The Only Constant Is Change

By Zhao Wei

‘For both the world and China， the out- going 2022 is critical in bridging the past and the future，” Wang Yi， State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs， said at the Symposium on the International Situation and China’s Foreign Relations via video link on December 25， 2022.

This was the 10th consecutive year-end speech on the state of world affairs and Chinese diplomacy Wang gave in his capacity as foreign minister since 2013. Likening it to a giant ship， Wang said in 2022 the global society “sailed through the raging waves of the once-in-a-century pandemic” and had to “brave for the hurricanes of geopolitical conflicts， whirlpools of bloc confrontation， un- dercurrents of surging inflation and cold waves of the energy crunch，” which made the journey “choppy and tumultuous.”

However， Wang did add that the current crisis has given rise to change and hope， leading most of the world’s developing countries to respond to the numerous unprecedented changes with greater assurance by acting with greater purpose in their solidarity and cooperation.

On December 20， 2021， when Wang attended the same symposium in Beijing， he summed up the international situation as follows： “The world has witnessed a persistent and unchecked pandemic， accelerating changes unseen in a century and a period of turbulence and transformation globally. Confronted by unprecedented challenges， countries around the world are looking for answers and humanity is required to make the right choice.”

In that speech， Wang went on to describe two very different directions countries could take： One was to revive the Cold War mentality， deepen division and antagonism and create bloc confrontation； the other was to commit to solidarity and cooperation， advocate openness and win-win cooperation and practice equality and respect. China opted for the latter.

In his 2022 speech， Wang stated the worldwide trends of transformation and turbulence were both evolving continuously and the tendencies toward unity and division were both on the rise as well as in contention with one another. However， he added， “in the new global picture， any attempt of conflict， confrontation， containment and decoupling goes against the prevailing trend of the times and is doomed to fail， while peace， development， cooperation and win-win represent people’s aspirations and their general inclination.”

When comparing Wang’s speeches from 2021 and 2022， one can clearly see how the international situation has remained volatile and its complexity has only increased. Last year， the world was slowly recovering from COVID-19， only to be plunged into geopolitical conflicts， inflation and energy shortages. What remains the same， however， is that the foreign minister mentioned in both speeches how China had emphasized cooperation， openness and an overall win-win situation.

“The external change is more geopolitical； certain international forces have attempted to obstruct China’s development. But China’s development strategy has always been a steady one and is the result of lessons learned from history，”Jia Wenshan， an academic member of the Institute for Global Cooperation and Understanding under Peking University and a distinguished professor at Shandong University， told Beijing Review.

According to Jia， China’s development strategy has upheld the concepts of openness， cooperation and win-win. This has been the secret of China’s success in the past decades and runs in line with the global outlook and philosophy of the Chinese civilization. The country’s vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity， first proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013 during a state visit to Russia and later reiterated on the global stage in his speech at the United Nations Office at Geneva in 2017， serves as confirmation of the country’s diplomatic and developmental strategies.

“What we can do now is stick to a major- country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. Also， we can adapt to changes and timely assess the global situation. For the sake of maintaining common global security and development， China has proposed the Global Development Initiative（GDI） and the Global Security Initiative （GSI） in 2021 and 2022， respectively， which are notable examples，” Jia explained to Beijing Review. The initiatives constitute important practical support for the concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity， of which development and security are an integral part， and provide Chinese solutions for pursuing world peace and common prosperity.

In his 2021 speech， Wang listed six tasks for Chinese diplomacy in 2022： exerting every effort to ensure a successful Beijing Olympic Winter Games， tackling challenges in the post-pandemic era， pushing for the implementation of the GDI， expanding and deepening global partnerships， promoting the steady growth of China-U.S. relations， and safeguarding China’s core interests—which include state sovereignty， national security and territorial integrity， among others.

Were all these tasks accomplished over the 12 months that followed？ Wang answered this question by summarizing eight major achievements of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in his December address.

One success in particular was China’s very fruitful head-of-state diplomacy with one significant event after another. Highlights thereof included one home ground event—the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games， two major initiatives—the GDI and the GSI， three important visits of President Xi—the Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization （SCO） in Samarkand， the Group of 20 Summit in Bali and the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok， and the First China-Arab States Summit and the ChinaGulf Cooperation Council Summit in Riyadh.

Wang also touched on China’s rejection of bloc confrontation and zero-sum competition， and its maintained strategic stability in relations with other major countries and regions.

“Increasingly， we’ve seen the world become more multipolar. The simple fact is that China is the major trading partner of most countries and regions of the world. China is a playing a growing role in supporting multilateralism，” Josef Gregory Mahoney， a professor of politics and international relations at East China Normal University， told Beijing Review.

“We saw the U.S. become more aggressive toward China in 2022， its total commitment to antiChina containment coming into full view， but we also saw more and more countries questioning—if not rejecting—this approach， including some longstanding U.S. allies.” Instead， he pointed out， China’s support for the SCO， Association of Southeast Asian Nations， World Trade Organization， the UN， in tandem with it serving as a reliable global leader in the fight against climate change， continues to build international confidence in China’s commitment to peace and development despite U.S. provocations.

Wang said the most important event of 2022 was undoubtedly the 20th Communist Party of China National Congress in October， which provided the basic policy and outlined strategic plans for major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.

When discussing diplomatic responsibilities in the years ahead， Wang added China will stay committed to several key notions： human progress and world harmony， the Chinese path to modernization， peaceful development， a global vision， high-standard opening up， independence， dialogue between civilizations， and a “fighting spirit” to promote justice.

Mahoney said that in 2023， he expects China to emerge more fully on the global stage. Now that the COVID restrictions are being removed， the country can expect a lot more people coming and going， including foreign leaders and dignitaries. “I’d like to see some big positive movements between India and China， and I’d like to see the GSI find its feet in Asia. If we can do this and avoid the worst side of a possible global recession， while keeping a cool head over new U.S. provocations vis-à-vis Taiwan， then it will be a very good year for Chinese diplomacy，” he shared with Beijing Review.

The year 2023 is the Chinese zodiac Year of the Rabbit. “According to the Chinese cultural interpretation， the rabbit is agile and resourceful， meaning it is highly adaptable，” Jia said. “I think China’s diplomacy will be even more flexible in 2023 and will further shape China’s image of being reliable and respectable.” BR