By Hwang Jae-ho
The enterprises, which run its business with the social vision to develop the regional quality of life, are referred as the social enterprise. There are not a few big and small social enterprises throughout the West as well as in Korea. However, China is just at its inchoate level for this type of business.
Considering China's socialism, which puts a priority on the social contribution rather than blindly seeking profit, this seems quite plausible. Since 2000, many Chinese companies have begun pursuing social responsibility, and here I introduce who has had this spirit from the beginning.
Kim Hor Toh was born in Malaysia, studied in the U.K., Singapore, and the U.S., and now usually works in Hong Kong and in mainland China. He is an architect and urban planner working in China's real estate sector. His passion for sustainability led him to start up a social enterprise to promote Sustainable Development Goals 11 in China. Kim's research interest also covers the intersection between security and development. He believes that only by establishing a firm foundation for peace, can societies flourish and developments be sustainable in the long term.
Q: Please tell us about your background and work experience.
A: I am an architect and urban planner by profession and have experienced the rapid urbanization of China over the past 20 years. The World Bank estimates that over the next two decades, its urban population is expected to increase by 250 million. How will China deal with such rapid urbanization from the viewpoint of Sustainable Development Goals 11?
Q: Your resume gives the impression of a keen interest in peace and social values. First, with regard to your interest in social values, what is the guiding principle of the Center for Environment and Development Studies?
A: The center was set up as a response to under-served needs by small and medium sized cities in China to access world-class consultancy services for the built environment. It is still in a startup stage. We undertake our mission based on the guiding principle of "humanitarian competition," which was elucidated by the educator Tsunesaburo Makiguchi.
As a concept, it confronts the reality of competition, which socialism has inadequately taken into account as a source of energy and vitality. Social enterprises, which are aligned with the principles of humanitarian competition, harness competition while ensuring it is conducted firmly on the basis of social values, thus bringing forth a synergistic reaction between humanitarian concerns and competitive energies.
Q: Although there is an understanding of the term "social enterprise," can it also be considered an emerging trend in China? What is the operating environment like for social enterprises within China?
A: Li Fan, adviser to the Leping Social Entrepreneur Foundation and co-founder of the Global Links Initiative, the first social entrepreneur membership organization in China, believes that social enterprises will become an emerging trend as China continues to reform its market-based economy.
The social enterprise sector in China is still in its infancy but I believe the government recognizes the value of social innovation to co-create solutions to the many social challenges confronting China. So, I am hopeful that the regulations governing social enterprises in China can be developed further, especially for international social enterprises.
Q: What are some rewarding experiences you have had while running a social enterprise in China?
A: It is always very rewarding when you see your efforts create a social impact in society. In my case, getting the local government bureaus in the built environment sector to agree with the ideas I have proposed to create more sustainable urban environments is indeed fulfilling.
Q: Second, a question relating to your interest and contributions to peace. I was introduced to you by IISS when you attended the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last year. I am quite curious why an architect and urban planner like you has a keen interest in security issues?
A: My research interest is also focused on the intersection between development and security. In a report released at the International Conference on Climate Security in the Asia Pacific region held at Seoul in 2013, at least 110 countries considered the effects of climate change a "serious national security issue." Natural disasters as well as man-made disasters such as armed conflicts can severely impact developments.
Therefore, I believe that only by establishing a firm foundation for the peace and security of the land, can societies flourish and developments be sustainable in the long term.
Q: You attended the Shangri-La Dialogue again this year and then Singapore hosted the DPRK-US Summit a month later. Recently President Moon Jae-In delivered a lecture at ISEAS in Singapore. What is your impression on President Moon's initiatives for peace and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula?
A: I admire President Moon-Jae-In's master class diplomacy in making peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula based on the Berlin Doctrine a reality _ despite the many challenges ahead.
I hope the international community will also support President Moon's peace efforts and the denuclearization of the Peninsula. For example, in a peace proposal authored by peace builder Daisaku Ikeda, he called for all countries in the Six-Party Talks to declare Northeast Asia a nuclear non-use region as a step toward denuclearization of this region, which includes the Korean Peninsula.
I hope China, the only nuclear weapon state with a no-first-use policy, will boldly initiate this to create physical and psychological security, not just in the DPRK but also for those countries relying on the nuclear umbrella.
Q: Would you like to share any additional comments or insights?
A: About achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in this region, Daisaku Ikeda in his peace proposals also concretely called on South Korea, China and Japan to join together to create a regional model that will embody best practices that can be shared with the world.
At present, there are 151 local government sister-city agreements between South Korea and China. For South Korea, China and Japan combined, there are now more than 600 sister-city agreements. I look forward to see more cooperation among the Northeast Asian countries to achieve the SDGs.
Chinese social enterprise has just taken its first step forward, and the path and direction for its development is still being debated. For further growth, massive theoretical studies in academia and experience in the field are required.
So far, many experts in the field have been unable to come up with certain agreements; it is meaningful that the social enterprise, as a non-profit sector, uses market operation measures in order to coordinate the resources, manage the market mechanism, and to realize the public vision.
Considering the reality where the market economy promises to compensate individuals' effort while materialism also dominates, this humanism-based challenge, which tries to combine the national interest with profit, would certainly be worthy.
The attempts and outcomes will one day bring the butterfly effect within society, within a nation, and stretch to the region. It will eventually bring cooperative development and stable peace among the nations in the region.
