The Mission of the Major-Country Diplomacywith Chinese Characteristic in a New Era

By Professor Gao Fei

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The Mission of the Major-Country Diplomacywith Chinese Characteristic in a New Era

By Professor Gao Fei

Foreign Affairs University

The 19th National Congress of CPC clearly puts forward that socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era. Over the past five years, China actively advocated the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind, further promoted the all-dimensional diplomatic layout, implemented the Belt and Road Initiative, promoted reform of the global governance system, firmly safeguarded national interests, and formed a complete theoretical system of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in practice. This theoretical system is the embodiment of governing the country strategy by the ruling CPC in the new era in the diplomatic work, and points out the direction and mission for the major -country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in a new era.

China's diplomacy has entered a new era

After nearly forty years of reform and opening up, China's economic strength, scientific and technological strength, national defense strength and comprehensive national strength have entered the forefront of the world, and its international status has increased unprecedentedly, which have become powerful pillars for the major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in a new era.

In the year 2016, Chinese GDP was more than US$11 trillion, accounting for 14.84% of the world's total economy, China's contribution to world economic growth was over 30%, the total import and export volume reached US$3.69 trillion, is the largest trade partner of nearly 130 countries and regions of the world and the fastest growing import market. China also possesses the world's largest foreign exchange reserve, is the largest outbound investor, and has the most complete industrial system. These achievements have fundamentally changed the face of China's poverty and backwardness, and the relationship between China and the world is standing on a new historical starting point. Today's China is deeply integrated into the world system, and China's great development achievements cannot be separated from the reform and opening up. Practice has proved that only the world is developing well, can China develop well, only China is developing well, can the world become better. The great achievements in China's reform and opening up depend on the support and cooperation with the world, while a rising China has the responsibility and capability to share development opportunities with other countries and makes greater contributions to the international community.

The current international situation is undergoing mega-changes since the end of the cold war and even over the last century, showing a variety of chaotic scene: in-depth adjustments of the world economy accelerate, the threat of international terrorism is still seen, hot conflicts crop up here and there, games by major countries escalate, rising tide of de-globalization, the complexity, vulnerability, instability, and uncertainty of international relations are getting more prominent. Meanwhile, countries are becoming increasingly interdependent, and increasingly become an integrated community with shared future. No country in the world today is able to respond to the challenges of human race alone, and no country can return to the self-isolation either. However, interdependence does not mean that there is no contradiction between countries, but requires states to change the way to raise questions and solve them. Modern international relations emphasizes national sovereignty and independence, the international order shows "individualism"; while rising to the common challenges under the realistic background of interdependence, then, requires various countries in the world to show "collectivism", in a spirit of sharing weal and woe responsibly, and safeguarding and promoting world peace and development.

. Adhering to the leadership of the CPC and adhering to socialism with Chinese characteristics are the fundamental guarantee for diplomatic work. The goal of external work is to uphold the CPC leadership, consolidate the ruling position of the CPC and build a new-type international relations and a community with shared future for mankind. This has pointed out the direction for the national diplomatic work. The Report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC clearly states that China adheres to and develops socialism with Chinese characteristics, its general task is to achieve socialist modernization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, on the basis of completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and to build a socialist strong modern country that is prosperous, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful with two steps in the middle of this century. Therefore, in the process of implementing the overall national development goals, the Chinese diplomacy should hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation and win-win outcomes, coordinate the domestic and international two overall situations, coordinate the overall two themes of development and security, firmly grasp the guideline of "adhering to peaceful development and promoting national revival", safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, create a more favorable international environment for peaceful development, maintain and prolong the important period of strategic opportunities for China's development, and provide a powerful guarantee for the realization of "two century goals" and of the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation.

