Joint Pursuit of Modernization Advances the Building of a Community with a Shared Future with Neighboring Countries

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China （CPC） in 2012， neighborhood diplomacy has been at the top of China’s diplomatic agenda with growing importance. In October 2013， the CPC Central Committee convened the central conference on work related to neighboring countries， first of its kind since the founding of the People’s Republic of China， stressing “let awareness of a community with a shared future take root in the neighboring countries”. At the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs in 2014， President Xi Jinping stressed on the importance of neighborhood diplomacy and building a community with a shared future with neighboring countries. On the new journey ahead with both new opportunities and challenges， China will further deepen reforms comprehensively and promote development in the neighborhood through its own development. It will work with neighboring countries to advance modernization and build a community with a shared future.

The Pillars Of A Community With A Shared Future With Neighboring Countries Are Increasingly Solid

Since the 18th CPC National Congress， building a community with a shared future with neighboring countries has seen solid progress. China has rolled out action plans， issued joint statements and reached consensus with Vietnam， Laos， Cambodia， Myanmar， Indonesia， Thailand， Malaysia， Pakistan， Mongolia and the five Central Asian countries on building a bilateral community with a shared future. China has worked with relevant countries on advancing the China-ASEAN community with a shared future and establishing the Lancang-Mekong and China-Central Asia communities with a shared future. With the Belt and Road Initiative （BRI） as the platform for action and the three global initiatives as the strategic guidance， the institutional pillars for building a community with a shared future with neighboring countries have been strengthened.

First， with the BRI as the platform for action， countries in the neighborhood have seen closer connectivity and economic cooperation. The China-Laos Railway and the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway have been opened to traffic. We have seen progress of the China-Russia-Mongolia Economic Corridor， the launch of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway project and the opening of the China-Europe Trans-Caspian Express. At the same time， much headway has been made in key projects such as the China-Vietnam railway， China-Mongolia railway， the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor， and the East Coast Rail Link. Among BRI partner countries， eight of the top ten destinations for China’s outbound direct investment （ODI） are in its neighborhood. China is the largest trading partner for 18 countries in the region. In 2022， China’s trade with neighboring countries reached $2.64 trillion， accounting for 41.9% of its total trade. Their collective efforts to maintain stable and smooth industrial and supply chains have yielded fruitful results in such sectors as digital economy， artificial intelligence， biomedicine and new energy.

??Second， with the Global Security Initiative （GSI） as the strategic guidance， a community with a shared future with neighboring countries has constantly secured new achievements in creating a surrounding environment featuring lasting peace and universal security. The GSI has been written into China’s joint statements with Russia， Vietnam， Laos， Cambodia， Mongolia， Indonesia， Pakistan， and the five Central Asian countries. China actively supports and strives to improve the ASEAN-centered regional security mechanism and framework. Following the “ASEAN Way” featuring consensus through consultation， inclusiveness， and accommodating the comfort levels of all sides， China strives to enhance security dialogue and cooperation with its regional partners. China and ASEAN countries work together on implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and pressing ahead with consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. In addition， fruitful outcomes have been made in building a community with a shared future among member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization （SCO）， manifested by the convening of the first China-Central Asia Summit and the establishment of a China-Central Asia heads of state meeting mechanism， which greatly contributed to regional security and stability. China and Japan have reaffirmed their commitment to comprehensively advancing the strategic relationship of mutual benefit. The China-Japan-ROK Trilateral Summit has been resumed. China and India have reached common understandings on enhancing strategic communication， maintaining peace and stability in border areas， and bringing the bilateral relations back to the track of steady development. On regional hotspot issues， China has played an active role in mediating for peace in northern Myanmar， supporting a national unity government and peaceful reconstruction in Afghanistan， as well as pursuing a political solution to the Korean Peninsula issue. In non-traditional security fields， China promotes cooperation within the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation （LMC） framework， striving to turn the region into a GSI pilot zone through projects supported by the LMC Special Fund. It has joined hands with regional partners in fighting terrorism and separatism， and addressing regional financial crises， climate change， food insecurity， cybersecurity， and other challenges. During the COVID-19 pandemic in particular， countries in the region fought shoulder to shoulder， giving expression to the spirit of a community with a shared future. Furthermore， China and the five Central Asian countries have launched the Data Security Cooperation Initiative， spearheading the building of a cyberspace community with a shared future.

