manuel Durão Barroso, Former President of the European Commission.
Before an audience of the institute’s students and teachers and other guests, Professor Barroso, a known advocate of globalization, spoke about his perspective of globalization as well as its pros and cons.
Barroso mentioned that the phenomenon of globalization is nothing new. In fact, the first step of globalization or ‘worldalization’ (as some say), according to some historians, was taken through Portuguese maritime expansion: “The Portuguese maritime expeditions navigations were, in some way, responsible for putting Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas in intense contact for the first time,” he stated. He also highlighted the role of Macau since those times as an “intermediary on all commerce for the Asia region.”
According to Professor Barroso, “The bigger expression of this first globalization materialized in the first circumnavigation of the world done by a Portuguese navigator – Fernão de Magalhães (Magellan) – in the service of Spain’s Royal House, which proved the global conception of the world.”
As Professor Barroso explained, there were then several great developments in this concept of globalization, which have led towards to the present-day, where he believes “we are assisting a different kind of globalization, due to its extent, speed, intensity and its own nature.” He explained that a good part of this “new globalization” is intimately connected to China and to its opening, which has “led to exponential growth of China’s economy, as well as a growing interaction between China and the rest of the world.”
“The big difference with the globalization we have nowadays is the fact that it is not controlled by one or a few countries; it goes beyond any borders, it’s truly global and unable to be controlled by any individual government,” he said.
Regarding the “threats” that globalization can pose, they result from the same “fast spreading” context. He said that they can assume the forms of “terrorism, finance instability, climate change, pollution, pandemic dissemination, among other guises, which demand a transnational response, making this the biggest challenge for the world as a whole.”
As a conclusion, Professor Barroso left the audience with a reassurance that globalization does not mean losing our identities. Instead, he said, “We can still have our national identity and be open to the rest of the world; globalization is a great cultural opportunity.” RM