A new style demonstrated by the Chinese diplomacy

In recent years, the international situation has undergone profound changes. Under the strong leadership of the CPCCC with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, the Chinese diplomacy forges ahead in the teeth of difficulties, sets agendas, puts forward proposals, and firmly safeguards the legitimate rights and interests of itself and other developing countries, and actively leads reform of the international system, and shows confident, open and inclusive Chinese style and Chinese spirit.

The Report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC points out: The CPC is a political party that strives for both the wellbeing of the Chinese people and human progress, and the CPC always regards its new and greater contribution to mankind as its mission. This declares the goal and mission of the major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in a new era, i.e., China's diplomacy will not only serve the happiness of the Chinese people, but also shoulder responsibilities for the common progress of human society. China proposes the concept of upholding justice while pursuing interests with upholding justice coming first; the overall common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security concept; political, economic, social, cultural, ecological overall development concept; global governance concept with extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits; comprehensively carry out institutional and mechanism reforms, put forward the Belt and Road Initiative; greatly enhance the overall and whole of diplomatic work.

The rise of major-country will inevitably meet with various challenges, needs to be well prepared in advance. China firmly adheres to an independent foreign policy of peace and pursues a national defense policy with defense in nature, will not develop itself at the expense of other countries' interests, nor will it give up its legitimate rights and interests. Since 18th National Congress of the CPC, China has carried out firm and strong struggles for safeguarding rights on the basis of respect for the historical facts and international law, focusing on capacity building and comprehensively promoting the modernization of national defense and forces. China does not stir a trouble, nor is afraid of any provocation, draws the bottom line for the core interests involved and defends the bottom line, which has won the praise of the international community, and upgraded its international reputation. The enhanced ability to maintain overseas rights and the consular protection has greatly strengthened the people’s sense of achievement and pride of the national development.

President Xi Jinping points out that the condition is not immutable and frozen, if you put in efforts, situation can become better; while if you remain idle, it will get worse, so human effort is the decisive factor. The current situation of the world is undergoing profound and complex changes, and development of China is still in an important period of strategic opportunity. China needs not only to seize the opportunity of the times, but still to actively create the opportunities for its own development and world peace. China holds high the banner of peace, development, cooperation and win-win outcome, safeguards world peace, promotes common development, and pushes the construction of a new-type international relationship of mutual respect, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation, showing a distinctive style of pioneering spirit and bravely shouldering responsibilities. The new ideas and new thinking put forward by China provide a Chinese plan for solving the bilateral and multilateral problems in the development process of the contemporary world, and the initiative of diplomatic work is greatly enhanced.

Faced with profound changes in the international situation, the deepening process of rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and in-depth adjustments of China’s relations with the world, the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics actively pioneers and presses on enthusiastically, which has completely reversed the passive situation of its diplomacy. In recent years, in the diplomatic field, China has accomplished some important tasks originally intended but in failure, solved many difficult problems originally intended but in failure, constructed the major-country framework of healthy and stable relations, created a new situation of neighborliness, friendship and cooperation in the surrounding regions, and promoted the upgraded cooperation with developing countries. In the process of comprehensive promotion of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, an all-round, multi-level, three-dimensional diplomatic layout is shaped, and a sound external condition for the development of the country is created, China’s international influence, inspiration, and shaping capacity further improve, its identity as a world peace builder, a global development contributor and the international order guardian is further strengthened.

The new tasks of China's diplomacy

The socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, a new atmosphere should be created, and more new tasks should be accomplished. A major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristic in the new era is to focus on the overall work of the CPC and government, coordinate the domestic and international two overall situations, unswervingly take the road of peaceful development and follow an opening strategy of win-win cooperation, firmly safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and create a more favorable international environment for the peaceful development.