??Third， with the Global Development Initiative （GDI） as the strategic guidance on turning the region into a GDI pilot zone， a community with a shared future with neighboring countries has made continuous progress in creating a clean and beautiful development environment featuring common prosperity. The GDI has garnered widespread support from regional countries since its initiation. Documents such as the"Joint Statement of the ASEAN-China Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations， the Joint Statement Between Leaders of China and the Five Central Asian Countries on the 30th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Ties， and the"Xi’an Declaration of the China-Central Asia Summit"have all expressed recognition and welcome for the GDI. The Group of Friends of the GDI initiated in January 2022 has attracted many countries in this region. On regional cooperation， China actively promotes the implementation and expansion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership （RCEP）， and works with ASEAN on the official signing of the upgraded China-ASEAN Free Trade Area （CAFTA 3.0） in 2025 following the conclusion of the substantive negotiations. China has been ASEAN’s largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years， and ASEAN has been China’s top trading partner for four years in a row. China has identified six priority areas for Lancang-Mekong cooperation and six programs that benefit the Lancang-Mekong countries. The year 2024 saw the launch of the Secretariat of the China-Central Asia Mechanism， the expansion of the SCO platform and steady progress of the China-Japan-ROK free trade agreement negotiations. China actively seeks accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership （CPTPP） and is pushing domestic reforms to align with CPTPP standards. In terms of green and low-carbon development， China and its neighbors collaborate on electric vehicles， lithium batteries， solar equipment， marine plastic waste management， air pollution control， marine conservation and biodiversity protection to promote sustainable development in the region.

??Fourth， with the Global Civilization Initiative （GCI） as the strategic guidance， building a community with a shared future with neighboring countries has made incessant breakthroughs in promoting mutual learning， open and inclusive cultural exchanges among neighboring countries. In May 2019， the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations was held in Beijing under the theme of “exchanges and mutual learning among Asian civilizations and a community with a shared future”. Countries in China’s neighborhood attended the conference and committed to carry forward their cultural heritage， promote cross-cultural dialogue， enhance cultural confidence and boost innovation. Adhering to the Asian values of peace， cooperation， openness and inclusiveness， China seeks to expand people-to-people exchanges and cooperation and consolidate the social and popular foundation for good neighborliness. Confucius Institutes and Luban Workshops have been opened in neighboring countries， while more government- and university-funded scholarships have been offered to students from these nations. Initiatives such as the China-ASEAN Year of People-to-People Exchanges have deepened cooperation in culture， tourism， training and youth exchanges. Joint efforts have been made in cultural heritage preservation， including overseas exhibitions and restoration projects in Uzbekistan and Cambodia. The “Cultural Silk Road” program has been launched to leverage the role of platforms like the Silk Road International theater， art festival， museum， art museum， library and tourism alliances in promoting Asian values.

Building A Community With A Shared Future With Neighboring Countries Is Facing New Circumstances

The world today faces accelerated changes unseen in a century and enters a new period defined by turbulence and transformation. The evolving situation is also evident in China’s neighborhood， presenting fresh challenges for building a community with a shared future with neighboring countries.

??First and foremost， as the U.S. intensifies strategic competition against China， steps up its “Indo-Pacific Strategy” and actively builds alliances in the region， the building of a community with a shared future with neighboring countries is facing more severe and complex geopolitical risks. The U.S. has taken accelerated steps to implement the Indo-Pacific Strategy in China’s neighborhood to strengthen bilateral and multilateral regional alliances. Attempts have been made towards NATO’s “Indo-Pacificization” and even Indo-Pacific “NATOization”. This tendency has intensified especially since the Ukraine crisis， and arms races in regional countries have accordingly increased. In this context， the U.S. has increased military assistance and arms sales to Taiwan， and bolstered military deployments in the Philippines， including four new military bases and the Typhon missile system. Considering that the majority of memebers in Donald Trump’s diplomatic and security teams are hawks against China， the administration’s containment of China may grow. In terms of non-traditional security， the resurgence of terrorism in South Asia and Central Asia puts China’s overseas interests in harm’s way.

