The World-wide Significance of the New Concept,New Thought and New Strategy for National Governance

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The World-wide Significance of the New Concept,New Thought and New Strategy for National Governance

By Wang Qun, A Member of Party School Middle-aged Class in 2017, CPCCC and Secretary-General of Arms Control Department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core has scientifically integrated the two overall situations of the country and the international community as well as the two major issues of development and security, thus forming a series of new concepts, new ideas and new strategies for governing the country. Especially in the field of security, accurately commanding the basic features of the contemporary era, Comrade Xi Jinping creatively puts forward a series of important concepts and initiatives such as the overall national security concept and the community of shared future for mankind. Comrade Xi Jinping innovatively works out theories, and practices personally what he preaches, which not only promotes realization of the "two century goals", the Chinese dream – the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation process, but also has made an important contribution to maintenance of world peace and security and pushing forward the global security governance.

Outline the strategic situation: providing scientific basis for global security governance

An accurate judgment of the current global security situation is an important prerequisite for correct promotion of global security governance. Comrade Xi Jinping dialectically commands the main relationships between peace and war, between development and retrogression, between globalization and de-globalization, between traditional security and non-traditional security, etc. and has made scientific judgments on the global security situation.

- the force for peace far exceeds that for war. Since the reform and opening up to the outside world, the CPC has made the judgments that peace and development are the main themes of the times. Comrade Xi Jinping has pointed out clearly that the rising force for peace is far greater than the growing factors for war, and the momentum of peace, development, cooperation and win-win outcome is ever stronger. He looks at the power of balance between peace and war from a static perspective, and also calls on various countries to maintain world peace from a dynamic perspective. He has quoted the Swiss writer Hermann Hesse as saying "serving not war and destruction, but peace and reconciliation", and advocates that all countries should try their best to safeguard world peace. He also stresses that China will always be a builder for world peace, so that China, with the world's biggest population and the world's second largest economy, would contribute to world peace-building.

-- the master key to development must be gripped firmly. Comrade Xi Jinping puts forward, "development is the master key to solution of all problems." Having viewed the opportunities and challenges facing the development comprehensively and dialectically, he both clearly notes the favorable factors such as the global economic continuous growth, the rising of developing countries, the global 1.1 billion people out of poverty and others, but is also keenly aware of the prominent problems such as the serious impacts of the global financial crisis, the uneven development between the South and the North, more than 800 million people still in hunger, etc.. He emphasizes that the problems in development must be solved through deepening development. "Only by developing can we eliminate the root causes of conflicts, and safeguard the basic rights of the people." He also scientifically grasps the inner-linkage between development and security, stressing that "development is the foundation of security, security is the prerequisite for development", and serves as a guide and a navigator for all countries to give further attention to the development issues.

-- to solve the problems, we should not give up eating for fear of choking. In recent years, the trend of reversing globalization has reared its head globally, and economic globalization has been portrayed as the "Pandora's box". Comrade Xi Jinping, at the 2017 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, refuted the wrong view having blamed the global chaos on economic globalization, and unequivocally pointed out that economic globalization is a historical mega-trend, its direction is correct. He also pointed out that "the anti-globalisation protests reflect the inadequacy of the economic globalization process, but to engage in protectionism and trade war is not the right approach to the problem solution, the problems caused by globalization are the problems in progress, we must recognize and try to resolve these problems, but we should not refrain from doing what we should for fear of running a risk, so he offers a prescription for various countries to command and address the problems of globalization.

– attaching importance to treatment of chronic diseases while paying attention to the newly emerged illness. Comrade Xi Jinping has repeatedly reminded the world of the traditional security chronic maladies such as that the world economic growth is weak, the financial crisis clouds remain, the development gap has become increasingly prominent, meeting on the battleground has cropped up here and there, the cold war thinking and power politics spectre and other problems inexorably hang on, and also called attention to the newly emerged illness incubated by continuous spread of non-traditional security threats such as terrorism, refugee crisis, major infectious diseases, climate change and others. Having put forward the overall national security concept in 2014, he emphasizes the need to attach importance to both the traditional security and non-traditional security, making diagnosis and writing out the prescriptions for the chronic diseases and the newly emerged illness China and the world meet in above-mentioned areas.