On the one hand, China remains firm in pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace. We respect the right of the people of all countries to choose their own development path. We endeavor to uphold international fairness and justice, and oppose acts that impose one’s will on others or interfere in the internal affairs of others as well as the practice of the strong bullying the weak. China adheres to the path of peaceful development, but will never give up its legitimate rights and interests. No one should expect us to swallow anything that undermines our interests. On the other hand, China will never pursue development at the expense of others’ interests. No matter what stage of development it reaches, China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion. Firmly pursues the independent foreign policy of peace, respects the people rights of all countries to independently choose their path of development, upholds international fairness and justice, opposes imposing ones own will onto others, opposes interfering in other countries' internal affairs and strong bullying the weak. China adheres to the path of peaceful development, but will never give up its legitimate rights and interests. No one should fantasize that China could swallow the bitter fruit that is a the damage to its national interests. On the other hand, China will never develop itself at the expense of other countries' interests. It will never seek hegemony and engage in expansion no matter what development stages it reaches. It will always be the builder of world peace, contributor of global development and guardian of international order.

In 2014, President Xi proposed at the Central Diplomatic Work Conference that China should make friends with the premise of adhering to the principle of non-alignment and form a partnership network around the world. The policy of partnership without alliance breaks the Cold War mentality of either friend or enemy, alliance or confrontation, and provides new ideas and models for leading state-to-state relations. In view of the major-country relations, China has actively developed global partnerships and expanded the convergence of interests with them. China will promote coordination and cooperation with other major countries and work to build a framework for major country relations featuring overall stability and balanced development. China will deepen relations with its neighbors in accordance with the principle of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness and the policy of forging friendship and partnership with its neighbors and deepen relations with neighbors. China will, guided by the principle of mutual assistance and common progress, work to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries. and by the principle of sincerity, real results, affinity, and good faith, work with African countries and newly positions the China-African relations as comprehensive strategic partnership, proposes the "five in one" China-Latin American relations as a new pattern, develops strategic partnerships with Arabia and the Pacific islands countries, having achieved cooperation mechanism with the developing countries with full coverage. Currently, China has established different forms of partnerships with 100 countries and international organizations. Through the construction of partnership network covering the whole world, China’s "circle of friends" will get bigger and bigger, not only creating a favorable external environment and strategic pillars for China's development, and will translate into practice the concept of building new-type international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice, cooperation and win-win outcomes.

. China adheres to the basic national policy of opening up, adheres to construction with open door, and actively promotes the Belt and Road international cooperation, and strives to achieve policy, infrastructure, trade, financing and people-to-people interconnectivity. Currently, China has signed the Belt and Road cooperation agreements with 80 countries and organizations, carried out mechanism production capacity cooperation with more than 30 countries, built 75 overseas economic and trade cooperation zones in 24 countries along the routes, so the Belt and Road Initiative has shown a strong vitality and vigor. In the world with surging high de-globalization tide, China takes a clear-cut stand against protectionism, advocates the development of global free trade and investment, and promotes liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment in the open process, and welcomes people of various countries to take a "free ride" on the "fast train" of China's development. The Belt and Road Initiative is launched by China, but itself belongs to the world. The Belt and Road Initiative, as a "mechanism without mechanism" based on "docking" and "interconnectivity" as the main means, is becoming a new platform for international cooperation, the new engine for pushing globalization.

The more people travel together, the further away they can travel. The dream of the Chinese people is connected with the dreams of peoples of all countries, to realize the Chinese dream cannot be separated from a peaceful international environment and a stable international order, China must pay more attention to the global governance and international order changes. The greater the strength, the greater the responsibility. In recent years, China supports the United Nations to play a positive role, sets up permanent peacekeeping force and the 8000 standby peacekeeping troops, supports the expansion of developing countries’ representation and discourse in international affairs and has played an important role in promoting the climate change Paris Agreement enacted and setting the sustainable development agenda 2030. The closer China gets to the center of the world stage, the more China should uphold the global governance concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, promote the democratization of international relations, adhere to equality among all countries regardless of size, strength and wealth, promote global governance system to develop in a more fair and reasonable direction, and achieve its own interests in the process of leading and shaping the international system.

（Abridged translation of the article in Contemporary World, No.43, 2017）