Evolvement of New China＇s Relations with Other Developing Countries

China＇s relationship with other developing countries is an important basis for China＇s foreign strategy. Since its founding, New China has accumulated complex experience and achieved rich fruits in how to handle and develop its relations with other developing countries. It has experienced contradictions between ideology and national identity and also made strenuous efforts to safeguard the country＇s strategic independence. Since the introduction of the reform and opening-up policy, China has rapidly enhanced its national strength, providing a new platform for it to play a greater role in the current international system. But China＇s identity as a developing country remains the starting point of its foreign strategy, and hence promoting and consolidating its relationship with other developing countries will also remain as China＇s strategic choice.     

“中国债务陷阱外交论”的发展及其谬误

In recent years,China has gained fruitful achievements in investment and infrastructure construction cooperation with countries along the proposed Belt and Road routes.At the same time,the West has begun to attack the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)with fallacies,of which“China’s debt-trap diplomacy”is a typical example.By putting the blame for the debt crisis of some developing countries on China,it tarnishes China’s international image and creates obstacles for the BRI.Therefore,it is particularly necessary to have a thorough understanding of the cause and effect of the“China’s debttrap diplomacy”narrative,to refute its erroneous nature and reveal the real root causes of the current debt crisis in many developing countries.     

International Relations Think Tanks and Their Issues

The emergence of international relations think tanks reflects historic changes in China's relations with the world and is a result of China's need to better understand the international situation and to have a greater impact on it.It also reflects the thirst for "intellectual support" for foreign policy and strategy,and this is a sign of progress in China's governance system.     

An Analysis of the ＂China Factor＂

Last year, the international community gave particular and systematic attention to the development of the "China factor", and various countries adjusted policies on China accordingly with far-reaching strategic consideration. The relations between China and the current world system have witnessed a change from partial and loose contacts to structural and systematic relations.I. Last year,the "China factor",as an impor- tant influencing concept,entered the language of the international politi…     

Analysis of the Current Situation in North Africa ＆ the Middle East

After the upsurge of domestic turmoil in Tunis last December,unrest spread rapidly through North Africa and the Middle East,having a profound effect on current international relations.It will continue to affect relations between the major powers and the international system as a whole for some time to come.The regional turmoil of North Africa and the Middle East is of particular interest to International Political Economy(IPE)studies.It seems to embody a geostrategic conflict between the US and the EU in contending for leadership in North Africa and the Middle East.It is also an expression of the competition for dominance of the global financial structure between the major powers during a period of transition in the international system.Lastly,it is a manifestation of America’s struggle to maintain its global economic hegemony.     

An Analysis of China's Power Status and International Standing

Many Chinese scholars have described China as the world＇s second biggest power after the U.S.. This is based on two facts. First, China overtook Japan in total economic output measured by GDP in 2010 to become the world＇s second biggest economy. Some scholars argue that China still lags behind the U.S. in comprehensive national power and in this sense it is also ranked second） The other is that Sino-U.S. relations are frequently described as the rise and fall of big powers, especially when referring to the Asia-Pacific region. It is the latest example of how relations between a rising power and one struggling to maintain its status have been so complex in the long history of international relations. While many people talk about the possibility that China will overtake the U.S. in the future, others talk about a G2.2 If we look closely at global trends and changes to China＇ s international environment, if we examine what exactly we mean by power status, we will have a much deeper understanding of China＇ s current power status from which we can build a solid foundation for this country＇ s foreign strategy and diplomacy.     

China＇s International Orientation in the Fast- Changing International Situation

The financial crisis is having a great impact on the worldeconomic and political structure. At the same time, it has brought important opportunities to China, a country in a crucial stage of development. The crisis has demonstrated China＇s importance and positive role in international economy, and provided it with favorable conditions to enhance its international influence and status.     

New Changes in the International Situation and China's Strategic Choices

The international situation is evolving more impressively than it has at any time since the end of the Cold War.Globalization has been in decline.Nations are scrambling to gain greater influence.The international strategic pattern is being adjusted.Many countries have problems with public management,and are faced with a new array of social trends and increasingly popular movements.The world is entering a new era full of chaos and anxiety.Mankind once again faces significant trade-offs and choices in peace and conflict,development and recession,openness and isolation,liberalism and conservatism.China strives to advocate win-win cooperation and lead the trend of reform and opening to maintain a favorable external environment despite world chaos,and enhance status and institutional rights in the international system.China's 30 years of development was successful in the process of integrating into the existing international system;China is a participant as well as a builder of the international system,rather than a challenger or a subversive.In the future,with a constructive attitude,China will promote the international system in a more reasonable direction together with international partners,in order to better safeguard world peace and security,and promote sustainable development throughout the world.     