On the basis of grasping the overall situation, comrade Xi Jinping points out that the sunshine of peace, development and progress is enough to penetrate the haze of war, poverty and backwardness. In view of the current characteristics of the times, he stresses that the world affairs is getting more and more necessary for various countries to discuss collectively, and to establish international mechanisms, abide by international rules and pursue international justice have become the consensus of vast number of countries. This not only gives a scientific judgment on the global security situation, but also points at the basic path and method for global security governance.

Comrade Xi Jinping points out that China’s taking the road of peaceful development is the organic unity between self-confidence in ideas and self-confidence in practice, that it advances in sound interaction, the mutual benefit and win-win outcome with various countries in the world, and takes a lead in showing to other countries to make a correct assessment of the global security situation. Having come up with the thought of the Chinese dream, and given the Chinese dream world significance, he states, "realization of the Chinese dream cannot be achieved without a peaceful international environment and a stable international order, without people's understanding, support and help of various countries. The Chinese people's dream realization will create more opportunities for all countries, and will surely promote world peace and development". China's diplomacy is committed to building a favorable international environment for the realization of the Chinese dream, and maintaining and prolonging the important strategic opportunities period for China's development. This is in itself a contribution to the maintenance of world peace and providing the impetus and guarantee for the promotion of global security governance, reflecting the theoretical courage and practical wisdom of Comrade Xi Jinping in commanding the fundamental theme of the world.

Establish strategic objectives: pointing out the direction for global security governance

Establishing a scientific strategic goal is the key step of the strategy conceiving. Comrade Xi Jinping describes the community of shared future for mankind on many occasions, and in January this year from the perspectives of partnership, security pattern, economic development, cultural exchanges, ecological construction and others systematically expounds the general path and general blueprint to build the community of shared future for mankind. In February this year, the goal is first written into a United Nations Resolution, which is universally recognized by the international community.

In fact, to build the community of shared future for mankind has become the master program and main line for China’s major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. It is rich in content, bears profound meaning, and goes beyond the specific diplomatic ideas and practice, is a positive contribution to the lofty cause of world peace and development made by China, and has also established a strategic objective, provided top-level design, and pointed out the direction for global security governance.

From the time and space perspectives, the concept to build the community of shared future for mankind from the philosophical height is to answer those fundamental issues such as "where we come from", "where we are now" and "where we should go" and others; to point out that "the Mother Earth is the only hometown for human survival, to cherish and care of the earth is the only choice of humankind, thus having established an important theoretical premise for all countries to strive for the common security through the promotion of global security governance.

From the vertical perspective, the concept to build the community of shared future for mankind is the main line permeating with establishing the community of shared future for peripheral areas, the regional community of shared future, a global community of shared future at all levels, provides an important theoretical guidance to further promote global security governance from all aspects. From the horizontal perspective, the concept to build the community of shared future for mankind covers many areas such as politics, economy and culture, ecological construction, security and climate change, etc. it also provides an important theoretical basis to promote global security governance in each specific field.

In general view, having creatively put forward the concept to build the community of shared future for mankind, Comrade Xi Jinping has established a strategic goal for the global security governance, a comprehensive and systematic answer to basic issues for global security as "why to govern", "can it be governed", "what to govern" and "how to govern" and others. This remarkable theoretical achievement will surely guide the further development of global security governance.

Improve the strategic layout: building a framework for the development of global security governance

Strategic layout is the expansion of strategic objectives. The CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core has established the strategic layout of the "four comprehensives", which is the Party’s overall strategy of national governance in the new situation, creatively puts forward a new development concept, and makes top-level design to promote greater development of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This is especially true with the “open and sharing” concepts that have the implications for global security governance: the concept of openness is an important path to improve China’s discourse in the global governance system, while the concept of sharing is the strategic requirement for contemporary China to promote world peace and development. To adhere to the concept of openness and sharing, and to enable various countries to participate equally in global security governance and to share the outcomes of global security governance are the basic principles that global security governance must follow.