Second， global geo-economy is gradually fragmented along the geopolitical rift， disrupting the global industrial and supply chains. Firstly， the U.S. presses ahead with the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework （IPEF） which undermines China’s cooperation with neighboring countries on supply chains and clean energy because cooperation on sectors such as digital economy， clean energy among IPEF member states is exclusive. The U.S. also scrabbles up the Minerals Security Partnership （MSP）， trying to build a supply chain of strategic and critical minerals that excludes China. So far， countries including Japan， the ROK and India have already joined the MSP， and the U.S. is trying to bring the Philippines， Indonesia and Central Asian countries into this pact. Secondly， some countries in the region follow the U.S. “small yard， high fence” policy targeting at China’s high-tech industry. For instance， the U.S. initiated the “Chip 4” semiconductor alliance together with the ROK， Japan and China’s Taiwan region. In July 2023， Japan announced export control on semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Such politically motivated， non-transparent screening poses severe challenges to industrial and supply chains especially the technology chain in East Asia. Thirdly， the U.S. has accelerated “decoupling” with China and the “reshoring” of its manufacturing industries and advocated the so-called “near-shoring” and “friend-shoring”， forcing some of its industrial chains in China to relocate to China’s neighboring countries. As the U.S. continues to tighten rules of origin and strengthen targeted customs law enforcement， it goes further to prevent Chinese products from entering the U.S. market by evading tariffs through exports， transit trade and transferring investment. Particularly， with the Trump administration’s tariff policies， the U.S. will further undermine the industrial and supply chains of China and its neighbors， and escalate their investment and trade frictions.

Third， the collective rise of the Global South presents a key factor for the transformation of the international order and brings hope to the world， which is undergoing changes unseen in a century. The growth and increasing strategic autonomy of Global South countries will add more certainty， stability and positive energy into the region and beyond， making new contributions to global economic recovery and sustainable development. With the collective rise of the Global South nations， particularly with China’s rise to the second largest economy in the world in 2010， major changes have taken place in the balance of power. In 2018， emerging markets and developing countries contributed 80% economic growth to the global total.

China’s neighborhood hosts the highest concentration of Global South countries which also make up a substantial proportion in key platforms for Global South cooperation. Russia， India， Indonesia， Kazakhstan， Thailand， Malaysia and Uzbekistan are members or partner countries of the BRICS mechanism. For the SCO， seven out of its ten members， two observer states， and five out of its fourteen dialogue partners are in China’s neighborhood. At the 2024 SCO Astana Summit， member states reaffirmed support for improving and reforming global economic governance. The Shanghai Spirit is highly compatible with the Asian security concept and Asian values， while the model of “SCO plus” featuring openness and inclusiveness helps strengthen collaboration among countries in the region， and offers its own solutions to regional governance.

With the development of ASEAN， China-ASEAN cooperation and China-ASEAN community with a shared future have made remarkable progress. An open and inclusive regional cooperation framework centered around ASEAN has taken shape in Southeast Asia. At the U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit in May 2022， ASEAN countries called for peace and cooperation instead of picking sides， division or confrontation. In February 2023， ASEAN’s rotating chair Indonesia reaffirmed its commitment to regional peace， stability and prosperity， emphasizing that ASEAN must not be a proxy for anyone or be drawn into major-power rivalry， it should instead leverage its unique strength and role as a center of growth. Similarly， the majority of countries in China’s neighborhood adhere to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence， champion South-South cooperation and South-North dialogue， and take their independent paths to development. In 2024， with a growth rate of around 4.5% ， Asia contributed 49% of the global GDP， and remained as the largest contributor to global growth. Notably， East Asia， South Asia and Central Asia all recorded growth rates above or close to the global average.

Joint Modernization Further Advances The Building Of A Community With A Shared Future With Neighboring Countries

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As articulated in the report to the 20th CPC National Congress， the central task of the CPC on the new journey is to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. Throughout the course of history， China and nations in its neighborhood have had their heyday before descending into laggards due to Western invasion and rule. Despite certain achievements of Japan and the “Four Asian Tigers”， most countries in the region are still in the early stage of pursuing modernization， not having yet found a path to modernization suited to their national realities.

Over the past hundred and more years， China has found its own path to modernization that displays a new prospect distinct from the Western model of modernization， thus setting an example and offering a new option for Global South countries seeking modernization independently. As President Xi Jinping noted at the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2023， global modernization should be pursued through the joint efforts of all countries to enhance peaceful development and mutually beneficial cooperation， so as to bring prosperity to all. This grand vision is consistent with the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind. Under the evolving circumstances， China will further deepen reform comprehensively and pursue modernization together with its neighbors to advance the building of a community with a shared future in the neighborhood.