Europe-Africa Relations in Transition： From Dependence to Equals？

For a long time, relations between the European Union and Africa are not on an equal footing. As early as half a century ago, the European Community, predecessor of the EU, drove the former colonies of some member states into a framework of “special relationship” with the Community and established a system to keep them dependent on their former European suzerains through unequal trade and aid. Most of those countries that were driven into the system were African states. Such a system demonstrated the one-way control by the developed European countries over the developing African countries. With the continuous improvement of Africa＇s strategic position, ever since 2005, the EU, for its own economic and security interests, has issued with great fanfare policy documents on Africa, adjusting its policy toward the continent and proposing to make the “equal political partnership” between the EU and Africa as the primary objective of its Africa policy. However, due to historical and realistic reasons, it is not easy to achieve genuine equality between the EU and Africa; to make it a reality, colossal efforts have to be made.     

Building Friends Nearby： Chinas Economic Relations with Neighboring Countries

Peripheral diplomacy tops China＇s overall diplomatic layout. Economic diplomacy has also increasingly become an importantpart of Chinese diplomacy. Therefore, it is of important strategic significance to promote economic diplomacy in the surrounding areas. For China, now is a conflict-prone period in relations with its neighboring countries, a sensitive time of American rebalancing to Asia Pacific and a period of development bottlenecks in the peaceful rise of China. It is an important strategic issue for China to figure out how to join neighboring countries to achieve an inclusive growth and symbiotic development, to translate its economic influence in the surrounding areas into political influence, and to better safeguard national interests and improve diplomatic influence.     

Reform and Opening Up Versus Adjustment of China＇s Relations with Other Developing Countries

China＇s relations with other developing countries, an important component part and the foundation of its foreign policy, comprises two major dimensions： One, it has been the tradition of China＇s foreign affairs to promote relations with other developing countries. This tradition constitutes an extremely important basis of its foreign relations because China, a major member of the developing world, has had a similar destiny like the vast number of developing countries.     

China＇s Relations with Africa： Building a Harmonious World

The Sino-African relationship is one of the most important inter-continental relationships in the world. It is unique both in its origin and evolution and plays an important role on the world stage. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in the mid-1950s, traditional, friendly and cooperative relations between China and African countries have developed rapidly, reaching an historic high in 2000 when both sides proclaimed the establishment of a new type of strategic partnership. Transcending Western traditional value and logic of thinking, such as the supremacy of international interests and power control, Sino-African relations have created a new model in international relations, featuring equality, peaceful coexistence and friendly cooperation. This promotes African development and the democratization process in both international relations and the global community. From China＇s perspective, it spreads China＇s idea of harmonious culture and harmonious diplomacy, thus promoting world peace and development, and contributing towards building a harmonious world.     

China-U.S. Economic Symbiosis Moving toward Symmetry

The symbiotic relationship between the Chinese and U.S.economies determines that the two countries have mutual strategic needs. For a long time, the United States has played a dominant role in this relationship, yet it has also been developing in a direction favorable to China. The current financial crisis has accelerated the development of this trend, which gives China more say and makes the United States give up its previous dominant posture and seek to build a more reliable and new pattern of relationship in which the two are in the same boat.     

Probing into the Theories on the Rise of Great Powers

The existent international relations theory has not given a clear definition of “the rise of great powers,“ and “rising“ is also not a fundamental concept in international relations or world politics. However, for whatever version of international relations history, it must be a recounting of the relations between countries that rise and fall; and for whatever international relations theory, it must admit the fact that the rise and fall of great powers is one of the natural laws characterized international relations development. As Paul Kennedy puts it, the “relative strengths of the leading nations in world affairs never remain constant, principally because of the uneven rate of growth among different societies and of the technological and organizational breakthroughs which bring a greater advantage to one society than to another.“① Therefore, it can be said that theories related to “the rise of great powers“ are so common, particularly concentrating on the possible influence of the rising power and its relations with war, the means and policies to deal with it as well as how to realize the peaceful transition of power. This article intends to explore and summarize all these theories and also make some comments based on the rise of China.……     

China-U.S. Relations： From ＂Standing Firm on the Ground at 30＂ to ＂Not Suffering from Perplexity at 40＂

Chinese philosopher Confucius once said that ＂at 30 I stood firm upon the ground, at 40 I no longer suffer from perplexity＂. Confucius＇ words prove that the current 30-year-old relations between China and the United States is basically standing firm on the ground. However, this relationship is by no means free from perplexities since there remain problems and troubles that might perplex its further development. In the next decade or even next 30 years, the two countries should make it their objective to push forward their relations from the current stage of firm-standing to a perplexity-free stage.     

The Major Power Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics in the Transition of International Order

The early 21st century finds great change in international order.China's foreign relations have entered a new phase where its driving force is rapidly rising for the emerging countries and new global economic governance mechanism is gradually established.To follow the trend of the times,China has actively participated in global economic governance and supply of public goods.China' s foreign relations present a new vision,idea and strategy under the leadership of President Xi Jinping.It is a new starting point for China to further integrate itself into the world and open itself wider to the world.China takes an active part to participate in global governance and plays an important role in the issues of economic integration,environmental governance,climate change,nuclear nonproliferation,energy crisis,internet security and anti-terrorism,especially anti-terrorism.This article explains the performance of international relations in current transition order and tries to tackle prior (and in some ways more intractable) issues and to analyze the internal logics and external environment of impact of multi-polarization on China's major power diplomacy with its characteristics in the transition of International order.     

Happy New Year to Our Readers and Greetings to China International Studies

Editors' Note: The New Year approaches as we greet the first anniversary of China International Studies. Availing ourselves of this opportunity, we sincerely wish our readers a happy and prosperous New Year! China International Studies began its publication last December. Since its inception, various think-tanks and institutions of higher learning both at home and abroad as well as Chinese embassies in foreign countries and foreign embassies in Beijing have offered it great support. Many readers wrote to us giving their encouragement on this new-born publication. We are carrying some of the messages in this issue to express our deep appreciation. Articles in this issue are mainly on the Middle East situation, the Iran nuclear issue, China-EU relations, China-India relations and China's peaceful diplomacy. We are also publishing a paper by a foreign scholar for the first time.     

China＇s Flourishing Multilateral Diplomacy

In the early stage after its founding, the People＇s Republic of China established bilateral relations with a series of socialist countries and a small number of Western countries. In order to break up the encirclement of New China by the Western hostile forces headed by the United States, New China began participating in international affairs. It took part in the two Geneva Conferences and the Bandung Conference, and Premier Zhou Enlai visited ten African countries.     

Chinese Academic Researches on Democratization of International Relations： Status and Problems

After the Cold War, hegemony and power politics remained the major obstacles in the process of establishing a fair, just, inclusive and orderly global political volatile international and economic order. Due political and economic to the complicated and situation, promoting democratization of intemational relations as well as establishing a fair and reasonable global political and economic order have become the appeal of people in more and more countries. The Chinese government duly put forward its proposition of democratization of international relations to safeguard the basic interests of people in China and other countries in the world. It became one vital theoretical innovation in its diplomatic strategy. Under the guidance of this idea, the Chinese government is actively pushing forward democratization Of international relations with many developing countries.     

China＇s Diplomacy： New Trends and New Characteristics

In the 60 years since the founding of the People＇s Republic of China, the country has pursued a peace-oriented foreign policy. After the end of the Beijing Olympics in October 2008, China＇s foreign relations began to take on a new look. The country now participates more actively in global and regional issues, forging multilateral and bilateral relationships, and entering into discussions on maritime rights and military strategy. It could be said that China is now showing more initiative, independence, confidence, transparency and a greater sense of responsibility, and strengthening cooperation with all partners. These changes are mainly due to China＇s increasing comprehensive national strength and its need to integrate into the international system in a peaceful and harmonious manner with benefits to all. China has redefined its identity and reassessed its interests. These changes are ongoing, and the nation＇s diplomacy is still not perfect, but the general direction has now been set.