Comrade Xi Jinping puts forward an overall national security concept, a profound significant strategic thinking, calling for building a national security system composed of political security, homeland security, military security, economic security, cultural security, social security, science and technology security, information security, ecological security, resource security, nuclear security, etc. This is our Party's strategic layout in the field of security, but also plans a systematic and scientific strategic layout for the global security governance to achieve the strategic goal of building a community of shared future for mankind.

The overall national security concept contains the built-in content for international security, comrade Xi Jinping explicitly requires attaching importance to both the national security and the common security, and building a community of shared future, pushing various parties toward the objectives of mutual benefit and common security. As China becomes more and more integrated with the world, China's national security is closely related to the peaceful development of the world. The overall national security concept takes building a community of shared future for mankind as the fundamental purpose, advocates all countries to achieve the unity of the national security and common security, abandons the outdated ideas of zero-sum game, absolute security, and alliance theory, establishes a universal and inclusive concept of national security in the world, provides correct guidance and China’s program rich in features of the times for theory innovation and practice pioneering on global security governance.

Applying the strategic thinking of the overall national security concept, comrade Xi Jinping stresses that in the era of economic globalization, the security of various countries is interrelated and influence each other. No country can single-handedly seek its own absolute security, nor a country can gain stability from other countries’ turmoil. He advocates abandoning all forms of Cold War thinking, and establishing a new concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, promoting a global governance concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, creating a fair and reasonable as well as jointly building and sharing security pattern, so as to build an universally secure world.

Comrade Xi Jinping pays special attention to the interrelationship of major factors in the field of security, and stresses the need to make co-ordinate responses and take measures for both the symptoms and root causes. He points out: we should push forward international cooperation in the economic and social fields together, co-ordinate responses to the traditional and non-traditional security threats, and take preventive measures against the scourge of war. He also emphasizes: national security cannot be built on the turmoil of other countries, a threat of other countries may also become a national challenge. When discussing the frequent terrorist attacks in recent years, he has stressed that terrorism, refugee crisis, etc. are closely related to geographical conflicts, and to defuse conflicts is the fundamental policy. When talking about responses to international health security incidents, he has pushed the WHO to play a leading role, ... the international community should increase medical aid to African countries and other developing countries. To study the areas’ security systems in the framework of the overall security architecture, to do comprehensive research on their internal relationship and developing changes, and to coordinately put forward relevant solutions, which is Comrade Xi Jinping’s another innovation of adhering to applying materialist dialectics and systems thinking to solve international security issues.

Thus, the overall national security concept is not only China’s national security strategy, but to clarify the strategic layout for the global security governance, provides a feasible and practical thinking for the maintenance of world peace and security, is an all-dimensional solution to promoting world peace and security, and an international security strategy that can be copied and popularized.

Promote strategic practice: giving new connotation to global security governance

Comrade Xi Jinping stresses that to build a community of shared future for mankind, the key is to take an action. As a matter of fact, China has always stressed the importance of strategic progress, emphasizing translation of the concept of strategic objectives and strategic layout into practical actions through its own practice, and all-dimensionally promoting the further development of global security governance.

. China has always attached great importance to safeguarding the national core interests, and in the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, "mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity", "mutual non-aggression" and "non-interference in each other's internal affairs" are listed as the first three items. Comrade Xi Jinping stresses the principle of sovereign equality, arguing that national sovereignty and territorial integrity are inviolable, the internal affairs are non-intrusive, the rights to independent choice of social system and path of development should be safeguarded, and the practice of various countries to promote economic and social development and improve people's livelihood should be respected. He repeatedly states that we must adhere to the road of peaceful development, but never give up our legitimate rights, must not sacrifice the national core interests, which fully reflects the character of China’s diplomacy.

These ideas and practice, in fact draw delineations of the global security governance boundary, and ensure that the global governance is not to form cliques, not to become partisan, not to prune an opponent, not to subvert a sovereign government, not to bully the poor by the rich, but the friendly consultations on an equal footing among various countries, and the world affairs should be managed by the peoples of all countries through discussions.