??First， countries in the region should jointly pursue modernization of peaceful development. Chinese modernization is the modernization of peaceful development that will bring more certainty and development opportunities for regional peace， stability and prosperity. China will encourage more of its neighbors to take the path of peaceful development together. Firstly， we should advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world， uphold the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence， champion the vision of common， comprehensive， cooperative and sustainable security in Asia， support and improve the ASEAN-centered regional security cooperation architecture. We should value the role of mechanisms like the SCO， the BRICS， the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia （CICA）， the China-Central Asia mechanism， and the East Asian cooperation architecture in fostering a more balanced， effective and sustainable security architecture in Asia. Secondly， we should take a step-by-step approach starting with non-traditional security cooperation. We should on the one hand keep improving the established cooperation mechanisms for counter-terrorism， financial stability and public health， and on the other hand， put in place new mechanisms for regional climate change， cybersecurity， artificial intelligence and food security， such as the emergency support mechanism for disaster prevention and mitigation of Fengyun meteorological satellite international users， and the cybersecurity emergency response mechanism. Cooperation in non-traditional security fields within the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation framework is a piloting and demonstrative case. We can build trust through such cooperation and gradually expand to traditional security domains. Thirdly， we should come up with new ideas to strengthen regional organizations’ role of coordination and mediation. Through collective actions like peacekeeping and stability maintenance operations， we can promote constructive engagement as well as timely， fair and effective solutions to regional hotspot issues.

Second， countries in the region should jointly pursue modernization through mutually beneficial cooperation. The BRI was initiated in this part of the world and serves as a platform for action for building a community with a shared future for mankind. Naturally， China wants to see greater Belt and Road cooperation in its neighborhood through higher-level opening up to provide strong impetus for the modernization of its neighboring countries.

To begin with， China will steadily expand institutional opening-up to forge a new development paradigm. Specifically， it will promote a CAFTA 3.0 and the expansion and upgrade of the RCEP， strive to join the CPTPP and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement （DEPA）， and reach high-standard free trade agreements with more neighboring countries in an effort to improve the regional free trade network and develop a large common market. In addition， China will work to enhance cooperation in industrial and supply chains. It will seek greater synergy with Industry 4.0 in ASEAN， give full play to the economic complementarity among China， Japan and the ROK， tap the market potential of the five Central Asian countries and promote innovation-driven economic， energy and industrial transformation and upgrading to make the regional industrial and supply chains more stable and competitive. Last but not least， China will press ahead with connectivity projects with neighboring countries such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway， the China-Vietnam cross-border standard-gauge railway， the Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network， cross-border land cables and submarine optical cables， and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. With closer connectivity， China will be one of the end market in the neighborhood and such market opportunities will promote the modernization drive in the region.

Third， regional countries should jointly promote modernization of common prosperity. This part of the world is home to developed countries， emerging economies and quite some least developed countries. According to the UN list of least developed countries （LDCs） in 2023， eight of the LDCs are in this region， namely Afghanistan， Bangladesh， Bhutan， Cambodia， Laos， Myanmar， Nepal and Timor-Leste， accounting for nearly one-third of the total number of countries in China’s neighborhood. President Xi Jinping has stated that on the path to modernization， no one country should be left behind. With that in mind， China first and foremost champions universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. It has increased development assistance to neighboring countries and rolled out many “small yet smart” livelihood projects to facilitate the modernization of neighboring countries. In addition， China seeks to narrow the digital divide through digital cooperation. With the rapid development of digital technology， the digital divide between the North and the South may further widen. China will strengthen digital cooperation with neighboring countries through the Digital Silk Road， improve digital infrastructure such as 5G， cloud computing， data space and cross-border e-commerce platforms， increase the internet penetration rate， and promote digital transformation to help neighboring countries achieve leapfrog development through the digital economy. Lastly， China will deepen mutual learning with other civilizations and exchanges on governance experience with neighboring countries to jointly promote the Asian values of peace， cooperation， openness and inclusiveness. This will catalyze creative transformation and development of the regional countries’ fine traditional cultures in the course of pursuing modernization suited to their own national conditions.

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Wang Jian is Director of the Institute of International Relations， Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences