I recently had the pleasure of attending a lecture on the relationship between globalization and national sovereignty by Yu Keping, deputy director of the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau of the Communist Party of China and professor of political science at Peking University known for his insight on and knowledge about democracy theories. His lecture prompted me to consider a host of related hot topics in Hong Kong society today.

The modern definition of national sovereignty took shape with the emergence of the Westphalia System in the 15th century. And national sovereignty has been at the heart of political life of human society ever since. However, globalization has dragged almost all nations of the world into a politico-economic integration process and interactive network, whereby no country can keep its internal affairs from being affected by external factors.

Globalization has caused major adjustments in the three main components of a nation-state - territory, sovereignty and people - and shaken the very foundation of the traditional image of a nation in people's mind. There is no better example of this phenomenon than the European Union (EU). Although the passports EU member states issue to their citizens are different, 26 of them have lifted border controls according to the Schengen Agreement and, as a result, people driving on continental highways sometimes fail to realize they have crossed into a neighboring country. The EU is becoming a unified federal country in terms of trade and finance but resembles a confederation of independent states in terms of internal affairs, national defense and foreign relations. Without a unified central administration, legislature or fiscal budget, the citizens of EU member states have their respective nationalities but not a common identity. Some scholars therefore see it as a "confederation" that resembles a country in some ways and a super-country in others.

By nature a global market is in conflict with the traditional principles of a sovereign state. Throughout the world one of the current trends in political development in individual countries or regions amid economic globalization is the decentralization of political power. Multinational corporations, such as Apple, Boeing, Microsoft, Google, Facebook and Twitter, are influencing many nation-states' politico-economic progress, subtly or otherwise. Market control and management, traditionally a function of the state, has now largely been taken over by supranational organizations. In other words, nation-states often find themselves powerless in front of the world market as their traditional functions have been seriously weakened.

As such, no single nation-state today can regulate the global financial market on its own.

The international factor has become a critical variant in limiting individual countries' internal political development. No country, even one as powerful the US, Russia, China, Japan, Germany or France, can make decisions on major national issues without fully considering the effect of the international environment on such decisions and the effect of such decisions on the international environment.

Some new concepts of statehood and sovereignty have emerged against this historical backdrop. One of the more influential theories is "the demise of the nation state", as some scholars have simply called globalization a process of "denationalization"; while others believe that national sovereignty in its traditional sense has begun crumbling and is now obsolete, as the "post-Westphalia" era in international politics has arrived. Still others have gone so far as to assert that globalization has laid a profound and realistic foundation for a world government, making it more necessary than ever to create a "world government" for the "world community".

Meanwhile, some theorists have put forward the concept of "neo-imperialism", saying it is the latest development of the traditional imperialism, which in essence represents efforts by Western developed nations to impose their own culture, values, political system and ideology on other countries through economic expansion and financial monopoly, in total disregard of existing national sovereignty as they openly seek global hegemony.

Whether these theories hold water or not, it is an undeniable fact that globalization has significantly changed the traditional idea of national sovereignty. A new world order suitable to the advancement of globalization has emerged. Therefore it is necessary to turn traditional international cooperation into globalized regulation. It will be an enormous systematic undertaking.

The author is a current affairs commentator.

(HK Edition 10/24/2013 page8)