. To promote changes of global security governance system is inseparable from the theoretical guidance. Comrade Xi Jinping has put forward a series of new concepts to promote global security governance:

. Taking building a community of shared future as a common goal for international relations, the common interests as the common ground, the all-win outcomes as the basic criteria, and the cooperation as the main form. This provides the basic path for global security governance to follow.

China in international affairs stresses trust, emphasizes friendship, advocates justice, fosters morality, puts equal emphasis on righteousness and benefits in international cooperation. This is a perfect combination of the China’s traditional advocate of "righteousness" and the promotion of global security governance, is a guide to global security governance by Chinese values.

The security concept has become an organic composition of the China overall national security concept, not only provides effective guidance for safeguarding national security and strengthening international security cooperation, but also contributes wisdom to maintaining world security and stability and promoting global security governance.

In addition, internationally Comrade Xi Jinping, based on cultural self-confidence, also actively promotes Chinese traditional culture such as "harmony is always precious, working together with one accord ", letting the Chinese civilization essence provide new nutrients for global security governance.

A good job on mechanism construction is an important step in consolidating the cooperation experience and ensuring the smooth implementation of the concept construction. Comrade Xi Jinping actively promotes the construction of the international security mechanisms, having laid the foundation for improving the multi-level global security governance mechanisms.

The major powers are the decisive force impacting world peace, and it is crucial to build a healthy and stable relationship framework among major countries for global security governance. China stresses its major country responsibilities, also advocates the establishment of new-type major countries relations on the basis of "non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect, cooperation and all-win outcomes", strengthens the major powers strategic communication and cooperation, actively brings under control their differences, and promotes the realization of common security. President Xi Jinping meets with President Trump, which expands the Sino-U.S. high-level communication mechanism to 4 high-level dialogue mechanisms and provides a safeguard mechanism for the two countries to maintain strategic stability, to avoid misjudgments, to bring under control differences, and promote cooperation. In recent years, China-Russia strategic cooperative relationship has maintained a high level operation. China and the EU have established four major partnerships, and the BRICS cooperation mechanisms and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization cooperation mechanisms have been deepened. In addition, China also actively participates in the negotiations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for the Iranian Nuclear Issue by the UN Security Council's five permanent members and Germany with Iran, made an important and unique contribution to this ultimate significant achievement by major countries cooperation, and promoted a establishment of a typical model to solve an international major hot issue through diplomatic negotiations since the cold war in the international community.

China attaches great importance to the role of the United Nations in the international security affairs, advocates giving full play to the core role of the United Nations and Its Security Council in international security affairs, and resolving a conflict on dual track simultaneously of the peaceful settlement of disputes and a coercive action. China actively establishes a responsible major country image, advocates and practices multilateralism, takes more international responsibilities and obligations within its capacity, and supports the United Nations to play an active role in international security by providing humanitarian assistance, joining the UN peacekeeping force, peacekeeping mechanism and establishing corresponding initiatives.

From having put forward the Belt and Road Initiative by Comrade Xi Jinping in 2013 to having hosted Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in China, the Belt and Road construction has achieved bumper harvest. More than 100 countries and international organizations actively support and participate in the world over, all parties involved have their policy communications deepened, facilities interconnectivity continuously strengthened, trade connectivity constantly upgraded, financing interconnectivity expanded, and the people-to-people interconnectivity constantly increased. "The Belt and Road" has become international public goods for various parties involved to actively participate. Meanwhile, China puts stress on a peripheral diplomatic concept featuring amity, sincerity, benefits and inclusiveness, further promotes construction of a community of shared future in surrounding areas. With the premise of adhering to the non-aligned principle to make friends, China has established partnerships with more than 80 countries and international organizations. China emphasizes equality, peacefulness and inclusiveness of the partnerships, no distinction between principal and subordinate, and between different camps, no imaginary enemy and no targeting at a third party, which sets an example for global security governance.