Hwang Jae-ho is a director of the Global Security Cooperation Center, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul.
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| Kim Hor Toh. |
Considering China's socialism, which puts a priority on the social contribution rather than blindly seeking profit, this seems quite plausible. Since 2000, many Chinese companies have begun pursuing social responsibility, and here I introduce who has had this spirit from the beginning.
Kim Hor Toh was born in Malaysia, studied in the U.K., Singapore, and the U.S., and now usually works in Hong Kong and in mainland China. He is an architect and urban planner working in China's real estate sector. His passion for sustainability led him to start up a social enterprise to promote Sustainable Development Goals 11 in China. Kim's research interest also covers the intersection between security and development. He believes that only by establishing a firm foundation for peace, can societies flourish and developments be sustainable in the long term.
Q: Please tell us about your background and work experience.
A: I am an architect and urban planner by profession and have experienced the rapid urbanization of China over the past 20 years. The World Bank estimates that over the next two decades, its urban population is expected to increase by 250 million. How will China deal with such rapid urbanization from the viewpoint of Sustainable Development Goals 11?
Q: Your resume gives the impression of a keen interest in peace and social values. First, with regard to your interest in social values, what is the guiding principle of the Center for Environment and Development Studies?
A: The center was set up as a response to under-served needs by small and medium sized cities in China to access world-class consultancy services for the built environment. It is still in a startup stage. We undertake our mission based on the guiding principle of "humanitarian competition," which was elucidated by the educator Tsunesaburo Makiguchi.
As a concept, it confronts the reality of competition, which socialism has inadequately taken into account as a source of energy and vitality. Social enterprises, which are aligned with the principles of humanitarian competition, harness competition while ensuring it is conducted firmly on the basis of social values, thus bringing forth a synergistic reaction between humanitarian concerns and competitive energies.
Q: Although there is an understanding of the term "social enterprise," can it also be considered an emerging trend in China? What is the operating environment like for social enterprises within China?
A: Li Fan, adviser to the Leping Social Entrepreneur Foundation and co-founder of the Global Links Initiative, the first social entrepreneur membership organization in China, believes that social enterprises will become an emerging trend as China continues to reform its market-based economy.
The social enterprise sector in China is still in its infancy but I believe the government recognizes the value of social innovation to co-create solutions to the many social challenges confronting China. So, I am hopeful that the regulations governing social enterprises in China can be developed further, especially for international social enterprises.
Q: What are some rewarding experiences you have had while running a social enterprise in China?
A: It is always very rewarding when you see your efforts create a social impact in society. In my case, getting the local government bureaus in the built environment sector to agree with the ideas I have proposed to create more sustainable urban environments is indeed fulfilling.
Q: Second, a question relating to your interest and contributions to peace. I was introduced to you by IISS when you attended the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last year. I am quite curious why an architect and urban planner like you has a keen interest in security issues?
A: My research interest is also focused on the intersection between development and security. In a report released at the International Conference on Climate Security in the Asia Pacific region held at Seoul in 2013, at least 110 countries considered the effects of climate change a "serious national security issue." Natural disasters as well as man-made disasters such as armed conflicts can severely impact developments.
Therefore, I believe that only by establishing a firm foundation for the peace and security of the land, can societies flourish and developments be sustainable in the long term.
Q: You attended the Shangri-La Dialogue again this year and then Singapore hosted the DPRK-US Summit a month later. Recently President Moon Jae-In delivered a lecture at ISEAS in Singapore. What is your impression on President Moon's initiatives for peace and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula?
A: I admire President Moon-Jae-In's master class diplomacy in making peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula based on the Berlin Doctrine a reality _ despite the many challenges ahead.
I hope the international community will also support President Moon's peace efforts and the denuclearization of the Peninsula. For example, in a peace proposal authored by peace builder Daisaku Ikeda, he called for all countries in the Six-Party Talks to declare Northeast Asia a nuclear non-use region as a step toward denuclearization of this region, which includes the Korean Peninsula.
I hope China, the only nuclear weapon state with a no-first-use policy, will boldly initiate this to create physical and psychological security, not just in the DPRK but also for those countries relying on the nuclear umbrella.
Q: Would you like to share any additional comments or insights?
A: About achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in this region, Daisaku Ikeda in his peace proposals also concretely called on South Korea, China and Japan to join together to create a regional model that will embody best practices that can be shared with the world.
At present, there are 151 local government sister-city agreements between South Korea and China. For South Korea, China and Japan combined, there are now more than 600 sister-city agreements. I look forward to see more cooperation among the Northeast Asian countries to achieve the SDGs.
Chinese social enterprise has just taken its first step forward, and the path and direction for its development is still being debated. For further growth, massive theoretical studies in academia and experience in the field are required.
So far, many experts in the field have been unable to come up with certain agreements; it is meaningful that the social enterprise, as a non-profit sector, uses market operation measures in order to coordinate the resources, manage the market mechanism, and to realize the public vision.
Considering the reality where the market economy promises to compensate individuals' effort while materialism also dominates, this humanism-based challenge, which tries to combine the national interest with profit, would certainly be worthy.
The attempts and outcomes will one day bring the butterfly effect within society, within a nation, and stretch to the region. It will eventually bring cooperative development and stable peace among the nations in the region.
Hwang Jae-ho is a director of the Global Security Cooperation Center, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul.