China attaches importance to the establishment and improvement of regional security cooperation mechanisms, and actively promotes the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to advance the Organization spirit featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and consultation, respecting diverse civilizations and seeking common development. Comrade Xi Jinping, at the CICA summit in Shanghai in 2014, advocated Asian security approach characterizing extensive consultation, joint constribution and shared benefits. China also gives attention to the building of regional cooperation mechanisms such as the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Regional Forum and others, advocating development of Asian way of mutual respect, consultation for consensus and taking care of comforts for all, and builds a security governance model with Asian characteristics.

Improve relevant international rules and promote the rule of law for global security governance. "Nothing can be accomplished without norms and standards", international rules are an important part of global governance. In this regard, Comrade Xi Jinping advocates openness and inclusiveness, opposes "unilateral domination" or "several parties co-governance", and advocates that "the destiny of the world should be commanded by all countries, and the international rules should be worked out by all countries.

For the existing relevant international rules, China advocates strengthening compliance of the relevant provisions. "All countries have the responsibility to safeguard the authority of international law, to exercise their rights legitimately and fulfill their obligations in good faith", "should ensure equal and uniform application of international law, not engage in double standards, or comply if beneficial and abandon if unfavorable, "keep truly impartial".

Comrade Xi Jinping stresses the increasing participation in the rules-making in emerging domains of the Internet, the polar regions, the deep seas, outer space and nuclear security, etc.. In 2014 at the Hague Summit, for the first time, he put forward a rational, coordinated and progressive nuclear security concept. In 2016 at the Summit in Washington, D.C., he advocated the establishment of an international nuclear security system featured by fairness, cooperation and all-win outcomes, and building a community of nuclear security shared future.

In January this year, at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, he advocated the complete prohibition and eventual complete destruction of nuclear weapons to achieve a nuclear weapon-free world; upholding the principles of peace, sovereignty, universality and collective governance, and building the deep seas, the polar regions, the outer space and the Internet into new domains of cooperation rather than arenas competing with each other.

In March this year, China released "International Strategy of Cooperation on Cyberspace", having implemented the important thinking of Comrade Xi Jinping’s on the construction of cyberspace community of shared future and the proposed "Four Principles" and "Five Points" for global Internet development and governance, proposed China’s ideas to promote relevant exchanges and cooperation, contributed China’s program to solve the problems for global cyberspace governance, and won extensive support of international community.

In addition, China in practice, on the one hand, firmly holds the central task of development and provides a fundamental policy for global security governance. On the other hand, it advocates the comprehensive application of political, military, cultural, educational, scientific and technological, sanitary, ecological means and others, so as to pursue the growing effects of security governance. This is also the application of the overall national security concept from the international perspective and has positive significance for promoting international security governance.

The new concept, new thought and new strategy of national governance play an active role in promoting global security governance and shaping the international security order

Promoting global security governance is an important manifestation of world significance of the new concept, new thought and new strategy for national governance of contemporary China. Facing those major issues of contemporary China and today's world, through the integrated application of strategic thinking, dialectical thinking, systematic thinking, historical thinking and the bottom-line thinking, having made comprehensive analysis of global security governance system from the perspectives of history, development, culture and values, the new concept, new thought and new strategy improve the global security governance system through establishing a new concept, building new mechanism, cultivating new driver, developing new rules, promoting new practice, thus, all-dimensionally enriching the content of global security governance. This fully reflects comrade Xi Jinping’s theoretical vision and innovation spirit in grasping the basic framework and development direction of the global security governance system, and the great practice of promoting the Chinese active integration and actively guiding the global security governance, thus having enriched the theoretical achievements of Sinicization of Marxism.

It would not only make important contributions to the promotion of global security governance, but also bear a positive impact on shaping the international security order. At present, the international security order is still in transition from a confrontational security order under the bipolar pattern to a coordinated security order under the multi-polarization pattern. The new concept, new thought and new strategy for national governance will contribute to the smooth realization of the transition.

(Excerpts of the Article in Study Times, May 29, 2017)